A Night at the Ballet

As many of you know, the NFO is a serious dancer. So, it’s no surprise that Tonka and Nadia and, to some extent, Paco, are also fans of dance.

So, it was particularly fun to take them out (on a school night, no less!) to see Ballet Across America at the Kennedy Center.

If you’ve been there, you know what a great environment it is all the way around. The Halls of Nations and States, the huge bust of Kennedy, the river overlook, and the great rooms for the performances (we were in the Opera House), so they really enjoyed that.

We only made it for 2 of the 3 Acts (people were getting antsy), but we were priviliged to see the Richmond Ballet perform a piece that was inspired by the ghettos of WWII.

From the website:

Premiered in the Richmond Ballet (Stoner Winslett, Artistic Director) New Works Festival,Ershter Vals features music based on poems from the Jewish ghettos of World War II. The captivating choreography focuses the ballet on the moments of light that can be found in even the darkest of times, creating a penetrating message of hope.

The music that accompanied it was all Yiddish and I, who would not call myself a ballet aficionado (though I am certainly on the cusp) found myself mesmerized and really enjoying the right brain expansion that was taking place.

The kids had a lot of questions and we had to remind them to hold them until the intermission. All in all, they handled themselves quite well.

The second act was a bit more difficult. There was NO music whatsoever and the moments of total silence were a bit awkward. Still, the movements were graceful.

While I enjoyed the dance (really), I really enjoyed watching the kids enjoy the dance and be captivated, wide-eyed, and wondering about not only the dance, but everything…the chandeliers, the orchestra, the lighting, and the steep stairs.

I love the challenge of giving the kids new experiences to help shape their minds into flexible, dynamic, creative organs.

Visiting the National Gallery of Art

I was fairly excited the other day when I asked the kids, “where in Washington, DC do you want to go for our monthly outing?” and they all excitedly agreed upon the National Gallery of Art.

Granted, they were motivated by the moving walkway and the waterfall in the underground passage connecting the East and West buildings, but hey, they still managed to take in some Rodin sculptures and classic paintings, mostly Dutch.

We were accompanied by my parents (my mom was an Art History major), so they really got a lot out of it, as I continue to foster and cultivate their right-brain thinking.

It’s a great, world-class museum and I’m glad we had a chance to take advantage of it.

Celebrating Asian-American Heritage

Some pics from the Asian/Pacific-Islander Heritage Day at American Art Musuem.

Kids had a good time, as you can see.

Nadia

Tikkanen

Jokinen

The Art of the Video Game…and Asian Heritage Day

It was humbling.

I took my kids to the American Art Museum to see an exhibit about the Art of Video Games and one of the exhibits was Pac Man. (Here’s Paco playing it for the first time).

Another was Super Mario Brothers.

Man, my childhood is in a museum…and all of this coming in my 40th year…hello mid-life

What was great to see, as a technophile, was the wall of video game console evolution starting from Atari and Commodore 64 all the way up to the modern day. Just amazing to see how it has all progressed.

As an extra bonus, when we arrived, we walked into the beautiful atrium (a must see, if you haven’t visited yet) and we ran into Asian/Pacific-Islander heritage week.

Frankly, the kids loved that more than the Video Games (and that’s saying something) because they were able to make clay fortune cookies, decorate masks, and see a traditional Chinese dance troupe wearing the two-person dragon costume. Throw in some Indian dancers and Filipino music and you have a winner.

The Video Game exhibit is apparently going on tour. It’s not huge and it is fun. I didn’t get to read that much, but it does change your perspective on the importance of Gaming in our culture (more and more so), plus give you some perspective on the pace of technological change.

Related articles

• Take a stroll through 'The Art of Video Games' (news.cnet.com)
• The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect - book and Smithsonian exhibition (boingboing.net)
• Video games enter realm of art at Smithsonian (alternet.org)
• Should video games be considered art? (newscientist.com)

Birthplace of the Constitution…

Took the kids to James Madison’s home at Montpelier. The site is in the midst of a $25 million restoration project and it’s pretty inspiring.
There was a lot to see, but perhaps the best part of it all was when we were in Madison’s 2nd floor library and the movie said, “over the winter of 1786 before the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, Madison read more than 400 book in 6 languages about all elements of political thought and history.”
From there, he came up with the “Virginia Plan” which ultimately became the US constitution. Pretty epic stuff.
You think about all the times you hear the word “constitutional” or “unconstitutional” and to think that it all began in that room.
I really felt a sense of history.
Nadia?
She said, “I thought Dolley Madison had really pretty dresses!”

