Beltway Bambinos

(re) discover Washington DC through the eyes of your children

Weekend Picks: September 23-25

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical at Adventure Theatre kicks off this weekend!

Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am-7:00pm Maryland Renaissance Festival will be joisting and serving up lots of turkey legs weekends through October 23.  The festival is free to children 11 and under. Take a time machine back to medieval times. With plenty of entertainment, including music, joisting, puppetry, pony rides and so much more. Your children will see people dressed up in 16th century outfits. Dress like a knight and come participate!

It’s here– the Grand Opening Weekend of the National Museum of African American History & Culture. Check out the link for all of the details.

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Saturday-
Museum Day Live! thanks to Smithsonian Magazine. Museums who typically charge admission, are free today.

8:30am-10:00pm: National Book Festival
(Washington Convention Center)
Calling ALL bookworms, this event is for you. Fun for everyone, you can attend signings, Q+A’s, read-alongs and so much more. Make sure to check out the Children’s Guide.
[Read more…]

Weekday Adventures Aug 22-26

Well, my oldest is headed to Kindergarten tomorrow (gulp). Happy first day of school to everyone else. Hopefully it’s an exciting day full of friends and fun. For those little ones still at home, here’s some fun for you.

Little Loft Art Studio has open play Monday-Thursday 10:00am-12:00pm this week. Open play ages 18 mo-5 years and their caregivers. Come in and explore! Sand table, rice table, light table, and a new interactive art project each week. No preregistration necessary – just come by and play!

The Puppet Co at Glen Echo has shows Wednesday-Friday. You can make a day out of it at Glen Echo; play at the playground, grab a snack or lunch at Praline (now on-grounds), plat at the Glen Echo Aquarium, and of course ride on the Dentzel Carousel before heading home. 

As always, DC Public Library  has many great baby, toddler and teenager events all week long at several libraries.

Cool off with the Icebergs exhibit at The National Building Museum.


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Weekend Picks July 29-31

Whether you need to escape the hot temperatures or dry off from rain this weekend, The National Gallery of Art has a program for your Bambinos! Music: Listen to a Concert where you will step inside a music concert and then listen to a live lute performance. The summer series focuses on discovering Dutch Art designed for children ages 4-7. Pack your imagination and travel to the National Gallery of Art!  There are various times Saturday-Monday to enjoy this.

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Friday-

6:30pm-8:30pm: Concert (food, splashing, drinks) at Yards Park
(355 Water Street SE Washington DC 20003)
The free Capitol Riverfront Friday Night Concert Series is back for its 6th Season, this year on the Great Lawn of Yards Park! Every Friday night this summer, come to Yards Park to relax and enjoy the river view, fantastic bands, food and beverage, and a large variety of great restaurants within a 5-minute walk from the park. Family-friendly lyrics and grassy open space make this an enjoyable event for adults and kids alike.

Lots of live music tonight! 
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Weekend Picks July 16-17

Take a ride with Chuggington at the B&O Railroad Museum this weekend.  A traintastic adventure that you need to register for now before it’s too late for your train lovers.

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Through August 6, children can take a blast into the past as Montpelier’s grounds will be transformed into a kid-sized colonial village! Young visitors can camp out on the frontier, design a hat at the milliners, harvest crops at the farm, and other fun activities. Come for an hour or stay for the day.
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Indoor fun in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia

There’s an update to this post and it can be found here.

We figured we’d pull together some great indoor options for you and your kids in the Washington, DC metro area– plus some options up the road in Baltimore. So whether it’s raining, snowing — or just too cold or hot outside, here are some fantastic places to check out. They’ll keep your little ones engaged and might even tire them out enough to keep you happy. We’ll try to keep this list updated, so do add your suggestions to the comments below and we’ll keep building! Scroll all the way to the bottom as there are on-going lists of theatres, gyms and other great indoor spaces.

Washington, DC:

Skill Zone- (709 8th Street SE Washington, DC  20003)

SkillZone is a fun, fresh place to play and learn in Washington, DC., open for drop-in play time, classes, and private parties! A place in the city for children 6 & under. Registration is required.

Smithsonian Museum– (Various Locations)

Most are free of charge! Specific child-friendly areas in museums listed below.

U.S. Botanic Garden– (100 Maryland Ave SW)

Massive indoor exhibits, you can spend all day here. Check website as they occasionally have events such as cooking demonstrations, concerts, baby snuggler days and more.
[Read more…]

Weekend Picks June 17-19

This weekend makers from across the United States will convene in Washington, DC, at the Second Annual National Maker Faire. Kicking off the “Week of Making” (June 17-23) National Maker Faire gives curious, inventive people a place to share what they love to make. Attendees at this free, family-friendly event will have the opportunity to interact with such technologies as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, electronics, and 3D printers as well as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) projects, textiles, crafting activities, homemade robots, and more.

Saturday-

9:30am AND 11:00am: Groovy Nate at National Theatre
(1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW)
Groovy Nate performances are a unique blend of music, movement, silly games, puppet skits, and comedy.  The show encourages families to move, sing, and play creatively with one another, while exposing them to variety of music genres. Tickets are free.

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Weekend Picks June 10-12

Celebrate Fairfax is Northern Virginia’s largest community-wide celebration and will take place June 10-12, 2016 at the Fairfax County Government Center. The 25-acre site was magically filled with fascinating sights and sounds of more than 300 exhibitors, food vendors, and interactive activities. Celebrate Fairfax! showcases live concerts on eight stages, Innovation Health Children’s Avenue, a petting zoo, the Fairfax County Karaoke Championship, carnival rides, and great festival foods. Another fun free activity for kids is the Fairfax Express Trackless Train Ride and nightly fireworks.

Also worth checking out is the Lake Anne Chalk Festival, happening Saturday & Sunday.

The weekend is supposed to be sunny and hot. Cool down at  a splash park, water park or pool!

Washington Nationals take on the Phillies with day games on Saturday and Sunday!

 

Friday-

5:00pm-8:30pm: Jazz in the Sculpture Gardenth-1
(7th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW)
The Jazz in the Garden Series begins its 15th season in May. The free concert series features jazz artists performing a wide variety of styles—salsa, blues fusion, xylophone, Afrofunk, and more—every Friday evening from 5:00 to 8:30 in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. You can purchase food and adult beverages or bring your own picnic (but no adult bevvies are allowed in).
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Weekday Adventures

Hope everyone enjoyed some sunshine this weekend! Lots going on this weekend.

The Puppet Co at Glen Echo has shows Wednesday-Friday. You can make a day out of it at Glen Echo; play at the playground, grab a snack or lunch at Praline (now on-grounds), plat at the Glen Echo Aquarium, and of course ride on the Dentzel Carousel before heading home. 

 As always, DC Public Library  has many great baby, toddler and teenager events all week long at several libraries.

Monday-

9:30am-11:00am: Rise + Rhyme at Busboys & Poets
(235 Carroll St NW  Washington, DC 20012)
A Busboys and Poets in-house series! Rise + Rhyme is a weekly morning storytelling and performance series for children ages 5 and under, stay-at-home parents, and early rising families of all kinds. Mr. Gabe performs nursery rhymes, folk songs, and modern favorites (such as “Yellow Submarine” and “La Bamba”) for children, ages zero to six.

[Read more…]

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