I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of the amazing mosaic mural being installed in the main lobby of the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. It is revealing itself quickly. Yesterday, I saw the sketches on the wall and today I received these pictures of the mosaic pieces starting to be attached. 

The mural will cover most of the south wall in the lobby, going up and over the restaurant area.  It is going to be HUGE, measuring 160 feet long and 19 feet high, covering 1,400 square feet of wall space.

Like all of the art in the new children's hospital, kids are involved in this project. The artists, Tracy VanDuinen and Todd Osbourne, worked with children in art-making sessions at LaFontsee Galleries to draw pictures of things that made them feel happy.

Then, the children painted mosaic tiles that will be installed onto the giant mural the artists drew from the workshops with the kids. You may recall that Tracy VanDuinen was the second place winner in last year's Art Prize competition for the mural he created with kids in front of the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.  

This is an exciting milestone in the construction of the new children's hospital. Many of the floors look nearly complete as final paint and finishes are being applied. By the way, just 202 short days until opening on 1-11-11.

Last week we had  a really fun "start of summer celebration" that was organized by our child life staff.  At the event some of our patients and families had the chance to sample and vote on their favorite flavors of ice cream. 

The House of Flavors brand ice cream and sorbet will be featured in the ice cream window located in the lobby of our new children's hospital.  The testers today had the chance to sample four flavors: "Moosetracks" "Birthday Cake," "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough" and "Superman."  The flavor that received the most votes was "Birthday Cake" and "Moosetracks" was a close second.  

Ultimately, the ice cream window will feature several standard flavor options as well as seasonal flavors.  It also important to us that we offer plenty of low fat and even sugar free options.

What are your kids' favorite ice cream flavors?  Tell us on Facebook to help us pick the rest of the fun flavors to be included.  Some options are:

-Cinnamon

-Blue Moon

-Tiramisu

-Cake Batter

-Milky Way

-Orange Pineapple

-Muddy Sneakers

-Pomegranate Blueberry Granola

Here is a sneak peek at a really fun feature that will be located in the main lobby and the surgical family lounge of the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital: a wall of bubbles. 

The soothing sound and the beautiful movement of the bubbles through the water immediately engages you. There is a mirror behind it that will be fun for children to be able to see themselves covered with bubbles. 

Nearby in the main lobby will be an interactive screen that functions a little like the Wii game without any controllers.  Imagine watching falling snow. You can make a "virtual snowball" by bending down to scoop up a handful of snow, and then throw it against the screen and watch it splatter.

Imagine a children's hospital that makes getting better fun! Counting down the days to 1-11-11.