SENSE-ational Crafts

Get creative and engage your senses! These projects are designed to be sensory friendly and are available for all ages. Participants must register and an adult/guardian must attend with them. 

• Hidden Creek Community Center
• $6 Residents, $8 Non-Residents

Search for upcoming SENSE-ational Craft times. 

---

Sensational Stations

Explore sensory stations with water play, crafts, bubbles, sand, and more. Adult/guardian supervision is required. 

Tuesdays | 11 to 5 pm
July 9, August 6

Wednesdays | 2 to 4 pm
June 26, July 24, August 28

• Hidden Creek Community Center
• Free | No Registration Required

---

Sensory Friendly Swim

Avoid sensory overload at the pool with swim time with lower lights, noise, and occupancy. Registration is highly encouraged. An adult or guardian must accompany children 7 and under in the water and may attend for free. 

Saturdays and Sundays: 4:10 to 5 pm

• Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center
• Single visit fee or family membership
• Registration encouraged

Find upcoming Sensory Friendly Swim sessions.

Sensory Sensitive Playtime at Outdoors In

Experience Outdoors In when the NEOS gaming console is turned off and other loud toys are put away, reducing overstimulation. Sensory Kits are available.

Mondays: 1:30 to 4:30 pm (school-year only)
Tuesdays: 9 am to 12 pm

• Single visit fee or punch card
• No registration required

Groovin' with your Grown Up

Have fun exploring music, sounds, dance, and songs while bonding with your grown-up in this instructor-led class.

Search for upcoming Groovin' with your Grown Up classes.

Messy Art

Let your child engage their senses! Messy artists will develop fine motor skills, learn shapes and colors, and practice following instructions and taking turns. Play with shaving cream, paint, clay, stamps, and more.  Dress prepared to get messy! Adult/guardian participation required.

Search for upcoming Messy Art classes.

Sensory Playtime

Engage your senses with toys, lights, and fidgets. Explore movement and make friends. This is a great opportunity for kids of all abilities ages 12 and under.

Mondays: 9 to 11 am
Wednesdays: 9 to 11 am
Sundays: 1 to 3:30 pm

• Hidden Creek Community Center
• Hidden Creek Play Pass or Family Membership

Blossom Mandalas

Enjoy the relaxing practice of creating a mandala! You’ll design a unique piece using flower petals, pebbles, leaves, sticks and more. This is a great activity to practice fine motor skills.

• 7 to 12 years old
• Hidden Creek Community Center
• $68 Residents, $98 Non-Residents

Find an upcoming session of Blossom Mandalas.

Design a Bird

Use your creativity to design flying objects! It could be a bird, a plane, or a creation of your own. Each week you’ll create a new design using everyday materials.

• Hidden Creek Community Center
• $38 Residents, $54 Non-Residents

Register for the Design a Bird activity.

Youth Sensory Friendly Movie Night

These free events in a sensory-friendly environment are great for the whole family.

Lights are dimmed but not darkened. Movement or light physical activity is welcome. Fidgets, sunglasses, and sensory play items will be available. 

• Hidden Creek Community Center
• Adult supervision required
• Free

Register participants for Sensory Friendly Movie Night

Tie-Dye Mini Camp

Learn how to tie-dye! Throughout camp, you will learn different techniques, styles, and folds while making shirts, bandanas, and more. Come prepared to be creative and get messy.

• Hidden Creek Community Center
• $68 Residents, $98 Non-Residents

Register for Tie-Dye Mini Camp

Artistic Creations Mini-Camp

Join this mini-camp for the chance to explore news ways to express your creativity! Each day campers will create a new art project working with different techniques and mediums – paint, dye, paper mâché, and so much more! Explore which artistic styles speak to you.

• 8 to 12 years old
• Hidden Creek Community Center
• $68 Residents, $98 Non-Residents

Register for Artistic Creations Mini Camp.

Silly Hats

Explore your imagination and create a hat using everyday materials. Each class you'll create a new hat and transform into a character whether astronaut, chicken, or something make-believe. Adult/Guardian participation required. 

• 5 to 10 years old
• Mondays | 4 to 5:30 pm | July 8 & August 19
• Hidden Creek Community Center
• Single Visit Fee or Family Membership

Geometric Self Portrait

Create your own self portrait in the style of Pablo Picasso. You'll use irregular cardboard shapes and cut paper to design your own portrait, as if you're putting together a puzzle!

• 8 to 12 years old
• Hidden Creek Community Center
• $68 Residents, $98 Non-Residents

Register for Geometric Self Portrait classes

Zone Adaptive Kickball

In this introductory kickball course, inclusivity is at the core of every play! Learn the fundamentals of kickball, practice catching and kicking, and scrimmage other teams. With instructors who are knowledgeable at adapting activities for students experiencing disability, this is an opportunity for students to make friends, build fine motor skills, and have fun learning kickball. This course is great preparation for students who intend to play unified sports in Middle and High School.

• 12 to 14 years old
• Washington County Fairgrounds Sports Complex
• $20

Register for Zone Adaptive Kickball

Teen & Adult Sensory Friendly Movie Night

These free events in a sensory-friendly environment are great for teens and adults.

