Here we sit on St. Patrick's Day snowed in yet again. Meg is eating Irish soda bread for breakfast (Clare doesn't care for the raisins) and I am researching St. Patty's Day crafts to keep us occupied. Perhaps we should be grateful for the restful day because we had quite the busy weekend.
On Saturday morning we headed to the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop for A Day at the Ballet. What a fun place CHAW is. It is precisely what one might imagine if they dream of moving to a city to pursue an artistic dream. It is housed in an old building with beat up wooden floors. The upstairs consists of a dance studio, with old mirrors hung on the wall, and an art studio, with paint splattered everywhere and wooden easels stacked against the wall.
For A Day at the Ballet, three ballet dancers, dressed in full ballet princess costume, led the children in a mini-ballet class. Then each dancer danced a solo. The dances featured Odette from Swan Lake, an Arabian princess, and Cinderella. There was also a special dance to the Frozen music that we are hearing everywhere. Following these dances, the children were allowed to get a closer look at several ballet costumes and talk with the ballet dancers. Then the children proceeded to the art studio to make ballet princess crowns.
For A Day at the Ballet, three ballet dancers, dressed in full ballet princess costume, led the children in a mini-ballet class. Then each dancer danced a solo. The dances featured Odette from Swan Lake, an Arabian princess, and Cinderella. There was also a special dance to the Frozen music that we are hearing everywhere. Following these dances, the children were allowed to get a closer look at several ballet costumes and talk with the ballet dancers. Then the children proceeded to the art studio to make ballet princess crowns.
The girls enjoyed making the crowns, but Clare began to melt down at that point. She couldn't get her hearts perfectly spaced and perfectly straight and this led to tears. As we left CHAW, Clare informed me that she needed a nap and I agreed. Rather than continuing with our Capitol Hill adventure plans, I put the girls in the car for a long drive out to Manassas. Clare slept well in the car and when she woke up, we went to Cracker Barrel--the girls' favorite restaurant. After a delicious country-style meal (quite the antithesis of our urban arts morning), we sat in rocking chairs and the girls played their version of checkers. The Manassas Cracker Barrel happens to sit by the Manassas Civil War Battlefield, so we also took the opportunity to drive by some of the historic battlefield sights.
Perhaps inspired by this brief bit of history, on Sunday I decided to take the girls to Mount Vernon.
Perhaps inspired by this brief bit of history, on Sunday I decided to take the girls to Mount Vernon.
Recently, Meg has begun to recognize George Washington's picture and has asked about him, so I suspected it was time for a visit to Washington's home. To make the most of the visit, we made sure to get the Adventure Map at the visitor's center. The special map works like a treasure hunt map with kids answering clues at various stops.
The girls enjoyed the house tour. Baby Anne even cooperated by only crying when we walked from room to room. She always stopped crying before the docent began talking.
A very special treat for us was the baby lambs in the Mount Vernon paddock.
The girls enjoyed the house tour. Baby Anne even cooperated by only crying when we walked from room to room. She always stopped crying before the docent began talking.
A very special treat for us was the baby lambs in the Mount Vernon paddock.
We also very much enjoyed the museum and hands on history room. Meg and Clare loved George Washington in the snow (as they called it).
In the hands on history room, they dressed up in period clothing.
They played with Lincoln logs.
They tried weaving
And dressed up like George Washington.
Mount Vernon was so much fun. I bought an annual membership for myself and since the kids are under 6, they are free. We will be going back a lot.
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