Beltway Bambinos

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

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  • Camps and Classes
    • Fall classes
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  • Outdoor Play
    • 15 family friendly hikes
    • Pick your own fruit and vegetables
    • Beaches and state parks
    • Outdoor fun
    • Trails, marshes and gardens
    • 20 classic outdoor games
    • Trains and carousels
  • Beltway Bambinos Concierge
    • Customized itineraries
    • Introducing Beltway Bambinos Concierge
  • About
  • Beltway Travel
    • Introducing Beltway Travel
    • Family Summer Getaways
    • Traveling with Little Ones?
    • Why Now is the Time to Plan
    • Travel Advisors Save You More Than Money
    • Why You Should Work with Me
    • How Do You Make Sure the Trip Has Something for Everyone?
    • DC Hotels with Indoor Pools
  • Itineraries
    • 5 Days in Costa Rica
    • {Winter} Staycation
  • Home
  • Indoor Fun
    • Theater & musical productions
    • Guide to Indoor Fun for Kids
  • Fall
    • Halloween guide
    • Fall festivals, farms, orchards
    • Fall Foliage Spots and Drives
    • Fall events
    • Fall classes
    • Fall bucket list
    • Survive Daylight Savings
  • Winter
    • Holiday gift guide
    • Holiday shows, ballets and concerts
    • Hanukkah Celebrations
    • Holiday Tea
    • Christmas Trees, Lights & Markets
    • Ski and snowboard
    • Cut-your-own tree
    • Ice rinks and roller rinks
  • Spring
    • Cherry blossoms
    • Easter egg hunts
    • Easter basket & spring gift ideas
    • Spring bucket list
    • Mother’s Day
    • Memorial Day weekend
    • Tax day steals and deals
  • Summer
    • Summer Camps
    • July 4th
    • Ice cream
    • Sunflower Fields
    • Summer bucket list
    • Live outdoor music
    • Outdoor movies
    • Outdoor swimming pools
    • Splash parks
    • Trains!
  • Camps and Classes
    • Fall classes
    • Spring classes
    • Summer camps
    • Mid-winter break camps
    • Winter camps and classes
    • November 2, 4, 5, 11
    • DCPS spring break camps
    • Schools out, camps are in
    • Year-round classes
    • Gymnastics and dance classes
  • Neighborhood Guides
    • Annapolis, MD
    • AU Park, DC
    • Baltimore, MD
    • Bethany Beach, DE
    • Breweries in the DC area
    • Brookland, DC
    • Chevy Chase, DC
    • Georgetown, DC
    • Philadelphia, PA
    • Lancaster County, PA
    • Madison, VA
    • Frederick, MD
    • St. Louis, MO
  • Outdoor Play
    • 15 family friendly hikes
    • Pick your own fruit and vegetables
    • Beaches and state parks
    • Outdoor fun
    • Trails, marshes and gardens
    • 20 classic outdoor games
    • Trains and carousels
  • Beltway Bambinos Concierge
    • Customized itineraries
    • Introducing Beltway Bambinos Concierge
  • About
  • Beltway Travel
    • Introducing Beltway Travel
    • Family Summer Getaways
    • Traveling with Little Ones?
    • Why Now is the Time to Plan
    • Travel Advisors Save You More Than Money
    • Why You Should Work with Me
    • How Do You Make Sure the Trip Has Something for Everyone?
    • DC Hotels with Indoor Pools
  • Itineraries
    • 5 Days in Costa Rica
    • {Winter} Staycation

Toys and games worth buying that are actually educational

May 6, 2020

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.

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Education, Products I Love Tagged: crafts, games, toys

Pley works like Netflix for children’s toys (not just LEGOS)

March 31, 2016

We’re all familiar with the original Netflix model; select DVDs to be delivered to your house, watch them, mail them back; repeat. You get the value out of the video and then return…sound like something you might need for the toys overtaking your living space? Pley is your answer —  working just like Netflix but for toys. And if you have already heard of Pley and even tried it by renting LEGOS, know they have extended their model and now rent over 500 toys.

Some details: The company cleans and sanitizes each toy after every use using eco-friendly and kid-friendly solutions. They use commercial grade high temperature washers to clean the toys thoroughly inside and out. If your child is interested in keeping a particular set, they offer the option to buy it. They don’t charge for missing pieces or normal wear and understand that little pieces can get missing. Toys were picked to withstand less delicate hands.

