Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

We stopped by the Meyerhoff recently to try out one of the BSO's many kid-friendly programs. I was a little surprised to see a real live penguin hanging out in the lobby of the Meyerhoff, but hey, he was dressed nicely for the occasion, so why not. Actually, he was part of the pre-show festivities, and along with a 20 lb. bunny, was representing the Maryland Zoo.

 

We moved on to the face-painting line. I gotta say, this woman raised face-painting to an art. She turned my little one into an incredibly happy butterfly.

My butterfly enjoys lunch after the show.

We found our seats, way high up, but center, and still with a good view. The show was The Polar Express, based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg, and it featured Mei-Ann Chen as conductor, Andre McRae as baritone, the Peabody Children's Chorus, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra — quite an impressive line-up for a kids' concert. Upcoming kids' shows are listed here. Tickets are prices reasonably for these events ($12-20) and the performances tend to be short. That's good news for me, because some of us are just too wiggly to make it past the one hour mark. As the show began, our kids slowly nestled into their seats, and for almost a whole hour all were calm...

 

I like to think that somehow this great experience will be permanently seared into their brains and classical music will forever be a part of their lives, growing those little neuron paths with every passing moment.

Maybe it worked. My budding violinist certainly enjoyed the show, my very busy son listened intently as soon as the story started, and Little Miss Butterfly does keep asking if we can go back...for another round of face painting.

410-783-8000

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Joseph Myerhoff Symphony Hall
1212 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

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Mums and Sundials

A recent trip to the Conservatory revealed two new surprises. First, the chrysanthemums, still in full bloom and crazy beautiful. I'm only showing one here, because I don't want to ruin the fun.

And second, this bizarre sundial. It shows multiple timezones, one on each plane. I think it's brilliant, despite the tree stump base. Surely the base was an afterthought.

Baltimore's time was dead on.

 

 

410-396-0180

Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens
3100 Swan Drive in Druid Hill Park
Baltimore, MD 21217

[Directions from their website]

Leonardo Da Vinci — The Genius

I stopped by the Maryland Science Center for a sneak peek at their new show Da Vinci — The Genius, which opens Saturday October 3, 2009 and runs through January 31, 2010. While this is a very grown-up show, they also have kid-friendly activities. My favorite parts are the working models that are marked with a "please touch gently" symbol. The intricately built models show Leonardo's sketches for mechanical studies in real life, with cranks that turn and pulleys that lift. There is even an example of one of his military inventions, an emergency bridge, where kids will be able to experiment with building their own small scale version with wooden logs.

I love the replicas of his journals, all written backwards to reduce smearing (he was left handed). Me? I just put up with the smearing. Leonardo? Writes backwards. Genius.

His paintings are also explored; from the Mona Lisa, to the Last Supper, to a new work just discovered in 2008. All replicas, of course, since the originals are fragile and priceless, but seeing his artwork side by side with his other work really gives you a sense of the broad scope of Leonardo's accomplishments: artist, city planner, inventor, military strategist, scientist.

Now about the title, Da Vinci — The Genius. I have no doubt that he was a genius. But the da Vinci part? Even though I nodded off more than a few times in my art history class, I still retained enough to know that his name was not da Vinci anymore than my name is da Baltimore. His name was Leonardo, and he was from the town of Vinci. I asked the reason for the name. "That's what most people would recognize." But I think we deserve a little more credit than that, even if we are not geniuses.

That said, this is the most comprehensive exhibit ever produced of possibly the most brilliant person that ever lived. And you've gotta love that.

410-685-5225

The Maryland Science Center
601 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230

The Little Gym of Hunt Valley

  

The Little Gym of Hunt Valley constantly impresses me. I think part of it is that everyone who works there is just so darn happy. Or maybe it's that owner Lia Arnold, actually address me (and all the other parents) by name as opposed to other places where I am just referred to as "Mom." I like that. Or, it could be the big gymnastics room with nice new equipment; I might add, it's spotless.

But mostly, it's that my kids just love the classes and I've seen them all make huge strides in their skill levels. The age range that Little Gym accommodates is wide, from 4 months to 12 years. They offer gymnastics, sports skills, Karate, dance and cheerleading, and you can try a class for free. In the summer, check out their summer camp sessions.

And one more thing, which I actually hesitate to mention. Parent Survival Nights. Once a month, on a Friday night, you can sign your kids up for a 3.5 hour play session. The Little Gym provides dinner for your kids, a craft activity, and plenty of supervised time in the gym to get them good and tired. Mom and Dad (insert your real grownup names here) get to head out for a quiet dinner or movie sans kids. Ahhh. Quiet.

There are a limited number of spaces each month so call ahead...and don't you dare take mine.

