So, several years ago I read about a camp out of UMD that takes families on dinosaur/archaeology themed outings around MD/DC for a week. It sounded awesome and my daughter is now old enough be really interested (and, as it turns out, is super interested in natural sciences), so I arranged to take off spring break with the plan for us to go. . . . only no one else signed up this year.

Are you off for break and want to come to dinosaur camp? It’s $350 for the first kid and $100 for each additional kid (parent or parents must come but do not pay). Kids under 3 can tag along for no charge. The children under your supervision do not have to be related either, so you can bring your child and their friend (there’s a limit to how many kids you can bring per adult). If you can’t come all days over spring break, you even can do make up days in the summer. You do need to organize transportation to the sites and provide your own food.

Camp page: http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~gdouglas/dfund/index.html#summer

WAMU feature from a couple years ago http://wamu.org/news/11/08/22/marylands_dinosaur_camp_provides_education_rich_in_history_science_and_fossils.php

There are still a few openings in the yoga camp being held at the Little Loft space on Capitol Hill the weeks of August 12 and 19 for kids between 5-10. See details: http://www.jenmuelleryoga.com/2013/02/kids-yoga-summer-camp.html

I realize this forum seems to skew NW, but I'm wondering if anyone's done these very affordable half-day camps in Maryland? Registration opened for residents last week and starts today for non-residents. I'm kind of astounded at how few spaces have been taken. Is the lack of aftercare for half-day (9-noon) camps the only deterrent (granted, that could be a big one)?

We're signed up for a week at Watkins Regional Park (and are considering doing a second week):

Nature Seekers - 4 yrs. - 5 yrs. - Learn about the world of nature through crafts, hikes, stories and games in this half-day camp. Themes include Forests, Wetlands, Animals, and Plants. NOTE: Extended care is not available for pre-school camps.

The reason I haven't signed up for the other camp we identified based on location at the Kentland Community Center in Landover (15 min drive from our house) is that no-one else has signed up at this point.

Wee Wonderers - Ages 42 mos. - 5 yrs. - Activities including storytelling, arts and crafts, dance, drama and special events. Campers must wear tennis shoes and comfortable clothing, and must be toilet-trained. Additional fees may be charged for field trips and swimming. NOTE: Extended care is not available for pre-school camps. Spots Available: 20

Any insights? Could it simply be that parents with the flexibility to do half-day camps don't have the urgency to sign up early?

The calendar. Logged in.

The last two events I've posted have been deleted by the moderator without any feedback. Have I violated some kind of user agreement? I'm a DC parent and I teach yoga. The posts have been for series of classes starting on Capitol Hill. I previously posted similar events with no problem.

Flight: Sticker books, color wonder markers and paper (only writes on color wonder paper), little plastic animals, books, ipad/iphone, special snacks, make it an adventure . . . I always found I over packed for activities for long flights because my toddler was programmed to sleep a lot on airplanes. I still would have packed it all anyway.

Time change: Let go of expectations. That tip is for you. Do your best to encourage plenty of rest regardless of how it matches with local time and go with the flow. When we traveled to Paris, we just let my 20 mo daughter's whole schedule shift back and gave up on the idea of being anywhere before 11 am. Travel was exhausting, so she took extra naps during the day, often falling asleep in the Ergo or stroller a little before dinner so she was often up until 10 or 11 pm, which actually matched local grown-up time well and we ate late often. We figured we'd get back on track at home.

We're headed to Prague the last week in June next summer for two weeks. During the first week, I'll have a lot of solo time in the city (or public transit destinations near by) with our 4 year old. During the second week, we could leave town and dad and possibly a friend or two will be with us.

In my initial research, I'm finding lots of suggestions for activities that look exactly like activities I could do anywhere with my kid (commercial kid-oriented entertainment). I'd love insights on kid-friendly stuff that you can only get in Prague or tips for making the local must-see spots easier with families.

For example, when we visited Versailles with our not-quite-2-year-old, it would have been really useful to know that once you entered the palace, you had to tour the whole thing before you'd have access to an exit of any kind. We got off the train, walked from town, waited in line and went inside looking for a bathroom. We figured we'd poke around for a few minutes and then hit the grounds to run off some 2-year-old steam, coming back to view more palace after that. If we'd known that wouldn't work, we would have toured the grounds first and come back to the palace later with a toddler napping in the ergo.

Ideas on how to prepare a princess-obsessed 4-year old for the realities of touring a mid-evil/period castle or tips for keeping her engaged when it doesn't look like Disney, for example, would be great.

Thanks!

I'm teaching a yoga class for that age group at Yoga Chai at 11 am on Tuesdays. Another instructor teaches the same class on Saturdays. The next 6-week session starts on September 13. More info in the event post.

YogaChai is located on the second floor of 1744 Columbia Road NW. There's a lock for stroller parking out front. Phone: 202-746-YOGA (9642).

This has me confused about the way sibling preference works, because I thought it is also granted to siblings of alums of a school (though i can see this varying by charter). If the child got in, why wouldn't they still be in if their older sibling left?