Tag Archives: Animal Grossology

October 23, 2011 · 11:19 pm

Where to Play on the Weekdays: October 24-28

Talk about a crappy photo... a lesson in animal poop at Nat Geo's latest exhibit for kids

Another weekend has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. Here’s where kiddos (and parents!) can stay entertained all week long.

Monday – If you still haven’t made it to a fall festival, weekdays are a great time to go, when crowds thin out and admission prices are often lower. Take a hayride, pick out a pumpkin, jump and slide, visit farm animals, and more. This KFDC post has details on where you can find the seasonal fun.

Tuesday – Journey “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with the National Children’s Museum as they host Toddler Tuesday, a free weekly drop-in program for children ages 2-4. Guests can take a make-believe jaunt to the land of Oz and discover real and imaginary parts of The Wizard of Oz through stories, games, art, and movement. Drop in anytime from 10:30am – 2:30pm.

Wednesday – Take the kids to one of DC’s most tried and true for family fun: The National Museum of Natural History (or Dinosaur Museum, as my kids like to call it). Tour roomfuls of skeletons of prehistoric beasts, visit the Hall of Mammals, and head upstairs to the Insect Zoo, where guests often have the opportunity to hold giant caterpillars, cockroaches, beetles, and other creepy crawlies. Later in the day, enjoy Halloween Happy Hour with the Boogie Babes as they host BB2 Boo!, a costume and dance party at the Atlas Performing Arts Center ($10/family).

Thursday – The forecast isn’t looking too hot for this part of the week, so explore nature indoors at a nature center. Most have live animals to visit, interactive exhibits, and hands-on activities for kids. And if weather does permit, there are miles of outdoor areas to roam, too. The Natural Capital blog has a list of area nature centers along with a map depicting their locations.

Friday – Have fun learning about some of the ickiest parts of the animal world at the National Geographic Museum’s latest exhibit for kids, “Animal Grossology.” Through several creative, interactive installments, the exhibit explains all you’ll ever need to now about animal poop and their other, um, natural processes. It’s presented along with “Weird But True,” a collection of odd facts about the wild world. Admission to both exhibits is $8/adults, $6/ages 5-12, free for children 4 and under.

2 Comments

Filed under All ages, Animals, DC, Educational, Fall, Farm, Festival, Free, Halloween, Museums, Music, Outdoor, Park, Seasonal, Weekdays

Tagged as Animal Grossology, National Children's Museum Toddler Tuesdays, National Geographic Museum, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Things to do with Kids in DC, Washington DC Fall Festivals, Washington DC Family Activities, Washington DC Kids Activities, Washington DC Nature Centers, Weekdays October 24-28, Weird But True, What to do with Kids in Washington DC

October 14, 2011 · 7:16 am

Falling for the Weekend

An older photo, but a fall fave

Forgive the corny, cliché title of this post – it’s hard to come up with something clever week after week (not that they ever were that clever…). But trite or not, the reference to autumn is apropos for this roundup of weekend events, as so many of them salute the season. Of course, there are also recommendations that make no allusion to the time of year. No matter what you and the kids decide to pursue, fall-themed or not, have a great time doing it. Happy Weekend!

Kids Euro Festival –Thanks to the French-American Cultural Foundation, 27 EU embassies, and more than a dozen major cultural institutions, Europe is coming to us via the Kids Euro Festival, a virtual passport to four weeks of continental artistic adventures. This is the first weekend of the event that will present more than 200 FREE children’s performances all around the metro area. Mimes, storytellers, dancers, and puppeteers are just a few of the exciting acts that will perform at a variety of venues from October 14 – November 10. See what’s on the schedule this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Autumn Colonial Market Fair – Claude Moore Colonial Farm is holding its annual fair on Saturday and Sunday from 11am – 4pm both days. Tradesmen and artisans — blacksmiths, potters, silversmiths, candle makers, and more —from all over the country will be there to demo their work and sell their wares. Guests can also enjoy all kinds of colonial fare and watch as food cooks right over a fire pit, just like olden times. Along with the fair, you can also tour the farm, which is straight out of the 18^th-century. Admission to the farm on the Autumn Market Fair weekend is $6/adults, $3/ages 3-12, free for children 2 and under.

Rock Creek Fall Heritage Day at Peirce Mill – Step back in time somewhere else on Saturday for a day-long celebration marking the re-opening of historic Peirce Mill during Rock Creek Park Heritage Day. Artists, craftspeople, and historians will line the mill yard and grounds, restored to their 1800’s appearance, to bring history alive. Visitors can join them for hands-on demonstrations, while park rangers and historian shed light on what life was like in the 19^th century. There will also be tours of the restored mill, which will be grinding grain, as it did more than a century ago. A schedule of the day’s events and more info is available of the NPS website.

Truck Touch – Kids can pretend to drive a school bus, explore construction rigs, learn about EMS & recycling trucks, and many more vehicles at Suburban Nursery School’s annual Truck Touch. Along with the cool rides, guests can enjoy homemade baked goods and lunch from some favorite local vendors (pizza, ice cream, & hotdogs). It will all take place in the school’s parking lot on Saturday from 10am – 3pm. Admission is $5/person, free for children under 2. All programs benefit Suburban Nursery School, a non-profit, parent-run cooperative nursery school for over 50 years.

