Youth Programming

A Scavenger Hunt with clues that lead to locations where stickers can be obtained. Come to the Info Desk to pick up the list of questions. Happy hunting!

All weekend, there are dealers and game developers running demos of games in Maxi’s Salon. Come up to see the latest and greatest games and talk to game developers.

Come sign up for a game run by our DMs or check out games from our lending library. We have RPGs, computer games, LARPs, card games, board games, and so much more! Need ADA access for a game? Please speak to our staff when you sign up so we can be sure to meet your needs.

Instead of standing in line, come test out a variety of Nerf blasters in our firing range, no badge required! Staff approved outside blasters welcome.

Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society will be running games throughout the weekend. Check the games schedule for details.

Olympic 1 will be free for play, reading, crafts, and lounge time.

Shhh! Sometimes babies and their families just need a place to be for a while. Olympic 1 is your space for some much-needed baby quiet time or social play, depending on the needs of the babies who join us. Older siblings are welcome.

Writers write, that’s what we do, but sometimes writing in the genres we love becomes more of a chore than a joy. What to do? Step outside the genre box and look at stories in a new light. In this 90-minute workshop, we’ll discuss what it means to write in different genres, what’s involved in writing cross-genre, and examples of how different genres can focus on the same theme or setting. We’ll use simple item story prompts to jump-start timed writings and maybe even share our work. Bring your favorite writing implements and your imagination. It’s time to think outside the box! Presented by Clarion West. Ages 14+. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. See the Writing Classes and Lectures page for details.

We will have materials on hand to build a fairy garden, fairy door, and fairy accessories from recyclable materials to take home with you. Projects are geared to be accessible for young children to complete with adult assistance, but all are welcome to come and create a fairy fantasy with us!

Learn how to create realistic props with cardboard and other inexpensive materials or techniques.

Diana may be a goddess of love, but she also knows how to fight! How does her fighting style reflect her personality? We’ll find out as we break down her final training battle with Antiope and teach you some of her awesome moves. This is a hands-on workshop with movement. Wear clothes you can swing a (foam) sword in.

Two masters face off in a Pictionary-style competition to create, on the spot, cover art based on the audience’s suggestions.

Leannan Sidhe is a fey musician with wandering feet and a shimmering soprano voice who writes music that tends to the bittersweet. She performs mostly in the Pacific Northwest but will happily travel further abroad if the opportunity is provided.

An acoustic singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington, Aaron J. Shay blends an old-world folk sound with a modern lyrical style and an affinity for science, technology, and fiction. His performances are highly interactive experiences, featuring many sing-alongs and stomp-alongs, all punctuated by his funny and heartfelt musings on relationships, creativity, magic, and the future of humanity.

Lady Heather is a classically trained singer who studied voice in Glasgow, Scotland. As she explains, “I sing Italian at people.” Now Lady Heather is a teacher of voice lessons. Along with opera, she likes to sing just about any genre of music and may just take requests during the show. She also likes to muse on the comical side of her experiences.

Forget video games! In Adventure Quest, children and teens become the heroes of an incredibly fun and dynamic quest, working together to overcome interesting challenges, solve mystifying riddles, brainstorm unique solutions to puzzling dilemmas, and swashbuckle with foes. Participants experience the excitement and confidence that comes from banding together to defend their village, solve a perplexing mystery, or negotiate a peace treaty. Wielding safe foam Swasher swords, the participants play dueling games and act out challenges in an environment that teaches good sportsmanship, fair play, and respect for others. Then they exercise their minds as they try to piece together the clues in a coded riddle and follow a map to buried treasure.

We will be accepting entries into the Norweskids Youth Arts and Crafts Show in Olympic 1 all day starting at 8 a.m. Entries will be accepted between panels and during all open house panels until 5 p.m. Friday. We are excited to see your creations!

Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society will be running games throughout the weekend. Check the games schedule for details.

Bring your own games and play in the open game area.

Need a towel? Is your flowerpot a bit cracked? Need a suitable container for a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster? Stop by Olympic 1 for our drop-in crafting time. We will have materials on hand to create these and more! Space is also available for crafting your own creations.