When you sign up, you can create a pleylist that includes all your favorite toys selected by age and theme. Before each toy ships, you can pick the one you would like to receive next. Renting with Pley allows customers to save an average $800/year on all these great toys.

Get started and Rent the coolest toys

They have 2 subscription offers:
$9.99/month allows you to get 1 toy per month
$19.99/month allows you to get unlimited toys per month

Just a few popular brands they carry:
lego-logo leapfrog-logo  lego-theme-star-warsdisney-logo american-girl-logo
Rent Disney Frozen LEGO® Sets

2 Comments
Filed Under: Products I Love Tagged: pley, rental, toys

Sponsored: An Indian Palette for Families (Final Weekend)

August 13, 2014

Today’s sponsored post is by Anuradha Mehra, a fashion designer and  fellow DC mom. RSVP below to this unique exhibition where you’re sure to leave with hand made clothing and gifts. You can preview the collection here. Anu invites you to experience and celebrate the vibrancy of India at a fun-filled event. Bring your loved ones, friends and children. To contact Anu directly you may email her for more information. 

 

collage

I am a stay at home DC mom, but having worked as a fashion designer in India for over 15 years, I have always had a deep passion for the rich heritage of textiles that India has to offer. I have personally designed my collections and collaborated to have them manufactured in India during my annual trips to New Delhi. After I had my son two years back, I felt a change in my design aesthetic and wanted to extend my expertise to designing children’s clothing and kid friendly products. Each piece has been hand made with a lot of love and attention to detail. The collection also has a wide range of exquisite hand crafted items that will make for great gifts to your family during the forthcoming holiday season. I would like to extend a warm invitation to an exhibition of a unique collection offering a refreshingly distinct and vibrant aesthetic inspired by life in India today.

-1Date and Time:
Saturday and Sunday
August 16-17
10am to 6pm
Cash and credit card will be accepted.

Location:
2716 Ordway St NW
Apt 2
Washington, DC. 20008
Metro: Cleveland Park (Red Line)

The sale will be downstairs in an area accessible from the alley between Ordway and Macomb Streets and signs directing you to the alley entrance.

Highlights from the collection:
– children’s clothing in organic cotton

– handmade scarves and shawls
– handmade toys
– personal accessories
– home decor
– handcrafted jewelry
– and much more!!animal

We will also be serving some delicious Indian snacks and beverages and will have some outdoor toys to keep your little ones entertained.

RSVP here!

 

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Sponsored Post Tagged: clothing, decor, family, India, jewel, toys

Sponsored: An Indian Palette for Families

August 6, 2014

Today’s sponsored post is by Anuradha Mehra, a fashion designer and  fellow DC mom. RSVP below to this unique two-weekend exhibition where you’re sure to leave with hand made clothing and gifts. You can preview the collection here. Anu invites you to experience and celebrate the vibrancy of India at a fun-filled event. Bring your loved ones, friends and children. To contact Anu directly you may email her for more information. 

 

collage

I am a stay at home DC mom, but having worked as a fashion designer in India for over 15 years, I have always had a deep passion for the rich heritage of textiles that India has to offer. I have personally designed my collections and collaborated to have them manufactured in India during my annual trips to New Delhi. After I had my son two years back, I felt a change in my design aesthetic and wanted to extend my expertise to designing children’s clothing and kid friendly products. Each piece has been hand made with a lot of love and attention to detail. The collection also has a wide range of exquisite hand crafted items that will make for great gifts to your family during the forthcoming holiday season. I would like to extend a warm invitation to an exhibition of a unique collection offering a refreshingly distinct and vibrant aesthetic inspired by life in India today.

10410197_878853102126683_170839107806402136_n

Date and Time:
Saturday and Sunday
August 9-10 and August 16-17
10am to 6pm
Cash and credit card will be accepted.

Location:
2716 Ordway St NW
Apt 2
Washington, DC. 20008
Metro: Cleveland Park (Red Line)

The sale will be downstairs in an area accessible from the alley between Ordway and Macomb streets and signs directing you to the alley entrance.

 

Highlights from the collection:
– children’s clothing in organic cotton

– handmade scarves and shawls
– handmade toys
– personal accessories
– home decor
– handcrafted jewelry
– and much more!!

animal

We will also be serving some delicious Indian snacks and beverages and will have some outdoor toys to keep your little ones entertained.

RSVP here!

 

2 Comments
Filed Under: Sponsored Post Tagged: clothing, decor, India, Indian, jewelry, toys

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