Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

H Mart - The Hunt for Vinegar

Cabin fever is setting in here, and any excuse to get out of the house is a welcome one. Today? Vinegar.

First a little back-story. Over the holidays, our extended family got together for a few days. Because my sister's family is hosting an exchange student from China this year, we were busy in the kitchen making homemade dumplings. I was assigned to chopping cabbage, until I was replaced by the food processor. No, I was not offended. We chopped, mixed (clockwise only please), stuffed and finally boiled wonderful little pouches filled with veggies and pork. Then for dinner, we dunked the dumplings into this amazing vinegar and devoured them all.

Now, I have absolutely no hope of ever recreating those dumplings, but at least the vinegar could be mine, right?

H Mart is an Asian grocery chain (predominantly Korean) and we are lucky enough to have one just a hop, skip and jump away, in Catonsville. Prices are low, and the place is crowded, especially on weekends. But the produce section alone is worth the trip. There are lots of fruits and vegetables here that I don't even recognize and, in the spirit of raising adventurous eaters, we picked out a few things to try.

We grabbed a few items for a vegetarian stir-fry as we wandered through the aisles. I never bothered to tell my kids that tofu is weird, so they all love it. They have dozens of varieties, including some organic ones.

The seafood selection is huge and the kids were entertained just by watching shoppers picking up live crabs with tongs and attempting to stuff them into brown paper bags. Fish mongers were ready and waiting to clean any fish to our specifications. Then on to the candy aisle (I promised). You could probably guess which kid picked out the candy based on the packaging alone, pink with a drawing of a lovely lady on it. No clue what's inside, cherry-flavored something.

And then finally, the vinegar. Actually, more varieties of vinegar than I anticipated. Why, oh, why didn't I write down the name? But there it was! $1.79. And it's mine, all mine.

443-612-9020

H Mart
800 N Rolling Road
Catonsville, MD

[Map it]

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

When did popcorn get so complicated? When we were kids, it was just popcorn and oil in a pot on the stove. Then came Jiffy Pop, oil poppers, air poppers and finally... microwave popcorn. Delicious, but ever since the whole diacetyl debacle with "popcorn lung", I just haven't quite trusted the stuff. I know, the diacetyl has been removed, but what exactly is artificial flavoring and do I want to feed it to my kids?

I recently ran across Alton Brown's popcorn recipe. So easy. So simple. Oil, popcorn, and salt in a brown paper bag. Staple the bag shut and microwave. Or, if you want to make it easier, just put the popcorn in the bag and forget about the rest. It pops just fine that way too and then you can pour on the butter afterwards. Hey, I'm anti-chemicals, not anti-calories. Enjoy!

MLK Day at AVAM - Free!

 
photo of Abu the Flutemaker by Kristine Buls

The folks at the American Visionary Art Museum just sent over information on their upcoming free event. The museum is normally closed on Mondays, but in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, they will be open and offering lots of special events.

Here are the details:

Monday • January 19 • 10AM–6PM:  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Free Day!

A celebration in honor of the life and dreams of one of the greatest visionaries in recent history. Join us for guided tours, birthday cake, performances, demonstrations and other fun stuff for a FREE day at the museum! Museum is open 10AM-6PM. MLK programming takes place between 1PM and 4PM. A special invitation extended to educators and all the wonderful people who help to empower the next generation!

1pm - 4pm "Make some Noise for Martin!" Noise Party in the museum's "Thou Art Creative" classroom • Make your own instrument or noise maker! • 2nd Floor, Jim Rouse Visionary Center

1pm - 4pm Ongoing screenings of "I Have a Dream," a film of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln memorial on August 28, 1963, presented in its entirety, along with scenes of the civil rights struggle throughout the 1960s • 3rd Floor, Jim Rouse Visionary Center.

1pm: Birthday Cake! 3rd Floor, Jim Rouse Visionary Center. Sing and then enjoy a piece of birthday cake!

2pm: Trash instrument demonstration with Baltimore-favorite Abu, the Flutemaker • 1st Floor, Jim Rouse Visionary Center

1pm - 4pm : Docent-led tours of AVAM's "The Marriage of Art, Science & Philosophy" exhibition • Call for times • or just show up • Main Building

And other stuff, TBD

[Thanks, Pete]

410-244-1900

American Visionary Art Museum
800 Key Highway
Baltimore, MD 21230

MapQuest Directions

The Pumpkin Theatre

My first experience in theater was a small  production of The Pale Pink Dragon. I was the pale pink dragon, front half, which might make you think I was the star, but really, I was just marching around the stage in a huge (and stinky) paper-mâché dragon head, tethered to my BFF, who happened to be the back half of the dragon. Still, I had a blast and I hope my kids will get a chance to be involved in theater someday as well.

The Pumpkin Theatre might just be the perfect opportunity. It has been operating for 41 years, and combines grown-up actors with kids for their mainstage productions. They know their audience. Wiggly.  So the productions tend to run about one hour. The 350-seat theater, located on the campus of St. Timothy's School for Girls, is small enough that there are no bad seats. The actors routinely ran up and down the aisles which kept my kids very entertained. Upcoming shows to finish out the 2008-2009 season are Rumplestiltskin, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Fabulous Fable Factory.

410-828-1814

The Pumpkin Theatre
Mainstage productions at St. Timothy's
8400 Greenspring Ave.
Stevenson, MD 21153

[Map it]

Resolution #1 - Deplasticize

 

I know, I'm making up words. It's okay. Better grammar can be next year's resolution.

For now, one thing (on a long list) I'm focusing on is reducing plastic in our lives. That's no easy accomplishment with a house full of kids, and I am certainly not going to spirit away kid-essentials, like Legos or Barbies. Those pesky water bottles, however, are now banished, as are sippy cups and miscellaneous plastic containers from too many sources that have multiplied over the years. Gone.

Klean Kanteen is my new love. These stainless steel bottles come in a range of colors. They offer a few different tops. We like the sports cap just fine. It's made of non-leaching polypropylene (yes, a little plastic, but a safe and reusable version). If your kids are younger, check out the sippy spout. Or, if you really want to go all out, you can get a stainless steel cap and your drink will never touch plastic at all.

Now if I could just figure out how to get rid of the other 50 million pieces of plastic in the house...

Order online: Klean Kanteen or ReusableBags.com

Or see where they are carried locally.