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Friday, May 9
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM
American Rice
Discovery Theater Performance |
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(for ages 6-10) Three Asian kids -- a savvy urban music lover, a hyper-intelligent overachiever, and a shy newcomer who draws like a dream -- yearn to find their voice and their place in the talent show at school. In their struggle to be both Asian and American, they show us how to embrace our roots and showcase our strengths, while reclaiming our individuality and pride. Blending hip-hop, art, language, and audience participation, this imaginative story speaks to all new Americans finding their way in today's world. Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
Repeats May 13-14, & 16
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The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3111
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 | 10 AM-4 PM
22nd Annual Asian Arts and Crafts Festival
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Demonstrations |
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Come see Asian artists and crafts people demonstrate their techniques: Thai fruit and vegetable carving; Philippine weaving; Chinese paper folding; Korean calligraphy, watercolor painting, and ceramics; Mongolian mask making; and butterfly painting by Vichai Malikul (scientific illustrator). Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Free
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National Museum of Natural History
Location: 1st Floor, Rotunda
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|
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 | 6-8:30 PM (rain or shine) ***See Note***
Guppy Gala
Annual FONZ Event |
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(All ages; children under 2 admitted free) Come enjoy a wild Friday evening at the Zoo's annual Guppy Gala. Sample a variety of food while children are entertained by strolling musicians, clowns, jugglers, dancers, games, rides, and more. Favorite activities include a mock construction site, rock-climbing wall, moonbounces, mazes, costumed characters, and live entertainment. No trip to the National Zoo is complete without checking out the animals on exhibit here. Note: The Zoo closes at 12 noon today, except for the Asia Trail, Panda House/Plaza, Cheetah Conservation Station, and Bird House; the rest of the Zoo closes at 4 PM.
$30, general; $20, FONZ members; call 202-633-4470. See Note.
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National Zoo
Location: Throughout the Zoo
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Saturday, May 10
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 | 9-11 AM
Flutter Fest
Family Day |
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Bring the entire family and enjoy exclusive access to the museum's new butterfly exhibition. Learn from scientists how to identify the various butterfly species, how to feed butterflies, and how to grow a butterfly garden in the walk-through pavilion. Don't forget to enjoy the many arts-and-crafts activities. Note: No tickets will be sold at the door. One ticket covers the whole family, including grandparents. $100 of your ticket purchase supports the scientific and educational mission of the National Museum of Natural History and is tax deductible according to IRS charitable donations requirements.
$125, per family; call 202-633-3030 ***See Note***

Related Exhibition: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution
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Resident Associate Program
Location: Natural History Museum, meet at Constitution Ave. entrance
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 | 11 AM & 1:30 PM
Dogs in Space ***New Title***
Flights of Fancy -- Stories for Children with activity |
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Enjoy a reading of Dogs in Space, written by Nancy Coffelt, and create a post card from space.
Free
Repeats every Saturday in May
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National Air and Space Museum
Location: Welcome Center, 1st Floor, Center, Gallery 108 *New Location*
Add to Outlook/iCal
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 | 1-4 PM
SAAM I Am -- Aaron Douglas
Family Day |
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Celebrate artist Aaron Douglas with a family day of soul and spirit. A reading of the book Shaky Bones, written by Pamela Dell, sets the tone for an afternoon of activities reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance. A puppet show entitled Can You Spell Harlem? and a performance by the Morgan State University Choir provide inspiration while working on a community mural craft project.
