Bend Family Loop: Week of Mar. 16-19

Hi there,

Does anyone else have an explosion of kid’s clothes around their house right now? We’ve decided it’s time to start pulling out some warm weather clothes, so we have winter jackets, shorts, sun shirts, rain pants, tank tops, insulated boots, beanies and baseball hats littering the floor, and definitely not enough drawer space for it all. 😅

In this week’s Loop:

Let’s jump right in!

–Megan

If you've ever spent hours planning, packing, and driving to the mountain for a ski day only to have your kids spend most of it struggling to find their footing, you already know why Shredder Bend exists. Bend's new indoor ski and snowboard school is here to make sure your kids show up to the mountain with real skills and real confidence, so they can just go have fun instead of starting from zero.

Shredder is owned and run by local parents Morgan & Natalie, and the setup is pretty cool. There are two indoor slopes, one for getting comfortable with the basics and a 65-foot run where kids can build speed and work on turns, comparable to what they'd experience on actual snow. Classes are small, three to five kids, and Morgan has staffed the place with coaches who have real mountain teaching experience. So the instruction is the real deal, adapted to work indoors.

What I really loved hearing from Morgan is that his vision goes beyond ski and snowboard skills. He wants Shredder to be a place where kids build confidence, resilience, and skills they can use on and off the slopes.

There are classes that start as soon as your kiddo knows how to walk, and the program will run year-round (making it a great option when summer smoke or heat rolls in and you still want to get your kids moving!).

Showcase classes start this Wednesday and run through the week, with more during spring break. These are single, no commitment classes, just a chance to come try it out and see what Shredder is about. → Head over to their website to sign up!

Here are some upcoming dates to stick onto your calendar!

Summer camp registration opens this week for the following camps:

⛺️ Plan ahead for summer! I compiled all the summer day camp info I could find into this 2026 Summer Camps Guide. It’s an easy reference for what’s available and can be filtered by age, interests, and dates.

Our Eco-Hero & Forest Explorers Camps are back this summer! This year registration is through Bend Parks & Rec. You can find details on page 71 & 73 of the BP&RD Summer Playlist. Get ready to register on March 17th! Our Redmond Camps will use the same registration process as last year through our website in just a few short weeks!

📅 Get ready: Registration opens March 17th through Bend Parks & Rec!

Here’s what’s happening this week!

🫟 Toddler Time: Messy Monday!
9am–12pm • Ages 5 & under • More info
📍Mountain Air (20495 Murray Rd. #150)

A perfect combo of big movement and hands-on fun, with open jump time at the trampoline park followed by sensory play in the activity room.

🎒 Backpack Explorers: Beading
10am-11am • Ages 3–5 • Register
📍High Desert Museum (59800 US-97)

Explore the Museum's beaded artwork with a Museum educator, then try your hand at stringing beads to take home your very own beaded creation, in this hands-on parent-child class.

📚 Preschool Story Time
10:30am-11am • Ages 3–5 • Free
📍Deschutes Historical Museum (129 NW Idaho Ave)

A lively storytime packed with stories, songs, and rhymes to get little ones excited about reading and build early literacy skills.

👩‍🍼 Milk & Mingle
12pm-1pm • Free • More info
📍Evermore Midwifery & Health (130 SW Century Dr.)

A free drop-in hour offering expert feeding support, baby weigh-ins, troubleshooting, and a chance to connect with other parents in a welcoming, no-pressure setting.

🧘 Kid’s Yoga 4pm-5:15pm • Ages 4+ • More info
📍Namaspa Yoga Community (1135 NW Galveston Ave.)

This interactive kids yoga class helps kids connect to their body and mind, and runs at the same time as the adult’s Vin/Yin class, so you can get some time on the mat, too.

📖 RAB Middles Book Club
6pm-7pm • Ages 11–14 • Free • More info
📍Roundabout Books (900 NW Mt. Washington Dr.)

Drop in for Roundabout Books' middle school book club, led by Kathleen! This month the group dives into The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie. No prior attendance or commitment required.

🤸 Playmania
9-11am • Ages 5 & under • More info
📍Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy (63060 Layton Ave)

A drop-in open play session packed with climbing obstacles, push cars, trampolines, a ninja course, and full access to COGA's gymnastics equipment. Kids under 1 are free!

🎨 Sensory Art Play
9:15am-10:15am • Ages 9 months–2 years • Register
📍Two Suns Art Studio (70 SW Century Dr)

Taste-safe, sensory-rich art play for babies supporting fine motor skills, sensory processing, and early language development. All of the fun mess of art class, with none of the cleanup!

📚 Baby Story Time
10:30am-10:45am • Ages 0–18 • Free
📍Deschutes Children's Foundation (2125 NE Daggett Ln)

A short and sweet storytime for parents and babies. Read, sing, and enjoy the community that comes from a room full of babies and parents!

📚 Bilingual Stories & Songs en Español e Inglés
11:30am-12pm • Ages 0–5 • Free
📍Deschutes Children's Foundation (2125 NE Daggett Ln)

A family storytime with stories, rhymes, and songs in both Spanish and English.

