This post is sponsored by GapKids. Check out all the fun Shine On activities at your nearest Gap store. For event dates and locations, visit Gap’s Facebook page and join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #ShineOn.
Last Saturday, as promised, I took my kids to the first of the GapKids Shine On Saturday events here in Chicago. We arrived at the Lincoln Park GapKids store — very near where my husband and I lived when we first moved to Chicago — shortly after it opened with two kids who were excited to do an art project. The friendly staff had everything prepped and ready. Tables and chairs were set up with paints and brushes. The kids were each allowed to select a canvas to paint. The canvases had sections marked off with tape — each one was a little bit different — to create fun, graphic patterns. The kids could paint each section a different color or create a repeating pattern — it was really up to the artist. Zuzu and JR quickly sat down and got to work. Soon, other families began arriving as well. There were kids ranging in age from 3 to probably 9 or 10, all earnestly working on their canvases. It’s rare to see an art project that works so well for such a wide range of ages, but this one did.
Zuzu and JR working on their masterpieces at the GapKids Shine On event. Notice Zuzu’s artist’s beret.
In my kids’ case, JR picked a canvas that had a few large sections to paint and Zuzu picked one with many small sections. That worked out well because JR could go big and bold while Zuzu could be very careful and deliberate with her brush strokes. Of course, that meant that JR was finished long before Zuzu. But that’s pretty much par for the course around here.
While the kids were happily painting I took advantage of the fact that we were at a GapKids to pick up a baby present for a set of expectant parents that we know and JR was actually excited to help me pick out some baby clothes. (He also scored some new socks for himself.) We also found an adorable present for the toddler son of out-of-town friends who we are visiting this coming weekend: some soft navy pants and a matching orange plaid shirt. I just love the preppy GapKids styles for boys this fall.
There are two more Shine On Saturday events at Chicago-area GapKids stores, one this Saturday and one the following Saturday. We had a great time at the event we attended and I heartily recommend it. Get some of your kids back-to-school shopping done while they enjoy a fun, free art project. It’s definitely a win-win! Here is the information for the two remaining Chicago-area events:
- Saturday, August 18 10am-1pm GapKids at Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie
- Saturday, August 25 10am-1pm GapKids at Oakbrook Shopping Center in Oak Brook
Canvases waiting to dry.
And remember, there are several other cities hosting Shine On Saturday events, including Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington DC and Toronto. So if you live in any of those cities, check the Shine On link at the top of this post to find out the hours and locations of the remaining events in your area.
Full disclosure time: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. This is a sponsored post for which I will receive compensation.
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