We thank our guest post writer, Laurie Peterson for her contribution today.
My baby Avery and I hit up the SFMOMA museum when she was just a few months old. It actually took a bit of effort to get over there but it was worth it to see Avery stare intently at the giant blocks of color they call modern art. It was also nice to pretend that I am still hip and frequent the city, and to have something interesting to talk to my non-mom friends about: “Oh have you seen the new video installation at SFMOMA? Such an interesting piece!”
One Wednesday afternoon Avery and I decided to drive over to the city on a whim (well technically she was asleep in the backseat, and I was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our day). We parked at the garage near the Metreon (hint: park in the basement by the elevator – lots of spaces!). I pushed her stroller over to the museum and tugged on the door only to be turned away. Note to other sleep deprived moms: museum is closed on Wednesdays! So we tried again the next day. And I am so glad we did.
Editor’s note: SFMOMA is free on the first Tuesday of each month; otherwise it’s $18.
I took baby Avery to a lot of places in the first few months of her life – Oakland zoo (5 times), Berkeley Botanical Gardens, and Lawrence Hall of Science, to name a few. She never really seemed to care where we were other than her preference for being on the go. But at the SFMOMA Avery was really studying the art. It was fun to be somewhere that we both appreciated.
Experts say that a baby’s developing vision is best stimulated by high contrast patterns and blocks of primary colors. The SFMOMA permanent exhibit is like a giant baby mobile with huge color blocks and stimulating patterns. But it’s not just for new babies — if you have older children the museum has special programs for kids the first and third Sunday of each month. Enjoy!
New mom Laurie Peterson & the adventurous Baby Avery Laurie Peterson is an award winning toy designer and marketer. Check out her professional blog.
