Notebook

kids & family

by Kathleen Donner

Season’s Greenings in 2020

The United States Botanic Garden will have expanded online programming and limited holiday decorations this year. Festive adornments, winterberries, lights, and greenery will be placed in the Terrace Gardens and Bartholdi Park through Jan. 10, 2021. There will not be a train display this year, and the Conservatory and gated outdoor gardens remain closed time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Audubon for Kids

In many ways every child is born a scientist--exploring their world, leading small experiments, asking questions, searching for answers. That innate curiosity and drive to inquiry is what Rachel Carson, the groundbreaking conservationist and author, called a sense of wonder. “A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement,” she wrote. “It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.”

Audubon.org/get-outside/Audubon-for-kids aims to bring together activities from across Audubon’s national network of environmental educators. These activities can be done at home or in a yard or park, sometimes with the help of a computer. The goal isn’t to teach a child how to name and identify bird species, but rather to give them space to explore and feel connected to the natural world. If you’re a parent or caretaker, that means you don’t need to worry about your own knowledge of birds or plants. All you need to be is a companion to your child’s curiosity. u

ZooLights Express Visits DC’s Eight Wards

ZooLights Express—powered by Pepco—will bring the colorful glow of Washington, DC’s beloved Smithsonian’s National Zoo holiday tradition into the community. Festively decorated with light displays and featuring “Panda Claws,” the 24foot ZooLights Express truck will hit the road, visiting one Washington, DC ward each Friday and Saturday night from 6 to 8 p.m. Here’s the remaining city schedule: Dec. 5 (Ward 4), Dec. 11 (Ward 5), Dec. 12 (Ward 6), Dec. 18 (Ward 7) and Dec. 19 (Ward 8). Usually held onsite at the Zoo for the past 13 years, ZooLights has been reimagined into ZooLights Express, a distanced and safe way to bring joy and bit of holiday sparkle. Specific ZooLights Express routes are posted on nationalzoo. si.edu and shared on social media encouraging people to watch for the truck in their neighborhood. u The Garden’s free annual holiday concerts will stream online this year. Festive concerts of seasonal music will feature Chelsey Green (classical, R&B, and hip hop fusion) on Dec. 8; Cantor Arianne Brown (Chanukah and world music) on Dec. 15; Chris Urquiaga “JChris” (pop, R&B, and Latin) on Dec. 22; and Veronneau (acoustic jazz with a global twist) on Dec. 29. The concerts will premiere at 5:30 p.m. on the Garden’s website at USBG.gov/HolidayConcerts and on the USBG Facebook and YouTube channels.

Mosaic Theater’s Inaugural High School Playwriting Contest

Submissions are now being accepted for Mosaic’s Inaugural playwriting contest which is open to all students in grades nine through twelve currently enrolled at DC and Prince George’s County public and public char-

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A Resource for the Education and Enrichment of Students in Washington, DC ter high schools. Students may compete in as many as three categories of any genre and topic (though a student can only win in one), determined by length and cast size of play: a monologue of up to 10 minutes; a multi-person play of up to 10 minutes; and a multi-person play between 10 and 20 minutes in length. Each category will award first, second and third prizes, accompanied by $300, $200 and $100, respectively, to be announced Jan. 28, 2021. The top three plays in each category will enjoy a live-

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Greater DC Diaper Bank Celebrates a Decade of Diapers

The Greater DC Diaper Bank has just marked its 10th anniversary and is inviting individuals, families and groups to help celebrate and support their work to provide essential goods for babies and families throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia. Interested individuals, families and groups can help by hosting its first Give A Little, Change A Lot! Virtual 5K event, which can be run, walked, skated or danced. The only rules are to complete a 5K through the end of this year and have fun. Individuals and businesses can host a diaper drive or spend a few hours volunteering. Since its founding in 2010, Greater DC Diaper Bank has served tens of thousands of families and has distributed more than 12 million diapers. This year, GDCDB is on track to distribute more than seven million diapers. For more information, visit greaterdcdiaperbank.org. u

Inspiration: Big Ideas Make for Big Music

The National Symphony Orchestra’s Young People’s Concerts are full orchestra concerts for school groups, grades 3-8. Each season, these performance demonstrations introduce students to the instruments and musicians of the orchestra, as well as musical concepts and curated selections from the orchestral repertoire that connect to educational themes. Hear/view them at kennedy-center.org/ypc. u

streamed performance hosted by Mosaic in late February, featuring a company of professional actors and directors. For a list of rules, formatting guidelines, writing prompts and to submit, visit mosaictheater.org/on-the-move. Submission deadline is Dec. 15, 11:59 p.m.

Natural History’s Perish or Evolve Board Game

Natural History’s Perish or Evolve Board Game was developed by artist-illustrator Hannah Bonner and the Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, Smithsonian Institution. The set-up is similar to Chutes and Ladders--you use chips and a die

Lights on the Bay at Sandy Point State Park

Through Jan. 2, daily, 5 to 10 p.m., Lights on the Bay features a two-mile scenic drive along the Chesapeake Bay with approximately 70 animated and stationary displays illuminating the roadway, including traditional Maryland-themed favorites, holiday and children’s displays. Enjoy from your car at $20 per car; $30, passenger vans; $50, buses. Lights on the Bay benefits the SPCA of Anne Arundel County. Sandy Point State Park, 1100 East College Pkwy. (off Route 50, at exit 32, near the Bay Bridge), Annapolis, MD. lightsonthebay.org. u

DC Prep campuses now accepting applications for the 21-22 school year in ward 5, 7 & 8.