Free
Related Exhibition: Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
Location: Kogod Courtyard
Add to Outlook/iCal
Add to Google Calendar
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Tuesday, May 13
|
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM ***Both Shows Cancelled***
American Rice
Discovery Theater Performance |
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(for ages 6-10) Three Asian kids -- a savvy urban music lover, a hyper-intelligent overachiever, and a shy newcomer who draws like a dream -- yearn to find their voice and their place in the talent show at school. In their struggle to be both Asian and American, they show us how to embrace our roots and showcase our strengths, while reclaiming our individuality and pride. Blending hip-hop, art, language, and audience participation, this imaginative story speaks to all new Americans finding their way in today's world. Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
Repeats May 14 & 16
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The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3111
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 | 11:30 AM-1:30 PM ***New Time***
Flights of Fancy - Stories for Children
National Children's Book Week |
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(for ages 3-7) Bring your children to "Flights of Fancy," the museum's story time. Celebrate National Children's Book Week as storytellers and readers share folktales and books from around the world that make the collections come alive. It's a magical way to explore space and fly with heroes and heroines of the past. Each reading is followed by a hands-on activity.
Free; parking $12 for the day
Repeats May 14-17
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National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Location:
Add to Outlook/iCal
Add to Google Calendar
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Wednesday, May 14
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM ***Both Shows Cancelled***
American Rice
Discovery Theater Performance |
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(for ages 6-10) Three Asian kids -- a savvy urban music lover, a hyper-intelligent overachiever, and a shy newcomer who draws like a dream -- yearn to find their voice and their place in the talent show at school. In their struggle to be both Asian and American, they show us how to embrace our roots and showcase our strengths, while reclaiming our individuality and pride. Blending hip-hop, art, language, and audience participation, this imaginative story speaks to all new Americans finding their way in today's world. Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
Repeats May 16
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The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3111
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 | 11:30 AM-1:30 PM ***New Time***
Flights of Fancy - Stories for Children
National Children's Book Week |
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(for ages 3-7) Bring your children to "Flights of Fancy," the museum's story time. Celebrate National Children's Book Week as storytellers and readers share folktales and books from around the world that make the collections come alive. It's a magical way to explore space and fly with heroes and heroines of the past. Each reading is followed by a hands-on activity.
Free; parking $12 for the day
Repeats May 15-17
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National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Location:
Add to Outlook/iCal
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Thursday, May 15
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM
Kahurangi: Maori Dance Theater of New Zealand
Discovery Theater Performance |
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(for all ages) Experience the culture and history of the Maori -- migrants of the mythical land of Hawaiki and the Polynesian Islands -- with Maori men and women dancers in full regalia. This interactive show, which features traditional and contemporary songs and dances based on the history and traditions of Maori life, is both educational and entertaining. Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
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The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: Natural History, Baird Auditorium
Add to Outlook/iCal
Add to Google Calendar
|
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 | 11:30 AM-1:30 PM ***New Time***
Flights of Fancy - Stories for Children
National Children's Book Week |
 |
 |
(for ages 3-7) Bring your children to "Flights of Fancy," the Museum's story time. Celebrate National Children's Book Week as storytellers and readers share folktales and books from around the world that make the collections come alive. It's a magical way to explore space and fly with heroes and heroines of the past. Each reading is followed by a hands-on activity.
Free; parking $12 for the day
Repeats May 16-17
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National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Location:
Add to Outlook/iCal
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 | 1-3 PM
Adversity, Adventure, and the 90th Anniversary of Airmail
Family Day |
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The first scheduled airmail flights took off 90 years ago today -- on May 15, 1918 -- from New York and Washington, DC. Celebrate this anniversary and the museum's 15th anniversary. Hear about the adventures of early pilots, explore the airplanes on display, and learn navigational techniques to plot your flight plan.
Free
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National Postal Museum
Location: Atrium
Add to Outlook/iCal
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Friday, May 16
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM ***Both Shows Cancelled***
American Rice
Discovery Theater Performance |
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(for ages 6-10) Three Asian kids -- a savvy urban music lover, a hyper-intelligent overachiever, and a shy newcomer who draws like a dream -- yearn to find their voice and their place in the talent show at school. In their struggle to be both Asian and American, they show us how to embrace our roots and showcase our strengths, while reclaiming our individuality and pride. Blending hip-hop, art, language, and audience participation, this imaginative story speaks to all new Americans finding their way in today's world. Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
Last day
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The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3111
Add to Outlook/iCal
Add to Google Calendar
|
 |
 | 11:30 AM-1:30 PM ***New Time***
Flights of Fancy - Stories for Children
National Children's Book Week |
 |
 |
(for ages 3-7) Bring your children to "Flights of Fancy," the museum's story time. Celebrate National Children's Book Week as storytellers and readers share folktales and books from around the world that make the collections come alive. It's a magical way to explore space and fly with heroes and heroines of the past. Each reading is followed by a hands-on activity.
