Beltway Bambinos

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

Summer outdoor movies in and around Washington, DC

Bring blankets or chairs (check websites for what they prefer), some snacks and cozy up to a summer movie under the stars. Disclaimer: This is a list of child friendly and a few adult friendly movies. As you will see some of these don’t begin until sunset so perhaps it’s a late summer evening for some kids or a date night for parents. Have fun watching some free movies this summer.

Union Market Drive-In

Bethesda Outdoor Movies
Enjoy four nights of blockbuster hits at downtown Bethesda’s 15th annual outdoor movie series!Show times begin at 9:00pm at the corner of Norfolk and Auburn Avenues. A limited number of chairs will be provided and attendees are invited to bring their own lawn chairs. Admission is free!

July 24: 10 Things I Hate About You
July 25: Won’t You Be My Neighbor
July 26: Crazy Rich Asians
July 27: As Good As It Gets

Union Market Drive-In
The Drive-In at Union Market is back for a seventh season from May through October! Watch great films under the stars on the first Friday of every month. Delicious foods from market vendors, and fun pre-show activities for movie-lovers of every age! All films are shown with Closed Caption. Driving? $15 parking fee per car, purchase via links below. Walk-ups are free.

June 7: Con Air
July 5: A League of Their Own
Aug 2: Jaws
Sep 6: Coco
Oct 4: The Wiz

NoMa Family Film Night
The theme for the 12th season of Summer Screen — our longest-running free public event — is WHO’S GOT GAME? We’ve got a fun lineup of sports-related films. Chairs are encouraged, as are blankets, frisbees, dogs on leases and picnic coolers when the doors open at 7:00pm, movies begin at sunset.

June 5: The Karate Kid (PG) sunset: 8:30 p.m.
June 12: Love & Basketball (PG-13) sunset: 8:33 p.m.
June 19: Moneyball (PG-13) sunset: 8:35 p.m.
June 26: Rudy (PG) sunset: 8:37 p.m.
July 3: The Sandlot (PG) sunset: 8:37 p.m.
July 10: I, Tonya (R) sunset: 8:35 p.m.
July 17: Bend It Like Beckham (PG-13) sunset: 8:31 p.m.
July 24: Remember the Titans (PG) sunset: 8:26 p.m.
July 31: Bring It On (PG-13) sunset: 8:20 p.m.
Aug 7: Cool Runnings (PG) sunset: 8:12 p.m.
Aug 14: She’s the Man (PG-13) sunset: 8:04 p.m.
Aug 21: Best in Show (PG-13) sunset: 7:54 p.m.
Aug 28: rain date sunset: 7:44 p.m.

Adam’s Morgan Movie Nights
Theme of this year is: Movie Nights in Space. Movies begin approximately 30 minutes after sunset. Kids are welcome, but please no pets or alcohol. Please check the Movie Nights Facebook Page for cancellation information in the event of bad weather.

May 21: Armageddon
May 28: Alien
June 4: Spaceballs
June 11: Apollo 11
June 18: ET

Movies on the Potomac at National Harbor
Nothing says summer like an evening under the stars—and there’s no better way to enjoy the season than Movies on the Potomac at National Harbor. Pack your picnic blankets, grab food to go from one of the delicious dining establishments, and meet at the Plaza’s big screen for a FREE evening of fun for all ages! Please note that movies will begin at 6:00pm and will be shown once. They also feature Date Night Movies on Thursdays at 7:00pm.

May 19: Incredibles 2
May 26: The Lego Batman Movie
June 2: Cars 3
June 9: Matilda
June 16: Ralph Breaks the Internet
June 23: Air Bud: World Cup
June 30: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
July 7: Mary Poppins Returns
July 14: CoCo
July 21: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
July 28: The LEGO Movie 2
Aug 4: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Aug 11: Learning to See: The World of Insects
Aug 14: Holes
Aug 18: Instant Family
Sept 2: A Wrinkle in Time
Sept 9: The Wizard of Oz
Sept 16: The Wiz (1978)
Sept 23: Despicable Me 3
Sept 30: DUMBO (2019)

Cinema Del Ray
The fun begins at 7:00pm. Free open air movie showings sponsored by The Jen Walker Team. Bring blankets and cozy up. No 4 legged friends.

