This weekend you don’t want to miss an exciting new children’s festival that is part of the fall Kaleidoscope arts celebration throughout the City called Kaleidoscope for Kids Arts Festival. The children’s festival will be this weekend, Sept.29 & 30th at the Durant Center for the Arts, Alexandria’s multicultural center for the performing and visual arts located in Old Town at 1605 Cameron Street.

The inaugural event is geared specifically for children of all ages and their families complete with an amazing line-up of nationally and critically acclaimed artists and performers and plenty of hands-on activities. Acclaimed artists and performance groups that are participating in the festival include urban dance company Urban Artistry, Arlington based Synetic Theatre, national Latino performing arts center the GALA Hispanic Theatre, and national renowned children’s songwriting program Kid Pan Alley. The festival will offer plenty to see, hear, and do for children and families from a kaleidoscope making workshop, an origami workshop, a puppet parade, art car painting, to a bookmaking workshop with Family Legends, strolling artist and Bolivian dancers. Festival goers can enjoy lunch or grab a snack from local area food trucks in the picnic area or walk to nearby King Street restaurants.

Events begin at 10 a.m. each day.  Tickets are $30 for a day unlimited events pass; $10 for single performance. Children must be ticketed–accompanying adults are free. For more information about the event or artists visit the website at http://www.artskaleidoscope.org/kaleidoscopeforkids.html

Kaleidoscope for Kids is an event part of the bigger Fall arts celebration called Kaleidoscope. Kaleidoscope, now in its second season, is an initiative designed to focus interest on the thriving visual and performing arts in and around the City of Alexandria. A collaboration of the Alexandria Arts Forum and Access through the Arts, that focuses on visual and performing arts in Alexandria from Labor Day to Halloween. Visitors can enjoy theater, music and dance performances as well as art exhibitions throughout the city.

This is going to be such a fun weekend with the beautiful weather and another fun festival.

Please join us for a celebration of diversity with your family and friends this Saturday, September 15, 2012, 11-5, at Four Mile Run Center, located at 4109 Mt. Vernon Avenue.

We’re celebrating Alexandria’s diversity and multicultural flavor with live music, food vendors, kid’s games and cultural activities. There’s lots of fun to be had!!

Visit the Facebook Page to get more information and a full line up of performers.

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Alexandria mom, Kristin Brennan Matheis, who owns Preschool Palettes. I must say, I really loved what she does!

My oldest is now seven and my youngest is five. Every year I struggle with what to do with all of the adorable art work that they bring home. Here’s where Kristin’s business steps in. You collect that work, select the items that you deem to be sentimental or artistically worthy and then you bring it all to Kristin. The next step…she hands you back an excellent, perfect-bound book capturing your child’s year in art! That’s it. It’s really that simple.

Kristin can put a picture of your kid in the front of the album with an age, school name or date. If you’re really ambitious you can include a caption for each image, but it really can be as simple as turning over the artwork and waiting patiently for the outcome!

Kristin uses a combination of scanning and photographing to capture the art work in the best quality possible. She offers different book size options from small books (that would make perfect grandma brag books) to large scale portfolio size (coffee table book anyone?). Kristin says her own two kids love to flip through their books sitting in their home!

You can opt to go with a full color cover, a book jacket or classic linen cover.

Kristin accepts orders by private appointment and during previously scheduled public events (listed on her website). She can also be reach on her website or through her facebook page. She sets up many of her appointments at spaces like St. Elmos Coffee Shop and is available for booking at home parties.