Tag: Brandywine River Museum of Art

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Pirate Adventure Day!

My little pirates have been plundering the riches Brandywine River Museum of Art for a long time. The Museum introduced us to N.C. Wyeth’s illustrations for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and we read the Scribner’s Classics edition to them. It provided one of my first home education breakthroughs. Having introduced them to the characters, settings, and plot of the story in this simplified version, I ventured on exposing them to the original text. We were already adventuring and spending a lot of time in the minivan, so I borrowed the audio book and took to the high seas. Every time I stopped the playback to review and make sure my toddlers were getting it, they cut me off, “Yeah yeah Dad, could you hit play?”

Billy Bones Jr.
The pirate spirit.

This set a pattern of exposing them to literature using junior editions of Robin Hood, graphic novels of The Time Machine, and film adaptations of Shakespeare. Each of these abridged retellings has flaws, sometimes significant (“Sorry son, everyone actually dies in the real version.”); however, therein lies the real surprise. My boys become hunters and detectives, tracking down the mistakes, analyzing the changes, and assigning value to the different choices of each author, illustrator, and editor.

And that began before the very first Pirate Adventure Day!

Discovering traditional discipline techniques.

The adventure comes alive and the stories step into the real world. Hedgerow Theatre Company brings a fast-paced and fun Peter Pan to the stage and Pirates of Fortune’ s Folly bring knot tying, pirate speak, and maybe a tug of war!

Get yourself to the Museum on Sunday, November 4th, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm for this worthwhile and FREE event!

Schedule:

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Pirate Crafts

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Photo Ops and knot-tying with Fortune’s Folly Pirates

11 a.m. and 12 noon
Performances of Storytime Peter Pan by Hedgerow Theatre 

First Sundays for Families at the Museum presents free, hands-on workshops designed to engage visitors of all ages in creative art activities and performances. No registration necessary.

God bless,
Jason

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Evermore Imagining

My sons were in their first years of life when they met Edgar Allen Poe at Brandywine River Museum‘s Picturing Poe exhibition. This Arthur Rackham illustration of “The Tell-Tale Heart” greeted us and I wasn’t sure we would make it much farther.

They survived hearing Vincent Price’s reading of “The Raven” and all the tastefully gruesome artwork. Perhaps they thrived.

To this day, October means Poe. We just watched the inventive animated movie “Extraordinary Tales,” but are most excited for Delaware Shakespeare’s Shakespeare, Poe & Fiends performances this weekend. Tonight’s reading is sold out, but there are tickets available for the following shows:

Stone Stable
Friday, October 12 at 7:30pm

Historic Odessa
201 Main Street
Odessa, DE 19730

Old Town Hall
Saturday, October 13 at 7:30pm

Delaware Historical Society
504 N. Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19801

Old State House
Sunday, October 14 at 3:00pm

25 The Green
Dover, DE 19901

Grab a friend (preferably an easily shaken one) and meet some fiends this weekend.

Chillingly,
Jason

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Autumn’s Art: Fall Events at Local Museums

Delaware rests interminably on the division between snow storms and rain storms, flooding hurricanes and quiet spectating. We also have a tenuous relationship with fall. We could have weeks of a changing palette against the sky or 48 hours before a storm whips through and makes it look more like winter.

Fortunately, we are blessed with museums in and around our state that provide many ways to enjoy the season.

At Delaware Art Museum there are the final Thursday evening Summer Happy Hours leading up to the Peace Week Delaware and Fall Equinox Labyrinth Walk on Saturday, September 22nd, at 6:00 pm. Celebrating the change of seasons with a meditative stroll into and out of the Labyrinth will help you refresh for the fall. Level of meditation available will depend on how many children you have in tow.

On Thursday, September 27th, at 8:00 am, Brandywine River Museum of Art will host the Harvey Run Trail Walk: Finding Natural Wonders. This walk, inspired by the current Natural Wonders exhibit, will be led by Susan Charkes, author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Near Philadelphia(free for members/$12 non-members). Other highlights from the Museum’s calendar include their First Sundays for Families with free admission on the first Sunday of each month, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. November’s first Sunday offers the thrill of Pirate Adventure Day.

First Saturdays at Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover are home to the free Biggs Kids programs. On Saturday, October 6th, at 11:00 am, Delaware Nature Society will be there for a special program on birding for children. Then the Museum will partner with Delaware State Fair at Delaware State Fairgrounds for The Great Delaware Pumpkin Carve Festival on Friday, October 26th from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm and Saturday, October 27th from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Fall Family FUNdays at The Delaware Contemporary on select Sundays, 1:00 to 3:00, are open to all ages and offer a variety of engaging activities and art-making opportunities. Attend all four and receive a FREE family portrait taken by a professional portrait photographer during the December 16th Free Family FUNday.

Keep checking back here to read more about local events to enjoy with your family this fall.

God bless,
Jason