Beltway Bambinos

Santa’s LEGO Block Party at B&O’s Magical Holiday Express will kick off this weekend. Santa will arrive on the train at 10:30am on Saturday.Check out the schedule, each weekend a new theme and event.

Ice! Featuring Santa Claus is Coming to Town also begins this weekend at The Gaylord National Harbor. Guests can walk-through holiday attraction, kept at a chilly 9 degrees, marvel at two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculpture, have fun on five ice slides, walk and see the 7 individual rooms depicting the story of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town and see The Frostbite Factory – a live carving zone.

Saturday-

9:00am-10:30am or 11:30am-1:00pm: Ele-Fun at The National Zoo
(3001 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 )
Bring your little animal lover to the Zoo this Sunday morning for “Ele-Fun,” a preschool class for 2-3 year olds! What gentle giant weighs over 10,000 pounds and can use its nose to topple a tree or pick up a blade of grass? An elephant, of course! Learn fascinating facts about the largest living land mammal and try out your own trunk, before visiting the Zoo’s elephant herd. Zoo Classes use crafts, hands-on activities, and the Zoo’s animal collection to help your child learn about environmental conservation and life science while building important developmental and social skills.

9:30am & 11:00am: Tales as Tall as the Sky at The National Theatre
(1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW, DC. 20004)
Tales as Tall as the Sky is the story of three children in their tree house at the end of the summer, complaining that they have nothing exciting to do.

10:00am-12:00pm: Itsy Bitsy Audubon at Woodend Nature Sanctuary
(8940 Jones Mill Rd. Chevy Chase, MD 20815)
Kids, crafts, critters and fun. $5 per child (ages 3-6). Register online.

10:30am: Family Block Party at Jammin Java- Giving Party Edition
(227 Maple Ave E Vienna, VA 22180)
Join us monthly for Block Party, a family dance party that brings parents and big persons (uncles, brothers, Godmothers, aunties and more!) with their children and little people in the community together. Brought to Jammin’ Java by Hex9 Productions (and the former host of the DMV’s Baby Loves Disco) the experience still includes DJ Louie Flaco spinning “real” music, dancers, lights, and a disco ball! We’re adding South Block with food offerings (coming this fall!). Enjoy balloons, play area, crafts, and other activities commonly included to enhance this celebration of movement, children and our village. Interact with the DJ and try the equipment! Take the dancing in your living room to our’s. Join us monthly at 11 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (doors at 10:30) for a family dance party with your friends, neighbors and community. Recommended for ages newborn to 10 with accompanying adult.

Sunday-

10:00am-10:45am: Sunday Fun-Day at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20814)
We invite you and your child to bring your favorite stories to life through dramatic play activities, movement, music, and visual art. Each session you leave with a completed craft, as well as a Parent Pack to extend the experience at home. These popular workshops are themed around beloved children’s books. Activities in Sunday Fun-Day are most appropriate to 3-5 year-olds but 1-2 year-old siblings and friends are also welcome! Mouse Paint is the story this weekend. $8 per person.

10:30am-12:00pm: Everything But the Turkey—PJ Library Edition
(DCJCC: 1529 16^th Street NW, Washington)
A Taste of Everything But the Turkey (EBTT) is the perfect way to have your kids participate in this annual tradition of making 20,000 servings of food for folks in need this Thanksgiving. We will have kid-friendly ways for your family to contribute to feeding the hungry at Thanksgiving and year-round, plus a PJ Library story time to help your kids learn the role they can play in providing food for all.  Please bring a canned good to donate.  This event gets full, so please pre-register.$20 per family.