Events around town, March 6th

MARYLAND (Tuesday, 3/6):
No Dragons On My Quilt (9:30am OR 1:30pm, Meadowside Nature Center. Read a story and make paper quilts you can take home. Register online, $5, ages 3 to 6.)

Discover Nature "Early Bugs & Buds" (10 to 11am, Locust Grove Nature Center. Trees and wildflowers are already blooming and that means their insect partners are out and about. Learn about them and hike. Register online, $5, ages 3 to 6.)

Flying Squirrels (5:45 to 6:30pm, Brookside Nature Center. Catch a glimpse of these nighttime gliders and find out how they live. No RR, free, all ages.)

Sing Along with Miss Belle (10:30am, Mayorga Coffee Factory, 8040 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD. All ages.)

Children's Book Fair (9:30am to 5pm, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, Rockville. 19th Annual Children's Book Fair featuring an outstanding selection of Judaic titles, books by award-winning authors and illustrators, fiction and nonfiction, and the newest releases. Through 3/8.)

Gymnastics Workshop (11:30am to 12:30pm, Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex. Do your children have energy to burn? Take them to this open workshop where they can jump, swing, and bounce in a safe environment. Info: 301.583.2400, $5/child.)

Eat My Trash? (3 to 4:30pm, National Wildlife Visitors Center. Discover what your trash and worms have in common in this exploratory program. Learn what compost is and how to do it yourself at home! RR: 301.497.5887, free, ages 3 to 4.)

Maryland Storytimes (3/6):
Time for Twos Storytime (10:30am, Davis Library. 'Speckled Frogs and Furry Dogs.' Stories and activities for ages 2 with adult.)

Time for 2's & 3's (10:30am, Silver Spring Library. Stories, rhymes, and songs for ages 2 to 3 with adult.)

Born to Read (10:30am, Bethesda Library. Stories, rhymes, songs, and activities for children 0 to 24 months.)

Toddler Tales (10:15 & 11:15am, Aspen Hill Library. Stories, songs, and activities for ages 2 to 5 with adult.)

Toddler Time! (10:15 & 11am, Chevy Chase Library. Weekly program of stories, rhymes and other activities. For ages 18 to 36 months. Seating is limited. Free tickets will be distributed before each program.)

Alphabet Adventures Preschool Storytime (10:30am, Damascus Library. Hear Zin! Zin! Zin and other stories, songs and rhymes about xylophones and music featuring the letter "X." Ages 3 to 5. Also on 3/7.)

Daytime Storytime (10:15 & 11:15am, Bowie Library. 12 to 23 months with caregiver. Limit 15.)

Evening Storytime (7pm, Bowie Library. Ages 4 to 6.)

Daytime Storytime (11am, Upper Marlboro Library. Ages 3 to 5.)

VIRGINIA (Tuesday, 3/6):
Live Music: Jody Marshall & Maggie Sansone (noon, Olsson's, Crystal City. America's premier hammered dulcimer players perform lively Celtic music for St. Patrick's Day. Free, all ages.)

Mommy & Me Movies (1:30pm, Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse. Take part in the first Mommy & Me movie today. These movies are exclusively for moms (and dads, too!) with infants. $5.50/adult, weekly event.)

Open Swim (12 to 3:15pm, Spring Hill Rec Center, McLean, VA. Ignore the cold weather--put on your bathing suits and swim! Beach entrance to the pool makes it easy for the little ones to play. $6.50/Fairfax County adult resident, $4.75/child resident, $8.70/non-resident. Kids under 4 are free.)

Sing Along with Miss Belle (4pm, Starbucks, Chesterbrook Shopping Center, 6214 Old Dominion Center, McLean. 703.241.9480.)

Kids Appreciation Night: Musical Excitement! (6 to 8pm, Silver Diner, Springfield. Come sing, dance and play instruments with Mr. Don. Mr. Knick Knack performs weekly at the Tysons Corner Silver Diner.)

