Everything You Need to Know About the FREE Swope Family Day Events!
Did you know that a few years ago, USA Today named the Swope Art Museum one of ten great places to see art in smaller cities? That’s just awesome! The praise (in my opinion) is justified. The Swope is pretty cool (three floors of art!), and admission is FREE.
However, it is an art museum, and it can be hard for parents to imagine an art museum as a kid-friendly place. This is why I love the “Second Saturday” series!
During these weekend events, kids of all ages (with an adult) are welcome to stop by for ten minutes or all afternoon.
We visited in November and had a great time making pop-up books.
Upon entering the museum, we received a little pamphlet with a few hints for viewing the exhibits and simple, art-related assignments (such as, “Look for the ______ displays on the second floor and discuss the _____ with your family .”)
When you’ve finished checking out the exhibits, head to the third floor for your project.
Upstairs, you can expect to find volunteers and Swope staff members available to teach and assist.
For obvious reasons, our two-year-old wasn’t quite able to make a pop-up book. 😉 For her “project,” we simply gave her folded paper, glue, and scissors. As you can see, this was more than enough to keep her happy and engaged!
Our oldest is only four, but she was able to make a book with a bit of help. The best part (in my mind) is that the technique has stuck with her. She’s made several pop-up books at home based on the experience she had at the Swope!
The Swope tries to adapt the activities so that they appeal to a variety of age ranges and skill sets. My girls were definitely some of the youngest participants; I would guess that a lot of the kids were in the 7-11 range.
Have you been to one of these kid-friendly events? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience!
Special thanks to the Swope and the Swope Art Museum sponsors for offering a great, kid-friendly event for FREE to the kids in the Terre Haute community!
Swope Art Museum
25 South 7th Street
Terre Haute, IN
47807
