cool & creative Archives

swim ribbon garland: what to do with summer swim ribbons

07 | 20 | 2016

Originally published in August of 2014 but republished because we’re making these same swim ribbon garlands today!
Our swim and dive season has been over now for two weeks, but we’ve done more post-season celebrating this year than ever before.

Usually, as soon as we wrap up the banquet, swim ribbons get shoved in a drawer, meet caps get put away, and trophies are given a home on the bedroom shelf.

And then we move quickly into part two of our summer: everything after swim and dive.

Swim and dive season comes and goes–just like that. Fast and furious and then bam. Over.

But this year, we decided to carry on the celebration a little longer by parading the awesome throughout our house.

Instead of piling up those ribbons and finding them a home on a shelf or in a drawer, we created a gorgeous swim ribbon garland.

It’s beautiful. And it’s simple, and it’s the story of the kids’ swim and dive season.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Swim Ribbon Garland–What to do with Summer Swim Ribbons: I do need to clarify something.

The Swim Ribbon Garland was not created to brag.

It was not created to be competitive or bratty or nasty.

Do you have summer swimmers? Here's what you need to do with their swim ribbons! #swimmomClick To Tweet
It was created to celebrate our kids’ accomplishments throughout the season and to remind them that hard work pays off.

That’s it.

And though it was super-simple to make, it turned out really, really pretty.

And it’s been the focus of many conversations that are totally worth having:

Can you believe how much you improved over the season?

Remember how nervous you were for your first IM but how proud you felt after finishing?

This was the meet you surprised everyone–including you!–and came in first place!

That was the longest afternoon ever, but you worked hard and got through it!

Even though you disqualified in this event, you still shook everyone’s hand after the race.

[Another swimmer friend] beat you in this race by less than a second; I know you were disappointed to lose, but you never once acted like a sore loser.

To make the swim ribbon garland, we simply grabbed a large needle and some embroidery thread (the kind we use to make friendship bracelets). The needle was large enough to fit the thread through but small enough to fit under the tiny top of the ribbons.

I asked Maddy, Owen, and Cora if they wanted their ribbons arranged in any particular way–by color, date, award, etc. Only Cora had an order preference, so she put hers in order, and I strung them from her direction.

Because Cora had significantly fewer ribbons this year compared to Maddy and Owen, we added some of her ribbons from last year. Not a big deal.

She knew where they were, she grabbed them, and we added them. Done and done.

Thinking about the possibilities for ‘sideline’ learning with the swim ribbon garland has me nearly nutty. We can talk about:

total number of first, second, third, etc. awards;

total number of awards;

which person has more of each color;

who has the most (and least) amount of (color, score, etc.);

total time in each event;

amount of time gained/ lost throughout season;

so many ideas!

And really? That’s it. Just a quickie, fun, no-sew way to remind your child of how special he is.

What do YOU do with your kids’ ribbons? Let us know! Happy sewing and stringing those ribbons!

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fyi: affiliate links are used in this post

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fyi: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy.

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Highlights Every Day app: THE must-have app for every 5-9 year old

05 | 31 | 2016

Friends, it’s no secret that I have long been a fan of the great folks at Highlights for Children and the wonderful work they do.

But now? They’ve taken their awesome to an app, and it makes me want to dance.

It seriously is one of THE must-have apps for every 5-9 years old. For every elementary schooler.

Every child would benefit from having this app because literally every, single day, there’s something new.

It’s cool. Very cool.

It’s the Highlights Every Day app, and it’s available in both iTunes and Google Play.

I’m thrilled to have been asked to share a bit o’ info about this, and I’m totally psyched to have a super-fun Highlights reading and puzzle giftpack and a $25 Visa giftcard to give away so one lucky reader can read and do puzzles and rock it out with the app a bit.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Highlights Every Day App — THE Must-Have App for Every 5-9 Year Old:

When I say I’m a longtime fan of Highlights, I’m not lying.

I’ve mentioned for years now that Highlights for Children or High Five Magazine are awesome gifts for kids.

I created Magazine Hunts to help emerging readers get to know the contents of a magazine.

We have attended the State of the Kid events here in DC several times.

My kids have played with Hidden Pictures® during lunchtime with their Hidden Pictures® Lunchbox Notes.

I even spent a bunch of time in real life, hanging with the Highlights crew back in 2012 when I spoke on a panel for the Highlights State of the Kid Press Conference.

So when I heard about the Highlights Every Day app, I think I screamed with joy.

The Highlights Every Day app rocks.

Essentially, the Highlights Every Day app is the Highlights for Children Magazine re-created into a digital app. It’s really well done.

Picture this: hundreds of fun facts, puzzles, jokes, quizzes, videos, stories and more are all wrapped up into an app.

And though there’s a bunch of content that kids can grab any day, each day there’s a little ‘gift’ that kids unwrap that contains even more facts, puzzles, quizzes, videos, stories, and more.

Even though it sounds like a lot–and it is–the platform and interface are very child-friendly. It never looks like it’s too much, too crowded, or too overwhelming.

Cora and Owen (and even Maddy!) have loved giving this app a go.

Cora is 9, Owen is 10, and Maddy is 12 years old. So though the iTunes store says the app is for kids ages 6-8, really this will work for kids slightly younger or older.

And know this: this app is a bit of an investment–but it’s worth it.

This is not a free app, friends; it’s a subscription app. You pay $7.99 monthly. However, there is a free version that works perfectly well. Or you can try the whole app for free for 30 days.

The thing is, though, if your kids try the free version, they’ll definitely want the full version because the content is that good, and they’ll want to be able to ‘unlock’ everything.

The subscription is $7.99/ month, so it’s definitely something you’ll notice on your iTunes or Google Play bill. Think about it this way, though: when it comes down to it, it’s only like $.23/ day for an app that keeps your child’s mind moving and growing.

There is a whole a lot of junk out there online for our kids to consume, friends, but is an app that I truly think every parent should feel good about putting on his or her device. It’s an app that yields screen time well-spent for our kids.

Here’s the Highlights Every Day skinny.

My kids loved. . .

the new daily content. It was a great app to have open during breakfast or during weekend down-time. And it was always fresh and new.
the interactive quizzes;
the kid-answered questions;
the jokes;
the puzzles and hidden pictures;
the interesting (short!) reads;
that they had choice within the app–they could decide what they wanted to do and when.

I loved. . .

that there was a mix of fiction and non-fiction reading selections;
that each word was highlighted as it was read aloud;
that you could turn off or on sound;
that the kids’ answers were summarized and put on screen at the end of the Q & A segments;
that there was so much variety on this platform;
that there were no ads or clickbait images to distract kids;
that it’s 110% safe. (Phew. Not much is these days, you know?)

