Question: What do jumbo marshmallows, Nick Offerman, and a pond full of tadpoles all have in common? Answer: They perfectly describe last weekend. Offerman (Ron from “Parks & Rec”) is the National Wildlife Federation’s new spokesperson. He’s featured in their 2015 Great American Campout campaign, an effort to get 100,000 people pledged to camp this […]
“‘May God thy gold refine.’ That must be from the Bible.” “Shakespeare,” Turtle replied. “All quotations are either from the Bible or Shakespeare.” ~ The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin For a couple of years, I’ve had this grand idea to do a Shakespeare unit with my girls over the summer. This year, we’re finally […]
Most kids I know like to cook. There’s something about taking food in one form, then chopping, smashing, stirring, scooping, pouring, tossing, sprinkling, or blending it, and making it into something new, something delicious to eat and share. Plus, cooking is very grown-up. From the time they could stand on a step stool, my girls […]
Spring is short but sweet in Virginia. A few precious weeks, maybe a month, of pleasant weather between the chill of winter and the oppressive heat and humidity of summer. I also get the road trip bug in the spring; the last two years, I loaded the girls in the van and drove across the […]
When you think of Washington, D.C., a few things probably come to mind. Definitely government: the Capitol, White House, Cabinet offices, federal agencies, and embassies all reside here. Next, memorials: gorgeous, majestic, symbolic creations can be found all over the city that pay homage to major events and figures in American history. But after that, […]
One parent recently wrote us a note suggesting that students should ditch summer screen time in favor of spending some quality time outdoors. Bravo! As a father of five young children, I could not agree more! Qualitative feedback from last year suggests that Brain Chase participants spend significantly fewer summer hours on television and video […]
When you were a kid, did you ever want – or threaten – to run away and join the circus? This concept has perhaps fallen out of usage; until recently, my children were unaware this was an option. Then we went to a day of circus school, and now they’re all about it. Through a […]
Big question: if Brain Chase is a treasure hunt that rewards learning, shouldn’t everyone be able to go for the gold? Short answer: yes, but even adventures have fine print. We recognize that the ‘chase’ can only seem as good as the treasure at the end, and there is certainly a disappointment in learning […]
There’s nothing quite like gathering up the family and spending a rainy Saturday wandering the halls of a favorite museum. You may not recall your very first visit to a museum, but most adults can still remember a distinct impression made by a visit during their childhood, whether it was the excitement of a scientific […]
A few years ago I read Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, and it gave me a good and solid scare. I already knew about ADD, ADHD, a host of speech and language disorders, and even PDD (Personality-Deficit Disorder, a condition my college roommates and I made […]