Beltway Bambinos

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

Weekend Picks in and around Washington, DC

The weather has cooled and it’s the perfect time to pick that pumpkin or grab those last few apples from the trees.

Plan ahead for your tricks and treats this Halloween as many festivals and celebrations take place on weekends!  

Have you entered to win tickets to see Story Pirates in November? It’s not too late!

Saturday

9:30am-11:30am: Open House at The Children’s House of Washington (CHOW)
Read more about the Montessori school here. 

10:00am-12:00pm: Michael’s BOO-tiful Crafts
They craft, you shop! Kids 3 and up can enjoy a quick project. Sign up in store or online, or just drop in. $2 per project, ages 3+, supplies included. Parent or guardian must remain on premises during the event.

10:00am-4:00pm: The Big Build at The National Building Museum
Join us for a day filled with hands-on family fun. Discover what it’s like to be a builder and meet plumbers, ironworkers, landscape architects, woodworkers, and experts in many other fields. A special feature this year is author Joshua David Stein who will lead stroy time with activities around his new book Brick: Who Found Herself in Architecture. Participate in over 30 activities including: Cement mixing, Virtual reality, augmented reality, and other technologies, Decorative arts for the home, Woodworking, Truck petting zoo, Storm water management, Spackling and Much more! All Museum exhibitions are open and free to the public during the Big Build.

10:30am-11:15am: Saturday Song Circle at Imagination Stage
You and your child are invited to a fun, interactive musical experience! An Early Childhood Teaching Artist explores a popular children’s book with your family through song and musical instruments, and you will receive a list of all the songs to practice at home. Featured Story: Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site

12:00pm-4:00pm: Murch Elementary Fall Fair
Games and Prizes, The Famous Used Book Sale, Balloon Artist, Design-your-own Keychain, Ice Cream, Popcorn and Chips, Potomac Pizza, Hot dogs, Hair Coloring and Body Art, College Hunks Dunk Tank and More!

12:00pm-4:00pm: Art Safari at Torpedo Factory
An Alexandria tradition for more than two decades, Art Safari returns for a day of hands-on activities for kids and families. Dozens of artists lead budding arts enthusiasts in hands-on projects throughout the building. Children should wear clothing that can get a little dirty. Most activities are appropriate for ages 5 – 11. Some parental participation may be required. This year, scientists affiliated with the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) will work alongside artists to help participants understand and appreciate the interplay of art and Earth-system science. Art Safari takes place on the eve of AGI’s Earth Science Week, which runs October 14–20. This year’s theme is “Earth as Inspiration.” Earth Science Week reaches more than 50 million people worldwide, offering free education resources, information, and activities on earth science and art.

12:00pm-7:00pm: H Street Festival 
H Street Festival is one of the most anticipated and highly attended single day festivals in Washington D.C.  The festival is 11 blocks long and has 14 staging areas that are diversely themed and programmed to target the different segments of audiences.  The staging areas feature music of different genres, dance, youth based performances, interactive children’s program, fashion, heritage arts, poetry and many more.

3:00pm-5:00pm: Jazz & Lily Pads Concert at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
You are invited to our final Jazz & Lily Pads concert of the season where we can celebrate YOU, our visitors, generous supporters, volunteers, and partners for all that you do to support Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens! There is live music, a photo exhibition featuring winners and honorable mentions from our 2018 annual photo contest, and a special evening park tour at 4pm. There will also be free hot dogs and apple cider, as well as a variety of activity stations (facepainting, pumpkin painting, live birds of prey and more)!Please bring a chair, blanket, picnic, and all your family and friends. This event is FREE and open to the public.

