By Sherri Smith Brown

The gopher tortoise, which lives in dry, sandy regions and is native to Georgia’s coast, can be see in the wild at Oatland Island Wildlife Center.

American bison, white-tailed deer, gray wolf, red fox, nine-banded armadillo, peregrine falcon, sandhill crane, gopher tortoise and bald eagle—these are just some of the natural wildlife of Georgia and the nation that you can see at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah.

Located less than five minutes from Savannah’s historic district, the wildlife center has over 100 acres of maritime forest and exhibits 50 species of animals. Outdoor exhibits include the Wolf Wilderness, Alligator Wetlands, Predators of Georgia, and Birds of Prey. Goats, pigs, donkeys and sheep are just some of the animals found in the Georgia Farm area. (more…)

 By Sherri Smith Brown

Art is a real hands-on experience at the High Museum’s “Toddler Thursday” and”Saturday Studio” workshops in the Greene Family Learning Gallery.

There are numerous reasons to visit the High Museum in Atlanta—everything from the wonderful current Louvre Atlanta exhibition to the Monet Water Lilies exhibit, which opens June 6. But did you know about the ongoing family programs that the High hosts each week?

Toddler Thursday is just that—on Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., you can drop by the Greene Family Learning Gallery (a space designed for children where families can play together in five fun activity areas) with your 2 – 5 year old to create a piece of art. Remaining projects for Toddler Thursdays this month are creating a painted folk art flag with cardboard and decorative button wire (April 23) and constructing a miniature chair or sofa, using Popsicle sticks and recycled fabric (April 30). (more…)

By Sherri Smith Brown

Learning to scoop, measure and mix ingredients is just part of the fun at the Young Chefs Academy. Kids make the recipes from scratch and then have the delight of eating their culinary creations, too.

Did you ever imagine that you might be raising the next Rachael Ray or Emeril Lagasse? Being a chef when they grow up or just cooking in the kitchen with mom or dad is many times a favorite with kids of all ages. From KinderCooks to Master Chefs, the Young Chefs Academy is one place where children can take classes to experience the joys of cooking and learn age-appropriate cooking skills.

The cooking school offers regular weekly classes as well as summer camps, scout merit badge programs and holiday workshops. You can even cook up a birthday party! We hosted a 5-year-old birthday party for Brianna and her pre-school class last spring. The children learned to measure, made their own dough, and decorated their own personal pizzas. The lively staff led them in fun activities and handled the details of the whole party—from mailing out invitations to opening birthday gifts to assembling party gift bags. (more…)