Love is in the air at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s annual Valentine’s Day Card Workshop! Perfect for visitors of all ages, this open-house event will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on both Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11, 2018. The museum provides a bountiful spread of patterned papers, rubber stamps and postage stamps for decoration, gems and other 3-D embellishments, special cut-out scissors, washi tape, stickers, markers of every color (with a surplus of red and pink!) and more! Following their own creative instincts, kids and adults can choose whichever supplies they would like to design one-of-a-kind Valentine greetings.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at Adventure Theatre premieres Feb 9 through March 31, 2018. Alexander is having a bad day. A terrible day. A horrible day. To be quite honest, it’s a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But then, everybody has bad days, sometimes. Not only does Alexander wake up with gum in his hair, but his mother forgets to pack him dessert, and his best friend decides he’s not his best friend anymore. And if that’s not bad enough, Alexander’s brothers don’t have any cavities but—he does. And just when it can’t get any worse, there are lima beans for supper and —yuck!—kissing on TV. It is enough to make anyone want to go to Australia. Uuuugggghhh. Recommended all ages.
Goodnight Moon & Runaway Bunny at Black Rock Center for the Arts is on Feb 10 & 11, 2018. From the creators of the 2014-15 sold-out performances of The Very Hungry Caterpillar comes a new adaptation of a children’s classic. Adapted from Margaret Wise Brown’s sixty-year-old classic, Goodnight Moon is a celebration of familiar nighttime rituals, while The Runaway Bunny’s pretend tale of leaving home evokes reassuring responses from his loving mum. Both performances feature the endearing animal puppets, stunning scenic effects and evocative music that have earned international recognition for Mermaid Theatre. The hour-long staged adaptation brings a fresh appreciation of the stories and images that have delighted several generations.
The Princess & The Pauper: A Bollywood Tale at Imagination Stage premieres Feb 10 through March 18, 2018.
Set in long ago India, this Bollywood-inspired adaptation of the classic Mark Twain novel shows how the common people work long hours to support the luxurious lifestyle of those in the palace. As a corrupt Wazir plots to steal the throne from the Sultan’s heirs, a spoiled Princess Razia forces a shy dressmaker’s daughter, Zainab, to exchange places with her. Razia gradually discovers how unfairly the people are treated, and resolves to become a just leader. But, can she expose the Wazir’s villainy before he is crowned? In a madcap finale, Razia, Zainab, and all of the people of Dehli rise up to crash the coronation. Recommended ages 5+.
KID Museum is an AWESOME hands-on science, technology, engineering, art and math learning experience with an exploration of world cultures and global citizenship. It offers unique, maker experiences for elementary and middle school-aged children. See events calendar here to pick a day that is perfect for your Bambino. You won’t be disappointed. KID Museum’s current site at Davis Library in Bethesda, Maryland provides the community with programs and workshops on weekends and after school.
Saturday and Sunday head to the National Gallery of Art and join us for a cozy winter weekend of animated shorts from Weston Woods Studios, where books come to life through film. This program includes Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day, Leo Lionni’s Frederick, Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon, Ed Young’s Seven Blind Mice, Mac Barnett’sExtra Yarn, and Peter H. Reynolds’s The North Star. (Weston Woods Studios, USA, 50 minutes)
Saturday-
8:30am-9:30am: Capoeira for Kids Ages 3.5-7 at Bloombars
Capoeira provides physical fitness for children, ages 4 and up. It is intended to be a no- to low-contact martial art that helps children with gross motor planning and gross motor skills. Children will also learn maculele (a dance done hitting sticks against your partner’s sticks), samba, capoeira instruments, and Portuguese through this fun, interactive class. Classes are $15 each or $120 for a series of ten classes. Stick around for Harambe afterwards, beginning at 9:30am AND 10:30am.
9:30am AND 11:00am: Gemini Children’s Theatre: Little Mermaid’s Pollution Solution at National Theatre
The Little Mermaid has come back under the sea to visit her father, but the Sea Witch is up to her old tricks. She has polluted the water to drive out all the sea life in order to take over the underwater kingdom. It’s up to the Little Mermaid and her sea creature friends to save the day.
10:00am-3:00pm: African American Pioneers in Aviation and Space
Join us as we celebrate African American History Month by revealing past pioneers and giving families the opportunity to inspire the next generation of innovators in aviation and space. African Americans have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to flight and space exploration despite the overwhelming obstacles they had to overcome. Enjoy guest speakers as they share their personal tales of triumph, participate in hands-on activities that will challenge families to be pioneers in space and aviation, and hear inspiring stories of African Americans who have overcome challenges and refused to be hidden figures.
10:00am: Avalon Theatre Family Weekend Family Matinee: Wonder
Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time. Rated PG.
10:00am-12:00pm: Boogie Babes Gear Drive & Free Concert
Come to Eastern Market and donate baby gear you no longer need to a family in need and stay to boogie down with us! Our friends at The Residences at Eastern Marketare sponsoring a FREE Boogie Babes show with the amazing Rainbow Rock Band at 10:30am.
11:00am-4:00pm: The Arctic Melt at The National Academy of Sciences
Join Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS) and the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (SEEC) for a day of family fun discovering the Arctic landscape and its inhabitants. Through hands-on activities, children and families will explore Diane Tuft’s stunning photography exhibit, The Arctic Melt: Images of a Disappearing Landscape, and make connections to the Arctic environment, climate change, and conservation. Participants are encouraged to bring an old t-shirt to make a reusable shopping bag. This program is geared for families with children ages 3-8. Registration is recommended.
11:30am-3:00pm: Chinese New Year Festival at Smithsonian American Art Museum
Celebrate the Lunar New Year at SAAM to begin the Year of the Dog! Enjoy a variety of activities and demonstrations including traditional paper cutting, an art scavenger hunt, red paper-lantern making, and panda crafts. There will also be performances by special guest artists from Chengdu, China, including traditional music, Sichuan Opera, and acrobatics. Help us “awaken the lion” and ring in the New Year!
Sunday-
11:00am-11:45am: Sunday Funday at Imagination Stage
You are invited with your child to bring your favorite stories to life through dramatic play activities, music, movement, and visual art. Each session you leave with a special take-home item we used or created that day, as well as a Parent Pack to extend the experience at home.Featured story: Pout, Pout Fish
11:00am-5:00pm: Lunar New Year Celebration at Freer|Sackler
Join us for our fourth annual Lunar New Year celebration to ring in the Year of the Dog. Discover the richness of arts and culture in Sichuan Province, home to China’s beloved giant pandas. Experience interactive food and art demonstrations, live acrobatic and puppetry performances, and creations by local and international artists. And enjoy the six reimagined Chinese art exhibitions in the Freer and the innovative Resound: Ancient Bells of Chinain the Sackler. The celebration features lively performances of opera, folk music, and dance. Be prepared to sample some spicy dishes featuring Sichuan’s mouth-numbing peppers. Plus, write a Lunar New Year greeting card.
Extra, Extra–
Surprise your littles with Disney on Ice presents Frozen tickets!
Date Night Giveaway to Spoiled Rotten! at National Theatre is coming to a close soon, enter here!! Use discount code: BARD for seating starting at $39 each.
Disney Live! Mickey and Minnie’s Doorway to Magic at Eagle Bank Arena
February 25, 2018
Paw Patrol Live!: The Great Pirate Adventure at The Hippodrome
May 12 & 13, 2018
Bubble Guppies Live at National Theatre
May 8, 2018
The Wild Kratts Live!
April 15, 2018- The Modell Lyric
April 21, 2018- DAR Constitution Hall