best of minnesota

Local app for kids: X is for X-Ray

Friday May 11, 2012

Minneapolis photographer Mike Levad of Twin Birch Studios contributed to this interactive book for iPad, published by London's Touch Press on Apple's iTunes store. It comes with an app that shows (and explains) 26 everyday objects, in alphabetical order, that can be rotated, enlarged and transformed with a swipe of the finger. But here's the coolest part: swipe down, and the photo turns into an X-ray view of the object's innards -- clock springs, the bones inside a child's hand, the layers of an onion.

• touchpress.com/titles/xray

Kids' menu: Shish

Friday May 11, 2012

Drive by and you will probably miss it, but this small Mediterranean restaurant is worth seeking out for its grown-up menu with kid-friendly choices. If you crave a kebab but your child can't get past the chicken nuggets, you're covered. But Shish also offers kid-sized versions of its outstanding chicken schwarma and a tasty pita pizza -- plus you can always bond with your baby over a shared Maza Mix.

• 1668 Grand Av., St. Paul
• 651-690-2212
• shishongrand.com

Runner-up: Brasa

Weekend treat for kids: In the Heart of the Beast

Friday May 11, 2012

There are puppets, and then there are Heart of the Beast puppets. Inside an art deco former movie theater on Lake Street in Minneapolis, water, flour, newspaper and paint create gorgeous, haunting fantasy worlds populated by strange creatures, all of whom have a tale to tell. On Saturday mornings from October to March, take the little ones to a free puppet show, followed by hands-on make-and-take puppet workshops, based on that day's performance.

• 1500 E. Lake St., Mpls.
• 612-721-2535
• hobt.org

Family vacation: Camp du Nord

Friday May 11, 2012

Families have been flocking to du Nord for more than 50 years, and many parents who take their kids there went when they were kids. It's that kind of place. Paddle across the lake, and you are in the BWCA; stay shoreside, and you are in a genuine slice of Minnesota paradise. You'll drive home singing the campfire songs, and when you get back, you'll find yourself planning which family you want to share the experience with next year.

• 3606 North Arm Rd., Ely
• 651-645-6605
• dunord.org

Art experience for kids: Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Tuesday May 1, 2012

At the MIA, free family days are held one Sunday every month. They include live music in the galleries and participatory dance performances as well as art activities inspired by paintings and sculpture found throughout the galleries. A Spanish festival this spring featured flamenco dancers, guitar music and art-making sparked by Goya prints, Picasso paintings and a Salvador Dali telephone shaped like a lobster.

• 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls.
• 612-870-3131
• artsmia.org