What is MALT?

Mt. Airy Learning Tree is a community-based "school" that draws on the human, geographical, and architectural resources of Germantown, Mt. Airy, and Chestnut Hill. Students enroll for $5.oo per term and can participate in classes that range from swimming to computer basics to aromatherapy. Classes may run for 2 hours on an afternoon or for up to 8 weeks. The spring term is underway and continues through June.

Three reasons why MALT classes are a boon for GAPpers:

1. For those new to the area, courses can take them into private area gardens, local history can be learned, and other like-minded neighbors can make contact.

2. Classes are offered for children as young as three.

3. Participants can choose classes convenient to their schedules: nights, weeksdays, weekends, and registration can be done online!

I have taken several classes through MALT and will be starting another next week: Meditation for Beginners. What parent cannot benefit from a few minutes to him or herself?

Mt. Airy Learning Tree

6601 Greene Street

Philadelphia, PA 19119-3114

215-843-6333

Fax registration: 215-843-6655

This Weekend: Grand Opening of The Little Treehouse!

If you haven't been by the new location of The Little Treehouse, this weekend is the perfect chance to check it out. And it is well worth it! I was amazed at the amount of space and high ceilings. All of the toys from the previous location remain, but there are several, new fun additions as well. There is also a cafe with a great selection of food for children and adults and a nice, big seating area.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 1st-3rd are all FREE PLAY ALL DAY! So, stop by and see it for yourself for free! And enjoy all the great kid entertainment too, including a magic show, music class, concert, juggling, face painting, a stilt walker and more! Here is a full schedule.

The Little Treehouse is now located at:

10 West Gravers Lane in Chestnut Hill, right off of Germantown Avenue

(This is a one-way street, so you might need to turn on another street and double back to find a spot)

Also, outside food other than sippy cups etc. is no longer permitted.

Call The Little Treehouse at 215.247.3637 for more info. Hope to see you there!

Searching for Spring: Book-Making with Kids

Last week, during one of those gorgeous 70 degree days, we decided to head out to a favorite park and spend the afternoon there. Being a shutterbug, I grabbed my pocket camera, some snacks for the kids, and sunscreen.

We started out in the usual spot.... playing on playground equipment. But the park we chose had gorgeous scenery all around, so we decided to hike for a bit and “look for spring”. My three year old and his twenty one month old sister were up for the challenge, and when my preschooler wanted me to take a picture of his first “find”, an idea was born.

I started snapping photos of every sign of spring they discovered... from the puddles on the ground, to the gorgeous spreading tree starting to green up. Once they knew their observations were being recorded, they were really motivated to find more. It sparked great conversations about what was and what wasn’t a sign of spring (we decided the many cars in the parking lot were a sign of spring, but trash on the ground might be a bit of a stretch).

If I had planned ahead, I’d have also brought along our trusty clipboard and some drawing/writing tools... my preschooler loves to be the scientist, recording what he sees. But we relied upon our photos and memories of the day, of which there were many. We saw dogs splashing in the creek, found a worm on the sliding board, chased after some butterflies, discovered flowers and seedlings, couldn’t shake our shadows, and even tracked fish in the fast-moving stream.

Once we returned home, we put the pictures to work; my preschooler and I set about creating the photo book. Since our pictures seemed publish-wort

hy, we opted for a photo book from an online shop. Many online photo printers now have book-making options... artscow, shutterfly, picaboo, and snapfish come to mind. These companies provide software and templates (just add photos and text) that make book-making a snap. Ours took about an hour total to complete.

We went through the pictures on the computer together, sorted them into categories, and then started telling our story. My three year old was more than happy to narrate the entire book himself, but we made sure to put some quotes from our toddler in as well.... my favorite being, “yook mommy, fwowa!” (Translation: Look Mommy, a flower!). Using their words and memories really made the book come to life.

We conducted our investigations at Valley Creek Park in Malvern because it is a lovely park and we had errands to run nearby, but this is a nice portable activity you can do just about anywhere. You could even repeat for all 4 seasons... publish your own family series! The only downfall has been a certain little boy requesting photo print-outs and homemade books about virtually everything he does, at which point I promptly introduced him to the additional wonders of the homemade book.

Cost for a 20 page 8 X 8 hardback book from artscow.com = $9.99

(These make great gifts for friends too!)

Celebrate Earth Day with Art This Weekend!

