Tag Archives: Weekend October 15-16

The Weekend Round-Up: October 15-16

The forest lights up for evening climbs at the Adventure Park at Sandy Spring

The forest lights up for evening climbs at the Adventure Park at Sandy Spring



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Wowza, this weekend is jam-packed with fun things to do! Awesome museum programs, loads of live entertainment, opportunities to check out cool vehicles, fall festivals, nature celebrations, a Harry Potter movie binge, early Halloween fun, and so much more. No matter what you do, be sure to throw some outdoor time in the mix, because the forecast practically demands it. Happy Weekend!

The Big Build
Where: National Building Museum
When: Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Admission: Free

Any kid (or adult, for that matter) with an interest in building and construction will dig the National Building Museum’s big annual event celebrating all things, well, building. The Great Hall will be full of different stations where guests of all ages aren’t just welcome, but encouraged, to try their hand at all kinds of construction and design techniques alongside experts demonstrating their craft. There will opportunities to build a brick wall, carve stone, and hammer nails, as well as build a LEGO skyscraper, do some virtual reality welding, and create an architectural masterpiece. It’s all totally free and, as we know from several years’ experience, totally fun!

Truck Touch
Where: Suburban Nursery School
When: Saturday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: $5, free for under 2

It’s scary how much kids love big vehicles—and Halloween! Combine the two at Suburban Nursery School’s 9th Annual Truck Touch for a chance to get up close and personal with fire trucks, police cars, off-road vehicles, construction rigs, delivery trucks, emergency vehicles, busses, and other cool things that GO! Additional activities include pumpkin decorating, bake & snack sale, bouncy fun, truck crafts, and face painting. Enjoy *spooktacular* eats from local food trucks, too.

Outdoor Movie Night
Where: Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
When: Friday, 7:30pm
Admission: Free

Join Adventure Links for their October Halloween Movie Night series under the stars. Every Friday night in October they’ll be showing a Halloween movie on an outdoor movie screen — this week it’s Hocus Pocus. Bring a blanket and enjoy a free movie! You can see their site, meet the staff, and even sign your kids up for summer camp.

18th Century Autumn Market Fair
Where: Claude Moore Colonial Farm
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: $8/adults, $3/ages 3-12, free for 2 and under

Enjoy the splendor of autumn at the Claude Moore Colonial Farm’s Autumn Market Fair. Watch colonial Virginia tradesman such as the blacksmith and try crafts such as spinning and dyeing. Learn to dip candles or turn a piece of wood on the carpenter’s lathe. See heritage breed animals including turkeys, pigs and chickens. Enjoy music, games, and dancing as well as interacting with colonial family members in costume and character. Savor spit roasted chicken, sausages, hearty breads and cheeses, roasted olives, pies and other desserts. Colonial Tavern offers cask ale, beers, wine and mulled wine as well as authentic ginger ale. Period food, beverages, and wares available for purchase. It’s a fun and educational experience for the whole family!

Bonsai & Beyond
Where: U.S. National Arboretum
When: Saturday, 10am – 4pm & 6-9pm
Admission: Free (fee for evening)

It’s the 40th anniversary of the the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the National Arboretum, and they’re celebrating with the Aki Matsuri Autumn Festival: Bonsai & Beyond and a traditional Japanese moon viewing. Festivities will include tram tours of the Asian Collections, fun family activities, a kimono fashion show, bonsai book signings, Asian food trucks, and a demonstration by Japanese bonsai master Tohru Suzuki. The evening moon viewing (otsukimi) will include haiku readings, origami, music by Japanese koto players and moon-shaped dumplings. Register for the evening event, which has a fee, and order a obento dinner, here.

Show Time
Where: Local Theatres
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by venue

* Find Knuffle Bunny at Adventure Theatre
* Catch the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s fantastic production of Romeo & Juliet (recommended for older children or make it a date night)
* Reserve free tickets for Valerie Branch’s The People We Meet and the Friends We Keep!, this week’s Saturday at the National performance
* Join InterAct Story Theatre for ‭The Legend of Pufferfish Pat: A Tall Tale for Mad Times‭, their first performance in Season 2 of the Wheaton Family Theatre‬‬‬‬
* The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is on the Imagination Stage
* See (and smell?) Flowers Stink, a collaboration between the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Kennedy Center
* Hansel & Gretel are the new stars on the Main Stage at The Puppet Co.
* And Merlin’s Magic is the featured Tiny Tots show at the puppet theater
* The Olney Theatre presents The Diary of Anne Frank
* See the superbly acted The Little Foxes at Arena Stage (recommended for teens and up)
* Enjoy The Best Haunted House Ever, Encore Stage & Studio’s theatre by kids for kids
* Make it a date night to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Kennedy Center
* The Man Who Planted Trees is playing at Alden Theatre
* Ruthless, The Musical is running at Creative Cauldron
* Take the whole fam to The Miraculous, Magic Balloon at Synetic Theatre
* Building Better People Productions brings We Got It! to the Den at Anacostia Arts Center
* Get into All the Way Live!, an interactive Hip Hop show at the Kennedy Center
* Hear Ghoulishly Good Music at the Atlas Performing Arts Center

Wildlife Festival
Where: Patuxent Wildlife Refuge
When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free

Discover groundbreaking research conducted at Patuxent! Activities include live animal displays, children’s crafts, tram tours, research exhibits, and behind-the-scenes tours of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center to see endangered whooping cranes and much more!

