Play! - Baltimore City Public Schools

National 

Band 

Champions 

Shell Programming 

for Play Partners

How you Band play Shell is Programming 

who you become 

Where the creativity of children’s play 

meets the needs of the 21 st Century 

My PlayBook 

www.baltimorecityschools.org/ultimateblockparty

“Without this playing with fantasy no creative work 

has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the 

play of the imagination is incalculable.” 

Carl Jung 

"The time that families spend at home together is one of our 

greatest opportunities for learning. Creative, playful 

and fun family time can be a huge opportunity for learning. 

The Ultimate Block Party is some of the most important fun we can 

have with our children! 

Michael Sarbanes, Executive Director, Office of Partnerships, 

Communications and Community Engagement, Baltimore City Public Schools 

"Play sets the foundation of how children learn by helping them 

develop problem-solving and communication skills, 

while fostering creativity. Let the children play and knowledge will 

follow. It's an investment in our future, our children!" 

Bryn Parchman, President and CEO, Port Discovery Children's Museum 

"Play to learn and then learn to play. 

The rest is just information.” 

Will Noel, Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, The Walters Art Museum 

“Play gives children a chance to 

practice what they are learning.” 

Fred Rogers

Welcome... 

...TO BALTIMORE’S ULTIMATE BLOCK 

PARTY! A DAY TO CELEBRATE PLAY! 

We are very pleased to be able to welcome you to Baltimore’s Ultimate 

Block Party. Today is a celebration of the arts and sciences of play. You and 

your child are sure to have lots of fun. You will also learn more about how 

important play is for your child’s healthy growth, development and learning. 

We know from scientific research that play-based learning fosters initiative, 

collaboration, problem solving and many other important skills. Your tour 

today of the Ultimate Block Party’s 30 play centers, story corner and the live 

performance stage as well as the opportunity to talk to our Play Doctors, 

will give you a chance to learn how different types of play stimulate learning 

and brain development in children. We hope that through your day at the 

Ultimate Block Party you pick up lots of 

ideas for creative ways to play with your 

children at home. 

On behalf of the Baltimore Ultimate Block 

Party Steering Committee, we would like to 

thank our sponsors and the outstanding 

group of education partners who have 

created the Ultimate Block Party play 

centers, as well as the many artists at the 

live performance stage and story corner. 

Thank you as well to the hundreds of 

volunteers from the Baltimore community. 

Every child, regardless of age, can learn 

through play. Play is fun, affordable, 

active and easy to do at home, in the neighborhood, in the park. In fact, play 

can happen just about anywhere. And especially at the Ultimate Block Party! 

Michael Sarbanes 

Executive Director, Office of Engagement 

Baltimore City Public Schools

Play! Laugh! Have Fun... 

And help your children grow and learn! 

This PlayBook is your guide to the Baltimore Ultimate Block Party. But it is 

also your guide to the science of play and the way in which each activity at 

the Ultimate Block Party stimulates children’s healthy development. 

The “More ways to play at home” sections have ideas for playful activities 

to do after you leave the Ultimate Block Party. The resources provided 

also offer opportunities to learn more. 

The Baltimore PlayBook is available as a PDF with live links on our 

website, http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/ultimateblockparty 

On the Main Stage 

Join emcees Maria Broom and Max Bent for lots of music, dance and play! 

11:15 Ssuuna 

12:00 Dance Party-- Molly Shattuck Vibrant Living 

1:00 Illstyle and Peace 

1:30 Sprout's Largest Game of Simon Says in Baltimore 

2:00 The REMO Drumming Circle with Nellie Hill 

3:00 ORCHKids 

4:00 The REMO Drumming Circle with Nellie Hill 

4:45 Maria Broom 

All around Rash Field 

Everywhere you go there will be someone to play with 

Clowns Without Borders 

Clowns do more than make people laugh. They can help kids learn to deal 

with something new they might not have encountered before. Our clowns 

will be stationed throughout Rash Field to fool around and engage 

families in tons of clowning around fun and 

games. Our clowns will also help families 

find their way around the Ultimate Block 

Party. 

Balloons by Jon 

Look for Captain Jack around the Field and 

watch while he creates balloon characters 

beyond your wildest imagination! 

Play Doctors 

Experts will wonder the park sharing 

information about the learning that is 

happening through play.

And help your children grow and learn! 

In the Story Corner 

Brought to you by Young Audiences / Arts for Learning 

11:00 Molly Moores 

Become a part of the story as local 

actress Molly Moores uses storytelling 

and theatre to create a highly 

participatory, interactive introduction to 

the stories of Shakespeare for kids! 

1:00 Red Hawk 

Cherokee Myth-Keeper and renowned 

speaker and storyteller, Red Hawk will 

delight with stories of animals, legends 

and Native American culture. 

2:00 Arianna Ross 

Travel the world, with storyteller extraordinaire, Arianna Ross as she 

incorporates instruments, theatre and dance to share fables and tales 

from the four corners of the earth! 

3:00 Debra Mims 

Professional storyteller and actress Debra Mims, transforms into 

Grandma Mims to perform an entertaining mix of ghost, folk, and 

“cautionary” tales found in African, African-American, and Caribbean 

literature. 

4:00 Alden Phelps 

Storyteller and songwriter, Alden Phelps 

will have audiences telling stories 

through music and their own silly songs 

in this interactive program! 

The Author’s Corner 

Sponsored by Enoch Pratt Fee Library 

11:00-12:00 

The Creative Classroom and A Dramatic 

Approach to Reading Comprehension. Lenore Kelner 

2:30 – Ask the Experts 

Come with your questions about learning, parenting and more! Ellen 

Galinksy, Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute and author of Mind in the 

Making; Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University, Roberta Golinkoff, University 

of Delaware and authors of A Mandate for Playful Learning; Jennifer Emmett, 

Children's Editor, National Geographic Society; and Susan Magsamen, Johns 

Hopkins University Brain Science Institute and author of The Classic Treasury 

of Childhood Wonders will be on hand to answer your questions. This lively 

panel is moderated by Ellen Riordan from Enoch Pratt Free Library. 

This panel will be followed by authors signing their books at 3:30 p.m.

Play Centers 

Where in the World? Adventure Play ............................................................8 

“Workin’ on the Railroad” B&O Railroad Museum 

Building the Future: Construction Play ......................................................10 

“Imagination Playground” Imagination Playground, LLC 

“ScrapKins Recycled Art Factory” ScrapKins 

Just Add Imagination: Creative Play ..........................................................12 

“Be A Part of the Art” Port Discovery Children’s Museum 

“Sidewalk Chalk Art” Crayola, hosted by Young Audiences / Arts for Learning 

“Play in Clay: Make it and Take it” Baltimore Clayworks 

“The Good Behavior Game” PAXIS Institute sponsored by PNRC 

“Fish Sand Art” National Aquarium, Baltimore 

Say What? Language Play..........................................................................15 

“Relax and Write…” Speakaboos 

“Books on the Beach” Center for Jewish Education 

“Alphadoodle Puzzles” The Walters Art Museum 

Pretend Worlds: Make-Believe Play ..........................................................18 

“Theatre Games and Activities” Centerstage 

“Let’s Play Café” The Goddard School ® 

Performing Arts Play: ................................................................................21 

Performers at the Main Stage 

“Family Hip Hop” For the People Entertainment sponsored by PNRC 

Get Moving: Physical Play ........................................................................25 

“Simon Says” Sprout 

“Mindful Yoga” Holistic Life Foundation sponsored by PNRC 

“Playworks Play Station” Playworks Baltimore 

“Rokkball Baseball Clinic” Child First Authority

Play Centers 

“Play 60 Youth Fitness Zone” The Baltimore Ravens 

“Nature Play Spaces” Parks and People Foundation, Kaiser Permanente 

and Patuxent Research Refuge 

“Minute to Win It” Teach For America – Baltimore 

Math, Science and Technology Play ..........................................................29 

“The Great Piggy Bank Adventure ® ” T. Rowe Price 

“Getting a Feel for it” The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore 

“BioEYES” Johns Hopkins University School of Education 

“Come Fly Away” Baltimore City Public Schools' Family Institute 

“Growing Green, Sustaining Play” City Schools Sustainability Challenge 

“Science Inquiry Station” Maryland Science Center 

Mission Play................................................................................................34 

Our Activity Sponsors ................................................................................35 

Champions For Play 

Funding Partners 

Activity Partners 

The Baltimore Ultimate Block Party Steering Committee ........................49 

The Ultimate Block Party Supporting Organizations ................................50 

The Ultimate Block Party Play Doctors and Volunteer organizations ........52 

Our Ultimate Block Party Distinguished Advisors ......................................53 

The Baltimore Ultimate Block Party Activities Map....................................56

What Science Tells us About 

Learning Through Play 

Young children learn by playing and exploring their natural environments. 

Research shows that playful stimulation and nurturing can modify genetic 

codes, develop pathways in the brain that affect future health, learning, 

and behavior; and even change the shape of the brain. Play-based 

learning can range from informal play to more structured and purposeful 

activities that lead the child to learn certain skills. Play stimulates a wide 

range of learning and growth and parents and educators play a significant 

role in this learning. 

Research shows us that there is no conflict between play and learning. 

Play helps children build complex skills in reading, math and helps us learn 

to get along with others. Researchers have found that play-based learning 

improves what we refer to as the “6 C’s”, skills our children will need for 

success in the 21st Century global economy (Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff, Berk & 

Singer, 2009). Through playful activities, children learn: 

Collaboration Getting along and working together 

Communication Speaking and listening 

Content information Reading, writing, arithmetic, science, social 

studies and the arts 

Critical thinking Figuring out what is important, asking 

the right questions 

Creative innovation Solving problems in new ways 

Confidence Learning from failure and trying again 

Renowned author and Ultimate Block Party Distinguished Scientific Board 

member, Stuart Brown writes: 

“If you look at what produces learning and memory and 

well-being, play is as fundamental as any other aspect of life, 

including sleep and dreams.” 

Play is the work of children. As parents, caregivers and educators, our job 

is to let them do their work and to join in as we add to the mix. When 

adults play with kids, letting the children take the lead, there are so many 

opportunities for learning that arise! And children love to play with adults 

because in play, children know the answers!

For a complete list of resources about learning and play, please visit the 

Ultimate Block Party website: 

www.ultimateblockparty.org 

Resources 

Brown, S. (2008). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination and 

invigorates the soul. New York: National Institute for Play. 

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., Berk, L. & Singer, D., (2009). A Mandate 

for playful learning in preschool: Presenting the evidence. NY: Oxford 

University Press. 

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R.M. (2003). Einstein Never Used Flashcards. 

Emmaus, PA: Rodale. 

The Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University: The science of 

early children development. 

www.developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/science_of_early_childhood/intera 

ctive_features 

Scientific America, The Serious Need for Play 

http://preschoolers.about.com/b/2009/02/16/scientific-american-why-playis-serious-business.htm 

The Promise Neighborhood Research Consortium 

http://sz0010.wc.mail.comcast.net/service/home/~/PNRC%201pager.pdf?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=208630&part=2.2

Where in the World? Adventure Play 

For healthy growth, children need to be able to play and take risks. Play 

is one of the most natural aspects of childhood and contributes to 

children’s physical, mental, emotional, social, and creative development. 

Children learn to assess and overcome danger and hazardous situations 

through personal experience. By playing and taking risks they learn how 

to respond to different situations. Adventure play promotes confidence 

and independence. It also helps children be more active, thus 

contributing to good health. 

Which 6C’s do children learn from these activities? 

Communication, collaboration, content, critical thinking, confidence 

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum 

Workin’ on the Railroad 

Railroads have been an important source of 

transportation for almost 200 years and have 

had a tremendous impact on our country’s 

society, culture and economy. Come use 

your imagination and see what it would be 

like to be a train conductor. Visit with Choo- 

Choo Blue, the youngest train in the station. 

She has a lot to learn about working on the railroad and she needs your 

help! 

Which Cs will children learn? 

Watch children collaborate as they play with others and communicate as 

they decide where the train will go. Children learn content by learning 

how a train works, reading the menu in the dining car, and solving the 

math problem of how much dinner will cost or even how many miles the 

train will travel. Creativity comes in when we imagine what it is like to 

ride on a long journey.

Where in the World? Adventure Play 

More ways to play at home! 

• Make a map of your house or apartment. What’s where? 

• Create a map of your neighborhood. Where do you live? Where is the 

Post Office, the fire station? The bakery? 

• Create a secret map and get your friends and family to find a treasure 

• Draw a map of the United States – from memory! 

• Create a map of the galaxy. Can you draw the sun, the moon and our 

planets? 

• Use cardboard boxes to make an obstacle course—over, under, through 

• Cards games are fun and easy to travel with. Keep them handy. 

• Make a treasure hunt! Find things around the house—a book, a pencil, 

an apple. 

• Play I Spy With My Little Eye everywhere! Try making lists of things to 

find at school, on a bus, in the grocery store, even at the doctor’s office. 

• Start a family game night once a week. Let everyone in the family take 

turns choosing the game. 

Books and websites to keep the 

playful learning going: 

• Any Walter Wick I Spy book! http://www.walterwick.com/ispy_main.htm 

• Brainiac’s Secret Agent Activity Book: Fun Activities for Spies of All 

Ages, by Sarah Jane Prian

Building the Future: Construction Play 

What holds up a bridge? Why doesn’t a tower fall down? Children love to 

know how things are made. But did you know that giving kids the chance 

to build things also helps them to learn about shapes, space, patterns, and 

even math and physics? Building things helps children to play, experiment, 

and solve problems. Blocks and building toys allow children to become 

engineers. In addition, if they are building with others, they practice 

working as a team, taking turns, and solving problems. 


Communication, collaboration, content, critical thinking, creative 

innovation, confidence 

Imagination Playground 

With over 150 blue foam blocks and other loose parts, the Imagination 

Playground play center will give children the opportunity to create their 

own narratives, activities, and environments; 

build something and tear it down; and simply 

enjoy forms and textures. By empowering 

children to influence the space around them, 

Imagination Playground allows for many types 

of activities, including constructive, dynamic, 

and gross motor play. Join us and see where 

your imagination will take you! 


Children collaborate with others in using their creative juices as they learn 

about balance and space – content. 

ScrapKins Recycled Art Factory 

Come make art…from recycled stuff! Children will be guided through a 

recycled art project, turning an ordinary cardboard tube into their own 

customized ScrapKin "Monster" to take home. 

Creativity and imagination abound as kids also 

add recyclable pieces to our giant Recycle- 

Saurus sculpture. Watch in amazement as our 

"eco-saur " comes to life using what normally 

is discarded and disregarded! 


Talk about a cheap lesson in creative 

innovation! And collaboration thrives as 

children work together and with adults.

Building the Future: Construction Play 


• Lay a toy on the floor and figure out how to build a bridge over the toy 

with blocks 

• Can you build a tower out of blocks… taller than you? 

• Get your friends together and create shapes like circles, triangles, 

rectangles, and hexagons, using your body! 

• Make different styles of paper airplanes with your friends. Whose flies 

the fastest? Why? 

• How could you make a shirt out of a brown paper bag? Construction 

paper? Leaves? 

• Walk around the block and look at building shapes and styles. Bring a 

sketchbook on your walk, look for the lines and shapes, draw them as 

you find them. Can you find arches, domes, balconies, rectangles, 

triangles, pillars, etc. 

• Work with a friend to build a city block of buildings. Is it a block from 

your neighborhood? Is it from the future? The past? 

• Build a toothpick bridge. 

• Construct a “cereal box” city. How many different styles of buildings can 

you build? 

• Make a team. Together draw a collaborative “City of your dreams” 

imagination map. Include highways, bridges, waterways, parks--the sky 

is the limit! 

• Investigate basics of construction, such as post and beam, pyramids, 

domes. Can you build them out of cardboard, straws, foam blocks? 



• www.originalplay.com/develop.htm 

• A Kids Guide to Building Forts, by Tom Birdseye 

• Steve Caney’s Ultimate Building Book, by Steve Caney 

• Building Toothpick Bridges, by Jeanne Pollard

Just Add Imagination: Creative Play 

Kids love to create—new works of art, music and dance! The science tells 

us that creativity is about expressing thoughts and feelings as well as 

thinking and problem solving: children use what they know to create original 

thoughts. Using their imaginations helps children become better observers 

and innovative thinkers. Through the arts, children represent their 

understanding of the world around them. They find out what different 

materials can do; different ways to express themselves with words and 

without; how their own bodies move, the sounds they can make with their 

voices and instruments. 

Creativity enables us to deal with the unpredictability of the future—a future 

full of innovation and new technologies. 


Critical thinking, creative innovation, confidence, content, collaboration 

Be a Part of the Art 

Enter into a creative and fun environment with 

lots of color and inspiration. Read with your 

child I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen 

Beaumont and use the story as inspiration for 

your children as they paint their faces. 


Creativity flourishes when children fashion 

designs and communicate about the colors 

and shapes – content. 

Play in Clay: Make it and Take it with 

Baltimore Clayworks 

Artists from Baltimore Clayworks will work in clay with children of all 

ages. They use an air-drying clay so that you can take your child’s 

creation home with you. Kids will work handson 

with the artists, choosing from three 

themes for inspiration: 

Storybooks Come to Life 

Wings, Fangs and Things 

Hold Everything: Make a Good Container 


Clay fuels the creative innovation of the 

sculptor. Confidence emerges as each shape takes form.


The Good Behavior Game 

The Good Behavior Game is a simple set of 

proven “recipes” that every parent and every 

family can use. The game and “recipes” are 

dedicated to the promotion of peace, 

productivity, health, and happiness among 

people of all ages—including children—and 

uses proven, practical strategies informed by 

science and wisdom. 


Collaboration rules as children learn to get along with each other and to 

create happy, healthy communities. 

Sidewalk Chalk Art 

The sidewalk is an artist’s canvas! Let your 

imagination run wild with Crayola 3D chalk, 

Rainbow Rake and Spira-Chalk Baster! Join 

other artists in creating a mega art 

masterpiece. Or create a masterpiece all your 

own. Use every color of the rainbow or just 

one. You are the artist—express yourself!! 

Hosted by Young Audiences / Arts for 

Learning 


Creativity lives! And communication happens 

when children describe their creations to 

curious adults.



• Try making a wind chime with old silverware, twigs and fishing line 

• Make a face out of outdoor materials like logs, nuts and leaves 

• Make a monster out of tissue and cereal boxes 

• Create a telescope out of paper towel and toilet paper rolls 

• Aluminum foil is the perfect wrapping for crowns, swords and other 

shiny things 

• Create a family portrait in chalk on the sidewalk or on the driveway 

• Look into this Website: chalk4peace.org for inspiring group chalk 

drawings 

• Look around, try making a kite from materials at home using wax paper 

• Pinwheels move with the wind. Try making a simple pinwheel. Check 

out http://www.pinwheelsforpeace.com/pinwheeltemplate.html 

• Pretend you are a bird. Move your arms up and down and feel the wind 

beneath your “wings” 

• Imagine what it might feel like to be up in the sky. Now draw a picture 

of you flying 



• www.pbs.org/wholechild/parents/play/html 

• www.kaboose.com 

• www.suite101.com/content/making-art-withyoung-children-at-home-a86773

Say What? Language Play 

Language is what makes humans special. Spoken and written language 

allows us to pass on our stories and traditions and to form relationships 

with the people around us. Research shows that from birth on, the amount 

of language children hear influences their ability to use words and their 

achievement at school. In addition, learning more than one language is 

easy for children if they hear and interact in the other language. 

Everyday experiences filled with talking, reading, and writing give children 

important lifelong skills. In language play, children learn: 

New words • How to listen • How to tell or retell a story 

How to ask and answer questions • How to make predictions 

How books and printed materials work 


Content, communications, confidence 

Relax and Write... 

Tap into children’s creativity and 

imagination with this wordless writing 

challenge. A picture represents endless 

possibilities for meaning. What will your 

child think up? Sometimes all it takes to 

make reading and writing more fun is some 

creativity and a new approach. 


Communicating through 

pictures is a creative approach 

to telling our stories and 

dreaming about new 

possibilities.


Books on the Beach 

Let’s read! On the beach! Come chose a 

book to enjoy with your children on our “Block 

Party Beach.” That sounds fun—but there is 

even more to do! Read your book. Enjoy the 

story. Then use your imagination. Ask each 

other: what happens next in this great story? 

Visit the Art Bar to create a picture of your 

ideas. Or go to the Tiki Hut to record your thoughts. No matter what you 

choose, go home with a “story journal” to continue the conversation about 

your own favorite books. What a wonderful way to read! 


Content and creativity go hand in hand as children learn about books and 

paint new endings. Collaboration and communication with adults about the 

books builds language and reading skills. 

Alphadoodle Puzzles 

Join in the creation of Alphadoodle Puzzles! 

Kids and their families will be encouraged to 

create messages with words and drawings, 

combining these “symbols” into a large 

Alphadoodle Puzzle “Grid”. Similar to a 

gigantic crossword puzzle, the Alphadoodle 

Puzzle will provide a mega game board for 

word and image play. Families will create 

artsy letters for their words at “Wacky Word Stations”. They can also create 

images and playful “doodles” at “Doodle Stations”. These activities will 

allow children and adults alike the opportunity to connect words and images, 

elaborate and provide deeper meaning to the messages through visual 

media and hold conversations around their messages, drawings and artistic 

processes. 


Learning to read means messing around with writing and letters – content. 

Working together means joyful collaboration.