Free; parking $12 for the day
Repeats May 17
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National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Location:
Add to Outlook/iCal
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Saturday, May 17
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 | 9 AM-3:30 PM
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Open House |
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Come learn about your environment from Smithsonian scientists and educators who work at this unique outdoor laboratory on the Chesapeake Bay. Take guided boat and canoe trips, walk on nature trails, climb a weather-monitoring station, tour laboratories and field research sites, see birds of prey, and enjoy live music. Other family programs include nature crafts, a scavenger hunt, face painting, and an art show. Don't miss the annual Wade-In, where a staff member tests the clarity of the water by wading in wearing white shoes until the shoes are no longer visible. Note: There will not be on-site parking. Free parking will be available only at Central Middle School, 221 Central Avenue East in Edgewater (intersection of Mayo Road, 1.2 miles east of Maryland Route 2) and, beginning at 9 AM, buses will shuttle visitors to and from SERC.
Free
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Special Smithsonian Sponsored
Location: Edgewater, MD; for directions, call 301-238-2737; see Note
Add to Outlook/iCal
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 | 11 AM & 1:30 PM
Why Explore? ***Cancelled***
Flights of Fancy -- Stories for Children with activity |
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Enjoy a reading of Why Explore?, written by Susan Lendroth, and create a post card from space.
Free
Repeats every Saturday in May
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National Air and Space Museum
Location: Welcome Center, 1st Floor, Center, Gallery 108 *New Location*
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 | 11 AM-4:30 PM
Hawai'i
2-Day Family Festival |
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Celebrate Hawaiian culture through art, history, language, and dance. Enjoy hula performances by local Halau, hands-on demonstrations, Hawaiian music and storytelling, special films, lectures, and much more. Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
10:30 AM-12 Noon and 1-4:30 PM, Potomac Atrium: - Hawaiian Implements with Gordon 'Umialiloalahanauokalakaua Kai - Plaiting and Weaving with Solomon Kuulie Apio
10:30 AM-1 PM and 2-4:30 PM, Potomac Atrium: - Traditional and Contemporary Flower Lei Making with Bill Char - The Art of Feather Lei with Audrey Aukeleamanaali'i Wagner 10:30 AM-1 PM and 2-4:30 PM, Outdoor Amphitheater: - Kapa: Hawaiian Barkcloth Demonstration with Verna Kemaile'lauli'ili'i Apio Takashima
11 AM-4 PM, 3rd Level, Education Workshop 3010: - Hawaiian Kapa-Stamping Demonstration with Hi'ilani Shibata and hands-on activities for families
12 Noon, 2 PM, and 3:30 PM, Potomac Atrium: - Hawaiian Hula and Music with Halau Ho'omau I ka Wai Ola O Hawai'i
2 PM, 3rd Level, Education Workshop 3010: - Children's Storytelling: Stories of Hina, Goddess of the Moon, with Hi'ilani Shibata
Free
Repeats May 18
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National Museum of the American Indian
Location: Potomac Atrium; Outdoor Areas; 3rd Level, Education Room 3010
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 | 11 AM-5 PM
Mark James: Christopher's Little Airplane & Coloring Book
Book Signing |
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Mark James signs copies of his children's books Christopher's Little Airplane and Christopher's Little Coloring Book.
