Weekdays August 6-10 | KidFriendly DC

A refreshing run through the sprays at The Wharf

Monday – Stay cool on the hot day at a sprayground! There are a bunch of places in the DMV where kids can enjoy interactive fountains and splash pads. Find a round-up of them in the Guide to Summer in DC.

Tuesday – Visit the U.S. Botanic Garden, where there is so much for all ages to dig (literally, in one area) indoors and out. Let little ones flex their green thumbs in the Children’s Garden — they can water and plant, and play with lots of neat features. Explore the different plant collections, too — walk amid tropical rainforest, desert, and woodland flora. Then take a stroll through the lovely National Garden outside. Hours are 10am – 5pm. Admission is free. Read more about the USBG here and here.

Later on, join DCPS Interim Chancellor Amanda Alexander and author Jason Reynolds as he discuss his books “Ghost” and “ish” for the DCPSReads Summer Book Club Series. The session will take place at Benning Library at 4pm. Admission is free.

Wednesday – Stretch out at a morning of outdoor yoga hosted by Bright Horizons at Democracy Center. Learn from an instructor from Thrive Yoga and meet the Center Director Natalie Newell. The session runs 10:30-11:30am. Admission is free, and all ages are welcome.

You can also attend the grand opening of The Alcove, an experiential pop-up experience in the heart of Rosslyn. Beginning at 11:30am will be live music, a kombucha bar from MTO Kombucha, and DIY workshops from the Lemon Collective and Arlington Public Library’s Makers Program —all open to the public. Festivities will end at 2:00 p.m, but the space will remain open until 8:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Thursday – Enjoy “Anime for All” the Library of Congress. The celebration of east-Asian culture, mythology, pop culture, and inspiration will showcase Japanese storytelling traditions that have been transformed into modern day forms of art. The exhibition is running Wednesday through Friday with special activities each day, so be sure to check the schedule. Admission is free. Read more about the Library of Congress in this KFDC post.

Friday – Explore the woods and wetlands of Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria. Look for little creatures as you hike — turtles, frogs, fish, and birds are practically guaranteed wildlife sightings — and take in sweeping vistas of the marshland. Be sure to stop in the Visitors Center, where there are several interactive exhibits about the surrounding environment. Open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free.

Kids can do more than look at the pretty flowers in the Children's Garden at the USBG

Monday – It’s the final week of Stories in Art at the National Gallery. Kids ages 4-7 can explore the works of Vincent Van Gogh at the summer drop-in program. They’ll enjoy a reading of the book, “Katie and the Sunflowers” by James Mayhew, then join Katie’s imaginative adventure through museum masterpieces, exploring van Gogh’s still-life paintings. After, guests will make their own flower-filled works of art to take home. Sessions begin at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, and 1:30pm on Monday (and Tuesday). Sign-in takes place in the West Building Rotunda, beginning at 1oam, and will continue until all spaces for all five time slots are filled. Read a KFDC review of the program here.

Tuesday – Make it a movie day! Catch a flick for just $1 with the Regal Summer Movie Express, which presents family movies on the cheap Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10am through August 22 — go here to find a theater near you and see what’s playing. Parents with really little ones can take advantage of AMC Theater’s Bring Your Babies Matinee, which occurs the first Tuesday of every month.

Wednesday – Play and get a little glimpse into the past at the newly renovated Jones Point Park in Alexandria. We haven’t been yet, but Preparing for Peanut has a great write-up about the locale just off the George Washington Parkway under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Open dawn to dusk, admission is free.

Thursday – Experience Suprasensorial, the super cool interactive exhibit at the Hirshhorn, before it closes on August 12. A walk through doesn’t take very long, so head over to the nearby U.S. Botanic Gardens after to tour the plant collections, check out the Savage Gardens exhibit, and play in the Children’s Garden. Hours at the Hirshhorn are 10am – 5:30pm, at the USBG 10am – 5pm. Admission is free at both places.

Friday – Have a wild time at the National Zoo. Visit your favorite animals, and see the new cheetah cubs — zoogoers can now view them at 10am and 1pm as they explore their yard. Be sure to check the website before you go to see what other daily programs are going on. The Zoo grounds are open 6am – 8pm, exhibit buildings 10am – 6pm. Admission is free, though parking is $16 for the first three hours for non-members. Look for street parking nearby to curb the cost, or take Metro — both the Woodley Park and Cleveland Park stations are a short walk away.