Weatherproof playtime
BY K ANDACE POWER GR AVES
Indoor spaces where kids can escape the heat and rain
PHOTO COURTESY NOL A KIDSGROUND
A wooden climbing structure at NOLA Kidsground
Our girls are
pioneers
the difference ff is Sacred Heart Meet Synthia, a synthetic human body replica used for learning in biology, anatomy, physical education classes and more.
Grades 5-12 Open House: Tues., Oct. 29, 5-7pm For personal tours: 504.269.1213
The new Louisiana Children’s Museum will open at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 31 on an 8.5-acre site in City Park. The previous location on Julia Street in the Central Business District closed July 27 after 33 years in the same building. The new museum features more than 100 hands-on exhibits, including five interactive educational exhibits covering arts and culture, the environment, health and wellness and literacy. Some of the most popular features at the former museum have been reworked for the new space, including a miniature grocery store and a bubble studio. There’s also a 100-foot-long “Mighty Mississippi” exhibit that illustrates a journey extending the length of the river from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The main building includes two floors of indoor spaces and overlooks a lagoon. Another wing of the building houses a literacy center, a parent and teacher resource center, a cafe and a store selling toys and books. Outside there’s a floating classroom, a wetlands area, edible gardens, walkways and bridges. The museum will be open 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $14, free for children under 12 months old. Email Gambit managing editor Kandace Power Graves: kandaceg@ gambitweekly.com
Sacred Heart is open to qualified students regardless of race, color, religion, nationality or ethnic origin.
G A M B I T B AC K T O S C H O O L 2 0 1 9
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SEASON BRINGS TO MIND fall and the temperate weather that comes with it (in some parts of the country anyway). Here, the mercury still is in the 90s and rainy weather is likely to stretch through the end of hurricane season in November, spurring lots of cabin fever. There are two new indoor play spaces that offer physical and educational activities for kids. NOLA Kidsground (5700 Citrus Blvd., Suite D, 504-3549528; www.nolakidsground.com) opened in July for toddlers through 10-year-olds, and the new Louisiana Children’s Museum (15 Henry Thomas Drive, New Orleans City Park, 504-5231357; www.lcm.org) opens Aug. 31 in City Park. NOLA Kidsground, opened by husband-and-wife team Charles and Uyen Yi, includes a large wooden play structure with a tube slide designed for kids 7 and younger. There’s also a toddler area with soft play structures and a reading nook, a magnetic ball run, a Lite-Brite-inspired art wall, a STEM-focused play area and more. Parents can watch their children play while sipping espresso at the cafe, which also offers soft drinks, pastries from La Louisiane Bakery, pizza from Vieux Carre Pizza and other snacks. NOLA Kidsground is open daily. Admission is $7.95 for two hours of play Monday-Thursday, $9.95 Friday-Sunday. Children 11 and older are free with a paid sibling.
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