Kids and Family Notebook by Kathleen Donner

kids&family

Girls on the Run 5K

The Girls on the Run 5K is on Sunday, Nov. 21 at Anacostia Park. It is a 3.1-mile loop around the park. Registration will stay open until Monday, Nov. 15 at midnight for Community Buddy Runner registration and until Sunday, Nov. 20 at noon for families and community runners. But if you register before Oct. 17, you will receive early bird pricing. At Girls on the Run, they inspire all girls to buildcon dence and make intentional decisions, while fostering care and compassion for self and others. Read more at gotrdc.org.

Trick or Treating at Mount Vernon

Tickets are on sale now for Trick or Treating at Mount Vernon on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2 to 6 p.m., rain or shine, where kids can celebrate Halloween with 18th-century entertainment and activities such as Punch & Judy Shows, chocolate making, live music, and pictures at a strawbale sel e station. $25 for adults; $15 for kids. Face masks are recommended indoors for all persons, vaccinated or unvaccinated.

Photo: Courtesy of George Washington’s Mount Vernon

“My Lord, What a Night” Student Matinees

After performing in Princeton, New Jersey, acclaimed contralto Marian Anderson is denied lodging at the Nassau Inn because she is Black. Physicist Albert Einstein invites her to stay at his home, and the two form a profound friendship based on their love for music and their commitment to human rights. Based on true events, My Lord, What a Night takes us into Einstein’s home and imagines the conversations and circumstances that led to Anderson’s historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Don’t miss this remarkable new play about courage, justice and our shared humanity.

Teachers can bring their students to a free matinee performance on Oct. 14 and 21 at 11 a.m. at Ford’s Theatre. Ford’s provides free group tickets and transportation to DC public schools and other qualifying schools. There is a limit of 40 tickets per teacher. Read more at fords.org/for-teachers/ programs/student-matinees.

Healthy Kids Running Series at Anacostia Park

Healthy Kids Running Series is a ve-week running program in the spring and fall for kids pre-k through 8th grade. Each HKRS Series takes place once a week and o ers age-appropriate running events including the 50- and 75-yard dashes, the quarter mile, the half mile and the one mile run. Kids compete each week for a chance to earn points. At the end of the Series the boys and girls who accumulate the most points in their respective distances are awarded trophies. All participants receive a medal on Week 5. This fall’s series is Oct. 2 to Nov. 7. $40. Races are at Anacostia Park, Playing Field #1, Anacostia Dr. and Good Hope Rd. SE. Read more and register at healthykidsrunningseries.org/race-locations/anacostia-kenilworth-dc/.

Photo: Courtesy of Healthy Kids Running Series

Fort Dupont Public Ice Skating in October

Fort Dupont Ice Arena, 3779 Ely Pl. SE, has reopened for public skating. October hours are Sundays, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 1 to 3 p.m.; Fridays, noon to 2 p.m. Adult admission is $5; kids, $4. Skate rental is $3. fdia.org.

Jake Blount: Performance for Young Audiences at the KC

Washington, DC-native Jake Blount fell in love with the banjo a decade ago after stumbling upon a performance in an Ethiopian restaurant on DC’s U Street. The banjoist, ddler, singer, and scholar is a specialist in the folk traditions of Black and indigenous Americans—and a recipient of the prestigious Steve Martin Banjo Prize. Blount blends his charismatic and limber voice with blues, bluegrass, and spirituals for an awe-inspiring musical experience. Jake Blount is on stage at the Kennedy Center on Oct. 17, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. and most enjoyed by ages seven and older. Tickets are $20. kennedy-center.org.

NSO Family Concert: Sleepover at the Museum at the KC

The Museum of Natural History is Mason’s favorite place to visit and he can’t wait to celebrate his birthday with a sleepover there, but rst he has to scout for the best place to spend the night. On Sun. Oct. 31, at 2 and 4 p.m., join Mason and his friends for a musical and scienti c scavenger hunt through the many exhibits in this concert with music from and based on the book of the same name by Karen LeFrank. The 2 p.m. concert is a sensory-friendly performance designed to create a performing arts experience that is welcoming to all families, including those with children with autism or other sensory sensitivities. Sleepover at the Museum is most enjoyed by ages ve, up. Tickets are $18 to $20. kennedycenter.org.

Temple Hall Farm Pumpkin Patch

Enjoy a safe family outing at Temple Hall Farm, 15855 Limestone School Rd., Leesburg, VA, picking pumpkins. You can take a wagon ride over to the pumpkin patch to pick your perfect pumpkin and see draft horses, cows, goats, llamas, sheep, pigs, chickens and other farm animals. Entry fee is $10 which includes a pumpkin. Open daily through Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At door tickets only—credit preferred. novaparks.com/events/temple-hall-fall-festival.

Air & Scare at Udvar-Hazy

On Saturday, Oct. 30, noon to 5:30 p.m., explore the spooky side of air and space at Air & Scare, their annual Halloween event at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Participate in creepy crafts, spooky science experiments, and other Halloweenthemed activities. Arrive in costume to get into the Halloween spirit and enjoy safe indoor trickor-treating. Be aware of high-volume attendance and allow for additional time for parking and security screening. Free; parking is $15. airandspace.si.edu.

