Beltway Bambinos

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

Parents Night Out on Valentine’s Day

Have a night with your person! Bring your kiddos ages 5 and up to Badlands for a night of fun for them, and a night of romance (or blissful nothingness) for you. Bring them by between 4:00pm and 5:00pm and pickup between 8:00pm and 9:00pm for a four hour window that works best for you. Badlands will be ready for your little cupids and will have special programming and a pizza party to make it a fun and festive night! Make sure and reserve your spot now.

Friday Nite Rox at Earth Treks on February 14th gives kids ages 6-12 a fun night of climbing adventure- 2.5 hours that is from 6:30pm-9:00pm and parents enjoy a night out on the town- what could be more perfect! Activities include vertical games, age appropriate basic skills instruction, and tons of climbing, all under the supervision of our qualified instructors. No experience is necessary.

Every month parents can drop kids off at BOLT and have an evening to themselves, secure in the knowledge that their children are having fun, getting exercise, and making friends in a safe place. This month it will take place on February 14th for kids 5 and up. They will have a blast with open gym play time, pizza dinner (must order pizza separately), popcorn and watching an appropriate movie in the gym. Pickup is promptly at 9:00pm.

Parents’ night out is at My Gym Bethesda on February 14th for a Valentine’s Day Dance Party! Drop your kids off for three hours of nonstop action from 6:00pm-9:00pm. They will enjoy fitness games, active play, pizza and fun! Bambinos ages 3-10 are welcomed.

What about a romantic dinner with your Valentine while your kid is having an active and awesome time? Busy Bees Chevy Chase is the place to send your Bambino on February 14th from 6:00pm-9:00pm. Your little one will be active and walk away feeling funtastic after moving, spinning, running and jumping. Consider bringing them in their PJs, and they’ll be ready for bed when you come and get them!

What about a romantic dinner with your Valentine while your kid is having an active and awesome time? Head to Busy Bees Falls Church on February 14th from 6:00pm-9:00pm and drop the Bambinos off! Your little one will be active and walk away feeling funtastic after moving, spinning, running and jumping. Consider bringing them in their PJs, and they’ll be ready for bed when you come and get them!

Drop-off your little ones at Elemeno to enjoy happy hour or a date night on your own! This drop-off service is available from 6:00pm-8:00pm on February 14 and is for children 18mo to 5 years old. They will have activities and will show a movie for those kiddos who prefer to settle down for a quiet time.

MoBu Kids is pleased to offer parents’ night out for potty trained children ages 3-12 years old. Let your children come play February 14th from 6:00pm-9:00pm for a special Valentine’s Day party! The evening with your kids includes dinner, free play in the custom play studio, a movie, craft, and tons of fun!


DCPS mid-winter break camps

This year again, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has a mid-winter break; February 17-21, 2020. Don’t fret if you didn’t plan to take an exotic vacation or have time to take off work that week. There are a variety of camps you can sign your child up for whether it be just for President’s Day or only for a few days of the break. 

President’s Day camps– February 17, 2020

Anna Banana Art: Half-day

Badlands: Special holiday event only

Brit-Am Soccer at Next Level

Glen Echo Park Aquarium Mini-Camp: Mystery of the Dead Whale (Ages 4-8)

KID Museum: Open 10am-5pm

Koa: Multi-sport camp

My Gym Bethesda: 2.6-10 years old; 1:00pm-4:00pm

My Gym Potomac: 2.6-10 years old; 1:00pm-4:00pm

PPA at Washington Episcopal School

Part of the week-

Humane Rescue Alliance: February 21 & February 22
For Middle and High School students

All Day PLAY Day at Keegan Theatre: February 18-21

Camps offered all week- February 17-21, 2020

All Sports and Games & Basketball with Hoop Ed

Anna Banana Arts & Crafts

Breathing Space Yoga

Capitol Language Services

HoopEd at Rochambeau

The Children’s Art Studio

RDU Tennis at Trinity University

Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr Day in and around Washington, DC + Camps

Photo: Corporation for National & Community Service

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

What is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and why is it a “Day of Service?” explained from the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on January 20, 2020, marks the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. The Corporation for National and Community service has been charged to lead this effort for the last quarter century.

