Beltway Bambinos

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

Celebrate Passover with PJ Library

PJ Library has updated their Passover hub with dozens of fresh ideas and resources for families, including stories and songs, games, activities and recipe ideas, and printables.

One of the new resources in 2021 is the free downloadable, intereactive PJ Library Family Haggadah. Downloadable translated PDFs are also now available in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and French.  Additionally, there’s an interactive component that makes the Seder that much more engaging!

Whether you’ll be celebrating Passover virtually or with your family in real life, PJ Library’s pre-Seder checklist is a handy parent helper.

As a reminder, you may sign up each child {for free} to receive their own books each month. And, what a perfect gift a subscription to PJ Library will be for expectant parents and newborns!

If your kids are aging out of picture books, PJ Our Way is a highly interactive site designed to engage kids ages 9 to 12, allowing them to choose their own books each month.

Bookroo delivers books to your doorstep + DISCOUNT

I have shared my love of reading on the blog before. As a former teacher with a background in reading, literacy plays an important part in our house. Bookroo approached me to share their services with readers a few years ago and you can find those posts here and here. The mission of Bookroo is to enable and empower parents to build their children’s book collections in an affordable and exciting way through curated monthly book deliveries. They believe in the power and impact of the written word in the life of a child, and believe it’s never too early to start reading to children! Book boxes are geared for ages 0-10. This month’s curated box for our fourth grader can be seen below.

Bookroo is offering a huge discount for you for the month of September– 20% off any 3-month subscription! Use code: KEEPCALM

The code cannot be combined with any other offers or used more than once per household. Valid Sept. 1, (12:01 am ET) – Sept. 30 (11:59 pm PT).

Keep Calm & Read On, 20% off

A message from Bookroo:
Last spring, school was a challenge for many of us, and many of us are still facing a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and worry about this school year being any better. Bookroo has a simple suggestion to help: Keep Calm & Read On!

Too often we overlook the power of reading as a teaching resource. Reading is one of the best tools we have to keep our kids (and ourselves!) happy and productive this school year.

The American Academy of Pediatricians has said, “reading regularly with young children stimulates optimal patterns of brain development, strengthens parent-child relationships at a critical time in child development, which, in turn, builds language, literacy, and social-emotional skills that last a lifetime.”

Brain development, social-emotional skills, relationship building? Doesn’t that sum up what we hope our kids gain from school? And it’s all possible with an activity so simple and enjoyable.

So this fall, don’t lose hope, give up or panic. Instead, in the good moments, and especially the difficult ones, keep calm and reach for a book! If all we manage to do this year is spend a lot of time reading, we’re all going to be okay.

Memberships and experiences for families in and around Washington, DC

Memberships:

National Building Museum (note: the Museum is closed through March 2020)
The Museum inspires curiosity about the world we design and build.

FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo)
FONZ helps the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute save species through educational and fun experiences, the power of our members, and funding for critical work. Membership levels vary, but most come with free parking as well as carousel ride vouchers and discounts on food, camps and classes.

KID Museum
KID Museum is an innovative learning space unlike any other in the Washington, DC region. The museum provides impactful hands-on learning that incorporates STEM, art and culture with 21st century skills like creativity and critical thinking. All members receive free museum admission, discounts on workshops, camps, birthday party packages and museum store purchases as well as early access registration to campsInvitations to member-only parties and events.

Elemeno
Based on leading early childhood development science and Montessori educational models, SkillZone not only entertains the little ones but helps them develop critical skills as they play and make new friends. Memberships vary from unlimited access to just a few visits per month. All memberships include the entire (immediate) family and require only a 2-month minimum with no contracts.

Adventure Theatre
A large part of the ATMTC audience returns to see multiple shows. A Flex Pass is good for 10 tickets each to see any Adventure Theatre MTC Professional Production in the season! Benefits include savings of $50 on tickets and fees, ability to schedule your tickets before the general public and free exchanges for the entire season.

Imagination Stage
Becoming a subscriber or a flex pack member and enjoy many benefits for both. Ticket savings, discounts on camps, priority seating and early access to highly anticipated shows.

Playseum
Indoor play space with a variety of themed rooms, allowing for a creative, unique experience, with a membership your family gets the best value. Visit multiple times and save!

