Real Food for Kids Food Day Event Brings Color and Life to a Long-Overdue Issue: Real Food in Schools

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

Good day, Gut Checkers!

Great news to share: last week’s National Food Day/Real Food for Kids event at Wolftrap Elementary School Fairfax was a rainbow of success! Unfortunately, I wasn’t there to experience it first-hand, but today I’m gladly sharing a wonderful report on behalf of Kathryn Luwis of Real Food for Kids. (Photographs by Laura Goyer)

Real food makes happy children!

“We are a nation of increasingly overweight people with unhealthy diets that lead to serious illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.  We don’t eat enough of nature’s colorful fruits and vegetables.  The good news?   It turns out that somewhere over the rainbow, there are schoolchildren actually excited to learn about and enjoy ‘real’ food.

On national Food Day, October 24, 250 children were running around in rainbow colored t-shirts that said: ‘Get Real!’ The t-shirts were handed out by Real Food For Kids, a grass-roots organization of concerned Fairfax County parents and community members, who hosted the countywide event in an effort to highlight the need for change in school food.  The day was a huge success, with upwards of 400 people in attendance, including parents, members of the school board, school board candidates and the press.  The community pulled together to send a message regarding school food and to educate children by providing them with wholesome food and fun.

Renegade Lunch Lady Ann Cooper talks to Wolftrap kids

Nationally-known chefs Ann Cooper, a.k.a. The Renegade Lunch Lady, and David Guas, of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar and Eatery, led an interactive food demonstration, with both chefs engaging the schoolchildren with questions about seasonal fruits and vegetables. The fun demonstration culminated in the making of enormous salads, tossed in kiddy-sized pools using child-sized rakes and shovels. The produce had been harvested by many of the children present just the day before at Maple Avenue Farm, a local organic farm run by Chris Guerre, who donated all of the produce. Many of the children had never seen a radish and were delighted to see the many colors they come in. For some children, it was the first salad they’d ever eaten. This exposure to whole, real foods is exactly what Real Food For Kids set out to offer.

The enormous salad

After the demonstration, the children quickly made their way to the psychedelic M.A.X. (Maple Avenue Express) food truck, manned by chef and owner Tim Ma, of Maple Avenue Restaurant.  Beef sliders, made with 100 percent grass fed beef, were served on whole wheat buns and dressed with local, organic ketchup sweetened with agave–instead of high-fructose corn syrup.  Just for fun, the chefs also made an enormous burger to be shared by many.  In support of the cause, Whole Foods Market  provided crocks of butternut squash soup along with bushels of honey-crisp apples that were quickly devoured.  Children climbed aboard a 1957 farm tractor and, ironically, ate as children in 1957 did–whole foods rather than the highly processed, preserved and high sugar diet of today.

Kids and the giant burger

For Real Food For Kids organizers it was an idyllic fall day: hundreds of children clad in rainbow-colored shirts moving through space eating apples, greens and grass-fed beef.  Ready to continue full-steam ahead with their initiative, the group is bolstered and encouraged by the response to their event.  ‘It’s amazing how many parents have called and e-mailed me to find out how they can help,’ says Hammermaster.   At the close of the day as chefs, farmers and volunteers packed up their wares, a light sun shower sprayed the grounds of the event.  ‘Look up in the sky!  There’s a rainbow!’  Perhaps their goal is a lofty one, but seemingly divinely inspired.”

A successful rainbow!

Great thanks to Kathryn Luwis and Laura Goyer for sharing about such an inspiring day. Though National Food Day has passed, Real Food for Kids continues to move closer toward its goal to improve children’s health in Fairfax County schools.

-Julia Harbo

Who Needs BYOB When You Can PYOP?

Posted by Lorin Drinkard / Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Tucked in the middle of Old Town Fairfax sits Paint Your Own Pottery, a quaint, sorbet-colored brick studio that is bursting with charm and personality. From the twinkle lights framing the front window to the brightly colored checkered floor, it practically begs you to come inside, pick up a brush and get to painting.

No Michelangelo-like skills needed here. Over the past fifteen years, owner Susanna Ekvall’s shop has welcomed any and everyone, whether you’re a kindergarten watercolor genius or just looking to do something a little crafty. From cups and saucers to pasta bowls, plates and other knickknacks, PYOP has shelves lined with over 600 blank canvases just ready for your artistic touch. Prices of the pottery vary from piece to piece. Paint, glazing and firing costs are an additional $7. Expected return-from-the-kiln time is about a week or so.

Whether you’re having a girls’ night, special group outing or birthday celebration, PYOP offers several types of party packages. Though it should be noted: all painters require a reservation. Walk-ins are not welcome; due to scheduling and space restraints, they ask that you call to set up a time to paint at the studio.

