A Single Shard + Korean Brush Painting at LACMA = Kids Off The Couch

Pottery and Perspective
Driving around Los Angeles can be like taking a trip around the world, with signs in different languages, and even different alphabets. We love traveling around the world -- and back in time as well -- by reading books set in different cultures and time periods. Linda Sue Park's "A Single Shard" is a NewberyMedal-winning novel that transports us almost a thousand years back to old Korea, where we meet an orphan boy Tree Ear whose admiration for a master craftsman's celadon pottery takes him to the throne room of the Emperor himself. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has a pavilion dedicated to Korean artwork and we dropped by the adjoining Boone Children's Gallery to learn how to do Korean brush painting. The Boone Children's Gallery is a spot where kids can always try their hand at an art project and occupy themselves with the excellent supplies provided. We could easily make a day of visiting LACMA, of course, and encourage families to add a few extras onto a Boone Gallery art excursion, such as dropping in on the brand new exhibit about India's fabled city of Lucknow, or checking out the cool fashion exhibit at the new Resnick Pavilion. Its really fun to cap off your adventure with lunch in nearby Koreatown. No airfare required! (Click here for discussion points for the novel, as well as details about visiting LACMA and where to get a delicious, authentic Korean meal nearby.)