Easter Egg Hunts

Are you ready for some Easter fun?Freeman House Museum, Vienna, VA
Saturday, April 4
10:30am -11:30am
Link: Freeman House Events
Details:

Hip Hip Hip Hooray it is that time of year again. Hop on over to the Freeman Store on Saturday, April 4th with children under 12 and celebrate in some old fashioned fun with your youngsters. The Easter Egg Hunt starts promptly at 10:30 followed by storytelling. Event ends at 11:30. Bring your favorite basket! Call for more details at either 703.255.6360 or 703.938.5187. Arrive early.

Cherry Hill Park, Falls Church
Saturday, April 11
10:00am
Cost:
FREE
Link: Special Events at Cherry Hill Park
Details:

The Easter Egg Hunt is held Easter weekend each year in Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Avenue). In addition to scrambling for eggs, children ages 11 and younger participate in a make-your-own-candy-bag craft project and have a chance to meet and take pictures with the Easter Bunny. This event is free to all participants.

Reston Zoo, Vienna, VA
April 11 and 12
Cost:
Children: $8.00
Adults: $10.oo
Link: Special Events
More details to be announced on the website.

Tudor Place, Washington DC
Saturday, April 11
10:00am - 12:00pm
Cost:
Member children: $7
Nonmember children: $10
Adult Chaperones: $3
Link: Eggstravaganza at Tudor Place!
Details from the website:

Celebrate Spring and Easter at Tudor Place's Third Annual Eggstravaganza! Children of all ages enjoy the largest Egg Hunt in Washington D.C. and a thrilling Egg Roll Contest. After the exciting games, spend the morning decorating festive eggs and building a spring basket! The Easter Bunny is available for pictures all morning. Visitors also enjoy a self-guided tour of Tudor Place's 5 ½ acres of glorious gardens. The Egg Hunt begins at 10:30 a.m. and the Egg Roll follows at 10:45 a.m. Bring your own basket, spoon, and one hard-boiled egg per child.

*Updated to add* Thank you Robin B.!*
Mason District Park, Annandale, VA

Spring Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 11, 2009
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Details:

Rain or Shine
Start Times: 11:10 a.m. (2 yrs & younger);11:30 a.m. (3-4 yrs);11:50 a.m. (5-6 yrs);12:10 p.m. (7-9 yrs)
Mason District Park
6621 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 941-1730

Booked: Upton Hill Regional Park, Arlington, VA

Places that had hunts last year but have not released information for this year:
Colvin Run Mill, Great Falls, VA



For more options (especially those in MD and Loundon) check out the Washington Post.

Toddler Yoga Anyone?

LG and I have enrolled in a toddler yoga class that is supposed to start on Monday. The trouble is that we are one kiddo short of a class so it may not happen! Boo!

If you are at all interested in trying out the Itsy Bitsy Yoga program, check out their website to find a class near you! It is appropriate for any child between the ages of 0 months and 4 years - different classes for different ages.

LG and I did Itsy Bitsy Yoga together when she was only 10 weeks old. It was terrific! An incredible bonding experience and it really helped her sleep. I highly recommend the class and the book to any new mommy. Our teacher, Kim Blackmon, is the same teacher we had for our baby class. I remember really liking her and always feeling calmer in her presence.

But now we want to try yoga for an older child. We hope you do too!

please.
pretty please.

UPDATED to reflect that the class is now full! I will post a review once we have started!

Cherry Blossoms!

I love Cherry Blossom season. It is beautiful and marks the start of the really fun spring season in the DC metro area.

If at all possible, I do recommend that you check out the blossoms on a weekday. The weekend crowds are large and it can be difficult to maneuver a family around the tidal basin.


This will be our third Cherry Blossom season with LG and I think we are finally ready to try some of the events :).

Here are some important dates to mark your calendar with:

• Peak Bloom Period is predicted for April 3 - April 9, 2009
• The 43rd Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival will be held March 28 from 10am-4pm at the Mall
• National Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony will be on March 28 from 4pm-5:30pm at the National Building Museum
• National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will be the morning of April 4th 10am - noon on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets, NW

There are tons of other Events as well and depending on the age/crowd tolerance of your child you may be able to spend a few weekends enjoying the beautiful buds.

Arlington County Classes for Spring

The new catalog is available and registration begins on March 19th. You can mail in registration or register online.

If you plan on registering online, take the time to set up an account now. Some of the very popular classes fill up quickly. More information about registering is available here.

We are currently undecided about what classes we will sign up for but we are excited for possibly returning for another round of Water Tots and/or Tumbling Tots. We are also considering giving soccer a try but since the classes fall a bit too close to nap time this may not be an option.

Special Event: St. Patrick's Day

Looking to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your little one? Since taking toddlers out to the bar is not appreciated or recommended, why not head out to the parades?

Old Town Alexandria
March 7, 2009
Car Show: 10:00am
Fun Dog Show: 10:30am
Parade: 12:30pm - 2:30pm

Washington DC
March 15, 2009
Parade: Noon-2:30pm

Click on the links for parade routes and more detailed information.

Scooped by the Washington Post

Well the Washington Post has me beat. Check out their article: Bouncing off the Walls? for ideas of things to do to survive these cold winter days.

I have to say that I think hanging out at the airport is a stretch and not something that I would ever choose to do but more power to you if you find that fun. :)

Happy snowy ice days!

Baby Gorilla at the Zoo!

There is a new member of the family in the ape house at the DC National Zoo! You can read more about the baby gorilla here.

I find that the winter is a great time to visit the zoo. Nearly all the animals are inside and much easier to view (especially for little ones who cannot pick them out of their natural surroundings). It is also significantly less crowded which makes it easier to navigate. The zoo keepers are also frequently on hand to answer questions. It is a great way to get out of the house in the winter.

Some winter zoo tips:

1. Look at the map before you go and determine exactly where you want to go. Pick a few things that are close together to visit. If you are driving, make sure you figure out which parking lot is closest to your exhibits as well.
2. Bring the stroller. Even if your child doesn't particularly like to ride. You might find that in cold weather your child might actually like to ride to minimize the time outside (or get to the next animal even faster!). Strollers are also very useful for storing all the outdoor gear when you are inside looking at the animals.
3. Dress warmly but in items that are easy to get on and off. You will want to remove coats and such when you are inside. The animal houses can be warm.

One of our favorite itineraries:

• Park in Lot B.
  
• Head into the Elephant House to see the elephant bath at 10:30am.
• Go down to the Ape House to visit with the gorillas.
• Start walking back to the lot and stop at the Small Mammal House to see the meerkats, prairie dogs, and shrews.
• Home by lunch :)