Even Escaped Bears and Walking Mummies can't Dampen Downtown's Beat!

Wrapping her mummy

You could say "active" is an understatement when describing my four year old daughter M's disposition; if the girl can be moving she is moving!  Because of this I hesitated to take her to a Passport to Fun event at Michael's Crafts.  M loves to be creative and do projects but she can have trouble sitting still long enough to finish.  I needed not be worried though, she loved going to the "project store" and is eager to return for more crafting.  Her instructor greeted us with a smile as we entered the small classroom.  All of the tables were covered in brown paper and the room smelled faintly of Elmer's glue and Tempera paint.  M chose a seat closest to the instructor and eagerly listened to her instructions.  Whenever part of what a four year old is being asked to do includes, "spread the glue all over with your fingers" you know this craft if going to be fun!  M was given a clothes pin and began to distribute the glue, she then wrapped the clothes pin with strips of white paper.  While I knew the end product was supposed to be an Egyptian Mummy pin, it was hard to see through the sticky, wad of damp paper but as the instructor tucked in a few loose strands of paper the mummy shape soon emerged from the chaos and with the addition of two googly eyes and a pin backing M had successfully made her own mummy!  Next we were taught about ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and pictographs and M made her own pictoral story in brown clay.  I asked her what the story was about and she replied, "The children".  Unsure of what she meant by this I pressed further and she answered, "I made the Mommy so now I'm drawing her children."  I am happy to report that while some of the cultural education was overlooked by M she loved the projects and happily sat still the entire time!

Pooh stuck in Rabbit's hole

Our next stop was the Schlow Library to see a live performance of Winnie the Pooh and Friends.  As we all piled into the steaming hot community room it was easy to see that the library had not expected so many audience members.  The children gathered on the floor and eagerly awaited Pooh and his friends.  The performers ranged in age from 6 years to adults, the story was told through song, spoken word, ballet and interpretive dance.  The costumes were simple and the staging representative but the entire show was effective and entertaining.  The best moment of the show was after Pooh stuffed himself on honey and condensed milk and was woefully attempting to escape Rabbit's warren and without hesitation a young voice exclaimed from the back of the audience, "He's gonna get stuck!"

The Children's Dept. at Schlow Library

After the show we decided to check-in for the summer reading program;  One World, Many Stories is this summer's theme.  The level of commitment to young children and enthusiasm for reading and literacy is palpable as soon as you enter the Children's Department.  Brightly colored flags adorn the ceiling and prize boxes seemingly sit atop every shelf.  Children are energized simply by being in the space.  The program consists of three parts; read for thirty minutes as often as you can, read from different genres and log your reading list online.  Children can earn prizes and raffle tickets for additional prize drawings, parents can also earn raffle tickets each time they take their children to the library.  One World, Many Stories is geared toward children ages 4 and up but the entire family can take part in Schlow's summer reading programs!  There are also book clubs for Babies/Toddlers, Teens and Adults.  When babies/toddlers listen to 15 books they earn a book to add to their home library.  By logging their books online, teens will be entered to will prizes all summer long and after reading 30 books teens will be entered to win an Ipod.  Adults can read any books of their choosing and when they log their books online they are entered into drawings for gift certificates, coupons and gift baskets.  If you have not yet signed up for Summer Reading at Schlow do so today by either going to the library or signing up online at  https://host8.evanced.info/schlowlibrary/sr/homepage.asp?ProgramID=23

With our raffle tickets safely deposited we began our walk around downtown to enjoy Summer's Best Music fest.  Lively Bluegrass called us down Calder Way where we discovered $.25 coffee to benefit the American Heart Association as well as a BMX demonstration on Action Alley.  Though the sky was gray the music was upbeat and the crowds were energized; today was one of those wonderful days when I am reminded why I am so happy to call State College home!