CostumeRentals, a joint venture between the Guthrie and the Children's Theatre, makes over 30,000 theatrical costumes for children and adults available to the public for rental - and even purchase, during an annual pre-Halloween sale in early October.

Costumes can be used locally, or shipped around the world. Schools, theaters, and non-profit organizations get a discounted rate and a longer rental period.

The costumes available comprise outfits from a multitude of productions, running the gamut of time periods and styles, and including both realistic and fantastical creations. A selection of masks, hats, and other accessories is also available.

Kids and adults can learn to sail from April through October, with lessons offered from this small shack beside lovely Lake Calhoun. The school provides all boats and equipment.

The non-profit Lake Calhoun Sailing School offers reasonably-priced instruction for ages four and up in classes and camps. Start Sailing parent/child classes for ages four to six provide a fun introduction for families. Optimist dinghy classes (ages 7-11), and Club 420 classes (ages 11-16) teach all skill levels, including racing techniques. In the spring and fall, teams and competitions for high school students are also offered.

MagicBounce Party Rentals delivers a large variety of moonwalks, bounce houses, inflatables, obstacle courses, water slides, and concessions, and more for birthday parties, festivals, carnivals, fundraisers, and other events in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The availability of the insured equipment can be checked online, and customers can order online or by phone.

Outdoorsy families can find all manner of camping, hiking, paddling, climbing, and skiing gear at Midwest Mountaineering, a quirky outfitter with friendly and knowledgable staffers. Shoppers will find brands such as Patagonia and Timbuktu, as well as a full range of accessories from sleeping pads to thermal underwear to organic camping meals.

The store rents canoes and kayaks, and sells off deeply-discounted rental equipment at the end of the season. The selection of instructional classes offered is typically geared toward adults; free expos and equipment demos hosted throughout the year are usually more family-friendly.

Kids (and grownups!) can get all their jigglies out at Pump It Up. Private parties and open playtimes are held in the air-conditioned arena, filled with huge inflatable play structures for climbing, bouncing, and sliding.

Two-hour parties for up to 26 kids include plenty of time for jumping around on the inflatables in the arena. The last half hour is spent in a private party room. Bring your own cake and chips, or have Pump It Up provide pizza, drinks, and goody bags for an additional fee. Shorter, smaller parties are available on weekdays only.

All parties at Pump It Up include supervision in the arena, invitations, utensils, paper goods, and cleanup. And air. Lots and lots of air!

Don't forget: Every guest needs socks and a parent-signed waiver!

Kids (and grownups!) can get all their jigglies out at Pump It Up. Private parties and open playtimes are held in the air-conditioned arena, filled with huge inflatable play structures for climbing, bouncing, and sliding.

Two-hour parties for up to 26 kids include plenty of time for jumping around on the inflatables in the arena. The last half hour is spent in a private party room. Bring your own cake and chips, or have Pump It Up provide pizza, drinks, and goody bags for an additional fee. Shorter, smaller parties are available on weekdays only.

All parties at Pump It Up include supervision in the arena, invitations, utensils, paper goods, and cleanup. And air. Lots and lots of air!

Don't forget: Every guest needs socks and a parent-signed waiver!

Kids (and grownups!) can get all their jigglies out at Pump It Up. Private parties and open playtimes are held in the air-conditioned arena, filled with huge inflatable play structures for climbing, bouncing, and sliding.

Two-hour parties for up to 26 kids include plenty of time for jumping around on the inflatables in the arena. The last half hour is spent in a private party room. Bring your own cake and chips, or have Pump It Up provide pizza, drinks, and goody bags for an additional fee. Shorter, smaller parties are available on weekdays only.

All parties at Pump It Up include supervision in the arena, invitations, utensils, paper goods, and cleanup. And air. Lots and lots of air!

Don't forget: Every guest needs socks and a parent-signed waiver!

Kids (and grownups!) can get all their jigglies out at Pump It Up. Private parties and open playtimes are held in the air-conditioned arena, filled with huge inflatable play structures for climbing, bouncing, and sliding.

Two-hour parties for up to 26 kids include plenty of time for jumping around on the inflatables in the arena. The last half hour is spent in a private party room. Bring your own cake and chips, or have Pump It Up provide pizza, drinks, and goody bags for an additional fee. Shorter, smaller parties are available on weekdays only.