Caroline, my four-year-old daughter, sat working so intently on her memory book. She was carefully cutting out hearts from scrap book paper to create a textured front-cover. “Mommy, I love this pink pen,” she said as she held up a fluorescent glitter pen. Meanwhile, my six-year-old daughter, Sarah, studied a plastic model of a horse as she used a brown colored pencil to draw a picture of a “wild horse.” “I am going to make a storybook about wild horses,” she said, smiling.

We arrived late to Mindy Flexer's Studio, at 5225 Greene Street, but she didn’t mind. The kids around the table talked about their storybook. One little girl was making a storybook for her best friend, a story about all the things they love to do together. Later, Caroline walked slowly holding her book with two hands. “Mommy, I have to hold my book carefully, like this,” she said, as she skipped down the hallway.


I couldn’t wait to come back for more fun and creative activities for the family! Well, I don’t have to wait much longer...


Please come join us on Saturday, April 25, 9:30 to 5:30 and/or April 26, 1:30 to 5:30 for the Earth Day/Mother's Day Make-In. Here’s how it works:

Drop in when you want, for however long you want.


You can come as a family, or leave your child so they can make a special gift for Mom!


Unaccompanied children six years and older are welcome, and can stay for up to two hours. Younger children are welcome with parents or chaperons.

Unaccompanied teenagers and adults are also welcome.


Light refreshments will be served.


$10 for individuals or $20 for families covers all materials you can use for making cards, prints, pictures, small books, or stationery. In addition, blank tote bags, cloth lunch bags, and sun hats will be available for $10 each if you would like to decorate one! Make art for mom that is also good for the earth!



Other Events at Mindy Flexer Art School:


One-Week Summer Art Programs Run All Summer


Half-day Summer Art Studio runs most weeks of the Summer, June 15 to September 4. Full-day Artstory (art and history) Camp runs the weeks of August 17, 24, and 31, in collaboration with Grumblethorpe Historic House. You can sign up for as many or as few weeks of either program as you would like.


Art Classes for Children and Adults Offered This Spring and Next Fall


Art classes start March 29, May 4, and September 8. There are after-school, home school, and Sunday morning classes for children, and weekday morning, weekday evening, and Sunday morning classes for teens and adults.


See you at the studio!

Sendak on Sendak: Fun for All at the Rosenbach Museum

If you find yourself lamenting that the Please Touch Museum did away with their Sendak exhibit in their new digs, there’s another local spot to get your Sendak fix. Nestled in between the rowhomes and brownstones of Rittenhouse Square, the Rosenbach Museum is home to the largest collection of Maurice Sendak’s work.

Sendak, of course, is most famous for his monstrously illustrated picture book, Where the Wild Things Are. The Sendak exhibit at the Rosenbach (on display in this form through May 3rd) takes visitors well beyond that famous story. Our family attended with one adult and three children (ages 3, 5, and 9). And while it wasn’t necessarily geared towards the preschool crowd, the museum offered something for each of us.

There was a wonderful seek-and-find guide for families to follow. Kids can grab their very own Chicken Soup with Rice folders to house the cards they collect in each of the four Sendak galleries. The cards have wonderful information about the exhibits, interactive ideas and discussion points for caregivers and children, and beautiful cut-outs of some of Sendak’s most treasured characters (Really Rosie, Max, Bundibar, to name a few). Once home, the folder unfolds to create a set, and the cut-out characters have their very own stage! That was a nice take-home that my kids all really enjoyed.

During the self-guided tour/treasure hunt, questions and ideas help guide visitors. Parents and children are prompted through questions to connect with the illustrations. Topics included fears, friends, bullying, tantrums, dressing up, and everything in between. Our favorite explorations included looking for Jenny and the dog throughout the exhibits, counting monsters, and finding pictures “bathed in moonlight”. The guide provided information, as well as ways to keep busy children focused on the images. But all three of my children especially loved gathering the cards for their folder, and really used the cards as a way to relate to the displays.

The images themselves are stunning for any Sendak fan to see... from small sketches showing the drawing process, to original drawings of favorite pages, to wall-sized murals that made us feel truly a part of the stories. The exhibit is definitely multi-layered. It is very kid-friendly, but also highlights Sendaks’ struggle with life’s darker side. It pays an apt tribute to this author/illustrator/producer/set designer who refuses to believe that children are one-dimensional.

Before you leave, be sure to visit the wonderful gift shop. In addition to many Sendak books, dolls, cds, and prints, there are also signed copies of posters and books available for collectors and dabblers alike.

The museum is closed on Mondays. Tuesdays-Saturdays open from 10-5, with later hours Wednesday nights until 8pm.