We wish. . .

there was a way that kids could submit their own questions via the app;
you could buy a 3-month or 6-month subscription or year-long subscriptions at a discounted price (but YAY! They’re working on this!);
somehow it prompted me to renew so it didn’t automatically renew each month (maybe there’s a way but I just don’t know how?);
every, single child could have access to this fabulous digital content. It’s that good, friends.

Stay connected with the Highlights familia:

Really! Reach out. Tell them what you love. Give them a virtual high-five.

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GIVEAWAY:

WIN a Highlights gift pack of reading and puzzle fun along with a $25 Visa gift card so you can try Highlights Every Day app for your kids!

Do you want to win a Highlights gift pack of reading and puzzle fun along with a $25 Visa gift card so you can try Highlights Every Day app for your kids?? !? ??! Yes, yes you do.

——————————-

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to throw your name in the hat:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By entering this giveaway, you are demonstrating your understanding of and compliance with the Official Sweepstakes Rules.

This giveaway ends Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at midnight ET and is open to folks here in the US only. Winner will be chosen by ‘Rafflecopter’ and will be notified on or around 06/15/16. Winner must respond within three (3) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected. All Official Sweepstakes Rules apply.

fyi: This post was written as part of a sponsored partnership with Highlights, but as always, my opinions are my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator and by my three awesome kids.

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quick and easy flower wish boxes

05 | 06 | 2016

This post was written as part of a partnership with Disney-Hyperion.

It’s amazing how easily you can create sweet and easy gifts sometimes when you have a bit of inspiration.

Sometimes it’s a walk in the craft store.

Sometimes it’s a stroll through the park.

Sometimes it’s a glance through a photo album.

Sometimes it’s a movie, tv program, or book.

These quick and easy flower wish boxes were inspired by a book series that we’ve recently discovered. It’s a book series that Maddy and Cora have devoured, and it’s a series that I love as well.

The series I’m referring to is the Disney’s Star Darlings series, by Ahmet Zappa and Shana Muldoon Zappa.

It’s a new series for tweens, and it’s star-tastic. It’s clever, catchy, and it’s worth checking out. I wrote about why you’ll love Disney’s Star Darlings earlier this year.

The characters in this series are so bright and cool but distinctly different from one another at the same time. We couldn’t help but think of the Star Darlings instantly when creating these cute little flower wish boxes.

And the awesome thing is that we’re giving away the entire Star Darlings series, Star Darlings dolls, and a sweet Star Darlings Wish Board. More on that below!

Here’s the skinny. . .

Quick and Easy Flower Wish Boxes:

These wish boxes are perfect little gifts for girlfriends, for party favors, for teacher gifts, you name it.

What you’ll need for these boxes are:

several bunches of bright silk flowers (Or you can buy just the tops if you want!)
a set of round tins with clear plastic lids (We used ones we found in the dollar spot at our local craft store, and they came in black, silver, and white.)
hot glue gun
Avery labels #22817 (These are optional if you want a bottom label, but we used Avery Print to Edge Round Labels, Glossy White, 2“)
Flower Wish Box Notes & Label template (Download below)
Candy (We used Fruit Flavored Tootsie Rolls.)

And making the boxes is super easy.

You can make them in three easy steps. Not even kidding. Three. Easy. Steps.

Here’s how:

Poke a tiny hole in the top of the lid. We started the hole with a pushpin and then made it a bit larger with the tip of a pair of scissors.
Stick the top of a flower through the tiny hole and add a bit of hot glue around the edges.
Fill the tin with a note, candy, or both!

Put a label on the bottom if you’d like, or just pass the beautiful tin on to a friend.

We were inspired by the colors and energy of the Star Darlings because each character has her own, distinct focus, favorite color, and personality.

Maddy and Cora helped to assign flower colors and tin colors because really, I can hardly keep track of my own three kids and their favorites.

You could really do anything that works for you, but we came up with:

Sage: purple flower, silver tin (Sage loves all things lavender, so we thought purple and silver would be ideal.)
Libby: pink flower, white tin (Libby is a fan of pink.)
Leona: yellow flower, white tin (Bright Leona is all about gold!)
Tessa: turquoise flower, silver tin (Tessa loves emerald green.)
Astra: orange flower, black tin (Astra is usually red, but we could not find a red daisy flower at the craft store!)
Adora: blue flower, white tin (Her favorite color is sky blue.)
Scarlet: purple flower, black tin (Scarlet loves black, but we thought black flower on black tin would be too dark.)
Gemma: yellow flower, silver tin (Gemma’s favorite color is orange, but we had no orange daisies!)
Clover: hot pink flower, black tin (Clover is all purple, but we had to choose the best fit colors.)
Piper: green flower, white tin (Piper’s favorite color is sea foam green.)
Vega: blue flower, black tin (Vega loves blue!)
Cassie: white flower, silver tin. (Cassie loves white!)

The cool thing is that these quick and easy Flower Wish Boxes can be used for so many things:

If your child is a fan of Star Darlings, these would make awesome party favors.
If your child loves to give away small tokens of friendship, these would be perfect.
If you need a little something for Teacher Appreciation Day, these totally work.
If you need a little topper for a gift, a container for jewelry, or a fun and snazzy desk organizer, these are awesome.

Maddy and Cora wanted to keep these boxes at our house so they could give them to friends who came over to play.

The original idea was to bring a few to school for friends, but then they agreed that unless they brought one for each person, someone would feel left out.

As we made the boxes, though, it was fun for the girls to say that certain boxes reminded them of particular friends. The color combinations, maybe?

Then we added some fun hashtag notes as little surprises inside.

Really, friends, hashtags are all the rage. So The personalized hashtag along with a few, little sweets and brightly colored flowers makes for a really special treat.

The hashtags all deal with friendship and wishes:

#Friends4Life
#bebold
#TimeToShine
#besties
#reachforthestars
and more!

But we also made some cute little labels that would help friends know what the boxes could be used for.

The labels read: -for your wishes, treats, & treasures! and Thank you for being the best teacher ever! in case you want to share a Flower Wish Box with a favorite teacher friend!

And all you need is the template below and Avery Print to Edge Round Labels, Glossy White, 2“. Print, stick, and share!

Grab the free printables — the Keep Dreaming Friendship Notes and labels.

