Happy Mother's Day, fellow moms!

I hope you get to pamper yourself and relax a little this weekend. When you're all done with your spa appointment, check out these fun things to do with your kids in Washington, DC, Baltimore and Northern Virginia this Mother's Day weekend. Or get your partner to take your kids out this weekend so you can extend your spa stay!

FREE – Friday Night Live - Herndon, VA
Friday, May 7: 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm

Enjoy this free concert with your family in Herndon, Virginia. It's a part of a summer concert series, with the season kicking off this Friday, May 7th, with 2U – The U2 Tribute Band. Free admissions. Call 703-481-6133 for more information. 

Friday Night Live! concert is held at 777 Lynn Street in Herndon, Virginia (map it).

Kids Night Out at JW Tumbles – Herndon, VA
Friday, May 7: 5:30 – 8:30 pm

Drop off your kids at JW Tumbles of Herndon for games, a mother's day craft, pizza party and a G-rated movie. For kids ages 3 to 7; kids must be potty trained. Fees: $25 for members, $30 for non-members, 2nd child is 20% off and 3rd child is free. Pre-register online or call 703-481-2990 for more information.

JW Tumbles of Herndon is located at 12950 Highland Crossing Drive, Upper Level in Herndon, Virginia (map it).

At Play Cafe - Reston, VA
Friday, May 7: 9:30 am – 7 pm
Saturday, May 8: 9:30 am – 7 pm
Sunday, May 9: 12 pm – 3 pm

Your kids will have fun playing in the supervised play area while you sip on a latte nearby. Oh yeah, they have free wireless Internet! Read review of At Play Cafe. Fees: $8 per child, $6 for sibilings.

By the way, here's a great Mother's Day present: give that special mom a monthly pass to At Play Cafe, available for 50% off from May 2nd to May 9th! The monthly pass normally costs $60, but you can get it for only $30 up until Mother's Day.

At Play Cafe is located at 2254B Hunters Woods Plaza in Reston, Virginia (map it).

FREE – Washingtonian Center Summer Concert - Gaithersburg, MD
Saturday, May 8: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Take a walk with your kids around the Washingtonian lake and enjoy the outdoor summer concert starting at 6:30 pm on Saturday, May 8th. This Saturday, 8 ohms, a funk and soul band from Annapolis, will be performing on the Lakefront Plaza (between Uncle Julio's and Joe's Crab Shack). Free.

Washingtonian Center is located at 9811 Washingtonian Boulevard in Gaithersburg, Maryland (map it).

FREE – Bethesda Fine Arts - Bethesda, MD
Saturday, May 8: 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday, May 9: 10 am – 5 pm

Check out and shop for fine arts and crafts from more than 140 artists at Bethesda Fine Arts. See various performances, from Junkyard Saints performing New Orleans-style party music to Georgetown Quintet.

Bethesda Fine Arts will be held at Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle: Del Ray, Auburn and Norfolk Avenues (map it).

Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band - Vienna, VA
Saturday, May 8: 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Watch this award-winning kids' band perform at Jammin' Java in Vienna, Virginia. Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band performs energetic songs with a mix of original world music and inspiring lyrics. Admission fees: $10 for anyone over 12 months old. Get your tickets online.

Jammin' Java is located 227 Maple Ave E in Vienna, Virginia (map it).

Space Day at Maryland Science Center – Baltimore, MD
Saturday, May 8: 12 pm – 4 pm

Explore out of this world activities at Maryland Science Center this Saturday. Learn about rockets, our solar system, hands-on activities and giveaways. Meet space scientists and special guests from Goddard Space Flight Center, Space Telescope Institute, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and model rocket clubs. Admission fees: $14.95 for adults, $11.95 for kids ages 3 to 12, $13.95 for seniors (60+), free for kids under 3 and free for members.

Maryland Science Center is located at 601 Light Street in Baltimore, Maryland (map it).

Mom Prom and Family Affair at Gaylord National - National Harbor, MD
Saturday, May 8: 7 pm – 10 pm

Take a mini vacation this Mother's Day weekend at Gaylor National Hotel for an extra special Mother's Day weekend. The hotel is hosting a dance party for the entire family on Saturday night. This special event includes special mother-son and father-daughter dance moments. Then go the Mother's Day reception from 8 to 9 am on Sunday morning. Book online.

Gaylord National is located at 201 Waterfront Street in National Harbor, Maryland (map it).