Books available for sale in Museum Store
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Special Smithsonian Sponsored
Location: Udvar-Hazy Center, outside Museum Store
Add to Outlook/iCal
Add to Google Calendar
|
 |
 | 11:30 AM-1:30 PM ***New Time***
Flights of Fancy - Stories for Children
National Children's Book Week |
 |
 |
(for ages 3-7) Bring your children to "Flights of Fancy," the museum's story time. Celebrate National Children's Book Week as storytellers and readers share folktales and books from around the world that make the collections come alive. It's a magical way to explore space and fly with heroes and heroines of the past. Each reading is followed by a hands-on activity.
Free; parking $12 for the day
Last day
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National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Location:
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
 |
 | 12-2:30 PM
Reuse It or Lose It
Children's Workshop |
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(for ages 7 and up) Participants reuse African fabrics, wooden spoons, assorted beads, buttons, and other discarded items to bring their vision of an African puppet to life.
Free; but registration required, call 202-633-4640
Related Exhibition: El Anatsui: Gawu
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National Museum of African Art
Location: Workshop, Sublevel 2
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 | 1-4 PM
Michelle Meadows: Pilot Pups
Book Signing |
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Michelle Meadows signs copies of her children's book Pilot Pups.
Books available for sale in Museum Store
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Special Smithsonian Sponsored
Location: Air and Space Museum, outside Museum Store
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
 |
 | 2 PM
7th Annual Festival of Asian Music and Dance
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Performance |
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Enjoy performances of traditional music and dance by Shizumi Kodomo, Wat Thai of Washington, D.C., and the Cambodian American Heritage Dance Troupe. Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Free
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National Museum of Natural History
Location: Baird Auditorium
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 | 6-9:30 PM
Night at the Museum -- A Behind-the-Scenes Experience
After-Hours Family Program |
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Spend an evening with curators, archivists, educators, restoration staff, and other experts who research, preserve, and restore the museum's amazing aviation and space exploration artifacts. Take a tour to learn how the museum operates and hear stories about the artifacts. Don't forget your camera so you can take a special tour with photographer Dane Penland, who advises on the finer points of capturing the perfect picture of your favorite artifact. Note: For tickets, visit the Web at www.nasm.si.edu/events/lectures/ticketsform.cfm or call 202-633-2398.
Free, but tickets required; see Note
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National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Location: Throughout the museum
Add to Outlook/iCal
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Sunday, May 18
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 | 11 AM-4:30 PM
Hawai'i
2-Day Family Festival |
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Celebrate Hawaiian culture through art, history, language, and dance. Enjoy hula performances by local Halau, hands-on demonstrations, Hawaiian music and storytelling, special films, lectures, and much more. Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
10:30 AM-12 Noon and 1-4:30 PM, Potomac Atrium: - Hawaiian Implements: Lua weapons, kapa beaters, and fishhooks with Gordon 'Umialiloalahanauokalakaua Kai - Plaiting and Weaving: Mahiole (helmets), fishtraps, and baskets with Solomon Kuulie Apio
10:30 AM-1 PM and 2-4:30 PM, Potomac Atrium: - Traditional and Contemporary Flower Lei Making with Bill Char - The Art of Feather Lei with Audrey Aukeleamanaali'i Wagner 10:30 AM-1 PM and 2-4:30 PM, Outdoor Amphitheater: - Kapa: Hawaiian Barkcloth Demonstration with Verna Kemaile'lauli'ili'i Apio Takashima
11 AM-4 PM, 3rd Level, Education Workshop 3010: - Hawaiian Kapa-Stamping Demonstration with Hi'ilani Shibata and hands-on activities for families
12 Noon, 2 PM, and 3:30 PM, Potomac Atrium: - Hawaiian Hula and Music with Halau O `Aulani and The Aloha Boys
2 PM, 3rd Level, Education Workshop 3010: - Children's Storytelling: Stories of Hina, Goddess of the Moon with Hi'ilani Shibata
Free
Last day
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National Museum of the American Indian
Location: Potomac Atrium; Outdoor Areas; 3rd Level, Education Room 3010
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
 |
 | 2-5 PM
Corkey Hay DeSimone: Butterfly Friends
Book Signing |
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Corkey Hay DeSimone signs copies of her children's books Butterfly Friends Board Book and Butterfly Friends Coloring Book.
