Last week we took a little field trip with some friends to a 4,400 acre park in Kensington, a suburb of Detroit. Kensington Metropark has activities from fishing and hiking, to disc golf and cross country skiing. We went for the Farm Center, which not only has all the animals you would expect to see, but also hayrides, a nature center with classes and activities, and maple syrup tapping. The kids loved running around and meeting all the animals, especially since most of them had babies. Baby farm animals!

Erika's favorite part of the farm was the chicken coop. She kept running back in there and waiting for a hen to lay an egg. As we turned out the lights that night she said to me, "Mommy, I want to live on a farm. Then I could go out everyday and collect eggs." Audrey's favorite part of the farm was the horse which was hanging out right by the fence. He was so sweet and gentle and loved all the attention we were giving him.

Today was MOCAD's monthly family day and we made pinatas! We met some friends there and the girls glued tissue paper onto some pre-made paper mache balls. Audrey colored over the tissue with marker and Erika wanted to made a cat, so I cut out some shapes and she glued a face on the ball. They're so fun that I hate the idea of filling and smashing them!








This project didn't take quite as long as last month's collaging and stuffed animal making, so, with some extra time on our hands, we headed over to the Heidelberg Project. This large outdoor, ever changing, "art environment" has been created out of the trash that Tyree Guyton and his family collected from their neighborhood in Detroit. It is quite a sight, and so much fun for the kids!

I've only lived in Michigan for three years, but people who grew up around Detroit have a lot of memories of Belle Isle. With the zoo and aquarium closed due to budget constraints, there a lot of lost memories too. I hear that in the summer it's still quite busy and full of activity, but it certainly seemed quiet on this barely spring day. Maybe it was because I had these images from Sweet Juniper in my head as we headed over to the island, but it's hard not to feel a sense of loss in this place. The kids, though, had a great time- oblivious to what this place used to be or could be, and focused only on what it is now.

The Nature Zoo has frogs, turtles, snakes, and a bird viewing area. We saw some Cardinals and Red Winged Black Birds (which my friend told me means that spring is here!), and later outside we spotted a hawk on the fence! There is also a deer encounter where you can feed the deer through the fence. We headed over to the Conservatory where we wandered around the lush plants for a while. It was really a treat for the senses which have only seen evergreens for the last five months. And did I mention all this was free? Yeah, FREE!

The kids had a great time. The moms had a great time. I'm excited to have found a new place for the warmer days ahead.

Today the girls and I went on a field trip with some friends. Arts and Scraps is a non-profit organization that encourages art made of recycled materials. I have an area in the basement where I cram any "trash" that I think will come in handy later for a project- coffee and oatmeal canisters, egg cartons, mesh bags, plastic containers. Arts and scraps is that times a million. For $7 you can fill up a paper grocery bag, for $3 you can fill a lunch bag. The kids had a blast running around and filling their bags, and I had a pretty good time too. Here is a quick tour.







Here is what we came home with.



When I got home and organized it all, I realized that I could have gotten twice as much stuff if I had just planned better. But, I was excited. And slightly distracted as it was hard to keep track of Audrey in the maze of stuff. She loved putting her hands in all the bins and feeling the various materials. These letters were her favorite, which is how we ended up with this pile.

On the third Sunday of every month The Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit has a free Family Day where kids can work on various art forms that highlight their current exhibitions. I don't know how this passed by me for the last three years, but it was so great! Today's activities were collaging with old National Geographic magazines and making stuffed animals out of disembodied stuffed animal parts. I know, rad, right? Erika found a National Geographic from 1969 that was all about the first manned landing on the moon. She has been really interested in space lately, so this was perfect for her.



This was her other masterpiece. It needs no explanation.



Audrey loved the collaging (mostly the glue sticks) and the overhead projector where you could put together faces (see above). I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next month.