Bull Run River Cleanup
Where: Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
When: Saturday, 9am – 12pm
Admission: Free

Join Adventure Links for a Bull Run River cleanup day to help keep the waterway free of trash and to keep Fairfax County’s watershed healthy. The whole family can participate and enjoy a morning outdoors helping to better the environment!

Fall Fun on the Farm
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale

Celebrate the season at one of many area festivals on the farm. Enjoy Fall Harvest Days and Carnival Fun at Frying Pan Farm Park. Play all day at Great Country Farms’ Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival. Get into Fall Adventures at Summers Farm. From pumpkin patches and apple picking to corn mazes and hayrides to giant slides and jumping pillows, there are activities galore to help relish in the fun autumn brings. This post has details on many of the fall festivals happening around the region.

Zip through the Trees
Where: Adventure Park at Sandy Spring
When: Friday, 3-10pm & Saturday/Sunday, 8am – 10pm
Admission: Varies by age

Get the best vantage point for leaf peeping — up in the trees — and have a total blast! At the Adventure Park at Sandy Spring, kids as young as 5 years old can experience fun on the ropes courses and ziplines in the park’s aerial adventure park forest, the largest in North America. Children ages 5-6 and an accompanying adult have access to two of the easier courses. Older kids can do even more. It may seem like a pricey venture, but it’s so worth it. Trust me. Read more about this KFDC fave here and here.

Make STEM Magic
Where: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free, but parking is $15

Join the Air & Space Museum for Making STEM Magic, a new program that introduces young visitors to engineering in a fun and creative way. This month, learn more about electricity as you design circuits and get a charge out of their October design challenge!

American Girl Day
Where: National Museum of the U.S. Navy
When: Saturday, 11am – 2pm
Admission: Free

Learn about how women have influenced naval history and enjoy some American Girl-inspired fun. With a Great War theme as the WWI Centennial approaches, there will be activities featuring that era. There will also be American Girl products — dolls, books, clothing, games, even furniture — to browse and buy. And AG book author Valerie Tripp will be on hand to sign autographs and talk with visitors about the American Girls. Note that non-military must check in at the Washington Navy Yard’s Visitor Center (11th and O Street) and present a government-issued photo ID.

Hispanic Heritage Month Family Day
Where: National Portrait Gallery
When: Saturday, 11:30am – 3pm
Admission: Free

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage in the United States, from South American folk traditions to the fusion of contemporary Latino and North American art and music. Dance to live music from across Latin America, enjoy original works of art from local artists experimenting with portraiture, and create your own works of art inspired by Hispanic artists and sitters featured in the National Portrait Gallery.

World of Wheels
Where: Dematha High School
When: Saturday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: Free

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of Prince George’s County is hosting its 5th annual World of Wheels for CASA, a touch-a-truck event and family festival. All kinds of cool vehicles will be on site and open for guests to explore. Adding to the excitement will be food, music, and an assortment of activities for kids of all ages, including moon bounces, games, crafts, face painting. And Game Truck mobile gaming will be there from 10am-12:30pm! Proceeds from the event will help to raise funds to recruit and train more volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children. Dematha High School is located at 4313 Madison St. in Hyattsville, MD.

Raise a Flag for Your Next President!
Where: Textile Museum
When: Saturday,
Admission: Free

How do you show your support for your favorite presidential candidate? Join the Textile Museum at the height of today’s historic presidential election for an all-ages family day that explores how people have demonstrated their allegiance to candidates past. Enjoy presidential storytelling, play campaign games, and create your own campaign flag inspired by the rare nineteenth-century flags and patriotic textiles on view in the exhibition. It’s a perfect time for kids (and adults) to discover this wonderful off-the-beaten-Mall-path museum.

STEM Career Fair
Where: University of the District of Columbia
When: Saturday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: Free

Kids can check out careers in STEM! Science, Engineering and Mathematics Link Inc. (SEM Link) is hosting its 1st Annual DMV Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Career Fair and Exhibition at UDC. The fun, family event gives K-12 students an opportunity to explore STEM careers and meet and interact with professionals in the fields. UDC’s Student Center is located at 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW. While free and open to the public, pre-registration is strongly suggested.