• Talk to your child as much as you can—even when you are putting away 

the groceries. Talk about each item you bought—what color is it, what 

shape? If it’s a food, how does it taste? 

• Make up rhyming games. What words rhyme with cat? Tree? Can? 

Bike? 

• Go to the library each week and pick out a book to read with your child! 

Be sure to ask your child questions about the story while you read and 

when you have finished (What happened? What character did you like 

best? Why? When did the story take place? How does the story make 

you feel?) 

• Long road trip? Try the alphabet game! See if you and your child can 

find all of the letters in the alphabet on cars, license plates, and 

billboards. 

• Did you learn any Spanish words today? Tell one of your favorite stories 

using some of your Spanish words! 

• Create an alphabet book on a favorite subject. For example: My 

hometown, family pets, plants and trees in my city. 

• Write a book after having a special activity or event: making a new 

friend, a museum visit, field trips, concerts, travel, etc. Use your words 

plus photographs and drawings to illustrate it. 



• Madlenka by Peter Sis, in which a young girl walks around her city block 

and meets her neighbors from many lands. 

• Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman, in which a neighborhood of immigrants 

find common ground by building a community garden. This book is often 

used to learn about writing in the first person narrative. 

• www.preschoolrainbow.org/parent.htm

Pretend Worlds: Make-Believe Play 

How do kids learn to control their behavior when they feel sad or mad? They 

play! Scientists tell us that letting kids engage in make-believe play gives 

them the chance to work though their feelings and figure out good ways to 

respond. Playing make-believe helps children to control their thinking and 

behavior. This is called “self –regulation” and it is important for kids to 

learn. Self-regulation goes beyond learning to walk away from the cookie jar 

when dinner is almost ready. Self-regulation helps kids develop persistence, 

master tasks and cooperate with you and others, and make ethical choices. 

When children are involved in make-believe play, they get the time and 

opportunity for repetition that helps them to deeply explore their ideas. 

When creating through make-believe, children: 

• explore emotions 

• use their imaginations to create stories, characters, 

scenes and props 

• consider the characters and how the relationships work 

• explore social situations together 

• vary their language according to the role they are playing 


Collaboration, communication, content, creative innovation, confidence 

Theater Games and Activities 

We will lead the children and their families 

through a series of theatre games and 

activities that lead to community building, 

imagination, and character development. The 

games will be interactive and fun. We will also 

have information about performances and 

events at Centerstage for families and young 

people to become involved with theatre 

programs in Baltimore. 


Pretending together builds collaborative spirit and lets the creative juices 

flow. With each act, our children build a sense of community and confidence.


NATIONAL CHAMPION FOR PLAY SPONSOR 

Let’s Play Café 

Make a reservation at this special make 

believe restaurant! Children can pretend 

they’re chefs, create their own placemats, 

cook imaginary meals, wait on tables, dine, 

make change and much more at the Let’s 

Play Café. As children play with their 

friends in this rich learning environment, 

they are rehearsing real life experiences, practicing creativity and sharing, 

and gaining skills in math, hand-eye coordination and problem-solving. 

This play and learning destination is sure to delight children and their 

families. 

Children will be encouraged to write their own menus, cook imaginary 

meals, ‘bake’ play dough creations, wait on tables, ‘eat’ with friends, make 

change, and much more in this make-believe restaurant. 


Learning about food and mealtime means tasty content. When we use 

meals to communicate about our day, or the problems we solved on the 

playground we are exercising our critical thinking. And think about the 

reading and math you learn at the 

café when you order from the 

menu or add the tip to the bill.


More ways to play at home: 

• Let’s pretend is such a great thing to do because you can do it anytime! 

• Make-believe you are a wild animal. What animal are you? How do you 

sound? 

• Pretend you are making the most delicious soup. What’s in it? 

• Imagine a place where you would like to live. What does it look like? Who 

is there? 

• Try to tell a story without using any words. It is called mime. Clowns do it 

all the time. 

• Can you make a face to express an emotion? What does happy, sad, 

mad, glad look like in the mirror 

• Put on a clown nose and make people laugh 

• Play dress ups 

• Climb onto the couch with your 

friends and pretend you are sailing 

on a ship to a distant land. How 

does it feel to be on the boat? 

What is the weather like? What do 

you see as you approach land? 

What do the people look like? The 

animals? The trees? 



• The Tall Book of Make-Believe, by Jane Werner 

• Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak 

• Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson 

• The Fairy House Series, by Tracy Kane 

• The Red Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang 

• The Book of the Dragon, by H. Gustavo Ciruelo Cabral 

• http://www.escapadedirect.com/actodowiyoki.html

Performing Arts Play 

Before there were computers and before there were books, people used 

music, dance, and theatre to pass on information, traditions, customs and 

beliefs. 

Children have the natural inclination to sing, hum, whistle, dance, and clap 

their hands. Sometimes called “the universal language”, music is a social 

activity that promotes togetherness between individuals, cultures, and 

nations. Play and music are important for the development of children’s 

mental capacity and intellect, helping to build language and mathematical 

skills. Singing games, such as counting rope jumps, can help a small child 

to understand how to count. Pretending, imitation, and mimicry are all ways 

young children learn, allowing them to express their feelings and relieve 

tension in an acceptable, inclusive way. Play and music create an imaginary 

world in which children can master a wide range of skills and develop an 

understanding of their environment that would otherwise have been 

impossible. Play and music can also stimulate a small child’s creativity. 

Through music, play and movement, children demonstrate what they hear 

and know: a dynamic way of learning! 

Children love to move and dance! Creative dance is both a physical activity 

and a form of self-expression. As children move in new ways, they learn 

that there are many solutions to a question, a problem or a task. They learn 

important social skills as they work together. All children can use their 

bodies to move in various ways: dance can be adapted for children who are 

differently abled. Plus, dance helps children to be active and exercise their 

bodies. 

Storydrama is the dramatic retelling of a story or book. By acting out some 

of their favorite books or stories, children use more complex forms of 

language, consider and express their feelings, work co-operatively with 

others and express ideas in a creative and deeper way. And they have fun! 


There’s nothing like dance and theater for making kids act creatively. 

Watch them collaborate in their performances and communicate in the 

universal language of song. Content is an important bi-product as children 

learn language and reading through story drama and math while counting 

the hops and skips as they jump to the beats of the music. Confidence 

grows as we become something larger than ourselves.

Family Hip Hop 


Let’s make music and dance! Come be part of 

the creative effort, making songs, creating lyrics, 

beat making and beat boxing. See and hear your 

creation on the web when you are done. 


Creative innovation is synonymous with music 

and dance. And think of the Confidence we get when we create a song that 

is in our own voice! 

PERFORMANCES AT THE MAIN STAGE 

Ssuuna 

Mujje: Come Together – In this interactive program, Ssuuna opens a window 

on African culture through dance, music, and storytelling. He weaves 

together stories and dance with music from his native Uganda, played on 

authentic African instruments. 


Collaborating with the performer, you and your child become an audience 

that creates rich rhythms and new sounds. 

Dance Party 

Dance the day away with Molly!. Molly Shattuck 

will share her Vibrant Living philosophy with 

participants to help them lead the healthiest and 

most active lives possible through healthy eating 

and fitness tips. 


Energy and creativity is communicated with each 

movement as our children gain confidence and control in their bodies. 

Illstyle and Peace 

The History of Hip-Hop – This high-energy program brings the history of 

hip-hop dance to life. The company shares this history through interactive 

demonstration, jaw-dropping dance, audience participation, and a 

compelling Q&A session. Learn about the positive aspects of hip-hop art 

and culture, the technical elements of this dance form, and how the dance 

has evolved over time. Audience members may get to share some of their 

own dance moves in this program also! DJing, the Human Beat Box, and 

the MC are also covered.


Remo Drumming Circle with Nellie Hill 

Nellie will lead us through an exploration of rhythm and sound and show us 

how rhythm is natural to humans, young and old, and a vital part of every 

person’s life. Nellie will show us how drums and percussion instruments 

allow us all to come together through rhythm, regardless of age or ability, 

and express ourselves in community. A wonderful tool for integrated 

learning, drumming is playful to the core, inspiring and energizing! 


Beat those drums for collaboration as kids work together in their circle. 

Confidence soars as children add to the mix. 

ORCHKids 

ORCHKids believes that music and 

mentorship open doors and that every child 

should have the opportunity to experience 

making music. Come be inspired by a 

performance by Baltimore kids who have 

embraced this opportunity and who are 

excited to share their music with their 

Baltimore community! 


Content is disguised in learning about instruments and music as children 

learn from their friends. Music is a 

creative sport that also builds 

confidence.



• Anything can be a drum. Turn over a plastic bucket and start to bang 

out a rhythm 

• Play your drum to familiar songs that you know 

• Get the whole family involved. Everyone can make music! See what you 

can create together! 

• Watching T.V.? For every commercial break, get up and dance! 

• Make up a special dance that only your family knows 

• Make up a dance that mimics your favorite animal 

• Have a dance party and invite your friends and family. They will love it. 

• Invent new kinds of instruments. 

• Create a musical trio or quartet. 

• Invent new kinds of dancing! 

• Use just your head, then your legs only, next a dance with your arms 

only. Then use every part of you! 

• Mirror dancing-get a partner and take turns following everything he 

does. 

• When you are dancing make a dance circle and let everyone take turns 

dancing in the middle 


playful learning going 

• Musical Instrument Crafts for Kids 

www.artistshelpingchildren.org/musicalinstrumentsartscraftstideashandmadekids.html 

• On Stage, Theater Games and Activities for Kids, by Lisa Bany Winters 

• ArtReach Children’s Theatre Plays 

www.artreachchildrenstheatreplays.com 

• Creative Drama and Resource Site 

www.creativedrama.com/theatre.htm 

• Pioneer Drama Service, Inc. www.pioneerdrama.com/ 

searchdetail.asp?pc=ONSTAGEKID

Get Moving! Physical Play 

Following rules, learning self control, and 

even learning to count, these are things that 

can be learned through play. When we play 

games we add pleasure to the tasks of 

understanding our mind and bodies. “Simon 

Says touch your ear. Put your hands on your 

head.” In this seemingly simple task, if you 

know to touch your ear but NOT put your 

hands on your head, you are learning to 

regulate your body and control your impulses. 

Research suggests that having self-control is 

critical to success in school. As you might 

guess, when you play attention, you do better 

in class work and will also be better at forming 

friendships. 


Collaboration, communication, confidence, critical thinking, content and 

creative innovation 

NATIONAL CHAMPION FOR PLAY SPONSOR 

Baltimore’s Largest Simon Says 

Simons Says: “Touch your ear!” Now, “Wave 

your hands.” Uh oh. You’re out! Simon 

didn’t say to wave your hands! Why should 

kids play Simon Says? Because it increases 

their attention and helps they make quick 

shifts in their thinking. Simon Says is 

positively wonderful for children! 