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GIVEAWAY:

Because Disney has just released the Star Darlings Volume 1 Collection, which includes Sage and the Journey to Wishworld, Libby and the Class Election, and Leona’s Unlucky Mission, and they’ve just released books 6-9 (Cassie Comes Through, Piper’s Perfect Dream, Astra’s Mixed-Up Mission, Tessa’s Lost and Found), they’re excited to give lots and lots of books away!

We’re giving away a Disney’s Star Darlings prize pack that includes the ENTIRE Star Darlings series–The Star Darlings Volume 1 Collection, Vega and the Fashion Disaster, Scarlett Discovers True Strength, (and the four newly-released books!) Cassie Comes Through, Piper’s Perfect Dream, Astra’s Mixed-Up Mission, Tessa’s Lost and Found, AND five STAR DARLINGS dolls, AND a Star Darlings Wish Board like the one below?

SO MUCH awesome, right??

Do you want to win a Disney’s Star Darlings prize pack that includes the ENTIRE Star Darlings series–The Star Darlings Volume 1 Collection, Vega and the Fashion Disaster, Scarlett Discovers True Strength, (and the four newly-released books!) Cassie Comes Through, Piper’s Perfect Dream, Astra’s Mixed-Up Mission, Tessa’s Lost and Found, AND five STAR DARLINGS dolls, AND a Star Darlings Wish Board like the one above?? !? ??! Yes, yes you do.

——————————-

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to throw your name in the hat:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By entering this giveaway, you are demonstrating your understanding of and compliance with the Official Sweepstakes Rules.

This giveaway ends Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at midnight ET and is open to folks here in the US only. Winner will be chosen by ‘Rafflecopter’ and will be notified on or around 06/01/16. Winner must respond within three (3) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected. All Official Sweepstakes Rules apply.

Do you want to learn a bit more about this series?

Check out:

fyi: This post was written as part of a partnership with Disney Publishing and Star Darlings, but as always, my opinions are all my own, influenced only by my personal experience as a parent and educator–and, of course, my three little readers. Definitely check out my other Star Darlings post: 5 Reasons to Love Disney’s Star Darlings.

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. This small percentage of money helps offset the costs of hosting this blog, which helps me keep this content free for you. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy.

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teacher appreciation–finger print note cards

05 | 05 | 2016

Originally posted on May 6, 2010, this post has been getting so much traction on Pinterest lately, I thought it was worth re-sharing! Enjoy!

As a Teacher Appreciation Week gift for Maddy and Owen’s teachers this year, I wanted to do something that would be easy (okay, and quick) for us to create, useful for them, but that wouldn’t break the bank.

Note cards, note cards, note cards. Note cards!

Embellished with thumbprint animals, a shiny bow, and a little love, these ended up being pretty darn cute if I do say so myself.

Thumbprint Note Cards: I didn’t even buy blank note cards to do these; I know those sets are crazy expensive, and I wanted this gift to stretch a bit further.

Instead, I cut cardstock into halves and folded each sheet to make two cards per page. With a big box of invitation-sized envelopes, our blank note cards were ready.

thumbprint cards waiting for some life. . .

Next, I grabbed Maddy’s tiny fingers and started stamping. We used blue and red ink from one of our Melissa & Doug sets, and I followed one of our favorite books to determine where to put her teeny prints.

(These awesome, awesome mini-Klutz books on drawing thumbprint animals and drawing thumbprint things arrived in Christmas stockings this year, and they’ve proven to be a big hit. Maddy and Owen absolutely love them, and so do I!)

She picked a few animals–elephants, fish, ladybugs, pigs–and we ran with them. Once the ink dried, I threw on faces, legs, noses, and antennae, and we were finished.

I cut a tiny rectangle and stamped ‘to’ and ‘love’ and Maddy and Owen signed them in the morning.

With a little shiny bow, they turned out super-cute, and I’m hoping the teachers can use them for something. I seriously don’t think they could be any more adorable. Kiddos’ teeny-tiny finger prints made into animals? What a riot!

Again, we’re in under the wire but such is life with Mother’s Day approaching, with three kids, with a puppy, and with life in general.

Next year, I’ll plan a little bit better. I hope.

fyi: I say this all of the time, but one of my most faaaavorite magazines in the world featured these thumbprint cards in their May 2010 issue and initially planted the note card-seed in my brain. Thanks, Family Fun, for once again inspiring me. (And no, I don’t work for them but still wish I did. . . )

Happy note card crafting!

Follow amy mascott @teachmama’s board school & teacher appreciation on Pinterest.

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fyi: affiliate links used in this post

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hear poems read by poets: 4 free, fab resources

04 | 20 | 2016

I’ve been chatting up poetry all month long, since April is National Poetry Month.

I’ve hit you with a few ways to make poetry rock for your kids.

I’ve shared some of my favorite poetry books.

I’ve even told you why kids need to hear sounds in words..

Honestly, more than anything, I’m thrilled to share some really awesome poetry-related resources with you–resources I truly believe will help bring poetry to life for your kids.

It’s one thing to read poems, but it’s another to hear poems–especially to hear poems read by the poets themselves. So I’ve wrangled my favorite resources for you–four free, fab resources for you to hear poems read by poets.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Hear Poems Read By Poets — 4 Free, Fab Resources:

I love this, from The Reading Teacher in 2006, in an article by Michelann Parr and Terry Campbell called ‘Poets in Practice’:

Risk taking and demonstrating that we are writers, too, is consistent with Glover’s (1999) statement that “to teach poets we must be poets” (p. 37). Just as we tell our students that they need to go beyond simply knowing and talking about poetry, so, too, do we.

It’s not only important that we, as parents ask our kids to read and celebrate poetry–we have to model that as well.

We can start by listening.

In our visual age, I always feel like Maddy, Owen, and Cora are so much more interested in things if they can see or hear them. I get it. The more senses we can activate, the better.

The Poetry Foundation -> features -> audio and podcasts = tons and tons of poems
The Library of Congress -> Collections > Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature > About this Collection
Poetry Out Loud -> poems and performance -> listen to poetry = poems read by actors and poets
Search YouTube ‘Poetry Slam’ -> Be careful here! You should definitely watch the Slam Poetry before sharing with your child. Some can be pretty edgy and racy. Maybe start with Poetry Slam, Inc channel.

When it comes to poetry, my friends, we need to just dive in.

Like I said before, we don’t have to sit down and read poetry books cover to cover. We don’t have to have classical music playing. We don’t have to read poems we don’t understand.

We just have to go for it.

I love what the authors of the above-mentioned article say here:

Before we can expect our kids to appreciate poetry. . . [w]e must first examine our own apprehensions, preconceived notions, and perceived abilities as poets in order to include more space for poetry—both our own and that of our students.

