Virginia is for Kids!

As I attempt to keep this blog non-regionally specific, I feel that my self-imposed rule needs to be broken here.

The Virginia Beach School of the Arts was founded by Steve and Virginia Largent and is privately owned and operated.

What do they offer?

Music, Mommy and Me (ages 2 and under) – singing, dancing and FUN!  They do educational games and activities to teach listening skills, following directions, matching, taking turns, colors, shapes, instruments and more!  Since the average 9 month old already understands over 250 words, vocabulary is also a big part of class.

Preschool for the Arts (ages 2 1/2 – 5) – students attend once or twice a week for 3 hours.  In one hour classes of music, art and dance, the children learn academics through the arts.  Degreed teachers instruct classes of 8 students.

Acadamiacs (ages 5 – 11) – students learn to “Sing the Standards of Learning”!  From mathematics to science, biology to history, chemistry to language arts, there is a song (or songs) for practically every topic covered in public and private schools.  Because everyone loves music, this class is perfect for all ages, all levels of intelligence, boys and girls from gifted to special needs.

Music Readiness (ages 3 – 4) and Advanced Music Readiness (ages 4 1/2 – 6 1/2) – teaches children basic music theory, the white keys on the piano, all their notes and rhythms, composers and songs from Acadamiacs.  In the Advanced class, children learn everything in music needed for playing an instrument without the practicing involved.

And….Art classes, keyboard classes, summer camps, private lessons, jewelry making and even more!  For a schedule of classes, contact the school at 757-431-1382.  They are located on Brickhouse Court off Kings Grant Road in Virginia Beach.  Below is a coupon for a FREE class to try them out!

Tina’s take:

My son (5 years old) has been attending classes at VBSA for about 1 1/2 years.  Miss Virginia has an incredible gift in connecting with the students and they don’t even realize they’re learning!  It’s amazing to hear 3 year olds singing the Presidents in order and their states/capitals.  Last night, my son was learning how to build an atom from the periodic table (all to a song!).  The Largent’s are completely understanding of the schedule of a working parent!  There are no additional fees for registration nor are there any contracts to sign.  If you have to miss a class, just call the school and ask when you can come in for a make-up.  Easy as that!  The tuition is VERY reasonable, depending on the class, approximately $45 – $60/month.

Cozi’s motto, “Family Life, Simplified” exemplifies what so many busy families are looking for nowadays.  Cozi takes the home refrigerator (where families have historically placed all of their schedules, pictures, lists, etc) and organizes it into a well-oiled internet machine.

Here are a few recent article snippets about Cozi:

Wish you had some help organizing your family life?  Cozi is a FREE web service that helps you manage your family calendar, track your shopping and to-do lists, organize your chores, and stay in touch with your family.  Access Cozi from anywhere—home, work, or on the go—with any computer or mobile phone.  All you need to get started is a Cozi account—it’s quick and easy, with no downloads required!

The shared family calendar is terrific!  It is color coded by family member and allows your to easily add events and appointments and post notes too.  You can synch it with Microsoft Outlook.

The list feature is a lifewaver!  No more little sticky notes or forgetting items!  Forget your list?  Get this…Cozi will TEXT it to you or READ it to you over the phone!

With reminders and messages, schedule changes and the like are easily handled.  You can send out a quick reminder to everyone from your Cozi family page or communicate schedule updates.

If you’re like me, finding time to create a scapbook or organize vacation pictures is next to impossible.  Cozi has the answer with their family journal!  It’s an easy way to save those special moments and your family vacation memories.  Just jott down a moment or memory, upload a picture and you’re done!

The White House and Gardens

A couple of years back, on our first visit to Washington DC with our son, we stopped at the iron fence in front of the White House so he could see it.  “Mommy, I want to go inside” is all he kept saying.  Apparently, gazing at the White House from afar was not satisfying enough.

In class, my son had learned all about 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and it’s 6 floors, 35 bathrooms, 132 rooms, etc.  Why WOULDN’T he want to see the inside?  Come to think of it, I would like to see the inside.  So, I decided to look into getting a tour.

Tours of the White House are given to groups of 10 or more.  One must request a tour through their Member of Congress and requests are accepted up to 6 months in advance.  Tours are available from 7:30am until 12:30pm Tuesday through Saturday and are offered on a first come, first served basis.  Confirmation of the tour is received approximately one month prior to the tour date.  White House tours are free of charge and there is a hotline to call for more information:  202-456-7041.  Accommodations are available for those with special needs.