Books available for sale in Museum Store
Related Exhibition: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution
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National Museum of Natural History
Location: Ground Floor, outside Museum Store
Add to Outlook/iCal
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Tuesday, May 20
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM
Wild Zappers!
Discovery Theater Performance |
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(for all ages) Come under the spell of this all-male, all-deaf dance group with impeccable rhythm. Can you feel the beat with them? They groove to the good vibrations in this high-energy performance of hip-hop, disco, and other dance styles. Good thing they teach you how to applaud for deaf people -- once you start, you won't stop! Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
Repeats May 21
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The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3111
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 |  |
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Wednesday, May 21
|
 |  |
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM
Wild Zappers!
Discovery Theater Performance |
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 |
(for all ages) Come under the spell of this all-male, all-deaf dance group with impeccable rhythm. Can you feel the beat with them? They groove to the good vibrations in this high-energy performance of hip-hop, disco, and other dance styles. Good thing they teach you how to applaud for deaf people -- once you start, you won't stop! Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
Last day
|
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 |
The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3111
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 |  |
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Saturday, May 24
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 | 11 AM & 1:30 PM
Why Explore?
Flights of Fancy -- Stories for Children with activity |
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Enjoy a reading of Why Explore?, written by Susan Lendroth, and create a post card from space.
Free
Repeats Saturday, May 31
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National Air and Space Museum
Location: Welcome Center, 1st Floor, Center, Gallery 108 *New Location*
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 | 12 Noon-5 PM
Memorial Day Honor Gourd Dance
Performance |
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The Black Creek Gourd Society of Window Rock, Arizona, presents a special gourd dance in honor of Memorial Day.
Free
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National Museum of the American Indian
Location: Potomac Atrium
Add to Outlook/iCal
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Friday, May 30
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 | 1-3 PM
Victory Mail
Family Day |
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During World War II, letters to and from American armed forces overseas got a lot smaller: they were "miniaturized" onto microfilm and developed on location. Come learn how this Victory Mail (V-Mail for short) boosted morale and lightened cargo loads. Follow a V-Mail letter from start to finish, pilot a paper plane, and learn about life during World War II. This is a great opportunity to share family memories across generations.
Free
Related Exhibition: Victory Mail
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National Postal Museum
Location: Atrium
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Saturday, May 31
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 | 10 AM-12 Noon
Arlene Alda: Here a Face, There a Face
Book Signing |
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Arlene Alda signs copies of her children's book Here a Face, There a Face.
Books available for sale in Museum Store
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Special Smithsonian Sponsored
Location: Hirshhorn Museum, outside Museum Store
Add to Outlook/iCal
Add to Google Calendar
|
 |
 | 11 AM & 1:30 PM
Why Explore?
Flights of Fancy -- Stories for Children with activity |
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Enjoy a reading of Why Explore?, written by Susan Lendroth, and create a post card from space.
Free
Last day
|
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National Air and Space Museum
Location: Welcome Center, 1st Floor, Center, Gallery 108 *New Location*
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
 |
 | 12 Noon-2 PM (ages 10-14); 2:30-4:30 PM (ages 5-10)
Facing History: Be the Artist
Youth Art Studios |
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(ages 5-10 or 10-14, accompanied by an adult; see times for different age groups) In this two-hour art class, participants are given a guided tour of Kehinde Wiley's artwork to better understand his paintings before creating self-portraits based on the main ideas from his work.
