8/31/16
Review: Spiritual Circle Journal for Kids and Teens
8/30/16
NatGeo Educator Night 2016
Register using this LINK
Dear Educator,
Join us at National Geographic headquarters on September 19th for a free evening dedicated to DC area educators! Learn how Nat Geo’s resources can help prepare your students to be explorers while meeting our staff and mingling with fellow local instructors.
Bring your educator ID to gain free access to National Geographic Museum's The Greeks exhibit, a mock Nat Geo Bee, Explorer magazine, and our Giant Traveling Maps. There will also be light refreshments, giveaways, and raffle prizes!
We hope to see you there!
To ensure your spot, please RSVP by September 10th, 2016
8/26/16
Play Nintendo Tour at Tysons Corner This Weekend!
THE PLAY NINTENDO TOUR BRINGS FAMILY FUN AND MAGICAL ADVENTURES TO
TYSONS CORNER CENTER
Come Be a Kid for a Day with Nintendo 3DS Games,
Exciting Activities and Prizes
WHAT:
Nintendo’s classic characters and games
are coming to life as part of the one-of-a-kind Play Nintendo Tour.
You’re invited to be a part of the tour when it visits Tysons Corner
Center in Tysons Corner, Virginia, from Aug. 26 to Aug. 28.
Enjoy a unique experience bursting with color and imagination
that offers parents and their kids the chance to play some of
Nintendo’s best games on New Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS systems,
participate in exciting contests, win awesome prizes and snap memorable
photos.
Inspired by Play Nintendo, Nintendo’s site for kids and families, the
tour invites visitors to hop into a Yoshi egg to
play Yoshi’s New Island, recline on a giant banana while checking out
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and relax in pink beanbag chairs to play one of Nintendo’s newest games,
Kirby: Planet Robobot. People who are into cool family photos or
amazing selfies can take some pictures next to a huge Kirby figure,
beside an oversized Yoshi egg, inside a barrel flanked by Donkey Kong
and Diddy Kong, under a devastating blue Spiny
Shell in the Mario Kart 7 area or next to a giant Pokéball in the Pokémon Omega Ruby and
Pokémon Alpha Sapphire region. The New Super Mario Bros. 2 section even features a photogenic flagpole, stacks of coins and a warp pipe, while the
YO-KAI WATCH area makes people look like they have stepped into the town in the game, complete with mischievous Yo-kai lurking about.
There’s a surprise around every corner, so you really don’t want to miss it.
For more information about the Play Nintendo Tour, visit
https://play.nintendo.com/tour
WHO:
Nintendo fans, kids, families, Mario, Kirby, Donkey Kong and all the Nintendo gang
WHEN: Aug. 26-27: 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Aug. 28: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
WHERE: Tysons Corner Center
1961 Chain Bridge Road
Tysons Corner, VA 22102
8/25/16
Guest Post: A Child In Search Of...
Lydia Schnack is my momma. She's going to be blogging here more as we start to offer more events for grown ups. Recently, she and my middle guy, Logan, have been church shopping, and she shares their experiences here. My background, for those of you who don't know, is in children's ministry with a degree in comparative religious studies. It's important to me that my kids have faith, but it's not important to me that they experience it in the same way that I do. My eldest and I love my very contemporary church (Chapel Springs) but my middle guy hated it, and having studied the value of quiet, contemplation, and order for children, I had zero problem looking for a way for him to have that. It's one of the weird things I do (according to some people). I try to value the uniqueness of each of my kids, even from a young age. It's why my eldest can be psychotically into Boy Scouts and my middle one doesn't have to even try it. I want to honor who they are as people. Anyway, this is a very long introduction to my mom's experiences church shopping with Logan.
One of the things I have most regretted from my child
rearing days was that in trying to tend to my husband’s religious needs, I
didn’t realize that my easy going, don’t like change, son was unhappy because
we were hopping from place to place.
Hopefully sometime in his future he will find it in himself to return to
church.
Anyway, because of my son's experience, when my daughter contacted me to ask if I would take Logan “church
shopping” because he was unhappy at their very contemporary church I knew I had to jump on this opportunity.
For approximately the last four months Logan and I have
visited numerous churches in the western Prince William area. It has been an interesting ride and I am
still amazed at the things that are important to this 10 year old little
boy. Our first Sunday, we attended Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Haymarket and afterwards we went
out to chat over breakfast. Once our
food was ordered we began with the positives and I was surprised and amazed to
see the level of thought and consideration that Logan put into his
responses.
“I like that it looks like a church. I like the stained glass window over the altar,
it is beautiful and welcoming. I also
like the ones of all the apostles in the side windows too. I also liked the wooden arches on the
ceiling, they really made it look like a church. Oh, and I love those hand bells, they sound so
beautiful. I also like the outside,
especially the steeple and warm feeling I got when I walked in. All of the people were so friendly and I really
liked the pastor and the way he spoke. I
like all the traditions, order and quiet.”
Hmm, I thought, did you really listen to the sermon? “Tell me about the sermon Logan, what did you
get from it?”
“I could not believe this sermon,
it was like he was talking directly to me. Don’t
you think it was weird that his sermon was about “Doubting Thomas”?
Dislikes came last and the only thing Logan did not like
about this church was their Sunday school program and that was simply because
it was not very structured and their set up made for a very noisy environment
which does not sit well with him.
Wow, what an amazing start to our search!
Well, after visiting six different churches twice each, and
starting an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the likes and dislikes Logan
narrowed the search to one Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran, St. Thomas United Methodist and Trinity Episcopal Church all with very
similar plusses. They all looked and
felt like churches to Logan, had sermons that spoke to his needs, and were
populated by friendly people (surprisingly, not all churches have friendly
people – we even heard a sermon about a pastor that attended an all-day church
function and was not spoken to once!)