Kids need critical thinking to know when to 

move and when not. They have to listen hard – communication. 

Mindful Yoga 

Join in meditation for the entire family. Learn 

with your child about the benefits to mind and 

body of yoga. Together, you and your child 

will learn about yoga postures and breathing, 

centering and meditation. Help your child 

learn to calm down, to learn to “listen” to 

their body, and to take time to focus their 

thoughts. Learn how these tools can help 

your child with peaceful conflict resolution, 

improved focus, greater self control, relieved stress and relaxation. 


Yoga offers confidence as kids gain self control.


Rokkball Baseball Clinic 

Rokkball is fun! Boys and girls, come hone 

your baseball skills. Each drill is run to its own 

classic rock ‘n roll song, to keep the energy 

moving. Each session is designed to motivate 

the children while reinforcing positive attitudes 

and encouraging growth and development. 

High fives are a frequent occurrence! 


Collaboration counts in baseball as children learn to throw and catch. And 

how many strikes was that – content. Children also learn to be more 

confident when they succeed. 

Playworks Play Station 

Play creates essential opportunities for 

children to explore their imaginations, to 

connect with other people and to stretch and 

grow physically, emotionally, and socially, while 

also setting a great stage for learning. 

Partnering with the Ultimate Block Party, 

Playworks staff will engage children and 

families using traditional games like Four- 

Square, Switch, Jump Rope, etc., to explore the benefits of play. Ultimate 

Block Party visitors will be engaging in fun games that are providing them 

with tools to be physically active in their own communities, and live a 

healthy lifestyle, while getting excited to learn more about the importance 

of play. 


Sidewalk games means lots of learning – content in remembering rules 

and counting and Collaboration in learning to play together. 

The Baltimore Ravens 

Play 60 Youth Fitness Zone: The Ravens will 

host a Play 60 event at the Ultimate Block 

Party, and representatives will run youth 

through passing, catching and kicking drills. 

Play 60 is the NFL movement for an active 

generation, encouraging youth to be active for 

at least 60 minutes per day. 


Collaboration reigns when we coordinate our 

movements to catch a ball or do kicking drills with our friends. How 

confident we feel when we succeed! How many times can you catch in a 

row – Is there content looming in sport’s play?


Parks and People Foundation, Kaiser 

Permanente and Patuxent Research Refuge 

Nature Play spaces: Come play in a special 

playspace made from natural & recycled 

materials like sticks, bamboo, stumps, logs, 

hay, a rain gutter turned into a water chute, 

and more. When arranged together, and 

activated by children and parents, this quickly 

assembled ‘environment’ instantly turns into a 

play space full of exploratory activities. It also 

provides unstructured exploration and play 

features and loads of opportunities to reassemble 

or re-design or re-invent by the 

participating youth. 

Jump Rope and Sing: Come jump rope! Give it a try—by yourself or 

“Double Dutch” with a friend and sing along to the Jump Rope songs. 

Parents will be encouraged to sing as well as the youth themselves for 

encouragement and entertainment. 

What’s in Your Yard: What’s in Rash field? Come explore the native 

plants and insects with emphasis on things that can be found in Rash 

Field itself. After a brief informational period, children will be 

encouraged to engage in a scavenger hunt and find five of the natural 

bugs/plants that are on the list. Those that complete the hunt will have 

their names recorded on a large open chart. 


Time to get creative and use everyday things in new ways. If you build 

with others, you are also collaborating. Or how many times can you jump 

rope? 5 or 10 or maybe 15? See the content in each turn of the rope? 

And what about the critical thinking required in a scavenger hunt. 

Minute to Win It 

Children of all ages can test 

their skills by participating in 

timed challenges of varying 

difficulty to receive educationrelated 

prizes. Each activity is a 

test against the clock promoting 

each child being a winner by achieving his or her personal best. 


Learning content can be fun whether it is math and reading or science 

and social studies! These fast-paced games build our confidence in 

learning and sharpen our critical thinking.



• Create a Simon Says game at home. Take turns being Simon! 

• Ask your parents or grandparents to teach you games they played when 

they were kids. 

• Practice bouncing a ball. How many times can you bounce? 

• Ask an adult or friend to play catch with you. Any ball will do 

• Play Tic-Tac-Toe on your sidewalk with chalk 

• Play Red light. Green light, One, Two, Three; Red Rover Red Rover; 

Duck Duck Goose, Capture the Flag 

Books and websites to keep the playful 

learning going 

• Miss Mary Mack and Other Children's Street Rhymes by Joanna Cole, 

Stephanie Calmenson 

• Great Big Book of Children's Games: Over 450 Indoor & Outdoor 

Games for Kids (Ages 3-12) by Debra Wise 

• Anna Banana: 101 Jump Rope Rhymes by Joanna Cole 

• Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes: And Other Action Games by Zita 

Newcome 

• Fun and Silly Games www.funsilly.com/free-online-games

Math, Science and Technology Play 

Children specialize in why? and how? questions. “Why did my ice cream 

melt?” “How does it snow?” Children are natural born scientists who 

conduct little experiments each and every day. When children ask questions 

they are improving their powers of observation, reasoning, and prediction 

while generating excitement about discovery. And, just like scientists, 

children learn from their successes and failures. 

Children are drawn to technology like computers, computer games, and 

robotic toys. Already a dominant feature of modern life, technology will play 

a more and more important role in the years to come. Research show that 

computers can benefit children’s learning and development. The challenge 

is to ensure that children are not just passive users of technology, but learn 

how to use it creatively, and how to design and master it. 


Collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation, 

confidence 

BioEYES 

BioEYES delivers a unique experiment with 

zebrafish to increase science literacy and 

interest among K-12 students. Surprisingly, 

zebrafish and humans share 80% of the 

same genes and have similar body organs 

and structures. Students will learn about 

the life cycle of the zebrafish by looking at 

adult fish, and embryos and larvae under 

microscopes. Additional activities will be available including making 

paper fish and developmental flip books, word searches, crossword 

puzzles, and more. 


Critical thinking helps us find similarities in the oddest places --between 

a zebrafish and our friends! The content is biology. See how much fun 

we can have when we do science together (collaboration).


Getting A Feel For It 

This activity focuses on animal classification, 

that is, understanding what characteristics 

make some animals the same and what 

makes others different from one another. The 

activity examines how physical characteristics 

are used to classify animals into different 

groups. Through comparing skin, fur, 

feathers, and scales, children, parents and 

caregivers will learn about animal classification. The activity closes with a 

discussion of how these characteristics help animals survive in the wild. 


Watch children communicate as they talk with parents about the 

characteristics of the animals. The content is rich with science as children 

learn to sort, compare and analyze the differences in animals. Can you see 

their minds working as they critically think about the choices they make? 

Come Fly Away 

Wind is one of nature’s most amazing, mostly 

silent tools. Did you know that a combination 

of the heat from the sun and the rotation of 

the Earth causes air to move, creating wind? 

Wind is great for flying kites and paper 

airplanes. Wind chimes and whirligigs are 

also fun to make and take outside for the 

wind to whirl through. Come join us and make 

paper airplanes from the Classic Treasury of Childhood Wonders book 

distributed by Baltimore City Public Schools. 


What can you create that floats in the wind or flies atop the trees? As you 

measure your planes, hypothesize what designs will work and experiment 

with air currents, you become the scientist who masters content like math 

and spatial knowledge while you use critical thinking.


The Great Piggy Bank Adventure ® 

As part of our longstanding commitment to 

financial education, T. Rowe Price works 

with families, schools, and organizations to 

teach children and help families 

communicate more effectively about 

money. T. Rowe Price collaborated with 

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Online to 

create The Great Piggy Bank Adventure ® -an 

online board game and a hands-on 

interactive exhibit at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot ® at the Walt Disney World ® 

Resort in Florida -- as a fun way for families to learn the fundamentals of 

saving and spending wisely. T. Rowe Price and Disney Enterprises, Inc. are 

not affiliated companies. 


The content of mathematics flows from the Piggy banks and extra change 

that we collect each day. And confidence grows when we spend our 

money wisely. 

Growing Green, 

Sustaining Play 

Growing Green, Sustaining Play showcases 

interactive student-led activities that teach 

and promote sustainable practices. During 

the 2009-10 school year, 16 Baltimore 

schools successfully completed Baltimore 

City Public Schools’ Cleaner, Greener 

Sustainability Challenge and this past year, 37 schools participated in the 

Challenge. The Sustainability Challenge empowers students to create 

hands-on projects at their schools to foster healthier and more 

environmentally-friendly places to learn and play. 

Sustainability Challenge participants developed and implemented ideas to: 

reduce their school’s water, waste or energy usage; increase the amount of 

materials the school recycles; and install schoolyard habitats and gardens, 

amongst many other projects. A few of these schools join us today to share 

their projects and showcase how going green can sustain play.



Communicate with your fellow scientists and learn about the content 

(biology, chemistry) that makes sustainable gardens and habitats. Then 

you can apply your critical thinking to go beyond the displays you visit to 

create your own green ideas. 

Science Inquiry Station 

Visit our hands-on investigation stations 

including make your own stomp rock rocket, 

water pump exploration, dinosaur digs and 

more. Different activities every hour! 


Find the discoverer and explorer in you as you 

combine creativity and critical thinking to 

create your own rockets and water pumps. You might even collaborate 

with friends to generate your own invention. Mastering content like math 

and reading can be important for getting the project just right.



• With help from an adult, pick a few small items in your kitchen like a 

spoon, a measuring cup, a straw, a toothpick. Have your parent fill a 

bowl with water. Which object will float? Why do you think so? Now test 

your hypothesis! 

• Pick up round objects in your house like a bouncy ball, a golf ball, a 

marble, and make a ball out of paper or foil. Mark a starting point on 

the floor. If you point a hairdryer at the ball and turn it on, how far do 

you think it will roll? Which ball will roll the farthest? 


playful learning going 

• Links to online games 

• http://funschool.kaboose.com/ 

• http://www.fisherprice.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=gamesLanding&mcat= 

game_infant,game_toddler,game_preschool&site=us 

• Sources for robot products such as: Capsela; Eitech; Erector; 

Fischertechnik; Geofix; Geomag; K’NEX; LEGO Dacta; Rhomblocks; 

Rokenbok; Zome System. 

• Construction Toys www.constructiontoys.com 

• e-Hobbylande-hobbyland.com 

• Elenco Electronics www.elenco.com 

• Fischertechnik www.fischertechnik.com 

• Hobby Engineering 

www.hobbyengineering.com 

• HVW Tech www.hvwtech.com 

• Jameco Robot Store www.robotstore.com

Mission Play 

Calling all families! Calling all families! 

Today is all about PLAY and so is your MISSION! 

Mission: Talk to 5 experts, 5 masters, 5 kids in other families and 5 adults 

in other families who are at the Ultimate Block Party today. Each group has 

a question below. Ask them! 