A Witness to History at the MLK, Jr. Memorial

The kids had read some books, seen a movie, and the NFO and I had discussed MLK’s impact on America, but I knew there was no way I could do it justice myself.

So, the other day, in our most recent excursion in DC, which took us to the new MLK, Jr. Memorial, I saw an older African-American man sitting on the side.

I went up to him and said, “Sir, I don’t mean to assume here, but it looks as if you were alive and remember Dr. King. If you are comfortable, would you mind sharing with my kids what it was like to live during that time?”

We lucked out. Mr.Osborne Willey, 69 years old, from Danville, VA provided my kids with an eyewitness to history account of the era.

He told them how he had to walk to school, while the white kids got to ride on the bus; how they taunted him and his classmates verbally (“using words I won’t share now with your kids”) and threw things at them.

He discussed what it was like to have to sit in the back of the bus, drink from a separate water fountain, and not be able to eat at the same tables (“we wondered about it, but that was just how it was.”)

He explained how MLK had inspired him (and a nation) to look at the world differently. He talked about how far he believes we have come as a nation (“we’ve done a good job, but we’re not at the mountaintop”) and, surprisingly to me, how he felt that many African-Americans today, in his mind, have not taken advantage of the opportunities for which King fought, particularly around education.

The two older ones did a great job of listening and Mr. Willey really did a nice job.

I think perhaps because of my time in Germany studying the Holocaust and thinking about the time when there will be no survivors around anymore (sooner than we realize), I was attuned to the fact that, someday soon, there won’t be too many people around who remember segregation/Jim Crow and I wanted my kids to hear it directly.

On the way down, I had given them a crash course in Civil Rights history.

We talked about the slave trade, the Civil War, Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, Poll Taxes, Jim Crow, Brown vs. the Board of Education, the Little Rock 9, Rosa Parks, the Selma-Montgomery march, Bull Connor, water cannons, dogs, lunch counter sit-ins, the “I have a dream” speech (which we watched, in part, at the memorial via YouTube on the Kindle Fire), and James Earl Ray.

It was as if I was compacting an entire lifetime of learning into a 15 minute kid-friendly interactive seminar. They actually retained a huge amount and were able to put that into context with some of the quotes at the memorial.

BTW, I LOVED the actual memorial. It was a beautiful day. The water was shining. The location is fantastic and I found it to be of a really manageable and meaningful dimension.

I highly recommend it.

And, of course, best of all was that I unlocked the “Black History” badge on Foursquare!

Ok, I am joking about that.

The reason we do these outings is to give my kids an appreciation of America, Washington DC, and history so they build curiosity and understanding. On this particular day, it was accomplished.

 

 

Celebrating Native Americans…

Image via Wikipedia

Our most recent family outing took us to the (relatively new) National Museum of the American Indian.

The kids had a great time, but I found myself challenged a bit in explaining the history.

I mean, I didn’t want to come out and say “Western Civilization is evil,” but I didn’t want to say “hey, everything that was done was justified.”

I didn’t exactly hem and haw, but I do wish I had thought about it a bit more in advance.

The kids, as usual, didn’t seem to mind and embraced the experience with open arms, open eyes, and open minds.

There is a huge statue out front of a Pueblo Indian doing a dance (which they loved) and there were some very kid-friendly videos that told some Indian stories in a compelling way. What’s more, Tonka, in particular, really appreciated some of the beadwork on moccasins and the headdresses, but all of them found something special.

The one disappointment was that we were 1 week early for the renovated kid-focused activity area, but all in all, a strong outing and one that I definitely recommend (the building itself is just gorgeous and inspiring—even the kids noticed the unique architecture).

And, appropriately enough, we skipped watching a Washington Redskins game to visit the museum. Even though I’ve been a fan most of my life, I do realize that the name is offensive…it probably should be changed.

