Enjoy the glorious sights and sounds this Labor Day weekend (September 4, 5, & 6th) as hundreds of sidewalk chalk artists and dozens of live music acts come together for yet another fun-filled, family-friendly Chalk It Up! festival.  Chalk-It-Up! is a nonprofit organization created to benefit children’s arts education and art activities.  The festival features over 200 sidewalk paintings created at the festival by local artists who donate their time, energy, and talent. These concrete masterpieces are left on the sidewalk for the public to enjoy throughout the month of September. The pieces are done with soft chalk pastel mixed with water.

During the festival local bands, musicians, and other performers entertain the artists and the public.  Since the aim of Chalk-It-Up! is to encourage children’s art programs, all children’s activities at the festival are FREE.  These include chalk drawing and a variety of other art activities.

We went last year and had such a fun time!  The kids were really impressed with the artwork and thought it was so neat to watch some of the artists in the process of creating their square.  They loved drawing with chalk themselves, painting, playing on the playground and listening to the bands.  This is a fun way to spend some time together over the long weekend!

Labor Day Weekend, September 4-6, 2010
10am - 6pm each day
Fremont Park, 16th & Q Streets
Click here for the Chalk It Up! website.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a weekly event called Art Safari that is held at the Valley-Hi North Laguna Library.  It’s presented by the Crocker Art Museum and geared for school-age kids.  You can see the post with the details here.

Last Tuesday we checked it out for ourselves and had a great time!  The theme for the day was animation.  Employees of the Crocker read a story and led two art projects that helped the kids to better understand how animation is created.  The kids were serious about their projects and pleased with their results.   This new library branch is very cute and updated.  I am looking forward to attending Art Safari when the weather is better because the kids are dying to try out the new park in front of the library.  We’ll head over there right after school, play on the playground and then go inside for the activity.  Fun and free!

Art Safari is held every Tuesday at the Valley-Hi North Laguna Library.  Click here for all the details and the bonus is each participant receives a FREE family admission pass to the Crocker Art Museum!

Today at the Valley Hi-North Laguna Library there is an incredible program put on by the Crocker Art Museum!  I just adore the Crocker Art Museum and so I am thrilled that there is a FREE program we can attend that is most likely of the highest quality.  This will be the perfect after school activity so I am planning to take my kids today to check it out.  I will post our experience soon!

Art Safari

Spark your imagination with a journey through art and books!  Enjoy listening to storytime and creating art in this lively program for elementary-age children.  All safari participants will receive a family admission pass to the Crocker Art Museum! (How cool is that?!)

When: Tuesdays; 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Where: Valley Hi-North Laguna Library, 7400 Imagination Parkway, Sacramento (across from Cosumnes River College’s Bruceville Road entrance)
Cost: FREE
Info: Call 808-7000; www.saclibrary.org or www.crockerartmuseum.org

Click here for a map on the library’s website.  Mapquest and Google Maps do not have directions yet as it is a new branch.

I am in love.  My kids are in love.  We just met Art Beast.

This place is amazing!  Where else can you take your kids to explore different forms of art to their hearts content?  Where else can you let them make a mess with paint, glitter, glue, clay, sand, water and gravel?

Our Experience:

Our family went to Art Beast on a Saturday after lunch expecting to spend an hour…maybe two…of our afternoon there.  Little did we know it would suck us in and provide enough fun to last under dinner time!  My kids lit up when they walked into a room filled with every possible art medium they could imagine.  Where to start?  They painted, drew, glued, molded and built.  Even my 18 month old was able to participate and have a ball.

The kids got to use their imaginations in a room with a playhouse and a room that had a puppet theatre, stage and dress-up clothes.  My husband and I did not have to do much except guide them to the next thing so that they wouldn’t miss anything.  There were even musical instruments for them to form a band.  Our boys sat in a rocket ship while our daughter played in a coffee can castle.

Outside, there is this beautiful courtyard with hanging metal “instruments” to makes lots of fun noise.  The kids banged and banged until they eyed the gravel and water play area.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  They poured and scooped…and got wet!  They were fascinated and giggled that they were actually allowed to get wet and dirty.

The Expense:

Admission to the Art Beast is $8.00 per person.  They only charge for one adult per family and kids under 1 are free.  They offer a punch card and memberships at a very discounted rate.

An exciting fact I found out…every dime your family devotes to Art Beast directly supports and sustains Tubman House, a nonprofit serving young, homeless parents and their children!

Tips:

Be prepared for your kids to get messy!  The paints and other supplies they use are washable and so you can just let go and let them go crazy.

You may not want to bring in a big purse or diaper bag with you because you will want to be able to move around and be hands on with your child.  There are bins in their entry where you can hold your non-valuables.  Oh…and their bathroom has a changing table!

Art Beast also offers some really neat classes and birthday parties.

Go!  Make a mess!  Have a blast!

Art Beast
2226 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 441-1233

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KidzArt, an international children’s art education company that has 60 plus franchises throughout the US, has been providing Sacramento area children with afterschool art education at over 70 local schools since 2005.  They are now expanding with the opening of a new art studio in Natomas.

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