Then write down their answer and bring them to the Authors Corner. We 

may even share your answers on the Ultimate Block Party website! 

Go Play! Learn! Mission Complete! 

1. Ask 5 Experts (hint: they are wearing lab coats): Today is all about play, what 

is one fact my family should know about the importance of play? 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

2. Ask 5 Masters (hint: they are wearing UBP tee shirts): What did you 

“play” as a kid? Does what you played have anything to do with who you 

are today? How? 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

3. Ask 5 Kids in Other Families: When you are together, what does your 

family like to play? 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

4. Ask 5 Adults in Other Families: What does your family play? 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________

National Champions for Play Partners 

Sprout is the first 24-hour preschool network created for 

children ages 2 to 5 and their parents and caregivers. 

Sprout is available on TV, on demand and online. 

Interaction between parents and preschoolers is an 

important element in everything we do. From arts and 

crafts projects to kid-friendly recipes and birthday 

submissions, it provides ways for families to experience 

Sprout together. Our programming lineup combines trusted, gold standard shows 

with fresh and innovative originals. Sprout follows the day of a preschooler from 

breakfast to bedtime, with daytime programming designed to get children moving 

and active and evening programming to help the family gently unwind at the end of 

the day. 

Sprout is available on digital cable and satellite television in over 50 million homes. 

The network was created as a partnership among NBCUniversal, HIT 

Entertainment, PBS and Sesame Workshop. www.SproutOnline.com 

Unlike other early learning programs, Goddard’s core philosophy truly celebrates 

the individual potential of each child. The Goddard School® is dedicated to 

encouraging a lifelong love of learning by: 

Offering a wide range of enriching activities 

to meet the individual needs of each child; 

focusing on building each child's emotional, 

social, cognitive and physical skills; offering 

multi-cultural and developmentally 

appropriate materials and equipment; complying with Quality Assurance Reviews 

and parent surveys conducted by GSI; supporting the professional development of 

teachers through early childhood education training; and offering open 

communication with families in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. The 

Goddard School’s accredited FLEX Learning Program encompasses this 

philosophy in the safe and nurturing childcare learning environments that 

encourage flexibility for each child's unique abilities. www.goddardschool.com 

Recently named #1 Childcare Franchise in the United States, by Entrepreneur 

magazine, for the tenth consecutive year (January 2011) and one of the Top 200 

Franchise Systems (in worldwide sales), by Franchise Times, for the fourth 

consecutive year (October 2010); Goddard Systems, Inc. (GSI) is expanding The 

Goddard School® network throughout the United States. Headquartered in King of 

Prussia, Pennsylvania, GSI currently licenses 370+ franchised schools with more 

than 45,000 students in 34 states. With a successful system in place and dedicated 

franchisees, GSI is the acknowledged leader in franchised childcare and a premier 

educational childcare provider in the United States.

Our Funders 

The Meyerhoff Foundation 

The Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds 

are a group of Baltimore-based family foundations 

committed to honoring the legacy of the family’s 

philanthropic vision and whose contributions have had 

significant impact not only on the city of Baltimore, but 

nationally and internationally as well. The Funds support a wide variety of Baltimorebased 

projects, organizations and institutions with an emphasis on programs having 

the greatest impact on the Baltimore community. A significant portion of the Funds’ 

grantmaking supports Jewish communal needs and services in Baltimore and Israel. 

The Abell Foundation 

When The Abell Foundation was inaugurated half a century 

ago, Chairman Harry C. Black and the founding board 

members set an agenda that allocated grants for schools, 

hospitals, and human service organizations reaching out to 

the disadvantaged in the Baltimore community and the 

region. In the past two decades, the Foundation has 

sharpened its focus to address complex challenges to 

break through the cycles of urban poverty. Today, the 

Foundation places the highest priority on creating solutions that are both innovative 

and will ensure accountability. This is the commitment of The Abell Foundation: to give 

hope by opening the doors of opportunity to the disenfranchised, knowing that no 

community can succeed and thrive if those who live on the margins are not included. 

Kennedy Krieger Institute 

The mission of Kennedy Krieger Institute is to dedicate 

ourselves to helping children and adolescents with 

disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal 

system achieve their potential and participate as fully as 

possible in family, school and community life. 

The Brain Science Institute 

T H E 

A B E L L 

F O U N D A T I O N 

The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Brain Science 

Institute (BSi) brings together both basic and clinical 

neuroscientists from across the Johns Hopkins campuses. 

The BSi represents one of the largest and most diverse 

groups in the University. 

The BSi hosts and supports a range of education and 

training programs that bring together graduate students 

and medical students interested in brain science through a 

series of interdisciplinary lectures and workshops. The BSi leadership brings together a 

special mix of experiences and seasoned Johns Hopkins University researchers and 

administrators to create a team to guide the growth of this unprecedented Institute. 

The BSi leadership brings together a special mix of experiences and seasoned Johns 

Hopkins University researchers and administrators to create a team to guide the 

growth of this unprecedented Institute. The Johns Hopkins Medicine Brain Science 

Institute’s mission is to solve fundamental questions about brain development and 

function and to use these insights to understand the mechanisms of brain disease. 

www.brainscienceinstitute.org

RTI 

Our Funders 

RTI is an independent, nonprofit institute that provides 

research, development, and technical services to 

government and commercial clients worldwide. Our 

mission is to improve the human condition by turning 

knowledge into practice. 

Established in 1958 as the Research Triangle Institute, 

RTI has a distinguished history of scientific achievement in the areas of health and 

pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced 

technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy and the 

environment, and laboratory testing and chemical analysis. RTI’s staff of more than 

2,800 supports projects in more than 40 countries. 

Kaboom 

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that 

envisions a great place to play within walking distance 

of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has 

used its innovative community building model to bring 

together business and community interests to 

construct more than 1,700 new playgrounds, skateparks, 

sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of 

resources, including an online community, free online trainings, grant, publications 

and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, wich includes Playful City USA and 

Playmakers – a national network of individual advocates for play. Headquartered in 

Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For 

more information, visit www.kaboom.ort 

United Way 

For 86 years, United Way of Central Maryland (UWCM) 

has been the region’s human service leader. Our 

mission is to mobilize the community to improve 

people’s lives. We support programs and initiatives in 

the city of Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, 

Harford and Howard counties. UWCM is dedicated to 

helping individuals and families who are vulnerable and at risk meet their 

emergency needs, stabilize their lives and ultimately achieve a better quality of life. 

By drawing upon local knowledge, data and expertise to understand the 

community’s needs, UWCM is able to identify where gaps exist and concentrate on 

what works in addressing them, serving as a powerful advocate on critical health 

and human issues. By encouraging all people in central Maryland to give, advocate 

or volunteer, UWCM wants to show the true power of Living United. 

The Association of Baltimore 

Grantmakers 

The Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers is the 

Greater Baltimore region’s premier resource on 

philanthropy, dedicated to informing grantmakers and 

improving our community. ABAG was founded in 1983

to provide a forum in which colleagues could address common problems, approaches 

and interests. A sophisticated network of corporate and foundation leaders, our 

members include representatives of more than 135 private and community foundations, 

donor advised funds, and corporations with strategic, ongoing grantmaking programs. 

The mission of the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers is to maximize the 

impact of philanthropic giving on community life through a growing network of diverse, 

informed and effective grantmakers. 

Teach For America 

All kids – no matter where they live, how much 

money their parents make, or what their skin 

color is – deserve access to a great education. 

But in our country today, a significant achievement gap exists between low-income 

children and their wealthier peers. It’s not easy to close this gap, but hundreds of proof 

points show that it’s possible. It takes committed leaders in our classrooms today who 

will continue to fight for students tomorrow. Teach For America’s mission is to build the 

movement to eliminate educational inequity by developing such leaders. 

As a smaller city, Baltimore is made up of close-knit neighborhoods and communities. 

Corps members here don't just teach, they become part of communities like Charles 

Village, home of the Teach For America • Baltimore office. 

Annie E. Casey 

With a mission and history rooted in an ambitious vision 

of building better futures for disadvantaged children, the 

Casey Foundation’s approach to philanthropy has always 

embraced more than giving grants to achieve our goals. 

We use our resources to partner with and forge 

collaborations among institutions, agencies, decision makers, and community leaders 

so they can work together to transform tough places to raise families. We fund research, 

technical assistance, and multi-site demonstrations that help service and support 

systems like public schools, juvenile justice agencies, and child welfare systems get 

better results for kids and families. We directly deliver exemplary services, identify and 

measure what works, and share lessons learned to demonstrate the potential of 

reforming public policies and services on behalf of children and their families. 

No one single investment approach can fully meet the needs nor truly make a lasting 

difference in the lives of the significant numbers of vulnerable children and families 

encompassed by Casey's mission. 

However, taken as a whole, these approaches to philanthropy and "change-making" 

help increase our positive impact on the populations we care about most; expand our 

influence with key audiences; and maximize our ability to leverage even more resources 

for the kids, families, and communities at the heart of our mission. 

Constellation Energy 

Our Funders 

Constellation Energy has a long and pioneering history in 

the energy industry. From our roots as the nation’s first gas 

light utility, our company has evolved into one of the largest 

and most innovative energy companies in America. 

Constellation Energy is a publicly traded (NYSE ticker: CEG)

Our Funders 

Fortune 500 leader, headquartered in Baltimore, with nearly 10,000 employees, 

approximately 12,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $14.3 billion in annual 

revenues (2010). 

And nearly 200 years later, we’re still innovating at Baltimore Gas and Electric Company 

(BGE), Maryland’s oldest and largest utility. BGE is poised to roll out one of the most 

comprehensive Smart Grid programs in the nation. 

Our mission is to be the nation’s leading energy manager and competitive supplier, 

generating and delivering power and natural gas safely and reliably to our customers 

while acting in the interests of our communities, employees, shareholders and the 

environment. 

National Aquarium, Baltimore 

Through transforming experiences, the National Aquarium 

Institute inspires people to enjoy, respect, and protect the 

aquatic world. 

Our mission to inspire stewardship of the aquatic world 

comes to life everyday within our Aquarium walls and 

beyond: in Maryland schools, in local neighborhoods, and 

on the watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Since we opened our doors, the Aquarium has hosted millions of Maryland students and 

teachers free of charge. Local youth dive into the Aquarium's summer jobs, college 

internships, and scholarship programs. And hundreds of local residents serve as the 

volunteers that guide and educate more than 1.8 million visitors to the Aquarium 

annually, and join in our hands-on efforts to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay. 

Baltimore City Public Schools 

We have great kids in Baltimore City with great potential. 

And they all deserve great schools. With the critical 

support of its families, partners and the entire Baltimore 

City community, Baltimore City Public Schools is 

transforming the district to become an entire system of 

great schools for its 84,000 students. 

