Washingtonpost.com: Live Online

Every other Wednesday at noon, local experts from washingtonpost.com share their best bets for arts and entertainment options for kids and their families. One special event is the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

This year's festival concentrates on The Silk Road, a series of trade routes that stretched from Japan and China, across India and Turkey to Italy for more than 1,000 years. Illuminating the cross-cultural traditions, artists and artisans along the Mall's Silk Road demonstrate such living traditions as sculpture, cooking, jewelry making, music and dance. The free festival runs June 26-30 and July 3-7.

Betty Belanus, education specialist with the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and Ray Williams, director of education at the Freer and Sackler galleries, join the Got Plans with Kids staff to discuss the Folklife Festival, public programming such as ImaginAsia and all the best that Washington has to offer our children and families.

Submit your questions either before or during the discussion.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

The Kids' Table: Hi, everybody. We (Anne, Matt, Lynette, Kate, Maura, Ann and I [Vicki]) have company at the Kids' Table and it's exciting. Betty is here and Ray will be joining us soon. Napkins are on our laps, elbows are off the table, we're ready to pass the questions, please.

College Park, Md.: I plan on visiting the Silk Road on Saturday with my 7-year-old daughter. While there I want both of us to try some of the ethnic foods that will be avalible. What can you recommend?

The Kids' Table: We have four food concessions, and all of them are really good. We have a Japanese food concession, a Chinese food concession, an Afghanistan food concession and an Italian food concession. A lot of it is very kid-friendly -- my daughter who is 10 -- would eat a lot of it. They're all very good, I can't recommend one over the other.

We're trying to look for similarities between the Silk Road countries. We asked each of the countries to do a flatbread, a grilled meat and a rice dish -- and then there are a lot of varieties within that specification. So you have pizza in the Italian area, kebab in the Afghani area, a grilled or skewered chicken in the Chinese area and bento boxes in the Japanese area -- with a little bit of this, a little bit of that. -- Betty

The Kids' Table: Also see today's Food section article, The Flavor of the Silk Road.

McLean, Va.: Hi:

I am looking for indoor activities for 9-year-old boys, any suggestion?

The Kids' Table: Hi McLean. This is Maura. If you're downtown, you can't lose with the Insect Zoo at Natural History and the new planetarium and IMAX shows at Air and Space.

Montgomery Village, Md.: One more question. My husband is going to Europe for the week next week (family wedding) and I will be in charge of my two kids (2 years old and 4 months old). Any suggestions for activities I can do with them that are not too difficult to accomplish by myself over 4th of July weekend? I prefer more small town, less-crowded locales (For example, I am not courageous enough to brave the Mall for the fireworks -- besides, I think they might scare my kids). Any suggestions? The Kids Table is a lifesaver!

The Kids' Table: Hi, MV. Wow, it sounds like you have your hands full that weekend. This is Anne, and I bet you and your 2-year-old would mostly appreciate a chance for fresh scenery that's not too far away. You could visit the many parks around Montgomery Village, take a stroll on the path around Lake Whetstone in Montgomery Village or try the paddleboats at the lake at the Rio. If the heat gets to you, you might stop by the kiddie pool at Bohrer Park Waterpark. There are also several summer concert series in the Gaithersburg area, most of them in parks with a safe, grassy spot for your toddler to dance.

Downtown, DC: I was at a semi-private pool the other day and there were some rambunctious children running around and acting like ninnies. Are you opposed to adults disciplining people's children when the parents are obviously not doing it themselves?

I think a polite but stern, "Please don't splash the other people in the pool." is certainly not unwarranted, but could it lead to a lawsuit from offended parents?

The Kids' Table: Hi, Downtown. First of all, I (Vicki) have a question. Wasn't there a lifeguard or the equivalent supervising the pool? The proper authority is always one direction to take a complaint (kind of like telling the flight attendant about a passenger that's making you miserable). But it's a safety issue for them and others, too; kids shouldn't be running.

