Brava

March 2013

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from our staff ��� ��� We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play. Charles Schaefer Play With Abandon When was the last time you went to a park and took a trip down a slide, sat in a swing and tried to see how high you ���y, or played a good game of whi���e ball? All too often, adulthood comes with the mindset that we are too old to play. And that just isn���t so. Since we���re celebrating our annual Madison Kids Expo this month���March 16 and 17���we thought it would be great fun to take photos with our kiddos at the Madison Children���s Museum. Thanks to our friends at the museum, we had a blast taking photos while it was closed, and the kids were wide-eyed with excitement about having the space all to themselves. As we watched them run from exhibit to exhibit, exploring, playing and learning, it dawned on us how precious this time is. In our worlds, where we���re often rushing home from work to get dinner on the table before we run the kids to their activities, it was so refreshing to have the kids play on nobody else���s schedule and be completely in the moment. The experience also gave us pause as we pondered how often we as adults get so busy with life, that we don���t make the time to frolic aimlessly, invent a new game or just be silly with those around us. Yet, play is something that is as important to an adult���s wellbeing as it is for that of a child. The National Institute for Play reports making time for play can dramatically transform our personal health, our relationships, our time with our children, and our capacity to innovate on the job. As the Madison Kids Expo comes to the Alliant Energy Center, it marks the perfect opportunity for families to come out and play together. The hands-on interactive fun will keep young and old alike entertained for an entire day���maybe even two. This year the expo offers plenty of opportunities for everyone to connect with their inner child. You can tire yourself out on an obstacle course and learn about the new Mud Run for kids. You���ll experience a natural thrill as you visit with Noelle Tarrant and meet her Zoozort animal friends. You also won���t want to miss the Celebrating Youth! stage where local children���s performance groups will be putting on shows all weekend long. And while we cannot partake in the bouncy houses (can you just remember how much fun it is to jump in those!) we���re sure the kids will be begging for a turn jumping inside. So grab your kids, or maybe your grandkids, nieces and nephews, and come out to the Kids Expo and re-learn how to play with the wide���eyed abandon of a child. Then, take that feeling and apply it to whatever play means to you���breathe it in and enjoy! Michelle Reddington Publisher Ronnie Garrett Editor-in-Chief Behind the Scenes at BRAVA: A walk on the wild side Each month brings new opportunities for BRAVA���s editorial staff to meet truly amazing Madisonians, but editorial intern Kelsey Bewick���s recent encounter with Noelle Tarrant (See Live in the Moment, p.11) was a uniquely wild one. Says Bewick, ���From the moment I stepped through her front door��� and after letting her fennec fox, Tallulah, sniff my 8 BRAVA Magazine March 2013 belongings���Tarrant used every opportunity she could to teach me something. Whether she was explaining the animal skulls displayed throughout her home, encouraging me to pet a kinkajou���s soft dense fur or guiding me as I held a wallaby, my interview with Tarrant was one-of-a-kind and so much fun!���

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