City Schools has spent the last four years laying the 

foundation for school reform at the district level by moving resources to schools and 

giving them autonomy over those resources; by expanding school choice to all middle 

and high school students, and continuing to create more and better school options for 

all students; by entering into landmark contracts that provide pathways for professional 

and financial growth for all school-based staff; and by engaging families and 

communities in a meaningful way in the success of students—an ongoing priority. 

With this groundwork laid, the district now shifts its focus in 2011-12 to ensuring that 

great teaching and learning is taking place in every classroom, at every school. And until 

all students are reaching—and exceeding—their potential, the transformation work 

continues. Together, City Schools and its families, partners and communities will create 

great school options for all children in Baltimore City.

Our Activity Sponsors 

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum 

Comprised of the oldest and most comprehensive collection of railroad history in the 

Western Hemisphere, the B&O Railroad Museum, Inc. is a unique cultural and 

educational asset for the city and the region. An unparalleled roster of the 19th and 

20th century railroad equipment, original shop buildings, and surviving tracks at the 

historic Mt. Clare site provide an integrated resource to present virtually every aspect 

of American railroad development and its impact on our society, culture and economy. 

www.borail.org 

Baltimore Clayworks 

Baltimore Clayworks is the region's only cultural institution dedicated solely to the 

ceramic arts. Founded by nine artists in 1980, Clayworks is a mid-sized cultural 501(c)3 

non-profit, attentive to its neighborhood, possessing a national and international 

reputation for artistic excellence, artists’ support, and community involvement. The 

mission of Baltimore Clayworks is to develop, sustain, and promote an artist-centered 

community that provides outstanding educational, artistic, and collaborative programs 

in the ceramic arts. www.baltimoreclayworks.org 

The Baltimore Ravens 

The Baltimore Ravens All Community Team Foundation (RACTF) is committed to 

improving, encouraging and enabling the healthy development of youth in the 

Baltimore area, as well as other parts of the state of Maryland. The foundation focuses 

on programs that help youth, and in some cases their families, with various needs, 

including housing, hunger, education, athletics and mentoring. 

Funded by the RACTF, Play 60 is the NFL movement for an active generation and 

encourages youth to get active and play for at least 60 minutes every day. The NFL 

encourages young fans to be active for at least 60 minutes a day, and to prove that 

Play 60 is more than a movement, the campaign is brought to life and implemented by 

the Ravens at the local level through fitness zones, in-school challenges and youth 

football clinics. 

Center for Jewish Education 

At the Center for Jewish Education (CJE), there's a bountiful harvest of Jewish 

learning - with unlimited access to a cornucopia of Jewish educational and cultural 

resources that bring Judaism to life. Our new vision includes a commitment to serving 

Jewish families both inside and outside of traditional Jewish venues. 

www.cjebaltimore.org 

The Jewish preschools of JPLAY are dedicated to a multi-sensory approach to Jewish 

education that uses brain research to define best practice, embraces a child-centered, 

play-based approach to learning, maintains standards of academic excellence, and 

sees the whole family as partners. www.jplaybaltimore.org


Centerstage 

CENTERSTAGE is an artistically driven institution committed to engaging, educating, 

and expanding the horizons of diverse audiences through challenging, bold, thoughtprovoking 

classical and contemporary theater. www.centerstage.org 

Child First Authority 

Child First is consistently successful in delivering quality academic and arts programs 

to a critical mass of youth and mobilizing community leaders in high needs 

communities to act on their most important concerns. Child First has served more than 

10,000 students since 1996, and currently has programs in twelve schools located 

throughout the City serving over 1,400 children. 

Child First has a track record of high student enrollment, attendance, and retention as 

well as continually high levels of parent participation. Based on this quality track 

record, Child First is the largest and most highly funded after-school program under 

Baltimore’s After-School Strategy. www. childfirstauthority.org 

Baltimore City Public Schools’ Family Institute 

Family Institute is rooted in City Schools’ profound belief that our families are a 

potentially powerful resource for student success and are essential to helping our 

children achieve their full potential. More than 80 percent of students’ time is spent 

outside of school, and the influence of families and communities can have a 

tremendous impact on students’ experience. Family Institute provides opportunities 

that help families learn how to help their children and school staff to engage their 

families effectively. It offers courses, trainings, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, 

workshops, online resources, speakers and other programs to empower and educate 

parents and school staff. Since Family Institute began in 2009, parents, school staff 

and members of the community have participated in more than 250 free workshops 

held throughout the city. To learn more, visit Family Institute online at 

www.baltimorecityschools.org/familyinstitute 

Clowns without Borders 

Clowns Without Borders offers laughter to relieve the suffering of all persons, 

especially children, who live in areas of crisis including refugee camps, conflict zones 

and territories in situations of emergency. We bring levity, contemporary clown/circus 

oriented performances and workshops into communities so that they can celebrate 

together and forget for a moment the tensions that darken their daily lives. 

We also seek to raise our society’s awareness of affected populations and to promote 

a spirit of solidarity.www.clownswithoutborders.org 

Crayola 

At Crayola, color is our magic. We unleash the wonder and adventure in every child and 

inspire colorful self-expression in bold, new ways. From Crayola Glow Explosion 

markers that bring imaginations to life with colorful glow-in-the-dark drawings to 

Crayola Color Wonder -- a magical, mess-free way for children to draw and paint – our 

color wizardry gives colorful wings to the invisible things in a child’s imagination. 

www.crayola.com


For The People Entertainment 

For the People Entertainment is a Baltimore based entertainment company providing 

production, recording, and engineering services. As well as booking, artist 

management, promotions, and event planning. 

Holistic Life Foundation 

The Holistic Life Foundation, Inc. performs human and environmental health programs 

to demonstrate the interconnectedness people have with the environment in which 

they live. www. hlfinc.org 

Imagination Playground 

Imagination Playground is a breakthrough playspace concept conceived and designed 

by architect David Rockwell to encourage child-directed, unstructured free play. With a 

focus on loose parts, Imagination Playground offers a changing array of elements that 

allows children to constantly reconfigure their environment and to design their own 

course of play. Giant foam blocks, mats, wagons, fabric and crates overflow with 

creative potential for children to play, dream, build and explore endless possibilities. 

Johns Hopkins University 

School of Education 

The School of Education (SOE) at the Johns Hopkins University has a long history of 

providing innovative academic programs and applied research that have measurably 

improved the quality of PK-12 education, especially in the most challenged urban 

schools. This blend of quality and responsiveness has led to strong partnerships with 

school systems, other Johns Hopkins schools, national professional organizations, and 

governmental agencies. www.education.jhu.edu 

Maryland Science Center 

Serving more than half a million visitors per year, the Maryland Science Center is one 

of Baltimore's premier attractions. Entertaining and educational to the young and old 

alike, it is undoubtedly one of the city's most exciting places to visit. With hands-on 

exhibits and spectacular displays in the world of science and technology, the Maryland 

Science Center is a great way to gain hands-on experience and first-hand knowledge 

about the world around us and beyond. 

At the Maryland Science Center you'll find three floors of exhibits, shows, and science 

encounters to exercise your imagination and challenge your mind. www.mdsci.org 

The Maryland Zoo In Baltimore 

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is a not just a wonderful place to visit – we are also a 

powerhouse of education and conservation programs, right here in the heart of our 

community. We admit tens of thousands of Maryland students and teachers for free 

every year, and send the ZOOmobile on many free visits to schools. 

www.marylandzoo.org


PAXIS Institute 

At PAXIS, we help individuals, organizations and communities achieve a higher level of: 

productivity, peace, health and emotional well-being. We diligently search for best 

practices from around the globe. We find, develop, test, teach and distribute simple, 

practical, scientific solutions to a variety of problems. 

We use both new and traditional systems to deliver knowledge, tools, procedures, 

instruction and support. We develop custom solutions to difficult community or 

population-level problems. At the PAXIS Institute, we search for ways to test and apply 

the most precious gifts of all -- knowledge, intelligence and wisdom, so that we may all 

live safe, productive and rewarding lives. www.paxis.org 

Playworks Baltimore 

Playworks is a national nonprofit that provides safe, healthy playtime at low-income 

schools to create a positive environment for teaching and learning. Our strategy for 

rescuing recess and making play a part of every day has transformed more than 170 

schools across the country. As a result kids return to class focused and ready to learn, 

teachers can use all class time for teaching instead of resolving conflicts from the 

playground, and the whole school climate improves. We put trained adults on the 

playground to introduce classic games that are disappearing from schoolyards, like 

kickball and four-square, as well as new games designed to build leadership and foster 

teamwork. www.playworksusa.org 

Port Discovery Children’s Museum 

Port Discovery Children's Museum provides experiences which ignite imagination, 

inspire learning, and nurture growth through play. Located in Baltimore, Maryland’s 

Inner Harbor, Port Discovery offers three floors of interactive exhibitions and programs 

for children ages birth through 10. All of Port Discovery's programming initiatives align 

with the Maryland Model for School Readiness and the Maryland State Curriculum and 

focus on the Museum's 5 Platforms of Learning. 

Port Discovery has received numerous awards, including the 2010 Nickelodeon's 

Parents' Pick for "Best Museum," the Association of Children’s Museums and MetLife 

Foundation’s “2009 Promising Practice Award,” Maryland Family Magazine’s “2008 Best 

Kids’ Entertainment Place,” and the “Five Star Pick” of the Lila Guide to Baby-Friendly 

Venues in Major U.S. Metropolitan Areas. www.portdiscovery.org 

REMO, Inc. 

Rhythm is so natural to humans, young and old, and vital part of every person’s life. 

Drums and percussion instruments allow us all to come together through rhythm, 

regardless of age or ability, and express ourselves in community. A wonderful tool for 

integrated learning, drumming is playful to the core, inspiring and energizing!


Since 1957 Remo Inc. has created instruments for adults, children, educators, 

amateurs and professionals and is among the largest manufacturers of drumheads 

and percussion instruments in the world. By partnering with organizations, consulting 

and developing training programs, Remo hopes to encourage and support the use of 

music making for all populations and purposes. www.remo.com 

ScrapKins 

ScrapKins is an NYC-based creativity brand for kids that follows the adventures of a 

tribe of monsters who build their world out of the things we throw away. Through 

school visits and Recycled Art-Making workshops, The ScrapKins teach you to turn milk 

cartons into pirate ships and old jeans into tote bags, and have created programs for 

Clif Kids, The Wildlife Conservation Society, Whole Foods Markets, the World Science 

Festival, and Scholastic Afterschool. Created in 2006, by children's designer Brian 

Yanish and inspired by his childhood drawings, the ScrapKins mission is to inspire 

creativity and DIY resourcefulness in kids everywhere. www.scrapkins.com 

Speakaboos 

Speakaboos delivers educational, entertaining and interactive picture books via a 

subscription that can be enjoyed on the computer, tablets or mobile phones. 

