By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun The 2020-2021 start of the school year won't look the same for students in Fairfax County Public Schools -- or Northern Virginia in general, or much of the country, for that matter. Most schools are not opening for in-person instruction at the start of the school year due to extended closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning kids will continue with virtual schooling for the time being. But just because Continue Reading...
Summer camps bring science learning to life
The year 2020 has certainly been anything but typical when it comes to children's learning. With schools closing early in the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a slow and troubled start to online learning in Fairfax County, and instructional plans for the fall (and maybe all of the 2020-2021 academic year) still undetermined, parents are looking for ways to supplement their children's learning however they can. Those with elementary Continue Reading...
USA Science and Engineering Festival returns to DC
UPDATE 3/12/20: Events cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com The USA Science & Engineering Festival, which bills itself as the largest event of its kind in the United States, kicked off in 2010. Ten years later, we've got some updates, and they are of the "good news, bad news" (and yet more good news) kind. First, the good news: the biennial two-day expo happens on the even-numbered years, which Continue Reading...
Kid Junction celebrates with ‘Mega Event,’ free admission
Kid Junction Chantilly is celebrating five years of providing fun to young children. In honor of its fifth anniversary, this large indoor playground in Northern Virginia is hosting a celebration on Sunday, August 19, 2018, and admission is free to everyone! The Kid Junction Summer Mega Event takes place all day, 10 am to 6 pm. Extra fun Special activities include balloon twisting, face painting, nail art, a moon bounce, shows by young magician Continue Reading...
Celebrate Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Day
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun It's almost here: Read Across America Day is on March 2! This annual celebration began in 1997 when, as the National Education Association explains, "a small reading task force at NEA came up with a big idea: 'Let's create a day to celebrate reading,' the group decided.' We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don't we do something to get Continue Reading...
14 things to love about the Kings Dominion Great Pumpkin Fest
Thanks to Kings Dominion for hosting us to explore The Great Pumpkin Fest and share our experiences! By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Fall is here, and for kids that means time for autumn activities like painting a pumpkin and going through a hay maze… stuff you can do at a theme park, right? At Kings Dominion you can do that now because The Great Pumpkin Fest is here! Each year the park opens for a few weekends in the fall so kids and Continue Reading...
Fairfax County hosts free summer meals program for kids
School is out, and while that is cause for celebration for many children, it's also a source of worry for some families: approximately 20 percent of Fairfax County students receive free and reduced price meals during the school year, which means when summer ends, so does a reliable food source. But each year the Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Food and Nutrition Services helps. Its Free Summer Meals for Kids Program helps ensure that Continue Reading...
Take the nature center with you: Rent a Nature Backpack
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun You spent a nice day outside with the kids, exploring nature at a local park. Your kids are enthused about the activities you were doing, and you’d love to keep the interest going, but it’s time to go home. Maybe tomorrow you’ll come back, or you’ll just find something books and other items on the subject. Or maybe you don’t need to do any of that at all… maybe someone has already put all that together for Continue Reading...
Day Out With Thomas rolls into B&O Railroad Museum soon
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Mention "Thomas" to the parents of any toddler or young child, and the first thought is likely not of a person, but a train: for more than three decades, the books and animated television series of Thomas & Friends have delighted youngsters with the tales of Thomas the Tank Engine and his other train friends and coworkers on the island of Sodor. Each year in various cities, children can become a Continue Reading...
STEM fun rules at Maker Faire NoVa
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Who didn't love "show and tell" as a kid? If you especially liked presentations that involved something someone conceived and created, you'll love the grown-up version of show-and-tell: the Maker Faire that returns to Northern Virginia later this month. Whether it involves technology or textiles, computers or crafts, if it's something you can think of and something you can make you probably will find it Continue Reading...
