back to school mitzvah

Are you done with your kids' school supply shopping yet? How about turning it into a tzedakah opportunity? Many stores are collecting school supplies to be distributed to kids who are having a hard time making ends meet, even when parents are, um, sharpening the pencil at both ends. (Bad twist of that metaphor, but I couldn't resist.) I haven't been able to find a comprehensive list of who's collecting supplies, but check near the registers for information or ask at customer service.

For example, Staples is working with DoSomething to provide supplies to needy kids. They are accepting supplies through September 19. I'm sure that there are other places running similar events, but this is just one I happened to notice. Feel free to share other places you've found, too.

Have your child pick out her supplies, then have her get two of the favorite item in the basket and donate one. Children whose parents are having a hard time buying supplies shouldn't need to have the most boring pencils! Maybe talk about how nice it is to start the year with everything on the list and how worried she would be if she didn't have those things. Perhaps a portion of her allowance for the next few weeks could be set aside for this tzedakah project. Make it your own - but it's a good opportunity.

a metro ride and visit to the National Aquarium

When it was super-hot earlier in the summer, we were struggling to find things to do outside of the house but not inside a mall. We were aware of the National Aquarium but had never been there. Like most folks in the area, we were under the impression that the Baltimore Aquarium is the only aquarium worth seeing in the greater metro area. We were glad to be wrong!

The National Aquarium is not very big and it won't, well, blow you out of the water. For younger kids, though, it was just right. There weren't many empty tanks (it's sad when kids are searching eagerly and you have to tell them that there's nothing in there!) and there were a lot of interesting, colorful creatures. We were there for a book signing, which made it extra fun. Our son ran in circles around the exhibit area and had a great time. Perhaps just as good as the visit was the metro ride there and back. (An escalator and a train? Twice in a day? He was thrilled.)

In general, one of the things that my husband and I have learned to do was change our expectations. We don't need six hours of dolphin shows and 47 species never seen before. We just need a child to utter "wow" and chatter about fishies for two days afterwards to have had a successful outing. The National Aquarium was perfect for that.

not just for kids

If your kids are into LEGOs, you should go visit the BrickFair tomorrow! It's at the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons. We went last year, when our son was just walking but hadn't really played much with his own bricks (which, by the way, are MegaBloks rather than Duplos). It's a little chaotic, but if you've got the stamina for crowds, it's worth the effort. We found that getting there very early - it's open from 11-4 - was helpful. We have friends who exhibited their MOCs (my own creations) last year. Ditch the stroller, wrap the baby, and hold on tight to your preschoolers. Have fun!

Welcome!

Hello. I am excited to share with Shalom NoVA readers a little bit about my experience with a toddler here in Fairfax. We've lived here since long before he was born, and I still have a hard time realizing that my son was born in a Confederate state! Perhaps because my husband and I both grew up outside of this area, we may be more willing than some to cross the river or go into DC. In fact, my husband works in Maryland, so the American Legion Bridge is an everyday sight for him. We definitely don't mind going a bit out of our way for something fun for us, and oh, yeah, my son, too.

Probably our next low key but still fun event will be hitting one of the local county fairs. The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair only runs through this week, but the Arlington County Fair runs Thursday through Sunday. Arlington's fair is small enough for us to be able to let our son run ahead of us without fearing that he'll get lost. It may not have everything, but it's just the right size for little ones. Let's hope for nice weather on Sunday!