Beltway Bambinos

(re) discover Washington DC through the eyes of your children

Toys and games worth buying that are actually educational

Over the past 56 days we have started to discover toys and games that have been buried in drawers or sitting on shelves. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite things. Leave us a comment with what your Bambinos have been playing with.

Weaving loom
The Melissa & Doug Wooden Multi-Craft Weaving Loom includes everything kids need, including adjustable wooden loom, oversize wooden needle, craft materials, illustrated design booklet, and 91 yards of rainbow yarn.

Wooden Digital Rod Counting rods Number Cards and Counting Rods with Box
Includes 5 math signs and 19 numbers 0 to 9 and 52 counting rods.

Simple Sewing Kit
Includes everything you’ll need for 2 cardstock practice projects and 3 final projects.

Snap Circuits Jr
Build over 130 different electronics circuit projects with 30+ electronic parts! Construct working models of a photo sensor, a flashing light, an Adjustable-Volume siren using parts such as glow-in-the-dark flying propeller, phototransistor, LEDs, resistors, a DC motor and much more!

Rush Hour Traffic Jam Logic Game
Rush Hour is the classic traffic jam logic game and one of the all-time most popular STEM toys and gifts for boys and girls ages 8 and up Contains 40 challenges from beginner to expert, a game grid, cars, and a game-go storage bag.

Fashion Plates
Just place your sketch paper, pass the rubbing tool over and transfer your design easily. Includes 15 fashion plates, 20 sheets of paper, 8 colored pencils, 2 rubbing crayons, 1 crayon holder, 1 drawing tablet, 1 fashion carrying case and 1 fashion folio idea guide.

Light Up Tracing
Includes Coloring Board, Graphite Pencil, 12 Short Colored Pencils, 10 Tracing Sheets, and 10 Blank Sheets. 3 AA batteries required – sold separately. Various themes to choose from.

5 Second Rule
Pick a card, read the seemingly easy topic, then start the timer! With only 5 seconds to name 3 things that fit the topic, it doesn’t seem so easy!

Below are previously linked items from this blog post of resources and games that definitely worth having on hand–
Kumon Workbooks
Kumon Workbooks
Scavenger Hunt for Kids ages 6+
Flash Cards
Brain Boosters choose an age
Guess in 10 Game ages 6+
Treasure Hunt Game ages 3+
Brain Quest Cards comes in each grade level
Boredom Busters ages 3-6
Educational Placemats
Mind Challenge ages 6+
Tabletop Magnetic Whiteboard

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Mother’s Day gift idea that won’t go out of style

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and sadly your child won’t be coming home with the annual handmade surprises made at school. That doesn’t mean the moms and grandparents in our lives don’t deserve something special. We’ve got the perfect gift to send your mom, friend or grandparent that will be enjoyed for many years and admired by guests.

Comet Cloth kitchen aprons & towels are created by talented, local food photographer, Renée Comet. They are 100% cotton, grown, printed, sewn and finished in the USA. These vibrant aprons & towels are a great addition to any kitchen. As Florence Fabricant from the New York Times said, “coordinate your kitchen linens with your menu”. 

Comet has launched children’s aprons for select designs which make a perfect parent/child (or grandparent/grandchild) shareable gift. Personally, I also love the idea of getting my kids matching aprons. As seen pictured above; the perfectly ripe strawberry print looks pretty adorable on! Your kitchen towels and aprons shouldn’t be dreary and boring. Add some color to your kitchen especially since these days we are all home and cooking so much; it’s a perfect time to include some fun to the experience. Shipping typically arrives takes 4 days. Order today! Don’t forget to plan ahead for the fathers in your lives as well.

Beyond candy and toys: Easter basket ideas under $15

Easter is right around the corner and we thought we’d round up a few last minute ideas to add to baskets that will also double as things that will keep your kids occupied while home from school. We’ve listed a combination of places to shop online that are local favorites that are delivering or offering curbside pickup as well as Amazon Prime deals!