All weekend there will be dealers and game developers running demos of games in Maxi’s Salon. Come up and see the latest and greatest games and talk to the game developers.

Come sign up for a game run by our GMs or check out a game from our lending library. We have RPGs, computer games, LARPs, card games, board games, and so much more! Need ADA access for a game? Please speak to our staff when you sign up and we will make sure to meet your needs.

Start off your super day! Gain strength and confidence from power poses, which sometimes correlate to traditional yoga or martial arts, straight from the panels or scenes. Breathe deeply. Relax and loosen those muscles like the hero you are. Go boldly into your Norwescon Friday energized for the day’s activities! Wear comfortable clothes. This is a low-impact physical activity.

An introduction to what tabletop role-playing games are and how they are played. Ideas and suggestions on how to get started in the hobby.

A Scavenger Hunt with clues that lead to locations where stickers can be obtained. Come to the Info Desk to pick up the list of questions. Happy hunting!

Families with babies and toddlers are welcome to drop by and spend some time away from the hectic con scene. Older siblings are welcome as well.

Painting monsters. How do you show perspective? How do colors influence the viewer and the final product? Let’s discover the layers hidden behind some happy monsters. Bring your sketchbooks, pencils, and colors if you have them to follow along.

Conventions can be overwhelming and difficult for everyone. Come by Olympic 1 for sensory-friendly activities and open space for stimming and being yourself.

Bring the family to meet some mermaids, get a photo with them, and learn about their lives under the sea.

Enjoy some milk and cookies while our youth pros interview Special Guest of Honor Nancy Pearl.

You got questions? Our top-notch science minds have your answers. But you may not like them…

Olympic 1 will be free for play, reading, crafts, and lounge time.

What’s so wrong with being a Slytherin? Need to find your fellow Hufflepuffs? Maybe, you’re looking to start out on an adventure and need a partner? Come find your fellow Potterheads at this meet-up.

Bring your musical instruments and enthusiasm for an all-ages-welcome singalong including selections from Labyrinth, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Steven Universe, Hamilton, and much more! For the finale, we will attempt to recreate the famous “Mad About Me” (Cantina Band Song) from Star Wars!

You’ve all seen the viral videos online and heard about pools banning tails. Come learn about how to safely swim as a merperson, and find out how to do some extra nifty FUNderwater tricks! It’s a whole new world when you have a tail, so come get your flukes wet, develop good practices (no matter your age or level of experience) and try some backflips, bubble rings, breath holds, and more! Tails are welcome, but not required.

All dressed up in your finest costume? Come memorialize your look for the holidays by having your photo taken with Santa and Krampus. All proceeds benefit Northwest Harvest. Look for our holiday heroes in the Photo Area in the main Lobby.

Come along on an undersea family adventure! We will hear stories, sing songs, and learn undersea facts with the mers.

Get ready to throw yourself at the ground and miss, because you’ll have to fly all over Norwescon to complete our Hitchhiker’s Guide-themed LARP! Have your towels handy, avoid any Vogon poetry slams, and be ready to make new friends and weird enemies as the fate of the universe hangs in the balance… or it could be the fate of breakfast. You never know with these things. Sign up in Cascade 1.

Calling all teen attendees and authors of all ages for an interactive discussion about what older folks mess up worst in their representation of youth culture. We’ll tackle topics including clothing and hairstyles, school subjects and extracurricular activities, and how the use of slang can go so very wrong, so very quickly.

Ever wanted to swim WITH a mermaid? This is your chance! Guests of all ages, genders, sizes, and abilities are welcome to come swim with the mermaids, as long as they can safely swim and navigate the pool on their own. Children must have a parent/guardian immediately present. No formal panel structure here, just a fintastically mermaidy free swim with merfolk in their true element There will be a short discussion of proper mermaid encounter etiquette at the start, to ensure everyone has a safe and happy experience – including the mermaids.

