12 minute read
Notebook • Kathleen Donner
kids&family
KING BULLFROG CONCERT AND FAMILY HAPPY HOUR AT HILL CENTER
On Friday, Sept. 10 at 5 p.m., join fellow parents on the Hill Center West Plaza for a casual outdoor happy hour for grown-ups and tots. King Bullfrog will hit the stage with highenergy original, folk and blues songs carefully tailored to get children dancing and delight parents. $10 per child; $5 per adult; under two, free. The Hill Center is at 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. hillcenterdc.org.
A WIND IN THE DOOR AT THE KC
One of literature’s favorite heroines, Meg Murry, is back to join forces with her brother
Charles Wallace and friend Calvin O’Keefe for a fantastical adventure. Playwright Jacqueline
Gold nger and director Nicole A. Watson bring the sequel to Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved book A Wrinkle in Time to the stage. When an extraterrestrial being recruits the trio to ght an evil force, they’ll travel across a galaxy—and through the cells of a human body—to stop it. This thrilling sci- story reveals that love and kindness are the best antidotes to evil.
On stage at the Kennedy Center from Sept. 2 to 11, it is most appropriate for ages nine, up. $20. Proof of full vaccination required. Children under 12 must provide recent negative COVID test. All must be masked. kennedy-center.org.
ARCHAEOLOGY FAMILY DAY AT MOUNT VERNON
On Saturday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., visit Mount Vernon’s 12-Acre Field to learn about what role archaeology plays at Mount Vernon. Enjoy activities such as take-home crafts and a eld guide to explore the estate. Between 9 and 11 a.m., Mount Vernon will welcome guests who desire a quieter visit, including individuals on the autism spectrum and those with other sensory processing disorders. To create a more sensory-friendly experience during this time, lights and audio in exhibit spaces will be turned down and select interactives will be turned offw. Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear a face covering. Archaeology Family Day activities are included in the admission price; $28 for ages twelve, up; $15 for six to eleven; ve and under, free. mountvernon.org. Photo: Courtesy of Mount Vernon
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY FAIR FAMILY FUN
The 2021 Prince Georges County Fair is Sept. 9 to 12, at the Show Place Arena, 14900 Pennsylvania Ave., Upper Marlboro, MD. Kids will enjoy the petting zoo (with a camel); carnival rides, games and food; pony rides; and miniature stock car racing. The fair is open 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Fair admission is $5 for kids up to 13 and 55 and over; $6 for age 13, up. Thursday night is free for ages 55, up and Sunday is free for military personnel and immediate family. Shows and rides are ticketed. countyfair.org.
National Children’s Museum Reopens
Following an 18-month closure due to the pandemic and continued space development, the National Children’s Museum, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, celebrates its grand opening and reveals its new Entry Hall on Sept. 2. The Museum opens with limited capacity and operating policies that help to ensure a safe and fun experience for all visitors. The Museum has two timed sessions from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays. Reservations are required for all visitors and are available via online, advanced purchase only. Masks are required for all guests ages two and up, regardless of vaccination status. All National Children’s Museum staff members are vaccinated. Tickets are $15.95 for all guests ages one and older. nationalchildrensmuseum.org.
Atlas Arts for Young Audiences
Arts for Young Audiences is an important part of family programming at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Each season, Atlas features programming for young people including theater, music, puppetry, and dance. Generally, performances are designed for children ages two to ten and are specified for each show. All patrons age one and older require a ticket. Family Fun Days are special programs offered during their annual Intersections Festival. Sign up for show announcements at atlasarts.org/family.
Large Selection of Children’s Books at SE LibraryMonthly Book Sales
The Friends of Southeast Library, 403 Seventh St. SE, book sales are back on the second Saturday of every month on the lower level of the library. This month the sale is on Saturday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Most books are $1. Proceeds supplement library programs. Donations are accepted from Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Friday, Sept. 10. Please limit donations to what can fit in the blue donation bin which is at the D Street entrance to the library during the donation period. dclibrary. org/southeast.