 

Accidental Discoveries…

The US Patent and Trademark Office museum is full of stories of accidents that became innovations and products.
I loved the one about how Popsicles were created. Basically, some guy mixes soda, water, juice and leaves a stirring stick outside and then, wouldn’t you know it, there’s an unusually cold night and bang…
People love it.
Next thing you know, it’s a product being sold 2 billion times a year.
The Planters peanut guy? Designed by a 14 year old in Chicago after the company made a contest for their new mascot. I guess “crowdsourcing” isn’t a new idea.
And it was an accidental discovery that I found it in the first place.
I had been invited to speak on a panel about social marketing to people at US PTO. It’s a beautiful facility (I had never been there) in Alexandria, VA and as I was walking through, I saw the museum, so since I think about innovation a lot (i.e. all the time), I stopped in.
I’m glad I did.
It was inspirational.
Not a huge museum, but if you’re in the neighborhood, worth a look (and free!)

Related articles

• Judge to PTO: Faster! Faster! Faster! (patentlyo.com)

Lilies in the Nation’s Capital…

It is always a little embarrassing for me, as a native Washingtonian, to learn about unique sites about which I had previously never heard.

Added to that list recently are the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

My sister, (aka Dunam), gave me the heads up on these so she and her son joined Tonka, Paco, Nadia, and me as we explored this hidden treasure.

It was hot, so I didn’t get a chance to soak up the full story as I was there, but it seems (and you can click on the link) that back in the ‘20s, a botanist became a devotee of water lilies and started cultivating them…all within miles of the White House.

At one point, the US Army Corps o Engineers wanted to take it over, but a group of citizens successfully lobbied Congress to have it become part of the National Park System.

It’s a vast, marshy reserve that is covered with all kinds of unique flora and fauna.

The part that my kids liked was the boardwalk that took you out to the middle of the pond/lake.

With the exception of the occasional helicopter or train, all we heard were the sounds of nature.

Pretty remarkable given where we were.

The kids, initially (as usual), were skeptical, but soon grew to find many things which they really liked about the place. Tonka even was inspired to pull out her sketch book, doing a pretty good job.

As usual, the point of the exercise was to instigate and stimulate creativity…and as they build their mock-up of the pond eco-system when we got home, I felt like we had accomplished that objective.

Mosaics in Baltimore…

The Baltimore Museum of Art has a special place in my heart.

It’s adjacent to the Hopkins campus and it’s where I really developed a strong appreciation for art during college.

My mother, the Art History major, insisted that I take a History of Art class.

I was initially skeptical, but quickly learned to love and appreciate it (yes, mom, again, you were right).

So, on our recent field trip, we took the kids on a field trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art and, thanks to some research of my sister-in-law, we were able to take advantage of a kid-focused program about mosaics from the ancient Near East.

I actually learned a lot myself as the guide explained in a kid-friendly, but not overly basic way how mosaics are designed and made as well as the purpose they served.

Then, the activity was for the kids to use the mosaics on the wall as inspiration for their own drawing and subsequent painting.

If you find yourself in Charm City, take a moment…the collections there are truly world-class.

Iwo Jima and the “Big Stick”…

After the recent article in the WSJ about Americans’ general lack of understanding of US history, I was motivated to take my kids (off from school and no camp this week) on our next DC outing.

To give them some perspective on life, we went to the Iwo Jima memorial in Arlington, VA, next to the national cemetery.

As we drove (fortunately, little traffic), I explained to them part of the history of WW II and (thanks to Wikipedia, I was ready), I shared some facts of the battle of Iwo Jima.

What was so inspiring was how involved, interested, and curious they were in the actual story. They kept asking questions and insisting that I continue. We were there for all of 20 minutes, but it was worth it.

Next to the memorial is something called the Netherlands Carillion. I had seen the sign for it thousands of time, but never (as far as I can recall) visited it. A gift from the Dutch to the US in 1960 after WW II in gratitude for the sacrifice, it has 29 bells from all over Holland. We had a snack there.

On the way back, we stopped at Theodore Roosevelt (who, as the kids will tell you, was the 28th President) and took in his statue.

It’s on an island and you approach it over the Potomac via footbridge. The kids loved that.

