November 1997 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

Has your pint-sized Picasso or Georgia O'Keefe gone through all the paper in
the house? Perhaps he or she would like to dabble in some arts and crafts workshops
sprinkled around the neighborhood.

At Art Adventure, Upper Noe Recreation Center's weekly arts and crafts program, November projects will focus on Christmas and Chanukah decorations, such as clothespin reindeer and house and window ornamentation. This free program, available to kids 5 and up, takes place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. every Saturday at the Rec Center, located at Day Street Park, Day and Sanchez streets. For more information, call Recreation Director Chris Borg, at 695-5011.

Over at Douglass Playground, at Douglass and 26th streets, Recreation Director Steve Bell will be helping little hands fashion a variety of holiday decorations during the Tiny Tots and Toddlers drop-in program. In addition to crafts, kids enjoy hiking, stories, music, and a snack during this program, which happens on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon.

Geared for kids 11/2 to 4, the program is free, although donations are appreciated. Bell says that making pumpkin pies, cookies, and Thanksgiving turkey cutouts decorated with feathers are some of the treats in store this month. Call him at 695-5017 to find out more.

Terra Mia Ceramic Studio, 4037 24th St., invites kids and adults to come in and decorate pottery to give for holiday gifts. The studio provides the bisque ware -- molded ceramic pottery that has already been fired once and is ready to be glazed. This year the shop has an assortment of plates and mugs for children to paint, plus turkey napkin rings, pumpkin figurines, menorahs, and Christmas tree ornaments.

"Kids from 4 up are usually able to work on their own," says manager Kim Keser, "although we have younger children here whose parents put their kids' hand or footprints on gifts for relatives." While Terra Mia does not offer classes, store employees are available to give tips and advice.

The studio is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. No appointment is necessary. Prices range from $1 to $30, depending upon the size and complexity of the piece. In addition to the cost of the pottery, adults pay $7 per hour (children under 10: $5 per hour) to use the studio. This fee includes glazes, brushes, decorative materials, and firing of the finished piece. Call Terra Mia at 642-9911 for further details.

The Randall Museum, a children's museum that highlights the arts, sciences, and natural environment, offers intergenerational art classes as part of its "Saturdays Are Special" program at 1 p.m. On Nov. 8, you can learn African cloth painting, and on Nov. 22, the family can create unique holiday cards at a leaf-printing workshop.

All ages are welcome, but kids under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Sliding-scale fees range from $4 to $10, and sign-ups for each class begin at 12:30 p.m. For more information, call Julie Dodd Tetzlaff, art program director, at 554-9600. The Randall Museum (which also has a petting zoo, by the way) is located at 199 Museum Way in Corona Heights Park. To get there, take Castro to 14th Street. Then go left on 14th, and turn left on Roosevelt Way and follow the signs. Or hop the
37-Corbett bus -- or the 24-Divisadero, if you enjoy a short hike. Have fun!