When We’re Not Reading – Fall Begins
Thursdays at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston is free. I love taking the kiddo to see the ever-changing exhibits there, and this time we spent a lot of time watching the six-minute long digitally animated Tree changing through the seasons and blowing in the imaginary wind. The exhibit is called “Mike Kelley” and was made by artist Jennifer Steinkamp. It is absolutely lovely, and I highly recommend taking time out of your busy schedule to go sit and experience its luminous, fake leaves.
Another fantastic and *free* thing to do in Houston when the weather is nice is to visit Sam Houston Park/ Heritage Square. The real life trees you can see are simple amazing, fun to romp and climb, and just a wonderful place to have an outdoor picnic. You can also go visit the Heritage Society Museum for no charge, the entrance is in the courtyard. We didn’t stay long, however, because kiddo nearly killed a display and cost the city some priceless treasures. We’ll try that museum when she’s a bit older.
I grew up visiting Sam Houston Park during the Christmas season, when the Heritage Society houses are lit and apple cider, coffee, and hot cocoa is served in the courtyard. Choirs sing in gazebos, courtyards, along the paths, and on balconies (I participated every year until I graduated), and it’s just a pleasant way to spent a cold evening. So I can’t wait to take kiddo to experience a park she already enjoys in its most festive capacity.
The same day we had our freebie adventures downtown, I finished up my day at Half Price Books in Humble at the first ever Poetry Night. There were only three of us present, but we had a wonderful time eating chocolate chip cookies and discussing the work of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Sylvia Plath, and Emily Dickinson. It sounds melancholy and macabre, but I assure you it was quite pleasant. I spent Friday afternoon talking the program up to teachers at Humble High School, so hopefully we’ll have a bit of a crowd next time. Keep in mind, it’s the first Thursday of the month all semester, and its a great (and totally free) way to spend an evening.
Now its Saturday and we’ve got Corn Chowder cooking in the crock pot, in anticipation of a cold front, and home-made whip cream (flavored with Amarula) cooling in the fridge waiting for an Almond Cake with a Peach-Berry topping. Kiddo is playing dress up in the library as I type this post. I love my life.
Poetry Nights at Half Price Books
It all begins tomorrow night! I plan to binge on some William Carlos Williams and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
My *Sometimes* Weekly Low Down on Kids…
…Books…
An oldie but a goodie, kiddo picked up my old, ratty copy of Are You My Mother? 
Are You My Mother? is fabulous for its repetition of the names of the animals. Two in October, she loves repeating nouns and discovering what things are called. As the little bird searches for his mother (and kiddo, startled says “Mommy? Where’d she go?” as we turn each page), he comes across a hen, a cow, and other animals. I’m very partial to the illustration of the dog featured on the front cover.
…Activities…
A great way to entertain a tactile child learning to count is to take a Tupperware container of dried beans and hand them a small bowl. They’ll spend a solid thirty minutes sorting and resorting the beans from container to container, pouring, touching, and lining them up in rows. If you have time to sit with them, its easy to go through their numbers and show them how to count the beans. Its great fun, and easy to clean up any mess with a broom or a handy household dog.
Also, in our house, we love to dance. I got a Ceremonial and War Dance
That’s it for this week. Tune in next week and I may have some more Weekly Low Downs on Kids somethings to share.
Story Time Party With M.G. King
With summer in full gear, story time at Half Price Books in Humble has become a force to be reckoned with, but mostly because M.G. King is quite possibly one of the coolest ladies I’ve ever met and she was kind enough to do a reading and book signing in place of the usual kid’s story time on Wednesday.
There was a fun little song, a reading of Librarian on the Roof!
Make your own poof book! http://www.vickiblackwell.com/makingbooks/poofbook.htm
Read my review of Librarian on the Roof! https://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/weekly-low-down-on-kids-books-31312/
Anakalian Whims 