"The city stinks!"
This dramatic exclamation came from my seven-year-old son. It was a few days after Christmas. The excitement over what he and his brother had gotten from Santa had waned just enough for them to notice what they hadn't gotten. Namely, dirt bikes. "Felix, Caleb and Jake have dirt bikes," the whining began anew. Not for the first time, not even for the 1,001st time, I reminded them that their cousins lived in the country, where there is plenty of dirt bike riding room. In Newport, not so much.
Determined to put an end to this argument once and for all, I started down a list of reasons why city living was preferable to country life, dirt bike ownership not withstanding; but they weren't having any of it. True, they were momentarily flummoxed by the fact that Felix and Caleb live so far out they can't get a pizza delivered to their homes. But in a stunning twist of kindergarten logic, my six-year-old decided that, because they had dirt bikes, these 7 and 8-year-olds probably just rode to town and picked up the pizza themselves.
A new tactic was required. I ditched my original New Year's resolution (that whole organic-food-thing wasn't working out, anyway) and declared that 2009 is the year my kids will learn to appreciate what life in the big city has to offer. Not being a native to Cincinnati and not having ventured far beyond the normal zoo and aquarium outings, I called, emailed and Twittered all my Mom friends and asked for their best picks for kid-friendly, city activities. The list was impressive and here I will share just a few of the favorites.
The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati
"You can't go wrong with the Children's Theatre," said one of my friends. "I've never seen a bad performance." And there have been a lot of performances. Originally founded by the Junior League in 1924, it's one of the oldest children's theatres in the country. It currently produces three shows each year that are attended by more than 250,000 children through matinee performances for school groups and weekend performances that are open to the public. "Our goal is to entertain and delight local audiences through quality, family-friendly arts entertainment at an affordable price," says spokesperson, Krista Katona Pille.
The performances, which are usually based on children's literature or adaptations of children's films, are geared for ages four and up, says Katona Pille. They average just an hour in length and have no intermissions, which make them easy for parents and provide great introductions to theatre etiquette. "A lot of these children have never seen live theatre before," she says. "It's a great way for them to learn that it's not like going to the movies or watching a video at home. It's a kid-friendly place to learn what do to when the lights go down or when it's appropriate to applaud."
She adds that it is not uncommon for children to attend performances in costumes, something they love to see. "We believe that making the arts both fun and educational is essential to the cultivation of young minds," she says.
Up next on the theatre's schedule are productions of High School Musical 2 and Charlotte's Web. In addition, the theatre is offering attendees the opportunity to meet the performers at a High School Musical cast party.
ArtStop
It started as a way to get the children of Covington's housing projects off the streets but 14 years later, the Scripps Howard ArtStop at The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center has evolved into the area's only after-school, arts education program. The original Drop In ArtStop program is available every school day, from 3:30 – 4:45 and offers a range of arts experiences for children from pre-school to high school. Executive Director Katie Bass says the program is popular with home schooled students and that it's not unusual for child-care providers to bring small groups of children.
This school year saw the start of a new addition to the program. Registered ArtStop programs are designed for children ages seven to 15 and allow participants to enjoy theme-based programming with more challenging projects and a greater range of arts experiences. Some of the programs on the upcoming schedule include Color Photography, Comic Book Art, Kite Making, Weaving Wonders and Weird, Wild Wonderful Drawing. These classes are held from 5:00 – 6:30 and require pre-registration. Both the Drop In and Registered ArtStop programs are free of charge and held at the Carnegie's Eva G. Farris Education Center.
Happen, Inc.
When it comes to arts education, why let the kids have all the fun? Happen, Inc. is an arts education provider that includes parent participation in all its programs. Executive Director Tommy Rueff says that when children and parents learn something together, it creates a unique bonding experience and leads to increased communication between parent and child. "And communication is an essential part of what makes a family work," he says.
Happen's programs are theatrical and character-based, and can include the dramatic arts, ceramics, painting, drawing or movie making. One of its most popular programs is Toy Lab, in which participants recycle parts and pieces from donated plastic playthings to "invent one-of-a-kind-in-the-whole-world toys. The kids not only name the toys, they create back stories for them; decide what kind of superpowers they have and how they use them," says Rueff. "The kids go through the whole creative process. Plus they learn about brain storming and about prototypes and patents. It's fun and educational."
More than 7,000 children and their parents benefit from Happen's award-winning programming each year at its locations in Northside and Anderson.
Public LibrariesThey're not your father's libraries. Gone are the days of tip-toeing through the stacks and dirty looks from the librarians when voices dare to rise above a whisper. The area's public libraries now offer children's sections that are actually designed for children…with all the noise that that implies. "We actually encourage people to have play dates here," says Kenton County Library spokesperson Gina Holt. "We have play areas, games, a stage where kids can put on their own puppet shows and computers programmed to block adult content."
The region's four library systems have a combined 53 branches, making it easy to find a location close by and they provide a dazzling array of programs for children and teens. The Public Libraries of Cincinnati and Hamilton County had 45 such programs listed in a single day. The Kenton County libraries have nearly 150 children's programs and activities on its February calendar, one of which actually brings dogs into the library to give beginner readers an appreciative audience.
In addition to age-appropriate programming, libraries offer a wealth of activities for take-home fun including a wide assortment of movies, music and even video games available for lending.
Now there's something that will have those country cousins green with envy. The chance to try out a new Wii game every week!
Photography provided by The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, Art Stop, and Happen IncThe Children's Theatre of Cincinnati,
Bob OhrDeondra Means as Templeton, by Phil Groshong