We have no shortage of movie nights in the summer, but I would love to get my kids to crack open their books more often when school isn't in session. And I think I've found a way to encourage them to read more while still keeping movie n…
Though my kids' feet are all bigger (and smellier) than the days when they had cute toddler toes, back then I loved buying them Stride Rite shoes because I liked how they fit my kids' feet and--quite simply--trusted the company that has …
I have long loved finding unique, eco-friendly, and easy-to-assemble cardboard furniture and toys for kids . But while most of the cardboard items I've found to date are unfinished, I'm so intrigued by a new company on Kickstarter that m…
My son will be heading off to day camp later this month where he will swim, run, climb, and, quite possibly, be eaten alive by mosquitoes. Since I'm not too keen on him reapplying toxic chemicals all over himself midway through the day, …
Even before she had made her first trip out of the country, my daughter loved the subscription her aunt bought her to Little Passports when she was in grade school. Each month, she'd receive a packet of information and little trinkets ab…
The Minions are coming! The Minions are coming! Today's premiere of the aptly titled Minions movie is bound to turn even more kids into fans of those yellow goofballs, meaning you may find yourself planning a Minion-themed birthday party…
Starting today, it won't be safe to turn on the television without knowing Shark Week has come ashore, with an entire week of programming on the Discovery Channel dedicated to those creatures of the sea. And while we're happy to keep the…
We expect to hear plenty of ooh's and ahh's to accompany all the bright and sparkly things we'll see on the Fourth of July, but I hope to eliminate any ow's with these safera alternatives to sparklers that they can enjoy on Independence …
Before you go to the Fourth of July parade, fire up the grill, or lay out the blanket to watch the fireworks fall from the sky, I like the idea of getting inked up with some beautifully designed DIY Fourth of July tattoos. Just like fire…
I've been fighting boredom this summer with a bunch of magic markers and one really huge (like, seriously huge) and cleverly illustrated coloring poster for kids from a new company called Pirasta. And the beauty of these posters is that …
It may take special talent and years of study to compose music for a symphony, but we've discovered a fun shortcut with Think Fun's new Compose Yourself , a creative, musical card game which lets kids 6 and up -- and even adult neophytes…
One of the first rules of summer camp, other than Sunscreen Sunscreen Sunscreen , is to label every single thing your kids take with them. Including the sunscreen. While a Sharpie can do the trick on some products, we love colorful label…
Before you pack up the kids and head to the beach ( yay summer! ), take my advice and do a quick inventory of last year's beach toys. Between missing shovels, broken pails, and maybe some toys that are no longer in the best shape, it may…
We may look at our tweens and teens and think, How did they get so big so fast? But you only have to scratch the surface to find a playful kid hiding in there, and ready to come out. So, it wasn't hard to come up with a whole bunch of me…
When I first saw a picture of The Swurfer in my local toy store's summer catalog, I thought that it looked like a nice wide swing for those of us who can't quite, ahem, cram ourselves into our kids' smaller swings. And while it can defin…
H i Cool Mom Picks! A ny suggestions for workbooks or activities to help prepare my child--and keep them out of my hair (ha)--for the summer between kindergarten and first grade? -Chaitali Ahhhh, summer! No school lunches to pack, no bus…
My beach bum son loves everything about the beach except for the one thing that actually gives him beach bum: That mesh insert in his bathing suit. (I know, we're very clever.) So, I'm so very thankful to find NoNetz swim trunks for boys…
If your kids like building blocks as much as mine, you'll want to check out Paper Punk's new Urban Fold paper blocks which allow kids 6 and up to build a sprawling metropolis without the bulk and weight of traditional blocks. This is suc…
We were all totally blown away last year when we began to see the daily paper-dress creations of one amazing four-year-old affectionately known as Mayhem . With her mom as her assistant (well, maybe a little more), Mayhem's wearable crea…
With three vehicle-loving children, there was a time when I feared my living room would be overrun with sections of train tracks and makeshift "roads" built out of blocks. I wish I had known about InRoad Toys; clever play tape road rolls…
With another school year coming to an end, it's a great time to capture a photo of your grinning student on their last day of school. To make sure you remember the moment years from now, I love the new Picture Me Proud photo memory cards…
We fell so in love with Candylab Toys and their gorgeous, modern-looking wood cars when we saw them over the holidays last year, they easily made 2014 Best Toys, Dolls, and Games list . Now our engines are all revved up again to see that…
They may be growing up oh-so-fast, but our elementary-school aged kids are more than happy to get as messy as their toddler selves used to, especially when it's all in good fun. Our tip: Every so often, it's okay to get messy. So throw o…
Mother's Day may be one of our favorite holidays for obvious reasons, but it's also obvious that not all kids have a mother living in their family. For young kids in this situation, this can be a difficult time, especially in school when…
