Favorites for Kids

Over 75 Reasons to Put Down the Remote Control

By Susan Anspach, Abegail Matienzo, Maria Scinto and Vanessa LaFaso Stolarski

TOYS
Pirates at play? Classics that click? Here are the items flying off shelves at some of the region’s independent toy stores.

By Vanessa LaFaso Stolarski

Pirate Super Set; $35
Vienna; 703-255-3285; www.once.uponatime.com; Ages 4-12
For kids who pine for pirate booty, Playmobil offers a mini boatload in the form of two pirates, a parrot, floating shark, working canon and a chest of gold, all shipwrecked on an island.

Papo Toys; prices vary
Oakton; 703-255-3232; Ages 5-10
The emphasis at Toy Corner is on design, creativity and development. Here, princesses and sword-wielding knights inspire imagination in Papo play.
Slinkys,

Gyroscopes, slide whistles; prices vary
Purcellville; 540-751-1404; www.ourshopintoyland.com; Ages 8 and up
Expose them to toys of yore, back when fun didn’t need an electrical outlet. At Our Shop in Toyland, classics like Rubik’s Cubes and pop guns are still popular.

Chomp & Clack push toy; $44
Middleburg; 540-687-6590; www.thefunshop.com; Ages 12 months and up
Cleverly designed for developing minds and mobility, Melissa & Doug toys span the ages and boast a lead-free guarantee.

Twilight Turtle; $37
Middleburg; 540-687-6590; www.thefunshop.com; All ages
Casting a starry bedroom ceiling, the Twilight Turtle illuminates with a variety of actual constellations in three different colors. The plush body makes it a safe, calming crib toy, and the accompanying star guide will delight amateur astronomers of all ages.

THEATER
Computer games, television shows and movies can provide educational entertainment in moderation, but taking your kids to a children’s theater performance stimulates minds in so many other, untapped ways. The actors of these companies know exactly how to introduce kids to the performing arts and keep young audiences engaged.

By Abegail Matienzo

Kaydee Puppets
703-385-454; www.kaydeepuppets.com; Ages 2-7
How do you spice up a been-done puppet show about fairy tales? Get the audience to instruct its characters. Performing mostly at schools in the D.C. metropolitan area since 1972, Kaydee Puppets keeps kids entertained with their 30-minute, interactive puppet shows.

“The kids actually believe the puppets are real,” according to owner Dee Cardiff. “We look for a lot of interaction with the audience, and they love it because they get to help and respond.”

Encore Stage and Studio
Arlington; 703-548-1154; www.encorestage.org; All ages
Nothing quite inspires children to get involved in theater like seeing their peers onstage. Arlington’s Encore Stage and Studio is the only theater around training kids from an early age through their college years, and has served the D.C. metropolitan area for more than 42 years. The hard work of the cast and crew has become a trademark of this popular theater venue. “We’re the only company who steps back when the show goes up and gives the responsibility to the cast and crew to run the show. The staff and volunteers do it with their hearts,” according to artistic director Susan Keady.

Charter Theatre
Arlington; 202-333-7009; www.chartertheatre.org; Ages 4-14
Arlington’s Charter Theatre prides itself of featuring acclaimed adult actors and live musicians and only performing world premieres, such as “The Prince and the Troubadour” and “Princess Peanut’s Rainy Day.”

Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theater
Alexandria; 703-360-0686; www.mvcct.com; Ages 3-18
Engage active imaginations by enrolling kids in Summer Drama Camp at Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre. Younger campers will learn through creative play and acting out stories, while the older set will get a taste of drama and musicals.

Classika Theatre
Arlington; 703-824-6200; www.classika.org; All ages
Pantomime is the name of the game at Classika Theatre. The shows are performed to music by a troupe of actors from the country of Georgia, and their training is unique: In addition to pantomime, actors must learn physical movement, combat and slapstick. “It’s cool to see the kids get inspired to get involved with the arts,” Classika intern Caroline O’Grady said. Popular shows include “The Lion and the Mouse” and “A Classical Fool,” which uses classical music to teach children about older musicians.

