Saturday, August 29, 2009

Finishing One Chapter and Starting a New One





This week summer ended (along with our Monday trips to Donner Lake) and fall has begun. The Bubby has gone away to college and The Monkey has started kindergarten. A pretty full week of emotions and new ways of living from day to day. Change is good but sometimes hard to get used to.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

ArtBeast and a Free Range Childhood









OK.
The Monkey and I went to The ArtBeast in Midtown Sacramento yesterday.
What's The Art Beast? Just one of the coolest places/ideas for kids in a long long time.
This non-profit is "...a drop-in arts exploration space for children featuring an open studio, art classes and arts exploration rooms."
There are rooms for mixed media art, dramatic play, house play, musical play, movement/dance, soft play for infants and a courtyard, which affords the freedom to make the wildest messes with chalk, water, sand/gravel and clay.
The kids can literally paint on the walls, bang pots and pans and or walk in clay.
The ArtBeast Manifesto states the promotion of a free range childhood and that children are creators and must learn stories of beauty and truth before learning letters to record them. They believe in child safety and a child's aestetic. And believe that art can never come from precut circles and step by step instructions.
Both The Monkey and myself had a blast. I especially loved painting on the pexy glass wall with him and dancing in the movement/dance room. The Monkey loved playing in the clay.
Thank you ArtBeast, we'll be back next week.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Vote for America's Favorite Farmers' Market


We are voting for our favorite, The Davis Farmers' Market, of course. It's in the lead for best large market. Yea!
You can vote too.
Vote here.

8/10/09 WE WON! YEA!!