Adult admission is $10, students and children are $5, and children under 5 are free.

Mt. Airy Kids' Literary Festival- This Weekend!

Greetings Germantown Avenue Parents!

I'm Maleka Fruean, the events coordinator at Big Blue Marble Bookstore and mama of two children in the Germantown neighborhood. I'd like to invite you all to the biggest book event for kids in the Northwest- the Mt. Airy Kids' Literary Festival. It's completely free, has events and activities for toddlers/preschoolers all the way up to young adults, and will take place all this weekend. The entire festival will take place at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore. See the fully updated schedule below:

Friday, April 17

4:00pm - Afterschool Plantings with Mark Goodman!
Kids get to help spruce up the Big Blue Marble Bookstore's porch with help from Mark Goodman, owner of Earthcraft Landscaping, based in Mt. Airy.

7:00pm - Reading and Concert with Baby Loves Jazz author Andy Blackman Hurwitz and special musical guests.

Saturday, April 18

10:30am - Eco Kids Earth Cooking Experience with Atsuko Quirk.

Let your little ones explore a simple hands-on cooking experience with Atsuko Quirk, author of Tiny Hands Cooking: Complete Guide to Cooking With Kids 1 to 3 Years Old and founder of the Eco Kids Playgroup, which teaches preschoolers about healthy and nutritious ways to have fun with food. We'll make "cookie cut-out veggie salad"! You can cut out veggies in all kinds of shapes with cookie cutters. Heart, bear, airplane... make your own salad with your favorite shapes!

12:00pm - Juggles the Clown and his special clown show.

1:00pm - Storytelling with Debra Johnson.
2:00pm - Reading with Betty Tatham, author of Penguin Chick.

3:00pm - Jump Rope Making with the Waldorf School of Philadelphia/Bookmark Making with Big Blue Marble.

Outside on the sidewalk join the Waldorf community in making very cool jump ropes with yarn. (This activity depends on the weather.) In our community room we'll be making your own special bookmarks for keeping in all your favorite books. We'll be using lots of different materials!

4:00pm - Reading with Tonya Cherie Hegamin, author of M+O 4EVR and Most Loved in All the World: A Story of Freedom.

Sunday, April 19

11:00 - Storytelling with Milt Cohen.

12:00pm - Bookmark Making with Big Blue Marble.
Join us again on Sunday for a lunch time craft. In our community room we'll be making your own special bookmarks for keeping in all your favorite books. We'll be using lots of different materials!

1:00 - Reading with Rebekah Barlow Rounce, author of Pancakes with Chocolate Syrup.

2:00 - Reading with Anne Sibley O'Brien, co-author of After Ghandi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance.

Hope to see you and the kids there for this weekend of fun!

-Maleka

Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia(Mt. Airy), PA 19119, 215-844-1870

"Hanami," you, and a picnic!

Are you relishing the idea of your first family picnic of the year? Why not plan a picnic with Japanese flair? Spring brings to Japan the fun tradition of hanami, or, literally, "flower-gazing." Families or coworkers plan elaborate picnics underneath blooming cherry trees and use the opportunity to sing some karaoke, eat sushi, and imbibe sake. 

Philadelphia is home to a wonderful variety and amount of cherry trees that are currently in bloom, and the Japan America Society is hosting events in honor of Philadelphia's 2009 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia. Even if you can't take your children to any of the story times, demonstrations, or other events, the cherry trees are still beautiful and inviting - but not for long (they usually bloom only until mid-April)! GAPpers are fortunate to have a grove of these lovely trees at the intersection of Lincoln Drive and Wissahickon Avenue, at Rittenhousetowne.  

The picture at the right displays another great spot for a cherry tree picnic -- under the grand cherry tree that resides behind the William Jeanes Memorial Library in Lafayette Hill. Visit one of their engaging story times if you have little ones and picnic outside afterwards.

If you admire the majestic magnolia trees even more than the cherries, visit Pastorius Park in Chestnut Hill and picnic surrounded by pink blooms.  There is also a single, gorgeous magnolia at the edge of another good choice for a picnic: the grounds of the New Covenant Campus in Mt. Airy, across from the Trolley Car Diner. 

There may not be any blooming trees, but you can also try a picnic under the pines at one of the tables in Fairmount Park by the Northwestern Stables, at the top of Chestnut Hill. The kids will love to watch the horses go by as you eat and there is plenty of room to run around. Hike up the trail to Forbidden Drive by the creek afterwards.

Happy picnicing and bloom gazing!