Round up six or more of your son or daughter’s closest friends and have a Picasso Party for $17.99 per child. Or upgrade to a Renoir Party for $23.99 each, that includes pizza and drinks in addition to the pottery and painting supplies. What about pottery to-go? For those wanting to ring in a child’s birthday without leaving the house, a Party on Wheels is just the pre-planned package for you. Pick out the pottery pieces, paint colors and supplies, and for $15.99 per child, head home for a private, take-your-sweet-time arts session. Just bring them back to the studio when you’re done and they’ll send them away to be glazed and fired (no pink slips involved).

Instead of the usual dinner-and-a-movie, how about designing your next ice cream bowl, favorite coffee mug or special dinner plates? PYOP is a great place to help put the fun back in date night, or any night for that matter.

This summer features special events, in honor of the past decade and a half that Ekvall, originally from South of Venice, Italy, has been running the studio. They include:

- Mondays & Wednesdays, starting July 11, from 2-4 PM: Tiled mirror & tabletop painting (ages 6 & up)

- Tuesday & Thursdays, starting July 12, from 10-11 AM: Teeny Tots Story Time & Disney character painting

And that’s not all – make sure to print out these handy-dandy coupons to save a little money in your next painting extravaganza.

Paint Your Own Pottery
10417 Main Street
Fairfax, Virginia 2203
(703) 218-2881
www.ciao-susanna.com

Hours: Monday: 11 AM-5 PM

Tuesday: 11 AM-6 PM

Wednesday: 11 AM-5 PM

Thursday & Friday: 11 AM-6 PM

Saturday: 10:30 AM-5 PM

Sunday: 12-4 PM

For pottery pick-up: Monday-Saturday from 12-5 PM

Sunday from 12-4 PM

- Lorin Drinkard

Red Meat: Katie Reineberg

Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Working with kids can lead to utter chaos. Cookology chef Katie Reineberg feasts on such challenges:

(Image: Eliana Lima Campos)

The chef/culinary instructor devotes most of her time to helping little hands get better acquainted with the food they’ll inevitably lift to their mouths–a vital lesson given the clarion call for heightened nutritional awareness currently dominating the media landscape.

WR: Salt. Pepper. What other spices/herbs could you not live without?

KR: Garlic. I literally put it in everything. Always go with fresh garlic, never buy the stuff in the jar, it has little flavor and a lot of unnecessary preservatives.

I also used to develop recipes for a fresh herb company, so I like cooking with fresh herbs: basil, sage and chives are my favorite. Dried herbs, though, are definitely more economical and often preferred because they can withstand higher heat and longer cooking. If I had to pick a favorite I’d go with dried thyme because for me it most closely resembles the flavor of fresh.

WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?

KR: I have been cooking at home since I was a kid and one year I decided I was going to make Christmas dinner for my mom’s entire family (12 people seemed like a lot more back then). I found a recipe for Filet de Boeuf Wellington and knowing that the men in the family are “meat and potatoes” kind of guys, it was an obvious choice. My grandmother and I bought all of the ingredients and early afternoon on Christmas day the whole family settled downstairs while I started to cook.

Let’s just say by the time I managed to clean the silver skin off the tenderloin, chop and cook the mushroom duxelle, wrap my head around what foie gras REALLY was, and stuff it all in puff pastry, it was at least 9:30 p.m. before we all sat down to dinner. My efforts did pay off though, and I still make Beef Wellington for family holidays.

WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?

KR: I am really big on cooking seasonally because the honestly the food just tastes better. Right now it’s all about berries, asparagus, and fresh herbs. In the summer I can’t get enough sweet corn and tomatoes. I love everything about the fall—the colors, the weather, and especially the food; I work apples and butternut squash into soups, salads, stuffings and whatever else I can. Any sort of roasted root vegetable—parsnips, beets and sweet potatoes—are the perfect winter comfort food.

WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …

KR: “Happy in the Kitchen” by chef Michel Richard. It is not a new book, but it is elevated food presented in a way that the everyday home cook could easily recreate. I have tried almost every recipe in the 300-something pages, and I love that he talks about the importance of each ingredient and keeps things simple, which is not typical of “modern” gastronomy.

WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?

KR: When I was in culinary school I tried to make my own chicken liver pate for a garde manger practical exam and it was awful (and by awful, I mean inedible). I haven’t tried again, but I think I’d give it another shot.

WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …

KR: I am pretty lucky in that I get to work with an amazing executive chef, Brad Spates, every day at Cookology. He is a great mentor. But if I had the chance, I’d love to work with Spike Mendelsohn on his involvement with Michelle Obama’s program “Let’s Move“, a healthy food initiative for kids in the Northern Virginia/DC area.

WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?

KR: There’s nothing better than a big bowl of fresh pasta. And it is quick, easy and healthy if you use the right ingredients. I make fresh whole wheat pasta dough in large batches then keep it in the freezer so I always have it on hand to quickly roll out. Or if I’m really in a rush, I just cook a box of dried. The following is one of my favorite sauce recipes—it is called “Pomodori al Forno” which roughly translates to “tomatoes from the oven.” It is a baked cherry tomato sauce that is so simple but really flavorful. Buon appetito!

WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss …

KR: Summer camps for kids at Cookology. It is so great to work with kids in the kitchen, exposing them to new ingredients, getting them to try foods from all different cuisines, and teaching them hands-on cooking and baking techniques. Check out the website for upcoming camp schedules kicking off June 20 and running through Labor Day!

WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …

KR: A big glass (or two) of red wine—something full bodied, spicy, with red fruit. With warm bread and cheese.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

The kids’ cooking camp sounds infinitely more useful than the endless dodgeball games we endured at summer REC. Thanks for helping to mold a more delicious future, chef.

Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.

–Warren

Camps That Help Kids Care

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Environmental health and individual fitness are the summertime focus for Northern Virginia’s youth

By Susan Anspach

Fit Camps
Kids’ programs espouse the notion that happiest of campers are healthy, too

For Peg, a Fairfax mother of two, it was Christmas 2006 that drove home the need for an active summer camp for her 8-year-old. “The downtime from school made him visibly restless,” she said, and prompted her to think ahead to the three months stretching out before her son at the close of the spring semester.

Over the 2006 holidays, Peg was also warned by her family pediatrician against her son’s weight, which he told her was not a healthy match for his height. She admits that she and her husband “were never shining examples of physical fitness,” and says their respective 50- and 60-hour workweeks are partially to blame. She says the admonition left words like “preadolescent obesity” and “juvenile diabetes” ringing in her ears, and prompted her to keep an eye on the family’s intake. The lessons the winter reinforced for her also led her to seek out an alternative approaches to working exercise into her son’s lifestyle.

To date, the U.S. Department of Health lists more than 12.5 million children and adolescents as overweight, equating to 17.1 percent of people who fall between the ages of 2 and 19 who are at risk for cardiovascular diseases. According to a 2006 state department of health study exploring the relationship between childhood obesity and schools, Virginia weighs in as the 25th state most plagued by adolescent obesity.

Northern Virginia has recognized the value for intervention, and its camps are filling the need for programs constructed on a philosophy of children’s wellness. When a neighboring mother steered Peg toward the Fairfax County Park Authority-organized Rec-PAC program, “it turned out to be a good fit for us, and for him, in a lot of ways.”

More than 3,000 kids participated in Rec-PAC’s weeklong theme camps last summer. According to manager Mike Bonneville, the program is for elementary-aged children in Fairfax County and Fairfax and Falls Church Cities, and uses a sliding pay scale based on the income of families who can enroll their children for any or all of the six weeks it runs.

Registration for Rec-PAC, which is in the process of expanding from having operated at six school sites to 52 in Fairfax County for 2009, opens in late spring. The program recently implemented a wellness element with the assistance of Oak Mar RECenter fitness director Kwame M. Brown. According to Brown, “They came to me looking for a fitness component to put in, and I said would do it under one condition: that I wanted to have kids learn through games, not three sets of 15 push-ups, because that’s not how kids operate. And it’s taken off from there.”

The gamut of both public and private fitness-oriented summer camps in this region has a far-reaching range of flexibility. No more are parents limited by their child’s range of athletic ability or sport preferences. Sally Nanas, co-owner of the children’s health facility Fitwize4Kids Sterling location, has been working with children ages 6 and a half through 15 since the location opening in August 2007. Fitwize’s day-camp programs cap off at 15 kids per weeklong session and strike a balance between exercise, activity fieldtrips (public pools, parks with playing fields) and nutrition lessons.

“Of course, the epidemic of childhood obesity we’re here to help with, as well,” said Nanas, whose 2009 camp rates and dates had not been set at press time. “But I would say 30 percent of our kids, maximum, are overweight, and that’s varying degrees of overweight … There are a lot of kids out there who don’t like sports, and this is something their parents can put them in that will keep them active.”

Audrey Moore RECenter fitness director Liz Ittner, who will launch her county fitness center’s Fun in Fitness camp for the first time this summer, also recognizes that not all children are motivated by the same concepts and rewards. “We’ll divide our time with racquetball and soccer games so the competitive kids can really thrive. But for the most part, this is more about learning and experiencing and less about competition.”

The program will be centered on a win-win philosophy, Ittner said, and a hands-on approach through nutrition workshops with dieticians. Fun in Fitness is a Fairfax County-wide initiative, although programs are organized by individual directors based on an expression of regional interest. Each is designed with the participants and their parents in mind. According to Ittner, “We have set it up [at Audrey Moore] a little differently than at the other sites: We did an eight-hour day instead of four or five hours so that our parents can have the whole day taken care of for their kids.”

For Ittner, however, the objectives are further reaching than simply babysitting. Her curriculum will be a sample showcase of the center’s offerings—spinning, pool work, pilates—that she designed to keep kids coming back. The five-day-a-week program will be offered two weeks per summer, and kids ages 12 and over are invited to attend either one or both.

“Parents are looking for a less sedentary, most active way to have their child going through a camp,” Ittner said. “They’re looking for more than singing songs, eating peanut butter and jelly. And there’s so much to offer in fitness these days that parents don’t even realize it.”

