Baltimore's Child Baltimore's Child
Oh, hey, you’re still here. We’re all still here, aren’t we? It’s Thursday, April 16, we’ve been home with our kids for about a month, and the weekend awaits. The weather calls for rain Friday into Saturday, and then sun on Sunday. All right, then: We’ve stacked Weekend Family Fun, April 16-19 with concerts, plays, crafts and more. Some activities are great for the whole family, some are just for you.
Hang in there, parents. We can’t wait to be back with a full calendar of outdoor and crowd-filled fun.
Thursday
Pratt Virtual Storytime: Live!
Every Thursday in April, the Enoch Pratt Free Library hosts a virtual story time on Facebook at 11 a.m. Head to their Facebook page to join the fun. prattlibrary.org
Virtual Storytime: Shadra Strickland
Every Thursday at 1 p.m. is virtual story time at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. This week, Baltimore-based illustrator Shadra Strickland reads, “Sunday Shopping.” Go to the museum’s Facebook page to listen in. lewismuseum.org
QuaranTiny Concerts
Live Arts Maryland is hosting a new online concert series and will add a new tiny concert every day. Tune in at 6:15 p.m. to enjoy the music and go to Live Arts Maryland’s Facebook page to listen to past concerts.
WTMD Cabin Fever Concert
Two concerts in one night—go for it, you party animals. It is the weekend eve, after all. Tonight, Raul Midón brings his soulful sounds and acoustic guitar to the show. Head to WTMD’s Facebook page at 8 p.m. for this one-hour show.
Friday
Exploring Nature
In non-corona times, Irvine Nature Center hosts a story time every Friday. While we are all home, it’s quite a bit harder to explore nature. But Irvine’s YouTube page has a lot of videos that will bring an outdoor experience to your little ones. explorenature.org
“The Phantom of the Opera”
It’s a great night for a show. Tune into YouTube starting at 7 p.m., where you can watch “The Phantom of the Opera” for free. The musical will remain viewable for 24 hours. Missing theater? Follow Andrew Lloyd Weber on Instagram where he posts global sing-a-longs each week.
Movie Night
Let’s be real: A night at the movies has never been cheaper. SNF Parkway Theatre, one of the independent movie houses were are lucky to have in B’more, is streaming four new movies. Audiences can visit their site and purchase $12 virtual tickets for any film of their choice and be the cool one in the crowd who’s seen the latest indie flick. Now showing: “The Traitor,” “The Hottest August,” “Straight Up,” and “The Citizen.” Twelve bucks and nobody complains if you bring your own popcorn—we like it! mdfilmfest.com
Saturday
Kerplunk Live! Free Family Art Tune-In Workshop
Here’s another great way for your kids to have fun this weekend. Creative Alliance hosts free art-making workshops on Facebook every Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon. This weekend, kids will make a trophy, because as organizers say, every family deserves one right now. Yep, we couldn’t agree more. No registration is needed for this workshop, but young artists can get ready by digging in to the recycling bin for things to stack. Look for a juice bottle, milk container or toilet paper rolls. Cardboard, small cans and lids can be set aside for extra decoration. Trophy makers also need tape, glue or a glue stick. Markers, streamers, sequins and other shiny stuff also can be used to decorate. Pull together these supplies and get ready to craft some fun!
Yoga: Movement as a Self-Love Language
This one is for the parents—and it also comes to us from the Creative Alliance. Once those kids have made their trophy, it’s your turn to take over the Facebook page and tune in for some stretching at noon with yoga instructor Grace Marshall. We don’t need to tell you that you deserve this, but we will.
Getting in the Mix: Cocktail-Naming Contest
Sally O’s in Highlandtown staffs the bar for this virtual event, showing viewers drinks they can make at home. Brush up on your bartending skills in isolation and get ready for your guests later this year. Dave Seel of the Baltimore Restaurant Relief Fund will share information about that group and how diners can help the restaurant industry. Finally, Baltimore singer Shelby Blondell will perform her new song, “It’ll Be Okay.” This event also comes to us through Facebook—join from the Socialyzer page at 6 p.m.
Sunday
Museum Day
Sunday has always been a good museum day, hasn’t it? Make breakfast, read the Sunday paper, go for a stroll and then check out the Baltimore Museum of Art’s YouTube channel and see the work of Valerie Maynard, Jo Smail and more. artbma.org
More Crafts
Here’s a good one for a no-sew bunting. Kids can participate, or this can be a nice activity for a parent to do on his or her own, headphones on, world tuned out.
Writing It All Down
Sometimes writing can be as meditative as, well, meditation. We know this, because that writing thing is the thing we do for our living. If you want a quiet Sunday or any day activity, journaling is a great one. And we want to remind you of the Maryland Historical Society’s “Collecting in Quarantine” project. They are looking for journals from folks during this time. Your grandchildren and great-grandchildren can read about the 2020 pandemic through your own experiences.
