There are few family activities as fun as a good bike ride. Between the satisfaction of a good workout, the exhaustion of a few hours in the great outdoors, and the freedom of the trail, a bike ride is a great way to enjoy the getting outside with your whole family. But before you go, you need to make sure you’re properly prepared to ensure your fun adventure doesn’t go off the rails. Biking with kids requires a little more effort than biking with adults, so before you head out make sure you’ve got the following bases covered. If you have a little one who isn't riding a bike yet, check out these great tips for teaching kids how to Continue Reading
3 (easy, fun & free) Solar Eclipse Activities for Kids
It's billed as a once in a lifetime experience-- a total solar eclipse that will cross the United States on August 21st this year. My family lives in the mid-west, and we're expected to have a spectacular view of the celestial event including two and a half minutes of "darkness" in the middle of the afternoon. My children can't wait to see what it will be like so we're using the weeks leading up to the eclipse to learn more about it. Whether you live in the path of the eclipse or not, you can also shed some light on the sun and celebrate its amazing power! Eclipse Primer: What is a solar eclipse anyway? The moon will pass directly Continue Reading
DIY Portable Homework Station Using a Binder
We are busy getting ready for back to school. My oldest starts middle school this year. There will be quite a few changes, one of which will be homework from multiple teachers. I would like to make keeping it all organized a little easier on him in the beginning. After a pretty through Pinterest search, I realized that I would need to come up with my own system We need a portable homework station that doesn't take up too much space. In the end, a homework binder seemed like the best idea. Building a Portable Homework Station Binder The best part about this system is how flexible it is. I'm starting out with things that we'll Continue Reading
ABCs of Back to School: Back to School Tips for Parents
The kids will be headed to school soon. That makes it the perfect opportunity for you to brush up on your ABCs... the ABCs of back to school that is. This back to school tips list has everything you need to kick off this school year right. From how to preserve apple slices to tips for getting plenty of zzzz's (you know the sleepy kind). Knowing these ABCs will help make this year a success for everyone! This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are mine. A for APPLE. Who doesn't think of apples when the topic of back to school comes up? For this quick tip we're going to focus on apple slices for school lunches. I Continue Reading
Funny School Jokes that Even Make Test Day Fun
There are so many school moments that can be made better by adding a little laughter. Funny school jokes are great for relieving back to school anxiety. Math jokes for kids come in really handy on test day. And of course if you want to show your kids you're thinking about them (without sending an embarrassing love note) adding a joke to the lunch box is perfect! Funny School Jokes that Even Make Test Day Fun Knock, knock. Who’s there? Pencil. Pencil who? Pencil fall down if you don’t wear a belt! How do you get straight A’s? - With a ruler. Knock, knock. Who’s there? A broken pencil. A broken pencil who? Oh never mind Continue Reading
Thunderstorm Activities to Help Ease Fear
When my family moved from South Carolina to the Mid-West, we expected things to be a bit different. One of the biggest changes—the weather! During the winter, I cringed the first time I saw a forecast high temperature in the single digits (How can the high be 9 degrees?)! Then as spring turned into summer, a new pattern developed. My son started feeling more and more anxious about thunderstorms. He’d certainly seen lightning and heard the rumble of thunder before, but severe weather is a bit more intense, and more frequent, in our new home. Based on the idea that knowledge is power, I set out to find some kid-friendly thunderstorm Continue Reading
Umbrella Feelings: Big Feelings for Kids
Emotions and big feelings for kids are some of my favorite parenting work because I know the skills they learn now will help them forever. Knowing how to recognize, express and move through big feelings as an adult is a really important thing. Keeping the big picture in mind helps me be more patient in the moment. It's funny how mindset can really affect in the moment reactions. What are Umbrella Feelings? I started using the term umbrella feelings as a way to describe really big overarching feelings. Those times when something really big happens and suddenly your patience is thin, every little thing feels huge and icky feelings that Continue Reading