Gish Picks: Week of May 27, 2009


Welcome to this week's "Gish Picks", where I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" these events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests. I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families. Do you have something you would like to promote on Gish Picks? Advertisers can promote family-friendly events, products or services to Houstonians all over the city and the surrounding area who are active parents, involved citizens and great shoppers. We love doing this community service and want to keep it free for our readers but in order to justify the hours spent researching, writing and designing this newsletter, we need advertising support. If you'd like to learn more, please click below. Now, GO FIND FUN!

VISIT MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA AT THE HERITAGE SOCIETY.

As an extension of the current exhibition, "Retablos: Art for the Masses", The Heritage Society has planned a “Culture and Customs Heritage Family Day" this Sunday, May 31 from 1-4pm. In this free afternoon of family fun and entertainment, kids will learn about the traditions of retablos, ex-votos and Milagros while celebrating the cultures of Mexico and Central America. They’ll get to create Mexican folk-art crafts and play Lotería, a traditional Mexican family game. Ambassadors International Ballet Folklórico and Express Children's Theater will provide entertainment and there will be refreshments for all. Visitors should park in the paved lot directly behind the historic Kellum-Noble House; enter the lot from Allen Parkway inbound.

THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON LETS YOU PICK YOUR PRICE ON MEMBERSHIPS THIS SATURDAY.

For one day only and four hours only, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is offering a chance to set your own price for a museum membership! This Saturday, May 30, Pick-Your-Price Memberships (Student, Individual, Dual and Family) will be available from 10am-2pm at the MFAH on-site only, cash and checks only. Memberships may be purchased for any amount starting at $10. While you’re there enjoy the guided, interactive "Family Tour: Natural Wonders" at 11am, a tour designed just for families to learn about art together. And throughout the summer, you can plan your visit in advance by visiting www.mfah.org/chill/.

A Family Membership is usually $85 and includes:

Free general admission for two adults and all children under 18 living in the same household

Free admission to museum family programs

Discount on children's classes at the Glassell Junior School PLUS all the benefits of Dual membership:

-Two adult membership cards

-Invitation to the MFAH Holiday Party

-Free admission to museum lectures and programs for adults

-Discounted admission at Bayou Bend and Rienzi

-Discounts at the MFAH Shops and on Films Program tickets

-Invitations for two to selected preview parties and the Annual Fall Membership Party

-Complimentary subscription to the bimonthly MFAH Calendar and to MFAH Member News, an e-mail newsletter

IT'S NOT JUST FOR ADULTS AT "WINE AND FOOD WEEK".

Get your kids cooking during the “Wine and Food Week Kidz R Cooking" event at the Woodlands Mall this Saturday, May 30 at 11am; 12:30pm, 2pm & 3:30pm. Guest chefs teach the keys to cooking in a hands-on, family-friendly setting. Children will have fun with their family exploring the flavors while preparing healthy, tasty food. Chef and Author Michael Flores of San Antonio will teach the 11am and 12:30pm class; David Denis, Executive Chef of Houston’s Le Mistral will teach the 2pm class; and Chef Jose Duarte, owner of Taranta in Boston and winner of the 2008 Wine & Food Week Chef of Chefs Award will teach the 3:30pm class. The classes are designed for children ages 5-12 and an adult must join the child for the class. Kidz R Cooking is presented by The Laura Wilkinson Foundation.

Classes are free but reservations must be made in advance by emailing diaz@foodandvinetime.com stating the time you would like to reserve and the number of children, along with their names.

And for some extra family fun, you can kick off your visit to "Wine and Food Week" on Friday with the Love Street Light Circus band at Tommy Bahama's in the Woodlands Town Square from 6-8pm.

ATTRACTION: DAIRY ASHFORD ROLLER RINK

Relive the old days of roller rinks at Dairy Ashford Roller Rink, a family-owned business on the west side of town at 1820 S. Dairy Ashford Road. It’s a large indoor rink (great for our rainy or super hot days!) with lots of activities, including “Mommy and Me” fun on Friday mornings from 10am-noon. They have public skating Thursdays through Sundays – and “Cheap Skate” and “Retro Skate” on Thursdays from 3-10pm with $3/skating fees and $2/rentals. Dairy Ashford is great for corporate meetings and birthday parties (we just had one for younger son Matthew there and it was easy peasy). This summer, they are offering three levels of skating lessons: Toddler (3-5 year olds), Beginner Level I (new skaters), and Beginner Level II (for skaters wanting to learn edges, crosses, gliding, turns, etc.), as well as their ongoing Beginner Speed Skating classes. You can also book small group private lessons for up to 5 skaters. The three Beginner classes are offered June 9-August 12 and the Speed Skating classes are on Saturdays at 8:30am or Mondays at 7pm. Beginner skate classes are $115/4 weeks (cost includes skate rental) and the Speed Skating classes are $60/month. Admission fee is $5-$7 and rentals are $2 – and you are welcome to bring your own skates. Skate on!

