2017

Thank you Goliath Games for sponsoring this post. Pick up your favorite game today to enjoy the holiday season and beyond! And make a playdate games day part of your family holiday traditions. If your kids are anything like mine, it’s barely December and they are already plotting the playdates…

Thank you Tom’s of Maine for sponsoring this post. Read on to learn why I starting using natural deodorant, not antiperspirant… A few years ago, I didn’t know what was in my deodorant either… and I actually used antiperspirant. I switched to Tom’s of Maine Long Lasting Natural Deodorant after I…

This is a sponsored post for Vicks Humidifiers. As always, opinions remain 100% my own. With 3 kids, a single cold can take over a month to work its way through our entire house. Learn how Vicks Humidifiers help to prevent spreading cold and flu for kids. When you have…

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Learning Resources. As always, all opinions remain 100% my own. For more ways to ask your kid, “How was school today?” be sure to check out why we think playing school is just as important as the REAL thing this month over on…

A few year’s ago, I made these winter sensory bags – Jumbled Snowman – to keep the kids occupied and give their little fingers a challenge. They loved them so much, they ask for a new version ALL the time. This month, for Halloween sensory play, I’ve created a Jumbled…

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Learning Resources. As always, all opinions remain 100% my own. Be sure to check out our Oktoberfest for Kids post this month over on the Learning Resources blog for more ways to celebrate Fall with your kids! I absolutely LOVE Fall. Especially…

Channel your child’s enthusiasm for the night sky with these 30+ learning through play, constellation activities for kids. “Mommy, look – I see stars!” There’s something truly magical to kids about the night sky. Maybe it’s because they aren’t often out after dark. Or maybe it’s because the night sky…

I absolutely love how social media connects you with people you might otherwise never connect with… This summer, when our virtual book club, Mom’s Book Nook read A House for Happy Mothers, our Instagram post connected us with the author, Amulya Malladi. She not only offered to answer our questions,…

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Learning Resources. As always, all opinions remain 100% my own. Grab your kids dance songs playlist and see my latest guest post on the Learning Resources blog, to see why family dance parties are one of our favorite after school brain breaks…

Expand your study of Art History for Preschoolers with more hands-on exploration featuring 15 Matisse art projects for kids. When we first started our exploration of Art History Kids, we began with Matisse. His use of vibrant colors and large geometric shapes – whether in his early years painting or…

Learn how visiting PhysicianOne Urgent Care for kids can save you and your family time, worry and money. This is a sponsored post with PhysicianOne Urgent Care centers. As always, opinions remain 100% my own. My 5 year old fell ill out of nowhere. One second she was singing and…

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Learning Resources. As always, all opinions remain 100% my own. Visit Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten, my guest post on the Learning Resources blog, to get a full outline of each skill your child needs for kindergarten, as well as resources and…

I received complimentary product from Oriental Trading to facilitate this post. As always, opinions remain 100% my own. This summer, we celebrated my 4 year old, who had never had a birthday party of her own, in true Hawaiian luau style… with a Moana birthday party theme at our local…

As the daughter and daughter-in-law of lifelong teachers, I know first hand just how much money teachers invest in their own classrooms out of their own pockets. So as our kids head back to school, teacher gifts that help offset any of that expense are immensely appreciated. And the best…

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Schreiber Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine. If your kids are anything like mine, they would live on peanut butter and jelly for lunch and dinner every day. And while there are certainly worse food choices they could…

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Learning Resources. As always, all opinions remain 100% my own. Catch all our playdate ideas in our guest post this month on the Learning Resources blog. I already have 3 kids under 6 of my own at home all summer. The last…

This is a sponsored post by Learning Resources. Be sure to see the complete post, including all hidden veggies popsicle recipes on the Learning Resources blog. Nothing makes for a better end to a hot summer day than an ice cold frozen treat. How would you love to also sneak…

Welcome to STEAM for Kids Week! For my regular readers, this week I am the host for the 12-week Summer Camp at Home series, hosted by Wunder Mom. For those joining from the Summer Camp series, welcome to the Playground Parkbench. This week I am sharing kids learning activities you…

Do you have a project you did as a child that really stayed with you? For me, this is it… one summer, I went to a summer art program my mom was teaching and we made Japanese Fish Art, or gyotaku. It was the summer after second grade, I was…