Things to keep in mind:  you must have a group of 10.  Restroom facilities are not available on the tour.  Prohibited items include, but are not limited to, the following: handbags, book bags, backpacks, purses, food and beverages of any kind, strollers, cameras, video recorders or any type of recording device, tobacco products, personal grooming items (make-up, hair brush or comb, lip or hand lotions, etc.), any pointed objects (pens, knitting needles, etc.), aerosol containers, guns, ammunition, fireworks, electric stun guns, mace, martial arts weapons/devices, or knives of any size.  The U.S. Secret Service reserves the right to prohibit any other personal items.  Umbrellas, wallets, cell phones and car keys are permitted.  There are not any storage facilities at the White House so if you have a prohibited item, you will need to either dispose of it or not go on the tour.

A few months ago, I submitted a request to tour the White House through our Member of Congress via her website.  I received a prompt email confirmation and then, a few days later, mailed confirmation.  I’ll post an update here after our tour date.

If you would like to tour the White House Gardens, they are going to be open this weekend!  This Saturday and Sunday, October 18th and 19th, from 12pm-4pm, visitors to the gardens will be able to view the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, Rose Garden, Children’s Garden and the South Lawn of the White House.  Tickets are required for all attendees, including small children!  The National Park Service will distribute free, timed tickets at the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion located at 15th and E Streets on each tour day beginning at 8:00 a.m.

12/11/2008 – update********* Looks like our visit to the White House is a bust.  We never received any further communication from our Congresswoman’s (Thelma Drake’s) office.  When I called earlier this week to inquire about that staus of our request, I was told that we had been assigned a tour date of December 6th.  Well, no one ever communicated that to me (via email, phone or regular mail) and the person I spoke with didn’t seem to be surprised nor offered any alternatives.   Because Congresswoman Drake lost her bid for re-election, she is in the process of shutting down her offices and obviously, no longer feels a need to serve her constituents (though she is still receiving a paycheck from the taxpayers). I called Randy Forbes’ office and spoke with a very nice woman there; however, they were unable to help since Congresswoman Drake’s office was supposed to assign me one of her “slots”.   What have I learned?  1.  Do not request a tour from a congressional representative who is up for re-election.  2.  Do not plan on any specific date or time of the year.  3.  Follow up with your congressional representative because they probably won’t follow up with you.

This is a wonderful and inexpensive way to get children excited about our National Parks and Monuments.  The Passport Book is only $7.95 and can be purchased online or at any of the sites held by the Park Service and open to the public.

Combine this with a couple of the stamp sets and you have a GREAT holiday present!

“This handy, spiral bound, 6″ x 3″ travelogue fits conveniently into a pocket or backpack for easy reference. The 104 page guidebook makes it easy to learn about and explore all of the national park sites. The Passport to Your National Parks includes maps color-coded for specific regions in the country, pre-visit information, illustrations and photographs. It also includes a free map and guide to the national parks.  Spaces in each region are designated for you to collect rubber stamp cancellations at each national park site you visit. The cancellations, similar to those received in an international passport, record the name of the park and the date you visited.  Make your Passport book complete by including the annual commemorative stamp series. The series, starting with 1986, includes nine regional stamps and one national stamp on one sheet.  Simply detach the stamps and place them in the designated areas in your booklet.”

My son loves his and gets so excited when we tell him we’re going to a new place where he can get a stamp for his passport.  There is a list at the website which gives you all of the Passport cancellation locations – it is so long you need to download the list as a pdf.  Here is the list for just Virginia and Washington DC:

VIRGINIA:
Appomattox Court House NHP—Appomattox
Arlington House—Arlington
Arlington House, Robert E. Lee MEM—Arlington
Assateague Island NS—Chincoteague
Blue Ridge Parkway—NC-VA
Booker T. Washington NM—Hardy
Cape Henry MEM—Fort Story, Yorktown
Cedar Creek & Belle Grove NHP—Shenandoah Valley
Claude Moore Colonial Farm—McLean
Colonial NHP—Yorktown, Jamestown,400th Anniversary
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP—Jackson Shrine, Fredericksburg, Ellwood,Chancellorsville, Salem Church, Chatham
George Washington MEM PKWY—McLean, Arlington, Great Falls
George Washington Birthplace NM—Washington’s Birthplace
Great Falls Park—Great Falls
Green Springs Historic District—Louisa County
Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown
Jamestown Glasshouse—Jamestown, 400th Anniversary, Jamestown NHS,  Jamestown VC
Lyndon Baines Johnson MEM Grove—Arlington
Marine Corps War MEM/Netherlands Carillon—Arlington
Manassas NBP—Manassas
Maggie L. Walker NHS—Richmond
Petersburg NB—Five Forks, Petersburg,City Point, Poplar Grove National Cemetery
Poplar Grove National Cemetery—Petersburg
Prince William Forest Park—Triangle
Richmond NBP—Fort Harrison; Malvern Hill; Cold Harbor; Tredegar Iron Works,Richmond; Chimborazo Museum,Richmond
Shenandoah NP—Luray, Big Meadows,Dickey Ridge, Loft Mountain
Theodore Roosevelt Island—Arlington
Wolf Trap Farm Park,Wolf Trap NP for the Performing Arts—Vienna
Women In Military Service for America MEM—Arlington

