Noyes Library for Young Children, Kensington, MD

The Noyes Library is a charming one room library created to introduce the library experience to young children, ranging from babies to preschoolers. The library's books are divided into children friendly topics- such as "going to school," "sports and activities," "potty-training," etc. which help children and parents find books that best suite the child's interests and/or life stages. There are chairs and benches available for children to sit on as they read books, as well as hands-on toys available for free play. Children can enjoy playing with trains, cars, trucks and blocks on the train table, or playing with dolls and animal figures on their barn table. There are magnet boards with letters that children can use to acquaint themselves with the alphabet, and a table set aside for coloring.
     I particularly like bringing my kids to this library because of its intimate, child-focused environment and find that my children enjoy it more than other larger libraries. I have also found that watching my children play with the different toys provides me with great opportunity to introduce new books related to their play.
     The library is only opened Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays from 9 am- 5 pm.
http://www.librarything.com/venue/311/Noyes-Library-for-Young-Children-Montgomery-County-Public-Libraries-MD-
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Watkins Regional Park, Upper Marlsboro, MD

Watkins Regional Park is a great place to go with children from ages 1.5 yr old and up. The park is located just 30 minutes outside of Silver Spring, Maryland, and features the "Old Maryland Farm," a small farm that consists of bunny rabbits, chickens and peacocks(that you can feed), ducks, sheep, llamas, cows and horses. They have pony rides available for $3/ride on certain days of the week, and hayrides for $1/person for groups of 15 or more. The farm is nicely maintained, beautifully gardened, and is a fantastic spot to take young children who are learning about animals and want to get close to them.
     Summer Features: Right next to the farm, the park offers 10-minute antique train rides ($1.75) that run around the farm and through the woods; miniature Golf($3.75/person); a carousel($1.75).
     Also near the farm, the park has a large fantastic playground that my young son can play at for hours and a nature center that has scheduled programs and events.
     One small suggestion: the farm is a 3 minute walk from the parking lot- down a winding path. If you have a toddler who is not the best walker yet, I suggest taking a stroller so that you don't end up carrying him. The farm itself is small enough that your toddler can probably do without one, but that path is where both my children and my friend's children had a difficult time.
     Between the farm and the playground, my children can easily stay for a good 3 hours. I usually bring lunch to eat at one of their pavilions.
Website: http://www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/Nature/Watkins_Regional_Park.htm
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Nasa Goddard Visitor Center in Greenbelt, MD

Is your child interested in rockets and outer space but you don't have time to make a big trip to the National Air and Space Museum? Then the visitor center at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, is the perfect place for you. Intended for people of all ages, the visitor center provides a stimulating and educational 'planetary science' experience but in a smaller and more convenient location than the larger museums in DC.

The center has a variety of exhibits discussing Earth science, astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science, engineering, communication, and technology development. Although most exhibits require reading, some exhibits have educational videos running with cartoon characters explaining space travel and air pressure. The most child-friendly part of the center is their Gemini space capsule model. My 2 year old son particularly enjoys climbing into the model, wearing a toy astronaut helmet and pretending to fly to the moon. The center also has a toy chest with space puzzles, toy rockets, and astronaut puppets for the children to enjoy.

Additionally, the center has an outdoor "Rocket Garden" where children can enjoy running around and touching the large rocket models and playing on the grassy lawn. There are also outdoor picnic tables available.

But I would have to say the coolest part of the center is their "Science on a Sphere." This attention-grabbing visualization system uses computers and video projectors to project informative movies on the outside of a suspended, 6-foot diameter, white sphere. Like the center, the shows are free. And they are constantly looped throughout the day.

When my family visits the center, we find that we are entertained for 2 hours- and admission is free so we have no problems going back often. The museum is best geared toward children 2+ and would be enjoyable by anyone who likes learning more about NASA.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home/index.html

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