Families in Virginia will get a sales tax break on clothes and supplies for school when the state holds its annual Virginia tax holiday, August 5-7. To be eligible for the tax break, school supply items must be priced at $20 or less, and clothing and footwear must be priced at $100 or less.  The tax holiday does not apply to the purchase of computers. Among the eligible school supplies are art and music supplies, composition books and notebooks, paper, dictionaries, crayons, lunch boxes, pens, pencils, and reference books. Click this for more information about the Virginia tax holiday, including complete lists of eligible school supplies and clothing items.

Fairfax County Park Authority has published their list of nearby entertainment for the entire family that goes through July 27. See the list below and click this for all the details at the Fairfax County website. While planning your outing they remind you to bring plenty of water, wear light colored clothing. Children’s shows on Saturday mornings are in the shade! Click to read more »

It’s an old, teensy little building obscured by overgrown brush and scraggly trees. But it is important enough to move and refurbish it for Fairfax kids to experience. It’s the old Crouch School sitting at the corner of Compton Road and Union Mill Road in the Clifton part of Fairfax County. Students in Fairfax attended the little school until the 1920s when it was sold to the Crouch family. The little one-room school house will be moved to the campus of Liberty Middle School on Union Mill Road and then patched up to welcome guests. Much of the work is being donated by local contracting companies. Preparations begin July 25 with the physical move expected August 11. Click this to see more details in the FCPS news release and then click here to visit the “Save Crouch School” website that led the effort to preserve the little, old building.

The FDA recently published the article, “Reducing Fever in Children: Safe Use of Acetaminophen” that reveals the cautious steps and risks associated with administering this over-the-counter medication. Most commonly known as Tylenol, acetaminophen is one of the most frequent treatments parents use to relieve pain or a fever in their children. An overdose of the medication can cause nausea, vomiting, liver failure and even death. According to the FDA’s article, acetaminophen poisoning is a leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. Click to read more »

George Mason University is gathering information to help your family have fun on a tight budget. This year the idea of a “staycation” has become increasingly popular. With the flaky economy and less discretionary income many of us will scale-back vacation plans. Maggie Daniels, associate professor of tourism and events management at Mason, compiled her Top Five “Staycation” Ideas for the DC area. She even includes ideas for the grown ups with some nearby wineries. Click this for her full report on the Mason Spirit website.