It’s true–and though we don’t have to start even by writing poems ourselves, we have to start by just reading–and enjoying!–poems ourselves.

Ready? Go!

Want to read more?
Want more? Click on the image to learn more about poetry:

Cheers, and happy reading during this incredibly exciting journey!

fyi: Thank you to Parr, M. and Campbell, T. (2006), Poets in Practice. The Reading Teacher, 60: 36–46. doi: 10.1598/RT.60.1.4 for information in this post.

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how to make poetry ROCK for kids (start now — it’s national poetry month!)

04 | 13 | 2016

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month?

It is.

What does that even mean?

It means that this month is all about celebrating poetry!

You know what, my friends? Poetry is different today than it once was. No longer are poems relegated to the boring topics of flowers or romance. No way.

Now? Poems are about anything and everything.

They rhyme or they’re free verse.

Anything goes.

And so to honor National Poetry Month, I thought I’d share a few of our favorite poetry books.

Here’s the skinny. . .

How to Make Poetry ROCK for Kids — (Start Now — It’s National Poetry Month!):

I’ve got five simple ways that you can really bring poetry home for your kids.

And not one of these ways is too crazy or complicated.

You can start as simply as bringing poetry books into the house if you don’t already have any!

Especially in April–National Poetry Month–libraries will have a ton of poetry books at the ready for you!

Consider:

1. Choosing a poetry anthology and having kids take turn picking a poem to read. That’s the great thing with poetry–you don’t have to read from cover to cover!

2. Focusing on only one or two poems at a time. Read and re-read. Read in different voices, with emphasis on different words or phrases. Talk about how the meaning changes with each reading.

3. Listening to poems! Check out the Library of Congress’s HUGE database of poets reading their poems: Library of Congress poets reading poems.

4. Taking poems on the go! The Poetry Foundation has an APP you can download to take poems with you anywhere, any time: Poetry Foundation App.

5. Finding poems that kids will LOVE. Check out Kwame Alexander’s Crossover. It’s a novel written in poetic verse. Every kid I know who read this piece, about twin basketball stars who find out about life and love in one short season, could NOT put it down.

Find out more here: Kwame Alexander’s unofficial Crossover trailer ||

Actually, watch it here: PBS NewsHour interview with Kwame Alexander

Need a few poetry books that your kids will love?

Check these out. . .

Poems for Small Friends, by Bobbi Katz and Gyo Fujikawa
Pocket Poems, by Bobbi Katz
Where the Sidewalk Ends or A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
African American Poetry: Poetry for Young People, edited by Arnold Rampersad and Marcellus Blount and illustrated by Karen Barbour
What a Day It Was At School, by Jack Prelutsky
Mary Had A Little Jam And Other Silly Rhymes, by Bruce Lansky
Poems to Learn by Heart, by Caroline Kennedy and illustrated by Jon J Muth

Why does poetry even matter? Glad you asked.

You guys–poetry matters for so many reasons, but I get that you’re busy and you want this quick and straightforward.

Here are five reasons that poetry your kids NEED poetry. Ready?

Poetry helps build early literacy skills. It really does! Rhyme, rhythm, and sound are emphasized in poems.
Poetry–nursery rhymes and songs, especially–helps kids develop their memory and brainpower!
Poetry encourages kids to play with language and words. When reading poetry, they hear how words can be moved and stretched to rhyme, and when they write poetry, they’re doing the same!
Poetry helps emerging readers. Often, emerging readers are not as intimidated when reading poetry because many poems are short and sweet. The rhyme helps with figuring out words, as does the rhythm.
Poetry, especially in songs and rap, is great for reluctant readers. When kids realize that songs and rap are forms of poetry, they’re often all of a sudden interested in reading!

Check out this video for more:

Like this video? Check out the whole #RaiseAReader playlist and definitely subscribe to our channel!Want more? Click on the image to learn more about poetry:

Cheers, and happy reading during this incredibly exciting journey!

what is musical.ly and should I let my kid have an account?

04 | 07 | 2016

You guys.

My kids have become obsessed — O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D — with musical.ly.

And up until recently, only Maddy had an account.

Owen and Cora, though, asked for an account just about every day, and finally I relented.

I must be getting tired in my old age, after how long I made Maddy wait for an Instagram account for about forever, look at me with my second and third children just letting them dive into the wilds of social media without care.

But if you know me, you will know that’s not the case.

I’ve thought long and hard about allowing Owen and Cora to have a musical.ly account, and I’ll explain why I think it’s okay.

Here’s the skinny. . .

What is musical.ly and Should I Let My Kid Have An Account?

I’ll start from the beginning.

What is musical.ly, and why should you even care?

From the musical.ly website:

musical.ly is a social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering short music videos.

Every day, millions of people use musical.ly as an outlet to express themselves through singing, dancing, comedy, and lip-syncing. The app celebrates creativity with videos recorded in 15 seconds or less and shared across the musical.ly community.

Picture this: you have the ability to make cool, short videos–songs or short dialogues–that you can share with the world, and people can see them. Think MTV meets SNL meets karaoke meets Dubsmash meets American Idol meets Instagram. Kind of.

People can watch another person’s musical.ly and either:

like (click a heart)
comment (click a dialogue bubble)
ask a question, start a duet!, share on facebook, share on instagram, share on FB messenger, share via twitter or email or text message or vine or link (by clicking the three dots)
shoot a video using the same song or clip (by clicking the spinning circle)

By clicking the + bottom of the screen–no matter where the user may be on the platform–he or she can create a 15-second video.

Users can pick music, shoot first, or use something from their own library. But it seems that that a popular way of finding songs or clips is to borrow from friends’ or followers’ music. You can do this easily.

When picking music from the musical.ly library, you can search for a song or choose according to a million different topics:

popular
lip-sync classic
comedy
muser voice
dance
rap
instruments
j-pop
moody
rock
peaceful
metal
spanish
and the list goes on and on and on and on.

Or, you can choose from your own music library on your device.

Friends, I am not going to pretend that I know everything there is to know about musical.ly. I do not.

But I do know this:

musical.ly terms of service require that users be at least 13 years old to use this platform;
musical.ly community guidelines are very clear in the way they want the platform used:
- Post musicals you love
- Like, follow and comment
- Flag inappropriate content
- Be nice
- Have fun!
musical.ly community guidelines state how the platform should not be used. Users should not:
- Post explicit content or nudity
- Spam Comments
- Bully, harass or disrespect other musers
- Post personal information

And I know this, and you should know this, too:

If you don’t already have a Family Media Agreement, you should do that now.

