Low-Cost Ways to Stimulate Child’s Interest in Learning

I suspect that a lot of parents would engage in activities that help their children get the most out of school if they knew where to go or how to make it fit their budgets.

There are three areas in which I think outside activities can most enrich schooling (and life): art, music and literature. Here are some of my favorite options for Westside parents.

MUSIC: For a free taste of classical, jazz and other kinds of music, try the Concerts in the Park series, sponsored by the Brentwood Town Council. There’s a concert one Sunday a month, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the Veterans Administration Medical Center grounds. Call Joy Dell at (310) 281-3164 for details.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art also sponsors a free chamber music concert every Sunday at 4 p.m. near its main entrance on Wilshire Boulevard. Call (213) 485-7219 for more information.

The Palisades Symphony Orchestra offers children an excellent opportunity to enjoy choral, operatic and instrumental music. The orchestra gives concerts about every two months on Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Call Eva Holberg at (310) 454-8040 for concert dates.

ART: Learning about art is easy around here. The Westside Arts Center in Santa Monica, for example, allows kids and parents alike to exercise their creativity through free workshops, held one or two Saturdays a month.

Each event has a specific theme (“fish art” on Sept. 12), and all materials are provided free.

Children and parents can make a project together or separately. And yes, you get to take your masterpiece home afterward. Call (310) 395-1443 to find out more.

Pablo’s Framing in Marina del Rey isn’t your typical picture-framing store. It also houses unusual, ever-changing exhibits and its staff is happy to explain the framing process to visitors. Call Maria at (310) 822-9963 for store hours.

For a more encompassing excursion into the art world, try an “art walk” on Main Street in Santa Monica.

Park at a meter near Ashland, then walk north along the west side of Main Street.

Stop in at Planet Art (2814 Main St.), Z Gallerie (2710) and B-1 Gallery (2730).

Then cross the street to see a couple of my favorites. The Workshop (2651) is fascinating because a group of local artists actually create their work there.

Visit the front gallery, then look in the back room. The artists usually will talk to visitors when they’re not too busy.

A few yards away, the Q Gallery (2665) is showing a great collection of giant paintings of horses. There’s also a collection of brightly painted clay masks.

Nearby, the Santa Monica Trading Co. (2705) will give your child a pictorial trip through U.S. history with its vintage editions of popular magazines for adults and kids. Some issues go back to the 1870s.

Take a different approach to history with a visit to Raintree Antique Co. (2711), which houses Tiffany lamps, antique phones, model airplanes, jewelry, toys and business signs. It also has a lot of colorful books on antiques and nostalgia.

Or you can take an art walk through the dozen or so art galleries on Colorado Avenue.

Park free on 10th Street or another side street. Start at the Walter Gallery on the corner of 10th and Colorado. On either side you’ll also find the Roy Boyd, Tatistcheff, Sylvia White and Bolitzer/Gray galleries.

Walk a block west to the Dorothy Goldeen Gallery, then cross to the south side of Colorado where you’ll find another complex of galleries.

LITERATURE: A trek along Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade is one of the best ways I know of to enrich your child’s study of books.

You can park at a meter in one of the parking structures on Second or Fourth Street, or for free in the structure on Broadway at the south end of the Promenade.

Start at Eric Chaim Kline Bookseller (1349 Third St.) for a look at new and used classics and probably the area’s largest collection of works in Hebrew.

Walk north to Arcana (1229) to find a large collection of books about architecture, photography and art from all eras and nations.

Cross the Promenade to visit Bayside Books (1234). They’ve got new and used books on a variety of general topics.

Visit Hennessey & Ingalls (1254) for new, used and collectible editions about art and architecture.

Next you’ll spot Midnight Special (1318)--my favorite. They’ve got a book on almost every subject that your child might be curious about. They also have an extensive children’s section and collection of books in Spanish.

Midnight Special also has free literary events for kids, so pick up a schedule on the way out.