5 family-friendly things to do over Labor Day weekend
Children’s storyteller and musician Dino O’Dell has a slogan: “proudly tricking children into learning since 2003.”
He plans to do just that at Watermark Books and Cafe on Saturday with a performance held in conjunction with his book “Zar and the Broken Spaceship.”
The children’s picture book is about friends who make friends with a three-eyed alien named Zar who needs help fixing his broken spaceship. It evolved from a story O’Dell used in his performances.
O’Dell previously taught elementary school music and drama and was a folk and reggae musician. Now he uses his knowledge of children’s development to help educate through performances.
“They key to it all is really the music,” said O’Dell, who is based in Fairway. “The music has that magical component that engages our mind and helps us remember things.”
O’Dell makes his performances interactive and gets his target group — ages 2 through 8 — singing, clapping, moving and even doing some mental math.
“The information becomes sticky because there’s more brain cells now connected to the melody, connected to the lyrics because they were jumping while they were learning it, because they were doing dances while they were learning it,” he said. “As silly as it sounds, it makes learning a lot more fun.”
O’Dell has worked with local librarians in the past and last visited Wichita for a performance at Magdalen Catholic School.
Wichitan Amy McEachern, a mother of three children, helped arrange the Magdalen assembly and has been a Dino O’Dell fan for several years. She and her kids also have seen him perform in libraries and at a music festival.
“He’s been fabulous in every venue,” she said. “He cares about kids, and that shines through in his shows. .. They’re fun songs, but they’re learning stuff, too.”
O’Dell says his Watermark performance will last 30 minutes and will be followed by a book signing.
“It’s going to be a blast,” he said. “We try to get a lot of energy out.”
If You Go
Dino O’Dell Musical Storytime
What: The storyteller and musician will perform for kids ages 2-8 and sign books.
When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday
Where: Watermark Books and Cafe, 4701 E. Douglas, 316-682-1181
Admission: Free
Four other family-friendly activities this weekend
▪ Fear Buster Challenge: Confront common fears with special activities tied to its Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear exhibit, which closes Monday.10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd. $9.50 for adults; $6 for ages 3-11; free for ages 2 and under. www.exploration.org
▪ McCormick School Museum: View an 1890s classroom in the oldest elementary school in Wichita. The museum also includes a science room and archives from USD 259 that date from 1873. Other highlights include videos of high school events from the 1930s and audio recordings of middle and high school bands. 2-5 p.m. Sunday 855 S. Martinson. Free. http://mccormick.usd259.org. 316-841-6198
▪ Watson Park: There’s lots to do at Watson Park, including a train ride, ponies, pedal boats and mini golf. Noon-8 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday; park hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 3022 S. McLean Blvd. Free; activities are $2 or $3. 316-529-9940
▪ YMCA Waterparks: How about one last splash of summer? 1-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 1-4:30 p.m. Monday; Andover, North, Northwest and South YMCAs; Free for members; $10 for individuals or $18 for families
This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 11:43 AM.