One of our favorite parts of the exhibit was this station where they set out iPads and origami paper, so that we could try folding some of it ourselves. (I admit, while you’re looking at all the art, you’re thinking to yourself, “I want to try this!”) The iPads had a great app on them where they had videos and illustrations walking you through how to fold various projects. The app is available to download for iPhones and iPads on the iTunes store and is called Folded BY-U. I love that origami is a combination of art, geometry, fine motor skills and really is a fun activity. Try it out, either at home or by visiting the museum!
Category: Museums
Free Museum Day – Thanks, Smithsonian!
I’ve written before about how much I love the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. It is amazing that we have these resources available for FREE. And now we can thank them again, as they offer their “Museum Day Live!” program, which is a day that museums around the country are offering free admission. This year, it is on Saturday, September 27 and two local (SLC) museums are participating:
- Discovery Gateway
- The Leonardo
- Above are links to the museum’s pages on the Smithsonian site, whereas here are the links to the museum’s pages themselves: Discovery Gateway; The Leonardo
- Discovery Gateway
- Open from 10am-8pm on Saturday, Sept. 27
- Usual Admission price: $9.50 for anyone over age 2
- The Leonardo
- Open from 10am-5pm on Saturday, Sept. 27
- Usual Admission prices: $9 for adults, $7 for children age 6-11, Free for children 5 and under
- The Leonardo has special exhibitions that you can “upgrade” to see by paying an additional fee
A Curious Destination
I’ve mentioned the Frontrunner train on this blog before, when I mentioned taking it to the Treehouse Museum in Ogden. I have been a frequent traveler on many public transport systems while living in Chicago, Boston and Washington, D.C. but I have never encountered a more pleasant commuter train ride than the Frontrunner here in SLC. It is always exactly on time, pristinely clean, and never crowded. You can take it as north as Ogden and south as Provo. We’ve ridden the entire line and I’m so glad it is an option. Anyway, kids 6 and under are free, and adults can buy a group pass that pays for itself if you have 2 adults riding roundtrip.
When we arrived in Lehi, we had to walk about 1 mile from the train station to the museum itself. It was a scenic walk along a golf course for most of the way, with sidewalks available. Once you reach Thanksgiving Point itself, there is a stretch of road into the museum where there aren’t any sidewalks so we had to walk carefully along the side of the street. It is still paved, so a stroller would be doable, but I was surprised that they wouldn’t provide a sidewalk along the main thoroughfare into the children’s museum.
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It’s in sight! We made it! |
The museum only opened a few weeks ago, and even on a weekday morning, it was very crowded. Like wait-outside-in-a-line-just-to-get-in crowded. I’m used to doing that going into a concert or something like that but to have restless kids involved is not as much fun. We eventually made it inside and took a look around!
We hit up every area of the museum with the exception of the high ropes course, which was an additional fee. Everything was bright and new but nothing really jumped out at me as exceptional, or unique to the museum. In fact, one of our favorite parts was going into the Children’s Discovery Garden (which they thoughtfully planned to be connected to the museum). I tend to think the most impressive part of Thanksgiving Point is still the outdoor gardens.
Overall, it was an enjoyable day trip since we involved the fun of taking the train back and forth, but it probably won’t be a very frequent destination since it’s pretty far away for what it is and about double the price of the children’s museum we have close to home. But I’m always glad to see more infrastructure being built for children and families and I’m sure it is a welcome addition to the Utah county area.
Free Monthly Activities
Did you know that you could fill all of your Saturdays every month with FREE activities for kids? There are lots of ways to keep busy and have fun all without paying one penny!
Here are some ideas:
1st Saturday of the Month — “Books 2 Movies,” Park City Library
On the first Saturday of every month, the Park City Library (1255 Park Avenue, near Main Street) shows free screenings of kids movies that have been adapted from books. We went to see “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (a Roald Dahl book) a couple months ago.
2nd Saturday of the Month — “Family Art Saturdays,” Utah Museum of Contemporary Art or UMOCA
The UMOCA downtown (previously known to me as the Salt Lake Art Center, where I used to volunteer in high school) has Family Art Saturdays on every 2nd Saturday of the month from 2-4pm. We went last month and did a stamping/sticker-making project and toured the exhibitions.
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Theo placing a wish on Yoko Ono’s WISH TREE. |
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Placing stickers all over the museum, as part of Family Art Saturday. |
3rd Saturday of the month — “Third Saturdays,” Utah Museum of Fine Art
I’ve written about the UMFA on here a couple times before but wanted to mention again that every 3rd Saturday of the month from 1-4pm they have free admission and kids crafts, that coincide with a current exhibition.
Ongoing Saturdays of the month —
I’ve previously written on here about the kids cooking classes available at Williams-Sonoma, which run weekly on Saturday mornings.
Also check the Utah Film Center’s schedule for their year-round Tumbleweeds screenings around the state which are always free.
Sweet Treats
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We could smell the (pumped in?) scent of chocolate from here. |
The Natural History Museum of Utah is a favorite and we have been charter members since they first opened a few years ago. We were very excited to see a new exhibit at the museum, which will be here until June 1, 2014.
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For a $1 fee, you can learn about the development of chocolate from cacao to candy bar. |
The exhibition originated at the Field Museum in Chicago, which is the natural history museum I grew up going to, so I felt a sense of nostalgia sharing something with Theo from my own youth, as tenuous of a connection as it may seem. We learned all about how the chocolate we eat first comes from the cacao plant seeds and the history of cultivation and trade around the world. Chocolate was first served spicy before sugar was introduced and it became a sweet treat!
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Theo and his friend pose in front of the giant chocolate box backdrop. |
The exhibition does not have an extra charge on top of regular museum admission prices, but there is a special chocolate sampling presentation for $1 per person with timed entry. We thought it was worth it for the little taste of chocolate at the end after you have been thinking and smelling and craving chocolate throughout the exhibit.
One of the co-sponsors of the exhibition is the Sweet Candy Company, which is a local company based here in Salt Lake City. They used to offer public tours of their factory but recently suspended them and are developing a new visitor’s center. We went on a tour in 2011 and had a great time, and look forward to learning about what they will be offering soon.
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Moms and Toddlers ready for the tour with their mandatory hairnets. |
January on TV
I had a lot of fun going back on KSL 5’s noon newscast / Browser 5.0 today to talk about some of the latest activities I’ve posted. The topics covered in this appearance are:
Click to watch the video here.
Night at the Museum
One of my favorite childhood books ever is From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I’ve actually read it several times as an adult and it still holds the same magic for me. It just seems so charming to live among the treasures in a beautiful museum, no?
I never watched the Ben Stiller (he’s hit-or-miss for me) movies, Night at the Museum, but I imagine in real life, spending the night at a museum is nothing like either the book or the movies. Now we’ll get a chance to see!
The Utah Museum of Natural History — a local favorite of mine, and I was spoiled growing up in Chicago going to the world-famous Field Museum — is hosting a Family Sleepover event. All of the information can be found on their website here. I love the idea of being able to see a place after-hours and have fun in a different way than usual.