Multi-Generational Play
Last Sunday was National Grandparent’s Day. The purpose of the day is to celebrate all that grandparents bring to our culture, their families and, perhaps most importantly, to their grandchildren.
Grandparents have a special place in the heart of their grandchildren. Not only do they have a common enemy (those pesky parents!), they have that special bond of unconditional love. Grandparents bring more to the relationship than love. Being two generations removed from the child, grandparents connect grandchildren with the past and family history. These connections are important to children as they help build perspective, compassion and identity. Of course, grandchildren are important to grandparents as well, helping them see the world from a new point of view and reciprocating their unconditional love.
On Grandparent’s Day, grandparents received free admission at Fairytale Town so they could come out and play with their grandchildren. Many used the excuse to bring three generations of family members here to play. Children were able to make special posters or pins for their grandparents. It was delightful to see how excited the kids were to make the crafts and present them to their special person. I am pretty sure that their efforts will be hung on refrigerators and saved in jewelry boxes for many months. And it was fun to see the different generations playing in the park. I’m certain each generation created playful memories that will last a lifetime.
Labor Day Play
Labor Day signals the end of summer, and it is already here! A national holiday since 1894, it was created as a day of relaxation and festivals to honor workers. It’s sort of ironic that it now prompts a back-to-work/back-to-school mentality.
It doesn’t have to!
There is plenty of time in the day to include play. As a former boss used to say, “There are 24 hours in a day. Eight hours to work, eight hours to sleep and eight hours to play.” (Somehow he never took into account commuting, cooking, eating, cleaning and doing laundry. But even so, you can always squeeze in a little bit of play every day.)
For children, the best play is free play. That is, play that’s not organized by an adult. Adults facilitate free play by providing materials, space and time. Kids can get a lot of imaginative and creative play out of sticks, empty boxes, and fabric pieces, as well as art, building and gardening materials.
So as you get supplies and schedule activities for the school year, throw in some whimsical play items and be sure to schedule some free time every day to play!
Play On!
“If music be the food of love, play on!” – William Shakespeare
The Children’s Concert Series at Fairytale Town offered a great ‘menu’ of music for families — children’s entertainers, rock-and-roll bands, folk artists and classical music. The concerts were enjoyed by audience and musicians alike.
I also enjoyed seeing the artists set up for their shows. I watched as they lugged their instruments to the stage from their cars. Saw them set up the sound equipment and heard them do sound checks. Witnessed the rituals they went through as they prepared to perform for a live audience. (Common activities included singing scales, doing tongue twisters, eating, plucking strings, leafing through sheets of music, and pacing.)
Of course setting up the day of a show is just a sliver of a musician’s labors. It takes a great deal of time and energy – not to mention talent – to write lyrics and music. Instruments have to be cared for with regular cleaning and attention. Then there are hours and hours of practice and rehearsals…
All this work for the joy of playing music together.
Play on!
Role Play
The weather was perfect for the opening performance of the Fairytale Town Troupers’ Sinbad & Aladdin: The Arabian Knights. Those who gathered to watch the show on the Mother Goose Stage were treated to music, dancing, colorful costumes, swordfights – and a fire breathing dragon.
The show was the culmination of many weeks of work by the Troupers. Fairytale Town’s Theatre Arts Specialist John Lee wrote and directed the play. The troupe of children ages 5 and up met after school and on weekends to rehearse the show. I often saw them rehearsing in the heat of the day on the outdoor stage as I left for the evening.
The show involved more than the children themselves. Their families had to make arrangements to get them here in time for rehearsal and to pick them up afterwards. Costumers had to make costumes. Our talented Animal Keeper Jim Hernandez was inspired to retrofit the dragon to breath fire. Music had to be recorded. The sound system had to be set up and tested. The swordfights and dances had to be choreographed and well-rehearsed.
Everyone’s hard work paid off. At Saturday’s performances, both the audience and the performers were enjoying the show.
The Fairytale Town Troupers have four more performances of Sinbad & Aladdin this coming weekend. I hope you can catch a show. You’ll see the results of their hard work at play.
Play is Hard Work
Once again it was driven home to me how much hard work it is to play.
