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5 ideas for helping parents read with their kids: podcast
We all know that reading is super important, but how do we read with our kids when it seems like everyone is busy, busy, busy? I sat down with the amazing Vicki Davis of the Cool Cat Teacher blog and 10-Minute Teacher podcast to chat about how parents can read with their kids. Reading with kids should be simple, right? But why aren't we doing it?! Take a quick 10 minutes (yes, that's it!) to listen to the podcast and do let me know what you think! Huge and happy thanks … Read More...
get involved in Red Nose Day’s Joke-Ha-Thon and make a difference in children’s lives
First of all: What is Red Nose Day? You might vaguely recall seeing people wearing silly, red clown noses in the name of raising money for children in poverty? That's Red Nose Day! Red Nose Day really makes a difference in children's lives. And what's the Red Nose Day Joke-Ha-Thon? The Joke-Ha-Thon gives students the chance to tell—and sell—their best jokes in their classrooms, schools and communities to spread some much-needed joy and raise some life-changing cash. Why am … Read More...
30 days of financial fitness: 3 cool resources to raise financial literacy in kids
As a parent and educator, I know it is super important that my kids learn how to make smart financial decisions now, before they go off into the real world. But I know that raising money confident kids isn’t always easy. It involves planning. It involves understanding ourselves how to be money confident—and that can be scary, even as adults. So when I was asked by the good people at T. Rowe Price to take a look at the Money Confident Kids® resources they have for school and … Read More...
st. patrick’s day BRAIN TEASER scavenger hunt
Even though our lives have changed quite a bit since I started this blog seven years ago, one thing has remained the same: we love to rock it out for holidays. Even big kids like to rock it out for the holidays. So this year, I decided to kick up our traditional St. Patty's Day Scavenger Hunt just a wee bit. My kids are quick, and they're smart. So our Scavenger Hunt needs to be tricky and engaging to keep them interested--or at least to stretch our hunt a bit past the … Read More...
lent for modern catholic kids | daily reflections and prayers
Cards have been updated to reflect dates for the 2019 Lenten season. Enjoy! We're one week into Lent this year, and I feel like we kind of struggled for the first week. Our parish priest stressed to us the importance of 'not giving up chocolate' again and instead challenged us to really make this Lent count. So we agreed. We wouldn't give up chocolate. But honestly, after so many years of doing just that--giving up sweets--for Lent, it felt strange not to. And we … Read More...
be nicer than necessary notes: lunchbox love to help us stop bickering
We're in a mad winter funk over here. A serious winter funk. Lots of snow days and delays grey skies and dreary days and indoor recess at school means that there's been a lot of grumpy, grouchy kids at our house. And parents. No matter what we do to mix things up, it seems like we've all been doing more arguing and bickering than I care to admit. And it's not just the kids--sure, of course, it's the kids. But it's also my husband and me. The dog. The birds and fish. We're all a little … Read More...
Be Internet Awesome—free resources to help keep kids internet safe
Friends, if you and your family are not talking openly and often about internet safety, then you really must start doing so now. What better time to start than on Safer Internet Day, February 5? Safer Internet Day is geared toward making sure all people join together and do what they can to make the internet a safer place for everyone—especially for our younger users. But how do we do this? We barely understand the internet, right? So how are we supposed to help our kids be … Read More...
valentine’s day class party ideas, 2.0
For many years now I've been roped into being Room Parent for my kids' classes, and though I do love the opportunity to meet other families from the school and to get to know the kids in the class, it's a lot of work. More than once I've wished that there was a secret site that gave me all of the Valentine's Day class party ideas I needed--the letters to send, the snacks to serve, crafts to make and the games to play. But knowing that such a thing doesn't exist and that each class party is … Read More...
the kid who would be king: review & free printables
Looking for a fun family movie this weekend? We found a great one for you: The Kid Who Would Be King. And I've got some cool printable quotes notes—and mini posters!—for you, too! The Kid Who Would Be King is a modern-day adaptation of the King Arthur story and the legend of the sword in the stone, Maddy, Owen, Cora, and I loved this film. It's a fun mix of Goonies and Harry Potter. Not only did we have a chance to see an advanced screening of this new film in NYC this month, … Read More...
valentine’s day water bottle labels: get kids reading jokes!
I love any reason to get kids reading--that's no secret. And I love a good joke. That's really no secret, either. So I made these Valentine's Day joke notes to put on plain-Jane water bottles, over the label. I love them. Valentine's Day water bottle labels will not only give your kids--or students--something refreshing to drink, but it'll give them something to laugh about as well. Here's the skinny. . . Valentine's Day Water Bottle Labels -- Get Your Kids Reading … Read More...
