Farfetched – Mad Science at the Gregg Museum (Feb 2013)

Posted on January 25, 2013 by daddyweekly

The Gregg Museum, located on the second floor of the NSCU Talley Student Center opened an excellen exhibition last week, featuring “Mad Science, Fringe Architecture and Visionary Engineering“. Some quirky sculptures and many excellent 2D pieces that cross over the boundaries of drafting and illustrating are impressive, both for the seasoned engineer and the budding apprentice. References to Tesla underscore the geek cred (this is NCSU after all), but the show is just as interesting from an artistic perspective.

Bear in mind, this is a big boy/big girl museum, full of objects that look very inviting to touch and play with; but you can’t, so holding hands recommended. Make sure to turn on the only kinetic sculpture you’re allowed to interact with. It is in the foyer next to the receptionist, and my son fondly named the piece “chicken bonkety-bonk”. You’ll see why when you go…

Farfetched: Mad Science, Fringe Architecture and Visionary Engineering. Gregg Museum at NCSU, Jan-17 through Apr-26. Free and open to the public.

African American Culture Celebration (1/26/2013)

Posted on January 25, 2013 by daddyweekly

Every year, the NC Museum of History celebrates African American Culture in its many facets. From R&B performances to craft demos and even acupuncture, everything that can trace its roots to the African continent is present.

The celebration takes place this Saturday from 10:30a to 4:30p at the NC Museum of History. For kids, there’s “a scavenger hunt, hands-on craft, and more”. On top of that, the vast selection of music performances, and the cooking demos will allow to adequately celebrate this years’ theme, Defining Freedom, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Thomas Day Statue 2 by Universal Pops, used under the CC BY-NC-SA license

Jack Tales: Appalachian Adventures! (Jan/Feb 2013)

Posted on January 18, 2013 by daddyweekly

Like last year, the teen theater ensemble Storytellers To Go is touring area libraries with their performance of old appalachian folk tales by acting, puppetry and interactive storytelling. We enjoyed their blackbeard play last year, and will try to catch this one as well. This weekend they are over in Knightdale, not too far out of the way, and their future appearances are listed below:

East Regional Library: Saturday January 19, 2:00pm
Cameron Village Regional Library: Saturday January 26, 3:00pm
Halle Cultural Arts Center Of Apex: Saturday February 2, 2:00pm
NC Museum of History, Museum Auditorium: Saturday February 9, 2:00pm
Southeast Regional Library: Saturday February 16, 2:00pm
West Regional Library: Saturday February 23, 2:00pm

Science Olympiad at Marbles (1/19/2013)

Posted on January 18, 2013 by daddyweekly

The weekend weather will be clear, but bitter-cold, so what better to do that a visit to Marbles. This Saturday, Marbles is hosting another Science Olympiad with fun activities like building bridges (out of pasta) or rockets (out of paper). Science Olympiad is a hands-on activity for the entire family, put together by www.sciencenc.com, a non-profit with the aim to attract students to STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math).

Marbles, already a good place to geek out, will be even better this Saturday; the event takes place from 1-4p.

Science Olympiad by Art Jessen, used under the CC BY-NC license

Ironing Board Sam (1/12/2013)

Posted on January 11, 2013 by daddyweekly

I had a feeling that a musician performing at the Museum of History might be something special, but I was impressed when the top Youtube result when searching “Ironing Board Sam” yielded a video recording of a 1965 performance.

Ironing Board Sam was a successful performer 50 years ago, and appeared even on TV. He had ups and downs, and like so many Southern Musicians, did not earn or save nearly enough to live off of it. This is where the Music Maker Relief Foundation comes in, which provides elderly, often impoverished musicians another opportunity to record an album and have a decent living.

The Music Maker Relief Foundation (in Chapel Hill) does an awesome job giving these elderly artists another chance. How old is Ironing Board Sam? Well, a young Jimi Hendrix once played in his band, long before he was famous. That’s how old he is. And he performs this Sunday at 3pm at the NC Museum of History in downtown Raleigh.

DogGoneFast flyball dog races (1/12/2013)

Posted on January 11, 2013 by daddyweekly

I haven’t heard of flyball before, but I have to admit: It looks doggone fast!

