The Little Loop Newsletter by Clovie

Every Tuesday, the Clovie founder's top 5 picks for kids activities in Montgomery County and DC Northwest (plus the preamble you didn't ask for)

Hello!

It's the 11th edition of The Little Loop Newsletter by Clovie. Hope everyone survived the three-day weekend and got some last pool hours in. As always, send me a note on what you like, don't like, or need more of from Clovie. I love growing this community and hearing from you.

Uneventful weekend on this front for us. Three-ish potty training accidents, one splinter that's taking us to the doctor's office this morning (my son's third splinter in three months), and a smoothie dumped on the couch and rug. The rest was filled with morning walks to the playground before the baby's first nap, pancakes, Butler's Orchard, a kid's haircut, pool party, balloon animals, and sneaking in a few glasses of wine where possible. How cute and perfect are we?

Our 10-month old is finally (knock on wood) sleeping through the night. But the three-year old caught wind and said the show must go on. He's now on a one-to-two-night waking cadence since his recent toddler bed move. First wake, I go in and sleep on the floor (and I mean, floor) for an hour or two. Second wake, he comes to our room and sleeps in our bed. It's fine, but I am le tired. But hey, at least we are going strong on the potty training front. Hold the applause, please.

The Little Loop TLDR: Early fall, and a big, mostly-free weekend. Two Maryland outdoor picks to start: hike up Sugarloaf Mountain (a winery at the base for you after), or take the paved, stroller-friendly Sligo Creek Trail from Takoma Park toward Wheaton. Then hands-on art at the free Soar Together family day at Air and Space on Saturday, Adams Morgan Day on Sunday, and Bluey x CAMP: Bluey's House at Tysons if you are up for a bridge crossing.

Growing Clovie

An exciting week! We are slowly but surely turning this into a real business and finalizing two partnerships, and in talks with others. Ialso added an About Clovie page to the website, created some back-end analytics reporting that I can nerd out on and provide to businesses, and had an insightful convo with another business owner in the mom space. Onward!

Just Show Up
​No tickets, no plan. Just go.

​Sugarloaf Mountain (Dickerson)
Free · Open daily, gate 8am to 4pm · Rocky trails, not stroller-friendly

A little mountain with a big view, and trails that scale from a short walk near the top to longer rocky loops. Not stroller-friendly (we made that mistake the first time), but our son could handle it when he was 2. Make it a full day: Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard is a mile down Comus Road, with a lawn and weekend food trucks, so the kids can roam while the grown-ups earn a post-hike glass.

​Sligo Creek Trail (Takoma Park to Wheaton)
Free · Open sunrise to sunset · Hard-paved, stroller and bike friendly

One of the county's oldest trails, and about as easy as it gets with a stroller: roughly 10 miles of hard-paved asphalt tracing the creek from Takoma Park up toward Wheaton. Pick any stretch, with local parks to stop at all along the way. Just mind a few gentle hills and the street crossings.

On the Calendar
​Times and dates worth planning around.

​Soar Together Family Day: Art in Air and Space (Air and Space Museum, DC)
Free, timed passes required · Sat Sept 12, 10am to 3pm · All ages

A free, hands-on art morning at the Air and Space Museum: make-your-own artmaking, sing-and-move science songs, and a Discovery Theater play, "Professor Wingnut Wants to Fly." Grab the timed passes ahead, free but required.

​Adams Morgan Day (Adams Morgan, DC)
Free · Sun Sept 13, 12pm to 6pm · Family Fun Zone, crafts, live stages

DC's longest-running neighborhood festival, now in its 48th year: live music on multiple stages, food up and down 18th Street, and a whole Family Fun Zone with free crafts for the kids. An easy, free Sunday in the city.

​Bluey x CAMP: Bluey's House (Tysons Corner Center, McLean, VA)
Timed tickets, from about $42 · Open daily · Ages 2 to 10 · 50 minutes

Not MoCo or DC, but I really liked the CAMP store at Tysons and wanted to come back for this: step through the Magic Door into a full recreation of Bluey's house, from Keepy Uppy to a two-story pillow fort, ending with a meet-and-greet with Bluey and Bingo.
Two tips: go right at open, because you know how the bridge gets, and when you're done there's a clean, soft toddler play area by the food court to burn off the rest. This is definitely on the pricier side, so only take the biggest Bluey fans.

Loved this one? Forward it to a friend who is always asking what to do this weekend.

New here? Subscribe at cloviekids.com/subscribe, and check out past issues here. Follow us @clovie.kids.

Find the best kids classes, camps, and party entertainment in Montgomery County & DC Northwest at cloviekids.com.

P.S. Run a local kids business? List it free at cloviekids.com/join, or email hello@cloviekids.com to be featured in The Little Loop or explore partnership opportunities.

Less Planning. More Playing.

Carole
Founder, Clovie