Our Kids Chesapeake

Our Kids, a great resource for things to do with kids in the DC area has started Our Kids Chesapeake, a new web site for the Chesapeake region including Baltimore, Annapolis, and surrounding areas. The site has free activities guide for the area and you can also sign up for their weekly newsletter ($24/year) which lists timely events and activites for each week. Our Kids also has a site for the Richmond area.

Carrot

I am dangling a carrot:

I have upload a file to the “Files” section of the Stone Soup DC Yahoo group with around 50 ideas for things to do with kids in the DC Area. Since I am in Silver Spring, Maryland, you will find that area of the region favored, but I am more than happy to add any ideas you have for other activites throughout the region. Just post a message to the list!

While many of the activites are free, some have entrance fees. Links are provided so you can investigate entrance requirements.

Join the Yahoo group, check out the “Files” section, and enjoy!

Community

Morning everyone. I am proud to report that Stone Soup DC now gets around 150-200 hits a day. Very cool.

I am glad people are finding the information useful, at least I hope you are. I believe one of the best resources anywhere and anytime, is community. We can make this resource so much more powerful if we pull together our information and ideas. Anything from what’s on sale this week, to a great store you’ve found, to free/cheap community events, to how to make something yourself that you would have previously purchased. That’s what we all want to hear. I am sure each one of you has ideas to add. Please consider joining the Yahoo discussion group, posting a comment on the blog, or even sending me an email at stonesoupdc@gmail.com. I want to hear from you!

Have you all heard the story of Stone Soup? I’ve added some stones. Anyone out there have some cabbage or carrots or an onion?

Rehoboth – Back from the Beach

I am back from the beach, but still feeling totally lazy. I’d update you on great bargains in Rehoboth, but I sure didn’t find many! Everything seemed geared to strip us of every last cent! Food was particularly expensive (not surprisingly).

As far as food goes, I wish I had taken breakfast cereals with us. I forgot to pack them and we could have saved $20 or so for each breakfast we ate in the room. We did pack lots of snacks, but it was impossible to pass up some of the boardwalk goodies, so I am not sure how much we really saved there. It was nice to have fresh fruit with us though. Healthy snacks are hard to find on the boardwalk.

We ate at several restaurants and I’ll write up brief reviews soon. None were particular bargains, though some were more worth the money than others.

Entertainment was a better deal. We made sure our hotel had a pool, all my son really needed. We could have been anywhere, USA and my 3-year-old would have been happy if there was a pool (note: an idea for a super cheap vacation). The beach was free, of course. Funland on the boardwalk was great for our son. They have lots of kiddie rides and most cost one or two tickets ($.30-$.60). He played all evening for about $6. That was a good deal.

I am still disgusted at the mini-golf course we stopped at on our way out of town. Even with coupons, it was $17!!!! for the three of us to play one round, and the course was terrible. Really bad. My son loved it anyway, so that was good, but what a rip-off. I will definitely shop around for a better mini-golf experience next time.

Overall, it was not a bargain vacation for us, but it was fun and my son had a ball. Any one have any good Rehoboth or other beach tips? Remember you can share them here or on the Yahoo Club page at http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/stonesoupDC/

Breezy Point Update

We headed out to Breezy Point Beach yesterday with some friends from my son’s preschool. The beach was as nice as I remembered it. Lots of sand for playing, shady picnic tables, a nice playground for the kids, relatively clean restrooms, and gentle water. BUT this time the sea nettles were out in force. The water was pretty cloudy, perhaps from all the recent rains, so they were nearly impossible to see. I never did actually see one, though my husband said he did. Many of the children got stung. My son was stung twice on his legs. He bounded back quickly both times, but it was very painful for him nonetheless. I guess sea nettles are particularly prevelant in the Chesapeake Bay as the summer progresses, so please beware. Last year, I think we went earlier in June and had no problems.

FYI: NOAA says, “Lightweight protective clothing, like a lycra “swim skin” or panty hose, or a layer of petroleum jelly spread on unprotected skin, will protect a swimmers against stings. If you are stung by a jellyfish, liberally sprinkling a meat tenderizer or baking soda (or vinegar for PhYsalia) on the sting may reduce the irritation. Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) are uncommon to jellyfish in U.S. waters, but emergency treatment is essential in such cases.”

For an interesting/useful map of where sea nettles are currently most prevelant in the Bay, check out NOAA’s sea nettles project home page.

Breezy Point

The heat and humidity are building back in and we are destined for a bout of DC summer.  It's been a fantastic spring.  It will be missed.

Now that things are heating up, let's talk great places to beat the heat.  Last year, my son participated in a nature camp at the Brookside Nature Center (another great recommendation if you can get a spot in one of the camps).  At the end of the week, we all went to a great little beach on the Chesapeake Bay called Breezy Point.  It was perfect for young children.  Only an hour away from Silver Spring, the ride was easy enough with an anxious toddler.  The water is calmer than the ocean and there is plenty of sand for digging.  There were picnic tables, some even in the shade. Restrooms were clean and a snack bar served an array of beachy treats, though we did pack our own picnic lunch so I am not sure what the food was like beyond the sno-cones, which my son greatly enjoyed.  I am not sure the concession stand is open every day, so it is probably wise to pack some snacks.  I believe there was even a playground, though my son never went over to it.  The beach was more than enough for him. 

One of the highlights of Breezy Point is hunting for shark's teeth, which fill the sand just at the point where the water breaks.  We collected a baggie full last year.   

There are entrance fees, but they are a bargain for a great day trip.

Adult (Ages 12 and up) $6.00
· Child (Ages 3 to 11) $4.00
· Senior (Ages 55 and up) $4.00
· Children (2 and under) FREE

We will definitely be heading back to Breezy Point this year.  Anyone have any other great suggestions for beach day trips?