Hands on Activites for Toddlers
It's no secret that toddlers love hands on activities, especially messy ones that involve paint and markers. In case you're strapped for ideas to keep your little munchkin busy, here are a few tried and true methods that toddlers love. Sparkle Finger Painting- It's like regular finger painting, but let your child sprinkle glitter over their final product! Kids love the final glittery effect and it makes for some pretty cool artwork after it's dried. For easy cleanup, have your toddler wear a smock and put a mess mat under their chair while they're having fun being creative! Glue and…
Healthy Summer Snacks for Kids | #snacks #healthy
With summer comes the longer days and the endless struggle of trying to feed hungry little munchkins. This is especially a challenge if you don't have the budge for prepared items, or have picky eaters. Here are a few tried and true snack ideas that kids are sure to love. Frozen grapes- Wash and remove the stems from a bag of grapes, line a cookie sheet with waxed paper and place the grapes on it. Place in the freezer over night. The next morning you'll have an easy and healthy snack for the kids! Fresh fruit cones- Fill ice cream…
How to Make Homemade Butter With Your Kids! | #recipe
If you've ever watched the Little House books, then you know all about the homemade butter that Ma would make. Making homemade butter is a fun experiment for a rainy day with your bored kiddos. What you need: A clean pint mason jar with a lid. Enough heavy whipping cream to fill the jar 3/4 of the way. A pinch of salt. All you need to do is have the kidlets take turns shaking it. After about eight-ten minutes small curds will begin to form in the cream and after another ten minutes of being vigorously shaken or rolled around,…
What You Need to Know About Cyber Bullying | #bullying #cyberbullying
Technology is a device that can be used for the greater good of society, but there is a darker side to it as well. Schools have been dealing with bullies and aggressive students for decades, however, many kids are turning to the internet to pick on their peers. This new form of peer bullying is called cyber bullying, and it happens to one in three teenagers. And out of every ten children who experience cyber bullying, only one will tell their parents when it occurs. Cyber bullying is often done anonymously via nasty YouTube comments, or Tumblr messages. The aspect…
Five Adventure Based Apps that Kids Love | #apps #tech
With popular companies like Disney and Pixar releasing apps along with the rest of their merchandise, there are plenty of adventure and character based apps for kids to enjoy. Frozen Free Fall- Featuring a game that's like candy crush for kids with your favorite Frozen characters, it's no wonder kids love this app considering the success of both Frozen and Candy Crush. (Free in the App Store) Minion Rush- In this app, kids get the chance to become one of Gru's minions and go on a race to catch all the bananas while avoiding obstacles. Based on the successful Despicable…
Natural Ways to Avoid a Sun Burn this Summer | #summer
With all the hype about certain sunscreens being linked to cancer, it's no wonder that so many parents are looking for natural ways to reduce the risk of sun burns and skin cancer this summer! Use natural sun screen- One of my favorite brands is Lavanila, and their gluten free, natural sun screen is perfect for every family this summer. While a bit more on the pricey side, a little bit goes a long way and it effectively works to cut back on sun burns and exposure to the sun's ultra violet rays. Consume more vitamin D- Vitamin D is important, and…
Natural vs Organic – Which is Really Better? | #organic #natural
There is a huge debate between natural foodies as to whether or not natural or organic food is better for your kids. On the one hand, certified organic food is in fact certified and almost guaranteed organic. On the other hand, certified organic food is more expensive in some cases. Organic food is popping up everywhere, there are even organic restaurants showing up on different street corners. With all the information on what is really in food these days, more people are turning to organic food options. The downside is that organic food can often be expensive, too often it's…
Ways to Get Your Kids Motivated | #parenting
Motivating kiddos to work, or to get anything done can be a huge challenge. Growing up my mom would always come up with the most ingenious ideas to get all of us working. One thing that never seems to fail when it comes to kids, is having a goal to work towards. Even if it's something small, such as homemade Popsicle for dessert, goals are a great way to get the kiddos to stop whining and start working. For example, if the yard or basement is in desperate need of cleaning this spring, one idea is to motivate kids is…
Tips for Taking Better iPhone Photos | #iphone #photography
It seems like more and more people are turning to their iPhone camera to record memories and special events. With the new iOS7 update, I can't exactly blame them. The new camera has a lot of great features like in camera editing and new grid options that the iOS6 didn't support. Even better, taking great iPhone photos is less complicated than ever before. Photography, even with an iPhone, is an art that requires patience. Remember to use a steady hand when capturing photos. Shaking and moving around will obviously result in a blurry, or distorted photo. If you need to,…
Why Your Teen Should Volunteer this Summer
Everyone talks about volunteering as an important part on a senior's college application, but what about other aspects of volunteering? Volunteering is something important in any teenager's life, and not just because of how great it looks on a college application. The most important part of volunteering is the ability to give back and to do good in your community. Whether it's something as simple as looking after kids in the children's church on Sunday, working at a food pantry once a week, collecting items for a shelter, or even visiting seniors. There are so many ways to encourage your…