If the kids are older, you may just be inviting a good dunking to have a word with them -- no matter how sweetly phrased. There are two other techniques I've used to get out of discomfort: relocate yourself and diversion; engage the kids in conversation ("You're really good at splashing, but can you swim?"). Truth is, even talking to someone else's children might make you look sinister and suspicious.

Rockville, Md.: Say you only have an hour (okay, two) to spend at the Folklife Festival. What do you see?

The Kids' Table: For a family with children, pick up a passport at one of the information booths right away and do the activity. We have a passport activity with a list of questions, and each question is answered in a different part of the festival. When you answer the question correctly, you get your passport stamped. When you answer four questions correctly (for children 7 and under) and eight questions correctly (for 8 and up), you get a reward -- a nice gold coin with the Silk Road symbol, the tree of life. This is the first year we've done this.

If it's an adult group, there's so much to do! It depends on what they're interested in -- crafts, or performances -- there's just so much happening!

All the performance spaces are in the middle of the Mall, and the crafts areas are on the side of the Mall that faces Jefferson Street (the Smithsonian Castle side of the Mall). One thing not to miss is the Pakistani-painted truck, because it is fabulous. It's a large truck that a group from Pakistan has painted all these beautiful, colorful pictures on. They do that to their trucks there, and it comes from the tradition of decorating your camel with brightly colored decorations. Not too many people have camels anymore, so now they decorate their trucks. (Although we do have camels on the Mall, too.) -- Betty

Arlington, Va.: A good friend of mine is coming in to town this weekend for a visit, bringing along her husband and 14-month-old son. Any suggestions on where to take them? We always take friends with young kids to the zoo, but we're looking for more options.

I also have a tip to share. I run along the Mt. Vernon Trail, which runs between the Potomac and GW Parkway for much of its length. There's a neat little park just off the trail and just North of National Airport. It would be a super spot to bring any kids who like airplanes. You could have a picnic and watch the planes come in and take off at National, and then walk or bike along the trail.

Thanks!

The Kids' Table: Hi Arlington, Lynette here.
Given the current run of hot sticky weather we've had, I'd vote for a museum. There is always the Capital Children's Museum for the kids. If you need something to keep the adults interested as well, there are, of course, the Smithsonian and other area museums. We just ran an article about how museums are working to entice younger visitors. If the weather doesn't bother you, everyone might also enjoy Arlington's Potomac Overlook Regional Park, which has a nature center, hiking trails and weekend concerts.

The Kids' Table: Ray -- If I were on the Mall with 11-year old boys or girls, I would make sure they came to Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to see the exhibition "The Adventures of Hamza." This is an exhibition of large paintings from the 16th century about a fellow named Hamza and his friends who meet up with giants and dragons and genies. These paintings were commissioned by the teenage Emperor Akbar in 16th-century India, his great-great-grandfather was Ghengis Khan. Akbar loved these stories. These paintings were held up in his courts as a storyteller would dramatically explain. For this exhibition, we have brought in professional storytellers every day at 11, at noon and at 1.

Herndon, Virginia: I'd like to go when it's not so crowded. Any suggestions?

The Kids' Table: Well, I would have told you to come today or tomorrow, but we already have a pretty big crowd down here. The weekends are going to be most crowded, and of course the Fourth of July as well.

Sunday morning is a great time to come. We open at 11, and there's hardly anybody here that early on a Sunday morning.

The rest of the time, weekends and the Fourth of July are just really crazy; but there are so many different places for people to go that the crowd spreads out. -- Betty

The Kids' Table: Six- to 14-year-old boys and girls and their adult companions please come between 1 and 2:30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays -- or Thursdays evenings during Art Night on the Mall (begining at 6) -- to explore the exhibition "Luxury Arts of the Silk Route Empires." Visitors become a merchant and travel from Rome to China and along the way they design objects of silver and gold. They return to the classroom on Level 2 of the Sackler Gallery and make metal repose plaques based on their own design. They get to take these home. No reservations are required and no fees. This is all free.
-- Stephen Eckerd, Coordinator of the ImaginAsia Program.

