Events around town, March 1st.

MARYLAND (Thursday, 3/1):

Astronomy: Saturn & Moon Conjunction (7 to 8:30pm, Black Hill Nature Center. Don't miss this one as two of the great heavenly bodies come within a half degree of each other near the amazing Bee Hive Cluster. Register online, $6, ages 6 and up.)

Banjo Man (10:30am, Sangha. Enjoy this weekly performance of the Banjo Man in Takoma Park. Coffee and light fare are available. Admission is $5 for one child of your own, $7 for 2, and $10 for three.)

Radish Rabbit & the Dangerous Mugwump (And Chicken Little, Too!) (10am, Adventure Theatre, Glen Echo. Radish Rabbit has always longed for red wings, but when he finally gets them, his mother won't let him in the house. And Chicken Little has a worse problem – the sky is falling! $5, pre-K through 2nd grade, every Thursday through 5/07.)

Super Saver Ice Skating (3 to 5pm, Tucker Road Ice Rink. Skate for a discounted fee during select public sessions. $4, fee includes skate rental.)

Maryland Storytimes (3/1):

Preschool Storytime (10:15am & 1:30pm, Olney Library. Weekly program of stories, songs and a film for ages 3 to 5.)

Time for Twos (10:30am, Damascus Library. "A Letter to Amy" and other stories, songs, rhymes, activities, and a craft just right for children age 2. RR: 240.773.9444, no siblings.)

Preschool Storytime (10:30 & 11:30am, White Oak Library. Stories, flannelboards, and music for children ages 2 to 5 years with an adult.)

Born to Read (10:30am, Silver Spring Library. Songs, rhymes, and very short stories for ages newborn to 2 years with adult.)

Preschool Storytime (10:15am & 1:30pm, Rockville Library. Weekly program of stories, music and activities for ages 4 to 6.)

Daytime Storytime (Thursdays, 10:30am, Laurel Library, MD. Pick up free ticket at Children's Desk. Ages 3 to 5.)

Daytime Storytime (11:30am, Bowie Library, MD. Newborn to 12 months with caregiver.)

Daytime Storytime (10:30am, Bowie Library, MD. Weekly storytime for ages 3 to 5.)


VIRGINIA (Thursday, 3/1):

Discovery Bag (9am to 5pm, Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Head to the nature center and take a hike. Enhance your enjoyment of the 1/3-mile Old Oak Trail which loops behind the nature center by requesting the Spring Discovery Bag. Each bag contains activities and learning enhancements ideal for young child and parent adventures along the woodchip path. Available daily except Tuesdays.)

Community Concert (7:30pm, Kenmore Middle School. The US Army Concert Band with the UNC at Greensboro Wind Ensemble puts on a community performance. Free.)

Paint a Pot (9:30 OR 11am, Green Spring Gardens Park. Learn about clay and how pots are made. After looking at pots in their tropical greenhouse turn a clay pot into a masterpiece in the "paint studio." RR: 703.642.5173, $5, ages 3 to 5. Also on 3/3.)

Open Bounce (10:30am to noon & 5 to 6:30pm, House of Bounce, Manassas. Burn off some steam with this cold weather and let the kids bounce! Remember to bring socks; adult lounge with coffee & drinks. $9/child; $5/under 2. Also open other days for open bounce. Schedule changes frequently, please call to confirm before going.)

Open Gym Time (2:30pm, JW Tumbles, Arlington, VA. For ages 4 months to 9 years. Let your little one blow off some steam. $10 members ($5 each additional child); $15 non-members ($10 each additional child.) 703-531-1470. Program also on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays at different times.)

Drop-in Playtime (4pm, Wee Play, Herndon. Come in out of the cold and enjoy this weekly drop-in playtime. $5/enrolled families; $10/child non-enrolled; $18/2 non-enrolled children. Ages 1 1/2 to 5 years.)

Pop in Playtime (10 to 11:30am, Pump it Up, Manassas. Play on the giant, soft, fun-filled interactive inflatables. $8.00/child, ages 2 years and up; height requirement of 34" to play on the inflatable equipment. Weekly event.)

Mr. Don Performs (4pm, Noodles & Noggins. Enjoy this weekly performance of singing and dancing with Mr. Don. Suggested contribution per child.)

Mr. Knick Knack (10:30am, Jammin' Java, Vienna, VA. $5/one child; $7/two children; $10/three children.)

Kiddie Open Gym (1:30 to 2:30pm, Herndon Community Center. Bring your toddler and enjoy this weekly open play, tumbling on the mats, and kiddie basketball. $4, ages 0 to 5.)

Open Play (1 to 3pm, Kids N Motion, Manassas. Come in and play in the gym or bounce on the inflatables. $5/first child, $3/each sibling. Crawlers through age 9. Call to confirm: 703.794.0100.)

Stroller Skate (10am to noon, Skate and Fun Zone, Manassas. $5/person includes skates and moon bounce. For kids under 6 with an adult.)

Virginia Storytimes (3/1):

Stop In for Stories (4pm, Aurora Hills Library, Arlington. Drop-in storytime for all ages.)

Storytime (10:30am, Mary Riley Styles Library, Falls Church. Stories and rhymes for ages 2 to 5.)

Preschool Storytime (11:30am, Ashburn Library. Stories for children ages 3 to 5. At 10am, Mother Goose Storytime for children 18 to 24 months.)

Terrific 3's (10:30am, Cascades Library, Sterling. Weekly storytime.)

Terrific 2's (10:45, Ashburn Library, weekly storytime.)

Thursday Morning Storytime (10:30am, Dale City Neighborhood Library. Storytime for ages 0 to 5.)

WASHINGTON, DC (Thursday, 3/1):

All That Brass! The Monumental Brass Quintet (10:15 & 11:30am, Discovery Theater. Movie music, a brassy game show, garden hoses, and funnels make this music and science program a honking good time. Purchase tickets online, $6, all ages.)

Our Solar System (4pm, Nature Center, Rock Creek Park. Take a close look at members of our solar system, including the Sun, planets, satellites, comets, and learn why Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet. Ages 5 and older.)

Open Play at Jonah's Treehouse (2:15 to 3:45pm, 2121 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. Enjoy the weekly open play time indoors with your child! $7/hour for enrolled children, $15/hour for non-enrolled children.)

New York City Ballet: Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1:30 & 7:30pm, Kennedy Center. The New York City Ballet dances George Balanchine's glorious A Midsummer Night's Dream. Also on 3/1 to 3/3.)

Washington, DC Storytimes (3/1):

Toddler Time (10:30am, Georgetown Library, NW. Stories, fingerplays and music for ages 12 to 24 months with adult. Also on Tuesdays.) Preschool Storytime (10:30am, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Weekly storytime features children's stories, poems, flannel boards, books, puppets and films. Ages 3 to 5. Also on Tuesdays.)

Neighborhood Storytime (10:30am, Mt. Pleasant Library. Weekly storytime with flannel boards, songs, fingerplays and puppets. Ages 1 to 4.)

Storytime (9:45am, Chevy Chase Library. Songs, finger plays, stories and more! Ages 6 months to 4 years with parent.)