Speakaboos features a catalog of over 200+ storybooks, games and activities including 

titles such as Arthur, Snow White, Cinderella and the Three Little Pigs for children ages 

2 - 6 years old. Speakaboos was named “one of the great websites” by the American 

Library Association, received an A+ from Education World and a Teacher's Choice 

Award from Scholastic and is recognized as an “impressive”, “indispensable” and 

“valuable” resource for literacy. Visit www.speakaboos.com and enter the code 

BLOCKPARTY today and receive a FREE one month subscription! 

The Walters Art Museum 

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is internationally renowned for its collection of 

art, which was amassed substantially by two men, William and Henry Walters, and 

eventually bequeathed to the City of Baltimore. The collection presents an overview of 

world art from pre-dynastic Egypt to 20th-century Europe, and counts among its many 

treasures Greek sculpture and Roman sarcophagi; medieval ivories and Old Master 

paintings; Art Deco jewelry and 19th-century European and American masterpieces. 

Walters’ programs are designed to stimulate curiosity, invite participation, and 

encourage reflection about art as an important aspect of history and human discovery. 

Above all, our programs are designed to make the Walters historical collections 

accessible and relevant to our lives today. www.thewalters.org

Band Our Shell Activity Programming 

Sponsors 

Parks and People Foundation 

We are a non-profit organization that creates and supports educational, recreational 

and environmental programs and partnerships that work to unite the citizens and open 

spaces of Baltimore Maryland. 

Promise Neighborhoods Research Consortium 

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has funded the Promise Neighborhood Research 

Consortium (PNRC) to assist high-poverty neighborhoods in America in translating 

existing knowledge into widespread, multiple improvements in wellbeing. 

Neighborhoods of concentrated poverty often have high levels of drug abuse, 

antisocial behavior, depression, academic failure, and intergenerational poverty. 

Recent research shows that substantial reductions in the prevalence of all of these 

problems are achievable (National Research Council & Institute of Medicine, 2009). 

Thus, it is important to provide neighborhoods and communities with the best 

available prevention and treatment interventions. 

T. Rowe Price 

Underscoring our firm's independent tradition, T. Rowe Price has been based in 

Baltimore since its founding in 1937. Located on Baltimore's famous Inner Harbor, our 

downtown office is the center of the firm's global corporate and investment activities. 

www. corporate.troweprice.com 

Young Audiences/Arts for Learning 

Young Audiences/Arts for Learning, America's largest arts in education nonprofit, 

transforms the lives and education of our youth through the arts by connecting 

educators, professional artists, and communities. We provide artistically excellent 

programs, expertise and resources to ensure every student is immersed in 

opportunities to imagine, to create, and to realize their full potential through the arts. 

Cultural arts programs help students build valuable 21st century skills, such as critical 

thinking, collaboration, and cultural understanding. Our award-winning artists 

specialize in dance, music, performing arts, and visual arts. Artists come directly to 

your school and perform interactive assemblies, hands-on workshops, in-depth artist 

residencies, and professional development. For a full roster and list of programs, 

please visit www.yamd.org.

Our Story Tellers 

Alden Phelps 

Songwriter and performer Alden Phelps delights in creating farfetched 

and funny scenarios, bringing them to life in song with 

creative expressions and unexpected rhymes. He strives to engage 

his audiences in creative thinking and associations. Using both 

guitar and keyboard, Alden inspires children to play creatively with 

language through songs, games and challenges. Alden is 

represented by Young Audiences of Maryland, and a graduate of 

Maryland College of Art. 

Molly Moore 

Molly Moores is a local actor with a mission to introduce students 

to Shakespeare and theatre in a fun and exciting format. She 

believes that exposing young students to Shakespeare in a positive 

way will create a receptiveness in future learning. Molly stretches 

imaginations, inspires confidence and makes learning fun. Molly 

has acted with Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Folger Theatre, 

Ford’s Theatre and Studio Theatre, among others. She has taught 

drama and directed children’s shows at Young Actor’s Theatre at 

McDonogh School. Molly is a graduate of Loyola University and 

received additional training at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. 

Chief Red Hawk 

Red Hawk is a Cherokee Indian and Founder of OPM Management 

Solutions, an organization established for the advancement of 

cultural understanding. He is the former Chief of the Bird-Band for 

the American Cherokee Confederacy of Utah (retired), and also sat 

on the tribal council of the American Cherokee of Georgia as their 

tribal Medicine Man and Spiritual Leader. He still holds the 

honorary title of "Chief." Red Hawk is a traditional dancer, 

recording artist, graphic/fine artist, and author. 

Arianna Ross 

Arianna creates entertaining, educational international, dynamic 

programs that weave the power of dance, theatre, creative writing, 

music and spoken word together. Arianna is known for her ability to 

entertain/educate both children and adults with equal success. As a 

storyteller, dancer, visual artist, teacher and director, Arianna strives 

to tell multi-lingual stories that can both bridge the gap between 

communities and to remind us that "It is through the laughter and 

tears of our tales that the lessons of life are imparted." 

Debra Mims 

Debra has been an actress for over thirty years and was an arts 

producer at PBS for fourteen years. With additional training in 

dance, she received a BFA in Theatre Performance from Marygrove 

College in Detroit, Michigan. She has performed at the Georgetown 

Theatre Company, the Children's Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin, 

and the Detroit-Windsor Dance Company. Debra is the 2010 

Individual Artist Award winner for solo performance from Maryland 

State Arts Council.

Ssuuna 

Our Performers 

Captain Jack 

(aka Jon Jensen) is a master of balloon art and magic. He 

performs all over the city, in local restaurants, craft fairs, schools, 

corporate events and farmer's markets. 

Captain Jack's work has been seen at reunions. birthday parties, 

bat mitzvahs and other celebrations all over Baltimore. Check out 

his work at www.balloonsbyjon.com! 

African dancer and Drummer – A dancer, drummer, singer, 

songwriter, storyteller, and recording artist, Ssuuna is an 

energetic performer from Uganda. In addition to having 

delighted and educated school audiences about life in East 

Africa, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Ssuuna 

has performed at The World Bank, The Kennedy Center, the 

Smithsonian, and on numerous college campuses around 

the country. In 2008, Ssuuna was named 

YA National Artist of the Year. 

Molly Shattuck 

Molly Shattuck brings her Vibrant Living initiative to the Ultimate 

Block Party to encourage people to lead an active and healthy 

lifestyle through physical fitness, healthy eating and encouraging 

the entire family to exercise together. 

Illstyle & Peace Productions Hip-Hop 

Dance Brandon “Peace” Albright and Forrest Webb founded Illstyle & 

Peace Productions in 2002. Their affiliations and performing credits 

include Crew Scanner Boyz, Boys II Men, Will Smith, LL Cool J, and 

Renee Harris Pure Movement. The company, based in Philadelphia, PA, is 

a multicultural, mixed-gender dance company 

whose work focuses on the movement and spirit of hip-hop with a variety 

of performance disciplines such as ballet, jazz, and tap. The company 

delivers a positive message of individual expression to worldwide 

audiences young and old. 

Nellie Hill 

Drumming Circle 

Nellie Hill, founder of Playful Spirit Adventures, is a 

professional Drum Circle Facilitator. She has her MA 

in Music Education from the University of Maryland, 

with extensive post graduate studies at Duquesne 

and Villanova. Nellie believes that rhythm is the 

driving force of life. Circles come in many forms; 

circles for reflection, for healing, for community, for 

leadership, but most importantly for enjoyment.

Max Bent 

Our Masters of Ceremonies 

Maria Broom 

Although nationally known as an actress for her recurring roles in 

HBO’s “The Wire” and “The Corner”, Maria is also a storyteller 

and dancer with more than forty years of performing and teaching 

in the US and across the globe. She is a Fulbright scholar and 

former news reporter for the ABC affiliates in Miami and 

Baltimore. Currently, she is on the theater faculty at the Baltimore 

School for the Arts. 

Max Bent is a beatboxer and composer working with 

students across the state of MD as a teaching artist 

with Young Audiences of MD. His music has been 

featured on both national and local projects, including 

Verizon's Beatbox Mixer and Baltimore's LOVE project.

The UBP Steering Committee 

The Baltimore Ultimate Block Party has been the dream and reality of 

many in our community. The enthusiasm for this event and its role in 

bringing together so many throughout our city has created a new energy to 

work together in the interest of our children and families. The Ultimate 

Block Party committee has worked tirelessly over the last nine months and 

are excited to see their dream for a city wide event for families be realized. 

I would like to thank each and every one of them for their energy and 

dedication to bringing the Ultimate Block Party to Baltimore. 

Thank you!! 

Susan Magsamen, Co-Chair, Baltimore UBP Steering Committee 

Michael Sarbanes, Co-Chair, Baltimore UBP Steering Committee 

Arts Education in Maryland Schools 

(AEMS) Alliance 

Mary Ann Mears, Artist and Arts Advocate 


Michael Sarbanes, Executive Director, 

Office of Engagement 

Demetria Nicholas, Family Institute 

Specialist 

Center for Jewish Education 

DJ Schneider-Jensen, Director, Early 

Childhood Services 

Jodi Fishman, Director, ECE 

Rabbi Miriam Burg, Director of 

Educational Engagement 

Child First Authority, Inc. 

Carol Reckling, Executive Director 

Eric Dobbie, Child First Play Smart 

Director 

Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance 

Heidi Vorrasi, Executive Director 

Enoch Pratt Free Library 

Ellen Riordan, Coordinator 

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of 

Public Health 

Philip Leaf, Ph.D., Professor, Director, 

Center for the Prevention of Youth 

Violence 

Lauren Zerbe Urban Health Institute 

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s 

Brain Science Institute 

Susan Magsamen, Director of 

Interdisciplinary Partnerships 

Johns Hopkins University School of 

Education 

David Andrews, Ph.D., Dean 

Parent Community Advisory Board 

(PCAB) 

Michelle Green, President 

Port Discovery Children’s Museum 

Bryn Parchman, President and CEO 

Nora Moynihan, Director of Education 

Andria Washington, Public Relations and 

Promotions Specialists 

Kelly Hawkins, Senior Operations 

Manager 

RTI International 

Fishbein, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and 

Scientist 

Stephanie Gitukui, Project Coordinator 

Dana Eldreth, Health Research Analyst 

The Ultimate Block Party, National 

Susan Royer, Director 

The United Way of Central Maryland 

Beth Morrow, Director of Public Policy & 

Education 

The Walters Art Museum 

Emily Blumenthal, Manager of Family 

Programs 

Young Audiences/Arts for Learning 

Maryland 

Stacie Sanders, Executive Director 

Pat Cruz, Education Director 

Kurtis Donnelly, Program Director

Professional Support Organizations 

Feats 

Feats is a full-service experience marketing 

agency that approaches each opportunity with a 

focus on creating results for client 

organizations. Whether single event or longterm 

engagement effort, our eye is on impact. 