For families with younger kids. We start with stuffed animals hacked to pieces and work together, with your parents, to assemble the pieces to create your own glorious creature using the materials of your choice (thread and needles, duct-tape and pins). There is a $5 materials fee per family to cover the cost of supplies.

Fight scene aficionados Joseph Brassey (author of the Drifting Lands series, the Mongoliad books, and practitioner and instructor of historical European martial arts) and Fonda Lee (author of the Green Bone Saga, the Exo duology, and black belt in karate and kung fu) interview each other about writing fight scenes. They will share principles and pitfalls for writers wanting to improve the art and craft of portraying combat, break down what makes a great fight scene, and answer your questions. Presented by Cascade Writers. Ages 13+. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. See the Writing Classes and Lectures page for details.

Birds of a feather will strut together at the Friday Fashion Show showcasing the magic, the beauty and the rich possibilities of feathers in fashion. Shake a tail feather and be cock of the walk, cuz the bird is the word—feathers of all shapes and colors to inspire you. Jointly presented with the Beyond Reality Costumers Guild.

Park your butt here for a speedy introduction to appropriate behavior in the hallways, at panels, during photo ops, and at evening gatherings. Our panel of experts is here to answer all your weird/tough/potentially embarrassing questions and to ensure you have the best possible experience as a Norwescon youth attendee.

This Celtic group provides “full frontal harmonies.” Celt Check are regular performers at the Seattle Scottish Highland Games, and have done weddings, parties, taverns, pubs, fairs, and more. From sweet and gentle to rollickin’ and raucous, Celt Check! Does it all!

Young artists may sign up for space in Olympic 1 to display, make, and sell or swap their art and crafts. Space is limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. Contact youth track lead Danielle Gembala at ddmgembala@gmail.com for questions and information.

Having trouble creating original yet believable monsters and villains? Monsterologist Evan J. Peterson will take participants through a crash course in creating fearsome and antagonistic characters and beasts. Tap into what disturbs you and use that to flesh out provocative characters. Ages 13+. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. See the Writing Classes and Lectures page for details.

Characters from up-and-coming fandoms are breaking new ground in gender/sexual diversity, and just in time for today’s teens. Come meet fun cosplay folks who are ready, willing, and able to answer your questions about love and life while remaining in character.

Elon Musk wants humanity to colonize Mars within the next decade. Boeing’s CEO famously predicted that the first person to land on Mars would get there on a Boeing rocket. NASA wants to build a “Deep Space Gateway” in lunar orbit first. There are also Lagrange points, asteroids, and infinite orbits to consider. Once we’re ready to go somewhere, where should we go?

From the Land of Fae comes the Faerie Tale Minstrel with songs and stories of days gone by and futures yet to come. Guitar and fiddle support a voice that enchants the ear and comforts the heart. Jigs and reels, lust and lullaby, the magic and music are there for those who believe.

Movies, TV shows, and yes, even books romanticize the writing process, but for most of us, it’s like being back in school. But who’s teaching the classes? Who’s grading the papers? And who assigned this group project no one wanted? Come hear what writers actually have to do to make the grade in the publishing industry, and why your B- might be someone else’s A+.

A family-friendly dance party in Olympic 1!

What is nerdcore, how did it get started? Why are they rapping about video games and Star Trek? Can you learn more, right here, at this very convention? Come meet our nerdcore artists and learn where this came from and what it is all about.

Whether you’re Jedi or Sith, Alliance or Imperial, Twi’lek or Wookiee, test your puzzle skills and Star Wars knowledge in a challenge to escape from either an Imperial brig or the ship of a dangerous bounty hunter! Any weapons/props you bring will be available for use in-game at a certain point, but not at the start. There has to be some challenge for you Force-sensitive types! Sign up in Cascade 1.

The Norwescon games department is cooking up some fun games and activities, including Fancy Friday Game Night! Put on your fancy duds, costumes, tiaras, or all of the above, and join us for an excellent time playing games on Friday night, right next door to karaoke!

Join us for an early morning session of Round Robin Laser Tag.

Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society will be running games throughout the weekend. Check the games schedule for details.

