Fairy Tale Mesa a Wonderland
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| Young girl studies a nautical theme play area. Photo by Nelvin C. Cepeda, San Diego Union-Tribune | ||
A new child-development area at the Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa branch library is drawing rave reviews from young patrons. The exhibit, entitled Fairy Tale Mesa, uses art, exploration and play to teach early learning skills for youngsters up to five years old.
A recent San Diego Union-Tribune article detailed the outdoor $450,000 exhibit, which was funded by First 5 San Diego and was developed in partnership with the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
The installation, covering most of the outdoor area behind the library, has nature-themed play stations and structures designed to encourage young children and their parents to interact imaginatively to learn about art, music and the natural world. Children interact with numbers, shapes, patterns and letters to build the foundation for reading. A series of environments focus on nature and the natural features in the Serra Mesa/Kearny Mesa area. Local residents provided input on the display and design artists incorporated a vernal pool with fairy shrimp into the installation along with other nature concepts.
