hands on creations from the national building museum homeschool day 2015

the national building museum keeps coming up with creative classes.
we went for their homeschool day in june.
we ended up staying for both the morning and afternoon sessions
so everyone could take a class.
radianceGirl took Water Works,
mercyGirl took Symbolic Architecture,
signGirl took Architecture 101, and
prayerGirl took Designing on the Wild Side.

the only girl who didn’t bring something home was radiance girl
who worked in teams to build a water sculpture;
and for that i’m grateful.

as usual we spent a good amount of time in Play, Work, Build,

but there were also some new, captivating exhibitions.
i particularly enjoyed walking around the second level,
viewing all the unique design elements
in the 60 3-D models suspended from the ceiling in the Hot to Cold exhibit.

the designing for disaster exhibition was also engaging,
examining natural disasters and our approach to building safer communities.
the girls especially like the interactive wind tunnel.

we’re all looking forward to new classes and exhibitions in the fall.

snippets from tchaikovsky’s sleeping beauty

with a display of strength, poise & athleticism,
connect the dots dance company gave a free performance
of snippets from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty at our local library.

beauvoir outdoors

i think i read about Beauvoir Outdoors from a list of playgrounds on Red Tricycle.

it. is. majestic.

lots of play structures made of natural materials
that are excellent for open-ended play,
along with a basketball court with kid-sized baskets,
slides, swings, zip lines
and lots of trees to take a break in the shade.

the only drawback is there are no public restrooms,
so take a restroom break before you play so the kids can enjoy Beauvoir Outdoors to the fullest.

Beauvoir Outdoors at Beauvoir School
3500 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC 20016 

open to the public when Beauvoir School is not in session (check their calendar), after 6PM on weekdays, and all day during the weekend.

30 Acts of Ramadan Kindness For Kids

inspired by Atlanta Masjid of Al Islam’s “30 Days of Kindness – A Ramadan Family Project”
i’d like to share acts of kindness for children to do during ramadan
(or anytime).

do them in order,
or pick and choose.

once you get started it gets addictive.
this is the best kind of competition to get into during ramadan.

download a ramadan kindness calendar or use these suggestions to make your own:

• leave a kind note on someone’s car
• do something nice for your neighbor
• make a treat and give them to friends or a local police or fire station
• offer to watch a friend’s child or pet
• take a minute to tell someone’s boss that they are doing a good job
• volunteer
• write a letter to someone important to you and thank them
• thank a soldier, police officer or firefighter
• make dinner for a friend
• donate an item to someone in need
• donate to your favorite charity
• put change in a vending machine
• hold the door open for someone
• do a chore for someone without them knowing
• return someone’s cart at the store
• leave a kind note in a library book
• clean up after iftar
• feed the birds
• leave happy notes around town
• call your grandparents and ask them about their childhood
• pick up litter at park or playground
• let someone ahead of you in line
• compliment a friend
• clean up after suhoor
• compliment a stranger
• wash someone’s car
• clean out the inside of someone’s car
• write a thank you note for your mail carrier
• plant something
• cook something for a neighbor
• check in on an elderly neighbor
• prepare dates & milk for others to break their fast
• bury treasure at the playground
• clear the table after dinner
• leave bubbles on someone’s doorstep
• tell someone why they are special to you
• donate gently used clothing or shoes to charity
• pass out stickers to kids waiting in line
• write chalk messages on the sidewalk
• put down the prayer rugs without being asked
• donate food to a food pantry
• tape change to a parking meter
• donate supplies to a homeless shelter
• take treats to a fire station
• tell someone how much you appreciate them
• say hello to everyone you see
• make someone else’s bed
• say thank you when you see a soldier
• make a thank you sign for sanitation workers
• help make dinner
• bring your neighbor’s garbage bins in from the curb
• give someone a hug coupon
• donate coloring books & crayons to a children’s hospital
• help someone unload groceries at a grocery store
• buy someone a reusable bag at a store
• clean up your toys without being asked
• make a thank you card for your librarian
• send a postcard to a friend
• smile at everyone you see
• spend the day saying only nice things to and about other people
• leave an inspirational quote in an unexpected place
• give a care package to homeless person
• make dua for your parents
• bring flowers to an iftar
• create a handmade Eid gift
• create a hand made Eid card
• share an inspirational quote

ramadan mubarak!