Check Out These Things To Do With Your Career-Driven Child

Raising a career-driven child can often feel like a full-time job. Although it is rewarding to watch as your child’s eyes spark with discovery, you might feel like you are constantly searching for new ways to keep them stimulated. Finding things to do in Portland that engage your child’s mind and desire to achieve their dreams isn’t hard when you tap into what makes them tick. Seeing someone in a uniform helps your child envision themselves serving in a similar role, and there is no better way to jumpstart their passion for being of service to others than by taking them to one of these kid-friendly destinations in the city.

Shoot for the Stars at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

What better way is there to develop your child’s interest in aviation than to take them to the plane that kicked off the world’s fascination with flying? The Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum is the current home of the Spruce Goose, or the Hughes Flying Boat. At the time, this was the largest aircraft that had ever been built, and it still has the ability to leave your child mesmerized. After gazing at the flying boat in wonder, your child can also check out replicas of space rovers and climb into the cockpit of a helicopter to get a feel of what it might be like to one day fly their own aircraft.

Dive Into Sailing With a Tour of the USS Blueback

Children tend to be fascinated by the sea, and your little one might be dreaming of exploring the depths of the ocean when they get old enough. The USS Blueback is an old decommissioned Navy submarine that lets your child get a real feel of what servicemembers experience on their deep-sea diving trips. At the Oregon Museum of Science and History, your kid can hang out in a real submarine bunk, peer through a periscope and enjoy other exciting moments that include touching a torpedo.

Ignite a Passion for Firefighting With a Visit to the Historic Belmont Firehouse

Firefighters are right at the top of the list when it comes to a child’s heroes, and no one can deny that there is something exciting about having the opportunity to save lives. The Belmont Firehouse is over a century old, but it has many interactive features that give children a taste of what life was like for firefighters when it was active. Your child can slide down a real fireman’s pole, listen to recorded 911 messages on a vintage phone and see an authentic steam-powered fire engine.

Hands-on experiences give your child a chance to fully immerse themselves in their dream jobs. Whether your little one is a future aviator or dreams of fighting fires, you can let them try out a career for a day to see what it might feel like to serve their community. While your child will think you’re just having a fun family adventure together, you’ll know that you just put them in the driver’s seat for figuring out what they might really want to be when they grow up.