One of the things I love most about living in Virginia is the ability to explore our country’s rich history without ever leaving the state. Many historical figures have proudly called Virginia home through the years, including the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, who not only was born here (in Shadwell, VA) […]
by Suzanne Dix To the delight of all school librarians across the country, April is a special month that raises awareness and celebrates the connection of school librarian and student. Established in 1985 by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), thirty-one years later school librarians, media specialists and teacher-librarians take the month (or […]
Some of us here at Cricket Media have been a little distracted for the past few days. That’s because we have discovered the Eagle Cam, a bird’s eye view (sorry, couldn’t resist) of the nest of a pair of mated American Bald Eagles nestled high in a Tulip Poplar on the grounds of the American […]
If you’ve heard the story of Peter Cottontail one too many times, you aren’t alone. Each year at Easter (and every holiday, really) there are a few stories that get trotted out again and again. Luckily, you subscribe to this blog (and if you don’t, you should! See the subscription button below) so you have […]
Ahhh spring break. That random week when everyone in the world with children under the age of 15 descends on Disney World. True story: I’ve never actually taken a spring break vacation. So this blog is going to be all about fun things to do over spring break that don’t involve airplanes. How about […]
Today is National Puppy Day! There are plenty of ways to celebrate: adopt a puppy from your local shelter, donate food and toys to puppies still waiting for their forever families, and help a neighbor by walking their puppy for them, are just a few. Enjoy these Puppy Themed Stories Here’s another idea: […]
Today marks the final day young inventors can submit their inventions to the 2016 Invent It Challenge. We are excited to see all the innovative ideas and concepts rolling in and the judges are ready to start evaluating each project’s merits based on how well the inventor followed the 7-step invention process outlined by Spark […]
No, we didn’t lose our minds. We’re talking about the spring festival of Nowruz, which is a celebration popular throughout many areas of the Middle East and Central Asia. Nowruz is not a religious holiday. Instead it is a joyous commemoration of the rebirth of earth and all life on it. Most celebrations take place […]
You’ve probably heard it said that parenting is a journey, not a destination. You know what else is a journey? Crafting. Despite what you might think after watching Martha Stewart as she expertly (and neatly!) creates some masterpiece out of a few pieces of cardboard and ribbon, crafting is supposed to be a fun, messy, […]
The 2016 Spark!Lab Invent It Challenge is coming to a close. This year, kids ages 5 to 21 were asked to identify a real-world health problem and come up with a solution to the problem. Each entry must follow the seven step invention process spelled out by our partner, the Smithsonian’s Spark!Lab. This week we will focus on […]