All parties at Pump It Up include supervision in the arena, invitations, utensils, paper goods, and cleanup. And air. Lots and lots of air!

Don't forget: Every guest needs socks and a parent-signed waiver!

When visiting the Twin Cities or hosting out-of-town families, parents are often forced to choose between lugging loads of gear for the trip or dropping a fortune to buy stuff for temporary use. That's where Rockabye Rentals comes in, and none too soon.

On a per-day basis, Rockabye rents out full-size and portable cribs, toddler beds, baby monitors, strollers, carseats, highchairs, toys from Exersaucers to train sets, and more. Just select the equipment you want, and the service sanitizes, delivers, and sets it up for you. And when you're done with it, Rockabye takes takes it down, picks it up, and carts it off.

The fine print: There's a minimum rental charge of $30, with discounts offered for long-term rentals. All items are rented by the day (any 24-hour period), except full-size cribs, which require a three-day minimum. At this time, items can't be picked up, and carry a delivery charge of $10 (Cities and first-ring suburbs) or $20 (outer suburbs).

Schmitt, a fourth generation family-owned chain of music stores, has seven metro area locations where families can buy all manner of music and musical equipment (new and used), sign up for lessons, and get instruments repaired.

The store's Trial Purchase Plan can be used to finance instrument purchases, or serve as a relatively pain-free rental plan. See the website for details.

The company can also help homeschoolers create a music program, and recommend an instrument of study based on a student's coordination, mouth shape, and other factors. Call Cheryl Hartmann at 763.566.4560, ext. 3218 for more information.

The district formerly known as Hennepin Parks comprises 27,000 acres of trails for hiking, in-line skating, biking, horseback riding, dog walking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, in parks and reserves throughout the metro area.

In addition, it operates numerous special-use amenities, including Murphy's Landing and other historic sites and farms; three nature centers, including Hyland's Richardson; five golf courses; the Coon Rapids Dam; beaches, swimming, boating, and fishing facilities; downhill skiing, tubing, and snowboarding areas; archery; and places for tent and cabin camping. Anywhere you look, there might even be a rock wall: the district has a 25-foot portable climbing structure that makes the rounds.

Activity fees - except maybe the $500 to rent the climbing wall! - are modest. Parking is free. Equipment rental, including bikes, boats, and other gear, is available at many sites.

Classes & Lessons: System-wide recreational and educational programming offers boatloads of family-friendly events, classes, and activities, alongside lessons for preschoolers to adults in virtually all park activities, including canoeing, skiing, boating, sailing, biking, and golf. The seasonal roster of parent/child classes, full moon hikes, weekend getaways, and art classes makes keeping an eye on the schedule worthwhile. And for homeschoolers ages three to 16, nature centers offer specialized programs with art, history, science, and recreational components.

Summer Camps: Three Rivers' Adventure Week program makes good use of the system's nature centers, farms, historic areas, and outdoor offerings to provide genuinely fun and enriching opportunities for ages four and up.

Birthday Parties: Up to 15 kids, ages four and up, can party at Three Rivers nature centers for just $80, which includes an hour of naturalist-led outdoor activities and an hour in a party room. Parties at Hyland's fabulous children's play area, aka Chutes & Ladders, offer food and table space only.

Volunteering: With so much to offer, Three Rivers needs a lot of volunteers. Kids ages 16 and up can volunteer on their own; individual sites may welcome children as young as 10, as long as they're accompanied by a parent, and show maturity and interest. The opportunities - from face painting to bird banding - include something for everyone. Call the Volunteer Office at 763.559.6706 for details.

If you've got the inclination - and space - you can rent large inflatable play structures from USA Inflatables, including free delivery and set-up in the metro area.

Options include obstacle courses, moonwalks, giant wet or dry slides, golf simulators...even inflatable climbing walls. Most equipment accommodates four to eight kids at a time, and parents can get in (or on) too.

Figure you'll need a flat obstruction-free area at least 20' x 20' for set-up of a single structure (check the website for specific sizes). Rent more than one and get a discount. USA will also provide an attendant ($20/hour; four-hour minimum) upon request.