HALLOWEEN/AUTUMN
Whether or not their tots trot back to school in the fall, savvy parents know to tuck into the outdoor-activity potential of fading summer rays before the lull of winter months ahead.

By Susan Anspach

Pumpkinville
Leesburg; 703-433-0002; www.leesburganimalpark.com; All ages
An admission ticket to Leesburg’s Pumpkinville buys you a hearty bounty’s worth of harvest-season activity: all-day access to zip lines, scarecrow-making booths, face painting, pony, tractor and carnival rides, plus year-round access to site location Leesburg Animal Park at large. Pumpkinville opens annually about a month prior to Halloween, and closes within a week afterward.

Ghost Tours of Leesburg
Leesburg; www.vsra.net; All ages
The Virginia Scientific Research Association has been hosting Ghost Tours of Leesburg since the 1990s, when Loudoun Museum director’s put out a summon for area lore, legends and sightings. Keeler Hunt was one of the locals to heed the call, and today she leads the two-hour strolls that take off from Georgetown Cafe on King Street. For $10 dollars—$5 for kids ages 12 and younger—she’ll hold your attention with stories rooted in closer-than-you-think spook spots, all verified by VSRA’s fact-checking methodologies.

Economy Party Supplies and Costumes
Falls Church; 703-237-2789; www.economyparty.com; All ages
True, the stairs leading to Economy’s basement level of costumes are rickety, and the checkout wait the evening of Oct. 30 can be, well, sheer horror. But costume options broken up by age bracket, helpful sales staff and limitless accessory options prove to be more than enough to appease the pickiest of would-be Hannah Montanas and Indiana Joneses.

BEAUTY & HAIR
Silver shears aimed at heads in a house of mirrors can be tough for any tot to take on. Pick a salon that supplies services made to ease kids into clipper culture.

By Susan Anspach

Eclips Kids
Ashburn and McLean; 703-723-8310, 703-356-0064; www.greatclips.com; All ages
At Eclips Kids, snips are only the beginning. The two Northern Virginia locations offer such specialties as island braids and age-appropriate up-dos. Notable service: A 10-percent family discount applies for three or more kids receiving same-day cuts.

Bradlee Barber Shop
Alexandria; 703-998-9830; All ages
A striped barber pole and the use of straight razors keep grown folk with a fondness for the old school coming back for Bradlee’s, and their kids are generally happy to find the jar of lollipops that serves as reward for what’s usually no more than a 30-minute, $12 scissor session. Notable service: The car-shaped seat suited for kids is just that—for kids. (Adults have been known to ask.)

Cartoon Cuts
Multiple NoVa locations; 800-701-2887; www.cartoon-cuts.com; All ages
The first location of this now-national granddaddy of the child hair scene cropped up right here in Northern Virginia in 1991. Today, a scrub and cut goes for $15.99, though what you’re paying for is an experience that’s catered to be pro-kid—think lollipops, built-in TV screens at the styling stations, elephant-trunk water spouts—and hysteria-free. Notable service: First-timers take home a certificate and keepsake lock in a baggie.

READING
Our public libraries cater to young minds of all ages with fun twists on story time and educational activities. Plus, area librarians steer us toward the most popular titles being checked out at various branches across the region.

By Vanessa LaFaso Stolarski

“Big Words for Little People” by Jamie Lee Curtis
This story about a family who mends their problems via a rich vocabulary, is written by Hollywood actress Jamie Lee Curtis, and made the New York Times Best-Seller list in October 2008.

“Elephant & Piggie” series by Moe Willems
Designed with a graphic novelist’s style, the “Elephant & Piggie” series employs a unique approach to teaching lessons about friendship and the emotional spectrum.

