There’s more than groceries at Whole Foods, to my surprise! I wasn’t surprised the natural and organic grocery chain offers food and wine classes, but allergy screening testing? Mommy and Me classes? Can it get any better? Actually yes … how about a play area for the kiddies like Wegman’s in Dulles? Still, they’re pretty awesome…

Click on the location for more info…

Whole Foods Market, Falls Church (Tysons)
7511 Leesburg Pike 703.448.1600

Sunday, May 18
Free Allergy Screening Testing
2-4 p.m. In the café
Do you have allergies? Do you want to handle them naturally? Come get your allergy screening and see what can be done to help you deal with your allergies naturally? Please sign up at Customer Service or call 703.448.1600.

Thursday, May 29
Half Pint Class: Mommy and Me
10-11 a.m. For ages 5 and under. In the café
April showers bring May flowers.. This May class will involve making paper flowers, in addition to sing a longs and story readings.. Limited availability. Please sign up at Customer Service or call 703.448.1600.

Whole Foods Market, Fair Lakes
4501 Market Commons Drive
703.222.2058

Wednesday, May 28
Half Pints Club: Mommy and Me
11-Noon Free
Join Celia as she hosts our Half Pints Club with her guitar and special crafts focusing on the beauty of Spring. This month’s topic is May Flowers and our half pints will get a chance to enjoy learning about springtime flowers while making a craft. Please sign up for this event; space is limited. Give us a call at 703.222.2058 or stop by customer service to sign up. Feel free to e-mail Emily at emily.breen@wholefoods.com if you have any questions or to sign up.

Whole Foods Market, Reston
11660 Plaza America Dr
703.736.0600
Wednesday, May 21
Wine Class: Austrian Wine Class
6-8 p.m.
Klaus Wittauer of Select Wines is a distributor/importer of fine Austrian wines. This will be a new type wine class for Whole Foods Market Reston: a multimedia event. He will show a video of the various wine growing regions and at the same time we will be tasting wines from those regions. Klaus and Whole Foods Market Reston wine department have the same vision: “To find good wines that are affordable, delicious and memorable for you.”

Thursday, May 22
Half-Pints Club
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Do you know how to tell a story? This month we will have the famous storyteller, Gary Lloyd, as our visitor. Gary will spin tales for us and show us just how a great story can make us laugh and giggle! Snacks and a craft are also planned. Come have a great time with us. NOTE: This time we will begin promptly at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 24
International Day
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Our tradition of celebration returns. Come join us as the team members of Whole Foods in Reston express the rich diversity of our various cultures. Each participant will be preparing foods from their native country and you will get to try the tastes of many continents: North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Talk to the proud and happy team members who will bring a bit of home-style cooking to Whole Foods Market in Reston.

Whole Foods Market, Springfield
8402 Old Keene Mill Rd
703.644.2500

Monday, May 19th
Hands-on Workshop: Make Your Own Sushi!
7:00 p.m.
Master Sushi Chef, Kevin Yuan from Genji Sushi Express will be here to walk you through the technique of making your own healthy, delicious sushi rolls from scratch. You’ll also learn about the history and etiquette of eating sushi as well as how to make perfect sushi rice. All materials will be provided. Class is limited to 20, so sign up early!

Thursday, May 22nd
Cooking Class: Sensational Summer Salads
7:00 p.m.

Summer is right around the corner, and what better time to try some new salad recipes! Tonight Demo Specialist Janelle Cesari will prepare some creative salads using meats, vegetables, grains, and fruits. Remember: A salad is not just lettuce any more! Take-home recipes provided. Class is limited to 22, so signup early!

Whole Foods Market, Vienna
143 Maple Ave East
703.319.2000

Friday, May 23
Half Pints: Mommy and Me Class
10-11 a.m.
Looking for something to do with your little ones? Come on in for our Mommy and Me class. Celia Cantor, musician and early childhood educator, will lead this class. Ages 2-6 recommended. This month’s theme is “May Flowers”. We will be crafting flowers from recycled materials, enjoying a sing-a-long and reading stories. Please sign up at the Customer Service desk.

NOTE: The Washington DC Dragon Boat Festival, originally scheduled for this weekend at the Georgetown waterfront, has been canceled because recent rains have made for unsafe boating conditions on the Potomac. Organizers are trying to come up with a new date; visit the festival Web site www.dragonboatdc.com for the most up-to-date information.

