The DC area may be in the thick of summer, but the 2025-2026 school year is coming up quickly. If you haven't already, it's time to start gathering those school supplies, buying those back-to-school clothes, and planning family vacations and school-break camp coverage.

To help you do just that, here is the DC public school calendar for 2025-2026, as well as links to other public school calendars for Maryland and Northern Virginia school districts. Bookmark it now so you can easily reference it later!

For more back-to-school help, check out our lists of great lunch boxes for kids and the best kids clothing labels and name stickers for back-to-school. And if you really want to plan ahead, check out these 100 school lunch ideas for kids.

Founded in 1691, Yorktown, Virginia is a quaint, gorgeous city steeped in history. Best known as the location of the last major Revolutionary War battle, it is home to Yorktown Battlefield and the American Revolution Museum, which my family of history buffs really enjoyed during our recent trip to Yorktown. But we were pleasantly surprised to find that Yorktown also has a beachy feel, with a two-acre public beach on the York River, riverside shops and restaurants, and an awesome walking and biking path along the water.

My husband, teen sons, tween daughter, and I visited Yorktown as part of a trip that included nearby Williamsburg and Jamestown. We started out thinking the other two cities would be the main attractions, but ended up loving Yorktown, its history, and its small-town feel just as much.

Here are 17 great things to do in Yorktown, VA with kids. A few of these activities are available only in summer, but we visited in October and still got to do quite a bit—and the weather was perfect! Check out our list of things to do in Williamsburg, VA and our guide to visiting Busch Gardens to round out your visit to Virginia's Historic Triangle. 

The Art of the Brick, the World's most famous LEGO art exhibit, is now open in Washington, DC! Named one of CNN's Top 10 "Global Must-See Exhibitions," The Art of the Brick includes over 130 incredible sculptures created from more than one million LEGO bricks.

I recently visited The Art of the Brick with my 10-year-old daughter, and I'm not sure which of us enjoyed it more! We were both mesmerized by the level of detail put into each piece, especially the ones meant to resemble real works of art.

Read all about our experience at The Art of the Brick—and find out all the details about this fantastic exhibition—below. If your family can't get enough of LEGO after that, head to the LEGO Discovery Center Washington, DC, then check out our post on 101 fun things to do with LEGO bricks.