I took
my grandson, Kai to Washington Park for his outdoor activity on Wednesday,
September 11, 2019. I thought Kai was
eager to see his little friend, named London that he played with last
time. We did not see her, but we saw a
music band performing at one end of the park.
I suggested to kai that we go to the Library because she might be there,
and if not, we can come back to the park because she might be here later. Kai agreed, and we walked to the library
which took about five minutes. We stayed
in the children room of library for an hour or so, then kai and I headed back
to the park.
Kai
and I walked past the music band that was still performing.
We saw
the Ballantine House and Newark Museum on Washington Street, opposite the park.
The
musicians had stopped playing, and were ready to end their performance for the
day.
Kai
was searching for his little friend, London.
He carried his blue ball intending to play with her.
He saw her little body standing behind the red
bush. He ran as fast as he could to meet
her.
She
seemed to be as eager to see Kai as Kai was to see her.
Kai
played ball with London.
London
and Kai enjoyed playing football together.
London was so glad to see us as she told us about what was she doing
before we arrived.
Kai
was teasing London by stealing the ball from her hand and letting London
chasing him.
He sat
on the ball so that London could not get the ball. I told London “Take the ball out from the back
of Kai!” So, London tried to pull the
ball out.
Kai
still teasing London. Then London said
nicely to Kai “May I have the ball?”
Kai
tossed the ball so that London could run and get it. Then Kai went to played with the pole.
London tossed the ball up high and Kai tried to catch it.
Little
London showed her cleaver foot work with the ball like an experienced athlete.
“Grandma
look at this!”, Kai said to me loudly.
He knows that Grandma loves Butterflies.
They
both enjoyed playing with the poles.
Kai
and London ran to the lady who brought her dog to walk in the park. She was nice enough to let the kids play with
the little cute dog.
Kai
and London had a good time playing and jumping between the round seating
stands.
Kai
showed me the artwork at the base of the pole.
London
went to the other pole and showed me the bird design.
Kai
and London were having very good time playing with each other.
They
ran to under the tree and tried to catch the lower leaves.
Then
they played hide and seek.
They
played and ran all over the park until they both fell down on the grass.
Now
they found some wood and played with the dusty earth.
Kai used
a twig to write his name.
Kai tried
to exchange his sticks with London’s piece of wood and a brick. Kai took London things without her agreeing. I told Kai to return London’s belongings.
I gave
Kai a little book that I brought with me for Kai to read to London. Kai gave the book to London to see and then
he took it back. He went to sit at the
base of the tree and looked at the book by himself.
Kai
and London went to see the line of students that came out of the North Star
Academy Charter school of Newark, located opposite one end of the park.
I told
Kai that we had to leave because Mommy will come to pick you up soon. We walked London back to where her mother and
family were sitting. They seemed to be
sad to say good bye.
After
we left London, Kai asked me to go back.
He said he want to say something to London. I took Kai back to see London again. Then Kai and I walked back home. While we were walking, I asked Kai “What did
you say to London?” Kai said I forget to
tell her, “Thank you for playing with me.
I really had a good time.”
I also
felt a bit sad that I had to take Kai away.
They had a very good time and got along with each other quite well. This occasion reminded me of when I was young
playing with my sisters. Everything seemed
to be bright and nice, with no worries and nothing to be afraid of, as the world
happily belonged to us. We did not know much how our parents or other adults had
to go though in their lives to survive day by day. This innocence and ignorance of the future gave
us a simple happiness that I long for once again.
Ing-On
Vibulbhan-Watts, Saturday, November 2, 2019
Kai & Teacher, Ms. Fran Garrido in Creative Play at the Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey, USA on Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Photographs
by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts
Newark Museum front entrance on 49 Washington Street,
Newark, New Jersey.
The Newark Museum, in Newark, Essex
County, New Jersey, United States, is the state’s largest museum. It holds
major collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts
of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the ancient world. Wikipedia
Kai in front of the Newark Museum entrance.
Kai was so eager to go up on the steps to the Museum
entrance. Then he decided to come down and went up again a couple times until
he was satisfied. He was so proud of
himself when he came down the last time.
Kai spotted a large foot object in front of The Ballantine
House, which is a part of the Newark Museum.
He looked at the sculpture and started to count the toes. He said “Nine toes! Grandma!”
He counted again, he said “Nine toes, not ten toes!” I told Kai that probably the big toes of both
feet are joining together.
Kai walked to the back of
the sculpture. He started to climb
up. I told him that he cannot climb up
on the sculpture, it is not like an object in the playground. Kai seemed to be disappointed but he listened
and walk away.
Title:
Double Foot, 1992 Edition of 3, No 1 Bronze
Artist:
Tom Otterness Born 1957, Wichita, KS, lives and works in New York, NY
Gift
of Judith and Lester Lieberman, 2018
Next
to the front entrance of Newark Museum is The Ballantine House
The
Ballantine House
The
Ballantine house is a
preserved and restored house from the Victorian Era, designed by architect
George Edward Harney. It was home to John Holme Ballantine, his wife,
Jeannette, and their children, John, Robert, Alice, and Percy. Mr. Ballantine
owned and ran a brewery in the Ironbound section of Newark. The house
originally had twenty-seven rooms and three floors. In 1937, the Newark Museum
bought the house and has since restored it to serve as galleries for the
extensive decorative arts collections.
