Hi there!

We made it to the fifth edition of The Little Loop by Clovie. Thank you for being here!

My weekend: we had a blast at the Germantown Splash Park for a 3rd birthday party. Highly recommend (and I did, in the Little Loop last week!). The rest of the weekend was our usual "little loop" (now you know where the name came from): Cabin John train, pool, "taking a drive" since our 3-year only naps in the car, soccer class, swim class, and multiple double espressos.

This weekend's TLDR: we went with a (Nearly) Free Edition this week. Free activities has been a popular search over at cloviekids.com, so we brought it here. Museums, parks, live music, and a Parks Playhouse show.

And some big news...!

Growing Clovie

We launched in DC! Clovie has crossed into Northwest DC (or Northwesr*, if you've seen our instagram @clovie.kids), so the classes, camps, and parties you already drift toward (the zoo, a friend's birthday, a museum morning) are now officially on cloviekids.com! This has been the number one request since we launched, and it is finally happening. If you know a great DC spot that belongs on Clovie, hit reply and tell me. And spread the word!

Just Show Up

Two of these need tickets ahead of time.

​THE PLAYGROUND at the National Building Museum (Northwest DC)​
​Ticketed · Northwest DC · Through Aug. 30, book a timed slot​
The one to build the day around. Snarkitecture turned the museum's cathedral sized Great Hall into a 14,000 square foot indoor playground: a giant plywood hill with slides and tunnels, a build it yourself Adventure Yard with real tools, a sand pit, a rock wall, and a tot spot for the littlest ones. It is fully air conditioned, which in an August heat wave is its own kind of magic. Open Thursday through Monday, timed tickets required (weekend slots are selling out, so book ahead), and it is only up through Aug. 30. Free for kids under 2, and $15.95 ages 2 and up.

​Glen Echo Park (Glen Echo)​
​Free to roam · Glen Echo · Weekends​
A former amusement park that is now an arts park, which makes it wonderfully odd and free to wander. Poke into the working artist studios and galleries, watch the 1921 Dentzel carousel spin (rides are a couple dollars if you cannot resist), and let the kids loose on the historic grounds. It sits right on the DC line, which feels fitting this week.

​Smithsonian's National Zoo (Northwest DC)​
​Free · Northwest DC · Entry pass required​
Since we are in DC now, here is the classic. Always free, pandas included, and there is a five month old baby elephant named Linh Mai currently stealing every show. Grab a free timed entry pass before you go (required for everyone, even babies), and take Metro or bike if you can, because parking is the one part that is not free.

On the Calendar

Times & dates worth planning around.

​Live from the Lawn: Marcella Simien (North Bethesda)​
​Free · Sat. Aug. 1 · 7:30 p.m. at Strathmore​
Strathmore's free lawn concerts are usually a Wednesday thing, but August opens with a special Saturday edition: Marcella Simien playing soul, blues, and Louisiana roots on the lawn. This is a real family scene, not a grown ups only one. The grass by the stage turns into a kids' dance floor at every show, so bring a blanket and a picnic and let them go. Free, with an RSVP suggested for weather updates, and a short walk from the Grosvenor Strathmore Metro. Yes, it starts at 7:30, but it is a Saturday, so no school night math.

​Parks Playhouse Junior: The Uncle Devin Show (Silver Spring)​
​Free · Sun. Aug. 2 · 10 to 11 a.m., MLK Jr. Rec Park​
The last stop of Montgomery Parks' free summer performance series, and a good one to go out on. Uncle Devin is a children's drummer who turns a morning into a full body sing and dance along, built for the 2 to 8 crowd. Bring a blanket and a snack, claim a patch of grass, and let them get loud. Free, no tickets.

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Less Planning. More Playing.

Carole
Founder, Clovie