Here’s a free and fun program for teens who want to explore their creative side. Curio Theatre Company is currently recruiting new students to their award winning program, CuriosiTeens.

This program is the perfect opportunity to discover your passion for the arts. Teens ages 13 to 18 are invited to come hang out with Curio Theatre folks on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and make unforgettable memories. The first session is this Saturday, Dec. 16.

If you are interested to join the program please call at 215-921-8243 to learn more.

Curio Theatre is located at 4740 Baltimore Avenue at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community.

For more information about Curio Theatre Company and it events and programs, visit: http://www.curiotheatre.org.

(Photo courtesy of Curio Theatre)

UPDATE (11/30/2023): Curio is inviting kids to their dress rehearsal on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. FREE of charge. Please call 215-921-8243 for reservations as space is limited. The show lasts approximately one hour including the immersive “Fab Lab” portion. All children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Also, please note that there will be photos taken for social media. 

Next month, Curio Theatre Company will present something unusual and innovative. Families are invited to take part in the  immersive theatre program –  Makerspace. The first play in this new program, Jack and the Beanstalk, will stage December 9-30, with previews taking place December 6, 7 and 8.

Here’s how it works:

Children who arrive to see a performance will have the opportunity to “make theatre” – create props, set pieces and voice recordings. They will even color a large cow on wheels! All these things will then be part of the show. Curio Theatre Company believes that “all children benefit not from just watching plays, but from making art.”

This event is fun for the whole family and people of all ages (3 to 99) are invited.

The play is written by Paul Kuhn and directed by Mya Flood. Performances begin at 2 p.m. except for the preview shows (6:30 p.m.)

Tickets are $15-$20 for adults and $10-$15 for children. Curio Theatre is located at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community (48th and Baltimore). For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Winter holidays are approaching fast, and residents have a chance to make them brighter for local kids by donating toys. One of local holiday toy drives is being hosted by the Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District). There are two ways to donate:

First, toys can be purchased online from one of these toy registries: https://bit.ly/3rdDriveTarget or https://bit.ly/3rdDriveAmazon.

New, unwrapped toys can also be dropped off at the 3rd District Office at 606 S. 52nd Street on Mondays-Thursdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Donations are accepted until Dec. 14. Toy giveaway will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16 from 12-3 p.m.

See the flyer for more details.

Stay tuned for information on more holiday drives in West Philly.

The Halloween candy contest results are in and the most popular treat among West Philly kids is… not Reese’s! Read on to find out what it is.

Penn students involved with the Halloween Data Project went to the Spruce Hill Halloween Tot parade and hung around during the trick-or-treating festivities and were able to record lots of creative costumes and kids’ opinions (266 in total!) on their favorite candy and least favorite candy. The students compiled all of their data into an interactive dashboard for kids and parents to see all the different answers in the community: West Philly Candy Dashboard (Panbo App was used to create it).

To personalize the dashboard for West Philly, the students created digital drawings, a mascot named Panbo that explains the data, and a thank you note at the very end that names every individual costume they saw. The dashboard itself presents the data collected in many different ways: a cluster map with each individual response, bar graphs showing the rankings of the candy, and interactive pie charts that help you see correlations between certain costumes and their favorite form and flavor of candy.

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Come Tuesday, hundreds of costumed tots and their parents or guardians will descend upon West Philly streets for trick-or-treating. Neighbors usually buy a lot of sweet treats to give away but do they always buy the “right” sweets?

As you may have noticed, many kids are very selective about what kind of candy they want. This Halloween, a group of University of Pennsylvania students will be conducting a Halloween Data Project, trying to identify the most popular candy for West Philly kids.

“The general plan is to walk around on Tuesday during trick or treat, get permission from parents/guardians first and then ask kids their favorite candy,” writes Ethan Markwalter, a senior at Penn studying statistics. “We were also thinking about noting their costume too. For example, that way we know Batman likes snickers.”

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Get your spooky/funny/cute costumes ready for the annual Spruce Hill “Tot” Halloween Parade! The great neighborhood tradition returns Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Gathering begins at 4 p.m. at 45th and Larchwood, and the parade kicks off at 4:30. The parade ends at 42nd and Osage where party-goers are invited to get treats, like cider and baked goods, from “Little Osage” neighbors and local businesses.

Every year, hundreds of costumed tots (ages 6 and under) and their parents or guardians participate in the parade organized by the Spruce Hill Community Association. This is a fun and family-friendly event for the local community with plenty of trick-or-treating possibilities in the neighborhood!

For more October events, check out this post.