Call me a grump but pumpkin patches make me angry. The crowds, the obnoxious parents who don’t watch their kids and let them stay in a moonbounce for too long, the overtired screaming children, all in the name of the fall harvest and October fun. Now don’t get me wrong, I go to them, begrudgingly. And I take pictures and I dress my kids in Halloween themed shirts and try to pose them near pumpkins. I fall for it every year and leave grumpy, hot, and tired. So what I am going to do in the next few weeks is bring you ideas on what to do that are not pumpkin patches (ahem Butlers Orchard, the biggest thorn in my side). First up – for any Pinkalicious or Dinosaur fans in your house, here are two great upcoming events:
Pinkalicious and the Pink Pumpkin at Room & Board! From the press release about the event:
Can't wait to buy this book for my girls!
Join Pinkalicious author Victoria Kann (www.thinkpinkalicious.com) for a book signing and party for her fall book in the series, Pinkalicious and the Pink Pumpkin. The event will stage at Room & Board’s 1840 14th Street NW showroom on Saturday, October 15 from 11am – 1pm. Parents and their children will enjoy a intimate reading followed by a book signing, with fun activities and snacks for the kids.
OK – so I was pretty much hooked when I heard the event is about Pinkalicious but am swooning over her search for a pink pumpkin in a patch – that is the kind of pumpkin patch I’d like to head off too. Room & Board will also be giving away a Jill table and four little Jack chairs from their collection of children’s furniture – another great reason to attend this fabulous non-pumpkin patch event. The book signing begins at noon and this event is free!
For the dinosaur lovers out there, October 12 is National Fossil Day and everyone is invited to see Jim Henson’s new Dinosaur Puppets forPBS’ fabulous cartoon, Dinosaur Train, from 10-2 across from Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum. Here’s the info I received:
You are never too young to be a paleontologist! Jim Henson’s popular preschool science show, Dinosaur Train, will celebrate National Fossil Day at the National Mall on Oct. 12. Dinosaur Train will feature a booth where children can catch a sneak peek of the new Nature Trackers episodes launching in November, and take photos with the show’s curious, funny and intelligent Tyrannosaurus Rex, Buddy.
Visitors to the booth will enjoy free giveaways and participate in a variety of paleontology-related activities, including a “Dinosaur with Feathers” educational session where children can adorn their arts and crafts with real feathers, and create their very own Buddy mask. The premiere of Dinosaur Train’s new Nature Trackers episode can be viewed exclusively at the Henson booth. Kids can even sign up for the new Nature Trackers Club, where they can join Buddy, Shiny, Tiny and Don online to make new scientific discoveries while understanding and appreciating their natural surroundings.
Hosted by the National Park Service and the American Geological Association, this special day dedicated to fossils is a part of Earth Science Week, an event that encourages people everywhere to explore the natural world and learn about the geosciences.
This year’s Dinosaur Train booth will include:
· Dinosaur Train’s Buddy, the T-Rex, taking photos and interacting with children
· An exclusive sneak peek of Dinosaur Train’s new Nature Trackers episodes premiering in November
· Memberships to the new Nature Trackers Club
· Educational session “Dinosaurs with Feathers”
· Arts and crafts and a do-it-yourself Buddy mask.
· Free giveaways