Arlington, Va.: Not sure of the topic. But I remember reading somewhere that a movie theater in the area had a crying room or a night of the week for parents night when crying age babies were acceptable in the theater. Have you heard of this? Thanks for the information.

The Kids' Table: Hello Arlington.

This is Matt, and I've been to just about every movie theater in the region. I'm not aware of a theater that has a crying room or a parents night with babies, although I've heard some cities do have theaters with crying rooms.

My first thought is why a parents night for crying babies would even be attractive. One of the great things about going to the theater compared to watching at home is the quiet (unless you have talkers nearby), the big screen and the great sound. I'm picturing 50 couples with 50 crying babies trying to watch "Minority Report."

If you really feel the need to get to a theater and have to bring the baby, I'd suggest a morning show during the week. A lot fewer people attend (I saw the "Sum of All Fears" with three other people at an 11:40 a.m. show). That way you could even stand or rock the child if need be without leaving the theater.

And there are still some drive-ins around. I've been to the Bengies, which is outside of Baltimore, and I highly recommend it. You can bring in your own food for $5, and they show triple features on the weekend.

Talking to Other Folks' Kids: I was in the children's section of the public library with my granddaughters. While the g-girls selected their books, I sat at a table where two little girls were coloring pictures. To the younger girl, I said "Oh that's a pretty picture." Before she could respond, her older sister immediately interjected, "Sis, don't talk to strangers!" Made me kinda sad, but I was happy to see that they took their parents' cautionary instructions seriously.

The Kids' Table: Thanks for sharing. I (Vicki) tend to be on the friendly side, too. And have had a similar response. And my thoughts are like yours; kinda sorry that's the way it needs to be and glad the children are guarded.

Thanks, too, for giving me the opportunity to ask our other parents out there about "talking to other folks' kids."

What works, what doesn't, table companions?

The Kids' Table: And Arlington, by the way, where are my manners? This is Lynette again. Thank you so much for the great tip about the place to watch airplanes. I know we have a lot of young flight aficionados out there. (Why else is the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum the area's top attraction?) Thanks.

The Kids' Table: The professional storyteller is Louise Omoto Kessel. -- Ray

La Plata, MD: Love this new chat! I know in the grown-up Got Plans chat people write in asking for help finding lessons for things like belly dancing, tennis, etc. So, I'll give this a shot here: I'm trying to find private piano lessons for my 8 year old daughter and I'm not having much luck! Can anyone help point me in the right direction? We live in the SOMD area (La Plata). Thanks so much!!

The Kids' Table: Hi, La Plata, Anne here. I'd start by asking the music teacher at your daughter's school. The teacher could probably refer you to a network of musicians. You might also ask at the music or theater department of a local college or university. The staff there is bound to give you many recommendations on professional musicians in the area.

Rockville, MD -- out of the heat: I am planning a trip down to the Silk Road, but would like to know if there are any suggestions of where I can take my kids out of the heat; see interesting things and or keep them captivated with a performance? Music? art activities?

Thank you.

The Kids' Table: The art-making activities take place during our ImaginAsia program. The storytelling activities take place in the "Hamza" exhibition daily at 11, 12 and 1. Plus the stories from the Silk Road are in the Family Tent (on the Mall) at 2 and in the Sackler at 3. There's lots of music happening, too. Every day during the festival there will be musical performances in the Freer Gallery's Meyer Auditorium. This features musical performances from Turkey, Uzbekistan, Iran, Azerbaijan. The best place for the detailed schedule is our Web site. There are at least two concerts every day and on a couple of days there are four.

