Storytime: Express Yourself!

Storytime is currently a drop-in experience. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. ASL interpretation is provided at the 10:30 reading.

Join us and the Washington Ballet for an exploration of how we express who we are. We will look closely at Your oceanic feeling by Olafur Eliasson; read Julián Is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love; and participate in our own playful art-making.

Meet on the Plaza.


Do this at home! Create a complementary colors suncatcher inspired by our 2019 exhibition, Pat Steir: Color Wheel. Instructions here. 

A wet, just finished water color sits on top of a piece of newspaper.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind Storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and tons of movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. ASL is provided at the 10:30am reading. If there are additional access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive, please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. Groups of ten or more, should contact hmsgeducation@si.edu with their requested program date and group details.

Storytime: Why Am I Me?

Storytime is currently a drop-in experience. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. ASL interpretation is provided at the 10:30 reading.

What makes you who you are? We’re teaming up with educators from the National Postal Museum and friends from the Washington Ballet to celebrate what makes us special! Express yourself with movement, music, and more at this week’s Storytime. Get inspired by a close look at Mis Cuatro Gracias (Brendan, Camilo, Carlos, Jorge), by artist Aliza Nisenbaum; read Why Am I Me?, by Paige Britt; and make our own artworks celebrating ourselves! 

Meet on the Plaza.


Do this at home! Grab some paper, small objects and scissors and get ready to explore identity and create a collage self-portrait! Instructions here.

Three black and white photos printed onto regular printer paper sit fanned out on a wooden surface.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind Storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and tons of movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. ASL is provided at the 10:30am reading. If there are additional access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive, please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. Groups of ten or more, should contact hmsgeducation@si.edu with their requested program date and group details.

Storytime: Fish Out of Water

Storytime is currently a drop-in experience. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. ASL interpretation is provided at the 10:30 reading.

What lives in the sea? Join us and educators from the Zoo for an ocean inspired Storytime where we’ll look closely at Fish, by Alexander Calder; read Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister; and create our own fantastical loose-parts sculptures inspired by the ocean. 

Meet on the Plaza.


Do this at home! If you could be anything from nature, what would you be? Inspired by artist Thierry de Cordier, create a self-portrait using natural items. Instructions here. 

Sections of bark, moss and plants lie on a white surface.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind Storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and tons of movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. ASL is provided at the 10:30am reading. If there are additional access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive, please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. Groups of ten or more, should contact hmsgeducation@si.edu with their requested program date and group details.

Storytime: A Trip to the Hirshhorn

Storytime is currently a drop-in experience. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. ASL interpretation is provided at the 10:30 reading.

Ignite your child’s imagination with a trip to the Hirshhorn. We will read the story Matthew’s Dream by Leo Lionni, a book about a young mouse who visits a museum and realizes that art can change the way we see the world. Following the story, participants will create their own visual stories.

Meet on the Plaza.


Do this at home! Use water to transform a plain coffee filter into your own sculptural work of art bursting with color. Instructions here.

A coffee filter, stained red, yellow, green and blue has been folded and stapled to the center of a cream colored piece of paper. A black signature is featured in the lower right corner of the paper.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind Storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and tons of movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. ASL is provided at the 10:30am reading. If there are additional access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive, please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. Groups of ten or more, should contact hmsgeducation@si.edu with their requested program date and group details.

Storytime: Form the Future

Storytime is currently a drop-in experience. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. ASL interpretation is provided at the 10:30 reading.

Get inspired by the seasonal changes happening all around us and join for a spring-inspired Storytime! Young artists will look closely at Futurist Flowers, by artist Giacomo Balla, and read Plants Can’t Sit Still, by Mia Posada. After the read-aloud, we’ll build and sculpt our own nature-inspired works!  

Meet on the Second Level.


Do this at home! Transform used cardboard materials into futuristic sculptures! Instructions here.

Two colored used cardboard pieces have been cut out into vaguely tree-like shapes to form small sculptures.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind Storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and tons of movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. ASL is provided at the 10:30am reading. If there are additional access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive, please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. Groups of ten or more, should contact hmsgeducation@si.edu with their requested program date and group details.

Storytime: Sculpting with Square

Storytime is currently a drop-in experience. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. ASL interpretation is provided at the 10:30 reading.

How does nature inspire artists? Join us and a horticulturist from Smithsonian Gardens as we explore Spatial Concept: Nature, by Lucio Fontana, the nature on the Hirshhorn’s Plaza, and read Square, by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. Following the story, we will create our own nature-inspired artworks.

Meet on the Plaza.


Do this at home! Make your own abstract sculpture inspired by Barbara Hepworth. Instructions here.

A grey, organic sculpture made of clay and resembling a pelvis sits on a flat brown surface, a white background behind it.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime: Think Inside the Box!

Storytime is currently a drop-in experience. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. ASL interpretation is provided at the 10:30 reading.

What could you create from an empty box? Join us for a reading of Not a Box, by Antoinette Portis, and a close look at artworks by artist Joseph Cornell. We’ll use our imaginations to build our own out-of-the-box works of art. 

Meet on the Second Level.


Do this at home! Use your imagination to construct your own three-dimensional box inspired by artist Joseph Cornell. Instructions here.

A small art display inside a shoe-box sized container sealed with plastic wrap.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind Storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and tons of movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. ASL is provided at the 10:30am reading. If there are additional access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive, please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. Groups of ten or more, should contact hmsgeducation@si.edu with their requested program date and group details. 

Storytime: Motion of the Ocean

Storytime is currently a drop-in experience. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. ASL interpretation is provided at the 10:30 reading.

Use your imagination to travel to the ocean with us and educators from the Smithsonian’s Zoo and the National Museum of Natural History at this week’s Storytime. Young artists will look closely at Figure for Landscape, by Barbara Hepworth; read Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef, by Marianne Berkes; and use their imaginations to build a water-inspired world!  

Meet on the Plaza.


Do this at home! Imagine a faraway world and paint it with layers of watercolor. Instructions here

A hand painted watercolor.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind Storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and tons of movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. ASL is provided at the 10:30am reading. If there are additional access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive, please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. Groups of ten or more, should contact hmsgeducation@si.edu with their requested program date and group details. 

Storytime: Think Outside the Crayon Box!

We’re switching up Storytime to a drop-in experience while we prepare new exhibitions for spring openings. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am.

What materials do you use to make art? Contemporary artists often experiment with unusual materials. Join us for a close look at artist Mark Bradford’s Pickett’s Charge and a read-aloud of A Day with No Crayons by Elizabeth Rusch, then create some unusual art of your own!

Meet on the Third Level.


Do this at home! Meet the tinker tray. Much more than a vessel of materials, tinker trays encourage loosely structured, open-ended play while developing fine motor skills, creativity, and imagination. Instructions here.

A wooden box full of art supplies sits on a black surface


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime: Dance with Diamond

We’re switching up Storytime to a drop-in experience while we prepare new exhibitions for spring openings. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am.

How do you move your body? Join us for a reading of Tap! Tap! Tap!: Dance! Dance! Dance! by Hervé Tullet, and a close look at the artwork Samba to the Reckoning by Jessica Diamond. We’ll perform with our bodies and stretch the possibilities of our art-making materials. 

Meet on the Second Level.


Do this at home! Play with texture using playdough and a few simple materials. Instructions here.

A dark blue clump of playdough sits in the center of a red checkered board. A child’s hand reaches for a piece of pasta.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.