Lights are dimmed but not darkened. Movement or light physical activity is welcome. Fidgets, sunglasses, and sensory play items will be available. Caregivers/support staff must attend. Snacks available for purchase. 

• Hidden Creek Community Center
• Adult supervision required
• Free | Registration required

Register participants for Teen & Adult Sensory Friendly Movie Night

---

All Ability Drop-in Basketball

Join for weekly inclusive drop-in basketball. Run through warmups, drills, and scrimmages while staying active and making new friends. This activity is designed for participants who experience disability, but all are welcome to join!

This takes place at Hidden Creek Community Center on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 pm.

• Every Monday
• Age: 12 years and older
• Hidden Creek Community Center
• Free | No registration required

Bingo

Drop-in for free B-I-N-G-O. This is a great opportunity to socialize and win prizes. 

• June 17, July 15, August 12
• 14 years and older
• Hidden Creek Community Center
• 5 to 6 pm
• Free | No registration required

Griffin's Place

Hillsboro Parks & Recreation partners with Griffin’s Place for friendship and fun! These adaptive recreation programs are designed for teens and adults who experience disability and are a great way to make new connections with peers.

Search for upcoming activities with Griffin's Place

EveryBody Athletics Fitness Classes

Every Body Athletics runs inclusive fitness classes for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Each class provides specialized, adaptive exercises that focuses on participants’ specific physical needs while inserting time for social practice along the way. Adults with ID/DD (“athletes”) ages 21+ and volunteers without disabilities (“teammates”) high school aged through adulthood are welcome to sign up.

Register online: EveryBodyAthletics.com 

Hillsboro Parks & Recreation offers inclusion support for participants attending registration-based programs, activities, or classes. Options for inclusion support include the use of in-program tools such a sensory resources/fidgets, social stories before attending a program, or a 1:1 assistant to attend a program with the participant.

Information about requesting inclusion support:

• Requests must be for a registration-based activity. We are not able to provide inclusion support for drop-in activities.
• Requests must be submitted two weeks before the start date of the program. This allows time to properly process requests and assign staff or resources as needed.
• Hillsboro Parks & Recreation does not provide toileting, personal care, transferring, or medication administration.
• Hillsboro Parks & Recreation does it’s best to process, staff, and support all inclusion requests however inclusion support is not guaranteed.

To support inclusion in Hillsboro Parks & Recreation activities, events, and facilities, Sensory Kits are available to borrowing. These can be used during programs or while visiting a facility, but must be returned.

Kits are currently available for use at Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Outdoors In, Walters Cultural Arts Center, Tyson Recreation Center, and Hidden Creek Community Center. 

Sensory Kits include:

• Fidget items
• Weighted lap pads
• Sunglasses
• Noise reducing earmuffs

If you are attending a Hillsboro Parks & Recreation activity and would like to request a Sensory Kit for use, please email our Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation Team.

The following adaptive equipment is available for use at the Hidden Creek Community Center. The items can be requested at other facilities by contacting our Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation Team. 

• Velcro straps
• Gripping gloves
• Hand grabber
• Bell balls, frisbees, soccer balls, and volleyballs
• Beepers
• Sensory kits

Hidden Creek Community Center

Adaptive Cardio and Weight Equipment

Hidden Creek's cardio and weight room is designed to be spacious for greater range of motion and ease of movement. It includes equipment such as:

• NuStep machines
• Recumbent bikes with swivel seats
• Upper body exercisers
• Functional training cabling systems.

Fitness staff are trained in activity modification, and several staff are Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainers.

Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center

Adaptive Cardio Equipment

• Arm Bike
• Step-through recumbent bike
• Seated elliptical

Pool Access

• Accessible chair lifts for both pools
• Ramp access to the warm water pool

Adaptive Swim Lessons are available at Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center (SHARC) for youth 3 and older who experience physical, emotional, behavioral, learning, or other disability. The lessons provide one-on-one instruction with a focus on water safety and fundamental swimming skills.

Prior to the first day of class, an intake form must be filled out. Intake forms are available at SHARC and help our instructors prepare for a successful session.

Find availability and register for Adaptive Swim Lessons.

If you are interested in adding a second child with additional support needs or disability to the lessons, please call 503-681-5393 or email our Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation Team.

Features include:

• Stable Surfacing: Instead of wood chips, the playground surface is rubberized to allow for easier access and movement.
• Inclusive Play Elements: The park features cozy quiet spaces, looping paths, textural elements, wider ramps, signage, and universally accessible equipment, like swings with support.
• Fenced: The entire playground is fenced to improve safety for people who may run from their caretakers.
• Access: Numerous accessible parking spaces, wider sidewalks, and more thoughtfully designed restrooms at the park surround the playground.

Read this news article to learn more! 

• Stable Surfacing: Frances Street Park has a small playground, mostly for the younger kiddos, and this has a playground artificial turf surface which is more accessible for those in wheelchairs, or caregivers with walkers or mobility devices.
• Inclusive Play: Century Oaks Park has an inclusive swing.
• Fenced: Bagley Park and Bicentennial Park are fenced with a single gated entry, which helps provide a safer environment for kids who may run from their caretakers. This is common with children who are on the autism spectrum or who have similar experiences.