A Fairy Mystery with Fable & Lark at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

As the girls get bigger (and bigger.... sniffle), I'm enjoying mixing my interests with theirs and seeing what develops. As an example, we planned an afternoon at The Met early in the summer. Yes, they love to CREATE art, but would they want to STARE at art for a couple hours... if I was lucky?

Much to my surprise, our artistic venture was a success! Not only did they love it, they asked when we could go back. And if I could wager a guess why, I think it's because we brought paper and pencils with us, and I told them they could stop and sketch anything they liked. Yes, the drawing was fun, but I think what they really enjoyed was taking ownership over which pieces to sketch. The surprise benefit was their interest in each piece they chose, so we made sure to read the description and talk about the artist as we made our way through the museum. Truth be told, I was ready to leave before they were!

In one afternoon I discovered what an accessible museum The Met really is for children, and that was just us meandering around on our own. I confirmed it a few weeks later when we went back for a special "fairy mystery" tour with Fable & Lark.

Have you heard of this tour company? Conceived and operated by Evan Levy, a former Met employee herself, the guided tours open the museum up to a world of possibilities for children. The girls and I joined Evan for a tour of "After Ever After: A Children's Adventure," discovering parts of the museum I didn't know existed, while unlocking clues to a fairy tale-themed mystery (and learning cool facts along the way).

Zig zagging our way through The Met, we listened to riddles, searched for characters in paintings, sketched a magic carpet and made a wish in a wishing well. So much fun! If you're interested in an interactive way to experience art with your children, this is a really special way to do it.

Fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson will love some of Fable & Lark's other tour themes, which are inspired by these ultra famous tales. Between our early summer visit and our tour with Fable & Lark, my girls now have an appreciation for The Met and its treasures that they didn't have before -- one I hope will only grow with time (even if they insist on getting bigger).

Check out the Fable & Lark website for more info - they also do birthday parties and are a great idea for out of town guests. And for ways to visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art (and other museums and cultural institutions) around the city for FREE, check out Culture Pass.

All photography (except first photo) is by Janette Pellegrini. 

Disclosure: Our Fable & Lark admission fee was complimentary in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.