I know play is work. Whenever I go to work, I hear the sounds of blowers and mowers as our brilliant grounds crew makes the facility clean and magical for our guests. I see our talented program, guest services, marketing and development crew put out information and materials so out guests will have everything they need to make a life-long memory.
I know this – and see this nearly every day. And yet…
The hard work of play was made abundantly clear to me at an off-site outreach program the other day. My job was to play with the kids while their parents visited with my colleagues to learn more about the programs we have at Fairytale Town. I played a bean bag toss game, jumped rope, played two-square and fooled around with streamers. I used my brain a lot as I played, determining which games were most age appropriate and engaging to each child. I used my body a lot too – jumping quite high, quite often to make sure we didn’t hit any of the adults in our competitive game of two-square and bending down repeatedly to pick up the tossed bean bags.
I had a blast. Three hours later I was exhausted and so sore I could hardly believe it! No doubt about it – I need to get out and play more often, if only to improve my two-square game. The kids I played with that evening have inspired me to do so.
You probably need to get out and play more often too. And if you decide you need to work on your two-square game, you know where to find me.
Meet the King and Queen of the Fairies
This year’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Crystal Ice Cream Fantasy will be presided over by an Honorary King and Queen, who will kick off the event and then greet guests in a magical fairy bower. We are fortunate to have John Frisch and Monica Woods serve as the event’s Honorary King and Queen. John and Monica will take on the roles of Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies in Shakespeare’s play.
Before the event on June 9, we wanted to introduce John and Monica. We spoke with them recently to find out more about their history with Fairytale Town as well as a few of their favorite things.
John Frisch
Honorary King
John Frisch is the regional managing director of the Sacramento and Roseville offices of Cornish and Carey Commercial Newmark Knight Frank. John has been active in many community organizations. Currently he serves as the chair of the board of directors for the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Tell us about your history and experience with Fairytale Town. I joined the Fairytale Town board in 1980. It was the first real community board that I ever served on, and I not only learned a great deal about Fairytale Town but about the City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation Department, which ran and maintained the park back in those days. We eventually became one of the first public parks to “privatize,” and in many ways became the City and County’s model for future public-private partnerships. I eventually retired from the board around 1996. It was one of the best boards that I ever served on!
What is your favorite feature of the park? The Three Little Pigs!
What are you most looking forward to at A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Crystal Ice Cream Fantasy? Just seeing the magical joy on the faces that all kids and adults get when they visit Fairytale Town.
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Rocky Road!
What is your favorite Shakespeare play? Romeo and Juliet.
If you could be any fairytale character, who would you be? Peter Pan!
Monica Woods
Honorary Queen
Monica Woods is KXTV News 10’s chief meteorologist. She is actively involved in the Sacramento community. Monica served a term as president of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento and sat on the organization’s Board of Directors for three years.
Tell us about your history and experience with Fairytale Town. We were regular weekly visitors while the kids were not in school. We visit less frequently now, but every time we do the kids want to make sure to visit everything!
What is your favorite feature? King Arthur’s Castle. I love to imagine what it might have been like to be a part of that time.
What are you most looking forward to at A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Crystal Ice Cream Fantasy? Seeing the kids’ excitement!
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint Chip!
What is your favorite Shakespeare play? Romeo & Juliet.
If you could be any fairytale character, who would you be? Cinderella.
Thanks John and Monica for being our King and Queen!
May is a Good Time to Play!
Friends taking a walk on the Crooked Mile
May is quite a month! It’s National Bike Month, National Fitness Month and it also boasts National Screen Free Week. Below are a few suggestions for celebrating the month.
Take the kids out for a bike ride. According to the League of American Bicyclists, as soon as a child can hold their head up and fit into a helmet, they can be a passenger on a bike. Until they are age 5 or so they should ride in a child’s seat or trailer. Children need to have basic motor skills before they can operate a bike on their own.
Take a walk. Taking under 5,000 steps a day is considered a sedentary lifestyle. It is recommended that we take 10,000 steps. So get out and walk! With a friend, the kids, the dog – or enjoy a 500-step getaway by yourself. If you don’t want to use the time to chat or reflect, count the number of trees you see, the number of cars you pass, or find shapes in the clouds or the stars.
