<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Bench ]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Bench ]]></description><link>https://www.thebenchwws.org/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 07 May 2026 21:26:42 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thebenchwws.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Why Hands-On Learning Matters for Kids in Northern Virginia]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Growing Importance of Hands-On Learning Across Northern Virginia—from Falls Church to Arlington, McLean, and Fairfax—a growing number of parents are searching for real-world, hands-on experiences. Are our kids getting enough real-world learning opportunities? Academic success still matters and more families are realizing that children also need opportunities to: ·       build ·       experiment ·       solve real problems ·       create something tangible Decades of research—including...]]></description><link>https://www.thebenchwws.org/post/why-hands-on-learning-matters-for-kids-in-northern-virginia</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d6cb074424ffa457c2af6f</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 23:34:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1ce22f_2adbb82fdd514c18b90950c732ae8265~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_420,h_413,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Bern Hoffmann</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>