May 18: Peter Pan
June 15: Ralph Breaks the Internet
July 20: Smallfoot (in Spanish with English subtitles)
August 17: How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World
September 21: Incredibles 2

Not yet announced for 2019:
Four Mile Summer Movie Festival at Four Mile Conservatory Building
Canal Park
Comcast Xfinity Outdoor Film Festival

Help us add to our list of outdoor movies, let us know what to add by sending us a message.

Our favorite family-friendly summer activities in and around Washington, DC

Summer is my all-time favorite time in Washington, DC, despite the hot temperatures, there is something always going on. An outdoor festival, fountains to splash around in, an outdoor sports game to watch or live music are a few of our go-to’s. We want to help you kick off your summer the right way so you don’t miss out on some of the great summer events in Washington, DC.

Photo courtesy of DC Mosquito Squad
  • Jazz in the Sculpture Garden: The Jazz in the Garden Series begins its 19th season in May. The free concert series features jazz artists performing a wide variety of styles—Brazilian Folk Jazz, Alternative Modern, Blues, Reggae, World Steam Punk, Afro Funk, African Fusion Jazz, Cuban Charanga, Django Guitar, New Orleans Jazz, and more—every Friday evening from 5:00 to 8:30 in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Bring a picnic, buy a beverage, relax and enjoy the atmosphere, sculptures and music.
  • Local splash parks
  • Wolf Trap children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods: June 18- Aug 3, 2019- Across the meadow from the Filene Center, literally tucked in the woods at Wolf Trap National Park, the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods has been a summer tradition for generations of children and families. Performances range from music and dance to puppetry and storytelling—interactive, educational, and fun. All shows are about an hour long and are perfect for children ages 4 and up. Event calendar can be found here.
  • Play in your own yard! Our family loves good old fashioned chalk and bubbles on our front walkway but we also play tons of catch, water play and scootering. This wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t have our yard sprayed by Mosquito Squad. The first year we lived in our house we weren’t able to sit on our front porch for more than a minute without being bitten by mosquitos. Mosquito Squad has made an amazing difference and after our treatment the mosquitos are gone! What I love most is that their spray techniques allow for kids and pets to return to playing just 30 minutes after service.
  • Pirate Adventure on the Chesapeake: Boat + Annapolis + Pirate Adventure = Outdoor Perfection
  • Smithsonian Folklife Festival: The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is June 29 & 30, 2019 and you will experience living traditions from around the world. The goal is to work with communities to strengthen and preserve their cultures and share them with you on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
  • Strathmore Backyard Theatre: Enrich your little ones’ summer Thursday mornings in July with sunshine, music, and laughter at Strathmore’s Backyard Theater for Kids. This eclectic program is the perfect summer escape for busy families. Pack a picnic and enjoy live performances by highly esteemed and innovative family-friendly entertainers.
  • Montgomery County Agriculture Fair: The Fair will be August 9-17, 2019 and has animals, rides, entertainment, food, commercial, home arts, arts and crafts exhibits, and many others for the whole family to enjoy!
  • 11th Annual Ukulele Festival at Strathmore: It’s a celebration of the marvelous musicality of the ukulele on August 21, 2019. UkeFest features ukulele superstars Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, Daniel Ho, and Peter Luongo along with a mass strum-along. This fantastically fun concert is the culmination of the 11th annual UkeFest intensive workshop and a highlight of summer at Strathmore!
  • Kayak, canoe and paddle boating: Ballpark Boathouse, Fletcher’s Boathouse, Mariner Sailing School, The Wharf

Mosquito Squad of Greater Washington DC is our communities’ leading choice for mosquito, tick, and flea control, as well as other forms of backyard pest control. Their work has made it possible for customers to enjoy their backyards for the first time without fear of bug bites or vector-borne diseases. Their work is backed by a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. If you don’t like the results, they promise to spray your yard again for free or refund your money. Schedule your mosquito control treatment by calling (571) 364-6956 and find a service that is right for your family here.

