Cajun/Zydeco Music
And one more great idea from a friend:
If you happen to be a fan of Cajun/Zydeco music, this website
is a great local resource to learn where you can go to listen or dance. From it I found a couple events coming up that look like they would be appropriate for kids, too:
September 30 Saturday
Squeeze Bayou (Local Cajun)
@ Mason District Park: 6621 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003
10:00 – 11:00 AM – Free
Outdoor Festival
FFIC: 703 324-7469 : http://www.fairfax.va.us/parks/performances/
October 1 Sunday
The Alligator Zydeco Band (PA Zydeco)
@ The Baltimore Museum Of Art: 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore MD 21218
FREE
Other Bands 10:00AM – 3:00PM
Zydeco from 3:00PM – 5:00PM
FFIC: 443-573-1834 : http://artbma.org/visitorinfo/index.html
And there’s lots more there for those who can stay up past 8pm!
There’s a newsletter you can sign up for, too, if you want to get up-to-date info each week.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Takoma Park Folk Festival
If you have any energy left after the Silver Spring Jazz Festival on Saturday, the 29th annual Takoma Park Folk Festival will be held on Sunday, Sept. 10 from 11am-6:30pm at the Takoma Park Middle School (7611 Piney Branch Road). Seven stages will feature music and dance from around the world. There will also be a juried craft show, a variety of ethnic food vendors, and children’s activities will be held throughout the day including storytellers and musical acts such as “Banjo Man”. For a complete schedule, check out www.tpff.org.
3rd Annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival
This Saturday, September 9, 2006 is the third annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival. It kicks off with a Jazz Parade at 2pm and runs until 10:30pm. Performances will be held in Veteran’s Field (“the green thing”) in dowtown Silver Spring.
2:00 New Orleans Style Jazz Parade
(local high school bands perform a New Orleans style caravan)
3:00 Cutting Competition
(Borders/JazzTimes trophy awarded)
4:00 Michelle Walker
(modern jazz vocalist)
5:15 Felix Contreras & Afro Bop Alliance
(latin jazz featuring the conga drums)
6:30 The Marcus Johnson Project
(smooth jazz featuring the piano)
7:45 Terell Stafford Quintet
(straight ahead featuring the trumpet)
9:00 Spyro Gyra
(contemporary jazz legends)
Page-to-Stage New Play Festival
Looking for something interesting to do this rainy Labor Day Weekend? The Kennedy Center is hosting the Page-To-Stage Festival this Saturday, Sunday & Monday (Sept. 2-4). According to the Kennedy Center web site:
During this three-day event, the Kennedy Center welcomes more than 35 theaters from the D.C. metropolitan area with the goal of producing and supporting the success of new plays and musicals. Featuring free readings, special events, and panel discussions, the festival lets you catch a glimpse of upcoming Washington premieres in the 2006–2007 theater season. This year will include new works by Norman Allen, Joe Calarco, Richard Dresser, Thomas Keneally, Jon Klein, James Magruder, and more.
Performances are held throughout the Kennedy Center from 2pm to 10pm each day. The event is free and no tickets are required, although seating is limited. You can check out the schedule on-line.
Thanks to an anonymous Stone Soup DC reader for this tip!
Web sites for kids
For the past months, my parents have been sending an email to my son nearly every day, usually containing a short message and a link to a game or other web site to visit. I have put together a list of many of the ones they have collected. While I think most come from reputable sources, I would advise making sure you are current with your Windows security updates (or have a mac) before turning your children loose. Enjoy!
