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.

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Now, GO FIND FUN!

HIP HOP COMES TO KATY.

LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch is wrapping up its annual “Summer Saturdays in Cinco”, which is a children’s cultural arts series offering free educational performances throughout the summer. The final performance of the season will be the group Urgeworks on Saturday, August 22 at 10:30am at Heritage Square which is on the LaCenterra Property, 23501 Cinco Ranch Boulevard, just west of the Grand Parkway in Katy. Urgeworks is a troupe of professional hip-hop dancers from Houston who are internationally renowned for their positive, inspirational and motivational performances. LaCenterra is a place to shop and play for Katy and west Houston residents and offers an ongoing series of events for families throughout the year.

THE AMAZING WORLD OF ISLAMIC SCIENCE.

Don’t miss “The Sultans of Science: 1000 Years of Knowledge Rediscovered,” which will be on view through September 7 at the Islamic Da`wah Center, 201 Travis Street in downtown Houston. This exhibition celebrates the scientific breakthroughs made during the eighth to 18th centuries, a period often referred to as “The Golden Age of Islamic Science”. It introduces visitors of all ages to a civilization where innovation was encouraged, leading to the highest levels of achievement in mathematics, science, and technology. Spanning ten decades, the exhibition includes accurate reproductions and models of engineering marvels that are veritable works of art, including these areas:

• Pioneers of Flight: This area features a model of the flying machine successfully launched by Abbas Bin Firnas in ninth century Spain, an interactive aerodynamics display and a kinetic model that simulates the movement of a bird’s wing.
  
  
• Medical Inventions and Discoveries: Visitors can grip a pulse sensor to see their own heartbeats displayed against a backdrop of a diagram of the human circulatory system dating to 1242 CE and examine replicas of sophisticated surgical tools that are surprisingly similar to those in use today.
  
  
• The World of Islamic Astronomy: Visitors can use a Quadrant to measure the angle between two stars, experiment with an Armillary Sphere to plot the relative movement of stars and planets and use an Astrolabe to figure out the time of day by measuring the height of a star above the horizon.
  
  
• Mathematics, Art and Architecture: Mathematicians devised complex formulas and developed geometric and trigonometric solutions to mysteries of astronomy, optics and engineering. Hands-on exhibits will allow visitors to explore the patterns and principles of Arabic art and architecture.
  
  
• The Foundation of Optical Science: The 10th century Muslim physician Al Haytham discovered how the eye works and understood that light is made up of distinct colors, explaining the rainbow effect. Visitors can conduct experiments in the Optical Laboratory using lenses, refraction, prisms and a pinhole camera.
  
  
• Fine Technology and Invention: Master engineers developed automated devices ranging from practical items to clever inventions intended simply for amusement. The dramatic centerpiece of this area is a working recreation of Al-Jazari’s Elephant Clock, a kinetic sculpture with secret doors and musicians playing instruments.
  
  
• Applied Hydrology: As medieval Muslim cities grew into large urban centers, engineers were challenged to solve problems such as providing reliable water supplies. By physically interacting with early engineering devices, visitors recreate the exciting moments of historic innovation.
  
  
• Great Explorers: Muslim explorers and traders traveled over vast distances from China to Central Africa and this exhibition includes a four-foot model of a ship commanded by Chinese Muslim Admiral Zheng He in the 13th century. The ship was one of a fleet of 300, each a vast floating city with stables and vegetable gardens for extended journeys.
  
  
• The House of Wisdom: This vital institution of higher learning was founded in Baghdad in the ninth century and attracted an international cadre of scholars. In the Interactive Library, visitors will learn about the main achievements of those associated with the House of Wisdom, such as the creation of algebra.

Advance tickets purchased online are $15/adults and children 12 years old and up; $10/children 5-11 years old, seniors 65+ and students with valid ID; and free/children 4 years old and younger. The Center is open daily from 10am-7pm except on Fridays when it is closed for prayer and Sundays when it is open from 10am-5pm.

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...SUGAR LAND. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

It seems like just yesterday that all you could see in Sugar Land was the Imperial Sugar factory! But this year, the proud city is celebrating its 50th anniversary, a golden year that will be marked in a year-long series of special events to commemorate its 50 years of incorporation. The official celebration was kicked off in January at their “State of the City” event with the unveiling of the 50th Anniversary logo and special street light banners which have been installed along major thoroughfares throughout the City. The city of Sugar Land will be featuring historical walking tours in celebration of this anniversary throughout the end of the year, starting at historic Lakeview Auditorium at 314 Lakeview Drive.

Some facts about Sugar Land that you may not know (I sure didn’t know all of
them!): It was founded as a sugar plantation in the mid-1800s and incorporated in 1959. Since then it has become the largest city and economic center of Fort Bend County and the third-largest in population and second-largest in economic activities of the Houston area. It is still home to the headquarters of Imperial Sugar and (the company's main refinery and distribution center was once located there), and, as a nod to this heritage, the Imperial Sugar crown logo can be seen in the city seal and logo. Sugar Land has the most master-planned communities in Fort Bend County, which is home to the largest number of master-planned communities in the nation, including First Colony, New Territory, Telfair, Greatwood, Chelsea Harbour and many others. Sugar Land holds the title of "Fittest City in Texas" for its population (take that, Houston!), a title it has held for four consecutive years. In 2006 CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Sugar Land third on its list of the “100 Best Cities to Live in the United States”, in 2007, CQ Press ranked Sugar Land fifth on its list of “Safest Cities in the United States”, and in 2008, Forbes.com selected Sugar Land as one of the three Houston-area "Top Suburbs To Live Well," noting its affluence despite its large population.

HOUSTON CHILDREN’S CHORUS IS NOW AUDITIONING FOR BOYS IN GRADES 4-8 FOR THEIR 2009-2010 CHORUS.

Do you love to sing? Do you enjoy performing on stage for famous people and appreciative audiences? Do you want to make new friends? Do you want to sing at Carnegie Hall next June? If you answered yes, then the Houston Children’s Chorus is for YOU.

The Houston Children’s Chorus, now entering its 21st year, is one of the finest children’s choruses in the country. Led by founder and director Stephen Roddy, the Chorus performs a variety of concerts for thousands of people each year. Over 100 children in grades 4 through 8 from across the greater Houston area sing in the Chorus. They’ve sung for presidents and many other famous people, toured around the world... and in June 2010, they’ve been invited to sing at Carnegie Hall! To become part of this amazing experience, please call for an audition today. Rehearsals for their 2009-2010 season will begin in early September and are held in a convenient central location.

For more details about the Houston Children’s Chorus or to sign up for an audition, call them at 713.650.3800 or log onto www.houstonchildren.org.

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

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