This post was written in partnership with D.C. Mosquito Squad who is providing standard barrier treatment for our yard this summer.

Spring in the Valley is back!

Returning this year to Spring in the Valley is the amazing team from Safe Kids DC.  Safe Kids of District of Columbia is led by Children’s National Medical Center, which provides dedicated and caring staff, operation support and other resources to assist in achieving a common goal: keeping your kids safe. They will be providing complimentary car seat checks for kids of all ages. Sadly most car seats are installed incorrectly. Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71%. So come out and have them check your car seats!

Kids will have a great time at this event as there will be so many fun activities for all. Bounce houses by Astrojump are generously donated by the Washington Fine Properties;Morrell Roth Group, Dr. Roya Pilcher, pediatric dentist and The Reishman Group. Don’t miss Fire Engine 29, Truck 5 which will be giving firetruck tours.

This year Capitol Crab Co. & Rocklands BBQ food trucks serving lunch. Compass Coffee will be providing their amazing cold brew for the entire crowd to enjoy. Squeaky Pops and Praline Bakery will also be serving samples to hungry attendees. Galley Foods is coming with samples of their home delivery meal service.

Local vendors to include:
–Beautycounter & Beltway Bambinos will be together with sun screen samples, bubbles and family focused giveaways! We are so excited to join in the fun this year! Please come by and say hi!

–Eliana’s Light will have a self care arts and craft booth to help you relax.

-Fun from Little Grace’s Playroom and the Workroom.

-Favorite medical offices, Bloom OB/GYN and Spring Valley Pediatrics will be present to answer questions about their practices.

-Dr. Perez, founder of Metropolitan Pediatric Dentistry has donated balloon art by Marsha Gallagher for all of the kids.

-For those of you expecting or who have small kids, while your car seat is being inspected you can chat with the Nanny Network, Hush Hush Little Baby, Metropolitan Breastfeeding, and Baby Joy 3D/4D.

-The team at Headfirst Camps will be coming to share their children’s programs.

–Cord Blood Registry and Abbott are there with raffles, information and snacks.

–Spring Valley Life Magazine, The Scout Guide and Spring Valley Neighborhood Association are joining to mingle with their hood.

-Talented photographer, Lenzy Ruffin will attend and share his work and family photo services. 

–Humane Rescue Alliance is coming with animals to play with!

–Two Birds just opened in Tenleytown, offer co-working and daycare. They will be on hand to answer any questions.

There will be $1 raffle tickets with all proceeds going to the non-profit Eliana’s Light. Eliana’s Light supports families with children who have complex medical conditions by providing a community-based collaborative approach to care that’s focused on whole health and well-being. Raffle items include Millie’s gift certificates, Georgetown Massage and Body Works gift card for a 45 minute massage, gift cards to Pizza Paradiso, free physical therapy evaluation for an adult or child from ITR Physical Therapy and so much more.

Come spend the day with us in Spring Valley! Goody bags are being handed out for the first 100 attendees.  All are welcome to join and we hope to see you there!

Address: 4900 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016
(Upper and lower parking lots off of 49th & 50th Streets NW)

Date: May 11, 2019 from 11:00am-2:00pm

Fall classes for children in and around Washington, DC

Class assignments are coming out, camps are ending, but the weather is still amazing and I’m forced to register for Fall sports and classes {sigh}. I say it each year but this summer went by way too quickly and I wish we could rewind time and start it over again. It’s not too late to cross some of our highlights off your list though.