“My Dad, John McCain” by Meghan McCain
The daughter of the 2008 presidential candidate managed to produce a light-hearted biography about her father’s past military experiences.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney
Another clever series celebrates the pushover, assuring school-aged children that good things really do happen to good people.

“Breaking Dawn” by Stephanie Meyer
Stephanie Myer has been dubbed the gothic J.K. Rowling. Her vampiric-themed stories have spurned a devoted fan base among teens.

“Brisingr” by Christopher Paolini
More than simple dragon tales, this is the third in the “Eragon” series where fans may finally discover the fate of the last dragon egg.

Pajama Party
Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Alexandria; 703-519-6000; Ages 3-6
A bedtime story, followed by a craft and a song in the theme of the book are the ingredients for a great Pajama Party—that and a pair of flannel footies, of course. The bonus? Parents can drop them right into bed as soon as they come home.

Fetch! Science Club
Arlington library system; Call for schedules at individual branch locations; Ages 5-12
Based on the PBS Kids television show, the hands-on program challenges participants to work on science projects together in groups, providing valuable practice in critical thinking.

Monday Night Manga
Chantilly branch, Fairfax; 703-502-3883; www.fairfaxcounty.gov; Ages 12-18
A book club for Japanime devotees, teens gather every week to discuss their favorite titles and trade opinions on art and design.

NoVA kid Fast Facts
Children’s librarians from the Alexandria public library make regular visits to home day-care providers throughout the city and also publish the “Ready, Set, Grow News” for childcare providers.

ANIMALS
Be they scaled, spotted, webbed or finned, the critters who call Northern Virginia home draw steady flocks of two-legged visitors from all across the region.

By Susan Anspach

Heartline Alpaca Farm & Fiber Arts Studio
Marshall; 540-364-7377; www.heartlinealpacafarm.com; All ages
Heartline Alpaca Farm offers opportunities to meet and greet their gentle creatures—and their baby crias—native to the Andes each fall with open farm days. On-site spinning, felting and fleece demos cap off a day worth the hour’s drive from D.C.

Fauquier County Farm Tour
Multiple locations; 540-349-5314; www.fauquierag.com; All ages
Now in its 14th year, the Fauquier County Farm Tour spotlights a different band of the region’s berth the second Saturday of every October. While 2008 drew 2,700 visitors to dairy, beef, lavender and horse-training operations spanning the county’s southern spectrum, county agriculture department director Ray Pickering expects 2009 to focus on six to eight farms dotting the region’s central segment.

“It’s definitely designed to be kid-friendly,” Pickering said, “as a real learning experience for the non-farm folks to find out about what goes into farming in the county.”

Reston Zoo
Vienna; 703-757-6222; www.restonzoo.com; All ages
This 30-acre zoo with petting barn bills itself up front as family-friendly, with birthday-party packages, wagon rides and a petting barn that encourages animal interaction with feed and lamb bottles.

NoVA Kid Fast Facts
Virginia kids who own horses cost their parents an average of $2,969 per horse on yearly upkeep for their pets.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Jungle gyms and playground swing sets are all good and well, but where do you go to channel a kid’s flow of creative energies? hands-on activities and craft sites for kids abound in the region’s museums and privately owned stores and centers. Most of the activities are Parent-friendly, too, making these art spots the perfect forums for family bonding time.

By Susan Anspach

Star’s Beads
Vienna; 703-938-7018; www.starsbeads.com; All ages
You’ll know it when you see it; the trick, then, is to see it. Tucked behind Ayr Hill Art Gallery on Vienna’s historic Church Street sits Star’s Beads, directly across from their classroom space one brick building over. Though the shop doesn’t brand itself as kid-specific, “it’s a great family event,” co-owner Kay McGivern said. A cozy corner table is designated for free demo techniques, and summertime brings Mommy and Me instruction sessions.