Shop locally online:
Child’s Play is delivering however you schedule a date online and the earliest isn’t until after Easter. It’s worth calling them to find out they have any availability however if you want to shop local. Sullivan’s is also delivering!

Three Littles is a local kids shop {with some great items for adults too} which was based in Union Market and is offering free local delivery.

Periwinkle is my go-to store in NW, DC for chocolates and great housewarming gifts as well as a great kids section. They don’t have a great ‘shop online’ section but if you call they can tell you what they have.

Add gift certificates to local places into baskets. Most places allow for you to order them online!

Amazon 2-day delivery with Prime ideas:
Sidewalk chalk eggs, unicorn horn chalk and walkie chalk stand-up tool which looks amazing
How to draw animals book
Watercolor paints
Crayola markers and Twistable silly scent crayons
Kids sketch book
On-the-go origami animal set
Unicorn stickers
Play doh and Model magic
Vintage baseball cards and current baseball cards
Hula hoop
Little Kids First Big Book of Why
Jump rope
Mr. Wolf’s Class book #3

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Educational resources at your fingertips

Schools are closed, now what? Most schools are coming up with distance learning plans but until then if you want to get some things for your kids in order to keep their minds busy and have some resources on hand we’ve got some ideas below.

Some great educational apps are:
ABC Mouse
Brain Pop
Dragonbox
Science 360
Starfall
Teach Your Monster To Read

I used to be a teacher and I am now I am a private tutor. The books below are tried and true by the students I’ve worked with. I get these workbooks at the end of each school year for my kids to use throughout the summer– so they won’t go unused. I’d recommend choosing the grade your child will be entering in the Fall unless they are struggling currently in their grade in which you could purchase the grade below.
Summer Bridge grades PreK-K
Summer Bridge grades K-1
Summer Bridge grades 1-2
Summer Bridge grades 2-3
Summer Bridge grades 3-4
Summer Bridge grades 4-5
Summer Bridge grades 5-6
Summer Bridge grades 6-7
Summer Bridge grades 7-8

Subscription boxes are great to also have on hand for random days off from school. Our go-to are Kiwi Co boxes.

Websites:
Adapted Mind Math offers K-6 curriculum is research-based, common core aligned, and comprehensive with over 300,000 math problems and explanations.
Adventure Academy digital learning for ages 8-13, first month is free
Go Noodle Movement break!
Khan Academy education for kids at home
Learning A to Z online resources for PreK- grade 6
Storyworks is part of Scholastic and is a literary magazine for students in grades 3-6 and their teachers, you are able to try it for free.
Teachers Pay Teachers access to resources created by teachers, free as well as paid content
Ted-Ed lets you build a lesson around any TED talk, TED-Ed resource, or YouTube video. You can also find and use existing lessons on a variety of topics.

Linked below

Resources and Games to have on hand:
Kumon Workbooks
Kumon Workbooks
Scavenger Hunt for Kids ages 6+
Flash Cards
Brain Boosters choose an age
Guess in 10 Game ages 6+
Treasure Hunt Game ages 3+
Brain Quest Cards comes in each grade level
Boredom Busters ages 3-6
Educational Placemats
Mind Challenge ages 6+
Tabletop Magnetic Whiteboard

This is also a great resource someone started which shows you a list of educational websites that are waiving sign-up fees.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

The Kids Mindfulness Project

Shelby Samperton was curious to find a better way to handle all of life’s ups and downs. As a single mother of 3, she understands the importance of leading by example. When she first started looking into Mindfulness, she was drawn to the sense of calm, understanding, and enlightenment the practice created within her. Shelby was instantly inspired to share and grow this practice not only within her own family but with others as well.

I am very passionate about practicing mindfulness with my children and working towards dealing with situations calmly and methodically so I was thrilled to learn about Shelby’s take on this when I came across a discussion on the Mama’s Show. Not only has Shelby launched the Kids Mindfulness Project but she also wrote and published a book about equanimity called Pearl the Mindful Turtle. Below Shelby explains more about the foundations of mindfulness as well as ways to incorporate them into your daily lives with your children and we hope you take away some beneficial tips!

