Category Archives: DC Events with Kids

What to do around the beltway with the kids

Labor Day Weekend…Got Plans?

September 1, 2011

If you aren’t headed out of town this weekend, and you are burned out on the pool, here are some other fun ways to fill out the days:

  • If you have young kids, then there’s no better place to be than the Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park on September 3 from 10-4. To celebrate the theatre’s open house, some of the most popular children’s books authors will be signing their books. And all the little pirates can gather round for some loot….or participate in a light saber adventure class demo. Here are the details:   The day’s schedule begins with Light Saber Adventures Class Demo (Grades K-2) and a visit by the Pirate who will share his free Pirate’s Booty with attendees. Additional activities throughout the day include book signings by published children’s book authors Judith Viorst, author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and Eileen Christelow, author of Five Little Monkeys, as well as readings by Montgomery County’s Chief of Police J. Thomas Manger and Helen Hayes Nominee and star of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Felicia Curry. Books will be available onsite to purchase. Other class demonstrations include Explore with Dora & Diego (Ages 2-3). Download the full schedule here.

 

  • For baseball fans, the Nationals have teamed up with the Washington Post to offer really fun events all weekend long, beginning on Friday.

    What better way to celebrate the end-of-summer than with baseball?

    But more specifically, Sunday Sept. 4 is Kids Day. $1 tickets will be available for the Nationals series finale against the Mets to children ages 3-12. Fans may buy up to four tickets for $1 each with the purchase of one full-priced adult ticket in select areas. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Box Office on game day and are subject to availability.  Also on Sunday, the Nationals erectile dysfunction will host the seventh annual Kids Run the Show Day, presented by The Washington Post. Children from across the DC Metropolitan Area were invited to enter the annual contest in The Washington Post and The Express to win the opportunity to “Run the Show.”

 

  • For a different twist on the long weekend, have a true DC “Staycation” and take advantage of the Hotel Monaco in Alexandria’s Family Summer Fun Package, starting at $179 , which features complimentary milk and cookies nightly as well as a free in-room movie for each night of stay. The package is available through September 11th, and can be booked using the FAMFUN rate code. In addition to offering a great summer package, the hotel also offers a multitude of complimentary perks targeted towards the under-16 set, including:
     
    ·         Dive-In Movie Night – Ahoy mates! The Monaco’s heated 40-foot indoor swimming pool is the best place for kids to spend a Saturday night. Each Saturday at 8:00 p.m., the hotel dims the lights, pulls out the inflatable pool furniture and shows great moves to splash and cheer to on a screen right by the pool.
     
    ·         Kids Hour –Kids command the living room for a whole hour every day from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Monaco Alexandria. With games such as Wii, Trivial Pursuit and coloring books, and fruit snacks, juice and freshly popped popcorn available to fuel kids for an evening with their parents.
     
    ·         Explore by bike…or wagon – Complimentary Phat Cycle bikes are available for adults and teens to use to explore the neighboring sights, whether it be a bike trip to Mount Vernon or a ride along the Potomac River. For those with little ones, take advantage of the hotel’s radio flyer wagons to stroll  through Old Town, which has tons of boutiques, galleries and restaurants to peruse.
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Follow the Yellow Brick Road…to the Puppet Co

July 31, 2011

Hilarious portrayal of the Munchkins

When it’s this hot out, there’s certainly no place like (an air-conditioned) home…or an air-conditioned theater. So, while you’re sweating through the dog days of August, I’d urge you to put on your sparkly red shoes,  pack up the older kids and head indoors for the Puppet Co’s rendition of “The Wizard of Oz”. This delightful, hilarious and campy production runs a succinct 55 minutes long and is guaranteed to entertain kids Kindergarten on up. We took a lovely reprieve from the oppressive heat last Sunday and headed to the show. I took only my eldest and two of her friends came along. My daughter hasn’t yet seen the movie and I think at 5.5 she’s a bit young for the book but we’d discussed the plot and the characters in advance and she was geared up, particularly excited to see Toto.

The actors in the production use a combination of puppet styles throughout the performance, ranging from tabletop puppets, Dorothy is a marionette, to masks and costumes (for the lion) and moving-mouth puppets. Hands down, the adult favorite in the room was the way the munchkins were portrayed, which was hilariously executed by adult faces popping up from underneath the stage, wearing small costumes around their chests. Honestly, we couldn’t get enough of it and the exuberance of the actors on this opening weekend was palpable.

Variety of Puppets used throughout the production

The children are guided through Dorothy’s epic tale of trying to return to Kansas with the help of the same 4 actors taking on various roles and costumes. For the timid out there, the cast and crew did a good job of using music and one scary puppet to portray the Wicked Witch of the West. Her character is on stage for a brief period of time and one of my daughter’s friends, who is open about not liking to be scared, was happy to just sit close to her mom as Dorothy out-witted the evil witch.