Boowa and Kwala – My son’s favorite site
http://www.uptoten.com/kids/uptoten-home.html
Scholastic Kids
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/
“Your Big Backyard” Magazine
http://www.nwf.org/kids/kzPage.cfm?siteId=2
Mary Engelbreit Activities
http://www.maryengelbreit.com/mekids/playwithme.shtml
PBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/
BBC Learning Resources for Home and School
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/index.shtml
Bernstein Bears
http://www.berenstainbears.com/
Garfield’s comic creator
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/starslp/missionz/comic.htm
Nick
http://www.nick.com/
Discovery Kids
http://kids.discovery.com/
Time for Kids
http://www.timeforkids.com
Sports Illustrated Kids
http://www.sikids.com/
Indian Child
http://www.indianchild.com/
“Nurture the Genius in your Preschooler”
http://www.ednoland.com/ednolandweb/ednoland_experien.cfm
Animal Sounds
http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/ballc/animals/animals.html
Paper Airplanes
http://phoenix.gov/AVIATION/kids/airplanes.html
On-line Etch-a-Sketch
http://www.etch-a-sketch.com/html/onlineetch.htm
Hirshorn Create a Sculpture
http://hirshhorn.si.edu/education/interactive.html
US Mint learn about money
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/flashIndex.cfm
NSA’s Cryptokids
http://www.nsa.gov/kids/home.cfm
Number Games
http://www.abc.net.au/countusin/default.htm
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/
http://www.geocities.com/enchantedforest/tower/1217/math1.html
Music Games
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/childrens/
Songs, stories, coloring pages about teddy bears
http://www.beartime.com
General sites with games, crafts, activities, reviews & more
http://www.kidscomjr.com/home_flash.html
http://aolsvc.kol.aol.com/kol-jr_mn.adp
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/games/index.htm
http://www.crayola.com/kids/index.cfm?mt=Tab_kids
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/index.html
http://www.gizdic.com/freegames/
http://www.inklesstales.com/games/
http://www.theplanetw.com/WGames.htm
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/
http://www.applejuice.org/fungames.html
http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/
http://www.puzzlechoice.com/pc/Kids_Choicex.html
Snake Game
http://www.coolbuddy.com/games/CaraySnake/CaraySnake.htm
Play free trial versions of games
Jigsaw Puzzles
Dot to Dots
http://phoenix.gov/AVIATION/kids/dot2dot/index.html#
Printable games, awards, & activities
http://www.preschoolprintables.com/
Magic
http://www.magicalkingdom.co.uk/magic.htm
http://kids.mysterynet.com/magic/
Illusions
http://www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion.html
Illusions, puzzles & games
Crafts & Activites
http://www.flaxart.com/Fancy-Crown
http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/
http://www.creativekidsathome.com/
Color by number pictures
http://www.segmation.com/SegPlayChoose.asp?ord=difficult&cat=abs#images
On-line Stories
http://www.magickeys.com/books/
http://www.goodnightstories.com/
http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/108b.html
http://wiredforbooks.org/kids.htm
http://www.geocities.com/mystorytime/index.htm
Borders Coupon
If you receive Borders emails, you will often find a coupon for 20-30% off of one item each week. This week, the coupon is for 10% a total purchase. Here’s the link: http://f.chtah.com/i/9/276579820/coupon0824.htm
Strathmore Free Outdoor Concert
Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band is playing tomorrow evening (Wednesday, August 9, 2006) at 7pm in a free outdoor concert at the Strathmore in Bethesda.
According to the Strathmore web site:
This 14-piece afrofunk orchestra builds on some of the funkiest, most hip-shakin’ West African popular music on the planet. Children are mesmerized by their sound. The core of the Chopteeth sound is Afrobeat: a big band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970s Nigeria. Chopteeth then mixes in classic Ghanaian funk, Senegalese rumba and Jamaican ska and stirs it all thoroughly to create a massive groove.
Summer Outdoor Concert Parking
Parking for the Strathmore Free Outdoor Concert Series is in the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro garage. Enter the garage on Tuckerman Lane. Detailed directions are available at www.strathmore.org under “Plan Your Visit,” click on Directions & Parking. Parking is $4, and a Metro SmarTrip card will be required to pay the $4 parking fare in order to exit the garage. Metro does not accept cash or any other form of payment. SmarTrip cards are available for sale at special machines in all Metro stations.
Summer Food and Refreshments
Back by popular demand! BBQ ribs, pulled pork, veggie burgers, hot dogs, side dishes, desserts, soda, water and beer and wine are available for purchase from Bruce’s BBQ Shack at the outdoor concert series. Join us a little early and enjoy dinner on the lawn before the show.
See you there!
Arlington Arts Al Fresco
Arlington County has been presents free outdoor performances throughout Arlington from May through September each year. I am a bit late with this one, but there are still plenty of opportunities to attend events throughout August and Septemeber. Check out the Arlington Arts Al Fresco website for a complete schedule. No tickets or reservations are required for any event. Keep in mind concerts may be cancelled due to excessive heat or inclement weather. For up-to-date information on inclement weather cancellations, call 702-228-1850.
Community
Morning everyone. I am proud to report that Stone Soup DC now gets around 150-200 hits a day. Very cool.
I am glad people are finding the information useful, at least I hope you are. I believe one of the best resources anywhere and anytime, is community. We can make this resource so much more powerful if we pull together our information and ideas. Anything from what’s on sale this week, to a great store you’ve found, to free/cheap community events, to how to make something yourself that you would have previously purchased. That’s what we all want to hear. I am sure each one of you has ideas to add. Please consider joining the Yahoo discussion group, posting a comment on the blog, or even sending me an email at stonesoupdc@gmail.com. I want to hear from you!
Have you all heard the story of Stone Soup? I’ve added some stones. Anyone out there have some cabbage or carrots or an onion?
Carroll County Fair
If you are looking to escape the city this weekend, check out the offerings at the Carroll County Fair. The tentative schedule shows something for just about everyone from livestock exhibits, to children’s activities, live music, a monster truck show, lawn mower races, a parade and lots of other things to do and see. Admission to the fair is free, though various activities may have a charge. FYI: Carroll County is to the northwest of Baltimore. The fairgrounds are near Westminster, MD.