There are plenty of places open and welcoming assistance on Monday to serve those less fortunate and other places open to remember King. Here is our list of volunteer opportunities that aren’t necessarily MLK, Jr. related but welcome you most of the time. There are also specific events and opportunities you can share with your child to celebrate King.

There are various MLK, Jr. volunteer opportunities brought to us by Rock Creek Conservancy that can be found here.

Montgomery County’s Day of Service has a plethora of opportunities to participate in.

Arlington has their 3rd annual day of service allowing you to volunteer.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Visit the Martin Luther King Memorial today!

8:00am-9:00am: Wreath laying service at MLK Monument

10:00am: MLK Day of Service at Anacostia Park 
In honor of the 25th Anniversary of MLK Day of Service, The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships (Serve DC) invites you to celebrate Dr. King’s life and legacy by joining in as we Learn. Act. Serve, together, this holiday weekend, January 18th-20th.

10:00am-6:00pm: MLK Dare to Dream at The American Visionary Art Museum
You’re invited to a FREE celebration honoring one of history‘s greatest visionaries. Enjoy birthday cake, a Power Patch printmaking workshop, an artist talk by exhibiting artist Kyle Yearwood, a Poetry Slam and Open Mic, and more, at this FREE, fun-filled day! See our latest exhibition “The Secret Life of Earth” with FREE admission all day.

11:00am: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Film Program: James Baldwin Double Feature: I Am Not Your Negro and If Beale Street Could Talk at The Kennedy Center
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, join a special double screening of films drawn from James Baldwin’s writings. As a novelist, playwright, and activist, James Baldwin (1924-1987) was an essential literary figure of the Civil Rights era, writing personally and passionately about racial and sexual identity in America.

11:00am-2:00pm: 2020 Peace Walk & 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr., Parade

11:00am-1:00pm: City of Rockville MLK, Jr. Day
The public is invited to take part in community service activities, browse information booths and enjoy free refreshments. Give back to the community by participating in a community service activity like Project Linus. Ceremony involves a dance performance, remarks, vocal performance, Barbara Harrison will speak, awards and musical performances.

4:00pm: Dr. MLK Jr Tribute & Celebration at Strathmore
Montgomery County celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King’s life through dramatic readings, musical and dance performances. The theme for this year’s program is “Children of the Dream.” In addition there will be the presentation of the Humanitarian Award, Children of the Dream Awards. In addition there will be a Visual Arts Display honoring Dr. King. Free tickets are required for this event and will be distributed on-site on the day of the performance starting at 3pm. 

6:00pm: Let Freedom Ring! at Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center and Georgetown University present Grammy®–winning artist Chaka Khan with the Let Freedom Ring Choir in a musical tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Free general admission tickets will be distributed in the Hall of Nations, beginning at 4:30pm, up to two tickets per person. Tickets are reserved seats. Limited seating availability. Seating will begin at 5:15pm All patrons are asked to be seated by 5:40pm.

Camps taking place on Monday, January 20, 2020 when school is out

Mango Street Art Camp
St. James Holiday Combo Camp
Dynamite Gymnastics
Agility Center
The Children’s Art Studio
HoopED
Anna Banana Arts & Crafts
My Gym Bethesda
My Gym Potomac
Breathing Space Yoga

Create Valentine’s Day cards for pediatric patients with Eliana’s Light

Join Beltway Bambinos and members of the DC, Maryland, and Virginia communities in the 5th Annual Valentine’s Day Cards for Kids and Cookies for Caregivers initiative that Eliana’s Light organizes.

Eliana’s Light is a local non-profit organization that supports families with children who have complex medical conditions by focusing on their whole health and well-being. They connect directly with families through customized gift bags, learning events, and online communications; advocate for and raise awareness on whole health, integrative, and integrated approaches to care; and exchange information and resources with caregivers, practitioners, and researchers. They help children and their caregivers feel better while they contribute to a whole health and family-centered approach to pediatrics. A big part of their work involves engaging community members in service projects that support these local families. Collaboratively, community members throughout our region come together to show they care.

