Places to go, Things to do...

Museum has neat Black History
events in February

The Missouri History Museum has two neat events that fit right into the Black History Month theme in February. Admission is free to both events.

Storyteller Janice Katambwa will open the Sunday, Feb. 9, program by telling her stories in words, song and dance. She goes on stage at 2 p.m.

Then, at 3 p.m., the St. Louis Black Repertory Company will perform an adaptation of the "Adventures of Brer Rabbit." These folk tales are based on Joel Chandler Harris' "The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus."

The presentation will include Brer Rabbit sneaking into Mr. Man's garden, persuading Brer Wolf to be burned in a hollow log and kicking Brer Fox's Tar Baby.

The performances will be in the museum's Grand Hall in Forest Park.

Then, two weeks later, on Sunday, Feb. 23, the St. Louis African Chorus will perform. The program will include traditional and contemporary African-American spiritual, gospel and Caribbean folk songs.

The local chorus includes singers, musicians, drummers and dancers.

Musical presentations by the chorus have become an annual event at the museum. Their performances give the audience not only the sound of the folk music but the sights as well.

This event also will be in the museum's Grand Hall, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

If you want to learn more about this and other activities at the Museum, you can click on to: www.mohistory.org. There are lots of things that will interest your whole family.

 

Fun with owls, maple syrup and nature films

The Missouri Department of Conservation has a bunch of interesting activities for kids and families in February. Some are outdoors; others are indoors about outdoor things.

One of the outdoor favorites is Maple Sugar Days at the Rockwoods Reservation. This family program will be held twice during February, on Friday, Feb. 14, and again on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Of course, February is the month when the sap flows inside Missouri maple trees. These programs give kids a chance to tap trees and collect the sap. They'll see how it's boiled to concentrate the sugar to make maple syrup. Then, it's tasting time.

The Friday program is from 2-3:30 p.m. Reservations started Jan. 31. The Saturday program runs from 10-11:30 a.m. Reservations start on Feb. 7.

For Maple Sugar Days information, call (636) 458-2236.

There will be two programs on owls in February.

The first is Saturday, Feb. 15, from 10-11 a.m. at the Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County. This program will feature a look at the Sweetheart Owl, a Missouri native. This is an owl that hisses, instead of hoots.

Reservations began Jan. 31. For information, call (636) 441-4554.

The second owl program is an Owl Prowl, sponsored by the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood. The Prowl will be Friday, Feb. 21, from 7-9 p.m.

Be sure to dress warm for the outdoors. Reservations open Feb. 7. For information, call (636) 458-2236.

The Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center also has a series of nature films every Saturday and Sunday in February. These films are free.

The February schedule:

• Feb. 1-2: "I Dig Fossils," "Eyewitness: Dinosaur" and "Triumph of Life: The Four Billion Year War," a study about genes.
• Feb. 8-9: "Eyewitness: Rock and Mineral," "Eyewitness: Life" and "Birding and Backyard Wildlife."
• Feb. 15-16: "See How They Grow: Forest Animals," "Baby Birds" and "Triumph of Life: The Mating Game."
• Feb. 22-23: "Critter Rock," "Special Report: You Can Make a Difference," "Just Kiddin' Around #5," "Forest: More Than Trees" and "Watchable Wildlife."

For information on specific film times, call (314) 301-1500. A number of these films are closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

 

Art Museum's Family Sunday
programs go weekly

The St. Louis Art Museum has increased the frequency of its popular Family Sunday programs. The event will now be held every Sunday afternoon.

February events will be from 2-4 p.m. on Sundays, Feb. 2, 9, 16 and 23. Admission is free.

A new theme is planned for each month. Work of African-American printmaker Dox Thrash is featured this month. That fits well since February is Black History Month.

About 60 prints by the artist are on display at the Museum. The show began on Jan. 17 and runs through April 13.

Kids and their families will be able to see the show free of charge on Sundays. They also will see a special demonstration of printmaking. Then, you can create your own prints using textured plates.

Thrash (1893-1965) was a member of the U.S. Army's 92nd Division "Buffalo Soldiers." That was an all-black unit in World War I.

The prints on display at the Museum were done by Thrash while he worked for the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). That program put Americans back to work after they lost their regular jobs in the Great Depression.

While at a WPA Fine Print Workshop in the 1930s, Thrash helped develop a new type of printmaking. He used abrasives to rough up copper printing plates and then smoothed some of the rough edges. This gave his prints a range of soft tones not possible with unscarred printing plates.

You can get more information about museum events by logging on to www.slam.org. To find out about future Family Sunday events, click on to What's Hot.

 

Learning Labs start in February

Kids who like fun learning experiences should check out the Gifted Resource Council's Learning Labs. The winter programs run for six consecutive Saturdays, starting Feb. 8.

Among the subjects are:

• Chemistry for Kicks. Third and fourth graders learn all about chemical reactions. You'll get to make things that glow and to recreate photosynthesis in a test tube.
  
  
• Geologic Time Travel: Fourth and fifth graders travel back in time 4.5 billion years. At that time, the sun was a young star and the earth was a bunch of junk spinning around it.
  
  
• Web Speed Ahead: Sixth to eighth graders learn how to create web pages. They also learn to add hyperlinks and graphics.

There are many other subjects available.

Tuition for the six-class series is $90. Some partial scholarships are available.

For information, call (314) 962-5920.