FREE for Moms – Tour Historic Houses – Alexandria, VA
Sunday, May 29: 1 – 5 pm

Free tours on Mother's Day for moms! Tour Gadsby's Tavern Museum, Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum and the Lee-Fendall House in Old Town Alexandria. Fees: free for moms, $5 for all other adults, $3 for kids ages 5 to 12 and free for kids under 5. Call 703-746-4242 for more information.

Gadsby's Museum and Tavern is located at 134 North Royal Street in Alexandria, Virginia (map it).
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum is located at 105-107 South Fairfax Street in Alexandria,Virginia (map it).
Lee-Fendall House is located at 614 Oronoco Street in Alexandria, Virginia (map it).

FREE – Fiesta Asia Planet Family at the National Zoo – Washington, DC
Sunday, May 9: 1 pm – 3 pm

Enjoy eight different performances from various Asian cultures at the National Zoo's Lion/Tiger Hill Stage. Watch the lion dance, drumming and martial arts; learn the bamboo dance, the Bollywood dance, Okinawan drumming and the panda dance! Free admissions.

The National Zoo is located at 3001 Connecticut Ave, NW, in Washington, DC (map it).

Take advantage of this beautiful spring weather to enjoy the outdoors. Here are five ideas for fun things to do with your kids this weekend, March 19 – 21, 2010. Oh yeah, some of them are free!

1. FREE – Play and picnic time at Clemyjontri Park, McLean, VA
Play with your kids at the 2-acre playground at Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia. They also have a sheltered picnic area, so pack up some lunch or dinner for a fun day at this park. They have a carousel, but it normally doesn't open until early May. Park opens daily from 7 am to dusk.

Clemyjontri Park is located at 6317 Georgetown Pike in McLean, Virginia (map it).

2. Kite Festival at Gunston Hall, Mason Neck, VA
Saturday, March 20: 12 pm – 4 pm

The Gunston Hall in Mason Neck, Virginia, will be holding a Kite Festival this Saturday. Fly a kite in their pastures – kites are also available for sale. Pack lunch and have a picnic there, or buy food at the festival. Other activities include period puppet shows, spring plants sale, hearth cooking samples and writing with a quill pen. $10 for adults, $6 for kids and $2 for kids ages 2 – 5. $25 family admission. Call 703-550-9220 for more information.

Gunston Hall is located at 10709 Gunston Hall Road in Mason Neck, Virginia (map it).

3. Learn Swordplay at Gadsby's Tavern, Alexandria, VA
Saturday, March 20: 11 am – 4:30 pm

Watch a re-enactment of 18th century swordplay, see a display of 18th century weapons and practice swordplay from sword masters. Event is recommended for kids in 1st grade and older. $6 per person (ages 5 and older) and $3 for Rendezvous Patch. Call 703-838-4242 to make a reservation.

Gadsby's Tavern is located at 134 N. Royal Street in Alexandria, Virginia (map it).

4. FREE – Take a morning stroll from Washington Monument to Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
Get your kids up early on Saturday or Sunday, put on your walking shoes and head over to Washington Monument for a nice family stroll. Bonus for getting up early: find parking easily on the street. Circle the monument, check out WWII memorial, pass the reflecting pool and go up the stairs at Lincoln Memorial. Sit on a bench by the reflecting pool for some snacks and refreshments before heading back home. If you still have the energy, go back to the monument for a free tour.

You can park along Ohio Drive between Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial. More on directions and parking.

5. Spring into the Equinox at Maryland Science Center, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, March 20: 12 pm – 4 pm

Celebrate the first day of Spring and learn about our sun. Catch a show "Live from the Sun" in the Davis Planetarium at noon and check out special hands-on activities (and giveaways!) in SpaceLink. Go up to the rooftop observatory between 1 and 4 pm to view our sun through a telescope. Admissions: $14.95 for adults and kids 13+, $11.95 for kids ages 3 to 12, $13.95 for seniors (60+) and free for kids under 3 years old.

Maryland Science Center is located at 601 Light Street in Baltimore, Maryland (map it).

My daughter went to a birthday party at Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Virginia, last month, and she had such a blast! Since it was a toddler's birthday party, the theme was a mixed up zoo, where the kids learned about different types of animals. 

For older kids, Curiosity Zone has more birthday party themes, such as Blast & Bubble, Artsy Potions, Spa Science and Slime Time. Activities may include making a geyser, a volcano and a bubbling mud pot, as well as mixing up their own slime formula.

Birthday parties last for 90 minutes, including time for snacks and refreshments. There is a party room set up with a long table and chairs next to the science lab, where the kids can enjoy their treats and mix their own drink concoctions using beakers and test tubes. 

The door to the party room has a biometric lock; how cool is that? Your kid will feel extra special – only the birthday kid can open the door to the party room with his or her thumb print!