WHAT: The Annual Valentine’s Day Cards for Kids & Cookies for Caregivers involves volunteers (of all ages) who make cards for children that will be in the hospital over Valentine’s Day. The initiative also includes making or sending in cookies for the caregivers who support these children. We want the recipients of both to know that members of their community are thinking of them and sending them best wishes. The cards are only for the kids, and should include uplifting messages. The cookies are only for the caregivers (due to the children’s specific dietary needs) and are from healthy-ish nut-free recipes. Some participating groups are only making cards, and some are only making cookies; don’t feel obligated to do both.

WHO: Eliana’s Light will pick up the cards and/or cookies from participating groups, and deliver them to staff at Children’s National Hospital, Inova Children’s Hospital, HSC’s Pediatric Center, the Children’s Inn at NIH, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. The staff members then disseminate the cards to patients and the cookies to their caregivers (i.e., parents and staff members).

HOW: Here are a few ways you can participate:

  • Organize a group of friends for a Valentine’s Day card and/or cookie making party at your house.
  • Ask your child’s teacher if their class would be interested in making Valentine’s Day cards to support kids and caregivers who will be at these pediatric medical centers in our region. Teachers often discuss topics such as empathy, volunteering, and kindness with their participating students.
  • Donate any supplies you may have for making cards. We welcome red, white, and pink construction paper; glue sticks; stickers; and kid scissors. No glitter please.
  • Make a financial donation to help Eliana’s Light cover the cost of providing some card-making supplies to participating non-profit organizations

-If your group will be making cards, the following is some guidance for your consideration:
Hospital staff have cleared the following messages for inclusion in the Valentine’s Day cards: “You are loved”; “You are surrounded by love”; “I believe in you”; “You are strong and brave”; “I wish you the very best”; “You rock”; “I am thinking of you and sending you love”; “You inspire me”; “You are awesome”; “I hope you have a great day today”; “Be brave”; and “Always remember how awesome you are”. We welcome any way participating kids would like to sign their cards. For example, they can be signed, “First name, grade, school name”, or “X-grader, school name, city name”, or “X-grader, city name”. We’d love some kind of signature to personalize the cards.

-If your group will be making cookies, we’re especially looking for nut-free and low-sugar recipes that will give a tasty boost to caregivers.

WHEN: If you’re interested in participating or supporting this initiative, please email your interest to both myself and Whitney and we will coordinate directly with you. We will need to collect all items by the end of the day on Sunday, Feb. 9th.

Thank you in advance. I am overwhelmed with happiness each year by how many Beltway Bambinos readers participate and share this post. It means the world to me to be helping with such a special project for so many.

Family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebrations in and around Washington, DC

Counting down to 2020 has begun! There are many ways to celebrate with the youngest and most allow you to still enjoy the evening with adults or book a sitter and head out because the events are earlier in the day.

Pinstripes Bowling Noon Year’s Eve
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 9:00am-1:00pm
Details: Gather with family and friends at Pinstripes and enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne, party favors, and live music!  Our regular menu will be available for dining and both the bowling lanes and bocce courts will be open as the New Year ‘rolls’ in!

Noon Yards Eve at The Yards
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Details: Ring in 2020 with the Noon Yards Eve balloon drop! Family-friendly activities for kids of all ages, including trackless train rides through The Yards, inflatable moon bounces, glitter tattoo artists, balloon artistry, music, and more! The event will culminate with a countdown and celebratory balloon drop at noon to ring in the New Year!

Midnight Noon at Maryland Science Center
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 10:00am-2:00pm
Details: Celebrate the ball drop before bedtime at the Maryland Science Center at Midnight Noon. Join in the festivities before as they rock in the New Year to the tunes of the popular kids band, Milkshake. The entire science center will be open and ready for you to explore. All activities are free with paid admission and completely free to members.

Noon Time New Year’s Celebration at Port Discovery Children’s Museum
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 10:00am-4:00pm
Details: Countdown to New Years at Noon at this family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration! Help countdown to 2020 with a celebration including a magical noontime countdown, a juice and cookie toast, festive tunes, and more.

