tech

We hope you find this gift guide helpful as we have highlighted items that will entertain your children through the winter as we prepare to spend more time indoors as well as some gifts for your home (or others). Check out these stocking stuffers, all under $10!

For your home:

This steam mop is my favorite purchase during quarantine. Easy to use, I have now put my kids in charge of cleaning the floors! It eliminates 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria with the natural power of steam. I add essential oils to bring an inviting smell in, a bit of olive oil and sometimes a light cleaning product from Branch Basics into my water.

Solo Stove has allowed us to be outside on cool nights! It comes in various sizes and is smokeless (if you have dry firewood). Don’t forget marshmallow and hot dog skewers for the bonfire.

A lot of our friends have stepped up their outdoor spaces with a projector and screen so they can show movies outside alongside their bonfire and/or heat lamp. Whatever allows us to get out of our house in 2020, right?

Seriously don’t know why I didn’t get this sooner. The iRobot Roomba is a vacuum that intelligently maps & cleans an entire level of your home- set it and go! A cheaper option is the Eufy which also cleans hardwood and carpet.

Instant Pot is worth the hype and comes in various sizes. I just wish I had a cabinet it could be stored in.

Our air purifier is a 3-part filtration system that captures 99% of common airborne pm 2.5 pollutants such as allergens, odors, smoke, mold spores, dust mites and pet dander.

Add some green to your home and add a snake plant or palm. We have gifted this succulent subscription box to a friend and they delivered gorgeous succulents.

Get active and outside:

My kids are begging for rollerblades or rollerskates and I’m not opposed.

Socker boppers are another fun way for kids to get out some energy with theses inflatable boppers which can used in a variety of ways.

Another item on my kids list this year is a hoverboard. Perhaps it’s due to the marathon we just had watching Back to the Future.

Micro scooters are great– they come in a variety of sizes and styles and my kids have loved each one they’ve had. The mini-deluxe is perfect for ages 2-5 and the maxi deluxe is the next scooter for ages 5-12 while this micro is great for the older kids who have better balance.

If you have space outside a ninja obstacle course is a great way to get your kids outdoors and burning energy.

Balance stepping stones are great for smaller kids to set up in the yard while developing balance, collaboration and concentration skills

Dueling stomp rocket allows two friends to stomp rockets as high as they can into the sky.

Arts and crafts:

This playhouse allows kids to doodle & decorate a cardboard castle and other designs. A perfect indoor activity that will provide plenty of fun for winter.

Don’t let the word painting steer you away from this. My six year old received this for her birthday and in one day created all of the 12 designs– she LOVED it and it is an activity that allowed her to be completely independent while creating. Grab this big gem diamond painting!

3-D printing pen is the first in a 3D printing device!

Light-up tracing pad is a favorite in our house. It has a variety of designs featuring 1 graphite pencil, 12 short colored pencils, 10 tracing sheets, 10 blank sheets, and 1 graphite pencil.

The art case that comes with everything your budding artist needs and you can keep it all in the carrying case.

Grow n glow terrarium is another favorite in our house. It is an indoor activity for kids that allows them to craft, plant, water and grow your own mini ecosystem. Just add water for a unique science experience!

Aquabeads give your child a chance to place the beads following the template and spray with water to complete! Flip the tray to remove the design, wipe dry and continue creating with Aquabeads!

Build and paint a wooden car (or rescue vehicles) with 42 pre-cut & sanded wooden pieces to make 3 cars, sand paper.

Tech:

Oculus Quest 2 transports your movements directly into VR with intuitive controls. Get the best seat in the house to live concerts, games, groundbreaking films, exclusive events and more.

Echo Dot for kids lets kids ask Alexa to play music, read stories, and call approved friends and family. The included year of Amazon Kids+ (FreeTime Unlimited) gives them access to thousands of hours of kid-friendly Audible books, interactive games, and educational skills.

Fuji film instax mini camera + accessories is an awesome gift for kids who enjoy snapping photos. Photos immediately are printed and can be added to the photo albums.

VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch is great for kids 4+. They can take photos, learn to tell time and play games on this watch. It comes in a variety of colors.

Powerbeats wireless earphones: Up to 9 hours of listening time with secure ear fit. Apple Airpods Pro are another good option in fact these are my favorite as they are noise reducing and I can pop them in while my kids are doing virtual school if I need to cancel out the noise.

Wireless karaoke microphone is a handheld karaoke microphone which is small in size and easy to hold. Kids can practice and share favorite songs using music apps (YouTube , Pandora, Spotify..)

Osmo starter kit: Children interact with actual hand held pieces & an iPad, bringing a child’s game pieces & actions to life (No WiFi necessary for game play).

A bluetooth speaker is great to have when you go outdoors as it is bluetooth compatible. We brought this one along on our beach trips this summer and it worked great. A cheaper option is this Bose one.

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.

At the crossroads of art, science and technology ARTECHOUSE brings a true 21st century art experience to the nation’s capital as Washington, D.C.’s first interactive digital art gallery. Opened in June 2017 in Washington, D.C., ARTECHOUSE is a first-of-its kind innovative art space dedicated to showcasing experiential and immersive large scale installations by artists who are forerunners of the new age in arts and technology. The exhibit currently displayed is, XYZT: Abstract Landscapes and is on view until September 3, 2017.

Step into imaginary territory of lines, dots, and letters, and immerse yourself into this virtual playground of four dimensions: X(horizontal), Y (vertical), Z (depth), and T (time). XYZT: Abstract Landscapes is a world-travelled installation by internationally acclaimed French contemporary digital artists and multimedia choreographers Adrien M & Claire B. The interactive show offers an exploratory physical experience through ten digital landscapes. You are able to touch, clap, jump, twirl, snap, observe with all of the installations. They give you a quick introduction before you go into the space and let you know how each piece works. There is also a security guard who was helpful in reminding us how a piece worked when we forgot.

The installation is a variety of sensory experiences and unprecedented interactions that are created by exploiting ancient techniques of illusion and endless possibilities of modern technology. Visiting this exhibit is like taking a stroll through another form of nature a digital one, being able to touch algorithms and sense matter of light. Each installation stems patterns of physical behavior and borrows its evoking power from reality, like walking on a grass or touching the sand and transposes it into an abstract world composed of lines, points and letters.

The general policy on the age admission for XYZT exhibit is 6 and up. However, they do make exceptions on a case by case basis and request a much higher supervision from parents/adults coming in with children under the age of 6. Though the exhibit is very interactive, not all installations are meant to be touched, rather moved with and interacted at a distance. They can be more fragile than they seem. No running, no poking and no touching of the fabric screens and hardware. The space was a bit chilly, be sure to bring a jacket. Also, it took our smallest a little while to be comfortable in the space as she wasn’t sure why it was so dark whereas our 6-year old was very intrigued and had a blast interacting with the exhibit. Tickets are timed on a 45 minute basis, which is enough time to observe and connect with the art.

Purchase tickets here.

Daytime Admission Daily: 10:00am-4:00pm

Evening Admission Daily (Ages 21+): 5:30pm-9:30pm

Location: 1238 Maryland Ave SW, Washington DC 20024
There is garage next door, however we went on a Sunday and found street parking to be plentiful. It is also very close to Smithsonian so you can visit both in one day.

(Most of the above information is directly from Artechouse’s website and they have even more if you want to read more.)

Covid-era gift guide: ideas for crafts, technology, home and outdoors

Art + Tech + House = Artechouse