Each birthday party includes:

• Hands-on activities and experiments in a kid-sized science lab
• Fun experiments with a giant shadow wall
• Themed invitations
• Balloons and table settings
• Drinks that the kids make themselves using beakers and test tubes
• Goody beakers: a mini science kit that includes a large beaker with a test tube, pipette and experiment directions and other take-homes from the party depending on the theme
• 20% off additional goody bag items from Curiosity Zone's toy store
• A Curiosity Zone t-shirt for the birthday kid

You can hold your kid's birthday party at one of the following times (gotta love the many options for the weekend!):

• Saturday: 10:30, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 and 6:30
• Sunday: 12:30, 2;30 and 4:30

To make it even easier for moms and dads to plan for the party, MaggieMoo's ice cream is located right next door. Just order some ice cream or an ice cream cake ahead of time and they'll deliver those yummy treats to the party. There is also a pizza place next door for snacks. If you prefer something other than pizza, there are other restaurants and a Safeway in the same shopping center. So take your pick on snacks for the party. 

To host a party at Curiosity Zone, it'll cost $295 for up to 15 kids. Adults are free to join in on the fun! Additional kids are $15 each. To make sure that each kid gets enough attention to enjoy the party, there is a maximum of 20 kids for the party.

Curiosity Zone won Nickelodeon's 2008 ParentsConnect.com Parents' Picks Award for Best Indoor Playspace/Partyspace for big kids.

FUN & SAVE ALERT! Save 10% on birthday parties at Curiosity Zone with this special coupon code: funthings2010. Just enter that coupon code in the comment section when you register online. If you prefer to register on the phone (703-723-9949), just quote the coupon code to the staff member. Coupon is valid until December 31, 2010.

Got a little Einstein or Marie Curie in your house? Take him or her to Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Virginia. A classmate invited my daughter to a 2-year-old birthday party there. The toddler activities are more limited than older kids' activities (no blowing up volcanoes!), but my daughter had a fun time there.

The birthday party theme was Mixed-up Zoo, where our little toddlers got to be zookeepers for the day. We first sat in a circle and the kids picked out pictures of animals. The teachers then talked about how animals are different, such as alligators vs. crocodiles, monkeys vs. apes, spiders vs. insects and dromedary camels vs. Bactrian camels. By the way, good luck getting your toddler to pronounce the last two animals!

After circle time, the kids went around to different stations in the lab to sort out the mixed-up zoo. For example, there's a table with various types of animal toys all mixed up, and the kids separated the animals by species. Another station had stuffed animals of the two camel species for the kids to play with.

They also got to splash some water around at the alligator vs. crocodile table. There were two containers filled with water along with alligator and crocodile toys on the table. The kids placed the alligators in one bucket and crocodiles in another.

Each kid got to make a headband with either an insect or a spider theme. We counted the number of eyes and legs on their headband before fitting the headbands onto our toddlers' heads.

After the zoo was no longer mixed up, off to a different room we went for some snacks and refreshments. Each kid poured water from a beaker to create his/her own lemonade, and then poured food coloring from a test tube into his/her cup of lemonade.

The kids lined up by a glowing shadow wall for shadow pictures after they had their snacks. We weren't expecting our toddlers to stay still for the pictures, but we had fun watching the kids trying to pose and looking for their shadows.

At the end of the party, each kid took home a science kit that included a beaker, a test tube and a pipette along with other goodies.

AT A GLANCE

Birthday Parties
Curiosity Zone has different birthday party themes based on age. Kids ages 2 to 4 get to have a Mixed-up Zoo party, while kids ages 4 to 11 get to pick from Slime Time, Spa Science, Artsy Potions, or Blast and Bubbles.

You can schedule a birthday party on a weekend. Saturday party times are 10:30, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 and 6:30. Sunday party times are 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30. You can register for the party online or call (703) 723-9949 for more details.

Cost to have a birthday party is $295 for up to 15 kids. You can have up to 20 kids total, but you'll need to pay $15 per child after you reach 15 kids.

If you prefer to order your party food from one location, Maggie Moo ice cream is located next door and a pizza place is right across from the lab.

Classes
Curiosity Zone also offers classes for kids 2 and older. You can sign up for a free trial class to check it out before you register. Classes start at $189 for a 10-week session plus $40 for materials. Check out class schedules on their website or call them at (703) 723-9949 for more details.

Here's a video from Curiosity Zone on a sample experiment:

Location
Curiosity Zone is located at 43135 Broadlands Center Plaza, Suite 123, Ashburn, Virginia.

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