Spring break also found us at the MOCHA, the Museum Of CHildren's Art in Old Oakland. We went with Eli's buddy, Sam, and the two little guys had a great time (plus the mamas got great ideas for fun activities at home). We briefly looked at the art displays upstairs and then headed downstairs for hands-on fun. (Drop-in entry is $8 per kid and free for adults.)
The downstairs studio is a wonderful creative spot for kids. There is a painting station with brushes (but also funky tools), a play dough area, stations with a project-of-the-day laid out, and various sensory exploration spots.
Blue homemade play dough with glitter...
A bin of dried beans with various cups and containers...
A spring grass box...
One Mama's Two Cents:
It is wonderful to have a spot where your kid can dive into creative projects and you don't have to worry about paint flecks on your carpet. MOCHA is a great way to spend some quality time with your kid and let the creative juices flow...but I have to admit that it paled a little in comparison to Berkeley's Sticky Art Lab. In a busy metropolitan area, there is room for both and MOCHA offers some great classes and summer camps. Still, Sticky Art Lab has more breathing room and a calmer vibe (at least on the days we visited). MOCHA offers fun projects and classic art play in their studio, but there wasn't as much noodling around. In fact, most of their art supply bins are labeled for staff-only access.
At Sticky Art Lab, owner and host Rachel Knudson not only lets kids paw through supplies, she encourages it. For example, if a kid is making cars out of play dough, she might lead him into the supply room and show him jar lids, bottle caps, and other wheel-like shapes before stepping back to give him free reign. We'd be happy to go back to MOCHA and it would be very inspiring for older kids to see great artwork done by their peers, but right now Sticky suits our needs better.
One caveat...
MOCHA is within easy walking distance of the year-round Old Oakland Farmer's Market, so it is tempting to visit on a Friday. When we were done painting, we had yummy ethnic food truck/stand lunch, had lots of taste tests, and went home with beautiful organic produce.
What an awesome museum! What a great outing!
My Friday's Nature Table post is here: http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2012/05/enchanted-childhood-playschool-may-21st.html
Posted by: Hannah | 01 June 2012 at 02:23 PM