We’ve highlighted some places offering Fall classes, parent-and-me groups as well as play groups.  Here’s to cooler weather, the turning of leaves and continuing to stay busy exploring Washington, DC.

Audubon Naturalist Society: Tales & Trails 10-week class ages 2-4 with a caregiver can be found here.

Adventure Theatre: Fall Academy Classes for children Grade K-Grade 12 can be found here.

Anna Banana Arts and Crafts: Art classes for ages 2-8 year olds can be found here.

Encore Stage & Theatre: Learning opportunities for children 6 months-Grade 12 can be found here.

Hillwood Estate: Various themes and sessions for ages 2-5. Classes can be found here.

Imagination Stage: Theme-based Fall Class Schedule for children ages 12 months-age 18 can be found here.

Just for Kids: Various sports for kids 18 months-age 9 can be found here.

Little Loft: A neighborhood art studio in Takoma Park. Offering classes for preschool kids, open studio time and off school classes. Click here to view many options.

Meadowlark Music: Classes include parachute, scarves, instruments, drums, puppets, balls, guitar, flute, dancing, singing, giggling, clapping, movement and more! More information can be found here for children 0-3 years old. Ukulele and guitar classes are found here for ages 4+.

Montgomery County Recreation Department: You can find The Guide which is full of classes here or you can pick one up at a Montgomery County Library or Recreation Center.

Nook: Nook has curated a selection of classes and workshops that offers developmental opportunities for ages 0-5 years. Find out more here.

Player Progression Academy (PPA): Offers a variety of sports from tots to high school. Find schedules here.

Quick Feet: Soccer for 2-7 year olds in DC, MD and VA. Classes can be found here.

Red Panda Art Studio: Each class is carefully planned to focus on a different art material. Children will be introduced to new art and sensory materials in a structured but exploratory setting. Classes for ages 2-4 and 4-7 can be found here.

Round House Theatre: Fall classes consist of 8-week sessions on Saturdays. Classes for children ages 2-Grade 8 can be found here.

Silver Stars Gymnastics: Fall classes for children ages 18 months and up can be found here.

Smithsonian National Zoo: Preschool classes and after school classes throughout the year can be found here. 

Tinkergarten: Families meet outdoors to connect and learn through play. Various sessions for ages 0-8 can be found here.

Tudor Place: Toddlers get active in mind and body while learning about the world around us in weekly sessions featuring songs, stories, crafts, and movement. Classes for kids ages 2-4 can be found here. 

Washington DC JCC: Fall classes and parenting classes

Kids-playing-soccer

Mom’s Groups:

New Mom support group with Dr. Ellyn Turer

Group for first and second time Moms PACE

8 Week New Mom’s Group at Lemon Tree

DC Parents of Multiples Group at Lemon Tree

Parent-and-me classes and experiences at Petite DC

A school for Toddlers and Parents and Caregivers at Intown Playgroup

Six (seven) Week Hook-Up from Mama’s Link

 

Indoor Gym Spaces:
My Gymth

BusyBees

Magic Ground

Gymboree

Kidville

 

Other posts:

Yoga with your Bambino

Dance and Gymnastics classes

Year-round classes

Memorial Day Weekend in and around Washington, DC 2018

With the holiday weekend among us, we’ve chosen a few well-known picks that pay tribute to Memorial Day in addition to some familiar events. We’ve also put together a short list of suggested day trips that won’t keep you and your family in the car too long but will get you “away”. An obvious and free pick is to visit the various memorials along the Mall. Many events at Arlington National Cemetery can be found here. Info on Rolling Thunder can be found here. 

Have you entered our current giveaways? A free month of classes at MOCO Movement? Tickets to see In the Clouds at Arts on the Horizon? Movie passes to see Adrift?

The Big Bounce America is taking over Washington, DC this weekend; 10,000 square feet of bounce fun.

And of course the kids haven’t let you forget the pools open this weekend. Here is a list of Washington, DC pools with hours and addresses. All outdoor pools and splash pads will open Memorial Day weekend and will operate on a weekend schedule through June 17.

