Tabs

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Enjoy Los Angeles County Fair this Thursday 9/25 and Friday 9/26 on an educational fieldtrip before it closes on September 28, 2014

LA County Fair ends on August 28 this year, but the last day to go on an educational fieldtrip is this Friday, September 26.  But Thursday, September 25, happens to be a LAUSD non-instructional day, so join us on either Thursday or Friday for a free educational fieldtrip to LA COUNTY Fair with free admission and free parking.  Please contact me at reallykf@gmail.com if you would like to join us and can arrive between 9am to 11.30am before the educational entry gates are closed.  You may stay till closing time at 9pm  if you like. All parking details will be emailed to you if I confirm your participation.  Normal admission and parking costs can be found here:  http://www.lacountyfair.com/visit/get-started/ and if you have to go on another day, use promo code: AS110025 at http://sales.ticketcostars.com/lacf/Fair/tabid/1654/Default.aspx and save $7 on adult tickets.  Parking is normally $15 per vehicle.

We have been going to LA COUNTY FAIR almost every year, and, each year, there are new exhibits to add to our old favorites from the animal farms, railroad models and miniature trains, barn races, art exhibits and students' winning entries, horse-racing and horse shows, and, of course, all the goat-milking (which you can also do) and cow-milking demonstrations and acrobatic and entertaining shows.  We like to do the educational exhibits and farm shows or see blacksmiths and leathersmiths at work in the Heritage Mission in the morning before the public comes in at 11am, and then stay cool with inside art and car exhibits at the NHRA Motorsports Museum (free if you are with an educational fieldtrip) and acrobatic shows (this year, it is a Beijing troupe) within the shopping malls before doing rides when the sun is down and catch the evening shows such as  before going home ... and it is the only place we get huge barbecued turkey legs to share :)

Here is a downloadable map or you can get a hard copy as you enter:  http://www.lacountyfair.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014LACF_GroundsMap.pdf
and here are schedule of shows for both  this Thursday and Friday so you can play your day and minimize backtracking:


Some Thursday excerpted schedules give you a sense of what you do at the Farm areas:

Aunt Cindi & Uncle Bob Ice Cream & Butter ALL DAY
Five-acre farm of specialty crops ALL DAY 
Extreme Equine Show 11:30 AM, 2:30, 4:30, 8 PM 
Barnyard Racers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 PM
Magic Farm Science Show 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 PM 
Chicken & Rabbit Talks 2:30, 6, 8 PM 
Thummer, Daisy & Lily Meet & Greets 
5:45, 6:45, 7:45 PM

ESMERALDA’S TRAVELING CIRCUS
presented by Circus Circus 

Circus School ALL DAY (you can learn how to juggle here!)
Esmeralda’s Traveling Circus ALL DAY
This End Up 1:30, 3:30, 7 PM
Aerial Arts Circus Show 2, 4, 6, 7:30, 9 PM
Venardos Circus 2:30, 6:30, 8:30 PM
Conjurer 3, 6, 8 PM
Mango and Dango 3, 8 PM (funny action comedy)

You might not expect to see underwater creatures, but  some of these shows are well worth seeing:

BENEATH THE SEA: AN UNDERWATER ADVENTURE
Beneath the Sea ALL DAY
Live Stingray Encounter ALL DAY
Sea Lion Splash 2:30, 6, 9:30 PM
Mermaid Linden 3, 4, 5, 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 PM
Live Shark Encounter 3:30, 7, 9 PM

Below are links to all the educational exhibits, and the new featured exhibit this year is:  Hall of Heroes and Luminasia.

http://www.lacountyfair.com/play/whats-new/

http://www.lacountyfair.com/play/hall-of-heroes/

Here's a description from the link above about the Hall of Heroes:

Your adventure begins at the “Identification Station” where you learn about the various kinds of Superpowers. You then travel through our towering Cityscape and into the various Galleries of Power. They are: “Powers of the Body”, “Powers of the Mind”, “Elements”, “Mastery”, Real Life Heroes”, Gadgets”, and the “Superhero Gallery”. In each gallery you will find dramatic artwork and interactive devices demonstrating the real life forces employed by your favorite Superheroes.
In Powers of the Body you can learn about radiation from a very angry Hulk, and test your strength, balance, and senses,  under the watchful eyes of Superman. Have your brain scrambled by the puzzles of the Riddler in Powers of the Mind. Test your reflexes and your skills with magic in Mastery. Elements will expose you to the shocking secrets of a Tesla Coil, and let you walk into a Tornado Chamber.
In Gadgets you can check out Dr. Who’s Tardis, and another iconic Time Travel vehicle, the DeLorean Time Machine from Back to the Future (don’t forget your Flux Capacitor). Batman is there with his cool Batcycle from the 1960s, although he is not happy about being given a ticket by a CHIPS Officer. Iron Man and Optimus Prime are also present, as a couple of examples of the ultimate in Gadgets. Across the hall in the Superhero Gallery is an assortment of Superhero Fine Art, along with Rubbings and Coloring Stations allowing you to create your own Superhero Art."
LUMINASIA is completely new and there is an additional fee to enter, and here is a description from the website:

Luminasia "lights up LACF’s hillside with a spectacular, larger-than-life Asian themed and whimsical lanterns. Each is hand-crafted and custom built using an ancient art form and 100 artisans from China. No exhibition of its kind has ever been seen in California, and it’s only here at LACF."

