Kids & Family Notebook

kids & family

by Kathleen Donner

Hirshhorn Kids at Home Are you home with kids? Keep kids engaged with unique projects inspired by your favorite Hirshhorn artworks. New projects are released every week. For instance, make a Scrap Life. Use scrap fabric, papers, and other objects to create a collage still life in 40 to 60 minutes. Find out how at hirshhorn.si.edu/explore/scrap-life.

Try your hand at recreating favorite artworks. Photo: Courtesy of the Hirshhorn

National Zoo Animal Cams Watch the black-footed ferrets, cheetah cubs, naked mole rats, lions, giant pandas and elephants live, on camera, at the National Zoo. All Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, continue to be closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. The animal webcams remain online, but volunteers will not be operating them, so animals may not be visible at all times. nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams.

Animal Cam Educational Activities--Welcome to the wild side of learning. This packet is designed to engage students (grades K to fifth) in looking closely and thinking deeply about animal behavior and habitats. Download Animal Cam Educational Activities at nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams.

Take a look at what these animals do when they think no one is watching. Photo: Jen Zoon, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

NGAkids Art Zone for iPad

The NGAkids Art Zone app contains eight interactive activities inspired by works in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, plus a sketchbook for freehand drawing and a personal exhibition space where users can save and display art created with the program. The child-friendly interface, easy-to-use tools, and the overarching emphasis on discovery, careful looking, and artistic self-expression make the NGAkids app educational and fun. Each activity offers various levels of complexity. The app is suitable for all age groups. It is optimized for ages nine through eleven, but younger children, as well as teens and adults, will find the program enjoyable and artistically motivating.

FREE DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATIONS FOR AGES 3-5 Do you have questions about your child’s development?

Contact us for a free evaluation 202-698-8037 www.earlystagesdc.org

Apply to DC Prep Anacostia Campuses Today for the 20-21 School Year. We’re the #1 network of public charter schools serving PK3-4 th grade.

Virtual or In-Person schooling options Call or Text 202-780-5126 for more information or go to: dcprep.org

Is that a star or a space station? Learn how to tell the difference. Photo: Courtesy of NASA

How to Spot the Space Station from Your Backyard Air and Space Anywhere features activities, games and quizzes for all ages. Our favorite is How to Spot the Space Station from Your Backyard. Go to airandspace.

si.edu/anywhere for the connection.

NGAkids activities are designed for children to use—unassisted—in a recreational, nonacademic context. The low-key activities preserve a sense of quiet exploration that encourages artistic expression and creativity. The fact that children are encouraged to  gure out how things work and to mentor each other adds a unique dimension to the experience, one that sparks a personal connection to art that often lasts a lifetime. If you don’t use an iPad, you can request the program  les to download onto your computer (for either PC or Mac) by emailing classroom@nga.gov. nga. gov/education/kids.

Terrapin Adventures (open weekends)

Weekends only, enjoy the giant swing, zip lines, high ropes challenge and climbing tower at Terrapin Adventures, 8600 Foundry St., Savage, MD. Kids should be at least eight, four feet tall and 60 lbs. $29 to $59 packages available and you must have reservations. terrapinadventures.com.

Watch the CNN/Sesame Street Racism Town Hall

CNN’s Van Jones and Erica Hill partner with “Sesame Street” for Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism, a town hall for kids and families. In Part One, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms takes questions along with CNN’s Van Jones and Erica Hill