If you're looking for a simple DIY Halloween decor idea to try with the kids this year (one that - bonus - will keep them quiet and busy for a good chunk of time), check out my kirigami paper spiderweb garland.Kids love the ancient art of origami and kirigami takes it up a notch by adding in cutting work (which is great for building fine motor skills). Follow our step-by-step instructions below to make some basic kirigami spiderwebs with the kids in Halloween colors. Then string them … [Read more...]
Halloween Craft: DIY Stand-Alone Ghosts
If you’ve been to your local craft store recently, you’ve probably noticed the sudden abundance of cheesecloth available on the shelves. The thin, gauze-like material has been a Halloween crafting staple for decades and for good reason.It’s a very user-friendly material for both kids and adults to work with and it’s appearance naturally lends itself to ghost and mummy projects galore. Today we’re giving you the quick and easy steps involved in making some spooky spirits that you … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Get Your Kids Off Their Screens and Playing Outside
Despite living in rain city USA, I believe strongly in getting the kids outside as much as possible (also, the summers in Seattle are gorgeous).So today I've asked Lea to stop by with her top 5 tips for getting your kids away from a screen and outside to play. (And added a few photos of my family because I just couldn't resist.) Playtime is serious business.Just ask the American Council on Pediatrics. In their concerns about the effect of media on young minds, they encourage pediatricians … [Read more...]
4 Simple Summer Routines for Beating the Summer Slide
It's only a few weeks until the last day of school for us and I know summer vacation has already started for many of you! To help you prepare for a wonderful summer filled with lots of relaxing, playing, connecting, and - yes - even learning, I've asked my good friend Mariah of Playful Learning to stop by and share her tips. To say Mariah is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to education, is an understatement. She has 20 years of experience working in the field of education and a Master of … [Read more...]
Summer Budget Bucket List: 25 Ideas that Don’t Cost a Lot of Money
I'm all about the bucket lists. Let me re-phrase that...I'm all about lists in general. Maybe it's the first grade teacher in me? I have found that lists help me stay on task, focus and get things done.So, when it comes to summer fun, of course I would make a bucket list. Summer seems to go as quickly as it comes. I want to make sure that we soak up every moment of enjoyment.The only problem is that I don't have endless amounts of cash to spend on amusement … [Read more...]
20 No/Low Set-Up Ways to Play with Your Kids in the Back Yard
Not that I'm counting or anything, but summer is something like 52 days away.I don't know about you, but for us... Summer is all about fun without the fuss. Our family loves the new-found together time. And we love doing activities together, both in and out of the house. But the key to making things more enjoyable for everyone? Especially for Mom?Minimal planning and set up.I mean, it's KEY.As usual, we'll be focusing on getting outside as much as possible this summer, even despite the … [Read more...]
Best Homemade Playdough Ever: Jell-O Playdough
Homemade playdough - If ever there was a quintessential DIY this is it! Parents and children have been happily cooking up this stuff at home for decades. Today Kaley is sharing her favorite play dough recipe using another kid classic: Jell-O (because it just wouldn't be an MPMK post without some sort of twist).You're going to love this recipe. Kaley promises it comes out silky smooth and I could practically smell the fruity scents wafting from my computer as I read her … [Read more...]
13 Kitchen Science Projects to Blow Your Kids’ Minds
With spring just barely arrived, I think it is fair to say we could all use a few good indoor activities to keep the kids engaged about now.I usually turn to arts and crafts, but lately I have been trying to introduce a little more science to my little ones.Since I don't want to leave the house when the weather is so terrible, I definitely don't want to be running all over town looking for specific materials for our experiments. So I've rounded up 13 kitchen science projects that use … [Read more...]
DIY Personalized Alphabet Book
It's so hard to believe I first shared the personalized alphabet book I made for my son 7 years ago. It's been an extremely popular post ever since so I thought it was time to bring it out of the vault. And with all the options out there for creating photo books now, it couldn't be easier to do! But it can still be surprisingly hard to think of something that's salient to your child for each letter - I'm hoping sharing my picks might help.Please enjoy and let me know if you … [Read more...]