The end of August has a certain air of purgatory to it. The “ahhh it’s summer” feeling is gone, but it’s not really replaced with the whole Back-To-School thing, it’s more like “hurry up and wait.” Last year we forgot one necessary item for my youngest, a folder. Well, once we got the folder we realized his backpack, a hand-me down, was too small. Going backpack shopping the day before school starts seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do; however, I was the ONLY one there and garnered stares from people passing by. I’m not sure what the sweet spot is for buying school supplies is. I mean, I started in the first week of August and I still had to make multiple trips because a store was out of what I needed. I am certainly not done with the full list yet because I needed a breather, emotionally AND financially.

Speaking of Back-To-School, the Edmonds School District has released the calendar for the 2014-2015 school year. The first early release day is Sept. 26 and the first Non-Student day isn’t until Oct. 24. Also, If your child is interested in walking or biking to school with friends, the Cascade Bike Club is having an event next Thursday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Edmonds School District Offices, 20420 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood. The club will tell you “how to start “Bike Trains” and “Walking School Buses” as well as, how to start a “Bike To School Month” program. For more information, email Jenni McCloughan at mccloughanj@edmonds.wednet.edu.

This Sunday, Aug. 24, The Challenge Parents Association is having a Back-To-School Potluck Picnic for students in the Challenge Program at Terrace Park School. The event held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. is at North Lynnwood Park, 18150 44^th Ave. W. It is a great opportunity for incoming students to meet new friends before joining the program, which often entails leaving the school the student attended most recently. You can visit www.ChallengeParents.org for more information.

The Edmonds Library, 650 Main St., seems to have a new online calendar. It is much easier to view the events on the horizon like Storytime being back on the schedule! Starting Tuesday, Sept. 16 there are five different options to catch a story time. Preschool Storytime for kids ages 3 to 5, is on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. Baby and Me: Walkers is on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. for kids up to 18 months who are already walking. Baby and Me: Pre-Walkers is at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays for kids up to 18 months who aren’t walking just yet. Ready Reader Toddler Storytime for kids 18 months to 3 years old is on Fridays at both 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Storytime is a fun, free way to get your kids used to being around other kids and following the rules, but maybe mostly for getting them tired enough for a nap! For more information you can call the library at 425-771-1933.

While we are talking about the library, there is another Reading with Rover event this Saturday, Aug. 23at 11 a.m.. I’ve been doing this column for a year now and I’d have to say that Reading with Rover has probably appeared the most times. Having a son who is nervous to read, I finally took my own advice and checked it out. There were two very calm, sweet therapy dogs who were more than happy to sit and listen to a book full of three-letter words that rhymed. The program is designed to build confidence in readers just like my son and it most definitely worked. He came home with a bookmark, sticker and a shimmery stamp on his arm. If you attend a certain amount of times you can even get a “Reading with Rover” tote bag. So, I can fully recommend this event not only from our experience but that of the happy little girl who was there too. For more information you can check out www.readingwithrover.org.

Quiet Heart Wilderness School is offering an Ancestral Skills program starting Sept. 20. This is the “most advanced and challenging” program the school offers. “Students will be trained in awareness, tracking, primitive and survival skills, shelter construction and acquiring food in a small and intimate group.” Students must be 13 or over and already have some outdoor experience. Not only does the program have four to five days per season with an overnight campout in the spring, it allows for unlimited attendance in the Quiet Heart OWLE (Outdoor Living Wilderness Experience) Program. The locations are in and around Edmonds and many classes, including the Saturday OWLE program, are held at “Coyote Camp” at Edmonds Unitarian church, 8109 224th St. S.W., Edmonds. I know Quietheart owner Hawkeye from my son’s preschool. I watched him snatch a snake out of wetlands with his bare hands so it’s easy to see why the kids in class absolutely loved him. For more information you can visit www.QuietHeart.org.

It seems fitting to end with the last Tuesday summer concert for kids at Hazel Miller Plaza, 5^th and Maple. Next Tuesday, Aug. 26 from noon to 1 p.m. Rocklyn Road will perform a free show and the weather forecast is calling for an amazing day of sunny skies and temperatures near 80!

– By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, an Edmonds Mom of two young boys, is a traffic reporter by dawn and writer and PBJ maker by day. She is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time. You can find her trying to make sense of begging kids to ” just eat the mac n cheese” at SnackMomSyndrome.com. If you have a kid-friendly event you’d like to share, email her at play@myedmondsnews.com.