The Kids Mindfulness Project is an initiative to bring mindfulness practices to children and their families. Research shows that families with parents and children who practice mindfulness show far less stress and fewer conflicts. 

Mindfulness is a practice of being aware in the present moment. It is operating from a place of calm and peace rather than reacting to situations or emotions. Mindfulness practice can be used in may ways, breathing techniques, mindful meditation, even just being mindful when you eat or drive in the car!

Teaching children how to practice mindfulness will instill in them lifelong skills to draw on in difficult times. Mindfulness encourages a non-judgmental way of being and feeling in the present moment. By going inside yourself, kids can learn to self-sooth, calm themselves down and operate with a clear mind. Mindfulness encourages that all feelings and emotions are valid but we don’t need to react to them. By practicing mindfulness, we learn to accept our emotions, feel them and then let them pass. Research shows that students who practiced mindfulness and mostly who practiced it before a test or an exam had a much higher performance rate. 

The Kids Mindfulness Project encourages families to find little ways to practice mindfulness every day. Just like any skill, mindfulness is a practice and will grow stronger with a consistent practice. 

We recommend trying mindfulness in the car, on the way to and from school. Kids may not be open to it at first, but just like trying anything new, keep going! 

We love the Pinna app. It’s a kids only podcast app. On Pinna, you can find the Relax And Be Happy podcast. These are short, mindful mediations aimed at teaching children how to be mindful. It’s a fun and easy way to incorporate mindfulness into your every day routine! Other wonderful calming apps are Headspace and Calm. 

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Kids Mindfulness Project and in-home family or one-on-one sessions, please visit our website or send an email!

Products to be more sustainable each day

We’ve compiled a family-friendly list of ways you can incorporate sustainable products into your home. They are easy and affordable– and customary for our family now. Hopefully something below will resonate with you and will become a good replacement for the harmful ever-so present plastics.

Skip the Ziplocs and get the reusable silicone storage bag, Stasher. Stasher was born from an unwavering commitment to reduce single-use plastics. Some might call it an obsession, they call it a passion for a better world. There are several sizes that match up to the sizes of a Ziploc; sandwich, snack, half-gallon and more. These bags are endlessly useful, reusable, and non-toxic. A few of the many perks: durable, reusable, microwave safe, sous vide ready, dishwasher safe, fridge friendly and oven strong!

If you want to opt for an alternative to silicone you may want to test out beeswax wraps. We have found them to be a bit tricky to wrap your item and keep it in place. You use the warmth of your hands to soften the wrap and form over a bowl, container, or piece of food. These are made of organic cotton, sustainably harvested bees wax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin.

PlanetBox lunches create a whole lot less trash, which should help you sleep better knowing you’re doing your part to help the planet for future generations. They take “non-toxic, non-leaching, safe from BPA, phthalates, and lead” very seriously – in fact, it’s why they designed PlanetBox. The high quality stainless steel is warrantied for 5 years. They have cute magnets you can buy to customize the lunchbox to fit the style of your child as well as containers that fit inside of it.

A reusable water bottle we love are the Klean Kanteen bottles. They are durable and stainless steel. It comes with a BPA-free Polypropylene #5 cap. They make a variety of sizes and offer a few different cap options; sports cap, pour cap, loop cap and more. The opening is large enough to add ice into. They are backed by the Klean Kanteen Strong as Steel Guarantee.

Stainless steel cups for every day drinking and they have stood the test of time and are a perfect size. We have cleared out the plastic cups we brought home from restaurants and the random assortment that accumulated and opt for these. They are BPA Free, Phthalate-free, Lead and Toxin-Free – Pure 100% Stainless Steel! All Greens Steel Products come with a lifetime guarantee! 100% satisfaction or your money back. 

Stainless steel straws with a silicone flex tip are the go-to for our kids. They are dishwasher safe and come apart for easy cleaning.

Produce bags instead of using the plastic bags at the grocery store to put your produce into. The barcodes scan through the mesh of this bag. You get 9 in this pack.