On the opposite end of the age spectrum are the services of Chad Mussmon, father of five and owner of The Little Gym branch locations in Ashburn, Fairfax and Gainesville. His franchise locations are for children ages 3 to 9 and offer summer sessions with pick-and-choose scheduling options. “You can sign up on a day-to-day basis, if that’s what you want,” Mussmon said. “It’s a flexible program that caters to moms who can pick a morning session, then afternoon, then another morning, if that’s what they’re looking for.”

Children attend three or five days a week for one or more of the 11 weeks that the programs are offered, and each week centers around a different theme: Dinosaur week prompts movements that mime those of Triassic times; Lights, Sirens and Badges features visits from members of police and fire departments.

Mussmon’s program, which costs $30 per three-hour session, does not stress any nutritional focus other than the snack covered in the price of camp. At that age, “it’s more about activity in a nurturing environment,” said Mussmon, citing the locations’ 5,000 square feet of play space and eight-to-one supervisor-child ratio. “For a lot of 3- through 6-year-olds, first-time campers, this fills that learning-through-play niche.”

Fun in Fitness
Audrey Moore RECenter (and various other Fairfax County sites); 8100 Braddock Road, Annandale; 703-321-7081; www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rec/wakerec.htm
Director: Liz Ittner
Each Fairfax County RECenter that offers the week-long program is a variation on a nutrition- and activity-based theme; Audrey Moore offers an eight-hour schedule, 60 to 90 minutes of which focus on exercising different body parts through activities the facility also offers year-round.

Rec-PAC
Multiple NoVa locations; www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/recpac
Director: Mike Bonneville
Operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority, a six-week program for elementary-aged children incorporates indoor and outdoor games, sports, activity festivals and supervised play sessions with a 1-to-18 staff-to-child ratio. Scheduling options include 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. days, or 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. days.

The Little Gym
Multiple NoVa location; www.thelittlegym.com
Director: Chad Mussmon (for Ashburn, Fairfax and Gainesville locations)
Eleven weeks of different activity themes—beach, pirates, cheerleading, dinosaurs—keep tots ages 3 through 9 bustling in an adult-supervised environment.

Fitwize4Kids
Regal Center; 20921 Davenport Drive, Ste. 128, Sterling; 703-421-3481; www.fitwize4kids.com
Director: Sally Nanas
“Children tend to outgrow these roll-and-tumble place when they’re in the 6- and 7-year-old range, and can’t join adult gyms until they’re 12 or 13, or work out by themselves until they’re 16. We fill the in-between niche.”—franchise co-owner Sally Nanas

Eco-Systems
Programs with an eye toward the environment foster a care for the planet

Planting seeds of environmental consciousness for children can be as simple as instilling in them a love of nature. The easiest way to do that? “Get ‘em dirty,” laughed Shawna Levins, manager of volunteer services for Fairfax County’s Spring Hill RECenter.

Levins heads up the Roots & Shoot junior volunteer program at Spring Hill, a year-round youth project chapter through which she launched two one-week pilot day camps for 9- through 12-year-olds in summer 2008. Roots and Shoots, a global service program for kids founded on the philosophies and principles of Jane Goodall, offers environmental campaign and volunteer opportunities through a number of its Northern Virginia branches. The camp at the Spring Hill RECenter, she explained, serves as a sort of gateway to other Roots and Shoots initiatives, since children do not have to already belong to the program to attend.

“It was just a huge success,” attested Levins, who researched other environmental camps around the globe for a year prior to the first session. “Just an overwhelming success in terms of feedback we received from parents and kids, both.”

Levins suspects parents in Northern Virginia like the idea of enrolling their children in such programs because “we’re such a culturally rich area. Parents want their kids to appreciate it. It sets a standard for the rest of their lives when they learn what it means to give back.”

According to Levins, though, for kids, it’s the hands-on elements that make those lessons stick. With last summer’s guest raptor-handler, “the kids just got very engaged with the physical animals there.” And when an environmental worker visited to speak on about the impact of litter on local watersheds, “once they understood what contaminates water, [the children] were so gung-ho about cleaning up their environment … Almost all of them touched on the feeling that they got, the gratification they got by doing good.

“That right there, for me, made the camp a success.”

Because of the positive responses from program participants and parents she received in 2008, Levins said she expects to be able to double the number of weeks the camp will be offered this summer. For 2009, the half-day week rate is $170, and the full-day week program runs for $270.

Across the region in Leesburg, Rust Nature Sanctuary education coordinator Julie Gurnee oversees the Audubon Naturalist Society’s summer programs at Rust and the Broadlands Nature Center. Online registration for the camps that hosted 150 area kids last year opens Jan. 30. For 2009, the programs formerly restricted to 4- through 8-year-olds will be open to 8- through 12-year-olds, as well.

