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Category Archives: Library of Congress

February 5, 2012 · 9:16 pm

Where to Play on the Weekdays: February 6-10

Discovering "How Things Fly" at the National Air & Space Museum

Monday – Engage in imaginative play in the various themed rooms and crafts areas at the Playseum. Admission is $6/person (siblings under 10 months are free) and is good for the whole day. Locations in Capitol Hill and Bethesda are convenient to many eateries for pre- or post-play lunch.

Tuesday – Combine story and play time at the National Building Museum. The Book of the Month program is back at the Building Zone, so guests can hear a reading of The Big Orange Splot and participate in a corresponding activity along with the usual fun in the play space. Readings are at 10:30am & 11:30am, and don’t forget that admission to the Building Zone is now $3, and entry is timed, with guests admitted every hour. Make it a bigger NBM outing and head upstairs for Lego play in the LEGO Architecture exhibit ($5/person) and/or hang out in the Great Hall, where large soft Lego blocks and arch building kits are often available.

Wednesday – It’s Kids Day at Lebanese Taverna in Arlington. Enjoy free children’s entertainment every Wednesday from 10-11am. On the schedule this week: Groovy Nate. Stay after for a tasty bite to eat!

Thursday – Let fun take flight at the National Air & Space Museum. Be sure to stop by the “How Things Fly”exhibit, which is full of hands-on displays that little ones love to demo. And check the schedules for the planetarium and IMAX theatre — both present interesting films and shows about space and flight throughout the day.

Friday – How about storytime at the largest library in the world? The Young Readers Center at the Library of Congress hosts readings every Friday at 10am and 11am. The free sessions are designed for babies and toddlers (0-3 years old), but older children are welcome, too. Each lasts about 25 minutes, with 20 minutes of play afterwards, then clean-up. The Young Readers Center is located in the Jefferson Building (Room LJ G29) at 10 First Street SE.

Mark Your Calendar for the National Book Festival

Along with author presentations and book signings, kids can enjoy photo ops with PBS characters at the National Book Festival. (Photo courtesy of Heather Schoell)

I’m giving a few weeks heads-up on this event, because it’s one to mark on the calendar—in permanent ink. On September 25, readers of all ages are invited to join some of the country’s most well-loved and celebrated authors on the National Mall for the 10^th Annual National Book Festival.

The Festival, sponsored and organized the Library of Congress, will celebrate a decade of words and wonder with an estimated 100,000+ guests. Book enthusiasts, young and old, come from all over for author presentations, book signings, photo ops with writers (and costumed PBS characters), and more reading-related activities.

Several pavilions will be set up throughout the Festival where visitors can enjoy presentations by more than 70 authors, poets, and illustrators from a variety of genres: Children, Teens & Children, Fiction & Mystery, History & Biography, Contemporary Life and Poetry & Prose. There will also be a Pavilion of the States, a salute to literary traditions of all 50 states, and a Book Sales Pavilion, where guests can purchase selected reads (and possibly have them signed by the authors). And the Let’s Read America Pavilion will offer lots of activities for children and families to enjoy sponsored by various organizations.

If your children love books, chances are an author of one of their favorite stories will be there. (And if not, they’ll likely discover some new good reads.) Here’s the line-up of children’s book authors you and the kids can expect to see: Mary Brigid Barrett, Timothy Basil Ering, Exquisite Corpse Adventure, Mem Fox, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Norton Juster, Pat Mora, Marilyn Nelson, Linda Sue Park, Jerry Pinkney, James Ransome, Judith Viors, and Rosemary Wells.

And these authors from the Teens & Children genre will be also be there: M.T. Anderson, Michael Buckley, Suzanne Collins, Margarita Engle, Phillip M. Hoose, Letters About Literature, Brad Meltzer, Katherine Paterson, Jeff Smith, and Rebecca Stead.

Of course, this event isn’t just about the kids. Parents will also have the chance to celebrate some of their favorite authors (I’m personally very excited about Julia Glass, Diana Gabaldon, and Jane Smiley) and come home with a signed book or a few.

The National Book Festival will take place rain or shine on September 25 from 10am – 5:30pm on the National Mall, between 3^rd & 7^th Streets. Admission is free. For more information and the complete list of authors visit the National Book Festival website.