The Library wanted to find a way to meet the learning needs of children aged 0-5. We were looking for hands-on activities geared to each developmental stage to inspire imagination and exploration, and simultaneously be enjoyable for the children and their parents. In addition to offering books and manipulatives inside the library (the manipulatives made possible by the First Five Commission donation) to enhance the experience, we wanted to extend the experience with outdoor and take-home activities. We were looking for an experience that could be different with each visit.

In conjunction with First 5 San Diego and the Commission for Arts and Culture, the Library’s educational art exhibit, “Fairy Tail Mesa,” offers children and parents hands-on activities to create a unique relationship with the Library. As you enter the exhibit, you can choose activity sheets for different developmental stages to help guide you through the experience. By building with blocks of all sizes, children are not only turning their imagination into reality, but they are also learning cause and effect and even geometry. Chalk and stencils are available for children to expand their world by making one of their own. Imagine an entire boat/whale made out of music! Stimulating a child’s senses through music provides the skill sets for early math, and allows them to express physical and emotional responses. The boat/whale can serve as a drum, xylophone, or other rhythmic instrument using plastic or rubber mallets. There are two kaleidoscopes, a microscope, and a telescope available for exploring the open space next to the Library; or representations of local flowers, dragonflies, and even airplanes drawn into the pedestals of the scopes. There is an area for digging in a “vernal pool” (filled with playground safe material) to find hidden treasures which are embedded in the concrete (or perhaps plastic fish left behind by the previous child!). Each child will experience wonder and awe when he or she finds a treasure under the sea. The “Terran Sea” is another place to find hidden treasures or to just sit and relax with a book. The exhibit ends with a “narwhal/upturned boat” covered in vines, on a grassy hill suitable for a quiet lunch or reading time. When it’s time to leave, families can use the Library’s annotated bibliography to check out books related to the concepts they experienced, and they can also check-out a backpack full of activities which will extend the experience of Fairy Tail Mesa at home.

Fairy Tail Mesa has been a tremendous success and is enjoyed by entire families! We have found that people who visit the exhibit want to return. It has been a great way to garner interest in the local environment by sparking interest in our real vernal pools full of fairy shrimp and our airport just across the street from the Library. Parents have commented on the excellent learning materials provided in the backpacks. Fairy Tail Mesa was featured in a recent article in the San Diego Union Tribune.