Some of the songs and clips and audio pieces have curse words or inappropriate content. Make a rule that your child may not choose these types of songs. (Think: They may see and hear this kind of thing on tv or in school, but they are not permitted to use it themselves, lip-synched or not.)

If your child has a musical.ly account, you should check it now. You should always know the user name and password, and the minute you check and it’s been changed, the account should be closed and the device confiscated. (Think: You’re in charge. You pay the bills.)

Make sure that the account is private. (Think: Do you really want anyone to have access to your child’s videos? And it’s not just viewing the videos; anyone can comment on public videos. Sometimes the comments can get pretty rough.)

Make sure that the location service is off for the account. (Think: No one needs to know where you child is–ever.)

Make sure that your child knows the majority of–if not all–of his or her followers. (Think: Followers have access to your child’s videos. Followers can see and comment on your child’s videos.)

Make sure that your child follows only accounts that you deem appropriate. (Think: This may be difficult to determine, but I bet you can get a sense of each person by watching a handful of videos.)

Make sure that your child knows that you, as the parent, may at any time, check his or her account. That should go for texts and emails and any other social media platform that your child uses, video games included. (Think: You pay the bills. Privacy schmivacy. When we were our kids’ ages, we had to have all phone conversations in the middle of the house on a phone attached to the wall. At least I did. . . )

Make sure that your child understands that his or her worth is not and cannot be dictated by the number of likes or followers he or she has.

Make sure that your child is following a few decent accounts so that he or she sees what awesome, cool, creative videos look like.

And now maybe you’re wondering why on earth I let my kids have accounts? Here’s why:

I like that the musical.ly videos are creative and interactive.
I like that the videos are short.
I like that the musical.ly videos involve thinking outside the box.
I like that there’s a mix of acting and singing.
I like that kids take risks by putting themselves out there to create videos.
I like that the videos encourage users to be silly and fun and to not take themselves too seriously.
I like that musical.ly provides a ton of examples of cool videos which kids tend to try to mimic.
I like that if the account is private, and you only approve people you know, that you can kind of keep things under control.
I like that in the comment box, there’s a reminder to be nice.
I like that they often have community challenges–engaging users to make specific types of videos or videos to certain songs.
I like that often these videos provide a starting point for conversation with kids–because as they get older, that can be tough.

What do you think? Are you for musical.ly or not? Do your kids use it?

I’d love to know.

Because really, we’re learning as we go here.

If you want or need a bit more on digital literacy, start here:

This post is part of our Digital Kids series:

minute to win it class party: organized, planned, and super-fun

02 | 03 | 2016

A Minute to Win It class party?

You bet.

We have been all about Minute to Win it this year after we rocked out a Minute to Win It Family Game Night a few months ago, so when I asked Owen what he wanted to do for his Valentine’s Day class party, without hesitation, he said, Minute to Win It!!

So I started thinking about how we could make this work for a classroom filled with 24 fourth graders.

It definitely would be vastly different from our little, at-home 10-person family gathering.

I wanted to make sure that with our short amount of class time that the kids not only had time for Minute to Win It games, but they also had time to deliver and open Valentines and eat their snack.

I thought and thought. Researched and conferred with Maddy, Owen, and Cora, and I think we figured out how a Minute to Win It class party can really work.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Minute to Win It Class Party — Organized, Planned, and Super-Fun:

The most important thing is to have every little last bit of the party planned out so that there’s little to no confusion on party day.

Before anything, talk to the teacher.

You want to make sure that you and the teacher are on the same page and that you know his or her expectations, ideas, and party requirements. Talk about the Valentine’s Day Class Party Letter you need to send home with all of the kids, and share a draft before you make copies.

You can grab what I’ve used in the past here: How to throw a Rockstar Valentine’s Day Party.

Then develop a plan.

If you’re Room Parenting solo, then you brainstorm the plan. But if you’ve got a co-parent, then work together to figure out what will work best.

And write it down.

There’s nothing worse than going into a classroom for a class party and having no idea what’s going on.

A plan keeps everyone informed and on top of what’s happening.

Here are our ideas for the Valentine’s Day Minute to Win it Class Party:

Supplies needed:

Now what?

Divide class of 24 students into 6 groups of 4 using heart stickers.

This is really the way to go.

If you want to keep score, have students fill out score sheets as they go. I really think this works better than having the scores posted so the whole class can see them, but some people think that’s the fun part.

(Instructions for downloading are below!)

Do what works best for the group!

And then make sure you have a parent at each station.

Here are the cards we’ll use at each station.

Kids will pick a tiny heart sticker from a bowl before we get started, and that’s how we’ll organize groups.

The back of each station card will have the order of group rotation.

Our Minute to Win It Games

Station 1: need tiny conversation hearts, 4 sets of chopsticks, sandwich bags, bowl in center and 4 plates

Tiny Heart Chopstick Race: Players work individually to move as many tiny hearts from a central bowl into their own plastic cups, using only a pair of chopsticks.

Winner moves the most hearts to his/ her plate.

When finished, students put all hearts into sandwich bag.

Station 2: need Nila Wafer cookies and sandwich bags.

Cookie Face: Players have a Nila wafer cookie on their foreheads and have one minute to move that cookie from their forehead and into their

The winner is the player who moves the most cookies from forehead to mouth in one minute’s time!

Students put cookies into sandwich bag when time is called.

Station 3: need Fruit Loop cereal, pipe cleaners, plastic plates, sandwich bags.

One-Handed Bracelets: One minute to thread as many fruit loops onto a pipe cleaner as

And then–here’s the clincher–the player has to make that pipe cleaner into a bracelet. Using one hand.

Winner has the most Fruit Loops on pipe cleaner.

When finished, students put Fruit Loops and pipe cleaner into sandwich bag.

Station 4: need big conversation hearts, 4 plastic plates, and sandwich bags

Big Heart Towers: Players have one minute to stack as many big hearts with one hand as they can. It’s harder than you may think!

The winner is the person who has the highest stack after one minute.

Students put their hearts into a sandwich bag when finished.

Station 5:

Heart Race: need 50 paper hearts, 4 serving spoons, 4 plastic bowls

Students stand across from a partner, about 10 feet apart. Each person has five paper hearts on a serving spoon and has to walk quickly to the other person and drop as many hearts as possible into a bowl. When the hearts are dropped, the partner can then walk quickly to the other side and drop his/ her hearts into a bowl.

This continues until time is called.

