Children Say -- About Monet

I tweeted this, but it so applies, so I thought I would quote my daughter here again.

"Walking the dog is like going to the museum. You have to stop and look at everything."

Yes, we were on a dog walk together. And, let me say, I have taken my children to a lot of museums, so this came naturally into her head. At an art museum, we walk around looking primarily, reading a little. (If I want to read every word I return by myself.) We then walk around the exhibit a second time sharing with each other what our favorite item is and why we like it. My goal is to make the art experience fun and easy.

I try to send the children to art classes each summer. My youngest's favorite artist is Monet because I sent him to a one week Monet art camp. He was the only boy in the class, but the teacher was accomodating and let him paint the canoe in the pond instead of water lilies for example. But to this day, he can show up at a museum and say, "That is by the artist I took a class about."

Here is my Care Of Monet, which I just added to my Etsy shop. I found a huge lily pond recently and took many photographs. Lilies remind me of magnolias, so stay tuned for more. I am now offering a Monet painting party through my children's birthday party business.

Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and the Mets

We had a wonderful day in NYC! We rode the 30 minute ferry into the city from Staton Island. A photographer's viewpoint for sure. We learned uptown and downtown quickly. We saw the numbered subways travel north to south and the alphabet travels east/west. We also learned that not all trains on the route stop at all the stops. Lots of success.

I loved the VanGogh, Monet and Degas works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My youngest immediately recognized Monet's bridge because of a Monet art class he took at the Abernathy Arts Center two summers ago. The children wanted to visit the Museum because we listened to The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler another summer. E.L. Konigsburg received the Newbery Medal for this book. The story is about two children who camp out in the museum, explore its art and unravel a mystery. The Met has an issue of MuseumKids devoted to the Mixed-Up Files; ask for it and read the book if you attend.

We enjoyed the Mets game with all the tradition of the National Anthem and also the 7th inning stretch. The Mets played the Dodgers at Citifield, which was easily reached via the subway. Here is an image from the game, which happened to be Manny's first game in New York since being reinstated.