Bringing us full circle, we saw a compliment of Marines doing a training run.

A strong 3 hour round trip activity which all of us enjoyed.

Related articles

• Japan Pledges to Find Remains of Iwo Jima Dead (history.com)
• Iwo Jima hero lives on through cherished ring (chron.com)
• Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) (myfilmviews.wordpress.com)

Modern Art and High-Tech…DC Outing

Image via Wikipedia

Our latest DC area outing, designed to foster both an appreciation of my kids’ hometown, but also a sense of curiosity and wonder, took us initially to the Hirshhorn museum, which focuses on modern art.

It is FAR from the most kid-friendly place at the Smithsonian and we (I was joined by a number of my family members) had to do double duty to make sure that the kids didn’t run around or touch the exhibits (which wasn’t easy), but we were able to get them engaged in some of the sculptures and the art.

Featured that day was Blinky Palermo (of whom I had never heard), but certainly gave Paco and Tonka something to think about…which was the point.

All of my kids are artistic, so at the very least, they were engaged at that level. The objective was to stimulate their right brains and I can safely say “Mission Accomplished.”

Not my favorite museum in DC, but worth the hour or so we were there for sure.

Next door is one of the crown jewels of DC, the Air and Space Museum. We’ve been there 5 or 6 times already and it never gets old.

All in all, a strong day of artistic and technical inspiration and, once again, I feel like we can make the case that DC is one of the best tourist cities (even for those who live here) anywhere in the world.

150 Years Since Fort Sumter: Civil War Outing…

Image via Wikipedia

We are going to try to focus on the theme of the Civil War for our DC area outings this year, as it is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the war at Fort Sumter, SC.

We thought it appropriate (or I did, at least) that we take our inaugural visit to the Lincoln Memorial as a kick off event.

With an annual visitor count of over 5 million, we’re not alone in that.

The kids glanced quickly over the Gettysburg Address, were shown a picture of the land before construction began in 1914 (it was a part of the Potomac River) and admired the massive sculpture of Lincoln that has been the background for so many important events in US history.

I found out later via Foursquare (you see my check-in here) that the words of MLK’s “I have a dream” speech are now engraved on the steps where he stood, but alas, we didn’t see that.

There’s also a museum and a movie (which they liked) in the basement of the memorial.

All in all, we were there for about 45 minutes, but that was enough to achieve our primary objectives.

• an appreciation of history
• an appreciation of Washington DC’s unique offerings
• fostering curiosity about events outside themselves

Remembering FDR…

On our most recent DC-focused excursion, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts and I visited the (relatively new, by my standards at least) Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial.

Now, the kids (Tikkanen, Jokinen, and Lakkanen) have developed a fondness for presidents. If you go up to them and ask “who was the <insert number here> president?” they will tell you (unless shyness takes over.)

They have also accumulated a wide base of facts about the presidents (who the first to live in the White House was, who was so overweight he required a new bathtub, and more).

So, together with my sister, Dina and her husband and son, we took a Sunday morning visit to this new type of memorial.

Instead of “one place” like the Lincoln or Jefferson, this one is a “walk-in” and “walk-through” experience, taking you through FDR’s four terms. Each segment has a theme, inspired quotes, and a physical/visual element to complement the theme.

For example, the WWII section has rocks strewn about, representing the destruction of war and the 4th term has the new world order emerging.

As with most of these excursions, the objective wasn’t to have them memorize a set of facts about FDR, it was to help them appreciate the wonderful city in which we live, develop a sense of curiosity, appreciate the importance of history, and of course, have some family bonding.

This was my first visit to the FDR memorial and I enjoyed it a lot. Even more because of the company, the experience, and the memory.

Next time, we’re going to try and make the Lincoln Memorial.

The Composer is DEAD!

We took the kids to a Mother’s Day performance by the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center called The Composer is Dead. It was a “murder mystery” involving an interrogation of the various parts of the orchestra (as in brass, woodwinds, etc.) and played a slew of great classical music as well.

The kids got to sit in the big Concert Hall and really enjoyed it.

Before hand the “friends of the NSO” had an “instrument petting zoo” and Tikkanen and Jokkanen had the chance to play the cello, violin, bass (pictured), tuba, trumpet, trombone, and oboe.