Politics & Prose
Support one of our local and amazing bookstores! Member Rewards every time you shop—for every 20 items of merchandise purchased, get 10% back in store credit, 20% off storewide during several member sales (not counted toward Member Rewards), early notice of upcoming ticketed events, 11 monthly events calendars and a holiday newsletter mailed to you each year, discounts on packages for ticketed events (ticket and book) and discounts on classes.

National Aquarium
Various membership options available. A family membership comes with free daily admission for one year, VIP express entry through Member Entrance, no reservations required, discounted guest tickets, discounted parking, tours and special experiences, free member-only events, 10 percent discount on all gift shop, café and photo purchases, free subscription to Watermarks, their member magazine and is tax-deductible within guidelines of U.S. law.

Maryland Science Center
The museum includes interactive exhibits, a planetarium, live shows, and many science encounters. Membership includes many benefits such as discounts, free admission to the Science Center and more!

Port Discovery Children’s Museum
A membership to Port Discovery Children’s Museum provides you with unlimited admission to a fun, engaging experience the whole family will enjoy and that will make for a day well spent each and every time you visit!  Good news: your membership helps support our mission to help children to discover and explore the world around them and to lead smarter, healthier, more engaged lives.

The Lane Social Club (Opening late winter in Ivy City)
Two types of membership – family memberships and parental leave memberships. Parental leave memberships are best for those families with babies under 1 year old who are looking for a space to bond with their babies and meet other new parents. For those families with bigger kids looking to come enjoy the space together and build community, a family membership is for them. About The Lane: The two-level concept will feature one-of-a-kind play structures for children, comfortable seating areas for parents and caregivers, exciting programming for the whole family, a café and bar serving food and drinks from local makers, and private spaces for celebrations, classes, and other special events. 

Don’t want to commit to a family membership quite yet? Try Pearachute, which allows you to drop in to classes, events, vouchers and more to try out new places. Plan out your child’s week on the app, and sign them up for a new activity each day, or more than one a day! It’s flexible and easy to experience classes without a 6-8 week commitment like most classes.

Experiences:

Bistro Petite cooking classes

Sign your Bambino and self (or nanny/grandparent) up for an outdoor session with Tinkergarten.

Tidal Basin pedal boating and swan boat tickets or head to one of these boathouses for some Spring & Summer kayaking: Ballpark Boathouse, Fletcher’s Boathouse, Mariner Sailing School, The Wharf

Purchase Washington Nationals tickets for the upcoming season as well as our other home teams: DC United, Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics and Washington Redskins

Painting classes with your Bambino

SUP Paddleboard on the Potomac

Climb to new heights together (and even purchase a membership if you love it)

Join a running club

Volunteer as a family

Hit some balls together at Top Golf and reserve a bay

Grab tickets to see a show together

iFLY indoor skydiving for ages 3 and up

Learn to fish

Ice skate around Washington, DC

Head to a holiday show, ballet or concert

Take your Bambinos and experience holiday tea together

Winter classes make for a great gift

Related:
Subscription Boxes for Bambinos

Top picks for subscription boxes for children

The last thing my children need are more toys and clothes this holiday season. I love giving my children (and others– this is a great gift!) experiences rather than another toy. Subscription boxes have become a great way for kids to make memories, create something hands-on and have an experience where all of the necessary materials come delivered to their doorstep. Choose a topic that interests your child and test a box out before committing to receiving one every month or every other month. Many of these subscription services offer first time sign-up deals as you visit the homepage which is an added bonus. I tried to cover a variety of topics which includes a cooking subscription box. I can get on board with this and perhaps my Bambinos can begin to cook the family meals 😉

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Raddish is a culinary lesson, creative project, and mealtime solution all-in-one.

They make it easy for families to share delicious, quality time together. Raddish kits never repeat! Kids love mail. They’ll tear into Raddish kits filled with a collectible apron patch, illustrated recipes, tools, and thematic culinary fun like, “Ticket to Japan”, “Food is Art”, and “My Dream Restaurant”. Delicious recipes are packed with math, science, geography, history, culture, and more. Raddish takes the guesswork out of cooking with kids at a fraction of the price of a cooking class. 6 options to choose from for purchase.

Also check out Kidstir.

Sensory TheraPlay Box Curated by a Pediatric OT

Toys to help develop important sensory motor skills & stimulate the senses. Engage your child in fun, silly sensory play! Items are therapeutic & can be calming or help manage anxiety. Curated for children with autism/ sensory needs in mind, but suitable for children of all abilities. Each month’s box is carefully curated by a licensed occupational therapist and includes a description card inside.

