Washington families have a joyful run of free mornings ahead at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where the museum’s family programs turn spiders, bats and savanna animals into reasons to play, make art and look closely at the natural world.
It starts on Tuesday, October 20, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, with Play Date at NMNH: Awesome Arachnids! In Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center on the ground floor, young children and their caregivers will celebrate the many ways arachnids help our planet, observe different species, look at specimens from the collection and create art inspired by their colors and shapes. Play Date is designed for early learners ages 0 to 5, but all ages are welcome.
On Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the museum joins WETA PBS Kids and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for A Safari Adventure. Families can explore the animals of the African savanna, make safari-inspired art, watch Sesame Street and the Great Elephant Adventure and meet Elmo in person.
The fun continues on Tuesday, October 27, with Play Date: Bats!, and on Saturday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with The World & Me: Bat Week Extravaganza, with bat and spider specimens up close and art celebrating both. Families are welcome to wear bat or spider attire.
All of these programs are free. Enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance; Q?rius is on the right as you enter. It is a happy, hands-on way to spend a fall morning on the National Mall.
Photo: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