The winning person has transferred the most hearts from one side to another!

Station 6: need 36 bathroom cups for each student (about 150 total)

Stack Attack: Players have 1 minute to completely stack and unstack 36 bathroom cups into a pyramid.

Winner is first to complete the task.

Please remember: Class parties should be fun, easy, and low-stress for all kids. Maybe instead give one point for every beanbag that hits the target.

Keep it light!

Do you want to download this whole awesome Minute to Win It Party Plan? You got it!

Let us know what you think! We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!

Want a few more fun Valentine’s Day ideas? Check out:

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minute to win it games for kids and family

12 | 28 | 2015

We’re always looking for cool activities to do with our children and our friends, and we’ve seriously found our fave.

Minute To Win It Games are a super-fun thing to do with kids and family.

You can totally adjust these games for whatever age group you have or however many players you have. You can adjust them for how competitive you want to be or how team–or individual–focused you want to be.

And honestly, if you search for Minute to Win It Games, you’ll find about fifty thousand.

We’ve researched, analyzed, and experimented with these games, and out of them all, here are our faves, complete with a few notes to ensure success.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Minute to Win It Games for Kids and Family:

Supplies needed to play the 12 games we played —

Many of the links are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase the item, teachmama.com gets a teeny, tiny percentage of the sale which helps us keep this website and all of its resources free for everyone.

Kix cereal (or another round cereal)
Chopsticks (3 pair)
Pipe cleaners/ chenille craft sticks
Fruit Loop cereal (or another loop cereal)
Pennies (about 300)
Small marshmallows (or jellybeans or chocolate chips)
Small Dixie cups
Plastic straws (about a dozen)
Red solo cups (about 100)
Blue solo cups (10)
Wooden skewers
Large nuts (hardware—about 15-20)
Ping pong balls (about 40)
3 square tissue boxes or sandwich bag boxes, empty with long ribbon (about 36″) around it
Nila wafer cookie
Plastic spoons (10)
Plastic bowls (6)
Marbles (30)
Double-sided tape
Poster board (for keeping score)
funny prizes for winners – maybe plastic crown or tiara?

Prepare for the games

Before you begin, gather all of your supplies and write the Minute to Win It Games you are playing on a poster board. See sample below:

Choose teams

We wrote down each player’s name on a small piece of paper, and before each game, we picked partners for that game. That way, teams were mixed up a bit and teams weren’t stuck. It made it much more fun.

Because we started with ten people and planned to pick partners for each game, we decided to score our games as follows:

winners: each got 5 points
2nd place: 4 points
3rd place: 3 points
4th place: 2 points
5th place: 1 point

It worked out well. We also didn’t get through all twelve games in one night. We moved slowly though each with our main focus: fun.

We cheered, hooted, and hollered.

We took a break for halftime and the kids played for a bit and the parents re-grouped. It takes a lot out of you, setting each game up, playing, and keeping the atmosphere light.

1. Kix Chopstick Race

Players work individually to move as many Kix cereal pieces from a central bowl into their own plastic cups, using only a pair of chopsticks.

Easy? Think again!

2. Cookie Face

Players have a cookie on their foreheads and have one minute to move that cookie from their forehead and into their mouth.

The winner is the player who moves the most cookies from forehead to mouth in one minute’s time!

3. One-Handed Bracelets

One minute to thread as many fruit loops onto a pipe cleaner as possible.

And then–here’s the clincher–the player has to make that pipe cleaner into a bracelet. Using one hand. So funny!

4. Penny Towers

Players have one minute to stack as pennies with one hand as they can. It’s harder than you may think!

The winner is the person who has the highest stack after one minute.

5. Marshmallow Toss

Students partner up and stand across from each other, about 2-4 feet apart.

One person has a handful of marshmallows and the other has a small paper cup. Students have one minute to toss as many marshmallows into the cup as possible.

After one minute, the throwers catch and the catchers throw.

The winning team is the one with the most marshmallows in the cup!

6. Marshmallow Race

Simple. You can play this several ways:

Break the group in half and draw a line in the middle of the table. Each side uses inexpensive plastic straws to try to blow the marshmallows to the other side of the line. The team with the most after one minute wins.
Each person plays individually and has one minute to blow a single marshmallow from one side of the table to the other. The person with the most at the end wins.

Straws and marshmallows, and a clean table–that’s all you need.

7. Stack Attack

Players have 1 minute to completely stack and unstack 36 cups into a pyramid. So fun!

8. Movin’ Blue

Players have 1 minute to move through an entire line of 25 cups moving the blue cup from the top to bottom.

We didn’t do this one–only because we had different brands of blue and red cups–so they didn’t stack properly.

But it seems really fun!

9. Nut Stacker

Thread 5 nuts onto a wooden skewer. With one hand, stack all the nuts on top of each other.

We didn’t have time for this one, either. But could be done with chopsticks, depending on the size of the nuts.

This may be safer if you have little guys playing.

10. Junk in the Trunk

Players have an empty sandwich bag box (or tissue box) tied to their waist with 6 ping pong balls inside. Players move shake and shimmy to get all balls out of the box in under one minute.

This. Is. Hilarious.

11. Balance the Balls

Players move ping pong balls from one shared bowl to another bowl on the opposite side of the room.

The catch: players can only move balls using a spoon that they’re holding in their mouth.

OR, play with just about anything you have on hand!

12. Sticky Balls

Players roll marbles from one side of the table to the other, trying to get as many as possible to stick on double sided tape.

Really, it was so much fun.

Here’s how we did prizes: everyone got one!

Just like we do for our New Year’s Bingo Bonanza, we wrap whatever we have around the house–so some are fun prizes and some are pure funny prizes.

And any complainers lose their prize. It’s all about the fun, right?

Want to print out our Minute To Win It Games and score sheet?

Here you go: teachmama.com _ minute to win it games

teachmama.com _ minute to win it games

Please, if you choose to share this–and we hope you do!–link to this post instead of the attachment page. Thank you!

Want a few more fun ideas to use with your kids and family?

Check these out:

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how to set up iphone for family sharing so that the whole family stays cyber safe

12 | 21 | 2015

It’s hard to decide whether or not to give your child a mobile device.

It’s hard to decide when your child may be ready to have his or her own iPhone.

It’s hard to decide whether or not to give your child a tablet, old phone, an iPod, iPad, or computer.

I’m not here to tell you the exact when or where–that’s up to you and depends wholly on your family’s situation.

But I’ll tell you this: you’ve got to think through the decision–the whole thing.

