Spring Break Inspo

BY ERIN PAGE. PHOTOS PROVIDED. Spring Break Family Fun

THE NATIVE AMERICAN VILLAGE IN LIICHOKOSHKOMO’!

Sneak a peek at Liichokoshkomo’! The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s new multimillion dollar indoor-outdoor educational experience opens later this month, but families are invited for a sneak peek with special activities each day March 14 through 20. From sampling traditional foods of the American West and climbing on the new playground equipment to watching Native dance demonstrations and planting wildflower seeds, activities celebrate and invite families to explore Liichokoshkomo’!, a space intended for hands-on fun. Located in the museum’s backyard, Liichokoshkomo’! (pronounced Lee-cho-kosh-ko-MO) is a Choctaw phrase meaning “Let’s play!,” and that’s exactly what children and families are invited to do in the 2.3 acre interactive opportunity to learn multicultural Western history and heritage. Imaginations will soar in the replica tent city for railway workers, a railcar, train depot and pioneer wagon as kids stretch their critical thinking skills to consider what they would haul West. A Native American village will feature homes of seven tribes, including a Pawnee earth lodge, a Kiowa teepee and Pueblo cliff dwellings. “This gives little ones a place to touch and climb on things and get their wiggles out, a place all their own to explore,” said Gina Anderson, communications strategist for the museum. For more information about sneak peek activities and Liichokoshkomo’!, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Enjoy Free Family Day at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art Kick off your Spring Break week with SONIC Free Family Day at the OKCMOA on Sunday, March 15. From 12 to 5 p.m., families will enjoy free admission to the museum’s exhibitions, plus the opportunity to create one-of-a-kind art in the museum’s studio. Don’t miss kid-friendly stops throughout the galleries, like Portrait Corner and a treasure hunt for tiny Italian cherubs in the Oklahoma Persian Ceiling. Thanks to the Downtown Library, sign up for library cards and check out books from a pop-up library, plus enjoy family-friendly film screenings. Be sure to stop by MetroFamily’s booth to design your own crown! For more information, visit okcmoa.com.

OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY’S NEW SPACE WILL TRIPLE ARTS PROGRAMS AND CLASS OFFERINGS FOR ALL AGES.

Oklahoma Contemporary expands reach with new space For nearly 30 years, Oklahoma Contemporary has been inspiring imaginations, creativity and a love of the arts. This month, the nonprofit organization opens its much-anticipated, multi-million dollar new building, tripling program and class offerings for audiences of all ages and continuing to offer admission to the exhibitions and much of the new public programming for free. The new space at 11th Street and Broadway Avenue opens to the public Friday, March 13, with family-friendly activities planned that weekend and into Spring Break. Going forward, every Friday afternoon tiny tots can explore the Zero2Four Art Lab, full of art materials, books and interactive stations designed to spark curiosity about the arts. Thursday late nights will offer enhanced programming like performances, artist talks, DJs and poetry readings. Starting again in April, Oklahoma Contemporary hosts free monthly family-focused programs every second Saturday with hands-on art making, performances and gallery adventures for visitors of all ages. School group visits, facilitated by gallery guides, are free for grades 3 through 12 with the option to add interactive studio activities. “We’ll have a deeper well of classes than ever before,” said Lori Brooks, director of communications for Oklahoma Contemporary. “We’ve done a lot of research to figure out what Oklahoma City wanted, and we’re making sure to provide that in terms of education.” Find out more about these programs, plus Camp Contemporary coming this summer and year-round Studio School for teens and adults, at oklahomacontemporary.org.

What’s for Dinner? Making meal prep a family affair BY KIM BILGER PHOTOS BY ERIN PAGE

If your kitchen is like mine, there is a pile of pending documents, a toy (or two) on the counter awaiting mom repair and sticky spots on the floor. Some nights, the idea of pulling a meal together in my kitchen feels daunting, and including the kids seems impossible. But my nutrition idol Ellyn Satter said it best: “When the joy goes out of eating, nutrition suffers,” and part of our family’s joy is including our kids in cooking. Here’s how we make it work for our family of five.

Involve kids at their level I choose recipes according to my kids’ ages and attention spans. My youngest (age 4) is happy dumping in an ingredient and then running off to play. My middle (age 6) loves to smell the ingredients, each exposure another food experience to log in his palate. My oldest (age 9) perfects her egg-cracking abilities using a small bowl so we can fish out any shells. Using kid cookbooks and a monthly kid cooking subscription have helped improve acceptance of new foods.

Stay the course I know the frustration of preparing a healthy meal only to have it rejected by my beloveds. Don’t stop trying! It can take 10 to 15 times of trying a new food before a child will accept it. When I’m serving a new food or something not wildly popular with my crowd, I soften the blow by making sure there is a secondary dish they do like or letting them decide which vegetable to serve.

Share the science My kids are fortunate to have a dad with a green thumb (because I do not), and he includes them in the prep, planting and harvest of our garden. Not many cherry tomatoes or sugar snap peas made it into the house one summer because the kids were snacking on them while playing in the backyard! As a dietitian, I hope telling my kids about the good stuff in food carries some weight to making healthy choices. We make it fun, too! My kids pretend to be giants eating trees when we have broccoli and show off biceps after a dose of protein. We talk with our oldest two about how their choice of fuel impacts their energy levels when playing baseball or soccer. Research shows that family mealtimes benefit children in their self-esteem, and mine certainly take pride in helping prepare the food being served. Whatever method of including your kids fits your family’s style, go for it! Editor’s note: This is the third article in a three-part series exploring ideas for cooking as a family. Kim Bilger, MPH, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian with a passion for helping people optimize their nutritional health. She lives in Edmond with her husband and three kids who appreciate her love of baking but not always her love of vegetables.

Customizable Pizza Cups

Yield: 16 Time: 15 minutes prep 10-12 minutes cooking 1 thin crust refrigerated pizza dough 8 oz can tomato sauce ½ tsp garlic powder 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning (or a combo of some basil, oregano and parsley) Shredded mozzarella Toppings of choice Mix garlic powder and Italian seasoning into tomato sauce. Chop toppings as needed and set aside. Unroll pizza dough onto countertop and cut rectangle into 16 pieces with a butter knife (so kids can help with this part!) Gently press each square into a greased cupcake pan, pinching a little of the dough together as needed to make sure the entire bottom of each cup is covered with the dough. Add 1-2 teaspoons of tomato sauce, followed by 1 tablespoon of toppings and 1-2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella. The cup can be heaping a little as it will cook down. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and the edges of the crust are lightly browned. Run a butter knife around each one to loosen from the pan and enjoy! For Kim’s gluten-free and dessert options, visit metrofamilymagazine.com/whats-fordinner-pizza-cups.