The lima bean project

So. Monday morning. Now that we’re all a little sunburned, a little dehydrated, and a little worn out from all our weekend playtime, what do us weekend warriors do on Mondays? While your children are always ready to go, go, go, at all times, you probably are not. As for us weekend warriors, we spent a long and active day at KidzArtz on Saturday where there was live performance, a video screening, artmaking, visual art on display and crafty kid vendors on site. It’s an annual event hosted by the Mother Artists at Work Group and held at Junctionview Studios. I’m a really new member of the Mothers group (as of February), so I can hardly lay claim to any of the planning that went into the creation of this event, but I am really proud to be part of the group that dedicates so much of their time to the advancement of art appreciation to the next generation by hosting this annual event.


Sunday we spent much of our time outdoors. My husband and I are discussing the best spot in our backyard for our new vegetable garden that we plan to build. We have a pretty big backyard, so it allows us a few places to consider. Speaking of which, my son brought home a lima bean from school the other day and we’ve been nursing it in a small jelly jar full of a wet paper towel to get it sprouting. After a few days it began to grow, and so we transplanted it to a clay pot. I’m not sure whether this bean we have now will continue to grow or not, but I’m living on the edge just to see what happens. More to come on that.

But I digress... we were starting to talk about what to do on Mondays when I began to talk about kids art shows and lima beans. Here’s my free picks for the next couple days:

- Relaxing time can still be spent at the downtown Worthington library for story times on Mondays and Thursdays at 10am. Also, the Northwest Library has a story time on Wednesdays at 10am, and I can say with experience this is a great little break from the daily grind and gives me some great one on one time with my 3 year old son.

- Blendon Woods is hosting an event for preschoolers called “Flower Powers”. It takes place tomorrow, April 28th at 10am and 1pm. For ages 3-5.

And of course there’s always improvising. While the weather is still truly wonderful outside, it can’t hurt to keep the backyard fun going even on the weekdays right? I agree. So… now would be a great time to plant a garden and teach your children a bit about nature, right? Start with lima beans!

What to do: Weekend of April 25-26th

Perhaps the best, and dare I say, ONLY thing to do this Saturday is attend the 2nd annual KidzArtz! Held at Junctionview Studios, and organized by Mother Artists at Work, there will be art on display, live performance, face painting, artmaking, and lots of fun to be had! To learn all about the show, visit their website. To learn all about its development, you can also read an interview on Columbus Underground. It was conducted with one of the members of the Mother Artists group. Admission to KidzArtz is free! Yay! We like that.


Another discounted event this weekend is Family Friday night at COSI, happening tonight starting at 5pm. Admission is discounted at $7 per person. This event happens every last Friday of the month, and if you are not a member of COSI, this is a great and inexpensive way to experience what this great mammoth place has to offer.

Have a daughter? She may just love what’s going on at the Golden Hobby Shop this Sunday. The American Girl Style Show and Tea will take place from 1-4pm. While admission at $10 is a little more than what we usually recommend for events, it seemed pretty unique. Check out this site for more information.

And since it’s supposed to be great weather outside on Sunday as well as Saturday, it’s a great time to get outdoors. Inniswood Gardens is hosting a Children’s Garden Day from 2 - 4pm. This is open to all ages and is free to attend. It takes place in the Sister’s Garden and will introduce the family to gardening.

And if you don’t want to go far from home, there’s always special time with the family. Take a bike ride, plant a flower, build a sandbox, or just go to a park and ride the swings, which is always free. Enjoy the great weather! I know I will!