Paint Your Own Pottery
Fairfax; 703-218-2881; www.ciao-susanna.com; All ages
According to owner Susanna Ekvall, her sky-tiled Fairfax craft studio will take on up to eight parties per weekend. Consequently, it’s smart to book your slot at one of several brush stations in advance. Once you’re there, expect to spend about 90 minutes of time getting crafty, and anywhere up to $40 per premade piece, plus the $7 for painting, glazing and firing.

Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum
Winchester; 540-722-2020; www.discoverymuseum.com; Ages 2-12
No velvet rope-offs here: The entire site of the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum is devoted to learning by interactive play, such as with the apple-packing shed, which focuses on the concept of work force with simple machines—scales, a cranking conveyor belt, wheelbarrows and pulleys. For 2009, the museum will spotlight a different science theme each month; March will highlight physics and technology with an outdoor showing of Pixar flick “Wall-E” and special raceways exhibit.

Great Falls Art Center
Great Falls; 703-759-3867; www.greatfallsartcenter.com; Ages 6 through teens
Art education director Marcia Fouquet likes to think her Great Falls Art Center as a forum for “art history applied,” labeling herself a firm proponent of following up on the instruction of technique—such as Renaissance perspective—with employment. “It may not be as great as ‘Mona Lisa,’ or as great as Raphael, but they catch onto it,” the lead teacher said.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, National Air and Space Museum
Chantilly; 703-572-4118; www.nasm.si.edu; All ages
This companion center to its main museum counterpart in D.C.—the world’s second and first most-visited aerospace museum sites, respectively—sponsors a gamut of family days throughout the year, though two that stand out are Be a Pilot Day in June, when aviators bring in their own planes for ground tours, and Air and Scare, with indoor trick-or-treating and milling Star Wars characters. Year-round ride and flight simulators have no age cutoffs, though 42- and 48-inch height minimums apply.

Bored but Not Boring

Aside from the whole I’m-ashamed-to-be-seen-with-you thing, teens can be a tough sell when it comes to family fun.

When you’re kids are young, entertaining them is easy; any old playground with swings and a slide or a trip to the movies and they’re over the moon. Teens, on the other hand, can be a tough sell when it comes to family fun. Aside from the whole being-ashamed-to-be-seen-with-you thing, they’ve also seen it all, done it all, and are not shy about letting you know. At this point you really have to pull out the big guns and go for some serious novelty value.

By Maria Scinto

Feud with the family. Paintball at Hogback Mountain Paintball in Leesburg let’s your family run around the woods shooting at each other any Saturday or Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. www.hogback.net

Go on a ghost hunt. Walk the spooky streets of nighttime Old Town on Alexandria’s Original Ghost and Graveyard Tour, and see who gets creeped out first. www.alexcolonialtours.com

Play (collegiate league) ball! Not only are the players on the Alexandria Aces and Herndon Braves baseball teams not far out of their teens themselves, but your family can even arrange to house one of the players over the summer. www.myacesbaseball.com; www.herndonbraves.com

Splash, slip and slide—inside. Indoor water parks like Massanutten Water Park and Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg make for excellent family fun, particularly in wintertime. www.massresort.com; www.greatwolf.com

Ride the river. Lazily float down the Potomac on an inner tube, or scream your head off as you kayak the rapids. You can choose to do either (or both) at BTI Whitewater in Purcellville. www.buttstubes.com

Get creative. Learn to paint, sculpt, make jewelry, or get crafty a number of different ways. The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria offers special classes for teens as well as for kids and adults. www.torpedofactory.org

Perform on stage. Get theatrical with the Washington Revels. This group has numerous opportunities for teens (and parents) to get involved, either as performers or in backstage work. www.revelsdc.org

Get cooking. Put culinary-prone teens to work at an easy meal prep center where they can assemble a week’s worth of meals for the whole family to enjoy. www.letsdish.com; www.entreevous.com

Volunteer. High-minded and idealistic teens (or ones who just need to look good on their college applications) will find rewarding work with Habitat for Humanity. www.habitatnova.org