Capitol Cider House Noon Year’s Eve
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 11:00am-2:00pm
Details: Start 2020 early with us!!!! Noon Year’s Eve festivities are all free. Face painting, balloon animals and festive crafts, sparkling apple juice toast for all kids under 10 as we countdown together at noon-ish! The event is free to attend, but please RSVP on Eventbrite so there is enough sparkling apple juice to go around!

13th Annual Rocknoceros New Years Eve Party at Jammin Java
Date: Monday, December 31, 2019
Time: 11:00am AND 2:00pm
Details: For the 13th year in a row, the hyper popular kids band will once again get the little ones rockin’ at this special New Year’s Eve gig at Jammin Java. Rocknoceros will do a full-fledged countdown and an apple juice toast for all!

Busy Bees New Year’s Eve
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 11:00am-1:00pm at Chevy Chase location
Time: 3:00pm-5:00pm at Falls Church location
Details: Come wave goodbye to 2019 and say hello to 2020 with your little one(s)! Rock with the Rainbow Rock Band as you play, dance, eat, count down to the new year and toast with bubbly cider! Who says you have to wait until midnight? The important part is to see the new year with the ones you love! They promise you won’t find a better kid-friendly new year celebration around! Food for kids and adults is included with your kid’s admission and will be provided by our awesome friends at Potomac Pizza (Chevy Chase) and Chick-fil-A (Falls Church)! Cost: $30 per child, adults: free of charge.

First Night Alexandria
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 2:00pm-11:45pm
Details: A New Year’s Eve celebration for families with children! Face painting, games, balloons, fireworks, dancing, DJ and more. Hooray for Books! has ThinkFun games, Curious George and storytelling for children. The Kids Karnivals are designed with our youngest party animals in mind!  A fun experience awaits at 3 neighborhood Recreation Centers and 1 Old Town Church from 6:00pm – 9:00pm. To gain admission to all First Night Alexandria venues each person 13 years and older needs a badge.  Kids 12 and under and active military are FREE. Purchase an all access badge for $30.

Dave & Buster’s (Various Locations are having different events)
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 3:00pm-6:00pm
Details: Dave & Busters is offering an exciting and fun way for you & your family to ring in the New Year! They will offer loads of excitement with a New Year’s Eve package which combines all the Food & FUN that guests have grown to love at Dave & Buster’s.

NYE Medieval Times
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 3:30pm
Details: Free knight training (space limited, arrive early), free activity book, two-hour live tournament, story time with Lord Cedric and four-course meal. Use Code: NYE20 

Watch Night Falls Church
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 7:00pm-12:00am
Details: Watch Night – Big Night in The Little City of Falls Church is held downtown – spanning a four block area that begins on the 100 Block of West Broad Street which is closed to traffic that evening. Lots of live music, interactive amusements and activities, inflatables, and more for all ages,  live bands and more musicians, caricaturist, balloon artist, puppet shows and more. Scores of volunteers contribute time and talent to organize and help the businesses, churches, and organizations who donate their space.

New Year’s Eve, Early Ball Drop at Caboose Tavern
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 7:15pm-9:00pm:
Details: They will be setting back the clocks and “dropping the ball” early at 9:00pm instead of midnight! A family friendly New Year’s Eve celebration, to celebrate with our local community of all ages. Live music by Shane Gamble from 7:15 – 9:15pm. This New Year’s Eve celebration will be a ticketed event! Tickets include live music, crafts for the kids, dinner, one alcoholic drink, and a bubbly toast at 9:00pm alcoholic or non-alcoholic, your choice! Kids (ages 2-12) drink free all night. Children 2 and under party for free!

Family New Year’s Eve Celebration at Adventure Park USA
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 9:00pm-12:30am
Details: Enjoy the anticipation of ringing in the New Year. Provided will be hats, noisemakers, DJ and massive balloon drop at midnight. Bring the kids and grandparents. It’s fun for all ages. Paid admission required.

