Tag Archives: Weekdays October 31-November 4

October 30, 2016 · 7:18 pm

Where to Play on the Weekdays: October 31 – November 4

A walk in the woods at Woodend Nature Sancutary

Monday – Make it a musical morning with the Boogie Babes as Mr. Gabe performs for the kiddie crowd. Showtime is 10:30am at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Admission is $6/child, free for siblings 6 months and under. (And I’d guess at least some of the show will be inspired by the day’s main event.)

Later on, get your Halloween on! Head to the International Spy Museum store for Spy Fright, where you can learn tricks of the trade from make-up and disguise artist, Roger Riggle. Then you’ll be all set for a Gymboree party or trick-or-treating at Mount Vernon, Old Town Alexandria boutiques, Leesburg Outlets, Gateway DC, or the Pentagon City Mall! Details about all of these events are in the guide about Wicked Fun Ways to Celebrate Halloween in DC.

Tuesday – Visit the largest library in the world to see the #1 children’s author in the world! Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, is coming to the Library of Congress Coolidge Auditorium from 10am – 12pm, for a one-hour program and book signing. Seating is limited for the public, so get there early! Admission is free.

Wednesday – Go for a walk in the woods and explore the grounds of Woodend Nature Sanctuary in Chevy Chase. The home of the Audubon Naturalist Society is perfect for hiking with little ones. The trails are mellow, there are several small exhibits like bees nests and bird feeding areas, and wildlife sightings are practically guaranteed. Open dawn to dusk. Admission is free.

Then from 4:30-5:30pm, take children ages 5-12 to the Shaw Neighborhood Library for a fun afternoon of music with the DC Youth Orchestra! Kids will have the opportunity to check out and play a variety of orchestral instruments with the help of the DCYO’s specialized instructors. Admission is free.

Thursday – Jump with joy at Flight Trampoline Park in Springfield, VA. This bouncy nirvana hosts Kid Flight sessions, when the whole park is open only to ages 6 and under, from 10am – 2pm Monday through Friday. Special pricing starts at $8/30 minutes ($10/hour) — and an accompanying adult jumps free! I recommend buying tickets and submitting waivers online in advance to save time when you get there.

Friday – Take the money tour at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It’s a great outing with kids on the DCPS day off, since tours are only offered on weekdays. Tours run every 15 minutes 9am – 2pm this time of year. Admission is free, but tickets are required, and you can pick them up at the booth on Raoul Wallenburg Place starting at 8am. This post from one of our outings there has more details about the experience.

The 5th Annual Kids Euro Festival: A Month of Cultural Adventure in DC

From Greece: A puppet show about a dragon and his crocodile friends.

You don’t have to cross an ocean to introduce your kids to European art and culture. Thanks to the French-American Cultural Foundation, the 27 EU embassies, and more than 30 American cultural institutions, Europe is coming to us via the Kids Euro Festival with four weeks of continental artistic adventures.

From October 17 through November 13, the festival will present more than 200 FREE family-friendly, Euro-themed events all around the DC-metro area. Mimes, storytellers, dancers, and puppeteers are just a few of the exciting acts on the schedule. Public libraries, DC embassies, The Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, National Children’s Museum, Shakespeare Theatre, La Maison Française, National Geographic, Strathmore, and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, and local schools are among the many performance venues.

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

Just about all of the performances on the first day take place at schools, but there are Millennium Stage shows at the Kennedy Center Thursday and Friday evenings, October 18 & 19, that are open to the public. And the open invite continues for several weeks after that.

Some events require reservations, so be sure to visit the Kids Euro Festival website for details, including the complete schedule of performances, age recommendations, and registration info. You can also “like” the Facebook page and follow them on Twitter for updates on events.

Where to Play on the Weekdays: October 31-November 4

Happy Halloween!

Monday – Get little ones ready for the big night at a public library, where Halloween-themed story times and arts & crafts sessions are happening throughout the day at many locations. Find out what’s on the schedule at one near you by checking calendars at these links: DC Public Library, Alexandria Public Library, Arlington Public Library, Fairfax County Public Library, Montgomery Country Public Library, Howard County Library. And if you’re looking for an alternative to evening trick-or-treating, Tudor Place still has space left for its Historic Halloween Spooktacular.

Tuesday – The National Building Museum is hosting its Book of the Month program at 10:30am & 11:30am with readings of Urban Animals by Isabel Hill along with a hands-on activity. Get there early for play time in the Building Zone, as they now have timed entries that start on the hour. And don’t forget that admission is $3/person.

Wednesday – Explore imagiNATIONS, the American Indian Museum’s new family activity center. Weave a giant basket, build an igloo, check out models of native dwellings, read children’s books about American Indian culture, and more. This post from a couple of days ago has more details and photos of the new space.

Thursday – Take the kids to play at Clemyjontri, the brilliant, sprawling playground in McLean that accommodates kids of all abilities. Pack food for lunch in the picnic pavilion (the few vending machines only serve juice and water). Admission is free, hours are 7am to dusk.

Friday – 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 lunch before or after, depending on when you go.

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.