Come for Saturday morning cartoons and color in your jammies. Ease into Saturday with PBS Kids! We’ll have cartoons on and character coloring sheets available.

All weekend there are dealers and game developers running demos of games in Maxi’s Salon. Come up and see the latest and greatest games and talk to game developers.

Come sign up for a game run by our GMs or check out a game from our lending library. We have RPGs, computer games, LARPs, card games, board games, and so much more! Need ADA access for a game? Speak to our staff when you sign up and we will be sure to meet your needs.

Join an interactive discussion on developing characters in a way that moves the plot forward and makes your story shine. We’ll discuss some easy tips and tricks to help you focus on creating characters with motivations that matter and with authentic needs and desires. Bring your pen and paper. Characters suggested but not required. We can create a few of our own, too. Presented by Willamette Writers. Ages 16+. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. See the Writing Classes and Lectures page for details.

Start off your super day! Gain strength and confidence from power poses, which sometimes correlate to traditional yoga or martial arts, straight from the panels or scenes. Breathe deeply. Relax and loosen those muscles like the hero you are. Go boldly into your Norwescon Friday energized for the day’s activities! Wear comfortable clothes. This is a low-impact physical activity.

Audience participation mayhem ensues as our troupe of fearless authors guide you through writing the world’s fastest three-act young adult melodrama. Learn a little something about archetypes, plot devices, and hoisting oneself with ones’ own petard along the way.

Our guests of honor and attending professionals are available to sign autographs. Please note: so that as many fans as possible can participate, we will be enforcing a three-items-at-a-time (or single-sketch) autograph limit.

A Scavenger Hunt with clues that lead to locations where stickers can be obtained. Come to the Info Desk to pick up the list of questions. Happy hunting!

Cut, paste, and create wearable take-home items with words we find in magazines, newspapers, and random papers around us.

Attention trainers! Join us for an hour of trading, battles, and making friends. All teams welcome.

It’s been said that young adult fiction is the most important genre in literature because of how much it can impact its group of readers, whose ages range from 12 to 20. We’ll hear from YA authors about expectations placed upon them by their readers, as well as the expectations these writers place on themselves.

Our guests of honor and attending professionals are available to sign autographs. Please note: so that as many fans as possible can participate, we will be enforcing a three-items-at-a-time (or single-sketch) autograph limit.

Olympic 1 will be free for play, reading, crafts, and lounge time.

Come to Olympic 1 to join a variety of fun games and activities that will build a toolbox of skills for young creators of all kinds.

Basic embroidery stitches for crazy quilting and silk ribbon embroidery. Stitches covered: stem stitch, blanket stitch, French knot, feather stitch, herringbone stitch, lazy daisy, and bullion stitch if time allows. Kit included; $5 fee to instructor.

This class explores how to look at the world as a writer, and pick the best telling details to make a scene real. There will be in-workshop writing. Ages 10+. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. See the Writing Classes and Lectures page for details.

Come bring your imagination to build a story time adventure with author Kate Ristau and her Storytime Friends.

Young artists can sign up for space in Olympic 1 to display, make, and sell/swap their art and crafts. Space will be limited and a first-come-first-served basis. Contact Youth Track lead Danielle Gembala ddmgembala@gmail.com for questions and information.

Some writing prompts are cliché, others inspiring, and some are actually microfiction in disguise. We’ll share some of the best and worst story starters the internet has to offer and discuss their usefulness, then give dramatic readings of the ones that are perfect just the way they are.

Meet the facilitators of the new Norwescon Writers’ Workshop. Find out how the workshop works, and ask questions of our moderators.

Join our panelists in a discussion on LGBTQIA+ characters and representation in young adult fandom. We’ll grade them A+ (Steven Universe!) to F (Dumbledore, we’re looking at you!).

Betsy Tinney is a cello storyteller. Using her cello and an electronic looper, she weaves rich, complex and varied tapestries of sound; her original cello compositions paint pictures and tell tales, from thunderstorms and skeletal mice to dancing elephants and humpback whales.