Rust’s 68 acres tender a bounty of nature trails, species of wildlife, pond-side clearings, meadow space and hushed forested reserves. The Broadlands Nature Center is home to wildlife native to the surrounding woods and fields and offers opportunities to get up close with animals in a safe environment.

“I see a lot of kids who, when they’re outside, it’s [for the purposes of] very structured sports,” Gurnee said, “whereas these camps give them a little more freedom. I have kids tell me they’ve never been out in the woods before. We saw an owl one year, and some of the kids said, ‘What’s an owl?’”

Camp classes taught by environmental educators at a student-teacher ratio of eight to one fall within a price bracket of $140 to $230 and adopt a hands-on approach to outdoor learning through week-long half-day and full-day programs from June 22 through Aug. 21. At Rust, the vast bulk of camp time is spent outdoors; the backup indoor facility is mostly reserved for cases of inclement weather. “In general, we’re trying to expose these kids to nature, get them to feel comfortable with nature, get them to fall in love with nature,” said Gurnee, who cited a 50 percent increase in participants in 2008. “When they’re young like that, that’s a really good time to get them started.”

For that reason, the Audubon programs are geared not only toward an appreciation of nature, but also a proactive environmental awareness. “Throughout our camps, we make all the kids bring their own water bottles and compost their leftovers,” Gurnee cited. “Composting, recycling, we’re getting them in those habits. We instill a respect for nature and wildlife and try to get them to turn off lights and AC, to give them that push … We walk away with very little waste from camp.”

Audubon Naturalist Society at Rust Sanctuary and Broadlands Nature Center
802 Children’s Center Road. Leesburg; 21907 Claiborne Parkway, Broadlands; 703-669-0000; www.audubonnaturalist.org
Director: Julie Gurnee
A curriculum of week-long programs changes yearly, keeping returning campers engaged and eager to learn. The 2009 lineup includes Dirt, Worms and Other Ickys; Nature in Disguise; Home Sweet Home; Native American Life; and Wet and Wild.

Roots and Shoots Camp at Spring Hill RECenter
1239 Spring Hill Road, McLean; 703-827-0989
Director: Shawna Levins
Still basking in the success of its 2008 pilot program, Spring Hill’s camp is a summertime component of a Jane Goodall-inspired global eco-awareness youth project.

(February 2009)

Favorites for Kids

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Over 75 Reasons to Put Down the Remote Control

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

FOOD
Whether you’re parent to the next Julia Childs, or simply have a tot whose appetite rivals your own, our region lays claim to a wide range of kiddie foods and hands-on culinary options.

By Susan Anspach

Generous George's / Photography by Jonathan Timmes

Generous George’s
Alexandria and Herndon; 703-370-4303, 703-793-3338; www.generousgeorge.com
Mountains of doughy fun abound at Northern Virginia’s two Generous George’s locations, where kids make their own 8-inch pie with their choice of two add-on fixings. Chef’s hat comes included in the $4.99 price.

Foxfire Grill
Alexandria; 703-914-9280; www.foxfire-grill.com
Foxfire Grill’s progressive 12-and-under menu includes hummus, steak and fish. For dessert, a $4 Rootie-Tootie Fruitie platter—fresh-fruit skewers accompanied with a honey-yogurt dipping sauce—stands out against more standard fare (cookies, ice cream).

Mexicali Blues
Arlington; 703-812-9352; www.mexicali-blues.com
Introduce your youngster’s palate to a range of ethnic options with Mexicali’s kids’ menu options of flautas, tacos, tamales de elote, pupusas and burritos. Every platter comes with rice, beans and a drink—or add-on fruit smoothie for $2 extra.

Cake Decorating With Donna
Annandale; 703-426-1507; Ages 6-18
Donna Bolton is in her fourth year of whipping up cake decor with kids. For $65, children in groups of eight to 10 receive three hours in torte design, assembly and “a couple of tricks that take it from a homemade cake to store bought.” Participants leave with their own iced creations as tasty souvenirs.

Kidsacookin’
Great Falls; 703-450-6853; hfarb1@aol.com
Dan Himelfarb strives to impart knowledge geared toward a “basic kitchen self-sufficiency” for kids from his home kitchen. For $60, the chef with over 500 hours of L’Academie de Cuisine training hosts a series of three Saturday morning classes that he can gear toward students’ preferences. “The menus … are based on input,” stressed Himelfarb, adding he incorporates locally sourced foods as much as possible.

NoVA Kid Fast Facts
Although the Virginia state legislature voted to phase foods high in trans fats at all public schools, five food items with trans fats above the federally recommended maximum level of 0.5 grams per serving still exist on Fairfax County menus as of the 2007-2008 school year: a croissant, two types of cookie, nachos with cheese sauce and a Chinese salad with noodles.

CLOTHING
Adorable. Precious. Darling. These are words that will describe your son or daughter when He or she is decked out in these best-selling fashion items for boys and girls.

