WF BLOG
Washington FAMILY Honored for
Editorial and Design Excellence
Parenting Media Association (PMA) presents
a record 12 awards to publication
Publisher’s and Editor’s Note
FIRST WORD
Get the Party Started
M PJ Feinstein
Editor pfeinstein@midatlanticmedia.com
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info@thefamilymagazine.com y younger son was the last among his
friends to have an in-person birthday
party before the pandemic hit. I’m still
amazed that nobody who attended his Ninja Warrior-
style shindig got sick. Rowdy kindergartners jumped
on top of each other in the foam pit and squeezed
together in the party room for cake as their parents
stood shoulder to shoulder on the sidelines, chatting
casually about this new virus called COVID-19.

Obviously, nobody was wearing a mask.

A year later, my son may be one of the last in his class
to have a drive-by birthday party. At the end of February,
we handed out individually packaged cupcakes to friends
dressed as characters from one of his favorite video games.

He was Mario, my older son was Luigi, my husband was
Toad and I was Princess Peach, of course. We were a sight
to behold; my son even affixed a bushy black mustache to
his mask. It was a hilarious way to celebrate his special day,
and best of all, it was easy for everyone.

Now that vaccines are making the return of in-person
parties possible — outdoors and masked up, per health
experts — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the thought of
planning something more complicated than a car parade
or a Zoom hangout. But don’t worry: Our Party Issue is
packed with tips to make your child’s second pandemic
birthday celebration an effortless affair.

You know who else is deserving of a celebration?
Teachers! The first week in May is Teacher Appreciation
Week, and after this crazy year of remote and hybrid
learning, our children’s educators deserve so much more
than a coffee shop gift card. Erica Rimlinger shares
creative ways to express gratitude for their endless
patience after months of your child repeatedly forgetting
to mute themselves on Zoom.

May is also Mother’s Day, and with two very loud boys
at home, I know exactly what I want: a quiet morning to
sleep in. Writer Jenny Splitter has suggestions to help all
moms give themselves the gift of a great night’s sleep.

Happy reading, and stay safe!
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WashingtonFAMILY.com 5
Briefs/Short Stuff
AT A GLANCE
Bottom: Arlington Public Library / Top: Courtesy of National Building Museum, photo by Allan Sprecher
LEARNING STEAM
Building Creativity
It’s Back!
Early learners can enjoy some new and
redesigned programs this spring at the
National Building Museum in Washington,
D.C., which reopened in March after a
three-month-long renovation to its historic
Great Hall.

For the first time, the museum is offering
a free interactive story time to promote
early reading skills. Children ages 5 and
under are invited to participate every other
Tuesday in exploratory activities related to a
featured book plus reading with music and
movement. This month, Story Time will take
place on April 14 and 28 from 10-10:30 a.m.

and 10:30-11 a.m.

The much-loved “Play Work Build”
exhibit, which introduces children to the
work of architects and engineers, received
a deep cleaning and fresh coat of paint
during the closure. The play table has been
replaced with a light table, and new sets of
Big Blue Blocks are ready to be stacked—
and knocked down—in the hands-on play
area. Additionally, some never-before-seen
No, you aren’t dreaming. D.C. finally has a
children’s museum again.

However, dreaming is exactly what the
National Children’s Museum, now open at
Woodrow Wilson Plaza on Pennsylvania
Avenue, wants you to do.

“We wanted to have the overarching
theme of dreams and dreaming that really
connects, subtly, all of the experiences to
another,” says Elise Lemle, vice president
of exhibits and education.

The Dream Machine, a three-story
climber and slide, greets visitors at the
plaza level and takes them down to the
20,000-square-foot concourse, where
the museum’s exhibits are located. At
the bottom of the climber, wheelchair-
accessible “pods” allow children who can’t
or aren’t interested in climbing to control
the LED lights inside the structure.

Nearby, kids can try to form a
person-sized bubble around themselves,
a nod to the beloved bubble room at the
museum’s original location on H Street,
which closed in 2004. But that’s not the
only throwback. Original artwork from
the old Mexico exhibit now hangs in the
Tinkerers Studio, a 21st-century learning lab.

A combination children’s museum
and science center, the new museum
focuses on STEAM—science, technology,
engineering, art and math. “We champion
a constructivist approach for learning,
which is really learning by doing and
learning through experience,” says Lemle.

There are high-tech exhibits in
partnership with Nickelodeon, Amazon
and even the Washington Nationals. A
highlight is Weather Worlds, an immersive
digital experience where kids can make
it rain, summon rainbows and shoot
lightning bolts from their hands.

The open-concept museum also has a
movement space for infants and toddlers,
a low-sensory hideaway and quiet room
and, soon, a café offering healthy food
and drinks.

The National Children’s Museum is
open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10.95 per
person; children under one are
free. For more information, visit
nationalchildrensmuseum.org. T
toys from the museum’s archives have been
added to the Architectural Toy Collection.

