Storytime: Call Me Tree
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.
In celebration of spring, join the Hirshhorn for a read-aloud of the bilingual book Call Me Tree, by Maya Christina Gonzalez (we’ll be reading it in English). Take a close look at the Museum Lobby’s tables, created by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto using a 700-year-old nutmeg tree, then create your own tree- and blossom-inspired works.
Meet on the Lower Level.
Do this at home! Celebrate spring by transforming a plain coffee filter into your own sculptural work of art bursting with color. Instructions here.
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: Becoming Butterflies
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.
Embrace the season of change with us and educators from the Smithsonian’s Zoo and National Museum of Natural History! Explore spring inspired by Butterfly Incantation (Polygonia Comma, Polygonia Interrogationis, Plebejus Melissa Samuelis) by artist Jessica Diamond. Young artists will look closely at Diamond’s work on view, read The Making of Butterflies by Ibram X. Kendi and Zora Neale Hurston, and create their own spring-inspired works of art!
Meet on the Second Level.
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.
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: Color of Love!
Dive into the world of Simone Leigh’s art! Join us to explore Overburdened with Significance by Simone Leigh, read The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael López, and make our own one-of-a-kind artworks inspired by the things that make you special!
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
Do this at home! Make your own abstract sculpture inspired by Barbara Hepworth. Instructions here.
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: Mouse Paint
Mix it up at this week’s Storytime exploring color mixing. We’ll look closely at Mark Bradford’s Pickett’s Charge, read the story Mouse Paint by Ellen Walsh, and play with colorful, transparent materials to mix our own colors.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
Do this at home! Explore color through your senses! Only a small amount of set-up is required for prolonged play. Instructions here.
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: Mix It Up!
What’s your favorite color? Join us to explore color mixing at this week’s Storytime. We’ll read Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet, look closely at Jessica Diamond: Wheel Of Life, and create collaboratively with colorful art-making and play!
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
Do this at home! Painting with a budding artist? Keep it wonderfully simple—and get maximum results—by using a limited color palette In this Mini Art Lesson where we explore color mixing. Instructions here.
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: A Seed is Sleepy
In celebration of the changing seasons, join us and educators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History to take a close look at the Museum Lobby’s tables, created by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto using a 700-year-old nutmeg tree, and investigate plant life through the amazing journey of seeds! After a read-aloud of A Seed is Sleepy by Diana Hutts Aston, we will keep exploring seeds and create our own fall-inspired works of art.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
Do this at home! Create a “wish tree” to share with your family, friends, and neighbors. Instructions here.
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. An ASL Interpreter may be requested for this program; two weeks advance notice is appreciated. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.
Storytime: Express Yourself!
Join us 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 in the Museum Lobby.
Do this at home! Create a complementary colors suncatcher inspired by our 2019 exhibition, Pat Steir: Color Wheel. Instructions here.
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: My Voice
Activate your voice with us at this week’s Storytime. Take a close look at Childhood Calling by Jessica Diamond, listen to a read-aloud of Mi Voz by José Fragoso, then stay to create an artwork that amplifies your own voice!
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
Do this at home! What makes you who you are? Grab some paper, small objects, and scissors—and get ready to explore identity and create a collage self-portrait! Instructions here.
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: Moonbear’s Shadow
Join us and educators from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum to explore and play with light and shadow! We’ll tour the galleries and hunt for shadows in several artworks, read the story Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch aloud, and explore making our own works using light and shadow.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
Do this at home! Brighten up the darkness with this colorful and playful Mini Art Lesson exploring light. Instructions here.
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: Martin’s Big Words
Art communicates. Explore the power of words and images in this week’s Storytime. We’ll look closely at Belief + Doubt by artist Barbara Kruger, read aloud Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, and we’ll practice using our own big words (and images and symbols!) to explore fairness, love, and our own power in making the world a better place.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
Do this at home! What do you want to change? Assemble a collage inspired by Loïs Mailou Jones’s Challenge—America. Choose a cause that you care about, and then arrange and rearrange images to create a collage that inspires change in your community! Instructions here.
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.
