Ahoy, mateys!

Lowe’s Build & Grow clinic for kids this coming Saturday, Sept. 13, features a project too cute to miss:

The FREE workshops take place at participating Lowe’s stores from 10-11 a.m. They’re recommended for kids in grades 1-5, but I’ve brought my 4-year-old and she’s had no problem. This is a DIY project, with parents’ help required. Register online at www.lowesbuildandgrow.com

On Saturday, Sept. 27, the clinic features this project:

This craft’s snow joke

I’d like to be a craftsy mom, but my creative juices run dry when it comes to that kind of stuff. So I subscribe to all kinds of newsletters to spark ideas, and one of the best has been from Preschool Rock.

Every week I get ideas for preschool crafts that are easy to do and require simple materials, like this Snow Globe. All it takes is a jar, water, glue and one of those kid’s meal toys that find their way into all of the corners of your home.

Here’s the link to this particular activity: http://crafts.preschoolrock.com/index.php/crafts/snow-globe-everyday-preschool-craft

You can sign up for the newsletter on the main Preschool Rock page; it’s toward the bottom of the left navigation menu.

DC Family Weekend June 7-8

 

All Weekend

30th Anniversary Celebration of Textiles
2320 S Street, NW
Saturday, June 7, 10 am-4 pm FREE
Sunday, June 8, 1-5 pm        
This year, enjoy 30 activities and demonstrations celebrating 30 years! Established in 1978, this free festival for all ages invites visitors to explore the textile arts and cultures of the world through hands-on activities and artist demonstrations in the Museum’s gardens, historic buildings and current exhibitions. See below for highlights of the weekend event. Refreshments will be available for purchase both days. From GoCityKids DC

Jacob Lawrence Family Free Festival
The Phillips Collection
1600 21st Street, NW
Saturday 10 am-5 pm  FREE
Sunday 11 am-6 pm
The museum will be filled with activities and entertainment during a weekend-long celebration of Jacob Lawrence’s The Migration Series, including shadow-puppetry, interactive dance performances by The DanceFusion Jazz Project, a Lawrence-inspired play written and acted by Mississippi students, 1940s jazz performed by The Potomac Jazz Project, collage making, gallery tours, and films. From GoCityKids DC

Artomatic
Capitol Plaza 1200 First Street, NE
Saturday Noon-6:30 pm FREE
Sunday 1-4 pm
Free children’s activities are scheduled for every weekend of Artomatic, which ends June 15. Not all artwork may be suited for children, so parents should use their own judgment as they accompany their families during the event. Children ages 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent during kids activities. All Artomatic children’s events are free, but space may be limited. Visit the Web site to reserve your space. For questions or more information, e-mail Fran Atkinson at msazuri@msn.com. From GoCityKids DC
Schedule
Saturday, June 7
Noon-2pm – Drawing Your Dreams by Barbara Dixon (Age:5-9)
2:30 – 3:30pm -African Dance Class for Children & Parents (Age: 5 +up) New
3-5pm – Peeps Diorama Workshop II by Laura Sillers (Sorry, this class is now FULL)
5-6:30pm – Mixed-Media Workshop II by Joseph Jones New

Sunday, June 8
1-2:30pm – Kids and Parents Art Challenge by Giliah Litwick (Age:5-9) Only 5 slots remaining
2-4pm – “Welcome To The Jungle” Mural by Christopher Hoppe (Age: 4 + up)
2:30 – 4pm – Poetry Workshop for Children by Andrea Raggambi- New
 

Saturday, June 7

Secrets of the Lotus
Freer and Sackler Galleries
1050 Independence Avenue, SW
10:30 am-4 pm Saturday FREE
Open house for all ages. Why do Hindu and Buddhist gods and goddesses stand or sit on lotus flowers? What is the magic power of a thousand-petal golden lotus? Use an activity book to learn these secrets in the Freer galleries. Return to the Moongate reflecting pool in the Haupt Garden to make an origami paper lotus. Write a secret inside of it, and then float it in the pond. Part of the Imaginasia Family Programs, which are free of charge, but seating is limited. Participation is on a first come, first serve basis. From GoCityKids DC

SAAM and NPG Baseball Family Day
Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery
Kogod Courtyard
11:30 am-3 pm Saturday    FREE
The Nats return to SAAM and NPG! Please join us for this special baseball-themed family day celebrating the Washington Nationals and Americas favorite pastime. Listen as Nationals team members read two storybooks, and then create your own baseball card with a picture taken
of you and a player.

Midsummer Festival
Swedish Embassy  2900 K Street, NW        
Noon- 5 p.m. Saturday        FREE
The Midsummer holiday – which falls on June 20th – 22nd this year – is a weekend for traditional celebrations throughout the country. One Swedish province in particular is regarded as the heart of the celebrations – the region of Dalarna. On Saturday, June 7th, the County Governor of Dalarna, Ms Maria Norrfalk, will bring the Midsummer tradition to Washington, DC and present a weekend full of music, dancing, handicrafts, silver, clothing, food tasting and family events at House of Sweden. The Dala Horse, a wooden horse usually painted in red or other bright colors, is a well known symbol of Dalarna and Sweden. A large number of small horses have been provided for kids to paint. Everyone is invited to particpate in traditional dancing around a Swedish maypole during this daylong Midsummer celebration. From GoCityKids DC
Schedule:
12 – 4 pm Paint Your Own Dala Horse
2 pm Dance Around the Maypole
3 pm Presentation of Dalarna with Food Tasting from the Region
4 pm Outdoor Symphony Orchestra Concert by  DalaSinfoniettan and Soprano Hillevi Martinpelto

Sunday, June 8

Children’s Arts Festival: The Magic of Music
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall
Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College
3001 North Beauregard St.
2-4 pm
The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra sponsors a music festival, which also features an instrument petting zoo, interactive arts stations, concert and video, dance activities, and pirate costume and limbo contests.  Recommended for children ages 5 to 11. Cost is $5.  

 

DIY Kids

Stopped by Lowe’s last week for something, and caught the tail end of a cool workshop where they had kids build a wooden memory box; they even gave them cute little red aprons with the Lowe’s brand on them! I wished I had known about them sooner so I could have had my kids sign up for it; apparently, Lowe’s sponsors free children’s workshops that they call Build and Grow Clinics. The Web site says they’re for kids in 1st to 5th grades, but I saw toddlers at that workshop and so I signed up my 4-year-old with no problem.

The next one is scheduled for Saturday, May 24 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., and it’s to build a little planter (shown) in which they can plant a seed and watch their plant grow. All you have to do is sign up online to register and print a waiver form that you’ll take with you to a participating Lowe’s; you’ll have a choice of locations when you sign up.

Other upcoming clinics:
Saturday, June 14: Wooden Measuring Tape
Saturday, June 28: Mini Baseball Game

More a Home Depot fan? Not to worry, The Home Depot also has a free Kids Workshop for kids 5 to 12 years old. It takes place the first Saturday of the month between 9 a.m.-noon at all Home Depot stores, no registration necessary. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates’ aprons, and an achievement pin.

The next Home Depot Kids Workshop is on June 7, and the project is a wooden catamaran, shown below.