I'm excited about a performance of classical music from Iran June 26-30. The performers are Parisa and Dariush Talai, a singer and dulcimar artist, it should be beautiful. The concerts don't stop with the festival. We have a wonderful preformance related to the Silk Road July 18-19. It's modern dance at 8 p.m. in front of the Freer Gallery. Dana Tai Soon Burgess and Company are performing three pieces, new works based on Dana's visits along the Silk Road: western China, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. He studies dance in each of these places and incorporates movement he learned into his choreography. It's an outdoor performance. It should be magical and everything's free here. -- Ray

Bethesda, MD: I'm a lifeguard, and I'll tell you that I don't lift a finger if an adult complains about some kids. I don't know who the kids are, and I sure as heck don't know who the parents are. The last thing I need is to discipline the CEO's grandchildren, and get fired as a result.

The Kids' Table: Hi, Bethesda. My (Vicki's) question is don't you risk getting fired if you don't keep "the complainer" happy, too (could be the CEO's wife)? And if the children are running, isn't that breaking a rule that's one of the good ones that needs to be enforced for everybody's safety. That's just doing your job.

Bethesda, MD: We will be out of town for the most part of the festival. Will any of these activities be avilable after the festival?

The Kids' Table: We do have a Web site -- www.silkroadproject.org/smithsonian -- where you will be able to access a lot of information that we had at the festival, and more, so you can access a lot of information that way. People who want to access the festival and look up information beforehand can check that out as well -- it has a lot of links to different areas and resources.

They won't pertain directly to the festival, but there are a lot of exhibits about things relating to the Silk Road at different museums. On the Web site, there's an area where we researched the various collections and exhibits pertaining to the Silk Road, and you can visit the Freer and Sackler, for example, to find out what's happening there, or the Natural History Museum.

There are some surprising things on there. For instance, you can see Silk Road postage stamps at the National Postal Museum; the numismatic collection, a coin collection, is at American History, and they have Silk Road-related coins there, so you have to look beyond the obvious.

There is a Silk Road double CD that Folkways Recordings is putting out now -- called "The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan" -- which will be available for sale at the festival as well as afterward. The Web site I mentioned earlier will have a link to Folkways to see how to order that from the Web or from mail-order. -- Betty

The Kids' Table: Starting in July, the Sackler has a family program related to "The Adventures of Hamza": Learn about storytelling through the dance fom Kathak. We have a dancer from Nepal who will be leading the program, as well as offering dance classes. His name is Bhim Dahal.
--Li Koo, ImaginAsia program assistant

Kathak dance orginated in the court of Akbar for whom the paintings were commissioned. The dance form represents the meeting of Hindu temple dancers from Northern India and Sufi dancers from Central Asia. The paintings of Hamza and kathak dance both represent what magnificent art forms can result when Hindus and Muslims combine their talents. The subject matter of the painting of "The Adventures of Hamza" are of a Persian folk hero; more than half of the painters who collaborated to make the paintings were Hindus working side by sdide with Muslim painters from India and Persia.
-- Steve

Clinton, Maryland: Hello!

I am a mother of 3 very active children who constantly want to be entertained. My husband and I work full time and would love to find an exciting camp to enroll the children (ages 4, 6, and 9) in. We would love to find a camp that offers academic enrichment along with a variety of activities. More importantly, we would love to find something affordable. All of the camps that we've tried cost at least $500-$600 a week which is outside of the budget. Please help!

The Kids' Table: Hi Clinton, MD, Lynette here, this is a challenge. One question is do you want your children to stay at the camp or come home overnight? A second issue is the ages of your children. Most camps that I'm aware of don't take children under the age of eight. For instance, only your 9-year-old would be old enough to attend Rip Hamilton's basketball camp in Gaithersburg. There is Camp Sonshine, an organization that offers several camps grouped by age (as young as 4) in Montgomery County. Their fees run between $200 and $350, and their activities include wilderness experiences, Bible stories, swimming, etc. I hope this helps.

The Kids' Table: Okay, everybody, thanks so much for your wonderful questions and comments -- a special thanks to our Smithsonian guests, Betty and Ray (Steve and Li Koo, too). We're ready to leave the table (push those chairs in, please) and head for the Silk Road. What dishes?
Join us again at the Kids' Table, Wednesday, July 10, at noon.

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