UPDATE: The Post just published their Fourth of July Guide online.

In the name of summer vacation, DCB is taking a newsletter break this month - So there will be no July edition in your mailbox, but we'll be back for August. Now to the real news: It's almost July 4th, and there's loads to do with kids in the District and throughout the 'burbs. Just a few highlights:

The parade in downtown DC starts at 11:45 a.m. on Friday.

On Friday all day at Mt. Vernon in Alexandria there will be family-oriented events - a reading of the Declaration of Independence by a costumed "George Washington, 18th century patriotic music, and an annual concert by the National Concert Band of America. There is a fee for admission. A military re-enactment and reading of the Declaration starts at 9:45 a.m. The concert starts at 11 a.m., and there's a 1 p.m. Revolutionary War military demonstration by the first Virginia Regiment.

Fireworks on the National Mall start between 9 and 9:30 p.m. Friday.

Fairfax also does a parade and fireworks display on Friday. Lee District Park in Franconia will have its own free, family-friendly blowout with fireworks (call 703.922.9841). Also check out planned events in Takoma Park and Montgomery County in Gaithersburg.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Held over by popular demand! The fab Adventure Theatre at Glen Echo Park is extending the run of Babe, the Sheep Pig - in conjunction with a couple of special events at the park during the month of July.

July 12-13 is Grandparents' Weekend at Glen Echo. Grandparents and their grandkids who enjoy the Babe production will get a Babe coloring sheet. Ride the carousel and bring a picnic for before or after the show!

July 18-20 is the park's Celebrate Adoption Weekend. Adoptive families are invited to celebrate with orphaned pig Babe as he finds love with a new family. Adventure Theatre will provide a snack of cookies and juice for show-goers, and there will be info from participating organizations The Adoption Center of Washington, the Barker Foundation, and Friends of Russian and Ukranian Adoptions.

July 26 is Squeels on Wheels Petting Zoo at the park from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m. Kids will get to visit goats, sheep, ducks, ponies, donkeys, bunnies, chickens, hens.. and, of course, pigs. (Yes, hand-washing stations will be set up for the kids!) There will be a $5 admission to the petting zoo area.

Our family loves, loves, loves Glen Echo and its puppet and children's theaters. Even if you live in VA, it's worth the trip!

No big mystery about what gets my vote for this weekend's family fun: As a fifth-generation native Texan, I have to recommend heading down to the National Mall for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. This year's exhibits, food, music, and live performance are centered around Texas, Bhutan, and the history and achievements of NASA.

The festival runs now through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, with evening events starting at 6:00 - and again during the same hours July 2-6 to coincide with next week's Independence Day stuff on the Mall.

Check out this blurb on the festival's website about highlights for children and families. And by all means, take metro! Parking is just about nonexistent.

Mark your calendar for some Bastille Day fun with your little Francophiles: Jabberu will host a FREE Vive la France party at their downtown Bethesda center on Monday, July 14 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for children ages 4+ and their families.

The celebration of French culture and language will include games and traditional hands-on crafts such as (indoor, safe) fireworks, singing traditional French songs, learning how to greet new friends in French, and singing traditional French songs - all led by Jabberu's native French-speaking instructors. Call 301.951.1101 for reservations and more info.

If you're not familiar with relative newcomer Jabberu... they offer foreign language enrichment for toddlers to 10-year-olds, with centers in Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Great Falls and Ashburn. They've also created their own original books, CDs and other children's materials in foreign languages.

Gotta love this: Monkey Business in Falls Church will host a Parents' Night Out this Friday, June 27 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Potty-trained three- to six-year-olds are welcome to join the evening of pizza, music and movement, games, arts and crafts, and "exploration stations," while you and yours step out for a few hours of grown-up time.

Advance registration is required, and space is limited. Cost is $25 for the first child and $20 for siblings.

Looking for more drop-off events like this? Parenting Playgroups recently added a Parents' Night Out to their offerings - so stay tuned to their website or join their mailing list to learn about upcoming dates. Also, if you hold membership at the YMCA, ask the staff what they offer. Several of the DC-area locations host Parents' Night Out parties for preschool and school-age children.