Give the gift of reading! Save 15% off today with code MERRY

Winter Camps:

Dec. 23 – Jan. 3: HoopEd Sports Camp

Dec. 23 – Dec. 31: Dynamite Gymnastics

Dec. 23 – 27 & Dec. 30 – Jan. 3: Anna Banana Art Camp

Dec. 23 – Dec. 31: My Gym Bethesda & My Gym Potomac

Dec. 23 – Jan.1: Gymnastics Camp at Silver Stars

Dec. 23 – Jan. 2:  CREATE Arts Center

Dec. 26 – Dec. 31: KID Museum Day Camp

Dec. 26 – Dec. 31: Capitol Language Service

Stocking stuffers for kids under $13

All stocking stuffer products are under $13 and are linked to Amazon and can be shipped and on doorstep within 2 days by using your Prime Membership! Happy Holidays! Leave us other ideas in the comments below.

Art & Creative:

Color Wonder No-Mess Coloring- Keep your skin, furniture, and washable clothing clean with no mess markers that only show up on specially formulated color Wonder paper
Peppa Pig
Baby Shark
Disney Princesses
Daniel Tiger

On-the-Go Color Blast- Color in pictures with “magic” invisible ink to reveal patterns and vibrant colors
Dinosaur & Sea Life
Princess & Fairy

Crayola Twistables– 50 compact twistable crayons that never needs sharpening or peeling

Crayola Glitter Outdoor Chalk

Scribble Scrubbie– 2-Pack animal toy set includes 2 washable animal figures, 1 scrub brush, 3 washable colored markers

Everyday Necessities:

Kids Power Toothbrush-
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Blaze
Disney Princess
Frozen

Lip Smackers-
Disney Princesses
Coca Cola Collection
Crayola
Star Wars

Unicorn Hair Tie

Wet Hair Brush

Thermos Water Bottle 10oz– Various colors, double wall stainless steel straw bottle

Pokémon Band Aids
Frozen Band Aids

Baby to age 2:

Fat Brain Dimpl Toy– Simple yet brilliant; push and pop them, Poke and grab them; a perfect, portable sensory delight

Wooden Colorful Shape Puzzle– 1 board and 9 wood toy with different color(such as red, yellow, pink, etc) and geometric shapes (such as circle, square, rectangle, triangle, etc.)

Infantino Textured Multi Ball Set– 6 easy-to-grab textured balls, helps develop baby’s tactile senses

Fun Keys– A fun set of toy keys along a functional remote with car sounds and a flashlight with 3 keys of different shapes and colors that swing freely

Toddlers:

Children’s Projector & Flashlight– Slide a reel in and discover the happy visitors from another galaxy and planets from our solar system

Kaleidoscope

Crayola Palm Grasp Crayons

Reading & Spelling Puzzle– This bright collection of puzzles aimed at children ages 4 and up is a perfect introduction to three letter words. The colorful pictures help your child associate words with objects and are designed to teach early reading skills. The cards are a mix of sight words and CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words.

Water Magic Books- Reusable activity pages that fill with vibrant color when wet and erase when dry, these fun travel activities work like magic
Minnie & Mickey Mouse
Cupcake & Donut
Jungle

Ages 5+:

LOL Surprise Dolls

Spirograph Travel Set– 6 Spirograph precision wheels, 2 design Pens, 24-page sticky note pad and instruction/design guide

Spot it!– Develops visual skills including form constancy perception, scanning and focus, allows for multiple mini-games with endless replay-ability

Fold n Fly Paper Airplane Kit– Add stickers to design your own fleet of 18 unique paper airplanes

Glow in the Dark Flashlights– Set of 4

Purple Cow Magnetic Travel Games– Portable games: keep kids entertained on the go with this magnetic, Lightweight, pocket-sized board game

Thinking Putty

Headphone Splitter– 5-way Headphone Splitter- Headphone adapter splits line into 5 auxiliary (3.5mm) ports for easily sharing sound with up to 5 people and works with any device with an AUX port, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more