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to reach the nish. Evolve or Perish, however, also takes you through 630 million years of evolution from life in the sea to life on land. The guidebook explains all the organisms and events in more detail and supports learning about the history of life on our planet. The game can be played by two to four, at two levels--beginner and advanced—and takes 15 to 30 minutes. Download the game, instructions and guidebook at naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/paleontology/evolveor-perish-board-game.

Serve DC Says “Make Fire Safety Fun with Kids”

Build a Kid-Free Zone in the kitchen. Make your own STAY OUT OF THE 36” KID-FREE ZONE sign and serve up safety in the kitchen by following the family cooking safety checklist at nfpa.org. Lead the conversation about re safety with kid-friendly activities. Go to sparky.org for kids’ games, videos and activities.

National Cathedral (online) Family Christmas Service

On Thursday, Dec. 24, noon to 1 p.m., come one, come all for this joyful service of carols, prayers, and the Nativity story in the Bishop’s Garden—including live animals! Free. Register at cathedral.org. ◆

FROM US AT EAST OF THE RIVER

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“Singing Greats” by Myles Mellor

Across:

1. Shooter’s setting 6. One of TV’s ‘Friends’ 12. Evenings 15. Shameless and corrupt 17. “We, the Living” novelist 19. Dancers move them a lot 21. She beat Bo Bice 24. Cartographic speck 26. Stumbling expressions 27. Celebrity 28. Roman moon goddess 29. Make a quest for 30. Sill of a window 33. Via for offi ce jokes 36. Bauble 37. Tickable things 38. “El Capitan” composer 40. Discourages 43. Basement 46. Flavonoids-rich berry 47. Daytime operas 48. Famous singing duo 53. Gothic author Radcliffe 54. Deli need 55. Crack, so to speak 56. Bridge declaration 61. Cloaked in vine 62. Insult 64. Birchbark 65. “Dream Girls” singer 70. Former Dodger pitcher, Carl __ 72. Daughter of Juan Carlos I 73. Unduly curious 77. Practice piece 80. Less 81. Corinne Bailey ___ Grammy nominee 82. Negligent 84. Not many 87. “The Voice” coach 92. Tiny creature 94. Chemical suffi xes 95. Andean animals 96. Nonconformists 99. Flower section 101. Canadian poet, Edwin 102. Sleep (slang) 103. Maj.’s superior 105. Bank vaults 109. Sumptuous 110. Sicilian smoker 112. Jaime Murray, on “Dexter” 114. International Bollywood star (last name) 115. Willow 117. Singers of “Roses” and “Closer” 122. “Chicago” character, Roxie 123. Garage fl oor blemish 124. Dreams 125. Google Maps dir. 126. Deliberately precious 127. Sounding right

Look for this months answers at labyrinthgameshop.com

Down:

1. Stands up to 2. On the ball 3. Body area shown in exercise machine ads 4. NHL great 5. __ gow poker 6. Hat 7. Mythical serpent 8. Next to nothing 9. Behave like a human? 10. Sob 11. “Stop right there!” 12. Greek letter 13. Error 14. Organs 16. Guitarist Paul 18. Benefi ciary 20. Looks like 22. Beehive State athletes 23. Fancy patterned fabric 25. Acknowledgment, for short 31. Sonja Henie’s birthplace 32. Student’s fi nancing 34. Badge 35. Yarn spinner 37. Writing styles 39. Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian 41. Sorts (through) 42. Egg 43. Letters on some Civil War buckles 44. Freud’s one 45. Letter run 46. James who wrote “A Death in the Family” 49. David of ‘’Casino Royale’’ 50. Early 7th C. date 51. Web address 52. Manhattan sch. 57. Neighbor of Iran, abbr. 58. Keel-billed bird 59. Junior, e.g. 60. Date 63. Make even deeper 65. Steeler’s Big QB 66. Rock group from the 70s 67. Furthermore 68. “Bird ___ Wire,” 1990 fi lm 69. Developing 71. Spring (from) 74. ‘Either she goes -- go!’ 75. Lander in Stockholm 76. Abominable snowmen 77. Famous Papa’s fi rst name 78. Earl Grey and Darjeeling 79. “Kill Bill” star, Thurman 83. “The Da Vinci Code” albino 84. Opposite of masc.

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85. Gothic time, for example 86. Extinction verb 88. They produced “Angels of America” 89. Illegal enterprise 90. Like some fl ights to LAX, abbr. 91. Land for out-of-touch folks 92. Mimosa family shrubs 93. Those who give birth 96. March marchers 97. Graph starter 98. Causing suspension of breathing 99. Having a sharp tip 100. Building extensions 101. Golf Club employee 104. Advertising awards 106. “Super ___” (Rick James hit) 107. Country rocker Steve 108. Cream puff 111. Censorship-fi ghting org. 113. Parisian pal 116. Road map abbr. 118. Presidential monogram 119. Do like 120. ___meter 121. Knowledge