With the opening of the new The Wall/
El Muro exhibit in May, parents can have
open discussions with their kids about
border walls and their impact on individuals
and their families. The exhibit will include
a reading area with picture books to help
younger children understand the subject
matter in a more age-appropriate way.

For more information, visit nbm.org. T
—ADRANISHA STEPHENS
COMMUNITY Books on Wheels
programs, including story time, crafting
classes and technology tutorials.

The Truck will be cruising the streets
of Arlington twice a week for the first
few months, connecting with residents
at community centers, schools, local
businesses and parks.

Here’s where it will stopping in April:
4/11 Thomas Jefferson Community Center
4/14 Fairlington Community Center
4/18 Arlington Farmers Market
4/19 El Día de los Niños Celebration at
Central Library
4/21 Woodland Hills
4/23 Rosslyn Reads Pop Up
4/24 Gates of Ballston, Suite 100
4/25 Bonder and Amanda Johnson
Community Development Corporation
4/28 Arlington Free Clinic
Please check the library’s website at
library.arlingtonva.us/services/the-truck/ for exact times and future dates. And for
additional updates, follow the Truck on
Instagram at instagram.com/apl.thetruck.

W ashington FAMILY received 12
awards for publication excellence
from the 2021 Parenting Media
Association’s (PMA) annual conference held
in St. Petersburg, Florida, Nov. 14-16, 2021.

Find out which stories and designs won in
the categories below.

Column: Publisher’s
and Editor’s Note
EXPANDING PRIMARY
PROGRAM What’s turquoise and white, has four wheels
and is filled with hundreds of books, games
and DVDs? Meet “The Truck,” Arlington
Public Library’s splashy new bookmobile.

The mobile library, a redesigned Ford
Transit van with a pass-through window,
allows residents of Arlington County,
Virginia, who may not live near a local
branch to sign up for a library card, check
out and return books and take advantage
of free WiFi. Outside the bookmobile, kids
and adults can participate in a variety of
BY LINDSAY C. VANASDALAN
2021 T
—PJ FEINSTEIN
—PJ FEINSTEIN
12 Washington FAMILY APRIL 2020
8 WashingtonFAMILY JANUARY 2022
“This honest, heartfelt and personal
account doesn’t hold back,” judges write.

“It chronicles the blood, the sweat and
the tears of a seminal experience for many
pandemic parents: turning a home into a
home school.”
Profile This profile of a mother weaving
environmental living into her parenting
Former editor PJ Feinstein earned a gold earned contributing writer Jason Fontelieu
award for her column, “First Word,” which a silver award. “‘Teaching Values Through
was praised for its strong pacing and use of Green Living’ informs readers while making
them feel like they can do it too,” judges write.

lists to propel the writing forward.

“Creative leads and compelling questions
draw the reader in immediately, and glimpses Q&A Interview
of the author’s own family life create the sense Former intern Jenn Attanasio garnered a
that we’re all in this pandemic together,” bronze award for a fast-paced conversation
judges write.

with “groundbreaking” authors on their book
about mothers and daughters bonding over
journal writing in her Q&A “Just Between Us.”
Briefs/Short Stuff
“This quick read gives us insight into
Washington FAMILY staff were awarded gold
for an “At a Glance” section that had appeared why this book, and its updated version,
in 2020. Its inclusion of local arts coverage, have connected generations of moms and
FREE FUN WITH
A information daughters,” judges write.

national parenting
and education
and parenting sidebars cover topics “in-depth
without being too lengthy,” judges note.

News Feature
Contributing writers Joy Saha and Lauren
Harris took home a gold award for collecting
Column: Family Fun
Contributing writer Lindsay Ponta took home expert recommendations for parents on how
a silver award for her “Family Fun” column. to support the Black Lives Matter movement,
An article on making use of yarn stashes such as at-home protests, fundraising ideas
while stuck at home during the COVID-19 and age-appropriate storybooks.

Of their article, “Yes, You Can Still
pandemic was commended for offering great
Support Black Lives Matter Without
ideas in a short and informative format.

Attending a Protest,” judges write, “This
series of listicles provides parents with a
Personal Essay
Contributing writer Laura Farmer was series of actionable advice on how to involve
recognized with a silver award her personal their children in social justice work from
essay, “When Mom Becomes a Teacher,” home with the gentle reminder that activism
about the difficult transition from parenting can take many forms.”
to at-home teaching.

PRE-K PASS
W NE
When your kids play for free all year long, it’s amazing. With the Pre-K Pass, kids ages 3–5
enjoy free admission all season in 2020. Laugh and play at the world’s largest PEANUTS ™
themed kids area: Planet Snoopy, cool down and splash at Soak City water park featuring
the all-new play area Coconut Shores, and celebrate the seasons at events like The Great
Pumpkin Fest and WinterFest.

Register online, activate at the park and it’s play time.

Register by June 14th at kingsdominion.com.

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