Wee Weekend

Wee Weekend returns to the Saint Louis Art Museum on Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21, with sessions running from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. both days. It's the museum's program for its youngest visitors, and the name tells you exactly who it's for: preschoolers and their caregivers. The sessions are recommended for kids ages 3 to 5, so if you've got a little one in that range, this is one of those mornings where you can just show up and let them be kids in a space that's usually meant for quiet walking.

Across the sessions, the kids work their way through a few different activities: play, storytelling, museum walks, and art making. The museum describes it as a way for them to learn, play, explore, and grow, and the different parts of the program give them a few different ways to interact with art and with each other. The museum walks get them moving through the galleries, the storytelling puts a narrative around what they're seeing, and the art making lets them actually create something themselves. It's a mix of looking and doing, so it doesn't just stay in one mode for the whole ninety minutes.

Because it's built for preschoolers, the focus is on discovery rather than a formal lesson. The storytelling and the walks are designed to help them notice things they might otherwise miss, and the art making gives them a chance to respond to what they've seen. It's a good way to introduce a young child to a museum without the pressure of keeping them perfectly still or quiet—the whole thing is built around the way kids that age actually learn, which is by doing.

Both sessions run from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21, so you can pick the morning that works best for your schedule. Admission is free, but you do need to register in advance at slam.org.