Pinkalicous and the Pink Pumpkin – Room & Board is hosting a special event featuring award-winning author and illustrator Victoria Kann, reading from her latest book Pinkalicious and the Pink Pumpkin. Bring the kids, decorate pumpkins, and enter for a chance to win our kid-sized Jill table and four Little Jake chairs. Books are available for purchase at the event. It all takes place from 11am – 1pm, and the reading begins at noon. The event is free, RSVP to roomandboard@brandlinkdcrsvp.com.

Taste of Georgetown – In its 18^th year, the Taste of Georgetown will showcase the spectacular cuisine of 30 of the neighborhood’s finest eateries, highlighting Georgetown’s culinary personalities and featuring nearly 60 delectable dishes to sample, as well as wine pairings, the jazz talents of Blues Alley artists, and children’s activities such as caricatures, jugglers, and balloon artists. Wisconsin and M Streets NW is where this will all go down on Saturday from 11am – 4pm. Tasting tickets can be purchased online or at the event.

Best in Shows – Drumming with Dishes at the Atlas, The Three Billy Goats Gruff at The Puppet Co. Playhouse, Krazy Kitchen Science at Discovery Theater, and Saturday Morning at the National are just a few children’s productions you can catch this weekend. For even more performances, see this post about live entertainment this season.

What’s Grosser than Gross? – The National Geographic Museum’s latest exhibit for kids, “Animal Grossology,” features some of the slimiest, stinkiest, yuckiest creatures on earth…and their natural bodily functions. Yes, there’s plenty about poop, puke, and other icky processes all presented through many cool, creative, interactive installments. Kids will love it (and so will adults). Admission is $8/adults, $6/ages 5-12, free for children 4 and under and includes the fun Weird But True exhibit as well as entrance to Ocean Soul: Photographs by Brian Skerry, a beautiful collection of images from oceans around the world that any photography buff or wildlife lover will find mesmerizing.

Fall Fests – Burgundy Farm Country Day School and South Mountain Creamery are holding their annual fall festivals this weekend. And many more seasonal celebrations are taking place at local farms and other venues around the area. See this post for details on all of them.

Family Day in the White House ‘Hood – The Neighbors to the President’s Consortium, a group of historic sites and museums in the White House neighborhood, is hosting a day of activities for families. Activities will include a scavenger hunt at the Renwick Gallery, an art safari at the Corcoran, candle making at the DAR Museum, and more. Detailed activity descriptions are available on the NTPC website.

Hop on the Halloween Train – The “Eye Spy” Halloween Train at Cabin John Regional Park rides again! Get on board this Friday, Saturday and Sunday – tickets sales begin at 2pm, and rides are every half hour from 3-8pm. Tickets are $6 person and include “Eye Spy” game card and other activities for kids.

Family Fun Literacy Day – The Play With Words Children’s Museum in Vienna, in partnership with the Vienna Whole Foods Market and PBS Kids, is hosting a Family Fun Literacy Day on Saturday from 12-3pm. Join them, along with the characters from PBS Kids “Super Why” TV show, for a fun afternoon of literacy-related activities, including hands-on activities and a treasure hunt throughout the Vienna Whole Foods store, with prizes for the first 200 children. More information is available on the Play With Words website.

And the forecast is looking great for this weekend, so this post will come in handy if you want to take advantage of the weather:

The Best Places in the DC Area to Enjoy a Beautiful Day Outdoors with the Kids

But if indoor pursuits sound like a better plan, you can get some ideas for them here:

Rainy Day Recreation (ie, Indoor Fun)

Where to Play on the Weekdays: September 26-30

Visiting goats at the National Zoo's Kids Farm

Monday – Check out the brand spanking new imagiNATIONS Activity Center at the National Museum of the American Indian. Learn about Native people, history, and culture through interactive exhibits, stories, hands-on activities and more. Open during museum hours, 10am – 5:30pm.

Tuesday – Explore the grossest and weirdest of the animal world at the National Geographic Museum. Two of their newest exhibits are right up kids’ alleys: Animal Grossology spotlights some of the “slimiest, stinkiest and downright yuckiest creatures on Earth,” while its companion exhibit Weird But True features the “wackiest, weirdest, and totally true facts about the animal world.” Both exhibits are included in museum admission – $8/adults, $6/ages 12-18, $4/ages 5-12, children under 5 are free.

Wednesday – Take advantage of smaller weekday crowds at one of several fall festivals that are already underway. See this post to find out where you can celebrate the season.

Thursday – Discover the world of Amelia Earhart through an interactive puppet show presented by Discovery Theater at the National Air & Space Museum. Showtimes are 10:15am, 11:15am, and 12:15pm. Tickets range from $3-8. (Note: The show will also be performed on Friday at the same times.)

Friday – Spend the day at the National Zoo and be sure to check the Daily Programs schedule to help plan your visit. Admission to the Zoo is free, but parking is $15 for the first three hours, $20 for more than three. You can save that by taking Metro to Woodley Park and walking a couple of blocks, or if you drive, you might get lucky and find parking along Connecticut Avenue or a side street.