We organize a variety of activities and events every month.
We aim to give our kids (and parents) several opportunities to play, make new friends, explore, learn, and socialize.
Parents need friends too
Our numerous activities and events offer parents a chance to talk among friends who are in the same season of life. Many of our members either do not have family nearby to lean on, are first-time parents, or are new to staying at home with the kids.
WAM & Fam provides our members with a sense of camaraderie.
Members are welcome to participate in any and all activities and events that interest them. We offer many events that occur during the day, when at-home moms and dads need the most support, as well as several after school, evening, and weekend get togethers.
Previous events have included parks visits, pool days, cookie bakes, coffee stops, story hours, music times, nature walks, happy hour meet ups, trivia nights, and dinner out.
Our members host these events, and we encourage members to add more to our shared calendar and invite others to join along.
Note: We do not publish our calendar on the Internet to protect the privacy and safety of our members.
Intentionally small groups
Our weekly playgroups are a great way to make good friends. Each group is intentionally small so parents and kids can get to know each other on a regular basis. A group meets weekly on the same day of the week, at the same time. One group comprises approximately 9 families.
Finding your playgroup
Members are matched with a playgroup based on parents’ schedules, group availability, and children’s birth dates. By grouping the kids by school year, our children form friendships that grow with them—from sitting up, to walking, to potty training, to registering for preschools and kindergarten.
Parents who have more than one child can join a playgroup for each of their children’s ages, and siblings are welcome to attend the other’s playgroup.
Hosting made easy
Group members take turns hosting, which simply means choosing a location for their playgroup to meet. Typical locations include local parks, libraries, nature centers, rec centers, and members’ homes. Weekly playdates generally stay within our membership boundaries and do not cost parents money.
Join WAM & Fam
Our weekly playgroups are only for WAM & Fam members. On the Join WAM & Fam membership page, the application form contains a field in which you can indicate that you would like to join a weekly playgroup.
WAM & Fam’s activities coordinator posts monthly events that any of our members can attend. The events appear in both our members-only Google calendar and listserv, so parents can see what opportunities are next and plan ahead.
Past outings and activities have included stroller-paced, kid-paced, or adult-paced walks; meet ups at local parks and playgrounds; pool days at the county aquatic centers; field trips to farms; cookie swaps; coffee dates; seasonal craft projects; story or music hours at the library; and occasional trips into D.C. Generally, we aim to keep these outings to little or no cost.
Any member can suggest an outing for the calendar and be the host, which can be as simple as welcoming members at the gathering and being the event’s point of contact.
Three times a year we host large parties for our general membership. Traditionally, these are a Valentine’s Day party, an end-of-school-year party to kick off the summer, and a Halloween party.
WAM & Fam currently has two book clubs for our members. Each club selects its own books, but generally we read all types: fiction, non-fiction, best sellers, classics, memoirs, poetry, etc.
Joining one of our book clubs is an excellent way for parents to make some time for themselves; children do not participate, but infants are welcome. Each club meets once a month and in the evening to discuss a book. Members do not need to finish the book to attend the meeting; however, we might discuss the book’s ending.
Book club members are encouraged to rotate hosting duties, which involves choosing a location and, if desired, leading the discussion. Past locations have included local restaurants and members’ homes. For convenience, we ask that the location be central to WAM & Fam’s membership in the Silver Spring and Wheaton areas.
If you are interested in joining a book club, please contact us and state “book club” in the subject line.
WAM & Fam has two monthly knitting events for our members: a morning kid-friendly playdate on the 4th Wednesday of each month and a parents-only night out on the 2nd Thursday of each month. These events are posted on our shared group calendar with specific locations and times.
At these events, members tend to work on their own projects. Occasionally, we organize a yarn swap. If members are interested, club members can also participate in a knit-along. Some of our members have also participated in past service project events by making blankets and baby hats for Project Linus.
Although called a knitting club, this group includes people who crochet, embroider, hand sew, etc. We encourage members to work on anything they want. Mainly, this club helps parents to make time for crafting and socializing. And if someone wants to learn or needs advice on a project, our members are happy to help with that too.
If you are interested in joining this club, please contact us and state “knitting club” in the subject line.
When the kids are asleep, let the parents play. Our parents’ night out events are quite popular.
Any of our members can suggest and host a parents’ night out, and our activities coordinator can add it to our members-only shared Google calendar. Past events have included dinner at a restaurant, a night at the movies, or create-your-own pottery.
So put those kids to bed, find someone to watch them, and come hang out with your friends.
