My daughter really wanted a Mermaid Pillow for Christmas but I dropped the ball and didn't order one in time. Happily, I was redeemed by the arrival of the Love pillow this week. Since she opened it up she can't keep her hands off it. The removable cover has a velvety side that is huggably soft. On the other side, sequins flip with the brush of a finger or a hand to reveal whatever shimmery pink and silver design you want to create.
Being familiar with kids with sensory issues, I am especially impressed by this pillow's ability to engage kids in calming, tactile play. This special purpose hasn't been lost on the company...in fact they have donated pillows to children in hospitals and have designed a special pillow to benefit Autism Speaks (see pick #5 below). Whether used as a calming comfort pillow, inspiring decorative pillow, teaching tool, or an entertaining travel pillow, the reversible sequins beg to be played with. Now that its close to Valentine's Day, this pillow would be a perfect gift, especially if you are trying to downplay candy and screens. In addition to the Love design there are gift sets in a variety of themes like mermaids, fairies, sharks, and more. Our top gift picks are:
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Recently I visited my son's early elementary classroom to assist students with an animal research project. The six and seven year olds were using easy books to find facts, but a few of the children were ready for the next step...going on the internet to search for interesting information beyond the first and second grade books. This required a ton of supervision on the teacher's part, and the search was limited to only a few basic sites. I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be great if elementary kids had more freedom to explore the internet in school without being exposed to questionable content or leading ads?" Now, thanks to Bing in the Classroom, parents and teachers can worry a little less while kids learn a whole lot more. “We created Bing in the Classroom because we believe students deserve a search environment tailored for learning. Classrooms should be ad-free, and that should be as true online as it is offline,” said Matt Wallaert, creator of Bing in the Classroom, Microsoft. Bing in the Classroom is an initiative sponsored by Bing to help bring technology to schools and is open to all K-12 schools throughout the United States . When schools work with Bing in the Classroom, they receive access to ad-free, safe, private search by Bing, digital literacy lesson plans, and a rewards program that community members can use to earn tablets for their schools. Watch this quick, awesome (and funny!) video to see how it works: Join Bing in the Classroom today, and spread the word to the educators and administrators at your child's school. When you join Bing Rewards, you can donate earned points to donate Surface tablets to school. Plus, Bing in the Classroom provides digital literacy lesson plans for teachers! Click on the following links below to: This post was created in partnership with Bing. We disclose that this is a sponsored post and are happy to share about creating a safe search environments and increasing technology in classrooms. All opinions are our own. For the purpose of this family-friendly article, we only included only Rated G and Rated PG productions. We also included National Harbor, MD for its proximity to Northern VA. May 2014 May 2: "Planes" Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA May 9: "ET" Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA May 16: "Despicable Me 2" Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA May 17: "Frozen" Cinema Del Ray, Alexandria, VA May 18: "Cars" and "Planes" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA May 23: "Little Rascals" Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA May 25: "The Incredibles" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA May 30: "Monsters University" Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA June 2014 June 1: "A League of Their Own" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA June 1: "Finding Nemo" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD June 8: "The Incredibles" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD June 8: "Wizard of Oz" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA June 15: "Father of the Bride" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD June 21: "Despicable Me 2" Cinema Del Ray, Alexandria, VA June 22: "Mary Poppins" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA June 22: "The Parent Trap" (1998) Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD June 29: "The Princess Diaries" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD June 29: "Up" at Lake Anne Plaza, Reston, VA July 2014 July 4: "The Rookie" Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA July 6: "Up" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA July 6: "Freaky Friday" (2003) Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD July 8: "Frozen" at South Riding Center (42420 Unicorn Drive, South Riding, VA) July 13: "Freaky Friday" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA July 13: "The Wizard of Oz" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD July 16: "Despicable Me 2" at South Riding Town Green (43055 Center St, South Riding, VA) July 18: "Despicable Me 2" Alexandria Waterfront (Old Town Alexandria) July 19: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" Cinema Del Ray, Alexandria, VA July 20: "Despicable Me 2" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA July 20: "Willy Wonka" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD July 22: "The Lego Movie" at South Riding Center July 27: "Annie" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD July 30: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" at South Riding Town Green August 2014 August 3: "Goonies" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA August 3: "Singing in the Rain" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD August 5: "The Lorax" at South Riding Center August 8: "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" (original) Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA August 8: "Brave" Arlington County Fair Outdoor Family Movie August 9: "Despicable Me 2" at Starlight Cinema, Centreville, VA August 10: "Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA August 13: "The Nut Job" at South Riding Town Green August 16: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" at Starlight Cinema, Centreville, VA August 16: "The Lego Movie" Cinema Del Ray, Alexandria, VA August 17: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" Stonebridge at Potomac TC, Woodbridge, VA August 19: "Monsters University" at South Riding Center August 22: "Frozen Sing a Long" Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA August 23: "Frozen" at Starlight Cinema, Centreville, VA August 24: "Frozen" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA August 27: "Finding Nemo" at South Riding Town Green August 29: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" Mosaic District, Fairfax, VA August 30: "The Lego Movie" at Starlight Cinema, Centreville, VA September 2014 September 7: "The Lego Movie" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA September 7: "Finding Neverland" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD September 14: "Muppets Most Wanted" Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA September 14: "Peter Pan" (animated) Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD September 21: "Double Feature: Monsters, Inc/ Monsters U" Stonebridge at PTC, Woodbridge September 21: "Peter Pan" (2003) Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD September 28: "Hook" Movies on the Potomac, National Harbor, MD Please check back often! Many outdoor movie series have not announced their summer schedule yet. New additions will be added to this list continuously. If you know of a free, public, outdoor and family-friendly movie in the Northern VA region that is not on the list, please email us at info@gokidtrips.com. We will add it as soon as possible.