Saturday, May 17

Children’s Workshop: Reuse It or Lose It
National Museum of African Art Noon-2:30 p.m.   FREE
Reuse African fabrics, wooden spoons, assorted beads, buttons and other discarded items to bring your vision of an African puppet to life. For ages 7 and older; registration required, call 202.633.4640. Presented in conjunction with El Anatsui: Gawu.

Sunday, May 18

KidSpy Spy Fest: Tradecraft Try-Its
International Spy Museum 10-11 am, 11 am-Noon, Noon-1 pm
Do you have the savvy to beat a lie-detector, the smarts to break a top secret coded message, the wits to create secret writing, and the moves of a Ninja? Families are invited to try all this and more at the Museum’s first ever Spy Fest. Mini-missions, tradecraft demonstrations, and tradecraft try-its will allow KidSpy recruits and their “handlers” to get an insider’s peek into the shadow world of spying. For ages 7-18; cost is $12 for non-members, $10 for members. Advance registration is required. Call 202.393.7798 or 866.SPY.MUSEUM.

Family Bike Tour
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Plaza  (meet at base of the memorial steps)  1-4 pm  FREE
National Park Service Rangers will guide families through the ages to discover exciting events that took place in and around the National Mall. From hot air balloons over the White House, to canal boats floating down Constitution Avenue, the National Mall has witnessed scores of amazing and notable events in time.  All participants (children and adults) must have their own bikes, helmets, and water. Space is limited; reservations required. Call Bike Program Coordinator Ranger Jason Martz 202-438-4391 (or Assistant Bike Program Coordinator Ranger Richard Ayad 202-438-3456) to make reservations.

Pop-Up Architecture
National Building Museum 2-4 p.m.
Families can experience the streets they live on in a whole new way by creating a pop-up version. Artist and author Carol Barton leads a creative 3-D workshop teaching families how to make basic on-the-fold pop-up structures, develop their dimensional design skills, and bring architecture to life. For ages 8-19; cost is $15 per family and advance registration is required. Call 202.272.2448

The fine folks at The JumpWorks entertainment rentals and bounce house in Manassas have informed me of their new hours:

We will have open bounce tomorrow (Friday, May 16th) from 10am-2pm and on Monday, May 19th from 10am-2pm. Monday, May 19th will be our last Monday bounce until after Labor Day.

Our open bounce hours for the summer (from memorial Day through Labor Day) will be: Fridays from 10am-2pm and the first and third Friday of each month from 6pm-8pm.

 The Open Gym schedule and Google calendar will be changed accordingly…

Saturday, May 17

10:30 am-noon; 1-4:30 pm
* Hawaiian Implements with Gordon ‘Umiâliloalâhânauokalâkaua Kai (Potomac)
* Plaiting and Weaving with Solomon Kuulie Apio (Potomac)

10:30 am-1 pm; 2-4:30 pm
* Lei Making Demonstration: Traditional and Contemporary Flower Lei with Bill Char (Potomac)
* Hawaiian Featherwork: The Art of Feather Lei with Audrey Aukeleamanaali’i Wagner (Potomac)
* Kapa: Hawaiian Barkcloth Demonstration with Verna Kemaile’lauli’ili’i Apio Takashima (Outdoor Amphitheater)

11 am- 1 pm
* Hawaiian Food and Cooking Demonstration with Darlene Kehaulani Butts and Richard Hetzler (Outdoor Fire Pit; rain location: Potomac)

11 am, 3 pm
* Children’s Storytelling: Stories of Hina, Goddess of the Moon with Hi’ilani Shibata (Education Workshop 3010, Third Level)

Noon- 3 pm
* Hawaiian Family Day Activities: Hawaiian Kapa-Stamping Demonstration with Hi’ilani Shibata
Hands on activities for families (Education Workshop 3010, Third Level)

Noon, 2 and 3:30 p.m.
* Hawaiian Hula and Music: Hâlau Ho’omau I ka Wai Ola O Hawai’i (Potomac)

Sunday, May 18

10:30 am-Noon, 1-4:30 p.m.
* Hawaiian Implements: Lua weapons, kapa beaters, and fishhooks with Gordon * ‘Umiâliloalâhânauokalâkaua Kai(Potomac)
Plaiting and Weaving: Mahiole (helmets), fishtraps, baskets with Solomon Kuulie Apio (Potomac)