Because, my friends, it’s a different time, and if you don’t 110% think through the decision, you will be sorry. Though there’s so much good out there–there’s also so much bad. Gross, awful, and nasty.

And it’s our job as parents to help our kids walk gracefully through–or past–it.

I’ll be honest: I struggled to figure out how to properly set up our devices most safely. It took time, but I am hoping it’s worth it.

Hoping that my sharing here will save you some serious time.

Here’s the skinny. . .

How to Set Up iPhone for Family Sharing:

Our family has a mad mix of both Android and iOS devices.

Here’s the breakdown:

me: iPhone and MacBook Air;
husband: Android and iPad Air;
Maddy: iPhone 5S;
Owen: Samsung Avant Android (not used as a phone but used as game-playing device); big iPad;
Cora: MyTouch Android (not used as a phone but used as game-playing device); mini iPad.

We also have:

HP Touchscreen Chromebook;
Acer Chromebook;
Kindle Fire — we all use these devices for games and schoolwork;
HP Envy e-5540 all-in-one-printer.

I’ve talked about our Screen Time Tickets — the system of managing Maddy, Owen, and Cora’s screen time so that we wouldn’t go crazy. It worked for us for a long, long time.

But they’ve definitely aged out of it.

Maddy is 12, Owen’s 10, and Cora is 8 years old, 9 in just three months.

We used Gem Jars for a while, and we tied gems into screen time. But they’ve aged out of Gem Jars a bit, too.

So we’ve moved more toward a relaxed system where we:

have one day a week totally and completely unplugged- our ‘unplugged Wednesday’;
allow kids to come home and get on devices for 15 minutes after school, to wind down and relax a bit. Owen usually checks his Fantasy Football, Maddy and Cora check email;
give the kids time to be online. After homework, I may say, Okay–you have until 5pm to be online. After that, you’re off. And honestly, it works pretty well. At one of our last Family Meetings, the kids requested that we try this system, and it’s been working well.
charge all of our devices in one happy, little spot each night: the Satechi Charging Station Dock with a few Android micro USBs and Apple micro USBs.

I finally decided on setting up iOS Family Sharing for several reasons:

I can monitor the kids’ whereabouts with the iOS Find Your Friends feature;
We all have our own iCloud accounts but can share music, photos, movies, and books;
I like that each person can create his or her own contacts that will then follow them on whatever device they log into;
I wanted each child to be able to use and practice iMessage on the iOS platform–and because many of the kids’ aunts, uncles, and grandparents use iOS, I know we can all be in group chats together;
I wanted the kids’ friends to be able to Facetime them;
We have 5 iOS devices in the house, and Maddy just got an iPhone;
With WebSafety, I can even more closely monitor what happens on each device, with each child.

Is Family Sharing for you? Check it out. Learn more. Decide–because it’s got to feel like a good fit.

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Here’s how we have set up Family Sharing for our iOS devices and how you can too:

Believe me, it’s a bit time-consuming, but you can–and should–set aside an hour to do it for your kids’ safety.

1. Log into your iCloud account on your device. If you don’t have an iCloud account, create one: www.icloud.com.

2. Make sure you have a payment method set up in iTunes. You may have to put in your credit card. It’s annoying, but just do it.

3. Now, set up iCloud account for each child.

Head over to your child’s device and log into your iCloud account.

Go to SETTINGS -> ICLOUD -> click on FAMILY
ADD FAMILY MEMBER -> Create an Apple ID for a child
Enter BIRTHDAY -> AGREE to Parent Privacy Disclosure ->
Verify Payment Method by entering the 3-digit security code on back of card ->
Enter child’s name ->
Create Apple ID (I used the same as the kids’ gmail address) ->
Create Apple ID password ->
Create Security Questions ->
Ask to Buy: YES ->
Share Child’s Location with Family: YES ->
Terms and Conditions: Agree

4. Set up your child’s email on the device. If your child has a gmail account, you want to merge the gmail account with the iCloud account. That way, all friends who have the gmail account can very easily connect with the child using that account.

Go to SETTINGS -> Mail, Contacts, Calendars ->
Go to iCloud.com on your browser.
Sign into your child’s iCloud account.
Go to Manage Account.
Go to Account -> Edit.
Add an email address.
Click Done and sign out.

5. Set up Messaging and Facebook on your child’s device.

Go to SETTINGS -> GENERAL -> MESSAGES -> SEND & RECEIVE and make sure that iMessage is activated for your child.
Remove any accounts you do not want on this device. (My own account was on several iPads, so I removed it!)
Go to AUDIO MESSAGES and VIDEO MESSAGES and make sure they never expire.
Go to SETTINGS -> GENERAL -> FACETIME and make sure that Facetime is activated for your child.
Go to SETTINGS -> PRIVACY -> LOCATION SERVICES and make sure that you have Share My Location enabled.

6. Go to the APP STORE and search for WEB SAFETY (WebSafety for Android / WebSafety for iOS).

Download the WebSafety app onto the device.
If you haven’t created a Web Safety account for yourself, do that now. It’s free. And awesome.
Log in and register your child on your child’s device. That means, you’ll log into your WebSafety account and choose either ‘Protect this device and track activity’/ MY CHILD OR ‘Provide me notifications about my children’s protected devices’/ PARENT OR GUARDIAN.
If you choose MY CHILD, you’ll add your child to this device.
We have WebSafety added to Maddy, Owen, and Cora’s phones and iOS device that they use. It’s not because we don’t trust them; rather, it’s because we want to be aware of their online activities and because we love them and want them to be safe.

7. Almost finished! Promise. Now, go to iCloud -> SIGN OUT of your iCloud account on your child’s device.

8. Now, on that child’s device, sign into your child’s iCloud. This will mean that the child will kind of ‘own’ the device.

9. Enable Restrictions on the child’s device. (This. Is. HUGE.)

Go to SETTINGS -> GENERAL -> RESTRICTIONS.

