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- Hello, I'm Alexis. Welcome to Capitol Momma! I'm always out having fun with my little ones, exploring all that there is to see & do in the DC Metro area for kids. Join us on our adventures!
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National Building Museum’s “Hive” Exhibit
The National Building Museum’s highly anticipated Hive installation is now open and, trust us, it’s a must-do for both D.C. families and visitors! As part of the Summer Block Party series, Studio Gang (an architecture and urban design practice based in Chicago and New York) brings us the tallest installation to ever be constructed in the historic Great Hall—it’s built with more than 2,500 wound paper tubes. The Hive consists of three interconnected domed chambers reaching 60 feet tall that are designed to be experienced through sight and sound. This interactive exhibit is very kid-friendly and something the whole family can enjoy together. (Not to mention the perfect summer outing to escape the D.C. heat and humidity!) I took my girls the day it opened and we had such a fun morning at the museum.
Click here to read our article on Mommy Nearest to see what all the “buzz” is about, and make sure to plan your visit before the exhibit closes on September 4.
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POSTED IN: Hive DC, Hive Exhibit DC, Hive Installation DC, Hive National Building Museum, Hive Washington DC, Kid Friendly Hive, National Building Museum
POSTED IN: Hive DC, Hive Exhibit DC, Hive Installation DC, Hive National Building Museum, Hive Washington DC, Kid Friendly Hive, National Building Museum
August – Monthly Roundup
August – summer’s grand finale, was such a good month. I genuinely had so much fun with my girls this summer and am sad that preschool is starting this week. Thinking about how much these little people change in a year and how each summer with them is going to be so different, just makes me want to savor it more. Even though I will miss all the free time for adventures, I will love having a little bit more time for my own projects.
Here is a recap of what we were up to this past month. The BEACH at the National Building Museum was quite a unique experience and is still open through September 7. We also had a fun day trip to Baltimore where we visited the National Aquarium and Pierce’s Park. And another summer tradition of ours in August is the Montgomery County Fair.
Places we visited:
• The “Beach” at the National Building Museum
• Georgetown Waterfront Park
• National Aquarium in Baltimore
• Theodore Roosevelt Island
• Larriland Farm
• Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
• Carousel at Glen Echo Park
• Rehoboth Beach, DE
Events we attended:
• Garfield the Musical at Adventure Theater – no longer showing but next up is Caps for Sale The Musical Sep 11-27 – Blog post here about attending a previous show at Adventure Theatre
• Fairfax County 4H Fair and Carnival at Frying Pan Park
• Montgomery County Fair
Classes and camps we attended:
• Geneva Day School Summer Camp
• My Gym Potomac
• Ballet Petite
Parks we played at:
• Pierce’s Park – Baltimore, MD
• Palisade’s Playground – Blog post here about the hidden glass forest at this park
• Hadley’s Playground – Potomac, MD – #41 in a list of the top 50 playgrounds in the US
• North Farm Park – Rockville, MD
• Cabin John Park – Bethesda, MD
• Potomac Woods Park – Rockville, MD
Hope you found some good ideas for your family in this month’s list. We are looking forward the fall! Cooler temps means spending time at the farms picking apples and pumpkins and going for hikes through the fall colors. Happy September!
Also, I use instagram as my everyday blog and share a lot of photos from our adventures in my gallery. I’d love to have you follow along!
Instagram: capitol.momma
And I share more information and photos from our field trips and outings on facebook.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/capitolmommablog
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POSTED IN: Adventure Theater, DE, Georgetown Waterfront Park, Glen Echo Carousel, Glen Echo Park, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Larriland Farm, MD, National Aquarium, National Building Museum, Pierce's Park, Pierce's Park Baltimore, Rehoboth Beach, The BEACH, The BEACH DC, Theodore Roosevelt Island
POSTED IN: Adventure Theater, DE, Georgetown Waterfront Park, Glen Echo Carousel, Glen Echo Park, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Larriland Farm, MD, National Aquarium, National Building Museum, Pierce's Park, Pierce's Park Baltimore, Rehoboth Beach, The BEACH, The BEACH DC, Theodore Roosevelt Island
National Building Museum
National Building Museum
401 F St NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 272-2448 www.nbm.org
(202) 272-2448 www.nbm.org
The National Building Museum has two great ongoing exhibits for kids – Play Work Build and the Building Zone. I had been to the museum for other events but had not taken my girls before. So Thursday afternoon I decided we would go since it was too hot to play outside. I was lucky enough to find a metered parking spot along the street (2 hours for $4). There are also several parking garages nearby. And the Judiciary Square metro stop is located just across the street.
Once inside the museum, you can purchase tickets at the admissions desk located in the center of the Great Hall. I had already bought our tickets online through a Certifikid deal but still needed to get our wristbands at the desk. Admission into the Building Zone includes 45 minutes of play, so you need to schedule your entrance time when you purchase your tickets.
First, we went up to the second level to the Play Work Build exhibit.
This exhibit is a really great interactive play space for children of all ages and includes a world-class Architectural Toy Collection, a hands-on block play area, and an original digital interactive block wall. My girls were first drawn to the lighted table to play with the small individual blocks. It was fun watching them as their little minds worked to figure out how to connect and stack to create different structures.
Just beyond this area is where children can build and recreate their small scale designs with the large scale blue blocks. Clara’s mission was to build a castle. The girls also had fun sticking the long foam tubes into the holes in the wall. We were lucky to have free run of the place since we were the only guests in the exhibit at the time.
Further back is the digital interactive block wall. It’s fun to watch as virtual blocks fill the wall & then you can knock them down. My girls watched this for a few minutes but were much more interested in playing with the real super-sized blocks.
There is also a table with Lincoln Logs and gear toys where children can further explore their building and creativity skills. Throughout the museum are displays of building toys from the past.
Next, we went back down to the first floor and visited the Building Zone. This exploratory exhibit is designed for children ages 2-6. Families who are just interested in visiting this exhibit only can purchase tickets for $3. In this space children are encouraged to use imaginative play to interact with others, develop problem solving skills, and gain self confidence. My girls first went over to check out the Project Playhouse, a life-size custom built “green” house. Inside, they enjoyed playing with the kitchen toys.
In other areas of the space children can look at architecture books in the book nook, drive construction play trucks, or play dress up and imagine being a construction worker.
Clara really enjoyed building with the giant Lego blocks.
Overall, my girls and I had a fun time at the museum. Definitely worth checking out whether you live in the area or are just visiting the city.
Additional info:
•Tickets are $8 for adults & $5 for children ages 3-17.
•Admission is free for children ages 2 and under.
•Bathrooms equipped with changing tables.
•No food or drink in the exhibits.
•Peak visitation hours are 10-12pm & weekends.
•Cafe located on the first floor with drinks, pastries, & salads available for sale.