KIDfest from KID Museum Set for Sept. 23 at Civic Building

KIDfest, a free event from KID Museum, will be held Sunday, Sept. 23 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Silver Spring Civic Building.

The festival features hands-on activities and demonstrations of robotics, engineering, biotechnology and other subjects that give attendees a look at the future.

The event also includes two stages with live music, talks by local inventors, and other activities and demonstrations including:

• Pet PARO, an advanced therapeutic robot, which looks like a baby seal and can respond to voices or touch
• A portable, inflatable planetarium to investigate the night sky and constellations.
• Alexander Kao-Sowa, a teenage blacksmith, will teach attendees how to set up blacksmith operations in the backyard and demonstrate ornamental iron making.
• An exhibit from the Charles Koiner Center for Urban Farming Education where participants can learn how to use wildflowers from the farm to create water paints.  
• Music Discovery Lab will provide instruction on playing handcrafted musical instruments.
• An opportunity to build electronic circuits, modify codes, and observe a robot’s response at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math After School Academy’s booth, and
• A chance to drive a robot at the Blair Robot Project exhibit.

KID Museum is a Bethesda-based learning space that provides hands-on learning incorporating STEM, art, and culture with 21^st century skills like creativity and critical thinking.

Kid-made robotics at KIDfest, photo by Edwin Remsberg Photography.