Glass containers have replaced the plastic Tupperware that was scattered amongst cabinets. The options are endless– all coming with airtight seals and containers safe for the microwave, oven and freezer!

We’d love to hear what products you have switched over to! Leave us a comment below.

Stocking stuffers for kids under $13

All stocking stuffer products are under $13 and are linked to Amazon and can be shipped and on doorstep within 2 days by using your Prime Membership! Happy Holidays! Leave us other ideas in the comments below.

Art & Creative:

Color Wonder No-Mess Coloring- Keep your skin, furniture, and washable clothing clean with no mess markers that only show up on specially formulated color Wonder paper
Peppa Pig
Baby Shark
Disney Princesses
Daniel Tiger

On-the-Go Color Blast- Color in pictures with “magic” invisible ink to reveal patterns and vibrant colors
Dinosaur & Sea Life
Princess & Fairy

Crayola Twistables– 50 compact twistable crayons that never needs sharpening or peeling

Crayola Glitter Outdoor Chalk

Scribble Scrubbie– 2-Pack animal toy set includes 2 washable animal figures, 1 scrub brush, 3 washable colored markers

Everyday Necessities:

Kids Power Toothbrush-
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Blaze
Disney Princess
Frozen

Lip Smackers-
Disney Princesses
Coca Cola Collection
Crayola
Star Wars

Unicorn Hair Tie

Wet Hair Brush

Thermos Water Bottle 10oz– Various colors, double wall stainless steel straw bottle

Pokémon Band Aids
Frozen Band Aids

Baby to age 2:

Fat Brain Dimpl Toy– Simple yet brilliant; push and pop them, Poke and grab them; a perfect, portable sensory delight

Wooden Colorful Shape Puzzle– 1 board and 9 wood toy with different color(such as red, yellow, pink, etc) and geometric shapes (such as circle, square, rectangle, triangle, etc.)

Infantino Textured Multi Ball Set– 6 easy-to-grab textured balls, helps develop baby’s tactile senses

Fun Keys– A fun set of toy keys along a functional remote with car sounds and a flashlight with 3 keys of different shapes and colors that swing freely

Toddlers:

Children’s Projector & Flashlight– Slide a reel in and discover the happy visitors from another galaxy and planets from our solar system

Kaleidoscope

Crayola Palm Grasp Crayons

Reading & Spelling Puzzle– This bright collection of puzzles aimed at children ages 4 and up is a perfect introduction to three letter words. The colorful pictures help your child associate words with objects and are designed to teach early reading skills. The cards are a mix of sight words and CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words.

Water Magic Books- Reusable activity pages that fill with vibrant color when wet and erase when dry, these fun travel activities work like magic
Minnie & Mickey Mouse
Cupcake & Donut
Jungle

Ages 5+:

LOL Surprise Dolls

Spirograph Travel Set– 6 Spirograph precision wheels, 2 design Pens, 24-page sticky note pad and instruction/design guide

Spot it!– Develops visual skills including form constancy perception, scanning and focus, allows for multiple mini-games with endless replay-ability

Fold n Fly Paper Airplane Kit– Add stickers to design your own fleet of 18 unique paper airplanes

Glow in the Dark Flashlights– Set of 4

Purple Cow Magnetic Travel Games– Portable games: keep kids entertained on the go with this magnetic, Lightweight, pocket-sized board game

Thinking Putty

Headphone Splitter– 5-way Headphone Splitter- Headphone adapter splits line into 5 auxiliary (3.5mm) ports for easily sharing sound with up to 5 people and works with any device with an AUX port, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more

Portable Charger

Ear Bud Holder & Organizer

Check Out:
Gift Guide for Kids
Memberships & Experiences
Subscription Boxes

Gift Guide for Kids

It’s Black Friday so deals are hot right now so stock up while the sales are good. If you are in the need for some gifts, we’ve got a short list of items that are sure to delight your Bambinos, whether it be a holiday gift or birthday presents you can hide for the future. We also have posts on Subscription Boxes for Kids and Memberships & Experiences for Families for more gift options.