They are big music lovers (after all, they each have their own customized radio stations on Pandora), so it as a nice visit.

Very impressed that the NSO and Kennedy Center put this on.

Art and Portrait Outing…

Once a month, I make it a point on a Sunday to take the kids to do something “uniquely DC.”

With birthday parties and other activities, there are always reasons to not do it.

But, we’re in such a great city with so many attractions that it is a shame not to do it.

So, in our latest outing (here are some previous ones), we went to the National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art. (As a native Washingtonian, I am a bit embarrassed to say that I didn’t even know it was there.)

The point of these trips is not to turn the kids into art historians, it is just to give them a sense of appreciation for the place and, most importantly, to learn to ask questions.

There is a wonderful covered courtyard there as well, which, as usual, the kids liked more than the museum.
 

Jim Henson and the 3 Kid Family Excursion

  In the latest of our series of Family excursions, my dad and I took the 3 kids to see the Jim Henson traveling exhibit at the Smithsonian.

The heat index that day was 102, so Paco and Tonka cooled their feet in the National Sculpture Garden pool facing the National Archives building.

Without my dad, this day would not have been possible. The NFO was at work and it was the first effort to take all three out.

The exhibition itself was smaller than expected and good. It’s hard to measure ROI, since it was so hot, we had trouble finding parking, it was the day of the DC triathlon and the kids were more excited about the carousel and getting ice cream, but it’s important to take advantage of your hometown, so I felt good about that.

A taste of the world to come...

Usually, I blog with the reader in mind, but this one is just for me.

You're welcome to read along, of course.

There's a saying about the Jewish sabbath that it is M'ayn Olam HaBa, literally "from the world to come" (as in heaven, afterlife, etc.).

Many simply say "a taste/foreshadowing of the World to Come."

Today was one of those days for me.

Took Tonka and Paco to synagogue with me, where I read Torah. Had a great time as I pushed them in the stroller (great workout!) through the park and they laughed with each other.

Afterwards, I turned them loose on a new playground at an elementary school.

Sat outside (just gorgeous weather) on the bench (thanks, Dad!) reading while the two of them sprayed water on the pavement and our cars.

After lunch and a nap, we were off to one of our closest friend's birthday dessert party. Then, took the three of them (2 in the stroller, one in the Bjorn) to the baby naming for the daughter of some other close friends.

I must have walked 3.5 miles today pushing 70 lbs of weight (my calves are hurting!)

For someone who loves socializing, it was just a tremendous set of opportunities.

And, after coming back home, I took the girls to see some friends staying a few houses down, where we had a 30 minute chat.

Of all of today's images, the one I love the most is seeing Paco/Tonka running and laughing across the basketball court at the playground.

The weather was idyllic. The kids, for the most part, were well behaved. We saw so many wonderful friends and had such great conversations. Ate well. Just feel like we truly lived today.

If this is what the "world to come," is like, it'll be worth it.

Kid Management: Back to Square One...

After the NFO's successful return to her workplace last week, the stakes have been raised.

Today, I am on my own in an "extended zone" taking all three for the entire day.

Thinking back to the first time I had 2 kids by myself, I remember the strategy: Survival.

If I got them out of the house and for a walk around the block, the day was successful.

Of course, later we progressed to field trips (like this, this, and this, this, and this)

So, I'm taking the same, deliberately slow approach to handling all three.

Our goal today: survival.

Since the NFO has already handled all three while I was out last week, I'll you this. I appreciate my wife even more now.

Check in with me at the end of the day. We'll see how I did.

Paternity Leave...

Say what you will about Microsoft, but when it comes to being an enlightened company, we've got it right.

New fathers get 1 month of paid paternity leave.

Yesterday, I picked up Paco at school at 1, took him to the park, got him a bagel, and went to the grocery store.

At 3:30, picked up Tonka, took her (I'd promised a 1 on 1 father/daughter outing) to see our Aunt Susan's new apartment (it's fabulous, a challenge since it was my grandparents apartment) and then to see her new male cousin.

Today, went to Paco's Purim Sing-a-long, where we convinced him to wear his tux as his costume. Very cute!

Totally made the time count and that made me feel good.