Hi there!

It's the sixth edition of The Little Loop by Clovie! The subscriber count keeps growing each week, thank you for being here.

We are in the last stretch of summer, and my whole house is trying to wring every drop out of it. So this week I went looking for a weekend that still feels like summer: a sunflower field, a fountain to run through, a puppet show, and a craft table for when the heat wins.

TLDR: Five picks this weekend, two to just show up to and three to plan around, across Montgomery County and one corner of DC. Butler's Orchard sunflowers are the headline, and another Clovie update per usual.

Growing Clovie

The Clovie site homepage got a glow-up! Check out cloviekids.com to see the new look. I made some edits while my 9 month old was sleeping and the 3 year old was at soccer. And some final edits happened during a stroller ride while on my phone. Growing this business has meant that I'm always working, always out of pocket, and constantly having ideas in my head. It's been a wild, really fun time that I'm so thankful for.

Just Show Up

No tickets, no plan. Just go.

​Georgetown Waterfront Park (Georgetown, DC)
​All ages · Free · Saturday and Sunday · No reservation​
Running through the fountain at Percy Plaza, where Wisconsin Avenue meets the river, is made for a hot morning or afternoon. When everyone is soaked and starving, Founding Farmers is right there on the water, with high chairs and a menu that runs from pizza to sushi (did a date day with my husband here and brought our newborn). Bring towels!

​District DabbleLab: Make + Take (Bethesda)
​Kids, teens and adults · Saturday and Sunday · Drop-in​
A stunning craft studio with drop-in options where you pick a project and they hand you everything, no cleanup, about an hour of making. The charm, hat and patch, and bling bars are the easiest walk-in. Founder Emily Yeskel Rubin, one of our first Clovie partners, grew it from her basement into this gorgeous Bethesda storefront.

On the Calendar

Times and dates worth planning around.

​Butler's Orchard Sunflower Spectacular (Germantown)
​All ages · August 8 to 16 · $13.50 per person online, under 2 free · Book ahead​
The sunflowers are finally open, and this is the weekend to catch them before the fields get picked over: walk the rows and cut your own, plus the giant slides, jump pad, and farm animals. Gates open 8:30am to 6pm, with a late Sunset Social until 8:30pm on Saturday. Book online before you go, weekends sell out.

​Glen Echo Park Children's Theater (Glen Echo)
​Ages 4+ · Saturday and Sunday · Puppet Co $15, under 2 free · Book tickets ahead​
Two shows in one spot: Adventure Theatre's Sleeping Beauty: The Time Traveler through August 23, and the Puppet Co's Pinocchio (ages 4+, about 50 minutes). Check the site for this weekend's showtimes and book ahead, then ride the 1921 Dentzel Carousel while you are there.

​Woodlawn Manor Summer Family Day (Sandy Spring)
​Best for ages 6+ · Saturday, August 8, 11am to 3pm · Free · Just drop in​
Saturday only, Woodlawn Manor opens its historic grounds for a free afternoon of hands-on nature crafts, think leaf rubbings and herbal sachets. Low-key, free, and a nice one for the older kids.

Loved this one? Forward it to a friend who is always asking what to do this weekend.
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If someone sent you here, you can get The Little Loop every week at cloviekids.com/subscribe, and check out past issues here.
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Find the best kids classes, camps, and party entertainment (now in DC too) at cloviekids.com.

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Less Planning. More Playing.

Carole
Founder, Clovie