By Abegail Matienzo

The Silken Thread
Alexandria (By appointment only); 202-549-1910; www.thesilkenthread.com
Looking for the perfect little dress for your little girl to wear for her professional portrait, or any future photo opportunity? Grandmothers and mothers alike adore the dainty A-Line Pink Gingham Dress by Rosalina in pink ($28), which can also be personalized with a monogram. According to store owner Laura Swanstrom Reece, “We sell a lot of monogrammed clothing for children, and a lot of our shoppers seek gifts for new babies and birthday presents.”

Dharma and Leopold’s
Warrenton; 540-341-3500; www.dharmaandleopolds.com
Girls will look stylish and feel snug when they sport a Pampolina Tweed Skirt ($75) with some comfy tights to ward off the winter cold. The German-brand skirt has two layers and a bow detail that can take girls from play dates to parties.

Cradle & Crayon / Photography by Jonathan Timmes

Cradle and Crayon
Reston; 703-437-0900; www.cradleandcrayon.com
Make your little boy feel like a big kid in the Alpha Industries Flight Jacket for toddlers ($69.99). Vintage patches lend this piece flair and style—a perfect fashion complement for showing off his tough side.

Two Girls and a Boy
Occoquan; 703-490-2765; www.twogirlsandaboy.com
Once you get past the cheese factor, shirts with funny sayings are just as amusing—if not moreso—to see on kids as they are on the grown folk.

People passing by will have to giggle when they see your little boy in the red, long-sleeve shirt that reads: “I Still Live With Mom and Dad,” by Dogwood ($22).

NoVA Kid Fast Facts
The state of Virginia itself has no requirements for uniforms at public schools, instead leaving the choice up to individual schools and districts. Although schools wishing to adopt uniforms have been met with some resistance from their communities, uniform policies have been implemented at certain schools in cities including Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Alexandria.

WATER ACTIVITIES
When the temperature spikes, there’s no better remedy than cooling off by getting wet. From fishing and boating, to slipping and sliding, fun for area kids only heats up in the summer sun.

By Abegail Matienzo

Larry Weeks Community Pools at Vint Hill
Warrenton; 540-347-6935; www.fauquiercounty.gov; All ages
Lots of kids look forward to Memorial Day, and most for the same singular reason: The holiday marks the first day of public-pool season. Larry Weeks Community Pools at Vint Hill are a safe, fun center. The kiddie area features a baby pool, frog slide and mushroom where parents can watch their kids enjoy the water in a shallow area. The main pool also features a large shallow area with a beach-ramp entrance. Daily fees, as well as punch-pass options, are available.

SplashDown Waterpark
Manassas; 703-361-4451; www.splashdownwaterpark.com; Ages 3 and up
For adventure-seekers, SplashDown Waterpark offers thrills and excitement for all ages. The park boasts four-story water slides, towers and an interactive play area, along with a 25-meter lap pool for more serious swimmers. The zero-depth beach area, pavilions and “funbrellas” are great places to rest and engage in more relaxing activities.

The main attraction of the park is the 770-foot lazy river. According to Doug Blount, recreation operations director for Prince William Park Authority, “It’s a great part of the waterpark where families can play together.” In other words, the perfect end to an active day.

NoVA Kid Fast Facts
WaterWorks at Kings Dominion offers six rides for kids under 4 feet tall, but on four of those rides they will be required to wear life vests.

FURNITURE
From bassinet to big-kid fixings, Northern Virginia children’s furnishing retailers have got the hard-to-find and custom-made room-fittings market covered.

By Susan Anspach

Round Crib by All Things Creative / Courtesy of All Things Creative

Petite Dekor
Leesburg; 703-777-7030; www.petitedekor.com
A Bratt Decor Venetian three-in-one iron crib comes in finishes of antique white, slate, Venetian gold and pewter at Petite Dekor in Leesburg for $966.

“It’s very elegant, and can go with just about any decor,” according to Kutella, who added, “Just a timeless design.”

Petite Dekor
Leesburg; 703-777-7030; www.petitedekor.com
While a $1,537 Chelsea lifetime crib speaks for itself in antique silver, buttermilk or “beautiful espresso,”  store owner Charlene Kutella said, the accompanying $2,517 armoire with matching inlaid carvings will draw a room together, along with matching dresser and cradle.

Wren and Divine
McLean; 703-356-9736; www.wrenanddivine.com
Available in a variety of hand-painted motifs, an Art For Kids 40-inch, gold-gilded nautical highchair ships through Wren and Divine for $636. At press time, the shop was in the process of switching locations, but all products are available online.

Wren and Divine
McLean; 703-356-9736; www.wrenanddivine.com
No two hand-painted cribs are the same from furnishings manufacturer All Things Creative. The Tennessee-hardwood designs meet and exceed all safety standards and are custom made upon ordering. $880 at Wren and Divine.

GIRLS ACTIVITIES
A surefire sign of success: regulars. And it’s no secret little girls can be the pickiest of critics—but some leagues and businesses keep ‘em coming back for more.