4:30pm-11:00pm:OPUS Merriweather
A multi-sensory art and music festival taking place in Columbia, Maryland. Imagine what it would be like to stand inside a 75-foot laser cathedral, to jam to DJs on a grass lawn, to experience a 16-foot tall animated owl communicating in film quotes, and to let loose during a meditative dance party. This is OPUS: the boundary-breaking festival that invites families to explore and indulge in discovery. For one night only, OPUS will bring together 25 groundbreaking artists and musicians from all over the world, merging art, music and technology for an enchanting evening in the forest. In addition, OPUS will feature a culinary village with some of the DMV’s best food trucks + restaurants featuring glow in the dark cotton candy by Fluffness and gelato from Dolci Gelati. Best part? OPUS Merriweather is FREE!

Sunday
See all of the fun Halloween events happening

10:00am-3:00pm: 11th Annual Harbor Harvest Children’s Festival
The annual Harbor Harvest Children’s Festival brings the country to Baltimore City. This event features an urban pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, a hay maze, face painting, pumpkin decorating, pony rides, live music, food trucks, stilt walkers, and other fall festivities without having to leave the Waterfront. The festival is free to attend but pony rides, the trackless train, and Kid’s Pass including pumpkin patch, are additional fees.

The Children’s House of Washington (CHOW) Welcomes You to Learn About the Benefits of Montessori on April 14th

The Children’s House of Washington (CHOW) Welcomes You to Learn About the Benefits of Montessori on April 14, 2018.


What and When:

  • Parents and children are invited to CHOW’s Open House April 14, 2018 from 9:00am – 11:30am.
  • Learn about the lasting benefits of the Montessori method.
  • Topics include enhanced social and emotional skills, independence-building, curiosity and creativity, and executive function.
  • Explore the classroom, while meeting current CHOW parents and children.
  • CHOW’s founder, Patti Harburger, who opened the school in September 1981, will be speaking from 10:00am – 10:30am. 

Why:
Research confirms that Montessori offers children a wide variety of long-term outcomes that last well beyond their preschool years — from academic outcomes and emotional maturity to social awareness, autonomy, and creativity.

Interested in learning more? Children’s House of Washington (CHOW) invites you to join the school for its April Open House — the last in a series on Montessori benefits that last a lifetime.

Where:
The Children’s House of Washington (CHOW): 3133 Dumbarton Street NW, Washington, DC. 20007

Why:
The Children’s House has rolling enrollment and can accommodate children ages 2-6. There are still a few spots open for Fall 2018. Students at CHOW get incredible personalized attention and leave the school with a great start to their academic careers.

Need a little more affirmation that you should check out CHOW? See the reviews on Facebook – all 5 stars from parents!

Register today if you can make it on April 7 (not required).

Is your child ready for Montessori? The Children’s House of Washington welcomes you to find out on January 20th

Who: The Children’s House of Washington (C.H.O.W.) opened in September 1981 by Patti Harburger who retired in 2012.

This school is a place where children love learning and a place where they challenge themselves day-to-day.

Through a traditional Montessori education CHOW is a community committed to establishing the intellectual, emotional and physical foundation that will develop the skills for your child to become a self-directed learner, flexible thinker, creative problem solver and support their ever increasing curiosity about the world in which they live.

The Children’s House is child-centered within a nurturing environment where exceptional and experienced teachers support and guide each student with warmth and respect. The school’s single method focus is to teach children the necessary skills they will need to succeed in each school they attend as well as in the larger context of their adult lives.

Where: The Children’s House of Washington (C.H.O.W.): 3133 Dumbarton Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

What: Parents and children are invited to an open house on January 20th, 2018 from 9:00am-11:30am.

This open house is especially important because founder, Patti Harburger will be speaking from 10:00am-10:30am about the various aspects and benefits of the Montessori method. Topics include: hands-on-learning, enhanced social skills, independence building, curiosity and love of learning, executive functioning as well as Montessori approaches to teaching math, reading and writing.

If you are unable to attend the school welcomes you to contact the school director to set up an appointment that works for you! There will be other open houses in March & April.

Why: The Children’s House has rolling enrollment and accommodate children ages 2-5.

The children at CHOW get incredible personalized attention and leave the school with a great start to their academic careers.

Need a little more affirmation that you should check out CHOW? See the reviews on Facebook –all 5 stars from parents!

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