Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit photo courtesy of John Steiner, Smithsonian Institution.

With August's abrupt arrival, summer session is almost over. Even if you’ve been done with school for ages, you may still want to keep that brain sharp, if only to make yourself sound interesting at parties. While most of the area’s galleries are a bit out-of-commission, the museums are still packing in the events.

>> Recently opened on July 18 and running through January 3 is Dig It! The Secrets of Soil at the Natural History Museum. The exhibit covers a massive 5,000 square feet with interactive learning activities which explore fungi, bacteria, worms, and other organisms often hidden from view. Check the website for a wealth of related learning materials for the kiddies.

>> Head to the Botanical Garden on Saturday, August 16 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for their Family Day, One Planet – Ours! Sustainability for the 22nd Century . Green activities abound as visitors enjoy gelato; help create a straw bale house and a hand-held wind turbine; learn about solar cooking, local foods, and organic gardening; and meet experts in the field of sustainability. Event activities are free and rain-or-shine. Check out the Cool Globes sculptures while you’re there, or join USBG Conservation Horticulturist Ray Mims on Wednesday, August 27 from 12 to 1 p.m. at the conservatory terrace for an exhibit tour.

>> The Smithsonian Resident Associate Program offers a number of lectures, performances, tours and other educational opportunities each month on a variety of topics. This month, you can traverse the fifty-mile path of British troops in their 1814 effort to seize the U.S. Capitol on the 24th, learn about Norse mythology on the 7th, and view hidden Afghani artifacts on the 11th. Check the website for a full schedule.

>> The Newseum presents two Inside Media film screenings this month to correspond with their exhibit G-Men and the Journalists. Waco Revisited with Vicki Mabrey and Byron Sage shows at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 23rd, and on the following Saturday at the same time, they will show The FBI, the Media and the Movement with Jack Nelson and Jim Ingram, which explores the civil rights stories that Nelson covered for the Los Angeles Times as well as those investigated by the FBI’s Ingrams.

>> The Freer and Sackler continue the Thirteenth Annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival with seven films this month, including Shaolin Soccer, As Tears Go By, and the action-comedy Nowhere to Hide. At 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday August 28 and 29, meet actor Ahn Sung-Ki as he discusses Nowhere to Hide and Radio Star.

>> Every Saturday this month, the Textile Museum is holding hands-on workshops for knitting, dyeing and rug repair. Workshops cost $40 and require advance registration. Call 202-667-0441, ext. 64 or use this PDF registration form to sign up.

>> On Sunday, August 31 from 1 to 5 p.m., the HIllwood Estate, Museum and Gardens in NW hosts a day of family fun in their Fabergé Workshop. Create a decorative picture frame in the style of imperial Russia’s legendary jeweler, and get a tour of the Mansion. Call 202-686-5807 to reserve a spot.

>> Interested in curating or don't know how to preserve your own art collection? Head to the African Art Museum on Thursday the 21st from 1:30 to 4 p.m. for a Curatorial and Conservation Clinic, and the museum's curators and conservators will give you tips on the aesthetics, cultural context and proper care of works. Bring your own art objects for specific advice; limit two. Registration required; call 202-633-4640.

>> Wealthy adrenaline junkies alert! On Sunday, August 17, the Spy Museum holds an all-day Anti-Terrorist Driver Training in Summit Point, West Virginia, for $1200 a person. Huh? Let's leave it to the Spy Museum to explain:

Don’t you wish you could drive the Beltway with the skill of a counterterrorist operative? Here’s your chance! For over thirty years, BSR has trained the people whose lives depend on top-notch evasive driving—from hostage rescue personnel to counterterrorist units. As the recognized leader in vehicle anti-terrorist training for military and governmental application worldwide, BSR, has developed a state-of-the-art program. Now they have custom-designed an exclusive one-day opportunity for SPY highlighting the best of their longer courses. Barricade breaching, high speed driving, swerving, wet track work, and reverse 180s are just a few of the powerful and thrilling maneuvers you will master in this intense day of hard driving. The BSR Shenandoah Valley training center has acres of paved and dirt road circuits, skid pads, an off-road training arena, and instructors who have firsthand experience driving for their lives. This course is ideal for individuals who want to protect themselves from random criminal acts and experience a taste of Bond-style driving.

If that sounds like your dream-come-true, space is limited, so hurry up and call 202-654-0932 to save your spot at the wheel.