Children’s Museum of Arts in Lower Manhattan for Budding Artists in Training

Want to nurture your child’s inner Picasso, then head to The Children’s Museum of the Arts located at  103 Charlton Street in Soho.  The Children’s Museum of Arts has been open  in it’s new space since late 2011 and  now boasts  an amazing  10,000 square foot  of space.  From the  the cool art  in the art gallery like the Sea Goddess by Swoon or the life-size statue of  artist Moondog  to the unique activities that are  sure to engage your child to paint, sculpt and just plain create their very own art works, you will happy to have made the visit.

What makes the Children’s Museum of the Arts unique are the various activities that will have you coming back again and again. From the Ball Room that will keep them moving around to The Clay Bar where kids can step up to the bar and  sculpt their very own clay pieces to the Media Lab where budding filmmakers can create their own multimedia project, there are some many activities.

Here are some of the activities at the Children’s Museum of Arts:

Fine Art Studio and WEE Arts Studio – Depending on your child’s age, there are two art studios aimed activities based on age. The WEE Arts Studio programming activities is geared towards ages 1-5 while the Fine Art Studio is for older kids.

The Clay Bar – Kids sit on stools at bar like table, and enjoy playing with clay and mold pieces to their heart’s content. Kids sit on “bar stool children have a fully stocked clay bar that’s always open, where they can pull up a stool to becoming famous film directors.

The Quiet Room – This is a small space in which kids can enter and play. I don’t think that kids are actually sitting in quietness as it the name indicates but just love going in and being by themselves. This room is definitely for older kids who can more than entertain themselves with their own brand of creative play.

The Ball Room – I do not know of any toddler or grade school child who doesn’t love the Ball Room. What is fantatasitc about the Ball Room is that entrance times are by age groups so the wee ones don’t have to worry about being trampled by the older kids.

The Media Lab – Do you have a budding filmmaker or musician then the Media Lab is for them. Kids work with artists in residence to creat e a mini-film or other multi-media projects.

The Groove Tube – The Groove Tube is located on the second floor near the Ball Room providing kids with a curated music at 10 private listening stations. This is fantastic way to introduce kids to all types of music from the 60s to World Music and more.

Be forewarned that the museum does not have a cafe or there is only a Pret A Manger one block up if you happened to time your visit during lunch.

Location: 103 Charlton Street
Information: cmany.org or 212-274-0986
Admission to the museum is $10, FREE  for infants (0-12 months), seniors and CMA members.