By Deborah Work
When the Trinity Lutheran School first-graders caught sight of the oversized musical swing set, they raced across the downtown West Palm Beach lot, seized the brightly colored seats and clambered on. The higher they flew, the more peals of laughter and melodic notes filled the air.
"Look how high we're going," sang out 6-year-old Charlotte Woolley, sharing a green swing with classmate Maddie Rocha, also 6. "And listen! I hear a piano!"
The
Musical Swings, a large musical installation on Clematis Street surrounded by
vivid murals, was the first stop on the school's recent Three Senses Field
Trip. It was created for the young Delray Beach students by Lori Durante as
part of her Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County.
Durante's
tours combine food tastings at bakeries and eateries, with visits to cultural
and historical districts. For these youngsters, she combined The Musical Swings
and then cannoli-making at Palermo's Bakery in Boynton Beach. Her Three Senses
Field Trip touched on the sense of sound, as well as sight and taste.
"Visiting
The Musical Swings is a vibrant and enlightening experience for the
first-graders," said Executive Tour Director Durante, who incorporated
local history, music, mural art and even a gravity lesson in the day trip.
"It's a thinking-outside-the-box field trip."
Created by
the Montreal-based studio Daily tous les jours, the traveling installation made
its first U.S. tour stop on Clematis Street. The swings have since moved on to
Detroit.
Durante
and West Palm Beach's Art in Public Places Program director Sybille Welter held
the students' attention as they described how the swing responds to motion with
music. Each swing emits the notes of a guitar, a piano, a vibraphone or a harp.
"The
higher you go, you'll hear all the musical notes," Welter said. "And
if you swing together and collaborate, you can make beautiful harmony
together."
Delray
Beach parent Tiffany Woolley agreed that the swinging session was therapeutic
for everyone.
"It's
so peaceful, so artistic," she said. "To feel it and hear it is to
believe it."
Jagger
Jaspert, 7, said he had been looking forward to the musical swings and was not
disappointed.
"I
thought it was going to be like a regular playground, so when I saw this…wow! I
just had to get on a swing immediately," he said. "And then I heard
the sounds and it's like peace music. I'm amazed."
Then it
was on to Palermo's Bakery, where a lesson in cannoli-making awaited. The
first-graders donned handmade tall, white chef's hats and even brought one for
bakery owner Anna Orlando.
Palermo's
Bakery, part of Durante's Taste History's Bakery Trail, was established more
than 125 years ago in Sicily, Italy. It's still family-owned and operated by
the Palermo-Orlando family.
While
Orlando led the students in filling cannoli pastry shells, Durante held up
cards reinforcing vocabulary words: Cannoli. Italy. Sicily.
"Food
is an essential part of our lives," said Orlando, demonstrating the
creation of her homemade ricotta cheese.
Mother
Elle Jaspert agreed: "It's a wonderful learning experience outside of the
classroom. But the best part? It's delicious."
Copyright © 2016, Sun Sentinel
More News about Three Senses Field Trip to Musical Swings:
South Florida Parenting Magazine
The Coastal Star
The Sun-Sentinel
Facebook Album
The non-profit Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County, Florida has been designated one of the official community event partners for the State of Florida’s Viva Florida initiative.
The tour program includes bus riding and 4 to 6 blocks of walking. The mission of the tour includes incorporating education about food culture and food history with the food tastings thus dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated.
Taste History is sponsored, in part, by Macy’s. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Additional support for Taste History has been received from Kingston Fresh, Carl and Iris Apfel; and bequests from the late Patricia Ann Ravo and the late Boris & Edith Rueger.
For more information, call 561-243-2662 or 561-638-8277. Email tour@tastehistoryculinarytours.org
- Offered year-round
- Held on the first, second, third and fourth Saturdays at 11am
- At least 3 to 4 locally owned and family owned bakeries and eateries are visited for food tasting. Some cuisines may be culturally-specific. Most food portions are hearty.
- Cultural centers or emerging art and craft shops are visited
- Tour travels through historic neighborhoods, downtowns, main streets and off the beaten path.
- Bus riding and 4 to 6 blocks of walking
- Some eating experiences are standing-only.
- Tour is at least 3 to 4 hours
- Food and Florida history are narrated by a guide
- To maintain an element of surprise, each tour is different and never an exact duplication of any previous tour hosted.
- Private group tours are also available during the weekday
- Pre-payment is required. Fees are inclusive
- Tour takes place Rain or Shine.
- Dietary Restrictions Cannot be Accommodated. Click here to read about types of foods served on the tour.
- Taste History is a food tasting tour, with art and history combined, and although there is some sitting it's not a sit-down luncheon but many of the food portions are hearty and most people are full by the end of the tour.
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2016 Taste History Dates:
Saturday, January 9, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, January 16, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, February 6, 2016 - West Palm Beach/Lake Worth
Saturday, February 13, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, February 20, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, February 27, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, March 12, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, March 19, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, April 9, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana (Saturday, April 9th is Sold-Out)
Saturday, April 16, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, April 23, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, May 7, 2016 - West Palm Beach/Lake Worth
Saturday, May 14, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, May 21, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, May 28, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, June 4, 2016 - West Palm Beach/Lake Worth
Saturday, June 11, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, June 18, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, June 25, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, July 9, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, July 16, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton
Saturday, July 23, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, August 6, 2015 - West Palm Beach/Lake Worth
Saturday, August 13, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, August 20, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, August 27, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, September 10, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, September 17, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, September 24, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, October 1, 2016 - West Palm Beach/Lake Worth
Saturday, October 8, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, October 15, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, October 22, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, November 5, 2016 - West Palm Beach/Lake Worth
Saturday, November 12, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, November 19, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, November 26, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, December 3, 2016 - West Palm Beach/Lake Worth
Saturday, December 10, 2016 - Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, December 17, 2016 - Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Tuesday, December 27, 2016 - Special Holiday Tour to Lake Worth & Lantana
Tuesday, December 27, 2016 - Special Holiday Tour to Lake Worth & Lantana