Play Hopscotch. This simple game can be played with several players or alone, by a wide range of ages and needs little or no equipment. Many playgrounds have painted hopscotch courses, you can make your own with chalk on the pavement, or with a stick in the dirt.
No matter what you do this May, make a point to get out and play!
Word Play
The Children’s Theater
About 15 educators of children ages 3 through 12 met at Fairytale Town’s Children’s Theater last night to learn about reading aloud effectively. CSUS Children’s Literature Professor, Francie Dillon, led the workshop titled, Giving Voice to Children’s Literature. A similar workshop for parents will take place on May 3. The program is free, but reservations are required and can be made through rsvp@fairytaletown.org.
At the teacher’s workshop, Dillon shared information on the importance of reading aloud and demonstrated useful tips on how to use your voice to make books come to life.
You could say she taught us how to play with words.
It’s a good reminder that play comes in all forms. Word play is just as important to a child’s growth and development as active play. Word play helps children develop communication skills and vocabulary, and also a sense of humor and love of language.
Below are three examples of how you can use words playfully.
– Rhymes are a great way for kids to begin playing with words. Through rhyme children can learn about individual letter sounds. Take advantage of this opportunity by substituting rhyming words in a favorite book. For example, if P.D. Eastman’s Are You My Mother is a favorite, substitute Brother for Mother from time to time. Your child will enjoy correcting you, and you can use the opportunity to talk about the different letters and their sounds.
– Children also love to use new words. In conversation or during play, use as many words as you can to describe or identify something. For example, in conversation the word silly can become goofy, crazy, wild, or even inane. This helps children build their vocabulary and learn about context and meaning.
– Acting out words and stories is also a great way to bring them to life. You can ask your child to show you their happy face, sad face, sleepy face, etc. You can also cast family members to play roles while reading a book together. The activities help children learn meaning and expression, and help them gain confidence is speaking and reading.
Children’s Masterpieces
So, before or after some good physical play, engage your child in some fun word play as well. As Francie demonstrated at last night’s workshop, you will both enjoy it!
Note: The tips above are not taken from Dillon’s Giving Voice to Children’s Literature workshop. Please attend the workshop on May 3 to learn more about reading aloud effectively. Details are at www.fairytaletown.org.
Get Outside and Play Month
In honor of get outside month, below are few things to do inside and outside of Fairytale Town.
Five Things to Do Inside Fairytale Town
1. See how long it takes you to walk the Crooked Mile.
2. Climb through Sherwood Forest, and balance on the jousting beam.
3. Find a feather.
4. Do ten nimble jumping jacks by Jack’s Candlesticks.
5. Skip across the Mother Goose Stage.
One of these yellow bricks has only an "A" on it!
Five Things to Do Outside Fairytale Town in Land Park
1. Find a brick with only the letter A on the Yellow Brick Road. (Hint: It’s near the beginning.)
2. Stroll through the WPA Rock Garden.
3. Count how many different birds you see at the pond.
4. Run across the soccer field.
5. Sing a song on the amphitheater stage.
It doesn’t matter what you decide to do, just get outside and play!
PTA’s Work for the Arts
March was Arts Education Month, and the California State Parent Teacher Associations and the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association Arts Initiative celebrated with a gathering of State, Regional and Parent Arts Education Leaders.
- The PTA help fund assembly performances by Francie Dillon.
The PTA has played an integral role in bringing the arts to students throughout the County. Often it is only through PTA funding and involvement that children are introduced to art – in all its forms. I know that my own children had wonderful education in the arts in their public school thanks to the involvement of an active PTA.
On hand to express their appreciation to the PTA for their support of the arts were folks from the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, the Assembly Committee on Arts, the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the California Arts Council, and parent arts education leaders.
The highlight of the gathering was when the Bret Harte Elementary School Choir performed. They received a standing ovation. The children in the choir were engaged, focused, and articulate – as well as talented. They provided positive proof that arts education works for kids. Thanks to the PTA, they have it.