Giant pandas Mei Xiang (left) and Xiao Qi Ji (right) enjoy a fruitsicle cake in honor of Xiao Qi Ji’s first birthday. Photo: Skip Brown, Smithsonian’s National Zoo
GIANT PANDA XIAO QI JI CELEBRATES FIRST BIRTHDAY
On Saturday, Aug. 21, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute celebrated gianat panda cub Xiao Qi Ji’s (SHIAU-chi-ji) first birthday with a specially tailored fruitsicle cake. Mother Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) and father Tian Tian (tYEN-tYEN) also enjoyed fruitsicle cakes in honor of their son’s birthday. The public watched the pandas enjoy their cakes live on the Zoo’s Giant Panda Cam at nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam. When Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji entered their outdoor habitat at 7:30 a.m., they approached Mei Xiang’s cake first. The base of the cake and heart topper were made of frozen diluted apple juice. It was decorated with sweet potato, apple, carrot, pear, sugar cane, banana and bamboo. Around 8:15 a.m., they walked over to Xiao Qi Ji’s cake, which was adorned with a giant number one on top.
Shaw Teen Book Club
Shaw Library invites teens ages 13 to 19 to join the Shaw Teen Book Club. Teens will be able to meet and discuss the latest in YA Fiction and Non-Fiction. Book club meets at noon on the second Saturday of the month at 4:15 p.m. Meetings are held virtually. Registration is required. For more information and to register, email wathashawlibrary@dc.gov.
Kids Ride Free SmarTrip Cards for the 2021-2022 School Year
Kids Ride Free SmarTrip cards for the 2021-2022 School Year will be available for pickup by students by the first week of school. New students will be given first priority at their schools to pick up new cards. School year 20202021 Kids Ride Free SmarTrip cards (blue cards) will remain valid through Sept. 30, 2021. Students who have lost or misplaced the 2020-2021 card can request a replacement card from their School ID Administrator. New cards will be sent directly to all DC Public Schools and DC public charter schools for distribution. To be eligible for participation in this program, each student must be: a DC resident; age five through 21; and enrolled in an elementary or secondary public, public charter, private, or parochial school located within the District, or youth in the care of the District. kidsridefree.dc.gov.
Incentives for DC Youth Who Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Through Sept. 30, on-site prizes will be available to teens and their parents at three DC Public Schools: Brookland Middle School, Sousa Middle School, and Johnson Middle School. All DC youth can claim their free COVID-19 vaccine at these sites regardless of which school they attend. At these three schools, youth who receive their first dose can receive a $51 VISA gift card. Additionally, the first 400 to get vaccinated at each site will
JIM HENSON’S “LABYRINTH” RETURNS TO CINEMAS FOR ITS 35TH ANNIVERSARY
Jim Henson’s magical Labyrinth (PG) returns to movie theaters nationwide this fall as the 1986 fantasy-adventure celebrates its 35th anniversary with three days of screenings from Fathom Events. Starring David Bowie as Jareth, the Goblin King, and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah, who must rescue her baby brother by finding her way through the massive maze of the title, Labyrinth will play in select movie theaters Sun., Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Mon., Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., and Wed., Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. Preceding the screening, audiences will be treated to a featurette including behindthe-scenes footage, the Henson Family, and others reflecting on the creative process behind Labyrinth. Tickets can be purchased at fathomevents.com.
La llamada de Sylvia Méndez: Separate Is Never Equal is a joyful, bilingual play that embraces diversity and tolerance through the story of elementary school teacher Sylvia Mendez who fought to end segregation in education in California, paving the way for the national ban on segregated schools. For her legacy and courage, in 2011 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama for her advocacy for educational opportunity for children of all backgrounds and all walks of life. La llamada de Sylvia Méndez: Separate Is Never Equal is at GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW, on Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 3 p.m. It returns in spring on Saturdays at 3 p.m., March 12 to 26. $12 for adults; $10 for kids, two to twelve. galatheatre.org.
have the option to forgo their gift card and instead receive a pair of AirPods. Currently, approximately 25% of all eligible DC youth, or about 8,100 young people, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. vaccinate.dc.gov.