Enter a passcode that only you will know.
Create restrictions for all that you want to manage. This is what we ALLOWED:
- Safari
- Camera
- Siri & Dictation
- Facetime
- AirDrop (on newer devices)
- iTunes store
- Apple Music Connect
- iBooks Store
- Podcasts
- News
- Installing Apps
- Deleting Apps
- DID NOT ALLOW In-App Purchases
ALLOWED CONTENT:
- Ratings for: US
- Music, Podcasts & News: CLEAN
- MOVIES: PG
- TV Shows: TV-PG
- Books: RESTRICTED
- Apps: 9+
- Siri: RESTRICTED (did not allow Explicit Language / DID allow Web Search Content — but you may change this)
- Websites: LIMIT ADULT CONTENT
- Password Settings: REQUIRE AFTER 15 MINUTES
PRIVACY: (This is a big one!)
- Location Services: DON’T ALLOW CHANGES / Share my Location: YES from THIS DEVICE with family / Go into each App that uses Location Services and modify accordingly. If it’s a device that will mostly stay home, then turn off Location Sharing for most Apps.
- Contacts: ALLOW CHANGES (I allowed this so that the kids can add their friends.)
- Calendars: ALLOW CHANGES
- Reminders: ALLOW CHANGES
- Photos: ALLOW CHANGES (I allowed changes here but removed photo-sharing from many Apps and games.)
- Share my Location: DON’T ALLOW CHANGES
- Bluetooth Sharing: ALLOW CHANGES
- Microphone: ALLOW CHANGES (I allowed changes here but removed from many Apps and games.)
- Twitter: DON’T ALLOW CHANGES
- Facebook: DON’T ALLOW CHANGES
- Advertising: DON’T ALLOW CHANGES
Allow Changes
- Accounts: DON’T ALLOW CHANGES
- Cellular Data Use: DON’T ALLOW CHANGES
- Background App Refresh: DON’T ALLOW CHANGES
- Volume Limit: ALLOW CHANGES (But if kids are young maybe not)
Game Center
- Multiplayer Games: ON (My kids like Minecraft and play regularly)
- Adding Friends: OFF

10. Now, create a Family Media Agreement.

And talk to your kids regularly about online safety, being online, and being a responsible cyber-citizen.

Talk about communicating effectively online. Set up texting groups with family members.

Monitor, monitor, monitor.

Use WebSafety.

One of the best ways I’ve found to stay connected and on top of things? Being online myself.

If you want or need a start, here:

This post is part of our Digital Kids series:

cool and creative family gifts

12 | 17 | 2015

Sometimes it’s super difficult to find the right gift for your nephew, niece, or brother-in-law, so why not switch things up a bit?

After the donating and giving to others and focusing on the real meaning of the season, why not try something different?

Instead of going for singular, one-gift-per-person-kinda gifts, go for family gifts.

Like gifts where there’s a little something for everyone. Everyone shares. Everyone’s happy.

Here are just a few cool and creative family gift ideas that we’re keeping our eyes on for next year or what we may gently recommend for others.

Cool and Creative Family Gifts (and it’s not too late!):

These are just ideas–just starters–and where you take them depends on what you need, how big of a budget you have, and the family who will be receiving the gift, of course.

Get them out to hang with some animals.

Create a animal-happy bundle.

Invest in a zoo or aquarium membership. We’re huge fans of the Smithsonian National Zoo and have been FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo) for years. The cool thing about our zoo here in DC is that it’s free (yay!). But parking is $20 a pop. Might not seem high, but it adds up. A zoo membership is great for us, but really any membership would rock–so if there’s a nearby aquarium, farm, petting zoo, or animal center, pick up a family membership!
Animal Encyclopedia, by National Geographic: Grab a few animal books to include with the gift!
Find some relevant stuffed animals: Go with a monkey, a sloth, or a giraffe. A shark, an otter, or a fish.

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Get them reading.

Help them build a little at-home book nook.

Small bookshelf: You only need a low one with a few shelves and room for some baskets!
Bean bag chair: Definitely get one that will fit one or two readers who want to cozy up.
Rug: Just big enough to cover the small area of the book nook, friends. We’re not redecorating an entire room!
Reading lamp: We want our kids to be able to see the letters and words on the page, so make sure there’s a lamp in the book nook.
Raising a Rock-Star Reader: You knew I’d include this, didn’t you? I’ve shared and shared my excitement for the release of my book, and I think it’s the perfect addition to any family’s Reading Nook holiday gift.
Books for every family member: If you’re not sure what books interest each member of the family, go for a gift card! You can’t go wrong by letting them choose their own books on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Magazine subscription: Magazine reading counts as reading. So head over to Discount Mags and pick one for each person in the family. (If you head over now, you can score 40% off sitewide with code: SITEWIDE40).

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Get them connected.

Make it a techy bundle–

Acer Chromebook: Less than $200 and it can really take a beating, my kids use theirs every, single day.
HP Envy 5540 Wireless Printer: Less than $80. Super quality printing meets all your family’s needs, and it’s wireless. We have this and I love it so much, I’d marry it if I could. And? . . .
HP Instant Ink: Instant Ink means you’ll never run out of ink. Period. It’s super-affordable (not even kidding!), and when your super-smart printer tells the ink people that you need more ink, it’ll show up at your door. BONUS: Now through December 31st, when you enroll your printer in HP Instant Ink, you will receive six free months of ink! To decide which plan is right for you and to enroll, visit the Instant Ink site stat.
HP Social Media Snapshot Sticky Paper: Print any photo you want straight from your mobile device onto this sweet paper that has a sticky back. Perfect for crafts, throwing into an album, adding to a notebook–you name it.
Blisstime DIY Google Cardboard Virtual Reality 3D Glasses: These are so cool, it’s nuts. You assemble these 3D glasses and then put your phone–your 3-5″ screen phone– and use the Google Cardboard app and seriously GO PLACES. (But not really–it just feels like you are.)

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Get them cooking!

Have them become the Next Food Network Star family. Or something like that.

Cooking or Baking Class from Craftsy: We love these classes–and so will most families. Very comprehensive, easy to follow, and to the point. And with each class, a family’s learning a new skill!
Baking pans: Everyone needs new supplies if they’re going to be baking!
Oven mitts: Go for the extra long ones, friends.
Mixer: Get a big one. It’s an investment and awesome addition to any household. Pick a fun color.
Cookbooks: How about Baking With Kids: Make Breads, Muffins, Cookies, Pies, Pizza Dough and More, by Leah Brooks or The Star Wars Cookbook II, by Frankie Frankeny

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Get them playing games!

Go for a really cool family fun pack of games that will make Family Game Night totally rock.

Bingo: We’ve shared our Bingo love many times. Great for learning numbers and at least a handful of letters!
Math Dice: For a bit of an older crowd, but a great mathy game. For littles, go with Math Dice, Jr.
Apples to Apples: So. Fun. Really a great game for a crowd.
Monopoly Empire: Our hands-down favorite addition to the Monopoly family.
Cranium: A game that touches on our logical, artistic, dramatic, and thoughtful sides. \
Popcorn Popper and popcorn bowls: Who says popcorn is just for the movies? We like popcorn any time–but especially on Family Game Night!