Flyball is a relay race for dogs, who jump hurdles, retrieve a ball, and return to their master. It sounds crazy, and it looks hilarious.

There is a flyball tournament this weekend at the State Fairgrounds, in the Holshouser Building both Saturday and Sunday from 8-5.

(awesome video by Marek Russ)

Winterfest Sledding Day (1/5/2012)

Posted on January 4, 2013 by daddyweekly

I think it’s been three years since we had some real snow here in Raleigh, which means our kids still have to practice on the artificial ramp made by Snow My Yard at Winterfest on select Saturday.Yeah, Winterfest. It is already halfweay through. Have you been? The ice skating rink does give City Plaza a winterly feel, no matter what the temperature is. And who knows, maybe we’ll get some snow in February. And then, you’ll better be ready!

Winterfest has a sledding ramp on Sunday, Jan-6 and again on Sun-27, from 12-4.

Ft. Greene Park Sledding by cisc1970, used under the CC BY-NC license_resized

Ft. Greene Park Sledding by cisc1970, used under the CC BY-NC license
(for some real photos from the Raleigh event, see here.)

Three Kings Day Parade (1/6/2013)

Posted on January 4, 2013 by daddyweekly

Reyes Magos Parade (c) Diamante Inc. (DSC01401)_square With Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa over (not to forget Winter Solstice and Festivus), the “holidays” and all their diverse festivities are slowly coming to an end… but one more is still due: Dia de los Reyes Magos (or Twelfth Night, or Dreikönigstag) is celebrated on Jan-6 in regions of the world with a strong Catholic influence (Spain, Mexico, Italy, parts of Germany and Switzerland) and marks the day when the Three Kings arrived at the birth place of Jesus. For kids in Spain or Mexico, this is actually the holiday, since gifts are given on Three Kings’ Day, and not on Christmas.

There are not many public celebrations of Three Kings Day around here, but one nice event that stands out is the Three Kings Day Parade at Cary’s Bond Park, which drew over 1,000 visitors last year. If you’re up for one last winter holiday head out there on Saturday from 1p-4p.

The image is from a previous parade and (c) Diamante Inc.

A concert for kids with the NC Symphony (1/5/2013)

Posted on December 28, 2012 by daddyweekly

Classical music for kids. While I don’t subscribe to the theory that listening to Classical Music makes kids smarter, I do believe that exposure to this art form is a good idea at any age. (Plus, will Symphony Orchestras still be around when our kids reach our age?)

So whichever reason you choose, plan on taking your kids to Meymandi Hall, ideally for one for the “Young People’s Concerts”. The first one was on Halloween, and the second one, Tales of Enchantment is scheduled for Saturday in a week, January-5, 2013. For this performance, the symphony is joined onstage by Enchantment Theatre Company, performing “puppetry, masked actors, magic, dance, and pantomime” to music from Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite.

Tickets are going fast, so I’m writing about this a wee bit early. There are two shows, at 1pm and at 4pm, and the recommended age is 4-12. (IF you can’t make it, a third (and different) concert is scheduled for March 9.

NC Symphony Conductor William Henry Curry

GirlTalk at CAM Raleigh (Jan 2013)

Posted on December 28, 2012 by daddyweekly

While CAM is not the place to go on a rainy day to release some energy, it is well worth a visit with a well-behaved, relaxed child, and you might be surprised how they react to contemporary art that some adults have a hard time appreciating.

GirlTalk has been up for a while and will close in about two weeks, on 1/14/2013. So this is your chance to see it, and a perfect one-parent-one-child outing. On a grown-up level, GirlTalk features works of nine women, who are all using text in their pieces to convey a message. I like the textile art by Lisa Anne Auerbach, seeing some small pieces by Jenny Holzer, a video (excerpts also available here) by Marily Minter, as well as the large dominant piece by Kay Rosen.

And while you ponder the works and messages on an abstract level, your budding reader will be happy to find big fat letters everywhere, and even some sight words.

If you’re done upstairs, and want to expose your little one to some truly fragile and beautiful sculptures, head downstairs for the Angel Otero exhibit. Handholding strongly recommended!

The image is CAM – Contemporary Art Museum by Suzie Tremmel, used under the CC BY license

The Daddy Weekly

Things to do with Kids in Raleigh, NC

Author Archives: daddyweekly