Opposite to the museum’s front entrance is Washington Park, which is about a five minutes walk from The New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Kai & Teacher, Ms. Fran Garrido in Creative Play at the Newark Museum, July 17, 201
Kai and
I walked to the Newark Museum from home about 9:45 am and we reached the museum
a little bit before 10 am which took us about ten minutes’ walk. The
security guard told us to wait for Ms. Fran Garrido. She is an Early Childhood Coordinator who is
in charge of the Creative play program.
The class runs from 10-11 am on Wednesday through Friday. It is a
one-hour program, especially for Early Learners ages 3-5. It includes a visit to a gallery and an
activity. Kai, our grandson, is three
years and 9 months old. He is just the right age to attend the program.
Ms. Garrido came to greet us with two carrier bags, one full of stuffed animal
toys and the other bag had small pads for sitting. She said to wait for a while maybe some other
children might come, she will talk about loneliness today. She gave Kai a
stuffed penguin toy to have as a friend.
No one
else came so Ms. Garrido took us to an art gallery that had a realistic
sculpture of a man sitting on the lawn mower by himself, which makes him look a
bit lonely. Ms. Garrido asked Kai what is lonely? Kai said “Sad”. Kai wanted another friend for his penguin
toy. He selected another penguin toy and
tried sitting it on the pad. He managed
to get the first toy to sit but not the second toy. Ms. Garrido tried to
get the second one to sit. She tried for
a while and finally did get the toy to sit on the pad. She yelled out with joy “I did it.” They both had a good laugh. She talked and asked Kai some questions
showing Kai the artwork in the room. Kai went in the toy bags and took
out all the toys to sit on the pads.
Ms.
Garrido told Kai that she was going to read him a book about being
lonely. Suddenly, Kai got up and started to rearrange all the toys neatly
in a line. Ms. Garrido asked him where
are you going to sit? Kai took out a pad and put it at the end of the
line of toys and sat listening to the teacher reads the book to him and all of
his toy friends.
Kai
enjoyed the story. Both teacher and student had a good
conversation. They discussed the story of the lonely character who is sad
because he had no friend but if he looks around him, he will find a lot of
friends.
After
the story ended, Ms. Garrido said we have to go to another room. Kai got
up grabbing all his toy friends in his arms.
He put them in the bag and carried the bag on his shoulder. Ms.
Garrido said, “Is it too heavy for you?”
Kai said yes and suggested, “How about you carry one side and I carry the
other side of the bag?” Both of them walked out of the room then Kai turn
back and said “Come on Grandma!” He said
this a couple times while we were walking to the other destination.
We
walked to the next room where we saw this painting. Kai pointed at the
artwork and said “Grandma look at this!” Ms. Garrido joined Kai looking
at the painting and pointed out some areas of the artwork to Kai.
Ms.
Garrido gave Kai some insight about the sculpture they stopped to look at.
Title:
Plate with design of musicians
Artist:
Beatrice Wood
Title: Aerial Map (panel from the
mural cycle Aviator: Evolution of Forms under Aerodynamic Limitations)
Artist: Arshile Gorky
Title: Prudential Plaza
Mosaic
Artist: Hildreth Meiere
Ms.
Garrido explained to Kai how the artist used different styles of shoes to form
the sculpture.
Kai
enjoyed the sense of humor of in Shoe Sculpture.
Title: Sole Sitter
Artist: Willie Cole
Title: Mechanics of Flying (panel
from the mural cycle Aviator: Evolution of Forms under Aerodynamic Limitations)
Artist: Arshile Gorky
We
arrived at the “Maker Space” room. Ms. Garrido introduced Kai to a group
of people who were practicing a dance routine.
She
showed Kai her book about Loneliness and told Kai to make his first book.
He selected a green marker to draw with while they talked. She gave some suggestions and asked Kai some
questions.
Kai
drew pictures of himself, one of them he said looked like a potato head.
Ms. Garrido suggested Kai use the other colors.
He put other colors next to him but still continued to use green marker,
saying that he loves the color green. Ms. Garrido asked him what things
are green outside. Kai hesitated to answer.
Ms.
Garrido lifted her arms up and said “The trees have many green leaves.”
Then Kai said the ground has green too, it’s the grass. She said put them in your drawing. Kai
drew a few short strokes on his paper and next to them he drew a tall line with
something on top. It probably represents a tree for him.
It was
very nice to see Kai make his first book binding it together with Ms.
Garrido. Kai learned a lot from her guidance and patience, encouraging
him to learn and having a great time with her.
Kai was so proud to make his first book. He showed it to his parents and his grandfather John. He said he is going to show his book to his Papa (Great-grandfather), Pa (Grandfather Jim), Nana (Grandmother Maria) and four cousins when he has a chance to see them.
Kai’s first book, Self-Portrait,
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Ms.
Garrido still stayed helping Kai with the toy train, even though her lesson had
ended.
Kai was
very interested in playing with toy train, at the “Maker Space” room.
She
showed Kai the Step inside the City area where there are the mirrors and colorful
lights.
“Go see
it in the galleries” Newark Museum’s Promotion Poster
Title: The Voice of the City of New York Interpreted
Kai enjoyed walking in the Newark Museum compound, far
away a tall building is Rutgers University dormitory.
Newark Museum side entrance on Central Ave. Newark,
New Jersey
From Inside the museum compound at Horizon Plaza, we
saw St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral on Central Ave.
A light blue tall building is the New Prudential building, looked toward
Washington Street.
Before we reached the Newark Museum, while waiting for the traffic light between Central Ave. and Washington Street. Further away on Washing Street is a tall commercial building, next to James Street where another Old church located, next to it are the Library and Rutgers Business School. Newark Museum is located in the center of activities of Downtown Newark.