10:30 am- 1 pm; 2-4:30 pm
* Lei Making Demonstration: Traditional and Contemporary Flower Lei with Bill Char (Potomac)
* Hawaiian Featherwork: The Art of Feather Lei with Audrey Aukeleamanaali’i Wagner (Potomac)
* Kapa: Hawaiian Barkcloth Demonstration with Verna Kemaile’lauli’ili’i Apio Takashima
(Outdoor Amphitheater)

11 am - 1 pm
* Hawaiian Food and Cooking Demonstration with Darlene Kehaulani Butts and Richard Hetzler
(Outdoor Fire Pit; rain location: Potomac)

11 am - 4 pm
* Hawaiian Family Day Activities: Hawaiian Kapa-Stamping Demonstration with Hi’ilani Shibata. Hands on activities for families. (Education Workshop 3010, Third Level)

11 am, 3 pm
* Children’s Storytelling: Stories of Hina, Goddess of the Moon with Hi’ilani Shibata (Education Workshop 3010, Third Level)

Noon, 2 and 3:30 p.m.
* Hawaiian Hula and Music: Halau O `Aulani and The Aloha Boys (Potomac)

The National Air and Space Society is sponsoring a “Behind-the-Scenes Experience” at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center from 6-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. Night at the Museum is free, but you have to get tickets in advance; request tickets online by clicking here.

From the National Air and Space Museum’s Web site:

“Curators, archivists, educators, restoration staff, and other experts to share stories and answer your questions. This wonderful event provides you with the opportunity to learn from the experts who research, preserve, restore, and bring to life our amazing aviation and space exploration artifacts.

“The Night at the Museum event was a great opportunity not only for my family to (again) visit the Udvar-Hazy Center in a less crowded, more intimate way, but the interaction with the Museum officials and curators was awesome. My 10-year-old son is still telling all his friends about it - and so am I. Learning the lesser-known trivia and behind-the-scenes stories never gets old to me. Hearing about the hanging of the artifacts and details from experts about the Enterprise and SR-71 in-flight refueling was fascinating.” — Keith Duke, Ellicott City, MD

National Air and Space Museum photographer Dane Penland will lead a special photography tour of the Center, advising visitors on the finer points of capturing that perfect picture of their favorite artifact. With more than 20 years at the Smithsonian as a photographer, Penland has captured images of thousands of priceless artifacts, ranging from the Hope Diamond to the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay. Be sure to bring your camera and get tips from an official Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center photographer.

This special event features unique tours that will shed new light on how the Museum operates. It provides a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center through activities that are not available outside of this event.

From Consumer Reports:

First the toys, now the toy bin

Soooo many events and activities to choose from … and these are just the northern Virginia ones! Still to come: DC weekend events …

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Reston Town Center     10 a.m.-6 p.m.
The 17th annual juried arts festival also features live entertainment and children’s activities. Green is the theme in the Children’s Art Tent, which will be open 10 am to 5 pm on both days. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The tent is located in Town Square Park, at the intersection of Market and Explorer streets.  For more information on children’s activities, click here.

Spring 18th Century Market Fair
Claude Moore Colonial Farm, McLean   11 am-4:30 pm
Travel back in time at this re-creation of an 18th century farm, where the spring Market Fair offers food, activities and entertainment reflective of the age. A three-legged race will determine the fleetest of foot, while those more artistically inclined may paint a fan or engraving of their fancy. Industrious folk can dip a candle made of tallow and beeswax, or craft a corn husk doll. Many choose to rest from their labors by settling down for an entertaining Puppet Show, or by admiring the talents of the Swordmasters or Signora Bella the Slack Rope Walker. For a discount pass that admits up to 6 people at half off, click here.

Loudoun Spring Farm Tour
Locations throughout western Loudoun    10 am-4 pm   FREE
Enjoy a free, self-guided tour down country roads to participating Loudoun County farms. Buy spring seedlings and plants for your home; say hello to farm animals and greet spring babies; tour a winery; learn how food gets from the farm to your table; and much more. Click here for a Google map of participating venues.

Flingfest
Bull Run Regional Park, Centreville  Noon-10 p.m.
Carnival rides, concerts, food, puppet show and face paintingand more! Korean Dancers, Bingo the Clown! Simulated NASCAR races.

