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 means it will be back this year. Now, the bad news: For the 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...
Touch-a-truck events coming soon!
Tractors, forklifts, trash trucks, fire trucks, you name it: if it's a big vehicle, chances are good that some kid would love to get up close to it to explore it. People of all ages, but especially young children, seem to enjoy these vehicles and that is why touch-a-truck events are so popular. At these events -- often they are fundraisers for schools, non-profit organizations, or moms' clubs, but sometimes they're open houses for Continue Reading...
Review: Disney on Ice presents Dream Big
Guest post by Colleen Levine, family food and travel blogger at Foodie Tots If the street vendors hawking light-up Mickey Mouse ears didn’t alert you to something different than a Capitals game at the Verizon Center on Wednesday night, the glittery princess dresses peaking out from under winter coats should do it. That’s right, Disney on Ice is back in DC. The show opened on February 15 and runs through Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. After clearing Continue Reading...