Bits Box  provides monthly coding projects that teach elementary aged children how to program apps. 

Kids look through the materials and pick an app. Every box comes with dozens of coding projects, ranging from simple to more advanced. Kids type the app into the Bitsbox website and start with the code from the book, then change it to make it their own. Kids use and share their apps on any mobile device. Bitsbox apps run on any computer, tablet, or phone with a web browser. There are 4 different pricing options available.

Girls Can! Create inspires girls to BE and DO anything by introducing them to fearless women who made the world better.

Each month, meet a fearless woman who changed the world. Discover her in a 20-page book filled with games, fun and experiments. Explore her field with 2-3 fun science, engineering or art activities. Play props stickers and more.

Literati helps your child fall in love with reading.

A good book has the power to enchant and transform its reader. At Literati, they seek to create the opportunity for children to experience the deep joy of being lost in the pages of a beloved book. Every month Literati scours the globe and finds 5 exceptional books that are delivered to your doorstep. These 5 books are age-appropriate and curated around a specific theme (art, adventure, science, myth, history, culture and values). Explore the books in your home for up to a week, keep the ones you love, and return the rest in the enclosed pre-paid mailer (shipping is free in both directions). Literati makes exposing your child to a planet of possibility easy while also fostering a lifelong love of literature.

Steve Spangler Science Club allows you to choose from one of three levels of hands-on science kits.

A new theme will be explored every month such as kitchen chemistry, glowing germs, the power of air or bubbling potions, electricity and more. Ideal for kids ages 5-12. Ignite the spark of science and creativity in your child. Learn the real science behind each amazing experiment. 3 packages to choose from for purchase.

how1Junior Explorers includes lots of fun and natural science learning that gets kids excited to explore a new habitat.

Select the right subscription plan for your Junior Explorer! Our monthly adventures are designed for elementary aged kids ages 5-11 and include both a physical and digital component for hours of fun. Every mission starts with a kit sent home to prep kids for their adventure that month.

Little Loving Hands provides a fun and educational method for parents and caretakers to engage children in learning about the importance of being kind and giving back to others.

Within each Little Loving Hands’  kit, they provide the materials for the craft project as well as the documents and other fun items to reinforce what the children are working on and how they are helping others.

Kiwi Crate, Inc  believe that children learn by playing and doing and children are naturally curious and creative.

Koala Crate was created to give preschoolers exposure to new materials, new tools, new techniques, and new concepts that encourage hands-on learning and fun. They are dedicated to inspiring these young scientists, artists, explorers. Below are the various crates they offer. 

Cricket Crate (Ages 0-2)
Koala Crate Play & Learn (Ages 3-4)
Kiwi Crate Science, Art & More (Ages 5-8)
Atlas Crate (Ages 6-11)
Doodle Crate Art & Design (Ages 9-16+)
Tinker Crate Science & Engineering (Ages 9-16+)
Eureka Crate (Ages 14-104)

Little Passports Science Expeditions, World Edition, Early Explorers and USA Editions are the subscriptions to choose from.

Select the adventure and subscription plan that’s right for your child. We offer fun and engaging products for children ages 3-14 and offer several different payment plans and gift options.

Search for various boxes on Pley. 

Little Loving Hands – Kids Crafts For a Cause

Do your kids love to make crafts? Do they get excited to receive mail? Are you teaching them the importance of caring for others and giving back to those in need? If so, we found a really awesome product: Little Loving Hands. Every month, the people at Little Loving Hands send a new craft, with all the materials and inspiration for kids to create, learn, and donate to a different worthy cause direct to your doorstep. We love this!

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If this sounds as fun to you as it did to us, here’s a chance to try it at a discount.

Use code bambinos to receive a 5% discount when you sign up.

You can purchase a single box, a reoccurring monthly subscription or choose a 6 or 12 month subscription. Have fun while making memories with your child creating meaningful art that will put a smile on someones face. Your child will come to appreciate others and become excited to create things knowing it’s for someone who will really appreciate it.

Little Loving Hands’ mission is to provide a fun and educational method for parents and caretakers to engage children in learning about the importance of being kind and giving back to others. Within each kit, they provide the materials for the craft project as well as the documents and other fun items to reinforce what the children are working on and how they are helping others. More in the video below…

To see inspiring pictures, stories and additional information check out Little Loving Hands Facebook page.

logo design courtesy of New Leaf Design