All dressed up in your finest costume? Come memorialize your look for the holidays by having your photo taken with Santa and Krampus. All proceeds benefit Northwest Harvest. Look for our holiday heroes in the photo area in the main lobby.

Who needs more slime? We need more slime! Come join us in Olympic 1 to make slime, play with slime, and learn more about the science of SLIME!

The Smithsonian Institution’s touring Destination Moon exhibit opens just five days before the con and just eight miles away at Seattle’s Museum of Flight. Come hear a Museum representative describe what’s on display, including Columbia, the actual Apollo 11 Command Module, and many other artifacts that haven’t left Washington, D.C. since the 1970s.

Most of us probably have a word or two of advice we could have imparted to ourselves back in the day. Come listen to the letters composed by our panelists to their teenaged-selves, and contribute your own time-machine pearls of wisdom.

Each contestant will be issued a kit from which a kinetic sculpture may be assembled. In the following hour, there will be a race. Anyone can participate, but young people must bring an adult to share the fun with. Home-built sculptures are welcome! Email the moderator before the event for rules at sitdownbike@yahoo.com.

Vixy & Tony’s lighthearted folk/rock musical style combines with science fiction and fantasy lyrics to tell engaging and beautiful stories. Their energetic performances can be enjoyed by both sci-fi fans and mainstream music fans alike, earning them the Best Performer Pegasus Award in 2008. Michelle “Vixy” Dockrey and Tony Fabris have joined forces with cellist Betsy Tinney and violinist Sunnie Larsen to form a “four-person duo” with a lush, amazing sound. Their music can be found at VixyAndTony.com.

Join us to create a character you would want to hang out with and write about too! We’ll create our own characters and figure out some tips and tricks on how we can use these characters in our own writing — presented by Willamette Writers. Ages 13-17. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. See the Writing Classes and Lectures page for details.

If you have a little one that wishes to enter the children’s masquerade, please come to this panel where you will get your little one signed up. We will lead you all down to the masquerade when the time is right. Children go on first to accommodate their early bedtimes.

Each participant has built a kinetic sculpture in an earlier panel. A round-robin drag race will be held, and the top eliminator will receive a trophy. Spectators are welcome, and so are home built kinetic sculptures! Home builders, please email the moderator before the event for rules.

Drop by for Minecraft themed take-home crafts and activities for our young members and their families.

Come on in and find a seat.

Come in and pick out your very own glitter tattoo. They last for a few days and wash off. We may also have face painting if enough people are available to help

Join us at the pinnacle event for Saturday evening, the Norwescon 42 Masquerade. Come and watch our fabulous contestants perform for your entertainment. Will your favorites match the judges’? Whether they do or not, we know the show will blow you away. Come and join us as the doors open at 6 p.m., show to start at 6:30. The masquerade will be followed by hall costumes, and awards for the single pattern and props competitions. An announcement of next year’s convention guests of honor and a presentation of the winners of the masquerade will conclude the program.

Potter’s Pockets podcast live! A team of teachers from different cities has been podcasting their way through the Harry Potter books. Join them for a live taping as they approach the end of the series, from literary, psychological, and theological perspectives.

For all of you who wish you could be at Sakura Con as well as Norwescon, this panel is for you! We’ll be diving into the wonderful world of anime and covering the basics for those of you who are sticking your toes in for the first time, as well as exploring the latest and the greatest for those of you who have been swimming around for a while now.

Laser Tag and Nerf Free Play. Feel free to wear your favorite (public appropriate) pajamas as we battle until the wee hours of the morning (but please wear shoes).

Right after the masquerade come dance the night away with DJ TeeeBone and his collection of top 40 and classic fan favorites!

Come sign up for a game run by our GMs or check out a game from our lending library. We have RPGs, computer games, LARPs, card games, board games, and so much more! Need ADA access for a game? Please speak to our staff when you sign up so we can be sure to meet your needs.