STEM:
Kano Computer Kit
Build your own computer. Comes with step-by-step book, Raspberry Pi 3, programmable LED lights, DIY case, power button, wireless keyboard with track pad, memory, HDMI and power cables, stickers, Kano unique operating system, 100+ coding challenges, and 100+ apps.

Shifu
They have a variety of games that are compatible with your smart device for various age ranges.

Osmo
Osmo is magic: fun-filled & Award winning learning games that interact with actual hand held pieces & a fire tablet, bringing a child’s game pieces & actions to life (no wi-fi necessary for game play). Comes in many different age ranges as well as games.

Code & Go Robot Mouse
This coding set includes 16 maze grids create a 20″ X 20″, 22 maze walls, 3 tunnels, 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge, and activity guide to provide a hands-on introduction to coding concepts.

Nature Lover:
Grow n Glow Terrarium
This kit allows you to craft, plant, water and grow your own terrarium tabletop garden and it grows SUPER fast.

4-Piece Gardening Set
Get some help with yard-work!

See Through Garden
This deluxe root viewer lets you see how vegetables grow and serves as a great year-round indoor experiment for all ages.

Gardening Set
Slightly different tools for older age.

Games & Puzzles:
Kanoodle
Includes 12 puzzle pieces, 200 puzzle challenges, a 48-page illustrated puzzle book, and a carrying case. Perfect brain teaser, travel game! Kanoodle includes 200 logical thinking puzzles from basic to deviously difficult, there are hundreds of possible combinations, but only one correct answer.

Zingo
Bingo with a Zing! Also there is Sight Word and Bilingual Zingo

Mapology World Puzzle
Consists of 3 foam puzzle: 2 for world map, 1 for Europe map, 83 country shaped pieces, 65 flags, and capital stickers.

Djeco Puzzles & Crocodile Creek Puzzles
ANY and ALL. We are huge fans of both of these brands.

Monopoly Unicorns vs Llamas
In this awesome animal Monopoly game, unicorns and llamas faceoff to see which adorable beast is best.

Rush Hour Logic Game
This logic game and STEM toy includes an ice cream truck, traffic grid, 40 challenge cards, 15 blocking vehicles, and a game-go bag for easy cleanup and storage, and is one of the best gifts you can buy for kids ages 5 and up.

Magnetivity Building Set
One-piece magnetivity magnetic building play set with a neighborhood house theme lets kids design, build, and play with their own house again and again. Includes car, 16 double-sided illustrated magnetic panels, 80 magnetic accessories, 3 magnetic play figures with stands.

Apples to Apples Junior
Players will delight in the crazy comparisons while expanding their vocabulary and thinking skills.

On the Go Water Wow!
Perfect for an airplane or car ride.

Crafty Kids:
Fashion Plates and Action Plates
Includes 15 fashion plates, 20 sheets of paper, 8 colored pencils, 2 rubbing crayons, crayon holder, drawing tablet, carrying case and idea guide. Action Plates include jet packs to rocket boots, to Super capes and robotic arms, you have the tools to draw a hero or villain to suit any adventure you dream up.

Magnetic Mini Tile Art
This magnetic tile art set includes tiles, magnets, a paint strip and brush. Tiles make ideal fridge art, or can be safely attached to a locker door for a unique personal touch.

Water Bottle Creation
Create a personalized tumbler by coloring the three tumbler liners you want and placing one of them inside the tumbler, then use the stickers to decorate the top! 

Comic Book Kit
Has everything you need to create your own hilarious misadventures or epic superhero stories.

Build & Paint a Wooden Car
Build your own wooden race cars with action wheels and create unique designs!

Magnetic Drawing Board
Comes with 5 fruit stamper magnets, 6 plastic stencils (6 different vehicles), 2 cute stickers and 1 replacement pen.

These bath paints or crayons let your child get artsy and messy in the bath– bonus they can get clean while having fun. Bath bombs are also a hit especially these with surprises inside!

This slime kit is perfect to have on hand for a winter day inside.

This is a great starter box that has plenty of supplies for any art & craft project.

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