👚 Fit Check: Sustainable Clothing Swap for Teens
5:30pm-7pm • Ages 13+ • Free • More info
📍The Pavilion (1001 SW Bradbury Wy)

Teens can do a sustainable wardrobe refresh at this first-ever Teen Clothing Swap, hosted by the library and The Environmental Center, with tips on rethinking waste, mending, and altering clothing. Drop-ins welcome, but register to score a skate voucher and free rentals!

🚸 BLP Elementary & Middle Schools Closed!

🎶 Music & Making Toddler Time
10:30am–11:30am • Ages 5 & under • More info
📍Mountain Air (20495 Murray Rd #150)

Ms. Melinda of OTB Arts leads an hour of songs, creative movement, and music during toddler jump, free with regular entry (toddler play time is 9a–12pm).

📚 Toddler Story Time
10:30am-10:55am • Ages 1½–3 • Free
📍Deschutes Children's Foundation (2125 NE Daggett Ln)

An energetic storytime packed with stories, songs, and movement rhymes to get the kiddos up and moving!

📚 Family Story Time
11:30am-11:55am • Ages 0–5 • Free
📍Deschutes Children's Foundation (2125 NE Daggett Ln)

Stories, songs, and rhymes to support early literacy and social emotional development for kids and parents.

🥷 Kids Ninja Warrior After-School Camp
1:15pm-3:45pm • Ages 6–10 • Register
📍Free Spirit (320 SW Powerhouse Drive)

Kids work through Ninja circuits & courses with Free Spirit coaches, tackling climbing, parkour, gymnastics, and team games while building coordination, balance, strength, and agility skills.

🎨 Family Art Play
4pm-5pm • Ages 9 mo–6 years • Register
📍Two Suns Art Studio (70 SW Century Dr)

Families can explore a whimsical world of fairytales, woodland creatures, and storybook magic through open-ended paint and sensory stations in this special family Art Play session.

🤠 Kids Line Dance Lessons
5pm-6pm • Family friendly • Free
📍The Coyote & Mindful Motion (910 NW Harriman St)

A free, high-energy line dancing lesson where kids learn easy-to-follow moves to upbeat music that gets everyone on their feet!

📐 Kids Sheet Metal Art
5pm-7pm • Ages 10–17 • Register
📍DIYcave (444 SE 9th St.)

Learn about metal art and sculpture in this hands-on class. With an emphasis on safety and creativity, kids will learn how to cut and shape sheet metal, add texture and dimension, and finish off their piece to display at home.

🚸 BLP Elementary & Middle Schools Closed!

🤸 Toddlers & Tots Play
9-11am • Ages 1-5 • More info
📍Cascade Indoor Sports (20775 High Desert Ln.)

Enjoy climbing and sliding in the Bigger Play Thing without the “big kid” energy during this toddler-friendly open play time. There will also be Strider bikes, balloons, soccer balls, and more available for play.

🤸 Read, Move, & Groove!
9:30am-10:30am • Ages 0–5 • Register
📍The Little Gym of Bend (61334 S Hwy 97)

Kids explore stories through movement, music, and hands-on fun in this gym-based session blending interactive storytime, coordination-building physical play, and rhythmic music and dance. $10 for non-members, free for members.

🌱 Intro to Spring Tinkergarten class
11am-12pm • Ages 1.5–8 • Register
📍Tumalo State Park

An intro Tinkergarten class where kids explore, create, and learn from one another in a supportive outdoor social setting, with this spring's program focusing on creativity and imaginative problem-solving.

🎨 Storytime Art
1pm-2:30pm • Ages 3–6 • Register
Two Suns Art Studio (70 SW Century Dr)

A play-based art class where kids explore the bold, geometric quilt designs of the Gee's Bend Quiltmakers, a legendary community of Alabama artists known for their vibrant, improvisational style. Kids will have a chance to create work on individual and group projects and explore open-ended creative stations inspired by these artists.

🍄‍🟫 Secrets in the Soil with SNCO
1:30pm-2:30pm • Ages 6–12 • Free • More info
📍Redmond Library (827 SW Deschutes Ave, Redmond)

Dive into the microscopic world hiding beneath your feet! Join Sunriver Nature Center for a hands-on exploration of soil life, featuring mushroom dissections, microscope viewing, and a food web activity.

🔴 Pokémon Club
3pm-4pm • Family friendly • Free • More info
📍Rosie Bareis Community Campus (1010 NW 14th Street )

A get-together for Pokémon fans to trade cards, play games, and meet other kids.

🎤 Teen Open Mic Night at the OAC
5pm-7pm • Ages 13–18 • Free • Sign up to perform
📍The Open Arts Center (999 NE 2nd St)

Share your talents with an encouraging and creative community. Whether it’s music, song, poetry, dance, or comedy, this is a welcoming space for all forms of self expression. Teens can register if they want to preform, and all ages are welcome to attend to support our local teen artists!

👨 Dad to Dad
5pm-7:30pm • Parent event • More info & sign up
📍Hanai (62430 Eagle Rd.)

An evening of honest conversation and connection for dads, sharing parenting strategies and practical tools with the support of a local parenting coach. Leave with real, actionable ideas to bring home to your family.

Spring break is next week, and there are still camps with availability if you’re looking for a way to keep your child active & engaged during the week.

Here is our full Spring Break Camp directory, filterable by ages and interests!

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