Portable Charger

Ear Bud Holder & Organizer

Check Out:
Gift Guide for Kids
Memberships & Experiences
Subscription Boxes

Cut-your-own tree farms around Washington, DC

Maryland

Gaver Tree Farm: Mt. Airy, MD
November 29 – December 23 from 9 am – 5 pm daily

Cut your own beautifully sheared Christmas trees: Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Canaan Fir, Blue Spruce and White Pine, or select from fresh-cut trees inside the Farm Market. Farm Market with Wreath Shop and Christmas Cafe, home of our famous apple cider donuts. Saws and hand carts are available for cut your own trees. Free shaking, baling and pin stand drilling. Please remember, ALL fall attractions are closed during the Christmas season. No pets. Cash or Credit accepted.

Closed for the season
Linden Hill Farm: Upper Marlboro, MD
Open Thanksgiving and then Friday, Saturday & Sunday’s only from 8:30am-4:30pm until sold out.

Freshly cut trees include Fraser, Canaan, Douglas Firs, and Scotch Pines. In- field varieties include White Pine, Douglas, Norway & Blue Spruce with limited Canaan and Concolor Firs. A blower, baler, bow saws & assistance with cutting and loading your tree are available free of charge. Don’t miss the Snack Shack featuring Nathan’s hot dogs, warm spiced cider, and hot chocolate. Cash or check only.

Mayne’s Tree Farm: Buckeystown, MD
Open Friday after Thanksgiving –  Christmas, daily from 9am – 5pm.

Mayne’s allows you to cut your own trees or choose from a pre-cut selection. Trees are White Pine, Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Canaan Fir, Concolor Fir. Pre-Cut Trees are Fraser & Douglas. Hayrides are available on weekends. No pets allowed.

Naughty Pine Nursery: Dickerson, MD
Saturdays & Sundays through December 22 from 10am – 4pm.

Naughty Pine Nursery grows a large selection of Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce and Norway Spruce Christmas Trees offering Cut-Your-Own Christmas Trees for the holiday season! Cash or check only. Leashed pets welcome, credit cards accepted.

Triadelphia Lake View Farm (TLV): Glenelg, MD
Regular hours start November 29, 2019. Monday – Thursday from 12:00pm – 5:00pm and Friday-Sunday from 9:00am – 5:00pm.  

Santa comes and visits the farm Saturday and Sunday from 10am – 4pm, stop in and get your picture taken with him. Don’t forget to look around at the handmade wreaths, crafts, ornaments, and Christmas Tree Stands. Several different varieties of live trees for you to choose from with a large selection of fresh cut Fraser Fir trees that are brought in from the mountains. They offer Douglas Fir,  White Pine, Blue Spruce, Cannan Fir, Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir. Tree shaking, baling, drilling and the use of wagons and saws provided at no charge. Cash, check, Visa and MC accepted.

Closed for the season: Otterdale View: Union Bridge, MD
Open November 19 – December 15, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday      9am-5pm.

They offer a “choose and cut” Christmas tree operation and offer handmade wreaths, garland, etc. All Christmas trees are $60. After cutting your tree, enjoy complimentary warm apple cider and watch the toy train overhead as it travels around  inside the Christmas  shop.  The shop offers holiday crafts and Christmas decorations. They provide hand saws to cut trees and do not allow chainsaws. Pines, Firs, and Spruces available up to 6″ tall- no large trees available. Pets must be leashed. They accept cash, check and credit cards.

Butler’s Orchard: Germantown, MD
Tuesday-Sunday 9:30am- 6:00pm

No cut your own trees this year but they have pre-cut trees. Douglas, Canaan and Fraser Fir!  Priced by height and variety. Military Discount, $5.00 off. Custom Designed Wreaths and Gift Baskets!

Homestead Farm: Poolesville, MD
No trees this year

Virginia

Pre-cut trees available only: Clouse’s Pine Hill Farm: Winchester, VA
Opening November 29, and Closing on December 8, 2019 from 9am – 5pm Thursday-Sunday

Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, White Pine, Scotch Pine, Concolor Fir, Douglas Fir, Canaan Fir and Fraser Fir to choose from. In addition to all of the cut-your-own species above, there will also be a selection of pre-cut trees in Douglas Fir, Canaan Fir, and Concolor Fir to choose from. Clouse’s Pine Hill Farm offers a full range of fresh-cut mixed green Christmas wreaths. They accept cash, check, Visa, & Mastercard.