Harry Potter Marathon
Where: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $15/adult, $13.50/youth, $50/8-movie pass

Have you missed a Harry Potter movie or just want to go on a wizard watching binge? Head to the Chantilly arm of the Air & Space Museum, where for the first time ever, you can experience all eight Harry Potter movies in IMAX! Plus, you can also catch an IMAX exclusive peek of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which hits IMAX theaters this November. Everyone is invited… even muggles.

Air Show Baltimore
Where: Inner Harbor & Martin State Airport
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: Free

Nearly two dozen aviators including the Navy’s famed Blue Angels flight demonstration team will take to the skies over Charm City this weekend, as part of Maryland Fleet Week and Air Show Baltimore October. There’s more on the ground, too — an open house free festival, including meet-and-greets with pilots, will take place at Martin State Airport in Baltimore County. Approximate airshow hours are 1-4pm over the Middle Branch of Baltimore’s Harbor adjacent to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. Key viewing areas for the air show include Fort McHenry and areas in and around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

World of Montgomery Festival
Where: Montgomery College, Rockville
When: Sunday, 12- 4pm
Admission: Free

Celebrate the rich cultural heritages of the DC area at the 8th annual World of Montgomery Festival with multicultural music, food, dance, exhibits and hands-on activities. Indonesia, Germany, Korea, the Caribbean, India, Ukraine, El Salvador, Ethiopia, China, and more nations will represent their cultural traditions in the International Village organized by KID Museum. Two entertainment stages, ethnic food vendors, and festivities for all ages ensure a fun, enriching day for the whole family.

Aidan Montessori Book Fair
Where Politics & Prose/Comet Ping Pong
When: Saturday, 9am – 10pm & Sunday, 9am – 8pm
Admission: Free

Buy books and eat pizza to benefit a local school! Aidan Montessori School is holding its annual book fair event at Politics & Prose Bookshop and Comet Ping Pong on Saturday and Sunday. Twenty percent of book sales at Politics & Prose will go to the school if you mention “Aidan” at the register, and 15% of sales at Comet Ping Pong & Pizza will go to help the school if you write “Aidan” on your check. You can also purchase books to donate to Aidan classrooms and to Bright Beginnings, a local organization serving under-housed families. Multiple opportunities to give back!

Merriment and More
Where: Revel Grove in Crownesville, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: $24/ages 16 and up, $10/ages 7-15, free for 6 and under

There are only a couple of weekends left to enjoy the bounty of merriment at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. The annual faire recalls medieval times with a village full of fun and entertainment for the whole family. This is one of my very favorite events in the DC area, and it could very well become one of yours, too. Huzzah!

Leaf Peep on the Trail
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale

The leaves are just beginning to turn, plus it’s going to be a gorgeous autumn weekend, so get out and enjoy on a family hike. From right here in the city to country locales, you’ve got your pick of places where you can enjoy the foliage, the lovely weather, and some time on the trail. This post about good area hikes with kids will help make for some happy trampers.

Soul Stroll
Where: Congressional Cemetery
When: Sunday, 6-9pm
Admission: $20/adult, $10/child

Get into the Halloween spirit on Capitol Hill as you explore Congressional Cemetery and the stories of those laid to rest there on these special guided after-hours tours. Congressman, carpenters, suffragists, and bootleggers are among the graveyard residents, and they all have a unique tale to tell.

More Wicked Fun
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity

Get the Halloween party started with activities and events that celebrate the spooky spirit. This post has details on where the tricks and treats are happening.


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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 FairClaude 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 18th-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 MillStep 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 19th 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 TouchKids 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 PumpkinRoom & 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 GeorgetownIn its 18th 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 ShowsDrumming 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 FestsBurgundy 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 ‘HoodThe 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 TrainThe “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 DayThe 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)

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Filed under All ages, Annual, DC, Eats, Educational, Fall, Farm, Festival, Free, Halloween, Live Entertainment, Maryland, Museums, Music, Outdoor, Park, Seasonal, Theatre, Trains, Virginia, Weekend

Autumn Fun at Claude Moore Colonial Farm

The start of our little time trip

It was quite serendipitous that our family visited Claude Moore Colonial Farm this past weekend.  We were on our way to a fall festival in northern Virginia when we hit traffic, massive traffic.  And looking ahead down I-66, it didn’t seem like it was going to let up soon enough for us to inch through it patiently.  So, we got off at the next exit and changed plans.

This is one of the great things about living in the DC- metro.  There is so much to do all over the area, you can revamp your day with one simple decision, no matter where you are, and still have a good time. In our case, we were fairly close to the Beltway, so I did a quick flip through my mental Rolodex of family recreation and, voila!, I remembered I had just read about Claude Moore as I was browsing No Monsters in My Bed and knew it was a convenient detour from where we were. I’d seen the sign for it on the GW Parkway countless times, and had always wondered about the attraction, but just hadn’t made it there.

