Spy Museum

Ultimate Guide to Halloween in and around Washington, DC

October 11, 2018

Saturdays and Sundays only– 10:00am-6:00pm-: Eye Spy Train at Wheaton
All aboard the Wheaton Eye Spy Halloween Train! NO LONGER HAUNTED! This “not so scary” train ride is fun for the whole family – it’s all about fun, not fright! Each child will receive an Eye Spy card before boarding the train. As you ride through the woods of Wheaton Regional Park, look all around to find Halloween friends hiding, and mark them off the Eye Spy card. They’ll have fun Halloween activities in the Train Station Party Room, where snacks will also be available for purchase. Costumes are encouraged! Please bring a canned food donation for your neighbors in need – they’ll donate them to Mid-County United Ministries in Wheaton. [Read more…]

Tricks and Treats around Washington, DC this Halloween

October 9, 2017

Post has been updated and can be found here for 2018

I can’t count the number of times our son wore his “Max” costume from Where the Wild Things Are. Between parades, school, special celebrations and on Halloween he got lots of practicing saying, “Let the wild rumpus start”! Here’s a guide that will help your child get mileage out of their costume(s) this year. Of course, check out our guide to Festivals and Orchards, as many of them have a special Halloween celebration as well as their day-to-day happenings. DC Library also will have a variety of Halloween celebrations, including Creepy Crafts & Pumpkin Decorating! Check out Facebook and Instagram for updated events.

[Read more…]

Weekend Picks

January 8, 2016

This week flew by! The weather is all over the place, so remember to check out where you can play Indoors or grab tickets to a show! Also, National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in your Neighborhood runs Jan. 5-11, be sure to carve some time out to go listen to them or stop by one of the “petting zoos”, it’s sure to be a magical time for your Bambinos.

Saturday-

9:45am-12:45am: Camp Sampler at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20814)
Try a sample camp on us! Get an up-close-and-personal taste of what camp is like at Imagination Stage. We promise you’ll have a blast! Sample camps are about 20 minutes in length, except for our Musical Production Camp Sampler and Filmmaking Sampler. Our Musical Production Camp Samplers run for 45 minutes, while our Filmmaking Sampler is structured as an “open house” where students and parents can drop-in over the course of an hour. Ages 4-Grade 12. Register online!

10:30am: Gustafer Yellowgold at Jammin Java
(227 Maple Ave E Vienna, VA)
Since his creation by Morgan Taylor in 2005, Gustafer Yellowgold has become an international phenomenon, acclaimed by The New York Times, which described Gustafer as “A cross between ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Dr. Seuss.” Entertainment Weekly praised “…The most infectious original songs. It’s like tapping into some pleasure center in the brain- both adult and kid…absurdly appealing.

[Read more…]

Weekend Picks

October 16, 2015

Maryland Renaissance Festival will be joisting and serving up lots of turkey legs weekends through October 25. The festival is free to children 6 and under this weekend. Take a time machine back to medieval times. With plenty of entertainment for you and the kids, including music, joisting, puppetry, pony rides and so much more. Your children will see people dressed up in 16th century outfits. Dress like a knight and come participate!

With the cool weather approaching be sure and check off a few orchards or fall festivals to get you in the Fall season.

Saturday & Sunday (times differ) The White House will be opening its gardens and grounds to visitors. During this event, visitors can see the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, Rose Garden and South Lawn of the White House. Additionally, the White House Kitchen Garden – the first vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden – will be accessible to guests. This event is free and open to the public; however, a ticket is required for all attendees (including small children). The National Park Service will distribute free, timed tickets at the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion located near 15th and E Streets Northwest on each tour day beginning at 9:00 AM. Tickets will be distributed — one ticket per person — on a first-come, first-served basis.

[Read more…]

Weekend Picks: Groundhog Day, Spy Fest and Avalon Theater

January 30, 2015

Friday:

10:30am: Groundhog Day at Meadowside Nature Center
(5100 Meadowside Ln, Rockville, MD 20853)
Will the groundhog see his shadow? Will spring be early or late? Find out how the groundhog became a weather forecaster, and make a craft to take home. Ages 3-5; $5

6:00pm: Spy Fest at The International Spy Museum
(between 9th and 8th Streets at 800 F Street, NW)
Could you be a spy? Now’s your chance to find out! The International Spy Museum’s Spy Fest 2015 provides kids and parents a rare opportunity to get an inside glimpse into the secret world of espionage. Through interactive, spy-related activities and booths, attendees will learn how to think like real secret agents as they assume new identities, decipher coded messages, analyze hand-written and satellite images, and detect liars by polygraph — all directly from experts in the field. And who knows, there just may be a spy or two in your midst…Ages: 5 and up* (one adult required for every five KidSpy agents). Ticket includes exclusive after-hours admission, SPY snacks, scavenger hunt, prize competitions, and more!

Saturday:

10:00am: Avalon Theater presents Marsha Goodman-Wood
(5612 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20015)
DC-based singer/songwriter Marsha Goodman-Wood sets little toes to tapping with original melodies that mix generous doses of science and positive social messages into songs that are just plain fun. Her quirky, smart compositions take on topics from astronomy (answering the age-old question “Why Can’t You Dance on Jupiter?”) to nonconformity (“Sheep Don’t Wear Shoes”) to biology (“The Penguin Song”).

10:30am: Saturday Song Circle at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814)
You and your child are invited to a fun, interactive musical experience! An Early Childhood Teaching Artist (playing a ukulele!) 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. Best for ages 1 month-3 years. Featured story: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Sunday:

10:00am: Sunday Fun Day at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Avenue, Bethesda, MD 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. Best for ages 1-3. Featured story: Building a House

Monday:
7:30am: Groundhog Day in DuPont Circle Park
Potomac Phil, the National Groundhog, will make an appearance and offer weather and political predictions. Phil will let us know whether to expect six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Live accordion music, polka dancers, puppet show, VIP celebrities and more. Top Hats are strongly encouraged.

Want to get away for the weekend? Or just the day? Head to Baltimore! It’s a quick car trip and there’s endless fun to be had.

Weekday Adventures: Starry, Starry Night, Owl-O-Ween and Boo at the Zoo

October 19, 2014

This week has all of our usual fun activities but near the end of the week Halloween festivities will begin! Get those finishing touches on those costumes!

Monday-

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. This week Marsha Goodman-Wood, a D C-based singer/songwriter and music teacher will perform. Marsha is known for getting kids singing and dancing at her shows, setting little toes to tapping with original melodies that mix generous doses of science and positive social messages into songs that are just plain fun.

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.

10:30am-11:00am: Songs and stories at Politics and Prose
(5015 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008)
Come sing-along to your favorite songs. Grab a treat in the cafe afterwards or hang out reading books.

[Read more…]