Free, but space limited; to register, call 202-633-8501
Last program
Related Exhibition: RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture
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National Portrait Gallery
Location: 1st Floor (Room E151), Education Center
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 |  |
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Saturday, June 7
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 | 10 AM-4 PM
Garden Fest 2008: Sharing Secrets
2nd Annual Garden Fest |
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We must confess - secrets are no fun unless you tell someone! Did you know that each garden at the Smithsonian is unique to the museum it surrounds? Smithsonian Horticulture Services Division staff want to share with you and your family what they're planting and why. Learn the uses of native plants, see through the eyes of a butterfly, and answer that mysterious question, "Is that a fruit or a vegetable?" Dig up soil secrets and get your hands dirty designing a hanging basket. Help us decode insect messages, uncover the meaning of the lotus, and connect color to fabric. Have a plant secret of your own? Be prepared to share it at Garden Fest 2008.
Free
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Special Smithsonian Sponsored
Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, south side of the Smithsonian Castle
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Sunday, June 8
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 | 2 PM
Church Rock Academy Elementary School Steel Drum Band
Performance ***Rescheduled from April 13*** |
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Students from Church Rock Academy in the Navajo Nation near Gallup, New Mexico, share their love of music and celebrate their culture. These young Navajo students have adopted the steel drum -- often associated with Afro-Caribbean cultures -- as their own. They celebrate their own culture with traditional Navajo music and other cultures with such music as reggae, calypso, and limbo. Come dance to this irresistable music!
Free
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National Museum of the American Indian
Location: 1st Level, Potomac Atrium
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 |  |
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Thursday, June 12
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM
Rocknoceros Returns
Discovery Theater Performance |
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(for ages 2-6) Shake, rattle and roll! Kids and grown ups will both get down in this blast of a musical show. The joint is jumpin'-- and the audience will be too! Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
Repeats June 13
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The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3111
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
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 |  |
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Friday, June 13
|
 |  |
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM
Rocknoceros Returns
Discovery Theater Performance |
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 |
(for ages 2-6) Shake, rattle and roll! Kids and grown ups will both get down in this blast of a musical show. The joint is jumpin'-- and the audience will be too! Note: $6, adults; $5, children (ages 2-16); $4, Resident Members.
Tickets required; call 202-633-8700 (see Note for prices)
Last day
|
 |
 |
The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3111
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
 |
 |  |
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Saturday, June 14
|
 |  |
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 | 7:30-10 AM
Cockadoodle Zoo
FONZ-Members-Only Family Event |
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Wakey! Wakey! Come see how your animal friends start the day. This sneak peak shows that the animals' mornings are similar to yours: Some get their teeth brushed, some get a morning bath, and all want to know what's for breakfast. Also enjoy special animal demonstrations, games, and refreshments. Pajamas are optional!
Free, but for FONZ members only; to join, call 202-633-3034
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National Zoo
Location: Throughout the Zoo
Add to Outlook/iCal
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|
 |
 | 10 AM-3 PM
Reach for the Sky: Become a Pilot!
Family Day and Aviation Display |
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Outside, check out over 50 visiting vintage aircraft -- from recreational, to military, and to homebuilt -- and talk to pilots to find out what skills you need to fly. Inside, test your piloting skills in flight simulators, meet model airplane experts, hear a variety of guest speakers, and enjoy performances by the U.S. Air Force band Airmen of Note.
Free, but fee for parking
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National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Location: Outdoors (rain or shine) and throughout the museum
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 | 1-4 PM
Trains!
Family Day |
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Celebrate mail by rail in this annual event! Toot your own train whistle, sort railway mail, read adventure stories, explore transportation stamps, and more. Local railroad clubs showcase their model railways and a representative from the Railway Mail Service Library shares expertise and resources.
Free
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National Postal Museum
Location: Atrium
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Wednesday, June 18
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 | 10:15 & 11:30 AM
The Roar of the Chinese Lion
Discovery Theater Performance |
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(for all ages) Leo, the giant golden parade lion, dances in the aisles and pounces onstage to devour the special lettuce that makes him sleep. With three Chin |