410-771-3000

The Little Gym of Hunt Valley
11121 York Road
Suite G
Hunt Valley, MD 21030

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Jellies Invasion at the National Aquarium

My sister and I recently headed to the Aquarium with kids in tow, five of them age 10 and under, plus a teenager. Let's just say we had our hands full. We spent most of our time counting heads and shouting directions, but we soon discovered it was as much fun to watch the kids' expressions as the exhibits.

We explored all the regular favorites: rays, sharks, dolphins, rain forest. By the time we got to the Jellies exhibit, I knew our crew was tired and hungry. We had to wait a few minutes to enter, but watching these underwater ballerinas was hypnotic. The first tank was a tangley mess of tentacles. The next, short, stout little squirts. I never knew there was so much variety and every one of them was beautiful.

The exhibit focuses on how jellies are "environmental indicators" that let us know when our world is getting out of balance. The population of these prehistoric blobs ebbs and flows as their environment changes. As predators decline or pollution increases, their numbers give us a marker of their habitat's health.

Now I feel kind of bad. I've been dodging these guys at the beach for years. Okay, I will still do that, but I now, I promise, I'll dodge them with a bit more respect.

410-576-3800

The National Aquarium in Baltimore
501 E. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

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New Dolphin Show at the Aquarium

 

We went to check out the new dolphin show at the Aquarium today, Our Ocean Planet. Honestly, I could watch dolphins do back flips all day long, but I was also hoping that the new show would have a little more educational value. Our Ocean Planet focuses on how all our water systems are connected. Our water at home connects to our oceans. It sounded promising.

Instead, the show was largely the same as previous shows. Happy dolphins. I can't be mad when there are dolphins around, but I sure wish the Aquarium would drop the super-scripted parts of the show and have some of the trainers and/or naturalists just come out and talk to the audience in a more candid, casual manner. I don't need 5 minutes of video explaining that our environment is in need of help, or a line of kids marching on stage waving flags for planet earth. They looked kind of confused as to what they were doing there, and I don't blame them. This is helping earth how?

So while the message of the new show is lovely, it's lost in the cold presentation. Even more so when you walk out to the Inner Harbor and see this:

That said, we had fun, and I will be back. After all, they have dolphins...

More highlights from our trip: the rays, the lionfish, and my daughter's favorite fish friend (she named him Leo).

 
3 photos above, © 2009 Madison

410-576-3800

The National Aquarium in Baltimore
501 E. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

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A Circus Family: Picasso to Léger

Left - Circus by Emma, 2009                           
Right - Circus by Max Pechstein, 1918

Submitted by Dave

By the time March rolls around Old Man Winter is an overnight guest still sleeping on my sofa at 10 in the morning. It's cold, it's rainy, and the kids are itching to get out of the house.

The Baltimore Museum of Art is a great place to spend a rainy afternoon.  Admission to the central part of the museum has been free for a while now but  "A Circus Family: Picasso to Léger" is the rare ticketed exhibition that's a great show for all ages.

A four gallery show of posters, prints, and paintings by Picasso, Chéret, Lautrec, Léger, and other significant  20th century artists is the perfect size and  subject matter for small kids. The exhibit is broken up by a small theatre featuring a vintage circus film and ends with a room for dress up and drawing.

The game my group likes to play? Art scavenger hunt. Dad or Mom names an object in a painting and the kids have to find it.  Your family will run out of stamina before the BMA runs out of art. Lunch is available in the museum itself (at Gertudes) or in the nearby Charles Village corridor.

A Circus Family: Picasso to Léger. February 22–May 17, 2009. Baltimore Museum of Art. (kids 6 and under and BMA members free).

Baltimore Museum of Art
443-573-1700
10 Art Museum Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218

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Iceskating at Reisterstown Sportsplex

Truth be told, there are few things I like less than freezing temperatures and falling down, but in the spirit of trying to embrace winter, we bundled up the whole family and headed for the Reisterstown Sportsplex. Built in 2008, the sports complex houses both a National Hockey League-sized ice rink, as well as an indoor soccer field, which makes for an interesting mix of people in winter coat and people in shorts. I was a little jealous of the soccer people; it looked warm and cozy on that side, but we headed for the ice.

Our first lap around the rink was less than graceful. My husband and I paired off with our youngest kids, and sent our 10-year-old off on her own. Lap two, much more graceful and we discover that a certain someone has no fear. And the other certain someone, has no balance whatsoever on the ice. Oh, and the 10-year-old... we did find her again. She was having a blast spinning around and around and around.

In addition to public skating sessions, they offer classes, camps, birthday parties and more.

410-429-4242

Reisterstown Sportsplex
410 Mitchel Drive
Reisterstown, MD 21136

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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

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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

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