Rust Nature Sanctuary in Leesburg is part of the Audubon Naturalist Society and includes 68 acres of meadows, forests, ponds, and trails that are packed with diverse wildlife and plants. Find out more about Rust Nature Sanctuary here.
We are proud to work with Rust Nature Sanctuary on upcoming articles and educational programs. The staff would like to giveaway one birthday party to a lucky Kid Trips Northern Virginia reader. Here are the details: Birthday Party Giveaway Parties are held year-round at the Rust Nature Sanctuary in Leesburg and are 1.5 hours long. One hour is led by an experienced naturalist and includes a program based on the theme, a nature hike and a craft or game. The remaining 30 minutes is the responsibility of the host family and is reserved for traditional birthday fun in the Discovery Room. Parties may include up to 14 children. Party host provides food, drinks, and party decorations, if desired. Parties are recommended for children ages 4-10. Birthday party themes include:
Birthday Party Times: Fridays 4:00-5:30pm Saturdays 10:30-12:00pm or 1:30-3:00pm Sundays 10:30am-12:00pm or 1:30-3:00pm PRIZE EXPIRATION DATE: February 2016 More details and program descriptions can be seen at http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/index.php/nature-programs/children-family/birthday-parties We've scoured the stores, catalogs, and internet to find the best, quality lunch boxes of 2013. These choices are built to last, easy to clean, and come in many patterns and styles to make any kid (and parent) happy! Courtesy of Target.com Wildkin Lunch Box: (Price range $14.79-$19.99, Dimensions 9.8 " H x 3.3 " W x 7.0 ) available at Target.com Wildkin offers 17 exciting patterns from animals, camouflage, and vibrant prints. Parents will love the designer quality and sturdy design at affordable prices. Plus, it folds flat for easy storage. Potterybarnkids.com Pottery Barn Kids Classic Lunch Bag (Price range: $19.50-$29.50, Dimensions: 8"W x 9"H) available at potterybarnkids.com From sharks to horses, polka dots to snakeskin, Pottery Barn Kids offers great compact lunchboxes with styles kids will love. They can be customized with any child’s names on them, and they’re versatile in that they have two separate compartments, to store hot and cold snacks or meals separately. We also love that it's made of PEVA, an environmentally friendly, food-safe vinyl! by Claudine Oh how exciting! I have been a royal watcher since Princess Diana first arrived on the scene. As a little girl I bought every magazine that had an image of Diana on the cover. I was totally fascinated with the royal family. I have to admit I also shed a tear after her untimely death in 1997. Alas...there were some rough years for the royals where even I didn't feel like reading or hearing about them. I am still not, nor will I ever be, a Camilla fan!
Thankfully life moves forward and Diana's little boys are now men and much of the black cloud over the House of Windsor has been lifted like an evil spell cast out of the kingdom (must stop reading so many princess stories to my daughter). By Claudine and Micaela Buying for Father's Day can be tough. We have put together some great ideas for dad.
by AmyMy husband is always amazed (and a little exasperated) by the amount of “must-have” items I pack for a trip. Its true, my purse is always a little like Mary Poppins’ satchel…full of a never-ending supply of oddities. But when you have three kids of varying ages and genders, there is no one magical fix for potty emergencies, boo-boos, packing conundrums, boredom and hunger. Far better to be prepared! Gradually, over time we have been able to pare down the burdens we must carry, but these are the tips that have kept the true must-haves manageable and the long stretches of road bearable. Here are our top tips: by MicaelaI was invited to visit PBS Headquarters to learn about their new "It All Adds Up" math initiative. Many parents have anxiety when teaching math to our children, and by the 4th grade, 60 percent of students are performing below proficient levels in math. Yikes! " Parents with older children are more likely to practice math skills daily with their kids than parents of younger children. Sixty percent of parents of 5-8-year-olds practice math daily with their kids, whereas only half of parents of 2-4-year-olds do. Parents are also more likely to practice reading skills with their kids than they are to practice math" (PBS Kids It All Adds Up Online) As a former educator who always worked in low income areas, I also applaud the efforts PBS has taken to make online learning free and accessible to kids in many communities. Check out all the new fun and free learning opportunities: by MicaelaI am going to be completely honest here. Last summer for me was a WASHOUT! I went to the pool every morning with my children, but too many of my afternoons were spent writing a certain book while they played at home. This summer, I am committed to breaking the monotony and made a list of 100 Things to Do this Summer with Kids in Northern Virginia. The list is very non-specific. For example, "ride a train" could mean the Metro, Burke Lake Train, or even the mall train at Tyson's Corner. I'm not sure if we're going to get to everything on this list, but I am challenging myself to complete at least 90. I hope you enjoy! Please share, pin, and print it out the PDF. |
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