KitsapWithKids: Ways to Spend the Winter

Dr. Seuss Comes Alive

in Port Orchard

Western Washington Center for the Arts is performing a wonderful musical adaptation of several Dr. Seuss books. This show is sure to please children of all ages, and parents as well!

"Seussical" the musical, once played on Broadway, is a charming menagerie of many different classic children's books including The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Green Eggs and Ham, plus 13 other literary creations.

Through December 16, WWCA will present the show on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 5 pm. The musical is being performed at the WWCA Playhouse at 521 Bay Street in Port Orchard. Tickets cost between $10 and $15.

For more information, call 360-769-7469.

KitsapWithKids: Ways to Spend the Winter

I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest for 16 of the last 20 years of my life. I should be used to the winter weather by now. Problem is, it isn’t just winter weather. It’s winter, spring and fall weather. It’s nine-months-of-the-year weather. It’s cold-and-damp, what-will-we-do-inside-again-today weather.

Don’t get me wrong, summer more than makes up for the wet months. It’s glorious and beautiful and, well, perfect. But ugh, the gray skies that come in October!

Well, in the past, I just (excuse the pun) weathered through the weather. However, now I have a three-year-old. How do I entertain him without going crazy on those weekend afternoons when the sky is drizzling and we’ve been home a little too long?

Thus, begins the new series “KitsapWithKids: Ways to Spend the Winter”. I will highlight different things to do with children here in Kitsap County and in surrounding areas. I will try to post something every few days, and hopefully that will keep many of you busy during the worst days of winter.

Some of these ideas will be for on-going entertainment opportunities, like cinemas, indoor pools and gyms. Other posts will be about local kid-friendly events. This series is aimed at children of different ages, so it includes families with infants and toddlers as well as families with teenagers.

If you have a suggestion for a feature for KitsapWithKids, please let me know. And keep checking back for new ideas. Have a safe and sane winter!

KitsapWithKids: Ways to Spend the Winter

Chuck E. Cheese in Silverdale

The first in a series of ways to spend rainy, cold, winter afternoons with your kids in Kitsap County.

Silverdale is the retail hub of Kitsap County. It is also the home to the county’s newest indoor attraction for kids. Chuck E. Cheese has arrived in Kitsap County!

Chuck E. Cheese is well-known as the place kids go to run around and play video games while noshing on pizza and breadsticks. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad can have a salad and pizza of their own, while sipping on a beer.

Or, skip the food altogether! Buy a Chuck E. cup, and spend the afternoon drinking fruit punch and feeding tokens to all the machines. For very little cash, you and your little ones could spend hours at Chuck E. Cheese on a nasty day.

Be sure to sign up for the CEC Club. Through the Chuck E. Cheese website, you can sign up and receive monthly specials via email. Great coupons are always available in the local paper, but the coupons that arrive through the CEC Club can’t be beat!

Remember, this is an awesome place for ALL ages, even babies! The infants and crawling babies with our meetup group are usually fascinated by the lights and all the kids, and one crawler I know will sit for hours watching the huge TV featuring Chuck E. Cheese or the disco balls hung from the ceiling. And be on alert, Chuck E. has been known to make an appearance and give out free tokens and tickets!

Tip: To avoid the crowds but still tire out the little ones, be at the door when they open at 10 am, and plan to leave at lunchtime. That way, you can let them go wild, eat at Chuck E. Cheese if you choose, then get the kids to nap when you get home after lunch!

Click here to sign up for the Chuck E. Cheese Club!