Closed for the season: Moose Apple Christmas Tree Farm: Berryville VA
November 29, 30, Dec 1, 5 – 8, 12 – 15, 19 – 22 from 9am – 4pm.

Santa will make an appearance Saturday December 7 from 10am-2pm & Sunday December 15 from 10am-2pm. There are White Pines, Douglas Fir, Concolor Fir, Canaan Fir, Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, White Spruce, and Blue Ice (Arizona Cypress). If you are looking for a tree in the 9-12 foot range, they will be bringing in a selection of Fraser Firs, Canaan Firs, Concolor Firs, and Douglas Firs ranging up to 12 feet.

Country Loving Christmas Tree Farm: Leesburg, VA
Open 9am – 5pm Saturdays & Sundays between November 30 – December 15and by appointments after that: (703)-398-7018.

White Pines, Scotch Pines, Norway Spruce, Red Cedar in addition to Fresh cut Fraser Firs from the Smokey Mountains. Pets welcome on a leash.

Closed for the season: Day Star Farm: Leesburg, VA
Open December 1 & 2 and December 8 & 9 between 9am-5pm on Saturdays & 12pm – 5pm on Sundays.

A horse farm for over 30 years and a cut-your-own Christmas trees farm in the Winter.

Closed after Dec. 22: Hartland Farm: Markham, VA
Open most days 9am-5pm.

Stocks Fraser Fir, Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce, White Pine and Serbia Spruce to cut down and has Virginia grown precut Fraser Firs. Saws, tie down assistance, shaking and wrapping of trees included with sleds available to help more your tree. Check out the holiday decorations too, such as handmade wreaths. Caramel apples and hot cider are for sale as well as free hot chocolate on weekends. Santa lands at Hank’s Christmas Trees on Sunday, December 1 from 10am-4pm. No pets please. Credit/debit cards accepted.

Joe’s Trees: Chantilly, VA
Open 7 days a week November 16 – December 16 from 9am-5pm.

Trees available: Fraser, Canaan, Concolor & Korean firs, White pine, Blue and Norway spruce. Tree heights 6’-15’.  Call ahead for availability of larger trees. Food & Hayrides (weather permitting) Nov. 29, 30 Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15. Christmas Shop with wreaths, jams, jellies, pickles and other canned goods for the holidays. Christmas decor, ornaments, hand-crafted artisan items, local lamb, beef and bison meats. Cash/Visa/MC/ Discover/Debit cards accepted.

Krop’s Crops: Great Falls, VA
Weekends only, 11am – dark

Cut your own or pick from the pre-cut trees. Noble, Fraser, Douglas, White Pine, Norway Spruce…the list goes on! Santa Claus also visits Krop’s Crops on some December weekends leading up to Christmas Eve (1pm – 4pm). They also sell poinsettias, wreaths, roping, ornaments, lights, tree stands, seasoned firewood and more!

Closed for the season: Snickers Gap: Bluemont, VA
Hours vary, see the daily blog for details.

At the farm they provide a map of the fields, a saw to cut your tree, and a rope to pull your tree back to the sales barn. You can enjoy complimentary hot apple cider before or after venturing into the fields to select your tree. When you bring it back to the barn, they shake every tree clean and bale each one tight on special machines for cleanliness and ease for transportation. They accept cash, checks, all major credit cards and Apple Pay. Pets welcome.

Middleburg Christmas Tree Farm: Round Hill, VA
Already closed for the season!

Gift Guide for Kids

It’s Black Friday so deals are hot right now so stock up while the sales are good. If you are in the need for some gifts, we’ve got a short list of items that are sure to delight your Bambinos, whether it be a holiday gift or birthday presents you can hide for the future. We also have posts on Subscription Boxes for Kids and Memberships & Experiences for Families for more gift options.