By Susan Anspach

Happily Ever After
Ashburn; 703-777-1869; www.happily-ever-after-va.com; Adora Doll sessions are open to those 5 and older (and any age of kid needs an accompanying adult)
One Ashburn doll shop is a mom-and-pop shop in the most literal sense of the phrase—and daughter Lori Koutsouftikis makes three. The tribe makes for the co-owners of Happily Ever After, an Ashburn retailer of dollhouses, miniatures and collectibles. Mini moppet mavens gravitate toward their Hold Your Hand workshops, opportunities for anyone to bring projects to the store for guidance. “It teaches a child working towards a goal,” explained Koutsouftikis, who also has an Adora Doll representative in at least once a year to host a doll-construction course. “Not the instant gratification like so many video games these days.”

Girls Golf of Northern Virginia
703-475-4163; www.girlslovegolf.com; Ages 7-17
Girls Golf of Northern Virginia is broken into five tiers of club skill sets—from players who’ve never clutched an iron to those playing 18-hole regulation courses with scores of 110 or better. The program pulls in LPGA and PGA teaching pros to assist members in sharpening their games, regardless of the level of experience they bring to the clinics.

Tea, Lace and Roses
Culpeper; 540-829-9700; www.tealaceandroses.com; All ages
Don’t let the china cups deter: Little fingers are well received at Tea, Lace and Roses, where clientele are invited to deck themselves in boas, lace gloves and flowered hats before sitting down to a sup time specifically designed for the younger set: Wee Tea.

Northern Virginia Nereids Synchronized Swimming Team
Annandale; 703-407-6298; www.nvnsynchro.com; Ages 6-18
In fact, boys are more than welcome to join the Northern Virginia Nereids Synchronized Swimming Team. It’s just that most of them don’t. “In the past we’ve had one or two, but it’s primarily a girls’ sport,” said team president Kevin Fitzpatrick, who leads his squad to competitions at the local, regional and national levels. Cost to suit up: $110 to $275 a month.

MUSIC
In a thriving arts region such as ours, kid-music industry pros know their beat. Every place, school and name rang at least a few bells, but below are the referenced favorites.

By Susan Anspach

American Musical Landscapes
Alexandria; 703-307-6250; www.musicallandscapes.com; All ages
This weekly live tour spanning 20-plus American songs against a backdrop of photos and video doesn’t kick into its spring season for a few more months, though producer and performer Danielle Westphal was quick to insert, “We can always do a command performance with groups of 100 or more.” Audiences who can’t scramble up the numbers can get in on the American Musical Landscape Inaugural Ball, with extended performances Jan. 16 through 21.

Don Bridges
703-449-0817; donbridgesongs.com; Ages 1-12
Three-time Wammie Award-winning performer Don Bridges cites “the interactive nature of what I do” as what sets his shows apart. “On every single song the children are doing something, shaking instruments, dancing, marching, singing along.” The effect, it seems, is contagious. On a recent outdoor Springfield concert, Bridges was mid-performance when two young sisters rose and began ballet dancing.

“Then an elderly couple, I’d say in their 70s, got up and started slow dancing. The juxtaposition just blew my mind, just broke and captivated my heart.”

Peter McCory
703-753-1600; www.petermccory.com; Ages 2-12
It was what one-man band Peter McCory considers his midlife crisis that sparked a career changeover to children’s performer. “I guess a lot of men would buy a car or remarry or go skydiving,” he said. “Well, I was broke so I couldn’t afford a Lamborghini, I was satisfied with my wife, and I don’t like jumping out of airplanes.” That was 1996. Now, the walking, talking guitar-banjo-harmonica-whistles-kazoo-siren-drum-player and vocalist can be found at libraries and festivals, though he offers discounts for schools. “If you’ve got 85 to 100 kids in a school, it looks like the Untied Nations. Swahili, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Swedish, Hindi: I can’t speak all those languages, but I can sing them.”

Paul Green School of Rock
Vienna and Ashburn; 703-242-2184; 703-858-0820; www.schoolofrock.com; Ages 7-18
Channel your squirt’s inner punk at one of two School of Rock locations in Northern Virginia where, for $275 a month, students receive weekly 45-minute lessons for guitar, bass, drums, keys or vocals, plus “immediate immersion in our performance-based program,” according to CEO Matt Ross.

Levine School of Music, Virginia campus
Arlington; 703-237-5655; www.levineschool.org; Ages 4 months and up
At Levine, students are introduced to eurhythmic basics—oftentimes before they’re crawling. By age 3, they’re performing melodies and accompaniments and inventing their own symbolic system to represent instrumental rhythms and sounds. “We focus on teaching real concepts,” early childhood music department chair Roselinda Rampp said. At year 7, they’re “really ready then” to graduate to lessons on an instrument of their choosing.

Foxes Music Company
Falls Church; 703-533-7393; www.foxesmusic.com; Ages 5 and up
Hundreds of students breeze through the doors of Foxes Music Company, the highest-volume seller of music and music-related items in the D.C.-Metro region, for their private music lessons. Propelling the flow? Mostly word of mouth, according to co-owner Eric Wagner. Foxes offers half-hour lessons at a starting rate of $28 for most band and string instruments.