Saturday, May 17

McLean Day
Lewinsville Park, 1659 Chain Bridge Road    8 am-5 pm   FREE
Join us for McLean’s biggest annual community party! Come help us celebrate our day. International food court, carnival rides, field games, arts and crafts, stage entertainment,  free pony rides and hay rides, and free shuttle service. For more information, including a schedule of stage performers, click here. (From goCityKids)

Family Day
Lee-Fendall House, Alexandria    10 am-4 p.m.
Join us for a day of Victorian-themed arts and crafts, including silhouette-making. Take a children’s “Squirrel Lee” tour of the Lee-Fendall House and then stay to learn about period dress. Betty Bruce Shepard will be on hand to sign copies of her new book, “Virginia: An Alphabetical Journey Through History.” Admission: Adults free when accompanied by children; children (ages 5-17) $2 and children under 5 are free.

Chatterbox Fun Fair
Kingsbury Elementary School, Springfield    10 am-1 pm  FREE
The Chatterbox Fun Fair is a one day fun fair event for preschool through sixth grade students (and their families) who are using picture boards or devices with sound to help them with communication. Games, food, entertainment, and prizes will be provided. Special events planned (depending on availability) include police and fire vehicles; K-9 dog team; fingerprinting of children by Sheriff’s Department; special appearances by Colors the Clown and the Chick-fil-A Cow; door prizes awarded throughout the day. Winner must be present to win! This is a free event sponsored by Assistive Technology Services, Fairfax County Public Schools and its community partners. (From Chronicle Newspapers)

Children’s Book Week Classic
George Mason Regional Library, Annandale    10:30 am   FREE
Watch a film based on a classic children’s book, and then browse our favorite recommended children’s titles. Refreshments provided by the Friends of the George Mason Regional Library. All ages.

Celebrate Asian Heritage Month!
John Marshall Library, Alexandria     10:30 am   FREE
Join us for a The Sadako Story and make an origami paper crane. Cosponsored by Friends of the John Marshall Library. All ages.

Reptile Love
Richard Byrd Library, Springfield    10:30 am   FREE
Come and meet some reptiles. Presented by Hidden Pond Nature Center. All ages.

Spring Fling
Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, Falls Church     10:30 am   FREE
Celebrate spring with the Carousel Puppets, bunnies, birds and Humpty Dumpty himself! All ages.

Creature Feature: Lots of Legs
Woodrow Wilson Library, Falls Church     10:30 am   FREE
Join a naturalist from Hidden Oaks Nature Center as she shares the wonders of Fairfax County wildlife using stories,live animals and more.  All ages.

Heritage Day
23rd St. and the Gazebo, Purcellville   10:45 am-4 pm   FREE
The Town of Purcellville celebrates 100 years of history. “The Stories Behind the Story of Purcellville,” a short film and oral history of the town, will be shown throughout the day at the Purcellville Train Station. At 3 pm, an “Oldtimers Roundtable,” including several people from the film, will answer questions and share their memories of the town. A town “walking tour” will also debut at this event, with a map and information on historic structures and sites throughout the town, and bronze plaques will be presented to historic property owners. In addition, there will be children’s/family activities, a toy train display, and live music (including a barbershop quartet, bluegrass, folk, etc).

Caribbean Carnival
Broadlands Marketplace, Ashburn    11:30 am-4 pm   FREE
Family event featuring steel drum band, hair braiding, limbo contest, face painting, Tiki Island rockwall, giant sandbox, and developer Van Metre is giving away a Royal Caribbean Cruise. For more information, call 571-223-2330.

Flights of Fancy
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center   11:30 am-1:30 pm  
National Children’s Book Week: Flights of Fancy
The museum’s collection comes alive in celebration of National Children’s Book Week as storytellers, authors, and guest readers share folktales and books from around the world. It’s a magical way to explore space and fly with heroes and heroines of the past. Each reading is followed by a hands-on activity. For ages 3-7.  Admission is free, but parking is $12.

Who’s Sleeping in the Squash?  The Natural History of Virginia Native Bees and Their Importance to Farmers and Home Gardeners
Lovettsville Library   1 pm    FREE
Learn about the great variety of size, shape and color of bees. How and where they live.The decline of honey bees has generated a lot of publicity, yet wild bees do most of the pollination even though they get little credit for it. Recommended for ages 12 & up.

TaleSpin Cartoon & Coloring Program
Purcellville Library   1:30 pm  FREE
Join us for TaleSpin Adventure Cartoons and coloring. Recommended for ages 5 & up; for children only. Register online by clicking here or call 540-338-7235.