Washington DC:

African American Civil War MEM, Bethune Museum & Archives, Carter G. Woodson Home NHS, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP, Constitution Gardens, Department of the Interior, District of Columbia War Memorial, District of Columbia World War MEM, East Potomac Park, Ford’s Theatre NHS—Petersen House, Fort Dupont NP, Fort Washington Park, Franklin Delano Roosevelt NMEM, Frederick Douglass Home, George Mason MEM, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, John Ericsson MEM, John Paul Jones MEM, Korean War Veterans MEM, Liberty on the Mall, Lincoln MEM, Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS, MEM to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, National Aquatic Gardens, National Capital Region, National Capital Parks-Central, National Cherry Blossom Festival, National Independence Day Celebration
National Mall, National Mall & Memorial Parks, National Park Service Headquarters, Old Post MEM, Old Post Office Tower, Oxon Hill Farm, Pennsylvania Avenue NHS, Peterson House—HWLD, Potomac Heritage NST, President’s Park-The White House, Rock Creek Park—Klingle Mansion, Old Stone House, Nature Center, Peirce Mill, Meridian Hill Park, Sewall-Belmont NHS—Washington, DC 20002, Theodore Roosevelt Island, The White House, Thomas Jefferson NMEM, Ulysses S. Grant MEM, U.S. Navy MEM, Vietnam Veterans MEM, Washington Monument, West Potomac Park, World War II MEM

The Virginia Safari Park, in Natural Bridge, is definitely not your ordinary zoo.  The setting itself, in the Shenandoah Valley is beautiful, surrounded by mountains.  Opened in 2000, the park is continuously expanding and upgrading.

There are 2 sections to the park.  The first is a hands-on petting zoo and observation areas.  The second is a drive-thru safari park where animals such as zebras, elk and bison roam free.

The petting zoo/observation area is wonderful for kids, especially the little ones.  The goats and pigs will come up close to eat the feed (they sell feed buckets) without scaring the children.  There are also camels, cows, chickens, llamas amongst others available for “hands-on” activities.  New in 2008 is a “snake observatory” and a tiger den.  There is a walk-thru park with lots of kangaroos, some of which have babies in their pouches.  Watching the spider monkeys climb and swing was very entertaining and he also enjoyed trying to stand on one leg just like the flamingos.  The giraffe observation deck was added in 2005 and offers a great vantage point for seeing these beautiful animals on “their” level.  A free-flight aviary building was added in 2006.

The highlight of the Virginia Safari Park is the “safari” itself.  Guests can choose to drive through themselves or hop a ride on one of the scheduled trams.  The safari takes about 45 min. to an hour and if they are particularly busy, could take longer.  The animals know these cars have food and will block your car if necessary to get it!

Hours:

March 15 – May 23
9 AM – 5 PM Daily
Last car admitted at 4 PM

May 24 – September 1
9 AM – 6 PM Daily
Last car admitted at 5 PM

September 2 – November 30
9 AM – 5 PM Daily
Last car admitted at 4 PM

Rates:

Admission includes 16-page, full color Safari Guidebook.
(One per car. Additional copies available for $2.00 each.)

Buckets of feed – $ 3.00 or 4 buckets for $10.00.
Giraffe grain – $.50/handful

Safari Wagon Rides:

Weekend Wagon Rides

Saturday and Sunday 1PM and 3PM Only.

Summer : June 14- September 1 (Labor Day)

Daily 11:30, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm.

Fall: September 6- November 22

Saturday and Sunday 1PM and 3PM Only.

There is a gift shop/restroom building at the entrance to the park.  The restrooms are in the rear of the building so it is not necessary to go into the gift shop to use the restroom facilities.  Cold drinks are sold in the gift shop.  There are picnic tables and shelter at the park so be sure to bring a cooler with snacks.

Tina’s Take:  I love that they have large, filled bottles of hand sanitizer throughout the walk-thru sections of the park!  Be sure to use the restrooms before you go on the safari or to the petting/observation area as the only bathrooms are at the entrance to the park.  If you are a neat freak with your vehicle, you’ll need to get over it for the safari.  You car will get dirty inside and out.  Small children could be frightened by the large animals on the safari so you may want to keep the windows up and just drive through.  My son seems to like the petting/observation section better than the safari.  We purchased a season pass for the Virginia Safari Park – it’s convenient to I-81 and we enjoy stopping by to see the animals in a more “natural” environment.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Yes, I KNOW it is in Washington D.C. and not Virginia; however, this is my blog and I make the rules so I’m going to write about it.  We are just too darn close to our Nation’s incredible Capital to not include it here!

