Hey Kids! Make sure your parents are signed up for Date Night at MASS MoCA this Valentine’s Day, and you too can have a night at the museum! While adults on their date can take a romantic stroll through the museum, kids are having a blast up in Kidspace. We’ve got separate (but equally fantastic) activities and art-making opportunities for kids and adults. The cost is $50/couple and $15/child for members, $65/couple and $20/child for not-yet-members. Dinner is included. (Adults, you don’t have to have kids to participate in Date Night; just bring your partner and a sense of fun.) Email us to reserve a spot (kidspace@massmoca.org) 5:30-8:30pm on February 14th.
Looking for something fun to do over February vacation? Look no further — Kidspace is offering another great Art Camp. All week February 18th-22nd, from 9am-3pm, we’ll be making art, meditating, and exploring the museum. Give us a call to reserve your spot now: 413-664-4481, x. 8131 — or email us at kidspace@massmoca.org.
For more details, click here: Art Camp
There’s still time — and availability! You can register for our “Kids at Work” winter workshop by emailing kidspace@massmoca.org, or calling (413) 664-4481, ext. 8131. You won’t want to miss out.
Wednesday, Dec. 26 — Duct Tape Creations
Thursday, Dec. 27 — New Year’s Eve Hats
Friday, Dec. 28 — Star Wars Bonanza
Monday, Dec. 31 — Magical Printmaking
Programs run from 9am-11am in Kidspace. Snack is included. The fee is $7/member; $10/non-member. Or register for all four workshops at $23/member; $35/non-member.
‘Tis the Season to make some fabulous holiday cards. Here at Kidspace, we’ve been spreading cheer — to people we don’t even know! The Kidspace tradition of guerrilla Christmas cards continues, and it goes like this: make a festive card, but leave it anonymous. Then open the phone book at random, close your eyes and point to a name. There’s your lucky recipient, who will be delightfully surprised at a totally unexpected card from a mystery sender! Consider sending guerrilla cards at other times of the year, too — there’s no wrong time to make someone smile.
Yesterday, the third-graders in our after-school program got a little sticky… but they got very imaginative designing and erecting their own Gingerbread Houses. Tasty building materials included graham crackers, vanilla frosting, and candy decorations. If only all construction projects tasted this good!
Duct-Tape Diva Isabel
Wednesday, December 26, 9-11am
Join Isabel and her father, Joe Thompson, MASS MoCA’s Director, for a thoroughly divine exploration of the many wonderful uses of Duct Tape. Design your own chic, functional and glamorous wallet, cell phone cover, or purse.
New Year’s Eve Hat-Making with Danni
Thursday, December 27, 9-11am
Danni Bourdeau and her father Joe, of the MASS MoCA maintenance department, will help you maintain a sense of style just in time to ring in 2013 with a handsome celebratory hat made in preparation for New Year’s Eve.
Star Wars Bonanza with Jake
Friday, December 28, 9-11am
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Jedi Master Jake Thompson, with his mother Laura, MASS MoCA’s Director of Education + Kidspace, called to restore peace & tranquility to the universe. Man your star fighters to make your own Star Wars paper snowflake, cardboard Droids, & LEGO battle stations.
The Magical Mystery of Prints with Max
Monday, December 31, 9-11am
It’s going to be a family affair: join Max and his parents, Sue Killam, MASS MoCA Managing Director of Performing Arts, and Kevin Kennefick, photographer of MASS MoCA events, for a workshop on prints, including methods such as sun prints.
All programs run from 9am to 11am, take place in Kidspace, and include a snack.
Per workshop fee: $7 per member / $10 per not-yet members
Register for all four: $23 per member / $35 per not-yet members
THESE WILL SELL OUT! Pre-registration required by December 19th.
Call 413-664-4481 ext. 8131 or kidspace@massmoca.org
November is Family Literacy Month, and as the month draws to a close, we thought it might be a nice to time to remind everyone that, really, every month should involve reading with kids there’s never a bad time! Children’s reading scores improve dramatically when their parents are involved in helping them to read. A parent is, after all, their child’s most important role model, and when your kids see you reading often, you’re demonstrating that reading is an enjoyable way to spend time.
To honor National Family Literacy Month, we teamed up with Childcare of the Berkshires to host a story time in the gallery. Of course, to make it extra fun, it also involved snacks and art-making and singing a few songs! We made sure to mention to kids that reading is a great way to satisfy their CURIOSITY, and a tool to help answer their questions.
We’ve compiled a short list of books for you to read with your young ones that we think might inspire curiosity:
–myths, folktales, fairy tales, fables, legends
–From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg
–mysteries like the Encyclopedia Brown, series by Donald Sobol
–George’s Secret Key to the Universe, by Stephen Hawking and his daughter, Lucy
–The Way Things Work, by David Macaulay
–What’s Up, What’s Down? by Lola M. Schaefer
–Big Questions from Little People and Simple Answers from Great Minds, ed. Gemma Elwin Harris
What are some of your favorite books that you and your family read together? Tell us by posting in the comments below!
Last night, the Education Department held our first adult program a book club focusing on Invisible Cities, the book and our exhibition. It was a wonderful night with beautiful art, intellectual prose, and insightful perspectives led by our Curator Susan Cross and Williams College Professor of English, Gage McWeeney.
Have you been a part of a book club before? What are some of your favorite books? We would love to hear!
As part of our continued inquiry into childhood curiosities, one student expressed interest in wondering what the world would be like if it was run by kids. We decided to add this to our daily question by asking students: “If kids were in charge, what’s one thing you would change about the world?”
Here are some of our favorite responses:
1. All kids, aged 5 and up can drive any vehicle.
2. There would be real money trees.
3. Every day you have to stop what you’re doing and have a dance party at 2pm.
4. There would be giant tacos.
5. Real wizards would guard every town.
6. All houses would be bouncy houses.
7. There wouldn’t be any computer scams. If it says the game is free, it would be free.
8. No vegetables.
9. The world would be way more sparkly.
10. School is optional, and you could only learn fun or interesting things.
11. Buildings would be made out of candy.
12. One day a month the adults could check in and make sure we’re doing a good job.
13. There would be no bullies.
14. Vacations on the moon.
15. There would be no more wars. All conflicts would be solved by paintball fight. Whoever is covered in the least amount of paint is the winner and they get their way.
They might be on to something…
Some kids in this town really like LEGOs — and those kids have been asking Shannon, Education Coordinator and fearless leader of our After-School groups, to have a LEGO-themed group for three years. Now three years is a considerable percentage of an 8-year-old’s life, so it’s no wonder they were let down when, upon their arrival to MASS MoCA on the day of the much-anticipated LEGO club, they were told there had been a mistake. “We already had the LEGO club this week; you guys are Swashbluckling Scavenger Hunters,” they were told.
Being good sports, and inadvertently Swashbuckling Scavenger Hunters, the students continued on the hunt. Before we even began, the group was having a good time, almost having forgotten their disappointment at the afternoon’s lack of LEGOs. (Almost.)
With Shannon, the kids followed their directions through the museum…
Making their way through almost every exhibit at the museum, and carefully following the directions, the students finally arrived at a mysterious green door. The last Swashbuckler read aloud his instructions: “Open the heavy green door and find the treasure inside.”
Lo and behold, the treasure was something truly awesome. They had arrived at a room set up with big buckets of LEGOs.