Franklin Park Arts Center Film Series
Franklin Park, Purcellville   3 p.m.
Family matinee, Charlotte’s Web, starts at 3 p.m. Tickets at the door are $5; families of three or more $4 each. Popcorn And refreshments available; for more info call Shirley Lyle Volberg 540 338-5724 or
Bettina Gregory 540 338-7249.

Puppetopia Presents
Martha Washington Library, Alexandria    3 p.m . FREE
Tales for Book Lovers. Register by calling 703-768-6700. All ages.

Sunday, May 18

OK, so I finally tried to get to one of the Open Gym times with the kids yesterday afternoon so they could bounce off someone else’s walls instead of mine, but I struck out with the first: JumpWorks in Manassas has open bounce time regularly scheduled from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Mondays, but when I called they said they would be closing at 1:30 p.m. (This is why I stress that you need to call before you go to any of the open gym times listed.) They also said they were going to be rescheduling their open bounce times (currently Mondays and Fridays), and that the info would be posted on the Web site when it changed.

So after hearing the other choices, the kids decided on Planet Play at the Springfield Mall so they could check out the PlayTower, a “multi-level indoor playground … (that includes a) puffy Moon Bounce, two great slides, trolley pull, climbing towers, punching bags and net crawl.”

Finding the mall was easy enough, but I didn’t realize that the Planet PlayTower and Carousel weren’t in the same location as the Planet Play “store,” where the arcade, bumper cars, laser tag and party rooms are located. When we arrived, we looked for Planet Play (located in the mini food court next to the Macy’s garage) and were greeted by a dark storefront with a sign that said, “Open 4-8 p.m.”

We found a store map and determined the PlayTower is in the wing with the main food court, between Macy’s and Target. When we finally arrived at our destination, their little necks craned up to view the top of the structure and their little eyes widened in awe. At the entrance, a woman (I’m guessing here) who looked like she’d be more at home bouncing at a DC nightclub cheerfully gave me directions on what I needed to do to get my kids into Playtime Nirvana: get cash from the adjacent ATM, give her the $20 so she could give me change, take the dollars and feed it into the nearby token machine ($2 per token; entrance was $4 per kid so 2 tokens), then give her the tokens.

Do not ask me why you have to go through that whole rigamarole, but I guarantee you that you will not be questioning this woman. She’s nice, she’s friendly, she’s good with the kids–some of the parents are on very friendly terms with her, it seemed–but she is a bald, heavyset, tall (again, I’m guessing because she was sitting the whole time) woman who looked like she could pound you into the tiled floor with one meaty fist. Plus, she might really be a man. I think that was the most disconcerting part. But again, I must say, she was nothing but nice and cheerful the whole two hours we were there, even as more and more kids poured into those mesh-covered towers. She wouldn’t let any kids exit unless she saw their parents were around, but she exuded an air of concern rather than irritability about it.

My 11-year-old, who was too old to go in since the cutoff age is 10, wants to go back at a time when the gameroom is open, so we might make another trip out there. I liked the fact that the place was filled with diverse kids, much like Briar Patch Park along Sterling Boulevard, and that I felt the 4-year-old and 6-year-old were pretty safe in that play structure, even with bigger kids in there, because SHE was watching. All in all, I knew it was a success when the youngest one said happily afterward, “No one hit me, no one pushed me, no one hurt me!” That’s more than can be said of other indoor play areas we’ve visited.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 13, come in for a free scoop of Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream at participating Häagen-Dazs^® Shops between 4-8 pm. For a list of NoVa shops, visit SuperNoVa Kids Eat Free.

Go into any participating Dunkin’ Donuts between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday, May 15 and get a free small 16 oz iced coffee …. to find a Dunkin’ Donuts near you, click here.

With this rain, the Indoor Play page featuring places in Northern Virginia where kids could get a workout indoors without a membership has been getting so many hits, I figured I’d try to make it easier to read … so I created a more readable version and moved it off the main page to its own page, Open Gym Schedule.  You can also still access the Google calendar version from the main page, which has the clickable links to each business and is now categorized by geographical area.

To print a day’s schedule, just right click and go to “Save Picture As” … it saves as a bitmap document, which you should be able to open in most image viewers.

Also added a new business: Kids N Motion in Woodbridge, a new bounce house that I’ve read good things about…