Beltway Bambinos

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

Birthday party ideas for older kids in and around Washington, DC

I love planning our Bambinos birthday parties but as our son has gotten older, his requests have gotten more precise and less intense. I do appreciate his taste for not having a big, blown out celebration and our bank account also thanks his simple request. He wants to play a baseball game with his friends at a local park (again)– which is how he celebrated turning 5. After applying for the permit at the park, I decided to create a new birthday post in preparation of his future parties as well as for all of you with an older crew who have outgrown some of the ideas on previous birthday posts we’ve created (see bottom of this post). 

Invicta Sports Club Archery Party

American Parkour

ZavaZone: Trampoline & Indoor Adventure Park

Shawdowland Laser

Bach to Rock
Rock Birthday Party (Ages 7+)
Karaoke Birthday Party (Ages 6+)
Rock City Birthday Party (Ages 4 – 6)
DJ Birthday Party (Ages 10+)

Game Truck of Northern Virginia

Rockville Sportsplex
Choose from Small Field Package (soccer or dodgeball),Inflatables, Court (basketball, soccer, dodgeball or hockey) or Field

Washington Nationals game or local baseball game: Bethesda Big Train, Potomac Nationals, Bowie Baysox

Go Kart Track
You must be 54′ to drive by yourself.

iFly Loudoun

Tea with Mrs. B
Or a tea party at one of these fancy hotels

Monster Mini Golf

Pinstripes
Head straight to the bowling lanes for an upscale take on a favorite American pastime and host your party lane-side, or choose one of our customizable private reception rooms accommodating groups of 20 to 240. Packages can include bowling, bocce, or a make-your-own pizza class.

A Game of Rooms
Age minimum 12 years old

The Escape Lounge

The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring Friends School
Teens and adults alike will have a great time ziplining and climbing through the trees!

Other related links:

Birthday party ideas, venues & entertainers in and around Washington, DC

My Gym birthday party

More Indoor Options that may host parties

Weekend Picks

It’s a big weekend! Sadly, you may need to keep those umbrellas and raincoats handy. Two great festivals that are sure to satisfy your stomach with the great food these two cultures bring-  St. Luke Serbian Festival and Saint Sophia Greek Festival.

Saturday-

banner_employment

10:00am-4:00pm: Family & Youth Casting Call at Fletcher’s Cove
(4940 Canal Road NW, Washington DC 20007)
The Family & Youth Casting Call is a FREE family fishing and environmental education event at Fletcher’s Cove. Anglers will learn basic fishing skills while fishing in a stocked section of the C & O canal and practice catch and release fishing. Partnering community organizations will share information on their programs and provide environmental education activities for the kids. All equipment and bait provided by DOEE. Youth must be accompanied by parents. This is a free event and all equipment and bait provided by DOEE.
[Read more…]

Interview with local mom & musician plus giveaway

Carolyn Ross of Kindiemusicdc interviewed Here Comes Trouble’s front-woman, Kelly Donohue. Admittedly, I hadn’t heard of the band and my interest is now peaked; a band who writes songs that are “funny and a little brash” seems right up my alley. After all, my son is almost four and the variety of music we’ve listened to is finally starting to move on from familiar kid sing-alongs to songs like Sugar by Maroon 5 and Centerfield by John Fogerty. With that being said, our family is super excited to celebrate at the CD Release Party for “Goo on my Shoe” and expand the music we listen to.  Share this post on Facebook for a chance to win 4 tickets to the party (details are at the end of the article).

BandBand Members: Jon Babu, Jennifer Jones, Kelly Donohue, Colleen Dyer, Jacob Chmara (Photo credit: Paper Bird Photography)

If you’ve ever thought you’d like to be a rock star, or otherwise just have your voice heard, then you understand something of what drives trademark lawyer and Gaithersburg, Md. mother of two, Kelly Donohue.

As the front-woman and principal songwriter for her band Here Comes Trouble, Donohue is pursuing her dream of making it big, and making it happen right here in the D.C. metro area.