Not a pool person? Let your child run around and splash in the spray parks or hit a waterpark (see the bottom of the list). A few sprays in DC are The Yards Park and Georgetown Waterfront Park and a list of spraygrounds in Arlington.

Friday

5:00pm-8:30pm: Jazz in the Sculpture Garden
National Gallery of Art’s 2018 Jazz in the Garden lineup features acclaimed musicians presenting a wide variety of jazz styles—swing, funk, hip-hop, Latin, go-go, ska, Dixieland, blues, and more. Every Friday evening from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. through August 24, 2018, the Gallery will invite visitors to find a seat among the monumental works of art in the Sculpture Garden and enjoy one of the city’s favorite summertime activities. To date, more than 1,735,000 visitors have started their weekend off with the long-standing concert series. Pack a picnic or purchase food there. 

6:30pm: Four Mile Summer Movie Festival at Four Mile Conservatory Building-Featured movie: Coco 
Bring your friends, family and neighbors for games, giveaways, popcorn, picnicking, and of course, great films under the stars. Movies start at dusk and are screened with Spanish subtitles. We encourage moviegoers to bring chairs, because this year’s location will be on asphalt. Bring blankets, outdoor games, and picnic coolers when the fun starts at 6:30 pm.

7:00pm-9:00pm: Friday Night Concert Series
The free Capitol Riverfront Friday Night Concert Series is back for its 8th Season. 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 few minutes walk from the park. Family-friendly lyrics and grassy open space make this an enjoyable event for adults and kids alike.

Saturday

10:00am: Kids Can Cook at Frying Pan Park
Programs at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Create a healthy snack with food straight from Kidwell Farm. Participants get to harvest tasty treats from the garden and learn fun ways to put them together to make kid-friendly dishes. Children must be accompanied by an adult registered in the program.

11:00am-3:00pm: DC Duck Race
The 3rd annual D.C. Duck Race is at The Yards Park along the Anacostia River. This fun event and festival brings the community together in support of local non-profits and organizations and is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C. through a collaboration with the Capitol Riverfront BID. The race will begin at 2 PM!

9:00am-5:00pm: Strawberry Jubilee Festival at Great Country Farms is the longest running strawberry festival in Loudoun County. To celebrate the royal strawberry, our Jubilee is packed with live music, farm contests, wagon rides, a visit from the Strawberry Princess, great food and fun games for the whole family! (Taking place on Sunday also).

10:00am-5:00pm: Delaplane Strawberry Festival allow you to enjoy hayrides, old fashioned field games, dancing, music, magic, storytelling, crafts, a petting farm, bake sale, hikes in the shadow of the Appalachian Trail, face painting, cake-walking, Corn Hole, a monkey and much more! (Taking place on Sunday also).

Sunday

2:00pm: National Memorial Day Parade
The National Memorial Day Parade, held annually along Constitution Avenue in our nation’s capital – Washington, DC – shares the story of American honor and sacrifice from across the generations. The parade, commemorating its fourteenth year, is our nation’s largest Memorial Day event, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to the National Mall to pay tribute to those who have served, are serving, and most importantly those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while in service to our country.

6:00pm: Movies on the Potomac at National Harbor- Featured movie: The Lego Batman Movie
Nothing says summer like an evening under the stars—and there’s no better way to enjoy the season than Movies on the Potomac at National Harbor. Pack your picnic blankets, grab food to go from one of our delicious dining establishments, and meet us at the Plaza’s big screen for a FREE evening of fun for all ages! Please note that movies will begin at 6:00pm and will be shown once, so end times may vary with each movie. A schedule of movies to be shown can be viewed below. (They also feature Date Night Movies on Thursdays at 7:00pm.)

8:00pm-9:30pm: National Memorial Day Concert
Saturday’s dress rehearsal is also always open to the public. The gates open at 5:00pm and the concert begins at 8:00pm.

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