Browsing Tag

activities

The good, the bad and George Clooney

By November 15, 2013 Urban gadfly

lego_pile

In a week when Crazy was hogging the spotlight and Sanity went out walking and hasn’t come home yet, I expected nothing good.

Low expectations then delivered a cool surprise:

STORY MOBS!
Workshop

First up, the bad:

It’s hardly news that parenting has gone wonky. Just this week my local fitness club sent out their winter activity flyer and there among the programs for kids was a brand new Lego workshop.

Using one of the most popular toys ever made, children will learn how to build a variety of structures and be able to take their creations home with them. 

3 hours, $50, light snack provided.

If I can echo Jon Stewart, in his brilliant response to our mayor’s words this week, what? whAAAAT? WHAAAAAAT?
Why do we need a workshop to play with Lego?   Do kids need to be directed and supervised on everything? Lego pieces, those genius gems, should be left alone with their creators. Forget workshops. Forget these elaborate box sets with byzantine instructions. Make your own doodahs. Abandon the teachers and go wild with your imagination. It’s called play. Look it up.

So back to the good.

Tomorrow afternoon, at Dundas Square in Toronto, comes a cross between flash mobs and your favourite high school drama teacher.

Story Mobs are exceptional kids books acted out in a public spaces in what appears to be spontaneous pandemonium ( two of my favourite words).  Anyone can take part and fun is guaranteed.
Free, as in the best kind of entertainment.

I love this idea. Kids books need to be celebrated and what better way than lifting words off the pages in crazy crowd fashion?

If you see a bunch of pigs and wolves tearing around downtown tomorrow afternoon, it’s not to be mistaken for a Ford Nation rally.
No, folks, this is The True Story of the The Three Little Pigs.

for how to participate, read full details here).

Enjoy your weekend.

Here’s some great reading for your Sunday morning sleep in.
George Clooney’s Rule for Living.

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