Beltway Bambinos

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

Weekend Picks July 22-24

Montgomery County celebrates its agricultural heritage by promoting local farms, and inviting our residents to indulge in seasonally fresh food during the 27th Annual Farm Tour and Harvest as well as throughout the entire growing season. Many of the farms that participated in the annual farm tour are open throughout the growing season. Activities will vary from farm to farm, but several will have hayrides, pony rides, music, animals to visit, and other activities planned.

Has anyone been to the Icebergs exhibit at The National Building Museum? Open 10am-5pm get a reprieve from the weekend heat and cool off with icebergs and shaved ice. 

Plenty of fun places to COOL off this weekend!!!

Friday-

Lots of live music tonight!

yards park

(Yards Park)

Saturday-

9:30am AND 11:00am: Vladimir Goes for the Gold at National Theatre
(1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW)
Meet Vladimir Cashewninski: Champion Badminton player, and sole athlete from the tiny People’s Republic of Insurgistan, as he prepares to compete at the Olympic Games. The night before his big day, he has an enthralling dream that takes him to Ancient Olympia, where he meets the Olympic Herald and teams up with the audience to explore the first Olympic Games.
[Read more…]

Inside Out– an interactive theatre experience at Imagination Stage

inside out

What: Inside Out at Imagination Stage

When: June 25, 2016 – July 31, 2016

Where: Imagination Stage  – 4908 Auburn Avenue  Bethesda, MD 20814

Why:
The My First Imagination Stage theatre series offers intimate, interactive performances designed for the very young in our Reeve Theatre.

It’s bedtime! But instead of getting ready, two children use their imaginations to turn their room into a wonderland of mess! While playing dress-up,  a  glove becomes a dancing fish, a shirt becomes a fantastic creature, and a sock dance rocks the closet. In this interactive show, discover the joy of  turning things inside out!

My 19 month old and 5 year old were involved and entranced throughout the entire show. It is the perfect show and series to bring the younger audience. You sit on the floor and children are encouraged to participate. This particular show allows kids to sort, match, count and follow directions in a friendly way. At the end, the audience is encouraged to play with the clothing and hang out on the stage. 5 stars for this show! We all want to go back and see it again!

Details:
Running time is roughly 45 minutes with no intermission.

Tickets can be purchased here. Tickets are $14.00.

Recommended for children 1-5.

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.

roundhouse5

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.
[Read more…]

The Little Mermaid at Imagination Stage

mermaid

(Photo credit: Margot Schulman)

What: The Little Mermaid at Imagination Stage

When: June 22, 2016 – August 14, 2016

Where: Imagination Stage  – 4908 Auburn Avenue  Bethesda, MD 20814

Why:
In this faithful re-telling of the Hans Christian Andersen original (not your well-known Disney production), the Little Mermaid falls in love with a human Prince, and longs to join him in his world above the waves. Despite the warnings of her Mer-family, the Little Mermaid seeks out the Enchantress who trades her pair of legs for the mermaid’s beautiful singing voice. A follow-up to the highly acclaimed The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (2012), this collaboration between Imagination Stage and The Washington Ballet features dance, puppets, music, and singing in a highly theatrical and epic style of performance. A highlight for us was the fantastic ballerinas and peaceful, serene music that went along with the play. My five-year old was entertained throughout the show. It is not your typical Disney Little Mermaid therefore he was wondering what was next and constantly seeing new things and hearing different songs he wasn’t used to.

 

 

Details:
Running time is roughly 90 minutes with no intermission.

Tickets can be purchased here. Tickets are $10.00-$35.00 each with group and field trip rates available.

Recommended for children 4+.

Jumanji 4D at Adventure Theatre

Billie Krishawn as Judy, Ryan Carlo as Peter, and Elan Zafir as The Guide

                                    (Photo credit: Michael Horan)

What: Jumanji

When: June 17, 2016 – August 28, 2016

Where: Adventure Theatre
7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, MD. 20812

Why: Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg
Adapted by Sandra Eskin & Michael J. Bobbitt & Directed by Serge Seiden

On a dull day, Judy and Peter find a mysterious old board game. One live lion, an erupting volcano, and some destructive monkeys later, the children are plunged into an experience they’ll never forget. Will they ever finish this mysterious magic game and claim Jumanji?! The Guide is by far the icing on the cake for this show. Just you wait and see!

I’ve never been to a live theatre that has been in 4D, with the exception of being at a theme park. Your Bambinos (and yourself included) will be on the edge of your seat waiting for what’s next. I don’t want to give away all of the surprises but here’s a preview. Expect wind, bubbles and mist with many more surprises. The puppets were made in such a creative way and are accompanied by amazing noises, colors and voices that make them seem real. This is truly a can’t miss theatre experience. I was either laughing or had a smile on my face the entire time and my kids were staring in awe. Jumanji is now my all time favorite children’s theatre shows I’ve seen in Washington, DC. Get your tickets ASAP!!! Our household has now read the book and is planning to watch the movie soon and go see Jumanji once again before it ends.

Theatre Note: This show features strobe lights, and wind, water, and rumble effects. It is approximately 60 minutes long and late seating may not be guaranteed. Please plan accordingly. We encourage parents with young children to use the restrooms prior to entering the theatre and familiarize their children with the plot of the show for the best experience.

Billie Krishawn as Judy 3

  (Photo credit: Michael Horan)

Details:
Running time is 60 minutes with no intermission.

Tickets can be purchased here. Tickets are $19.50 each with group and field trip rates available. Children under the age of 1 are free.

Jumanji is recommended for ages 4+. However, I took my 19 month old and it was the perfect show for her. There was so much for her to watch and the 4D really allowed there to be so much stimulus that she was constantly looking around for more. I kept whispering to her that she was seeing puppets and she didn’t make a peep the entire time. Take the entire family.

Jacob Yeh as Puppeteer, Ryan Carlo as Peter, Julia Klavans as Puppeteer  (Photo credit: Michael Horan)

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 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).
[Read more…]

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…]

logo design courtesy of New Leaf Design