South Florida is filled with tons of fun family activities to take part in from year round beach day, nature walks in one of our various parks, and of course some really great children museums. Growing up the only time I ever really visited any of the museums was while on a school field trip. As a family we went to the zoo or impromptu beach days which I do with my kids too. (see my blog post here) But now that I am parent I enjoy finding fun activities for us to do together as a family. Since art and crafts is one of my favorites toddler activities to do with my kids most days when were home it made sense that we choose the Young at Art museum for our family day out.
As part of the annual museum day celebration hosted by the Smithsonian Magazine, free entry is granted to anyone presenting a Museum day ticket to all participating museums. This year museum day celebrated on Sept 22nd was about opening the doors of museums to everyone as well building upon their theme #WomenMakingHistory, which aims to acknowledge women who are pioneers in the arts, sciences, technology and culture. Being a mom to a little girl this resonated with me because I want to show her and her big brother how women play a significant role in our history, present day lives, and are our future. If you would like to participate in next year’s Museum Day you can find more information, here.
We choose the Young at art Museum for our free Museum Day passes since it is close to home and was on our list of Museums to visit with the kids. It is the perfect museum for children of all ages it is where you can let your imagination rein free while experiencing the sounds, patterns, and sights within each exhibit. The museum offers several permanent exhibits all year round including ArtScapes, GreenScapes, CultureScapes, and WonderScapes, more about the exhibits here. One of their newer exhibits set to open to the public Nov 2nd is the LightScapes exhibit this will be taking the place of The Saturday Morning Cartoons exhibit which were are to see while at the Museum. Another reason I like the Young at Art museum is there are plenty of early childhood programs available that utilize art to inspire and teach, including numerous Mommy & Me painting, mixed media, or sensory play classes during the weekdays. These types of Mommy & Me classes are so beneficial, not only do they help enhance motor skills and encourage creativity in littles early development they are also away for moms to connect with other moms. I remember being a new mom and looking for things to do with my son this would have been a perfect option. Now that we were able to visit the Young at Art Museum and experience their wonderful interactive exhibits we will definitely be back.
ArtScapes
Day Glo in Kenny’s Closet
Avenue A
Allows you to take a ride on the subway while taking in some of the amazing graffiti murals that splatter the New York subway walls.
My son is fasinated with trains and couldnt get enough of the while on our trip to newy york So it was ovbiouls that this was his favorite and it took some coaxing to get him and his sister off the subway trains.
CultureScapes
Since I live with a bunch of music lovers it only made sense we found ourselves surrounded by the African drums in the Culture Scapes exhibit. Full of life it takes you on a wave of a ride through Latin America, Asia, and Africa. My son took a few go’s at the Hugh wave that the little ones can climb through and entertain themselves while mom or dad takes a break. While he was busy climbing around the wave maze I found myself enjoying the metal sculptures and even used the metal stencil template to create a few pieces of my own art to bring home, I shared some of our day on my instastories.
Saturday Morning Cartoons
An exhibit made for all lovers of Saturday morning cartoons and sugary cereal something I was very guilty of as kid. Full of fantasy and imagination this was such a fun room with a Candyfall Play area with slides into a foam candy pit which my little one made full use of. I don’t know who enjoyed this exhibit more our kids or my husband and I since it was so nostalgic to our own childhoods filled with the best of Saturday Morning cartoons. Unfortunately, this was the last weekend for this exhibit and we’re glad that we got a chance to experience this cheerful exhibit.
This room brought back so many memories from my childhood with tin lunch boxes with matching thermos and My Little Pony memorabilia, I can remember having a similar Star Wars lunch box or some of the other items in that room and wishing that I still did.
If you are looking for fun weekend activities to do with your families that will play on your senses, your kids imagination and filled with something for everyone then I recommend you plan your next family day out to the Young at Art Museum. Our family really enjoy day at the Museum and I will be bringing both of my kids back for some of the fun daytime activities that are offered at the museum and to check out the library that is also apart of the YAA Museum.
Thanks for reading!
Cindy