Kids Run the Bases at Nat’s Park
Kids ages four to twelve can run the bases after every Sunday day game. Remaining dates are Sept. 5 and 19; and Oct. 3. An adult must accompany runners to the field. Starting at first base, kids will be directed to run around the bases as the adults continue along the warning track and meet the runners near home plate. Once the baseball game has ended, kids and parents/guardians can lineup at the end of the seventh inning, however fans who would like to stay and watch the entire game will be able to line-up once the game has ended. Participants must exit the ballpark through the Right Field Gate. The line forms outside of the park on the sidewalk along First St. washington.nationals.mlb.com.
The PenFed Kids Zone, the playground located just inside the Right Field Gate, is now open for every game, weather permitting.
FORT DUPONT PUBLIC ICE SKATING IN SEPTEMBER
Fort Dupont Ice Arena, 3779 Ely Pl. SE, has reopened for public skating. September hours are Sunday, 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. (except no 4 p.m. on Sept. 18 and 25); Monday through Thursday, 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; and Friday, noon, 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Adult admission is $5; kids, $4. Skate rental is $3. fdia.org.
The Black Student Fund & Latino Student Fund Annual School Fair is on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2 to 5 p.m., at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon Pl. NW. Tickets are free. The Fair continues to be one of the largest school fairs of its kind in the region. The BSF/LSF School Fair provides a networking opportunity for thousands of families in the metropolitan area to meet with representatives from more than sixty independent schools. Parents and prospective students get firsthand knowledge about each school’s programs, community, admission requirements and financial aid process. In addition, the fair features interactive seminars focused on the admissions process, the financial aid process and personal/family financial management. Read more and register at blackstudentfund.org.
Donate Your Old Golf Clubs
Have an old set of golf clubs packed in the corner of your garage? Donating equipment is another way to help support the DC awrea’s The First Tee. With the 2nd Swing Club Donation Program you can put your old equipment to great use and make a huge impact. The value of your used clubs and equipment is sent to The First Tee DC as a cash donation. The First Tee’s mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Read more at firstteedc.org/ways-to-give/donate-equipment.
Rocco Travels with the Presidents!
FIND A CORN MAZE, PUMPKIN PATCH OR HAYRIDE
Find pumpkin patches, pick-your-own pumpkin farms, hayrides and corn mazes in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia at pumpkinpatchesandmore.org. The site claims to have the world’s best pumpkin pie and pie crust recipes as well. It also has home canning, preserving, drying and freezing directions. Most pumpkin patches and corn mazes open by mid-September; some earlier. In winter, you’ll find cut-your-own Christmas tree farms at pickyourownchristmastree.org. Blue Ridge Mountain Maze, off Rt. 29 between Charlottesville and Lynchburg, has a selection of pumpkins and local farm products; a courtyard of fun activities for kids including farm animals, pumpkin sling shots, giant slides, mini-mazes, rope mazes, tire swings, giant hay bale obstacle course, fidget ladders and more. Blue Ridge Mountain Maze, Lovingston, VA. blueridgemountainmaze.com.
vorite authors, Rocco Smirne, is back. In reading Rocco Travels with the Presidents!, you’ll join six-year-old Rocco as he experiences travel with the presidents, past and present, in his new children’s book.
Every president of the United States has to travel to attend important events and to meet people around the world. For more than two hundred years, the presidents have taken journeys on horses, trains, ships, cars, airplanes, and helicopters. Sometimes, just for fun, they have also used bicycles, golf carts, and even parachutes. Rocco is just six years old, but he already knows a great deal about the White House, the presidents and the places he would like to go too, so he created this book to share some of the adventures he would have if he could travel with the presidents! Rocco Travels with the Presidents! Is available on Sept. 21 at shop.whitehousehistory. org/collections/for-children-books.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (tickets on sale now)
as it comes to life on the National Theatre stage, Nov. 23 to Dec. 5. Featuring the hit songs “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas,” The Grinch discovers there is more to Christmas than he bargained for in this heart-warming holiday classic. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes too small,” decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, an endlessly cheerful bunch bursting with holiday spirit. Tickets are on sale now; $50 and $75. The National Theatre is at 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. thenationaldc.org. u