In Adventure Quest the children and teens become the heroes of an incredibly fun and dynamic quest, working together in a mythical and magical world to overcome interesting challenges, solve mystifying riddles, brainstorm unique solutions to puzzling dilemmas, and swashbuckle with foes. Wielding safe foam Swasher swords, the participants play dueling games and act out challenges in an environment that teaches good sportsmanship, fair-play, and respect for others. Then they exercise their minds as they try to piece together the clues in a coded riddle and follow a map to buried treasure.

Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society will be running games throughout the weekend. Check the games schedule for details.

Bring your own games and play in the open game area.

A Scavenger Hunt with clues that lead to locations where stickers can be obtained. Come to the Info Desk to pick up the list of questions. Happy hunting!

Baby and toddler-friendly filled eggs will be placed around the room for our youngest fen and their helpers to find. A sign-up sheet for the participation of children ages newborn to two years old will be available in Olympic 1 until Saturday evening to guarantee space and supplies.

All weekend there are dealers and game developers running demos of games in Maxi’s Salon. Come up and see the latest and greatest games, and talk to game developers.

Come sign up for a game run by our GMs or check out a game from our lending library. We have RPGs, computer games, LARPs, card games, board games, and so much more! Need ADA access for a game? Please speak to our staff when you sign up so we can be sure to meet your needs.

Preschooler-appropriate candy and toy-filled eggs will be hidden in the room for kids ages three to five to find with their caregivers. A sign-up sheet for participation will be available in Olympic 1 until Saturday evening to guarantee space and supplies.

Eggs filled with candy and surprises will be hidden in the room for our bigger kids to find. A sign-up sheet for participation will be available in Olympic 1 until Saturday Evening to guarantee space and supplies.

Each youth who signs up will be given a clue that will lead their team to a clutch of eggs hidden somewhere in the con space. A sign-up sheet for participation will be available in Olympic 1 until Saturday Evening. Clues will be distributed at the time of the hunt.

Some relationships are canon, and others belong purely to fandom. John and Sherlock, Hermione and Viktor… half the fun is putting couples together as the author never intended! Learn the do’s and don’ts of shipping, whether you’re a fandom veteran or newbie!

The process of novel-writing varies greatly, but one thing is always true: a butt must go into a chair, and the words must be written. Come find out how to get past sticking points through a combination of lecture and writing exercises that will help you map out your course for navigating the sea of words and build a daily writing practice that will get you to the end of the book. This workshop is aimed at writers in the early stages of their book. All Ages. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. See the Writing Classes and Lectures page for details.

Take a dive into board games as we discuss the ins and outs of this fast-growing hobby!

Have you ever wondered how people figure out what kind of musical instrument they want to play? Several of our pros will bring their instruments and introduce them to people. This is a hands-on workshop; after an introduction of the instruments, participants will be able to try out various instruments and given brief introductions on how to play them by their owners. This panel is aimed at teens and adults. Kids are welcome but must be of an age and attitude appropriate to handle other peoples’ musical instruments!

We will bring the paint, markers, pens, colored paper swatches, googly eyes, scraps of fabric, etc. so you doodle bugs can create your own doodle monsters. This is a great way to start “just doodling” for those who are reluctant, or afraid, to get started on a project!

A hands-on workshop that teaches basic figure drawing and resources for young artists who wish to create their own characters. Participants will leave with handouts on brainstorming resources and a drawing (or a list of drawing prompts they can work from later) of a character they created.

Come on down to share what we know about our prehistoric dinosaur friends, learn a dino dance, and roar some dino roars!

Have geeky items cluttering your house? Clean out your closets and trade your stuff to other folks who can provide a forever home! Bring in your comics, costumes, graphic novels, crafting supplies, books, games, and small housewares to swap with other folks in the Norwescon community. Set up a table with the items you no longer want or just come and see what’s available! Items will be available for trade or for free depending on the owner. See the Geeky Swap page and posted signage for guidelines. Open to geeks of all types.

Some roleplayers like to dress up and run around the woods/castles/university campuses acting out their characters in freeform, often rules-light, situations; others prefer to be in the warm and dry around a table with their bags of dice and rulebooks. Some do both! But how can LARPing techniques help enrich your tabletop game? Join us and find out!