SIGN YOUR KIDS UP FOR ROBOTICS CAMPS!

The American Robotics Academy® offers “Lego Robotics”, “Crazy Action Contraptions” and “Robots on the Rampage” summer camps. Classes are divided by age and skill level and teach students to understand "how things work" through hands-on activities that demonstrate the principles of simple and motorized machines. They gain experience with design and problem solving through the use of gears, motors, wheels and axles, pulleys, and remote control devices. Working in teams of three, students learn a variety of ways to design a robot to do the things they want it to do. They decide and build, as a team, the best design of their robot for the competition to be held at the end of each class session.

The camps are offered in several convenient locations in all areas of Houston, including Missouri City, Beaumont, Clear Lake and the Woodlands. Their two main camps are at the Gateway Academy near downtown and the Met Private School in Memorial. All American Robotics Academy® camps are designed around a curriculum that enables students to take a full day/week program or choose to enroll in just morning or afternoon classes.

REGISTER FOR SUMMER CAMPS THAT ARE A BRIDGE TO SCIENCE AND AN INCREDIBLE SUMMER MISSION!

Imagination Campus, “the ultimate intelligence raising environment” is breaking the traditional perception of daycare facilities and developmental domains for early childhood educational practices. The Katy-based operation has unique summer camp programs integrating weekly themes designed to stimulate children’s natural ability to play and learn through Sciences, Arts and Creativity. The camps are divided by age: "Sparks" (4–5 years old); "Travelers" (6–7 years old); "Challengers" (8–9 years old); and "Inventors" (10–12 years old).

These summer camps represent a nurturing environment where children use their imagination, have fun and gain knowledge. Weekly sessions are based on carefully constructed scenarios offering students the opportunity to use multiple intelligences to design and build solutions. Kids work in age appropriate teams on multiple modules each day allowing them to see the big picture and use creativity, imagination and curiosity to create ingenious solutions to these very mind-boggling situations.

Online registration is now open.

COME CHECK OUT ALL THE CREATIVE FUN AT ART MIX THIS SUMMER!

Join Art Mix for their 4th Annual "Art Journey Around the World!" Art Mix will be offering 12 unique, art-filled weeks of summer camp from 9am-12pm and workshops from 2-4pm, Monday through Friday.

Each week will feature a new and exciting collection of countries, artists, and art projects! This summer's art movements include: Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Impressionism, Pop Art and Urban Art. Art Mix also offers "Sensational Saturday Workshops", from 10am-12pm and 2-4pm. Every Saturday Workshop will feature a new medium, from Tie Dye and Jewelry Design, to Clay, Needleworks, Watercolor and Funky Sculpture! Their camps and workshops are for all children, including children with special needs, ages 3-12 years old. In addition, come see what's new at Art Mix's "Pop-In Studios"! Their summer hours are from 1-5pm, Monday-Friday and 10am-5pm on Saturdays. "Pop-In Studios" are designed for young artists to put their imaginations to work using a variety of mediums to make anything their heart desires! The cost is $15/hour.

Art Mix is an art school for children ages 2-12 years old, centrally located in Houston. Art Mix offers art class during the Fall, Winter and Spring Semesters, Holiday Camps throughout the year and twelve weeks of Summer Camp. Art Mix is located at 3701 West Alabama, Suite 250, on the corner of Timmons and West Alabama.

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My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston parents through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS, which is online (www.thesummerbook.com/gishpicks_archive.html) and in the Houston Community Newspaper group (www.hcnonline.com);

THE SUMMER BOOK®: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS (www.thesummerbook.com) which comes out annually on March 1 and is sold at bookstores all over Houston, including Barnes and Noble and Borders; and

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, and ART PROGRAMS that cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children and parents and children together), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, and activism. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help parents become aware of all the fun things they can do with their children in Houston and the surrounding area, so HAPPY TRAVELS! Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things for your family and I want to hear what you find. If you are having trouble getting to a website listed here, try hitting the “Ctrl” button and left-clicking on the web address, which should make it “live”.


Sarah Gish Gish Creative 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.532.1173 email: sarah@gishcreative.com web: www.gishcreative.com and: www.thesummerbook.com and: www.saveourlandmarks.org © 2009 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World