The new children's bookstore in Old Town - Hooray for Books - celebrated its grand opening last weekend. Located in the same King St. storefront as its longtime predecessor, A Likely Story, this new and independent kids' store stocks books for all ages, as well as selected puzzles and toys. Check out this story about the store from the Washington Post.

Hooray for Books is currently hosting two themed storytimes: Friday at 10:30 a.m. for ages 2 and under, and Saturday at 11 a.m. for ages 2+.

Please stop by and show them the love. Keeping an independent bookstore of any size or niche alive is tough these days - but even more so in the high-rent district and serving the child/family market. We are so glad to see this newcomer open its doors - and we want to help keep them open for years to come!

DCB will be taking "vacation" (if you call flying cross-country with a newborn and 4-year-old a holiday) tomorrow through June 22... but before signing off, I want to share an opportunity many of you will be interested in:

The Women's Center in Vienna, VA is hosting "Flexible Work Schedules: Can They Work for You?" this Saturday, June 14 from 2 to 4 p.m., with presenter Mary Ellen Slayter, Washington Post "Career Track" columnist.

Here's a blurb on what to expect:
"For those who struggle to balance the demands of family and work life, a more flexible schedule often seems like the perfect solution. This workshop will explain how to successfully negotiate an alternative work schedule and make it work to benefit you and your employer. Issues addressed include: figuring out what type of alternative arrangement you need, such as a compressed week, flex hours, or full-time or part-time telecommuting. We will also discuss how to craft your request, helping you show how the alternative arrangement will benefit your employer. Finally, we'll talk about how to keep yourself in the work "loop" when you are not there."

Cost is $45, or $35 if you're a Women's Center member-donor. To register, call 703.281.2657 or click here.

The DCB blog will return on Monday, June 23. In the meantime, Happy Father's Day to you and yours!

We love the concept behind ONESIES DC, a new and innovative program that allows both rookie and veteran moms to sample a wide variety of early enrichment programs and experts.

Here's how it works: The program provides a different mom-and-baby activity every week for six weeks, giving you an introduction to different types of classes and workshops with local experts. The goal is to allow you to preview many different resources and classes from around the DC area, while also connecting you to other mothers of little ones. Activities and workshops on the ONESIES DC lineup include fitness for mama and baby, music, yoga, infant massage, photography services, painting pottery (such as baby footprint keepsakes), lactation consulting, sleep coaching, CPR instruction, pediatrician advice, and nutritionists.

The program is founded and managed by Bethesda mama Roybn Cohen Churilla, in cooperation with PEP, Rock-n-Tot, Hot Mama Fitness, and many others I've profiled here on the blog and in my books. Check out their website to learn more: www.onesiesdc.com. To purchase a ONESIES DC gift card for a new or expectant parent, shoot Robyn an email: robyn-at-onesiesdc-dot-com.

Have a train-obsessed kid?

This Saturday, June 14 from 1 to 4 p.m., the National Postal Museum (yes, there is a national postal museum) will host Trains! - a FREE exhibit of model railways from local railroad clubs, along with the chance for kids to "toot their own train whistle, sort railway mail, read adventure stories, explore transportation stamps, and more."

For train-loving families, I also highly recommend a visit to Whistle Stop in Old Town Alexandria and the National Capital Trolley Museum in Colesville, MD.

Two weekend events - one in VA and the other in MD - have loads of child-centric fun on the schedule: Celebrate Fairfax (tonight through Sunday) and Imagination Bethesda (Saturday only).

Celebrate Fairfax is a huge blow-out, complete with rock stars and fireworks. But they'll also have a "children's avenue" of hands-on crafts and activities, a petting zoo, a climbing wall, model train exhibit, carnival rids, live entertainment, and lots of food. Expect big crowds, and plan accordingly!

Imagination Bethesda takes place downtown, on Woodmont Ave., and is specifically focused on kids. There will be face painters, balloonists, live entertainment, arts and crafts activities, children's yoga classes, and lots of booths where you can get info about early childhood enrichment programs and businesses in and around Bethesda. Local restaurants will also have food booths, with everything from Indian to chili dogs, pizza, smoothies, and ice cream.

