Frankly, I have no interest in having children, but I fully appreciate the fascination factor of subjecting them to a variety of classes and activities to find out what sticks. And that, mothers and fathers, is where my twinge of envy both begins and ends (no offense). Naturally, there is an entire world of day camps out there to keep the youngins stimulated with a spectrum of learning, from survivalist skills and archery to the oft-lauded rock-band programs. Portland dynamo Tacee Webb created a similar alternative for those interested in fashion, eventually spawning versions in Seattle and San Francisco, too.

Fashion Design Camp is on year six of exposing campers aged 8-16 on the design process, from brainstorming to showing their final product at an annual fashion show that caps off a week of mentorships and field trips, like the one the current class recently took to the Portland Garment Factory. This year's event is almost upon us: It takes place tomorrow at Focused Artist Management (123 NW 2nd, Ste 301) at 7 pm, hosted by my Portland Monthly doppelganger, Eden Dawn. If you thought scoping new talent at the Art Institute's annual graduate show was fun, get ready for some serious tadpole-spotting.