We have been frequenting these three churches on and off for
a while now and I was beginning to believe that perhaps Logan was putting off
making a decision so that he would not lose breakfast out with Grandma every Sunday,
but low and behold, he finally decided that St. Thomas United Methodist was the church he wanted
to call home. He has definitely put a
lot of thought into his decision and is apparently going to do his part to make
himself feel comfy.
They had volunteer
signups and he definitely took me by surprise when he signed up to be an
acolyte. He was a little funny after the
fact when he saw the acolytes during church.
Whispering in my ear “Grandma, am I going to have to wear a dress if I acolyte? It’s not a dress, Logan, it is a robe. Oh, so a “man dress”? We both giggled.
Our next steps will include acolyte training, becoming
members, signing up for Sunday school classes and attending a Pokémon Go event
in Old Town Manassas that includes lunch (two of Logan’s favorites)!
It's been a fun experience church shopping with this serious little guy!
It's Kristina, again! If you're taking your kids (or family) church shopping, here are a few things to consider, from the perspective of someone who used to run a children's ministry!
1. How did you feel in your class/large group/small group?
2. Was it easy to talk to the grown ups? Did they introduce themselves or have name tags?
3. Did anything make you feel uncomfortable or scared?
4. What was your favorite thing you did today? Least Favorite?
5. Would you like to come here again?
And things you should ask whomever is in charge:
1. How do you screen your volunteers? Do you do background checks?
2. What type of curriculum are you using? (Google it, guys!)
3. What type of volunteer holes do you have? (Because if nobody is volunteering, the programs aren't going to go well!)
4. What type of special groups or opportunities do you have? (Midweek programs, acolyte, baptism prep, communion classes, CCD, confirmation, youth groups, fun events, etc)
8/18/16
Guest Post: PokeQuan GoBoat Adventure
Sarah
Meisenhelter is a special education teacher, pastor's wife, mom, and all around awesome gal (not necessarily in that order)! Thanks for writing this for us, Sarah!
If you have kids who love Pokémon GO!
consider setting sail for a one-hour leisurely cruise on the PokeQuan GoBoat Adventure! My 8 year-old son, Max, a few friends (ages
8-11), their moms and I went on the 9 p.m. Sunday night sailing. We had such a fun time!
Why would you go Pokémon hunting on the
water….at night? According to Max, being
on the water at night at a slow, consistent speed increases the likelihood of
catching Pokémon. He also claims that
there is a higher chance of finding rare Pokémon at night. He found this to be true. He caught 3 Dratinis.
His friends caught Dragonite and Aerodactyl.
This was a great mother-son activity and
the moms had fun together as well. After
getting our kids settled at the table, we went on the small outdoor area at the
front of the boat to enjoy a relaxing hour on the river.
This is a new endeavor and dates and times
for sailings are released often, so liking the Facebook page
for this is the best way to keep up with the schedule. Tickets can be purchased via an
Eventbrite.com link posted on the Facebook page. Pick up is at the dock behind Madigan’s Waterfront Restaurant
in Occoquan. As an added bonus, Occoquan
is an historical area, so there is a lot of good Pokemon hunting by just
walking through town.
We will definitely be going again!
Here are some tips from the creators of
this experience:
TO
BE THE BEST TRAINER YOU
MUST BE PREPARED!
*Bring as many Poké Balls as you can!
*HAVE TWO INCENSE!
*Our
GoBoat travels at 10mph so incense will be your best bait while we travel. The
Incense algorithms increase generated Pokémon based off the distance you travel
at a consistent pace. Simply put, cast that incense on the water and you can
sit back and cash in on Pokémon.
*INCUBATE YOUR EGGS
*Since we cruise at roughly 5 to 6mph, your
eggs will all incubate quickly during the expedition. Hatch em all while ya
catch em all!
TICKET PRICES
$15
Per Traveler
Travelers 15 and under must be accompanied by
an adult.
PERKS
OF PASSAGE
Free
charging stations for phones/tablets
Fun
music!
Full
cash/credit Bar with adult and children beverages
A
beautiful hour on the water with real nature!
Prizes for the "Catch of The Day" on
each cruise
SIGNATURE DRINKS! $6
*PeachAchu*
*Charmandarin*
*Squirtle*
Catch them all! :)
8/10/16
8/7/16
8/2/16
National Night Out 2016
Looking for something to do tonight for National Night Out? Check out these community celebrations if your neighborhood isn't participating, and be sure to check out the NNO link above to register your neighborhood or HOA for next year!
The City of Manassas (link) will host a family-friendly event with demonstrations and displays from first responders, free museum admission, food, games, and fun. The event begins at 6pm at the Manassas Museum Lawn (9101 Prince William Street, Manassas VA)
The City of Manassas Park (link) will also host an event featuring McGruff the Crime Dog from 5pm-9pm at Signal Hill Park (9300 Signal Hill Drive, Manassas Park).
First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City will host a free family-friendly event from 5-8:30pm in the church parking lot (14391 Minnieville Road Woodbridge).
The Town of Haymarket will host a block party from 5-9pm at 15000 Haymarket Street with food, music, inflatables, and more.
The City of Manassas (link) will host a family-friendly event with demonstrations and displays from first responders, free museum admission, food, games, and fun. The event begins at 6pm at the Manassas Museum Lawn (9101 Prince William Street, Manassas VA)
The City of Manassas Park (link) will also host an event featuring McGruff the Crime Dog from 5pm-9pm at Signal Hill Park (9300 Signal Hill Drive, Manassas Park).
First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City will host a free family-friendly event from 5-8:30pm in the church parking lot (14391 Minnieville Road Woodbridge).
The Town of Haymarket will host a block party from 5-9pm at 15000 Haymarket Street with food, music, inflatables, and more.