To see how Luminasia was planned and structures were created, see this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNaXGV6OeRY

To see what it looks like at the fair, here's a preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyypRF9_5Uk
Luminasia admission fees:
Adult Admission(ages 18+) $9.00
Child Admission(ages 6-17) $5.00
Child Admission(ages 5 and under) Free

Most schools are unable to stay more than a few hours, but if you drive your own children or carpool with others, you can stay till closing time at 9pm if you arrive with an educational group between 9am and 11.30am.  It is a long day at the fair, but if you keep cool and rest in between walking and sit-down shows, it is completely doable even with kids :)

Other tips from many years of going to the fair:

Click on your specifc day to see the schedule of educational and entertaining shows for the day and many shows are presented twice or more a day. Allow extra time for children to go slower and enjoy what they see along the way.   However, if you have never been to the fair before, it is a good idea to plan out your route based on performance shows or demonstrations you want to catch. You can do that ahead of time with this online interactive map in the blue box above.

It is always hot at the fair, so plan any rides for after the sun has gone down when it is cool,  Bring hats and sunglasses and sunscreen ...and have plenty of water bottles.  I know there is good ice-cream opposite the cow-milking areas.

My best tip for managing the heat is to alternate between outdoor activities and indoor events in air-conditioned buildings - the art gallery, car museum and all the shopping areas as well as the garden/flower buildings.  Look at the map to see where things are and look at the schedule to see what times you want to be in a certain areas. 

Bring these to cool off:  a light-weight baby-stroller (lighter than a wagon) even if you don't have a toddler so you can carry ice-cold frozen waterbottles without breaking your back as well as any healthy snacks (although the turkey legs is really something if you are not vegetarian!).  Neckerchiefs or even paper towels that you can wet to cool off around the necks, or handheld battery-operated fans, or the watermisters for fun cooling,  

 When you first enter, you will be near Fairview Farms and you can see prize-winning 4-H animals, bee-exhibits and you can hang out near the FarmViews and Heritage Farm and Crafts earlier in the day if you are interested in all the animals' exhibit (don't miss the cow-milking by machine, goat-milking by hand, and pig races), and the air-conditioned America Kids Building where you get your read-to-ride tickets in the morning. For the horse lovers, you can see some horse shows near the farm area and you can also see real horse racing at the fair .. another place to cool off and rest :)

Oh, if your kids want to earn some free junior ride tickets for up to 8th grade, you can get up to 6 free tickets-to- ride by printing out this form:

http://www.lacountyfair.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014_ReadToRideProgram.pdf

By listing the titles of books your child have read this summer and making pictures reports (K-2nd) about them or brief book reports between 25-50 words depending on their grade.  They can type or write them .. and the retired teacher volunteers would sometimes ask them about the books they read  :) Bring the form and "book reports" to the counter near the entrance at America Kids and get the read-to-ride tickets.  This building also has all the winning art work worth looking at and also dress up and play areas.  See if your child's favorite books have special features and activities here .. don't miss the Magic Tree House Stage for some action:)

Wells Fargo provided a new educational resource on financial education called Hands-On Banking at different grade levels:

http://www.handsonbanking.org/htdocs/en/t/

To organize a trip for next year, here's where you can find Fairkids fieldtrips info: 


For curriculum connections, click on each topic below:

Field Trip Resources

============================
The official address of the fair is:
1101 W McKinley Ave
Pomona, CA 91768

But Gate 9 in the BLUE GATE area is off WHITE AVE if you are doing a homeschooler/private school fieldtrip.

is a good map to orient yourself and you can see WHITE AVE and GATE 9 as well as the freeways.
I would gps the intersection of McKinley and White Ave unless you see a closer route from the freeway you are taking.  This map is interactive so you can click on each named areas.   



Thursday, September 18, 2014

Celebrate a Day of Chivalry in the Middle Ages at Getty Center's Family Festival this Saturday, September 20, 2014.

