Why You Should Visit FIU's Frost Art Museum With Kids, and How to Do It Successfully

This past weekend, Elle and I headed over to FIU's Frost Art Museum with my friend Michelle and her son (and Elle's BFF of all time) Dominique. Michelle had a paper to write about the museum, and I had heard from a fellow mom that the Frost Museum had a great children's gallery, so we went along for the ride.

You may have noticed that the title of this post is already pretty long, but if I could, I'd tack on: When Your Kid Has No Interest in Art, Whispering, or "Not Touching". Because really, when you take two 3 1/2 year olds to a museum, that's what you're up against. But I encourage you to tackle the challenge--three is a good age for a meaningful visit to a "real" museum in my opinion. The Frost Museum is small, uncrowded, free, and truly does have a great interactive children's gallery, called the Kenan-Flagler Family Discovery Gallery. I really can't say enough about the Family Discovery Gallery--the stations were so much fun for adults and kids, so even though it is a relatively small room, we spent about 30 minutes there when we arrived, and another 30 minutes before we headed out--and the kids didn't want to leave! So, head on over to the Frost Art Museum with your preschooler--here are a few tips from me for making your visit a success.

Tip #1 is to bring a stroller, and strap your child into the stroller. It's even difficult for adults to follow the "no touch" rule at museums, so imagine being a kid and trying to employ that self-control! I mean, a lot of artwork almost begs to be touched, so don't put the responsibility on your little one to defy those urges. At the same time, much of the artwork should be seen at eye level to be enjoyed and discussed, so be ready to hold your little one at times so he or she can get the full effect.

Tip#2 is to be ready to discuss the art on your child's level and frame it in his or her terms. If you're truly trying to begin exposing your child to the world of museums, galleries, and art, you have to take on a lot of responsibility for making the visit enjoyable and stimulating for your child. While not every piece is going to welcome discussion with a toddler or preschooler, many will. With abstracts, you can discuss colors and shapes. At the Frost, we spent a lot of time in front of Luis Jimenez's Mustang because Dominique loves horses. Pieces featuring animals are great for younger kids. We also spent a lot of time with Nicolas de Largilliere's Portrait of the Duchesse de Berry because Elle is currently obsessed with queens and princesses. Try to think of what is really engaging to your child in general at the moment, and spin stories that relate around the art pieces. Emotions are great too. You can ask if the subjects are sad, happy, scared, excited, etc. It was really fun getting Elle's interpretations of what was going on in the different pieces.

Tip #3 Eat before you go. This one is pretty basic, but don't forget that there is no food allowed in the museum, and the Frost does not have an on-site cafe.

Tip #4 If it is a nice day, spend time outdoors. There is a Sculpture Garden, a lake with ducks and I think turtles, (and according to Dominique, red and blue dinosaurs.) Between the family gallery and the outdoor areas, there is plenty to break up or flesh out the trip if the kids get restless in the main galleries of the Frost. Also, you can always head outside for snack time or a picnic.

Tip #5 If you haven't talked about whispering or inside voices for a while, review the concept BEFORE you enter the museum.

Visit the Frost Museum website for hours of operation, and more information on the exhibits. Good luck at the museum with your little one!

photo credit: pale/sxc.hu

Princess Kids' Activities in Miami: Day-to-Day Fun Ideas for Your Miami Princess

If you scroll back a few months on this blog, you'll read the entry about Disney Princesses on Ice, which I attended with Elle, who at the time was so unaware of the Disney princesses existence and story lines that I had to whisper the plots to her while we watched the skating. We even left early, in the middle of the Cinderella finale. Well, no more. Elle hit full princess-fanatic stride about a month later, and now has princesses on the brain, uh, most of her waking hours from what I can tell. I walk into the living room to find her sprawled on the sofa "asleep" in full princess garb, waiting for a handsome prince to awaken her. She asks people who are ill if they ate a poison apple. She has commandeered the family globe as her spinning wheel. Needless to say, I've got a full-fledged princess on my hands, and from talking to other parents of young girls, this particular phase could last for a while.

So, here's a little list for all you fellow princess parents; a list of a few ways you can indulge your little princess in Miami on a small scale. Meaning, yes I know Disney World is only a four-hour drive away, but we aren't going to be making that drive on a weekly basis, now are we? So here are some Miami princess activities on a smaller, more doable scale:

* Princess cupcakes at Publix: So quick, so easy. My Publix has a princess-tastic cupcake on display that features three Disney princesses, and bright frosting. It is very...elaborate... shall we say, and will make your little princess's heart beat faster with sheer desire when she sees it. Only tip--save it for the end of the shopping trip, because all that multicolored frosting is sure to stain anything it might come in contact with.

* Visit the Disney Store: I rarely buy anything at this store unless a birthday or Christmas is coming up, but just browsing is fun for Elle. The store is large and well laid-out, and if you do feel like making a purchase, they've always got a sale going on, and they've got a wide variety of price points, including really inexpensive trinkets by the register. There are 8 Disney Stores in the Miami area, you can use this store locator on their website to find one near you.

* Daytime Dress Up: Make a day of errands special by letting your little one wear one of her princess dress-up costumes out and about. Strangers can't help but smile and compliment, and it makes a day of errand running fun and special.

* Cool-de-Sac: I know y'all think I'm on the payroll at this place because I pimp it so much, but I swear I'm not! But I have to mention that they recently restocked their dress-up area, and have lots of princess dresses in really good shape in the closet right now.

* Make a "princess music mix" from Itunes and burn it to CD: Here's the deal--some kid music I'm cool with, and other kid music makes me wish my eardrums had an on/off switch. So. Do searches for YOUR favorite princess music, and make a CD for your little one. Itunes has most of the Disney music for individual download, and whatever else you can convince your little one is "princess music"--you can get pretty creative with the power of suggestion--I've managed to sneak in some of my favorite classical tunes this way.