While not the most popular memorial in D.C., the Jefferson Memorial is definitely a must see.  This tribute to our 3rd President is modeled after the Pantheon of Rome and the circular style was introduced in this country by Jefferson himself.  Visiting the Memorial is free of charge.

The statue of Jefferson inside the memorial looks out toward the White House.  Adorning the interior walls are 5 quotations taken from Jefferson’s writings that illustrate the principles to which he dedicated his life.  The site is surrounded by cherry blossom trees which were a gift from Tokyo in 1912.

The Jefferson Memorial is not the easiest to get to on foot.  We actually “swung by” during a recent trip.  You can park nearby and walk if you arrive early.  Limited free day long parking is available along Ohio Drive SW which is along the Potomac River south of the Lincoln Memorial or in Lots A, B & C south and west of the Jefferson Memorial.  Bring a stroller if you can!  Like the Lincoln Memorial, there are a lot of steps to climb; however, my son had fun counting all of them.  The statue of Jefferson is 19 ft tall and mesmerizing.

Inside the monument, take the elevator down and you will find a museum and not one, but 2 gift shops (they call one a bookstore) along with restrooms.  The Memorial is part of the Junior Ranger Program with the National Parks Service.

If you have time and if it’s a nice day, you may want to rent a pedal boat and pedal around the basin in front of the Memorial.  It’s a great opportunity to appreciate the Memorial from another vantage point and also open up conversation with your child about our 3rd President.

There are wonderful children’s books about Thomas Jefferson which can be picked up at the library to make the visit more enjoyable.  A couple of my favs are below in my picture gallery.

Ferry Farm

On a recent trip home from Northern Virginia, we stopped off at Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg.  Ferry Farm was the boyhood home of George Washington; his father, Augustine Washington, moved the family to Ferry Farm in 1738 when George was 6 years old.

Ferry Farm consists of about 80 acres and is open daily for self-guided walking tours. Right now, Ferry Farm consists of a vistors center with museum, gardens, a walking trail and a few outbuildings.

Washington’s Ferry Farm is an active archaeological site.  While there are no buildings on the property now that were here at the time of the Washington’s, guides are available to interpret the latest findings to the public. The dig site at Ferry Farm normally opens in May.  Archaeologists are at the site on an irregular basis, Monday through Friday, to provide interpretation of the findings.  In mid-July, archaeologists shift to a Tuesday through Saturday schedule.  The dig site normally closes at the end of August.

The visitor’s center has a display of artifacts found at the dig site and also pictures of what the house looked like.  They also have a collection of toys which the children played with during that time period.  The demonstration garden has a varied collection of flowers, vegetables and numerous other plantings.  My son loved the cotton plants.  The visitor center also gave us a coloring page of George Washington.

Unfortunately, the ownership of Ferry Farm by the George Washington Boyhood Foundation was not fully secured until 1998 due to a lack of funding, Walmart’s attempt to build a store on the site and various other zoning and financial issues.  Fortunately, a bill was passed in Congress that provided an easement to include Ferry Farm as a part of the George Washington Birthplace National Monument to protect the site in perpetuity.

• Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October
• Open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November and December
• Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 24, 25, & 31
• Group visits available at other times by appointment, (540) 370- 0732
• Archaeology dig site normally open Tuesday through Saturday until the end of August

Admission

• Adults
  • Individuals – $5.00
  • Seniors (60+); AAA; active military; trolley passengers; and
    Time Travelers – $4.00
  • Students (age 17+) – $3.00
  • DAR Members – $2.50
  • Visitor Center only – $2.50
  • Combo ticket to Ferry Farm and Kenmore – $11.00
• Children
  • Individuals (age 6 to 17) – $3.00
  • Time Travelers – $2.50
  • Visitor Center Only – $1.50
  • Combo ticket to Ferry Farm and Kenmore – $6.00
  • Under 6 – free

Tina Take:  Ferry Farm is a great stop off on the way to or from Mt. Vernon, Kenmore and/or George Washington’s Birthplace.  There isn’t that much to see at the site; however, children may enjoy the trail that runs along the Rappahannock River, the Demonstration Garden and learning about the dig site.  There’s lots of room to run around and since the tour is self-guided, time is not an issue.  BRING BUG SPRAY for the walking tour!!!!!  There is a very small gift shop in the visitor’s center and I don’t even remember seeing anything for children so don’t worry about kids feasting their eyes on “stuff”.  No refreshments are sold on site; but there is a picnic pavilion if you wish to bring something.