STEM:
Kano Computer Kit
Build your own computer. Comes with step-by-step book, Raspberry Pi 3, programmable LED lights, DIY case, power button, wireless keyboard with track pad, memory, HDMI and power cables, stickers, Kano unique operating system, 100+ coding challenges, and 100+ apps.

Shifu
They have a variety of games that are compatible with your smart device for various age ranges.

Osmo
Osmo is magic: fun-filled & Award winning learning games that interact with actual hand held pieces & a fire tablet, bringing a child’s game pieces & actions to life (no wi-fi necessary for game play). Comes in many different age ranges as well as games.

Code & Go Robot Mouse
This coding set includes 16 maze grids create a 20″ X 20″, 22 maze walls, 3 tunnels, 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge, and activity guide to provide a hands-on introduction to coding concepts.

Nature Lover:
Grow n Glow Terrarium
This kit allows you to craft, plant, water and grow your own terrarium tabletop garden and it grows SUPER fast.

4-Piece Gardening Set
Get some help with yard-work!

See Through Garden
This deluxe root viewer lets you see how vegetables grow and serves as a great year-round indoor experiment for all ages.

Gardening Set
Slightly different tools for older age.

Games & Puzzles:
Kanoodle
Includes 12 puzzle pieces, 200 puzzle challenges, a 48-page illustrated puzzle book, and a carrying case. Perfect brain teaser, travel game! Kanoodle includes 200 logical thinking puzzles from basic to deviously difficult, there are hundreds of possible combinations, but only one correct answer.

Zingo
Bingo with a Zing! Also there is Sight Word and Bilingual Zingo

Mapology World Puzzle
Consists of 3 foam puzzle: 2 for world map, 1 for Europe map, 83 country shaped pieces, 65 flags, and capital stickers.

Djeco Puzzles & Crocodile Creek Puzzles
ANY and ALL. We are huge fans of both of these brands.

Monopoly Unicorns vs Llamas
In this awesome animal Monopoly game, unicorns and llamas faceoff to see which adorable beast is best.

Rush Hour Logic Game
This logic game and STEM toy includes an ice cream truck, traffic grid, 40 challenge cards, 15 blocking vehicles, and a game-go bag for easy cleanup and storage, and is one of the best gifts you can buy for kids ages 5 and up.

Magnetivity Building Set
One-piece magnetivity magnetic building play set with a neighborhood house theme lets kids design, build, and play with their own house again and again. Includes car, 16 double-sided illustrated magnetic panels, 80 magnetic accessories, 3 magnetic play figures with stands.

Apples to Apples Junior
Players will delight in the crazy comparisons while expanding their vocabulary and thinking skills.

On the Go Water Wow!
Perfect for an airplane or car ride.

Crafty Kids:
Fashion Plates and Action Plates
Includes 15 fashion plates, 20 sheets of paper, 8 colored pencils, 2 rubbing crayons, crayon holder, drawing tablet, carrying case and idea guide. Action Plates include jet packs to rocket boots, to Super capes and robotic arms, you have the tools to draw a hero or villain to suit any adventure you dream up.

Magnetic Mini Tile Art
This magnetic tile art set includes tiles, magnets, a paint strip and brush. Tiles make ideal fridge art, or can be safely attached to a locker door for a unique personal touch.

Water Bottle Creation
Create a personalized tumbler by coloring the three tumbler liners you want and placing one of them inside the tumbler, then use the stickers to decorate the top! 

Comic Book Kit
Has everything you need to create your own hilarious misadventures or epic superhero stories.

Build & Paint a Wooden Car
Build your own wooden race cars with action wheels and create unique designs!

Magnetic Drawing Board
Comes with 5 fruit stamper magnets, 6 plastic stencils (6 different vehicles), 2 cute stickers and 1 replacement pen.

These bath paints or crayons let your child get artsy and messy in the bath– bonus they can get clean while having fun. Bath bombs are also a hit especially these with surprises inside!

This slime kit is perfect to have on hand for a winter day inside.

This is a great starter box that has plenty of supplies for any art & craft project.

logo design courtesy of New Leaf Design