I promise more fun stuff coming soon, y'all (even though most of my readers do not live in DC!). I'm just super stressed in these last few weeks at work and I'm trying to do an extra good job this final week. Since my week in Florida will consist mostly of putting off novel writing while hanging out in coffee shops, I'll definitely do more research and post more stuff and try to attract more nannies here then. Thanks, y'all. <3

The National Zoo

The National Zoo can be a good opportunity to talk about ecosystems and different environments. The children should be encouraged to talk about the environments which are created for different animals, how they are different and the same. Which animals might live with the panda? How is the panda's home different from the giraffes? What are some characteristics about the giraffe that help it live in its environment? Once at home, the caregiver can help the children look at a globe or map and perhaps label places where different animals live.

Library Time

Before a trip to the library, the caregiver can have a conversation with the children about something they're interested in (firetrucks? tae kwon do? plants? pirate stories?). Once at the library, the caregiver can help the children use the computers to find age-appropriate books on the topics, both fiction and nonfiction. Though I have my doubts about whether children growing up now will ever have to know how to really use a library, it's still a good skill if in principle only, to know how to take an interest and use resources to learn more about it/enjoy it more fully.

Bookmaking

The caregiver can help the children write and illustrate their own stories using several bookmaking methods, from stapling together construction paper, to more elaborate experiments in pop up books. Some possible prompts:

-Who are the members of my family?
-What do I do to get ready for school?
-What would I do if I could fly?
-What would I do if I were a puppy?

This can be a good opportunity to discuss what "fiction" and "nonfiction" mean. The caregiver will also encourage the children to read their books out loud to one another (with help, if needed) and talk about how we take care of books, by handling them nicely and keeping them on a shelf.

Weather Chart

Using a large piece of poster board, create a one-month calendar with large squares for each day. Each day, ask the children questions about the weather:
What does it look like outside today?
What does it feel like?
Is it cold or hot?
Is it raining?
What should we wear today to be comfortable?
Do we need sunblock, hats, jackets, umbrellas?
What would be a good activity to do today. Would we want to play outside, inside, or both?
Is today the same or different than yesterday?

The caregiver can also show the children the weather report in the newspaper (or on an iPhone...), noting the "number" temperature, and the little pictures that denote rain, clouds, sunshine, etc. Using age-appropriate terms and examples, the caregiver can discuss "chances," as in "what does it mean when the weather report says a 50% chance of rain?"
The caregiver should be prepared with several sunshines, clouds, raindrops, snowflakes, etc. cut out from construction paper. With her help, the children will select the right picture(s) for that day and tape them to the appropriate day on the calendar. As a part of a daily routine, this can also be a good chance to learn days of the week/months of the year/seasons.

Farmer's Markets

Several farmer's markets operate in the District during the week, including:

Capital Harvest on the Plaza Farm Market
Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC
May-September
Fridays, 12-5 p.m.

Georgetown Market in Rose Park
26th & O Street, NW, Washington, DC
(202) 333-4946
April-October
Wednesday, 4-7 p.m

Historic Brookland Farmers Market
10th & Otis Streets, NE, Washington, DC
(202) 526-4848
May-October: Sunday, 10a.m.-2p.m.
June-October: Tuesday, 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.

Penn Quarter Freshfarm Market
North end of Eighth NW, (between D & E Sts.) Washington, DC
(202) 362-8889
May-October
Thursday, 3-7 p.m.

Farmer's markets can be fun in a lot of ways. The caregiver can use this opportunity to talk about where fruits and vegetables come from, and possibly give each child an allowance of a few dollars to choose a healthy fruit for a snack, using it as a teachable moment for decision making (i.e. "you can get two apples and have one later, or one watermelon to share with everyone"). A lot of discussion questions could come from a trip to the farmer's market

Where does this food come from? How does it get to the city? Do the farmer's drive trucks? How did the plants grow? How many different colors of fruits/vegetables do you see? Is that a fruit or a vegetable?

Canal Ride in Georgetown

From The Washington Post:

"At the Georgetown Visitor Center, you can take an hour-long trip back in time on a replica of an 1800s canal boat, led by a park ranger. The mule-drawn Georgetown shows visitors the lifestyle of the canalers, passing along the old towpath and through a historic lift lock. The kids, or adults, can bring fruits or carrots to feed the mules.The boat usually operates from April until October.

During the summer months, the visitor center offers Georgetown walks every day at noon. Topics on these walks range from the architecture of Georgetown to Civil War history.

Activities for families and children are held each weekend -- nature walks, bike rides of Georgetown and "meet the mule" programs"