Beltway Bambinos

The Chautauqua Festival is an free, eight-day (June 21-28) family oriented arts and music festival held each year in Elizabeth Brown Park in Downtown Wytheville, VA. Uno, Dos, Tres Con Andres is playing on Wednesday at 10:30am. Road trip anyone?  Smithsonian Folklife Festival is also happening on the National Mall beginning on Wednesday. 

Looking to escape the warmer temperatures this week? There are some new theatre performances in town. Out theatre roundup has the details you need. 

 DC Parks and Rec have turned on all spray parks and pools!  Check them out to cool off. 

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.

9:30am-11:00am- Rise and Rhyme at Busboys and Poets
(5531 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville, Md. 20781)
Rise + Rhyme is a weekly Busboys and Poets series for local stay-at-home parents and early rising families of all kinds! Featuring performances and stories for children ages 5 and under.Today’s featured artist is The Singing Lizard. 

Tuesday-  

10:00am: Rocking Tot Tuesdays with The Singing Lizard at Bloombars
(3222 11th St NW, Washington, DC. 20010)
Grab an instrument, get on stage or practice your moves on the dance floor. This is a perfect spot for your little one to move and groove. Suggested donation $7.

10:00am: Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Pavilion (2nd floor)
(10th St. and Constitution Ave., NW)
Every Tuesday at 10:00am you can get into the magnificent butterfly pavilion for free! Make sure and get a free ticket by the entrance. We visited this last month and were amazed by how many butterflies were flying around, some even landing on a shoulder. Look closely and you could spot a frog under some trees.

7:00pm: NoMa Family Film Night

(Sursum Corda Plaza, L and First Streets, NW)
Now in its fourth year, the NoMa BID is proud to present Family Film Night at Sursum Corda, where families and children gather for free family-centric movies (also fitting the ‘Unlikely Friendships’ theme) and free food. Family Film Night will take place on four Tuesdays this summer. WALL-E is the featured film tonight!

Wednesday- Smithsonian Folklife Festival begins on the National Mall. 

10:30am: Boogie Babes presents Mr. Skip at Union Market
(1309 5th St NE, Washington, DC. 20002)
Access the free market parking lot from 6th Street NE or travel via metro to NoMA-Gallaudet. Come early for coffee and stay for lunch!

4:00pm-5:30pm: Free Art Wednesdays at Create ART
(Silver Spring Civic Building – 1 Veterans Plaza)
Join Create ART in this wonderful new FREE after school art workshops – improv, sewing, comics, & more! Kindergarten-5th grade students welcome. Register online.

5:30pm: !Uno, Dos, Tres con Andres! at BloomBars
(3222 11th St NW, Washington, DC. 20010)
!Uno, Dos, Tres con Andres! is a sure bet every time. Children of various ages enjoy this interactive show that teaches Spanish language and Latin American culture.

6:00pm:  Rocknoceros at Rio Washingtonian Little Tots Summer
(209 Boardwalk Pl. Gaithersburg, Md. 20878- (On the LAKEFRONT PLAZA)
Join the music for some evening jams. 

Thursday-

9:30am and 11:30am: Recess Monkey at Strathmore’s Backyard Theatre for Children
(Parking for Backyard Theater is in the Mansion lot on a space-available basis. Enter the lot at 10701 Rockville Pike.)
A summertime favorite, Backyard Theater for Children returns with enough music and magic to thrill kids and parents alike – all outdoors under a big tent! Each artsy experience comes at a wallet-pleasing price of only $8 each ($7.20 Stars Price) and free for ages 2 and under. Bring blankets and a bag lunch. Strathmore is excited to welcome back Recess Monkey, a trio of Seattle teacher-musicians whose music has been praised by People, Time and NPR for their pitch-perfect understanding of what gets kids up and moving. Get ready to dance, shout and develop a devotion to “kindie rock.” Get tickets!

10:00am: 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.

10:30am: Boogie Babes presents The Singing Lizard at Eastern Market
(225 7th St SE, Washington, DC 20003)
Our most popular show of the week! Join us at Historic Eastern Market’s North Hall (closest to South Carolina) for a lively concert, grab lunch and shop for dinner. Access to the North Hall via the market for Boogie Babes. Eastern Market Metro is two short blocks away.

10:30am: The Great Zucchini at Jammin Java
(227 Maple Ave E Vienna, VA 22180)
Get tickets here for The Great Zucchini, Washington’s funniest and most magical preschool and kindergarten entertainer, performs a colorful magic show where every child is a star and guaranteed to laugh. Experience the excitement of the children when they get to learn a magic trick at the end of show.

3:00pm-3:45pm: Storytime on Lake Needwood: Beavers Gnaw
(Needwood Boathouse, 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Rockville, 20855)
Take a storytime cruise around the Lake aboard the Needwood Queen pontoon boat. We’ll read a story onboard then look for what’s swimming, soaring, and standing nearby. Due to limited space and boating safety regulations, all must register and pay ($2/adults, $6/child; no underage siblings).

6:00pm: John Henry, the Guitar Playing Man at Broad Branch Market 
(5608 Broad Branch Rd NW, Washington, DC 20015)
John Henry has a busy day! He’s back at our favorite summer concert series. Catch him every Thursday at BBM. Grab dinner inside the market and eat it while singing along to his catchy tunes or treat your bambino to an ice cream. A fun way to end the evening and if you’re little one isn’t ready to go home afterwards walk across the street to Lafayette Park and choose between the many playgrounds or fields to play on.

8:45pm/Sundown:Wimbledon at  Canal Park
(Canal Park, at 2nd and M St., SE- Navy Yard Metro)
Beginning at sundown/8:45pm which is probably too late for the littlest family members but perhaps your teenagers can attend. Thursday evenings bring a lawn chair and have fun watching the kids (or jointing in) as they play wii on the big screen or trivia until the movie begins., If there are any little ones in tote, last year there were plenty of hula hooping going on. Bring a lawn chair to this movie! Featured film tonight is Wimbledon (PG-13). 

8:30pm/Sundown: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire at Movies on the Square
(Rockville Town Square)
Movie begins around sundown/8:30pm. Bring a lawn chair and family and friends and join us under the stars for some of our favorite blockbusters.

Friday-

10:00am: Songs, stories & puppets at Bloombars
(3222 11th St NW, Washington, DC. 20010)
30 minutes of storytelling, dancing, singing and entertainment just for kids under 5.

10:30am: Rocknoceros at Jammin Java
(227 Maple Ave E Vienna, VA 22180)
As every family with youngsters in the DC area already knows, Rocknoceros (pronounced like rhinoceros) is three guys: Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie, who make wildly popular, award-winning music for the whole family. Tickets are $5.

1:00pm-4:00pm: The National Portrait Gallery presents Open Studio Fridays
(Eighth & F St NW, Washington, DC 20001 – Education Center, Room E151)
Friday afternoons at the Gallery feature some creative and free fun! Check out a Portrait Discovery Kit to explore the museum and try a different selection of art material each week.

5:30pm-8:30pm: Jazz in the Sculpture Garden 
(7th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW)
DC Jazz Festival is the featured music for this week’s free concert. 

7:00pm-8:00pm: Family Night Out: Animal Olympics at Meadowside Nature Center
(5100 Meadowside Lane, Rockville, MD)
Make the most of summer’s lingering daylight spending family time together outdoors in the park. Register all participants; fee is for children only. Think you can run faster, leap higher than an animal? Test your athletic skills and see how you stack up against the best animal athletes in the world. 3 and up $5.