Our careful process ensures that strategy drives 

execution and creativity ensures both 

memorable and measurable outcomes. For 

nearly 25 years, we’ve created unparalleled programs that have captured the 

hearts and minds of millions. www.featsinc.com 

Cabot Creamery 

For five generations, Cabot Creamery 

Cooperative has been producing dairy products 

the old-fashioned way: with a commitment to 

local farming and respect for the land we 

cultivate. Our cooperative of New England and 

New York farm families is proud to provide your 

family with fresh ingredients and award-winning 

taste. At Cabot, our beliefs are deeply rooted in 

close involvement with the community. Support our communities and our 

communities support us...this embodies the cooperative spirit Cabot has 

become known for. 

Find farmer stories, programs for schools, recipes and more at 

www.cabotcheese.coop. 

The Classic Catering People 

The Classic Catering People is a full service, offpremise 

catering and food service company 

serving the Baltimore/Washington, Northern 

Virginia and Southern Pennsylvania areas. 

www.classiccatering.com 

Chefs Expressions 

Chefs Expression is a nationally recognized offpremise 

caterer and event service for corporate 

and social events in the greater Baltimore, 

Maryland area. Chef's Expressions is renowned 

for custom-designed events; focusing on four 

star cuisine, electrifying themes, unique details 

and extraordinary service for every occasion. 

www.chefsexpressions.com

Professional Support Organizations 

Operation Warm, Inc. 

Operation Warm, Inc. is one of the nation’s 

largest nonprofit providers of new winter 

coats to children in need. Operation Warm 

melds its core values of accountability, 

excellence, integrity, innovation, respect and 

teamwork with the strength of its community 

network to reach children across the country. 

Our vision is that every child wearing a new 

winter coat is healthy, able to attend school regularly and develop a strong 

self-esteem. 

Operation Warm raises money to distribute coats with support from local 

community partners including civic organizations, businesses, foundations 

and other philanthropic organizations. Operation Warm coats are often 

the catalyst for these community partners to develop relationships with 

families that help begin to break the cycle of poverty and give children a 

sense of belonging. Operation Warm, in partnership with Baltimore City 

Public Schools is a proud sponsor or the Baltimore Ultimate Block Party. 

For more information about Operation Warm visit www.operationwarm.org 

Historic Ships in Baltimore 

Historic Ships in Baltimore is pleased to offer 

Baltimore’s Ultimate Block Party families the 

opportunity to visit USS CONSTELLATION, the 

jewel of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, free of 

charge on Sunday, October 2nd, 2011, from 

11am to 5pm. A pass from the Block Party is 

required for free admission. 

The first USS CONSTELLATION was built here 

in Baltimore in 1797, one of the first six ships 

built for the US Navy and the first to be launched. In 1854, the 2nd 

CONSTELLATION was launched in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Thank You! 

A very special “Thank you” to the 

Baltimore Ultimate Block Party Play Doctors 

Dr. Kathy Hirsh Pasek, Temple University 

Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, University of Delaware 

Susan Magsamen, Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute 

Brian Schneckenburger, City Schools of Baltimore 

Stephanie Gitukui, RTI 

Dr. Diane Fishbein, RTI 

Dr. Sarah Friedman, CNA 

Dr. Meredith Rowe, University of Maryland 

Dr. Nan Ratner, University of Maryland at College Park 

Dr. Rochelle Newman, University of Maryland 

Dr. Natasha J. Cabrera, University of Maryland 

Gail Troussoff Marks, Silver Star Gymnastics 

Dr. Anna Papafragou, University of Delaware 

Dr. Rick Huganir, Johns Hopkins University 

Dr. Laurel Silber 

... And Others 

And to our Volunteer Groups: 

Business Volunteers Unlimited Maryland 

Johns Hopkins University, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences 

Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health 

National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC 

Teach For America – Baltimore 

The Pauline Mash School for Early Childhood Education at the Beth El 

Congregation in Baltimore 

University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Applied Developmental 

Psychology 

University of Maryland, College Park 

The United Way of Central Maryland 


U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission 

Words & Numbers, Inc

UBP Advisory Boards 

The Ultimate Block Party is please to have the support of this outstanding 

group of scientists and educators. 

Distinguished Scientific Advisory Board 

Edward F. Zigler, Ph.D, Yale University, Edward Zigler Center in Child 

Development and Social Policy 

Lawrence Aber, Ph.D., Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and 

Human Development, New York University 

Nancy C. Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D., Neuroimaging Research Center and the 

Mental Health Clinical Research Center at The University of Iowa Carver 

College of Medicine 

Patricia Bauer, Ph.D., Emory College 

Laura Berk, Ph.D., Illinois State University 

Clancy Blair, Ph.D., Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human 

Development, New York University 

Elena Bodrova, Ph.D., Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning 

(McREL) 

Marc Bornstein, Ph.D., National Institutes of Health 

Stuart L.Brown, M.D., National Institute for Play (NIFP) 

Virginia Casper, Ph.D., Graduate School of Education at 

Bank Street College in New York City 

Adele Diamond, Ph.D., University of British Columbia, Vancouver 

David Dickinson, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, Peabody School of Education 

Susan Engel, Ph.D., Williams College 

David Elkind, Ph.D., Department of Child Development at Tufts University 

Martha J. Farah, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania 

Kurt Fischer, Ph.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education 

Ellen Galinsky, Families and Work Institute 

Herbert P.Ginsburg, Ph.D.,Teachers College, Columbia University 

Alison Gopnik, Ph.D, University of California at Berkeley 

Susan Levine, Ph.D., Department of Psychology at the 

University of Chicago 

Angeline Lillard, Ph.D., University of Virginia 

James Davis, Ph.D., Temple University


Lilian Katz, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Patricia K. Kuhl, Ph.D., Bezos Family Foundation, University of Washington 

Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences and NSF Science of Learning 

Center 

Lynn S. Liben Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University at University Park 

Samuel J. Meisels, Ph.D.,Erikson Institute 

Nora S. Newcombe, Ph.D.,Temple University 

Peter S. Ornstein, Ph.D.,University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

Anthony D. Pellegrini, Ph.D.,University of Minnesota 

Laura Petitto, Ph.D., University of Toronto and University of Toronto 

Neuroscience Program 

Mitchel Resnick, Ph.D., MIT Media Laboratory 

Jack P.Shonkoff, M.D., Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Graduate 

School of Education, Center on the Developing Child 

Dorothy G. Singer, Ph.D., Yale University, Department of Psychology and 

Electronic Media and Families Unit at the Zigler Center 

Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., Temple University 

Paula A. Tallal, Ph.D.,Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 

Catherine Tamis-LeMonda, Ph.D., New York University Steinhardt School of 

Culture, Education, and Human Development 

Christopher W. Tyler, Ph.D., Smith-Kettlewell Brain Imaging Center 

Ellen Winner, Ph.D., Boston College and Project Zero, Harvard Graduate 


UBP National Executive Committee 

Susan Magsamen, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 

Brain Science Institute 

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D., Temple University, Department of Psychology 

Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D., University of Delaware, 


Dusty Bennett, Producer 

Andrew Ackerman, Children’s Museum of Manhattan 

Education Advisory Committee 

Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D.Sesame Workshop 

Edward (E.J.) Minor HIT Entertainment 

Nancy Streim Ph.D.Teachers College, Columbia University


Emily Zemke Ph.D.Teachers College, Columbia University 

Alice Wilder, Ed.D.Kidos 

Emily Chase, Department of Parks and Recreation in New York 

Jennifer Kozel, Children’s Museum of Manhattan 

Ann Hallock, Disney Publishing 

Mary Giles, Disney Publishing 

Belinda Watts, Gensler 

Halley K. Harrisburg, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery 

Stacy Gabrielle, Crayola 

Sharon Huang, Families and Work Institute 

Steve Nelson, Calhoun School 

Dave Hollander, Writer, commentator, on-air personality 

Ilene Wasserman, ICW Consulting Group 

Kelly Fisher, Center for Re-Imagining Children’s Learning and Education 

llison Berman, MindSnacks 

Virginia Casper, Ph.D., Graduate School of Education and Bank Street College 

Nancy Schulman, 92nd Street Y 

Jennifer M. Zosh, Ph.D. Human Development and Family Studies at The 

Pennsylvania State University, Brandywine 

Patti Becker, President and Founder of Becker Associates LLC 

Distinguished Business Advisory Board 

Ken Jones, Chief Financial Officer/Vice President of Finance and 

Administration for the Annie E. Casey Foundation 

Karen S. Gruenberg, President of KSG Projects, LLC, 

Laura Ensler, Consultant to public, private and not-for-profit organizations in 

the field of early care and education. 

Tovah P. Klein, Adjunct associate professor of psychology, Director of the 

Barnard College Center for Toddler Development 

Bodo Liesenfeld, Managing Partner in Liesenfeld International GmbH 

Dan Victor, Victor Advisors PLLC 

Donna Feiner, Consultant to public, private and not-for-profit organizations 

Ellen Wartella, Al-Thani Professor of Communication, Professor of Psychology and 

Professor of Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University

Map 

1 Center For Jewish Education – Books on the Beach 

2 Baltimore Clayworks – Play In Clay 

3 Baltimore City Public Schools' Family Institute – Come Fly Away 

4 Imagination Playground LLC – Imagination Playground 

5 Parks & People Foundation – Nature Play Spaces 

6 Port Discovery Children's Museum – Be A Part Of Art 

8 T. Rowe Price – The Great Piggy Bank Adventure® 

9 B&O Railroad Museum – Workin' on the Railroad 

10 The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore – Getting a Feel For It 

11 The Goddard School ® – Let's Play Café 

12 Promised Neighborhood Research Consortium – Mindful Yoga 

13 ScrapKins – ScrapKins Recycled Art Factory 

14 Promised Neighborhood Research Consortium – The Good Behavior Game 

15 Maryland Science Center – Science Inquiry Station 

16 Young Audiences/Arts for Learning – Story Corner 

17 The Walters Art Museum – Alphadoodle Puzzles 

18 Centerstage – Theatre Games and Activities 

19 Baltimore City Public Schools – Operation Warm - Coat distribution 

20 Baltimore Ravens – Play 60 Youth Fitness Camp 

21 Child First Authority – Rokkball Baseball Clinic 

22 Playworks Baltimore – Playworks Play Station 

23 Promised Neighborhood Research Consortium – Family Hip Hop 

24 Teach For America – Minute To Win It 

25 JHU School of Education – BioEYES 

26 Speakaboos – Relax and Write… 

27 City Schools Sustainability Challenge – Growing Green, Sustaining Play 

28 The National Aquarium, Baltimore – Fish Sand Art 

29 Sidewalk Chalk Art – Crayola & Young Audiences/Arts for Learning 

Author’s Corner – Enoch Pratt Free Library

Map

Play! - Baltimore City Public Schools

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