Weekend Family Fun, Aug. 6-9

family fun aug 6-9
Photo: Landon Martin/Unsplash

Story & Activity Time with Ms. Barb

Add Port Discovery Children’s Museum to the list of local places offering a virtual story time for kids. The museum’s outreach coordinator leads this Thursday morning activity time that can be accessed through the museum’s Facebook page at 10 a.m. Busy that day? The museum has a blog full of at-home ideas, including a backyard circus with beanbag games and tumbling box fun. portdiscovery.org

Outdoor Art

Family fun aug 6-9
“National Anthem,” Kota Ezawa

Art is around us, and now it’s outside and ready for viewing! This week, the Baltimore Museum debuted Kota Ezawa’s video “National Anthem” in the Latrobe Spring House. The short video about patriotism and protest is a good piece to share with older children reflecting on current events. Through new Go Mobile audio tour stops, the BMA also offers insights from its curators on art around the exterior of the museum building and in its Sculpture Garden. Take a walk, take in the fresh air and learn about some amazing pieces. Starting Aug. 15, the Snow Cone Sisters snack kiosk features gourmet hot dogs and snow cones from Gertrude’s Chesapeake Kitchen. BMA’s Sculpture Gardens and Spring House are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, weather permitting. artbma.org

Make this DIY: Beach Fairy Garden!

Market Days

Recently we shared the weekend farmers’ markets open for family-friendly fun and delicious weekly offerings. This weekend also brings Tianquiztli, a Latin American-inspired market that will be held Saturday, from noon to 3 p.m. across from the Creative Alliance in Highlandtown. The theme is corn or maiz, a staple food in Latin American culture and one in season for us now. Come out for tasty food, live music and more. Look for taco favorite Cocina Luchadores, the Creative Alliance’s creative group of women, Artesansas, artist Jess Di Santi and musicians David Vass and Jorge Gutierrez. Social distancing and masks will be required. creativealliance.org

Fly-By Fun

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is putting together the third Breeding Bird Atlas of Maryland and the District of Columbia. This five-year project documents birds in the area and organizers are looking for volunteers who can tell them about the birds they see in their everyday lives. If you find a nest, you can contribute to the project, they tell us. This is ideal for parents, with natural tagalong possibilities for the budding naturalists in their home. Learn more about the effort here.

Make this DIY: Clay Handprint in Frame

#TakeoutThursday

Moveable Feast’s annual Dining Out for Life fundraiser is happening between now and Sept. 17. We love this annual event, because it gave us a great excuse not to cook—we had to go out to eat at one of the participating restaurants to support this great cause! In case you don’t know, Moveable Feast provides meals to people with cancer, HIV and other illnesses. This year, because of the pandemic, diners are asked to donate here and then support Moveable Feast’s restaurant partners by ordering takeout on a Thursday between now and Sept. 17. Organizers even offer step-by-step instructions for hosting a virtual dinner party. To get you fully into the #TakeoutThursday spirit, Moveable Feast will livestream entertainment every Thursday night. Tonight, The Befuddlers, an acoustic band, performs from 7-8 p.m. For a complete list of participating #TakeoutThursday partners, click here.

Day Trip Idea

Washington, D.C.’s Spy Museum has reopened. Junior sleuths and their families can crack codes, learn about historic events of espionage and participate in an undercover mission. Kids under 6 are free; after that, prices start at $17. Not venturing out right now? The museum hosts a virtual spy trivia contest on Wednesday nights. Your family can play as a team and show off their espionage intel. Trivia is free, but registration is required. Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. spymuseum.org

Looking Ahead…

family fun aug 6-9
Photo: Jakob Owens/Unsplash

Aug. 9-16 is Discovery’s Shark Week. That’s nice for everybody else, but we’d like to remind you of our aquatic clout, living as we do in the same city that houses the National Aquarium. In other words, we have access to sorts of extra info on the toothy fish. The aquarium reopened on July 1, is still hosting our favorite wallet-saver, Half-Price Friday Nights, and has tons of resources on its website, including its Blacktip Reef livestream. The reef is home to, you guessed it, sharks.  Our family is all about the orange-beaked awesomeness of Fratercula arctica, aka the puffin. But that’s the thing about the aquarium—there is something for everyone. aqua.org

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