Well, thanks to bad traffic we finally did, and it couldn’t have worked out better (except that we were a week early for one of their biggest weekends, which I’ll tell you more about in a bit).

An 18th-century farm relic

Claude Moore Colonial Farm is straight out of the 18th-century, a living history farm. Everything there has been recreated to look just as it did in 1771, with a tobacco barn, farm house, garden, orchard, animals, even a family (portrayed by actors) who live and work on the farm and go about their daily life as visitors pass through. A self-guided tour begins in the gift shop where you buy tickets ($3/adult, $2/children 3 and up) and get a bit of background on the farm.  There, we learned that all of the crops and trees are planted from heirloom seeds with origins that date back to the region during the 18th century. We were also told that we could feel free to pitch in and help the Bradley family with any farm work.

Owen leads the way

The farm isn’t huge — the whole walk is about 3/4 of a mile, and there is a dirt path that winds through it. A simple map given out in the gift shop depicts the layout, and Owen easily navigated for us.  After stopping to see geese in a wooden cage along the path, we explored the tobacco barn, where we could see part of the curing process as tobacco stalks hung from rafters to dry out, and 18th-century tools and equipment offered an idea of how it all worked. Just outside the barn, turkeys making some of the loudest gobbling noises I’ve ever heard (which thrilled the kids) sat in a wooden cage, and nearby along the path a few big hogs lolled about in their pen.

A farm family member show us her home

From there, we may our way to the farm house, passing by the garden and through the orchard on the way.  The farm house was easily the highlight of our tour, as we got to see 18th-century farm life in progress. Several members of the farm family were mashing potatoes for cottage pie (this is what we were later told by a woman who works there) on a table outside of the house, as chickens roamed freely around them. When one went inside the house to put something on the fireplace to cook, we followed and watched.  The house is literally one room, with a fireplace along one wall, a table pushed against another, a few chairs sitting in corners, herbs hanging from ceiling rafters to dry, a couple of shelves on the walls holding ceramic cups and containers.  Sleeping quarters are in a loft above; the whole family shares the space, sleeping on feather-filled mattresses. Family members were happy to answer questions, speaking in 18th-century vernacular, which fascinated the kids just as much as their home.

Sasha's favorite part of the farm

The rest of our tour we strolled around, winding through the orchard, checking out the root cellar where potatoes are stored, and visiting the farm fowl again. Our entire visit probably took less than two hours, but it was a quite an enjoyable learning experience for all us, and a great way to spend a nice day outdoors together.

And serendipity came into play again when I learned that this coming weekend is one of the best times to visit. The Autumn Colonial Market Fair will take place Saturday and Sunday, October 15-16, from 11am – 4pm both days.  This is when tradesmen and artisans — blacksmiths, potters, silversmiths, candle makers, and more — come from all over 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. Admission to the farm on the Autumn Market Fair weekend is $6/adults, $3/ages 3-12, free for children 2 and under.  More information is available on the Claude Moore Colonial Farm website.

 

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Filed under All ages, Animals, Annual, Eats, Educational, Fall, Farm, Festival, Outdoor, Park, Seasonal, Virginia, Weekend

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.

 

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Filed under All ages, Annual, Art, DC, Educational, Festival, Free, Live Entertainment, Maryland, Museums, Music, Theatre, Virginia, Weekdays, Weekend

Drumming with Dishes at the Atlas

I’m always excited to find theatre performances that cater to both my kids’ ages (2.5 and 5), and when I learn they are taking place right in my ‘hood during a week when DCPS students have two days off, even better.  So, I’m especially thrilled that Drumming with Dishes, a children’s play by Arts on the Horizon, is coming to the Atlas Performing Arts Center all next week, October 10-15.

Geared toward ages 1-5, the 30-minute interactive, non-verbal show features two adult actors and a musician, who put on a performance that I hear captivates even the youngest audiences. Here’s the official description: “What happens when you invite someone very different from you to come over to play? Just such an adventure awaits an inquisitive toddler when someone new appears in her kitchen. What do to? Cook up beautiful music! This gentle, whimsical adventure celebrates new friendships and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. What will become a musical instrument next? A pasta box? Maybe dishes and spoons? Discover what wonders can be accomplished when we all explore together!”

The show was performed in Virginia this past spring, and you can read a great review of it on No Monsters in My Bed. Tickets are $8 and available for purchase online or at the Box Office.

Showtimes are as follows:
Monday, October 10, 2011 at 10:00am & 11:30am
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 10:30am
Wednesday, October 12 at 10:30am & 12:30pm
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 10:30am
Friday, October 14, 2011 at 10:30am & 12:30pm
Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 10:00am & 11:30am

 

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Filed under Babies, DC, Gradeschoolers, Preschoolers, Theatre, Toddlers, Weekdays, Weekend