Naturally Connected
April 18 & 19, 2026
an Earth Day Celebration & Collaboration by
Save the Dates!
Saturday April 18 & Sunday April 19
Celebrate Earth Day with three Montgomery County museums and bring family and friends to Glenstone for free guided nature hikes and activities, KID Museum for family-friendly robotics and nature activities, and the future Springsong Museum site for self-guided observation hikes.
Weekend Activities
Glenstone
Saturday April 18 at Glenstone, 11am - 2pm
FREE & open to visitors ages 12+
12100 Glen Rd, Potomac, MD 20854
INFORMATION ABOUT ACTIVITIES
11:30am-12:30pm: Nature Walk with Glenstone's Landscape Superintendent Matt Partain and Springsong Museum’s Master Naturalist, Founder, and Executive Director Rebecca Henson.
KID Museum presents: Code the Landscape: Robotic Environmental Mapping. In this hands-on exploration, participants use robotics and mapping to investigate how landscapes change and how people care for the environment. Working with large, color-coded maps of Glenstone and SpringSong Museum grounds, visitors program a LEGO SPIKE Prime robot to travel across different areas of the landscape.
Springsong Museum: The museum will be sharing its "Museum in a Bag" and encourages all visitors to touch, look at, and explore each item. Visitors can check out early editions of Rachel Carson books and New Yorker magazines, which serialized Silent Spring before its publication. We also encourage visitors to examine ecological materials from the Northwest Branch (the future site of Springsong) like mica - the mineral that gives Silver Spring its name - 8-sided garnets, petrified wood, shells, and more!
Close up observation: Use microscopes to examine soil, natural minerals, and found materials, and take time to notice the small details of the world around you. *Visitors are invited to bring a small sample of soil from home to compare under the microscopes.
Accessibility notes: Open rain/shine, paved and gravel paths, cart available to facilitate travel
KID Museum
INFORMATION ABOUT ACTIVITIES
Seed Paper Making: Celebrate Earth Day by transforming recycled paper into plantable seed paper. Makers will tear paper, explore pulp, and press paper, embedding native or pollinator-friendly seeds to create handmade sheets they can take home and plant.
Tech Take Apart: Makers will explore the inner workings of everyday electronics by safely taking apart devices and examining their components. Using real tools, participants will investigate circuits, motors, and mechanical parts while building an understanding of how technology is designed, used, and reused. This hands-on activity encourages curiosity, problem-solving, and conversations around repair, reuse, and sustainability.
Notebook Making & Nature Observation: Create your own handmade field notebook, then head 'outdoors' inside KID Museum to explore the living landscape at Glenstone with their demo garden and the Springsong Observation Station. Use microscopes to examine soil, natural minerals, and found materials, and take time to notice the small details of the world around you. Be inspired by the words of Rachel Carson, sketch, write, and record your observations as you explore, building a personal record of curiosity, discovery, and connection with nature. *Visitors are invited to bring a small sample of soil from home to compare under the microscopes.
KID Museum parking information can be found on our visit landing page, along with other FAQs for visitors.
Sunday April 19 at KID Museum, 10am - 4pm
All ages, admission $15/person
3 Bethesda Metro Center Suite 140 Bethesda, MD 20814
Springsong
Saturday April 18 & Sunday April 19, 3pm - 5pm
FREE & Self-guided, open to all ages
10701 Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20901
INFORMATION ABOUT ACTIVITIES
Young and old alike can participate in a self-guided scavenger hunt along the dramatic fall line between the Piedmont Plateau and the Coastal Plain, which is approximately 1-mile trail loop.
Naturalists will be available along path to point out key landmarks and features.
The ground can be uneven, parts are on an incline, and there are a few rock scrambles. Hiking boots are recommended and some may want to bring hiking poles.
Water fountains and bathrooms are not available along the trail, but there are shops close by with both.
Accessibility notes: Open rain/shine. Parking available at the Burnt Mills East Special Park (Trader Joe’s side of Colesville Road)
More information
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Glenstone: Yes, you will need to reserve a ticket to visit. Click here to reserve your ticket.
KID: Yes, it is recommended you purchase tickets ahead of time here.
Springsong: It it recommended to register ahead of time so our naturalists know how many hikers will be participating.
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Glenstone is free to visit but you must register in advance.
KID Museum is $15/person admission.
The trails by the future Springsong Museum are free and open to the public.
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Glenstone: There are three parking groves at the Arrival Hall: Red Oak, White Oak, and Sycamore. Parking is complimentary. Accessible parking is available directly in front of the Arrival Hall in the Sycamore parking grove. Visit the accessibility page for more information.
KID: PLEASE NOTE: Montgomery County parking garages are free on Sundays.
Montgomery County Metropolitan Parking Garage 49
Main Entrance: 7601 Woodmont Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
Secondary Entrance: 4817 Edgemoor Lane, cross street Bethesda Metro Center
Springsong: Parking is free at Burnt Mills East Park, 10701 Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20901.
