West Kortright Fair

After a two-year hiatus, the West Kortright Centre’s annual family-friendly, summer’s end celebration returns to East Meredith. On Sunday, September 4, from noon–6 PM, the West Kortright Fair features three live bands, fresh local foods, an epic bake sale, local artisans and other vendors, a rummage sale, and plenty of children’s entertainment—including Wacky Wendy and her whimsical paper craft hats. Admission is by pay-what-you-can donation. The concert tent features West Kortright Centre Shakespeare alums Moppy Copperwheat and Zara Zee performing at 12:30 PM as the ”antifolk” duo Sourdoe, followed by the North Atlantic fiddle music of Drank the Gold at 2:15 PM. At 4:30 PM, Atom & the Orbits blast off from the early rock & roll universe with a set of danceable two-minute old-school power pop songs à la Chuck Berry.

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(FREE) Songbird Sessions: The Nate & Kate Kids Show

On Sunday, August 28 at 2 pm, the West Kortright Centre presents The Nate & Kate Kids Show, a free indoor performance of children’s songs and juggling. This popular Ithaca-based duo balances entertainment value and artistry, featuring cello, guitar, banjo, harmonica, piano, harmony vocals, humorous original songs, sing-along favorites, hilariously impressive musical juggling routines, and audience participation. Nate & Kate’s unique vaudeville-inspired variety show is geared towards families with children ages 2-8.

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The West Kortright Centre presents: Shakespeare in the Valley

Friday, July 29 & Saturday, July 30
6PM – Introduction to Acting’s adaptation of The Love For Three Oranges, based on a story by Carlo Gozzi
7PM – Picnic Dinner (bring your own, or purchase hot dogs/veggie burgers on-site)
8PM – The Winter’s Tale, by the teenage Shakespeare, Music for Shakespeare, and Costume Design participants of the West Kortright Centre’s Young People’s Theater Arts Workshops.
Advance tickets are recommended in order to avoid a long ticket line: https://westkc.org/…/shakespeare-in-the-valley-the…/
Rain or shine, bring your own lawn seating

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July 2: KIDSTOCK! Music, Food, and Country Fun

KIDSTOCK!
July 2, 11 am – 4pm
Rain or shine

A fun afternoon with live music for kids, featuring Shinbone Alley (a jazz band on stilts), Senegalese percussionist Amadou Diallo, and Miss Pam’s Jamboree. Additional entertainment and activities include Mike the Juggler, the Community Music Network’s instrument petting zoo, face painting, recycled fabric jewelry making, build-your-own-terrarium, native plant giveaway, an obstacle course, and more!
Pay what you can (suggested donation: $20/family).
Food available from Catskill Momos and The Tulip and the Rose, plus Freestyle Confections.
This event is sponsored by Andes Hotel, Bovina Montessori, Catskill Country Living, Ecoagents, and Christine Egan & Scott DeSimon.



West Kortright Centre
49 West Kortright Church Road, East Meredith
info@westkc.org
https://westkc.org/eventbrite-event/kidstock/ (more…)

June 18: (FREE) Songbird Sessions: Intro to Improvisational Dance (for ages 8-12)

Saturday, June 18, 11:30-12:30
at the West Kortright Centre in East Meredith
How do you create beauty and meaning without choreography? Learn to navigate space as a physical body and as an ensemble through games based on the principles of Contact Improv, Modern Dance, and The Underscore (Nancy Stark Smith).
This workshop is led by Angelica Palmer and is part of The WKC FREE Songbird Sessions series of outdoor events for families. Pre-registration is required due to space limitations.
Registration link
This event is sponsored by Andes Hotel, Bovina Montessori, Catskill Country Living, Christine Egan & Scott DeSimon, and Ecoagents.
More information about the Songbird Sessions series: https://westkc.org/songbird-sessions/

June 18: (FREE) Songbird Sessions: Growling, Climbing, & Flying (for ages 3-8)

Saturday, June 18, 10AM-11AM
at the West Kortright Centre in East Meredith
Contact Improv for Littles and their Grownups (Ages 3-8)
Come dance and play with your child. Let your animals roar, explore new body playgrounds and fly together!
This workshop for children and their caregiver is led by Angelica Palmer and is part of our FREE Songbird Sessions series of outdoor events for families.
Pre-registration is required due to space limitations.
Registration link
One caregiver in attendance per child, please. In the event you need to cancel your registration, please let us know as soon as possible.
More information about the Songbird Sessions series: https://westkc.org/songbird-sessions/

(FREE) Songbird Sessions: Arm-of-the-Sea Theater performs DIRT

On Saturday, June 11 at 2pm, the West Kortright Centre presents Arm-of-the-Sea Theater’s new mask & puppet production, DIRT: The Secret Life of Soil. Fusing cutting-edge science and age-old puppetry, DIRT takes audiences on an extravagant journey of discovery into the ground beneath our feet. Featuring live music and puppet figures ranging from 12″ to 12′ tall, the show reveals the photosynthetic alchemy of plants, the fungi’s dance of mutual delight, and the microbes’ herculean labors.
This event is free and open to the public. No pre-registration required.
Donations welcome. Bring your own lawn seating. Please arrive at least 15 mins early. Grounds open at 1pm. Picnickers welcome; masks encouraged.
DIRT is made possible by funds from the A. Lindsay & Olive B. O’Connor Foundation and the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation, by grants from the New State Council on the Arts, and by the generosity of our community sponsors The Andes Hotel, Bovina Montessori, Catskill Country Living, Ecoagents, and Christine Egan & Scott DeSimon.

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Covid Childcare Co-op Calendar – a tool for families organizing collective childcare

“The Covid Childcare Co-op Calendar (CCCC) is a tech tool as social prompt. Using the CCCC, a group of caregivers can fairly schedule collective childcare according to their availabilities. Though it seems counter-intuitive considering what we’re up against, our social bonds are still our greatest collective asset, and they can guide a smart, functional, feminist response to our covid crisis of care. Whether it’s a small circle of friends supporting a healthcare worker by watching their kid, or a few retail employees trading off with a tiny class of 8 year olds, the CCCC makes the annoying step of making and sharing a fair joint schedule a cinch. Our hope is that this simple tool—no accounts, no registration, no stored data—prompts people to think about the next handful of months and how they can share the collective childcare burden, whether they’re someone who’s stuck with more than they can handle, or less.”

Long list of kids’ resources

Early Childhood: 

  • Dana’s Kids: Dana has been teaching in early childhood classrooms for 15 years, consulting in early childhood programs and supporting families.
  • Learn At Home: Early Childhood Instructional Resources: As children play, they’re learning about the world around them and practicing important skills. To support their play, early childhood programs typically arrange their spaces into learning areas or centers. Click for a list of no-tech activities and play suggestions organized around these same learning areas. 
  • The Busy Toddler: Susie is an early childhood education advocate, former teacher, and mom of 3, bringing hands-on learning back to childhood. Follow her on Instagram @busytoddler for lots of ideas.
  • Days With Grey: Lots of pre-K ideas on this blog! 

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Writer and activist Astra Taylor: video talk on “un-schooling”

Watch Astra Taylor (director of What Is Democracy? and author of Democracy May Not Exist  But We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone) discuss her experience being home-schooled (or un-schooled) without a curriculum or schedule, and how it has shaped her educational philosophy and development as an artist. Hosted by the Walker Art Center (from 2009, recently re-shared by Taylor).