The last time I went to the zoo, aside from getting to share in my children’s joy of the prairie dogs, there were a number of amusements they enjoyed. They puttered around the maze set up next to the Peacock Cafe. The nine and three year old spent time in the playground. The 12 year old practiced taking photographs of the free-range peacocks. And then we topped off our visit with a new amusement offered at Beardsley–a show by Chris Rowlands.
Who is Chris Rowlands? I would call him a mix of Steve from Steve Songs, Edgar Bergen, Jim Henson, a veterinarian, and your five year old. He takes all of these characteristics, rolls them together, and uses them to entertain your preschool and elementary aged children.
The show starts with Chris Rowlands telling us about himself. He is a naturalist with the National Audubon Society. He uses music and other entertainment to help kids learn about wildlife and other nature topics.
His songs include real information about the animals. My three year old enjoyed learning hand-motions to go along with the first song about a dairy farm. The tune was upbeat and he played the guitar while singing.
This review of Chris Rowlands is also posted at Nutmeg Families, for things to do with kids in Connecticut.
The crowd was very engaged. He went out of his way to talk with the kids in the audience. He was quite funny and the kids paid attention.
Then he introduces us to his first “friend”. I knew it was a puppet show, but I had no idea that Chris Rowlands was a ventriloquist. And quite a good one! While the kids were enjoying the jokes and songs, I was admiring his technique of talking without moving his lips. Honestly, it took me a while to realize it wasn’t a recording.
The part of your five year old that I could identify with in the performance? One of the reasons the kids were so entertained was because of the ample inclusion of potty humor. Most of it went over my toddler’s head, but my nine year old and 12 year old understood it quite well.
Chris Rowland’s show is half-an-hour at the barnyard stage in the farm animal exhibit. He performs at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm everyday from July 25th until August 7th.
When I was looking through the calendar to see what was happening this weekend, I was struck that there were a lot of fun and free events that families could enjoy. From performances, to parties, to projects these activities won’t even make a dent in your wallet (unless you decide to spend the money you saved to do something fun before or after the event–like a trip for the family to an ice cream parlor). I can hardly imagine being able to take my kids to all of these events, have fun, give them something to tell their friends when they ask “what did you do over the summer?”, and not have to spend any money except on gas and maybe some food.
Take Part in Art with Instruction from a Professional–Thursdays through Sundays, the Weir Farm in Ridgefield/Wilton, completely free of charge, lends out art supplies (including paper) so anyone can benefit from the inspiration of the Weir landscape. Saturday afternoons make this diversion especially enticing as a professional artist is available to help and teach.
Build binoculars at Lowe’s for Free–Saturday morning at participating Lowe’s stores. This requires registering on-line, so check the link.
Giant Steps First Anniversary Summer Celebration! Fairfield, CT is a birthday party that Giant Steps is throwing for itself on Saturday morning at 10 am and you are invited.