Open Play (9am to noon, Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center, Arlington. 703.228.4712. Open gym with loads of great toys for the kids. Ages 0 to 6. $3/adult.)

Mr. Knick Knack Performs (11am, Tree Top Kids, Fairfax Corner. Listen to the music of Mr. Knick Knack. $3/child.)

Pentagon Row Ice Rink (12 to 9pm, Arlington. The rink will close soon so lace up your skates, hit the ice, and then grab a hot cocoa at the nearby Starbucks. $8/adult, $7/child 12 and under, skate rentals $3.)

Family Hike (Claude Moore Park, Sterling. Come enjoy a kid friendly circuit hike in this beautiful park, hiking about 2 ½ miles. Weather permitting, picnic along the way, next to a pond. After the hike, enjoy the activities and turtles in their visitor center and/or visit the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum located in the park. INFO: Lauren Lang at94L@netzero.com or 571.242.3950.)

Leprechaun Hats (3pm to 5pm, Tree Top Kids, Arlington. Make Leprechaun hats just in time for the St. Patrick's Day Holiday. RR: 703.469.2090, free, ages 3 and up.)

Virginia Storytimes (3/6):
Book Babies (10:15 & 11am, Reston Regional Library. An interactive story time for you and your child ages 13 to 23 months with adult. RR: 703.689.2700.)

Tiny Tots (10:30am, Martha Washington Community Library, Alexandria. Stories and songs for ages 13 to 23 months with adult. RR:703.768.6700.

At 7pm, Storytime Adventures. Stories, games and creative activities for ages 5 to 8.)

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss (10:30am, Lorton Community Library.Stories, activities and a birthday treat for ages 2 to 5 with adult. RR: 703.339.7385.)

Wonderful Colors (10:30am & 2:30pm, Herndon Fortnightly Community Library. Stories, activities and a craft. RR: 703.437.8855, morning session: ages 2 to 3; afternoon session: ages 3 to 5.)

Storytime (10:30am, Mary Riley Styles Library, Falls Church, VA. Weekly stories and rhymes appropriate for ages 18 to 36 months.)

Tuesday Tales Storyhour (10:30am, Chinn Park Regional Library, Prince William. A weekly storytime for ages 2 to 6 with adult.)

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

Tuesday Tales Story hour (10:30am, Potomac Community Library, Woodbridge. A weekly storytime for ages 2 to 6 with adult.)

Baby Lapsit (11:15am, Cascades Library, Sterling. Storytime for 0 to 18 months. At 10:30, Lapsits for 2's.)

Book Club (10am, Pottery Barn Kids, Fair Oaks Mall. Kids of all ages are invited to a special storytime.)

Children's Storytime (7pm, Barnes and Noble, Manassas, VA. Weekly storytime for ages 3 to 6.)

Tuesday Morning Storytime (10:30am, Independent Hill Neighborhood Library, Manassas. Storytime for ages 3 to 5.)

WASHINGTON, DC (Tuesday, 3/6):
National Geographic MAPS: Tools for Adventure (9am to 5pm, National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall. This kid-friendly exhibit engages the entire family by demonstrating the role maps play in daily life and by offering collaborative, hands-on activities that help children map their own adventures. Exhibit runs through 7/29/07.)

Open Play at Jonah's Treehouse (11:45am to 1:15pm. Enjoy open playtime indoors with your child! $7/hour for enrolled children, $15/hour for non-enrolled children.)

Visit the Building Zone (10am to 5pm, National Building Museum. Build with big, soft Legos and building blocks, look at architecture picture books, play with kid-size construction equipment try on somehard hats and tool belts. Ages 2 to 6. Free, open daily.)

Washington, DC Storytimes (3/6):
Storytime Fun with Miss Julie (10.30am, West End Library, NW.Stories, songs, dances and fun with Miss Julie. Ages 2 to 5.)

Preschool Storytime (10:30am, Martin Luther King Jr. MemorialLibrary, NW. Morning story time features children's stories, poems, flannel boards, books, puppets and films. Ages 3 to 5. Also on Thursdays.)