If you have never been to a Family Festival at either Getty Center or Getty Villa, come this Saturday to the Getty Center and be surprised by all you can enjoy on a themed family festival between 10 am. and 6 pm.  Admission to the Getty is always free, but parking is $15 per car and there is alternative public transportation. Trams start running by 9am and you can always pack a family picnic or purchase food in this amazing venue where art, music, story-telling, live demonstrations, gardens, and architecture can be appreciated in a Family Festival.   The schedule below for the day's event allows one to plan your day between performances, art projects, and the galleries.  Don't forget to check out Chivalry exhibit that inspired this family festival.

As a special note, if you become interested in the historical sword fighting in the German medieval tradition after seeing the combat exhibition and other demonstrations by members of the Academy of Arms, check them out at: http://www.academyofarms.com/ and ask the demonstrators for more information.  My son is one of their enthusiastic apprentices and will be one of those teaching lessons at the festival :)

"Chivalry first developed as a code of honor that emphasized bravery, loyalty, and generosity for knights at war in the 11th and 12th centuries. By the later Middle Ages illuminated manuscripts had helped establish chivalry as a system of values that permeated almost every aspect of aristocratic culture. 

This exhibition, which is drawn from the Museum's permanent collection, traces chivalry through its many manifestations—from courtship to hunting to jousting to war. With lavish illustrations celebrating the visual splendor of elite life, these manuscripts played a central role in promoting the tenets of chivalry, many of which have shaped the values of our own culture."  See the nice video introduction from this link:

http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/chivalry/

Let’s remake chivalry for the 21st century is part of the Chivalry Project.
Check out this digital rulebook of chivalry written by our contemporaries and respond to medieval rules and add a new rule of your own. The next free workshop at the Getty Center will be on: Saturday, November 1, 2014

http://thechivalryproject.org/

Finally, don't forget to bring your address book because Getty Center will post for you any postcard you decorate or write to any part of the world.  Don't miss the hidden cactus garden and have your younger children explore the family room :)

http://www.getty.edu/visit/
http://www.getty.edu/visit/exhibitions/
http://www.getty.edu/visit/center/art.html



The Competition in Sittacene and the Placating of Sisigambis (detail), about 1470–75, Master of the Jardin de vertueuse consolation and assistant. Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, and ink on parchment. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. Ludwig XV 8, fol. 99

 Chivalry in the Middle Ages


Date: Saturday, September 20, 2014
Time: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Admission: Free; no reservations required.
Travel with your imagination to the age of chivalry in this daylong festival celebrating knights in armor, ladies of the court and all things noble, inspired by the exhibition Chivalry in the Middle Ages. Listen to tales of Arthur's Round Table and deeds of great bravery through age-old stories and myths. Watch as a master blacksmith demonstrates how to forge a suit of armor, design a family coat of arms, and decorate a goblet for your own royal feast. 

 
MUSEUM COURTYARD STAGE 

Les Enfans Sans Abri - A Knight To Remember: The Chivalrous Tale of Gillion de Trazegnies
11:15–Noon and 2:30–3:15 p.m.

A tale of a noble knight who makes a vow to his new bride that takes him far from home and the adventures (and misadventures) this promise gets him into. When the two finally meet up again fifteen years later... each has quite a surprise for the other! 


 
We Tell Stories - The Chivalry of Knights and Samurai
1:00–1:45 p.m. and 4:15–5:00 p.m.

With their signature sense of humor and audience participation, We Tell Stories will examine the chivalric code—Honor, Valor, and Devotion—through stories from the court of King Arthur to the ancient dynasties of Japan. 

STROLLING 

Music of the Middle Ages
Noon–4:00 p.m.
Members from the USC Collegium perform festive songs and dances of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, played on lutes, guitars, recorders, and shawms by strolling minstrels. Featuring the greatest hits of the courtly jousting ear, from "rostibolli gioiso" to improvisations over Greensleeves - the birth of the four-chord progression! 
 
LECTURE HALL 

Jousting and Jesting with David Prather
12:15–1:00 p.m. and 3:30–4:15 p.m.
Chivalry is not dead! Come slay dragons, joust with knights and rescue damsels in distress—fun for the whole family! 

RESEARCH INSTITUTE GROVE 

Arms and Armor
Noon–4:00 p.m. 
Master blacksmith armorer Tony Swatton of Sword and Stone demonstrates materials and techniques used in making arms and armor of the Middle Ages. 

 
MUSEUM COURTYARD

Academy of Arms
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Don't miss our medieval combat exhibition. Mock duels, weapon and armor displays, historical fencing lessons for children and adults, and much more! 

WORKSHOPS
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. 
(last seating at 5:30 p.m.) 

Noble Goblets 
Bring the Middle Ages into our current day by making a goblet of visual splendor. Create individualized designs inspired by medieval manuscripts. 

Wave Your Arms in the Air 
Design your own coat of arms on a flag and march it around the Getty grounds. Participants will use traditional imagery and discover the meanings behind these symbols. 

Illuminated Frames 
Using a variety of gold pens and translucent papers, decorate a frame to display your postcard-sized art.