Make the trip. It’s kind if a long way to travel, but worth the drive: Professor Cline’s Haunted Monster Museum & Dark Maze in Natural Bridge. www.naturalbridgeva.com

Tween the Ages

For boys and girls on the cusp of adolescence, enriching activities will wean them off their pre-teen preoccupations

Is your tween daughter driving you nuts with her Hannah Montana obsession? Would you rather stick a fork in your ear than listen to one more song off the “High School Musical” soundtrack? If your tween son is addicted to his Nintendo or PlayStation, or spends his hours on the couch glued to Cartoon Network, never fear. If you come up with the right activity, you still have time to pry him off the furniture before it starts to conform to his anatomy. (With older males in the household, you’re on your own.)

By Maria Scinto

Consider signing them up for an audition for a real musical or a children’s chorus. The Alexandria Choral Society Children’s Chorus accepts singers in grades 3 through 12, and the Washington Children’s Chorus will audition children aged 9 to 16. And the Vienna Children’s Theatre Company provides opportunities for kids from 7 to 15 to star in musical-theater productions blessedly free of anyone named Sharpay, Troy or Gabriella. cchorus.homestead.com; www.childrenstheatrecompany.org; www.alexchoralsociety.org

Send them to a rock’n’roll summer camp, or help them become a real-life guitar hero with lessons in your home or at an instructor’s studio. DayJams and Camp Jam have local outposts, both of them located (appropriately enough) in Rockville, Md. One caveat: After attending one of these weeklong sessions, you may need to look into soundproofing your garage or basement … or at least investing in some really good earplugs. www.levineschool.org; www.campjam.com; www.guitar-instruction.org; www.dayjams.com

Take your cue from some non-Disney movies, or make a Nintendo addiction work in your favor. An action movie like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” or the game Samurai Warriors might inspire them to take martial arts lessons. Rent “A League of Their Own,” and see if it sparks interest in joining a youth baseball team (these programs tend to be mostly coed at the preteen level). If your son spends hours trying to perfect his Madden NFL 2009 moves, a recreational football league might be worth note. www.arlingtonva.us; www.arlingtonlittleleague.org; www.gracieva.com; herndonbaseball.com; www.qielements.com; www.fcyfl.org; www.whitebirchkungfu.com

Before there was Hannah Montana, there were horses, and nearly every tween girl in the world was crazy for them. Perhaps enrolling your daughter in horseback-riding lessons will prompt her to ditch the old obsessions altogether. The new one, however, may be much less annoying, but will likely put quite a dent in your wallet. www.littleburgundyfarm.com; www.mistybraefarm.com

Get them involved in helping the environment. Green is in these days, especially for kids, so chances are they’re already attuned to environmental issues. Show them how to really make a difference by getting involved as a family in volunteer activities like cleaning up local roads or waterways. www.dcr.virginia.gov; www.vdot.virginia.gov; www.longwood.edu

If gadgetry is what gets them going, Lego Robotics may be worth a look. Although you can purchase a Lego Mindstorms kit that allows kids to build and program their very own Lego robot, they can also join a group and compete in regional robot-building tournaments. www.vadcfll.org

Perhaps your son is the dramatic, swashbuckling type. If he’s into “Pirates of the Caribbean” or the cartoons “One Piece” or “Flapjack,” and you think he’d like nothing more than to get in touch with his inner pirate, why not enroll him in a stage-combat or fencing class? www.actingforyoungpeople.com; www.haveblade.com

An interest in cooking at all age levels for both genders is definitely in vogue these days. If your kids savor the film “Ratatouille” and the Cartoon Network show “Chowder,” or have ever shown the slightest interest in watching Food Network shows such as “Boy Meets Grill,” “Ace of Cakes” or “Iron Chef America,” you might like to sign them up for cooking lessons. www.flavorsforkids.com; www.justcakes.net

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(January 2009)