Here Comes Trouble or HCT plays original Kindie (independent kids) music inspired by Donohue’s own family life. Not unlike many area parents, just a few short years ago Donohue and her husband John Babu were commuting to their jobs, helping kids with homework and living well in the ‘burbs . But something was missing. It wasn’t until while seeking potential entertainers for her son’s 5th birthday party, and coming up short of what she was looking for, Donohue stumbled upon what was absent from her life, and as it turned out, sorely needed; Music. The music that was once central to her own and her husband’s life, a talent they both essentially abandoned for the legal field, and the existence of which their children knew nothing about. As conservatory trained musicians, Kelly and John each had dreams of pursuing artistic careers, but all too soon practicalities took over and their history as creative types, was all but forgotten. Until that day in the driveway.

[Read more…]

Weekday Adventures: Pumpkin Harvest Days and Postal Museum birthday celebration

Pumpkin Harvest Days begin on Thursday at Butler’s Orchard. Pumpkin Harvest Days activities include exploring the learning stations, jumping in the hayloft barn, swooshing down the giant slides, visiting barnyard animals, picking a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, and exploring the straw maze. Pumpkin Harvest Days are self-guided. You may do any activity in any order as
many times as you like! Book your reservation here. 

hero_pumpkin_harvest-1000x415

 

Many new theater productions start this week. Including The Night Fairy and Under the Canopy. Be sure and reserve your tickets! 

This weeks DC Library Events for Kids can be found here.

Monday-

9:30am: Harambe at Bloombars
(3222 11th St NW, Washington, DC. 20010)
Think of it as your little one’s first opportunity to express his or her voice (into a microphone), dance, play a drum or percussion instrument, shout, or sing-along to songs that build character, confidence and community.

[Read more…]

Weekend Picks: Bao Bao’s Birthday, Arts in the Park and Thomas and Friends

Maryland Renaissance Festival is this weekend! The festival is free to children 11 and under this weekend. 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. Can’t catch it this weekend? Don’t worry it you can dress like a knight and come any weekend through October 17.  

Friday-

11:00am-2:00pm: Chuck Brown Memorial Park Dedication
(2901 20th St NE Washington, DC)
The Chuck Brown Foundation will be giving away 500 drawstring backpacks to children in attendance. In conjunction with OneCity, DPR, DGS, and DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

5:45pm: The Red Dirt Rangers at 10th Street Community Park
(1117 10th Street NW Washington, DC 20001)
Family-friendly, free concert.

[Read more…]

Weekend Picks: Dragon boats, jazz with java and a birthday party

Fun things to do this weekend outdoors. Last weekend, our family climbed some rocks and searched for animals hiding at the Billy Goat Trail along the Potomac River. You can strap that baby on your back and your toddler will have a blast climbing the rocks, pretending he is a billy goat. The Mets are also in town trying to beat our Nationals both on Saturday and Sunday. Grab your tickers here and on Saturday you can admire all of the Pups that are invited to the ballpark or on Sunday your children ages 4-12 can run the bases.
main_image

Saturday

8:30am-5:00pm: 13th Annual Dragon Boat Festival at Thompsons Boat Center
(2900 Virginia Ave NW Washington, DC 20007- near the Georgetown Waterfront)
The Washington DC Dragon Boat Festival, now in it’s 13th year, is a two day festival held along the Potomac River complete with cultural exhibitions, craft demonstrations, and of course… dragon boat racing made to look just like dragons. The event is sponsored by the Chinese Women’s League (CWL) and serves to promote Chinese culture to the Washington DC area through the sport of dragon boat racing. Schedule of events here. The kids will enjoy watching the races as well as brushing painting, calligraphy and paper cutting.

10:00am-6:00pm: Gaithersburg Book Festival
(Gaithersburg City Hall, 31 South Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877)
Since its inception in 2010, the Festival has quickly become one of the nation’s top literary events, attracting hundreds of award-winning and best-selling authors, poets and songwriters from across the country to its quaint, park-like setting in the heart of Olde Towne Gaithersburg. In the Children’s Village you will also find a literary sea of activities, workshops and performances brought to us by multiple sponsors. They are designed to engage and stimulate your child’s book curiosity and interest in reading and writing.

[Read more…]

logo design courtesy of New Leaf Design