National Book Festival Children’s and Teens Authors Online

The 2021 Library of Congress National Book Festival, Sept. 17 to 26, included an extraordinary lineup of authors for children and teens—all now featured in videos on demand at loc.gov/bookfest. The theme of this year’s festival, “Open a Book, Open the World,” was a starting point for many conversations with authors, often discussing how their own books open up new worlds for their readers.

Some of the children’s authors and their featured books are: Derrick Barnes, I Am Every Good Thing; Kacen Callender, King and the Dragon ies; Kate DiCamillo and Sophie Blackall, The Beatryce Prophecy; Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman; Nikki Grimes, Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance; Dan Gutman, Houdini and Me; Brayden Harrington, and Brayden Speaks Up: How One Boy Inspired the Nation.

Some of the teens authors and their featured books are: Traci Chee, We Are Not Free; Jay Coles, Things We Couldn’t Say; Sharon G. Flake, The Life

Imaginati on Stage’s Balloonacy runs Jan. 15 to Feb. 20. Imagination Stage 2021-2022 In-Person Season

Imagination Stage welcomes audiences back to in-person performances in December, while continuing to o er digital programming. First up is Corduroy, Dec. 11 to Jan. 23, for ages three and older. We all need a friend, and Lisa is instantly drawn to the perfectly imperfect teddy bear on display at the department store. If only she can convince her stressed-out mother to buy Corduroy for her! Meanwhile, Corduroy is determined to nd his missing button and become worthy of going to a real home. The rest of the season Balloonacy, Jan. 15 to Feb. 20; P.Nokio, Feb. 23 to April 10; Mother Goose, March 11 to April 10; and Mr. Popper’s Penguins, June 22 to Aug. 7. Prior to the start of in-person performances, an immersive, interactive online show S.P.I.E.S. & the Lost Treasure of Atlantis (formerly Spy Academy) returns for an encore run from Nov. 13 to 28. 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, imaginationstage.org. I’m In; Tahereh Ma , An Emotion of Great Delight; Trung Le Nguyen, The Magic Fish; Jason Reynolds, Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks; and Katie Zhao, How We Fall Apart.

Children’s National Hospital Partners with UHS

Mayor Bowser, Universal Health Services (UHS) and Children’s National Hospital have announced

a Letter of Intent for Children’s National pediatricians, nurses, physician assistants, and other medical sta to operate and provide professional services at the new hospital at St. Elizabeths East, which is scheduled to open in late 2024. Specifically, Children’s National sta will operate the pediatric emergency department and neonatal intensive care unit. This agreement is another step in establishing a robust system of health care in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River and will ensure that children and mothers can receive the highest quality of care without leaving their communities. newhospitals.dc.gov.

The new $375 million fullservice community hospital will support 136 beds, with the ability to expand, will provide a complete range of inpatient services to all District residents, and include maternal health and newborn delivery services, normal and neonatal intensive care, a veri ed trauma center, an ambulatory o ce building for outpatient and community health services, and a 500-space parking garage. The facility is expected to open in late 2024. In addition to the new hospital, UHS will open two urgent care facilities, one in Ward 7 and one in Ward 8.

Find a Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch or Hayride

Find pumpkin patches, pick-yourown pumpkin farms, hayrides and corn mazes in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia at pumpkinpatchesandmore.org. The site claims to have the world’s best

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pumpkin pie and pie crust recipes as well. It also has home canning, preserving, drying and freezing directions. Yes, we’re sending you to a website. Most pumpkin patches and corn mazes open by mid-September; some earlier. In winter, you’ll nd cut-yourown Christmas tree farms at pickyourownchristmastree.org.

La llamada de Sylvia Mendez (Separate is Never Equal)

A world-premiere commission, this familyfriendly bilingual play explores the life of Sylvia Méndez, who at eight years old became instrumental in the 1946 Mendez v. Westminster decision, a landmark case focused on the desegregation of Mexican and Latinx students in California. Sylvia Méndez has been a champion for civil rights ever since. $12 for adults; $10 for kids. On stage at GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW, Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24. galatheatre.org.

Children’s Environmental Health Day

Each year on the second Thursday of October (Oct. 14), the children’s environmental health community commemorates Children’s Environmental Health Day (CEH Day). This day anchors the overall Children’s Environmental Health Movement and is a rallying point for education, and for individuals and organizations to take action on behalf of children’s environmental health. Organizations, communities, and families can organize their own CEH Day activities or join existing ones. Read more at cehday.org.

Black & Latino Student Fund School Fair

The Black Student Fund & Latino Student Fund Annual School Fair is on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2 to 5 p.m., at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon Pl. NW. Tickets are free. The Fair is one of the largest school fairs of its kind in the region, providing a networking opportunity for thousands of families to meet with representatives from more than 60 independent schools. Parents and prospective students get rst-hand knowledge about each school’s programs, community, admission requirements and nancial aid process. In addition, the fair features interactive seminars focused on the admissions process, the nancial aid process and personal/family nancial management. Read more and register at blackstudentfund.org. ◆

Bean & Widge Go to the Park!

Bean & Widge learn all about their favorite park as they collect pieces of their ripped-up homework. Along the way, they meet furry friends and learn how they can make a di erence in the ght against climate change. Theater company Faction of Fools (they take comedy seriously) was commissioned to create this short puppet lm to educate kiddos on climate change. They promise it’s fun for the whole family. Find it on youtube.com/factiono ools.