Though the life lessons and morals woven throughout Frank Baum’s classic were most likely lost on the younger ones in the audience, including my daughter, any older kids in the audience are likely to appreciate the themes of good conquering evil, finding comfort in home and friends and appreciating the wisdom, heart and courage we already have.  The younger ones will delight in the puppets, the colors, the well written script and if they are anything like my daughter, the cute small stuffed dog playing Toto.

The Puppet Co.  never disappoints and every detail was considered, down to the theater staff dressed like women from the 1900s attending the Kansas State Fair. I particularly loved that attention to detail. The show runs Thursdays through Sundays until September 4. Tickets are $10 for adults and children. And if you’re on the hunt for indoor activities for the younger ones among us, don’t forget the Puppet Co. has “Tiny Tots” select Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10am, recommended for kids ages 0-4. Tickets are $5 each. Look for “Tales of Beatrix Potter” beginning September 16 through October 9.

Fans swarming Dorothy after the show

Disclosure: I was given tickets to the Puppet Co. to see The Wizard of Oz but my review is my opinion.

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Mid-Summer Sweltering Survival Tips

July 21, 2011

The dog days are seriously here – and if you are looking for ideas on how to survive – here’s a recap of some of the summer ideas covered here or links to other great DC bloggers who offer some fab tips. Call me a little lazy today because of all the link-love but it’s too hot to think.  And hopefully there’s something for everyone below.

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Charlotte’s Web at Adventure Theatre: Some Play!

July 10, 2011

On Saturday I took my eldest to see Charlotte’s Web at Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park. To say that it was a delightful treat would be an understatement. First, the chance to go see the play prompted us to pick up the book and start reading it together. I last read Charlotte’s Web as a kid and this is the first real chapter book (read: not Junie B Jones) that I’ve read with my daughter. Reading this book together, in anticipation of our date to the theatre, has been wonderful. Because she is only 5.5, I’m not sure I would have thought to start reading this book to her just yet but I am grateful that I did. I’d forgotten how sweet and sad the story is and how E. B. White weaves important lessons on the cycle of life, unlikely friendships and death effortlessly through her sweet tale of Wilbur and Charlotte.

Upon entering the theatre, we were both giddy over the beautiful barnyard set displayed on stage. We couldn’t wait to meet Charlotte, Wilbur, Fern, the barnyard animals and even Templeton, that evil and sneaky rat. I counted six actors in the play, each taking on at least 2 roles throughout the production, and my daughter and her friends had no idea that Fern also played the mother goose, for example.  The actors brilliantly portrayed each character, either through movement like the animals or conveying the emotional sensitivity of Fern or the brusque but gentle manner of Uncle Homer. We all laughed out loud over the goose and gosling’s repetition of words, Wilbur’s innocent and physical playfulness and even Templeton’s insatiable hunger and greed.

Charlotte & Wilbur

I read that Deidra LaWan Starnes, who plays Charlotte, helped prepare for the role by reading parts aloud to her own two children and I thought she beautifully conveyed the wisdom of Charlotte, her loyalty to Wilbur and the smooth rhythmic movement of an actual spider.  I also thought each of the actor’s costumes were very creative and original despite the fact that none of them were wearing animal masks, fake ears or really anything beyond regular clothing. The use of the rain boots for the goose and gander and the old sheep’s Scottish plaid hat along with his white wool sweater were convincing enough for all of us, especially the kids, to get lost in the tale of Charlotte’s Web. I also read that the actors made a visit to a farm in Oxon Hill, MD to help prepare for their roles by observing the animals and how they interacted with each other. Clearly no detail is left unturned when it comes to an Adventure Theatre production, between the actor prep, the wooded and comfortable barnyard stage, the creative displays of Charlotte’s sewn words each displayed in different textures, and the costumes.

We’ve seen so many plays at Adventure Theatre and one of the things I always appreciate is how they get the length of the production exactly right. This play succinctly weaves together the story in about an hour, before the kids, even the  younger ones, get too fidgety and before they start asking for lunch or snacks – which in and of itself is no small feat (at least for my snack-obsessed kids).

Happy theatre patrons on stage after the wonderful play

The play runs through September 5 and it would be a shame to miss it. Wilbur is some pig and this is some play! Tickets are $17 each and can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 301-634-2270.  It’s a great way to beat the heat for an hour and get lost in a wonderful and sweet tale. Up next at Adventure Theatre: Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse from September 23-October 31 and the Christmas-classic and favorite ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas from November 18-January 2, 2012.

Disclosure: I received tickets from Adventure Theatre to attend the show. The comments expressed here are all my own.

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