Lakeland, our little mecca of cool, has some special Spring family events for children coming up in April that you MUST know about. These are local highlights that I put on my calendar every year and participate in as often as possible. LIVE music is available at each of these events, so GO… and let your child’s body and brain soak up all the positive vibrations it brings with it.
Children’s Festival with Explorations V
April 6 – 10 am -4 pm @ Munn Park
Park activities FREE, Additional activities in museum $5.
This is the best large event for children with multiple booths and centers filled with creative hands-on crafts and activities. AND, the center stage features live performances of our local talent, including children, singing, dancing, gymnastics, martial arts, etc..
Look for Ms. Debbie and her Music Pit, and hang out for a bit exploring instruments with a variety of timbres. Play our egg shaking game to hear and match the different timbres. And gain some ideas for making your own instruments.
Perhaps, when your child picks up a filled egg, they will take a moment to shake and listen to it, guess what may be inside, then finally open it to test their theory. Are we building skills for little scientists, or musicians? … maybe both!
ISO Cookie Concert – Wild Wild West
April 7 – 2-4 pm. – @ FS Branscomb Auditorium – FREE
Our local Imperial Symphony Orchestra creates a show every year specifically for children (of all ages) that is engaging and delightfully surprising, giving children a perfect opportunity to connect with the orchestra instruments, and music that is relatable, full of stories and engaging dialogue with Mark Theilen, our amazing conductor.
Arrive at 2 pm for the “instrument petting zoo”, where the children can touch and explore orchestra instruments. The Concert starts at 3, followed by cookies at 4. Totally worth it !
UPDATE 3/29: A ROOM for Babies and Toddlers is ADDED! YAY! The ISO has graciously invited me to be a part of their Petting Zoo” activities…. and are providing a separate ROOM for us. You and your littlest musicians will have a safe place to explore our wide variety of percussion and melodic instruments. Come in, sit with your little ones and explore together.
I highly recommend making this an annual tradition for your family to attend. This kind of live performance of musicians working together can have a powerful impact on your child. We are very fortunate to have such a child friendly conductor and orchestra of our own.
World of Reading Festival
April 13 – 9 am-1 pm – @ Barnett Park – FREE
“Where will reading take you?” is the underlying theme for these spotlight book tents which are focused on the setting or topic of the selected books. Each tent will endeavor to make their book “come alive” and will feature a craft for the children to create and take home with them. Children’s musical guru, Jack Hartmann, will perform at the event, along with face painting and balloon artists for even more family fun.
If you have been to these Spring family events before, please add your comments below to share your experience and encourage other families to to get out with their children and be a part of these events. So many people have spent so much time to create these amazing opportunities for our children. Personally, I want to thank all who are involved in making these happen, with such joy and love in their hearts for ALL the families in our community.
One Saturday a month:
9:30 – Babies 2 – 22 months
10:30 – Families with one or more children 1-5 years old.
In addition to these large scale events, you maybe interested in a more intimate and connection oriented music event for your family. Your family will join about 8 – 10 families to make music together, engaging with our children through interactive music play, and with others in our circle dances and more. Your child will have the biggest smiles as we play a variety of instruments, dance with colorful scarves, and explore the wonders of our seasons through music and imaginative play.
These 10 high quality recordings you can download are the perfect start for your family PLAYLISTs for each season, which are likely to become annual favorites to be revisited each year. Plus, you’ll take home an instrument or prop for ongoing explorations.
Add our Spring and Summer Playdates to your calendar, and indicate your interest in the Playdates of your choice in our Music Connections Facebook Events, for inspiration, updates and reminders. Register right away to save your spot !
April 27: Dear Earth, We Love You – Celebrate Earth Day everyday with these songs and activities that keep the beauty of this world in our hearts and minds.
May 11: MOM’s Beach Party – We love MOM, and mom loves the BEACH. So let’s take off our flip-flops for some delightful pretend play in the sand and waves. What a great start for our Mother’s Day weekend, with a special treat for moms and grandmothers who attend.
June 8: On the Road – Going on a trip? You will be singing, laughing, and playing along the way with these travel tunes. AND get loads of tunes, “tools” and ideas for your next family road trip.
July 13: Under the Waves Party – It’s a party under the waves, with all the creatures from the shallows to the deep ocean: leap with the dolphins, glide and spout with the whales, wiggle and dance like an octopus, and more. A refreshing cool way to start your summer days.
May your family enjoy one or more of the Spring Family Events. I hope to see and make music with you soon.
