Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Washington, DC

Saturday Fun: PBS Super Why Play Day at Area Toys R Us Stores

by Leticia

June 12, 2009

Are you a fan of the PBS show SuperWhy like we are?  If so, Super Why is launching a great new line of educational toys and is hosting events at Toys R Us stores around the country tomorrow!  Tomorrow you can head to your local Toys“R”Us for an in-store super duper Super Why! play day that is sure to be tons of fun for your Super Reader!

Kids ages 3 and up are invited to play a Super Why Bingo Game, complete a Super Why coloring activity and listen to a Super Why story. You’ll also be treated to a hands-on Super Why toy demonstration and receive special Super Why premiums, coupons, a free mask, coloring fun sheet, and more (while supplies last)!

We usually shun character-based products in our home but have welcomed the Super Why products because of their educational value.  Our two Super Why fans received some of the new Super Why products a couple of weeks ago and they have been a huge hit ever since they arrived.  They love donning their special capes and transforming into Super Why and Princess Presto to act out scenes from their favorite episodes while holding the included Why Writer and Magic Spelling Wand.  They also like taking their Super Duper Computer into their play house and pretending they are going to the Book Club. I love watching what they have learned through the episodes through their imaginative play and like that their touch screen Super Duper Computer is filled with games that help them practice different literacy skills such as learning the alphabet, problem solving, spelling, word families, word comprehension, rhyming, and reading. 

For more details about the Super Why events in your area, click here for a listing of special events just for Super Readers in the DC Metro area and around the country.

Super Readers...to the rescue!

Super Why Play Date

• JUNE 13, 2009
• 12:00pm to 2:00pm
• Nationwide Toys"R"Us In-Store Event

Click here for more details!

Stocking the Playrooom

by Beth Hoffman

December 02, 2008

What? Still haven't finished your holiday shopping? Don't worry, I haven't started. In case you need some ideas for the preschoolers in your life, here are some of the favorite toys at my house. Little People Lil' Movers Airplane by Fisher Price - I'm reluctant to recommend anything that makes the same three or four sounds over and over again until you are tempted to throw it out  Read more...

Malloween

by Beth Hoffman

October 13, 2008

No, that wasn't a typo, I meant to say M alloween. Look, this is the suburbs, ok? Sometimes you just have to go to the mall. And this is also D.C., where Halloween can be either balmy and dry or frigid and teeming with rain, so it is good to have options for your little pirates and princesses, and sometimes having options and saving Halloween means going to the mall. So, if you need an  Read more...

Tuesday List: Sources for great costumes

by Leticia

October 07, 2008

Halloween can be exciting but challenging to parents who want to come up with a unique costume. So where do you go for the best costumes? Whether you buy your entire costume or purchase bits and pieces to create your own or enlist your inner Martha Stewart to hand craft the entire outfit, here are some places where you can start to find items for this year's Halloween costume For new costumes,  Read more...

Five for Tuesday: Halloween Costumes Online

by Beth Hoffman

October 07, 2008

Looking for the perfect Halloween costume. Look no further! All you need to do is get a black sheet, cut a hole in the middle, sew the sides closed, and cut a strip off the bottom to make a belt. Then, go out and buy a Darth Vader mask and ta-da! One fabulous Halloween costume with very little effort. Hey, why are you looking at me like that? That was my all-time favorite Halloween costume  Read more...

The importance of pretend play

by Leticia

October 02, 2008

I have always been a fan of unstructured imaginative play. In graduate school I was subjected to many hours of pouring over books that described various teaching philosophies. Coursework required me to spend time observing how the different philosophies played out in different classrooms. I certainly favor educational philosophies where play is a main component of teaching and learning and try  Read more...

Surviving the princesses

by Beth Hoffman

October 02, 2008

I have a three year old daughter, and I spent the first two and a half years of her life enforcing a strict Princess Embargo. And then her best friend introduced her to Cinderella. It was downhill from there, and we are now the proud owners of more Disney Princess stuff than you can shake a magic wand at. I spend a lot of my time pretending to be Prince Eric while "Ariel" rescues me from  Read more...

Come Fly With Me: College Park Aviation Museum

by Leticia

August 20, 2008

This past weekend we were invited to a birthday party at the College Park Aviation Museum and while we haven't been there in awhile, we were reminded of what a wonderful treasure this museum is for the toddler and preschool set. The College Park Aviation Museum is located across from Route 1 from the University of Maryland College Park campus. The building is on the grounds of the world's oldest  Read more...