FITNESS & NUTRITION
Getting growing bodies moving and nutritionally nourished can be a challenge. But pick-your-own farms and kid-friendly fitness classes are good places to start.

By Vanessa LaFaso Stolarski

Old Town Scavenger Hunt
Alexandria; 703-519-1749; www.alexcolonialtours.com; Ages 8-11
Make walking fun on this self-guided tour through Old Town Alexandria. Pick up a map at the Christmas Attic shop, and discover historical destinations along the way.

Just Fitness for Kids
Manassas; 703-396-9444; www.justfitnessforkids.com; Ages 5-17
For elementary to high-school ages, the gym designs programs that focus on flexibility, nutrition and strength, while also providing the opportunity to acquire valuable social skills.

Functional Fitness for Kids
Various school locations; www.ff4k.org; Ages 9-13 (fourth through eighth grades)
In a mission to address the growing problem of childhood obesity, this free after-school program is slowly expanding to schools throughout the region and includes workout and strength-training classes as well as guidance in making good nutritional choices.

Crooked Run Orchard
Purcellville; 877-668-7160; www.crookedrunorchard.com; All Ages
Asparagus for dinner? Maybe if they picked their own, this would be one dinner-table battle you can skip. Call ahead to find out whether apples, cherries or pumpkins are ripe for the picking at Crooked Run. In December, take the family to gather pine to make their own holiday wreaths.

BOYS ACTIVITIES
Rough-and-tumble boys will appreciate the challenge when you put them up to some of these activities for little sports.

By Abegail Matienzo

Woodcraft
Springfield; 703-912-6727; www.woodcraft.com; Ages 6-16
Woodworking classes held at Woodcraft Supply’s Springfield shop teaches kids how to safely put power tools to use. Classes are held every month on evenings and weekends. One project is completed per session, with everything from tool-tote boxes to pens.

Game Camp USA
Held at various hotel meeting rooms in Northern Virginia; 1-888-663-9633; www.convergenesis.com; Ages 10-17
Your tyke will learn how favorite video games like Call of Duty 2, Motocross Madness 2 and Halo are made, then construct his very own. No experience is needed, and campers learn how to use Java programming to help them add sound and graphics to their creations.

The Father and Sons Adventure Club
703-727-7777; www.fathersandsonsadventure.com; Ages 4-18
Some say the best way for males to bond is to explore similar interests, and it’s never too late to strengthen the tie between a dad and son. The Fathers and Sons Adventure Club organizes one-day excursions throughout the region, including activities like surf-fishing, fossil-hunting, camping and paintball. “Men are exhausted from their family and work obligations … When they bring their sons on these adventures, they get called heroes again,” founder Dan Copeland said.

NOVA Youth Flag Football League, Inc.
Various locations; www.novaflag.com; Ages 5-14
Boys can show off speed, power and agility while building self-esteem, confidence and teamwork skills with a season of flag football through the NOVA “NFL” Youth Flag Football League, now in its 12th year in Ashburn.

NoVA Kid Fast Facts
Approximately 51.5 percent of all Virginia kids ages 0 to 19 are boys (the other 48.5 percent being, of course, girls).

PARK & NATURE
When the little one needs to work off energy or the teen tires of staring at a screen … parks, playgrounds and guided tours to the rescue!

By Vanessa LaFaso Stolarski

Lake Accotink
Springfield; 703-569-0285; All ages
Like a page from a storybook, the antique carousel that spins at Lake Accotink casts a little magic on the day. Mini golf and an annual cardboard boat race promise big fun for the little ones, and fee-free entrance and parking mean adults will love it, too.

C.M. Crockett Park
Midland; 540-788-4867; All ages
Row, row, row your boat on the lake at C.M. Crockett Park in Fauquier County, and cast a line for a delicious bass. The park’s most unique feature invites families to honor a loved one by planting a tree in the commemorative grove sanctuary. And kids can test their strength at The Forge—a ropes and initiative obstacle course.

Teen Birding Club
Annandale; 703-242-1675; www.audubonva.org; Ages 13-17
The Northern Virginia Audubon Society fosters the teen birder with guided group trips of ornithological exploration and identification.

NoVA Astronomy Club
Various locations; www.novac.com; Ages 3 and up
Up above the world so high, few planetary wonders are too far out of the reach of Northern Virginia Astronomy Club members. Their powerful robotic telescope will delight cosmos-curious kids during their regularly scheduled sky-watching events.

Clemyjontri Park
McLean; 703-388-2807; All Ages
The playground at Clemyjontri leaves nobody out. With high-backed swings, ramps to elevated play features, wide pathways and rubberized surfaces, all play areas are designed to accommodate “children of all abilities.” The Rainbow Room, Schoolhouse and Maze, Movin’ and Groovin’ Transportation Area make up 18 acres of pure, imaginative fun.

Next page >>

(January 2009)