Tag Archives: Weekdays October 24-28

October 23, 2016 · 5:42 pm

Where to Play on the Weekdays: October 24-28

A giant blue rooster, a roof top space, and great views from it…all new at the NGA

Monday – Visit the recently reopened East Building of the National Gallery of Art! Full of modern art with bold colors and captivating designs, it’s a great museum to visit with kids. Be sure to stop in the new Alexander Calder room on the 4th floor, where mobiles of all shapes and sizes spin and dazzle. And, of course, don’t miss the giant blue rooster — and fabulous views of the Capitol — on the roof top. Hours are 10am – 4:30pm, and admission is free.

Tuesday – Explore and play at Potomac Overlook Park in Arlington. Hike the short trails and let the kids romp on the playground, then visit the nature center where you can see turtles, snakes, and other creatures in terrariums and discover more about the natural world in the Kids Cave. Hours are 10am – 5pm. Admission is free.

Wednesday – Let little ones bounce, climb, swing, tumble, and slide at the PG Sports & Learning Complex Gymnastics Center. The hour-long open play session begins at 11:30am, and admission is $7/child. (This also takes place on Tuesday at the same time.)

Thursday – Catch a performance of Aquarium at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. With gentle music, beautiful puppets, and interactive props, children and caregivers will delight in the magical underwater world the play creates. Showtime is 10am, and tickets are $10. Afterward, grab some lunch at a nearby H Street eatery — Maketto, Bullfrog Bagels, and Shawafel are a few of our faves.

Friday – Head to Cabin John Regional Park for play time and Halloween fun. Begin with some time on the awesome sprawling playground amid the lovely woods. Then starting at 1pm, you can take a ride on the “Eye Spy” Halloween Train, which features just enough “boo” power for kids age 8 and under. Park hours are 9am – dusk, and admission is free. Train rides are $6, and I recommend purchasing tickets in advance online.

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.

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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 10, 2011 · 8:21 am

Kids Euro Festival: Four Weeks of Free European Art & Culture in DC!

You don’t have to cross an ocean to introduce your kids to European art and culture. 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.

From October 14 through November 10, the festival 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 on the schedule. Public libraries, DC embassies, National Geographic Live, the Kennedy Center, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, the National Childrens Museum, Shakespeare Theatre, Strathmore, and AFI are among the many performance venues.

The festival, designed for children ages 2-12, is the largest of its kind in the country. More than 27 countries in the European Union are represented in the shows that highlight national cultural traditions and art.

Visit the Kids Euro Festival website for the complete schedule of performances and age recommendations. You can also “like” the Facebook page for updates on events.