Walker Art Center

I have to say, Minneapolis is a great place to homeschool. A ton of resources for homeschoolers, yes, like programs and playgroups - but also this is a city that, plain and simple, offers a lot to do. There 2 zoos, several art galleries, museums, and nature centers. Plenty of green spaces, more than one children's theater (plays acted by kids, for kids), and countless well-stocked libraries. So many things here are deliberately geared towards children, towards keeping them engaged and providing new experiences for them. I find that every year we live here we have tapped into more and more. I am actually quite thankful we pulled our daughter OUT of school so we have more time to take advantage of creative opportunities like these.

My recent favourite has been the First Free Saturday program for families at the Walker Art Center. We went 2 months ago and the kids got to draw on acetate film on the glass wall of the gallery, and build a fort out of tulle and helium-filled balloons. Our latest trip there did not disappoint. The first weekend in April we went, and got to watch an original short movie for kids, lie in a room filled FULL OF HAMMOCKS with art projected onto the walls, work on a giant puzzle, and go to a "dance party" for little kids. The highlight for us - being a kind of artsy-crafty family - was probably making our own textiles with designer Sarah Nassif --





I think that this might be a project that would be fun to do again at home with more time. I think a trip to Michael's might be in order.... :-)