Art&Seek Jr. is one mom‘s quest to find activities to end the seemingly endless chorus of the “I’m Bored Blues” while having fun herself. Impossible you say? Check back on Tuesdays for kid-friendly events that are fun for adults, too.

We’re all looking for ways to bring out the best in our children and, without sounding cheesy, inspire them to be “the best me I can be.” Sounds good in theory, but harder in practice. Like a lot of parents, I first thought the road to inspiration was through extracurricular activities. My take away on that was, extracurricular activities are a tightrope that have to managed carefully, otherwise you soon have an overbooked kid and a stressed-out mom. But soccer, ballet and art classes aren’t the only paths to enrichment. This weekend offers two excellent opportunities for inspiration:

Eight finalists will give it their all this Friday at the Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition. Photo: Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP

On Friday morning is the Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, an annual event for area fourth and fifth graders in which students incorporate Dr. King’s ideals into their own original three-to-five minute speeches. This year’s theme question is: “If you could talk directly to Dr. King about your dream for our future, what would you tell him?” You can watch the finalists present their speeches Friday at 11 a.m. at the Majestic Theater. Yes, that’s smack dab in the middle of a school day, but the morning promises to be rich in history, drama and, of course, inspiration. This is one of those rare opportunities when a parental field trip is definitely in order.

You still have a few weeks to catch the Young Masters exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art. The exhibition features works by AP studio art, art history and music theory students from 12 Dallas-area high schools. Two-dimensional and Three-dimensional works, essays and music compositions are just some of the art you’ll find. And to give you an idea of the talent on display, 620 works were submitted for consideration for the exhibition. From those submissions, just 56 pieces were chosen.

Therese Powell is an Art&Seek calendar coordinator and KERA-TV producer.  She spends most of her free time seeking out adventures for her 7-year-old daughter, Rose.  Tell us about your kid adventures by leaving a comment. Or e-mail Therese at [email protected].