Enjoy!

A last minute announcement: Great Kids Camps @ Lansdowne Resort in Loudon County, VA, which offers themed summer day-camp programs for ages three+, hosts an Open House Party with kids' band Rocknoceros TONIGHT, June 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Rocknoceros puts on a free concert at 6 p.m., and refreshments will be served. The Open House Party is a chance to meet the camp staff and enroll your children. (Attendees who enroll during the concert receive a free Rocknocerus CD.)

Great Kids Camps is developed and owned by our friends at Andy's Parties.

There's a new toy store in Old Town Alexandria - 1022 Toys 'n Gifts, offering a nice assortment of toys, games, books, puzzles, arts and crafts, collectibles, and novelties.

Located on King St. between Henry and Patrick Sts. (aka Rt. 1), it's a cute little shop with a welcoming window. Every time I pass by, there's a stroller parked out front - so I hope this bodes well for the survival of another independent, child-friendly shop in the neighborhood! You can find out more about them - and peruse their online boutique (offering free shipping on orders of $100+) - at www.1022toysngifts.com. Or call them up: 703.837.9797.

As I mentioned in this month's e-newsletter, there's a new baby concierge on the local scene: Nursery Know-it-All, founded by DC mom Kimberly Shore Levin and aimed at helping expectant parents with all things baby-related.

Kim - a veteran mother, with three children under the age of five - provides personalized services such as helping clients complete a baby registry, locate quality stores to purchase furniture, decide on a stroller purchase, plan a bris/baby naming, complete birth announcements and thank-you notes, and preschool nanny candidates. Kim says her goal is "to make pregnancy as stress-free and fun as possible, without sweating over all the details."

Kim will soon be working with Vionna Jones of Hot Mama Fitness (opening this summer in Bethesda), providing an on-site seminar for expectant mamas. Stay tuned!

To contact Nursery-Know-it-All: 202.744.6477 or kim-at-nurseryknowitall-dot-com.

PEP offers a number of one-night parenting workshops during the summer at their office in Kensington, MD - as well as condensed versions of core classes.

Among the one-night Hot Topics workshops most appropriate for those of us who have younger children:

June 24 - Raising "I Can" Kids (for all parents)
July 1 - Positive Time Out & Other Strategies (For parents of children ages 2-4),
July 9 - The Terrible Trio: Eating, Sleeping & Toilet Training Issues (for parents of children ages 0-4)
July 10 - Setting Limits with Extra-Challenging Children (for parents of children ages 3-14)
July 22 - Surviving Stepparenting (for all parents)
July 29 - Defusing Sibling Rivalry & Fighting (for parents of children ages 1-14)
August 11 - Anger Management (for all parents)

Their core class for parents of children ages two-and-a-half to five will be held Monday and Thursday evenings this summer, July 28 through August 21 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

'Tis the season for FREE outdoor movies in the DC area... and this year there are more kids' flicks among them than ever before. Here are some best bets:

Cox "Movies Under the Moon" in Fairfax (Van Dyck Park)
Movies start at approximately 8:30 p.m. Gates open at 6:30, so arrive early to stake out your low beach chairs or blanket. Food, beverages, and popcorn sold on-site to benefit the Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children. Their lineup begins June 18 with "Shrek 3," June 19 with "Transformers," June 20 with "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," June 21 with "Hairspray," and ending June 22 with "Bee Movie."

Comcast Outdoor Film Festival in Alexandria (Bob Brenman Park)
Movies start at 8:30 p.m. and run Friday-Saturday, July 18-19. Lineup of films TBA, but some kids' selections are planned.

Bethesda Outdoor Movies (Auburn @ Norfolk Aves.)
Movies start at 9 p.m., nightly from July 29-August 2. Lineup of films TBA, but some kids' selections are planned.

Comcast Outdoor Film Festival at the Mansion at Strathmore (N. Bethesda/Rockville)
Movies are shown nightly at 8:30 p.m., August 15-23. Gates open at 6:30, so arrive early to stake out your spot. Not all nights are for children, but kids' flicks will include "Bee Movie" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Food booths featuring local restaurants will donate a portion of proceeds to the NIH Children's Charities.