The school year is winding down and I'm looking forward to nights with no homework (yay!) and fewer extracurricular activities on our calendar (double yay!). That means board game night. So I started to track down the best board games fo…
As much as my older kids love their electronics, good old-fashioned crafts still hold some appeal for them, especially if the finished product is something really worth making. And with summer vacation fast-approaching, I really want to …
From books full of creative DIY projects to endless coloring pages, I have tracked down some of the absolute coolest activity books for kids, that I think your kids are sure to love as much as mine this summer. After all, I adore the war…
Though it's certainly easy to hand our kids a screen when we want to keep them busy at the doctor's office, on a long road trip, or when work needs to get done (and I am as guilty as anyone), I've found there is one alternative to handhe…
There's nothing quite like bright bursts of color dotting the landscape to wake me up and out of winter's hibernation. And you can bring all the colors of spring into your home with these 15 pretty flower crafts you can make with the kid…
My kids have shown more of an interest in making natural easter egg dyes this year. It's like part science experiment, part craft project, and there's something kind of cool about not entirely knowing how the results will come out. So as…
Tie-dye Easter eggs? Oh, heck yeah! Didn't you know? We're parenting in the Pinterest era, which means now Easter egg dyeing ideas are so much more than plain pastels or primary colors. We're seeing amazing pop-culture characters , foil-…
We admit that sometimes we avoid the really fun painting and craft projects that include supplies other than the box of nice, neat, perfectly sharpened colored pencils we know will minimize cleanup time. (The glitter glue, that's a whole…
Spring is in the air and our kids are clamoring to make some easy Easter crafts -- the holiday will be here before you know it! So this year, I'm looking for some fun, realistic (ahem) craft ideas for Easter that incorporate things I hav…
Since the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens , kids all over planet Earth and Jakku are begging for a Star Wars Force Awakens birthday party that incorporates Rey, Finn, BB-8, and yeah, Kylo Ren along with our favorite p…
While I'm not sure I'm ready for my house to look like it exploded in hearts, Valentine's Day is coming sooner than you think. And since my kids' own language of love is craft projects, I've been looking for some easy Valentine's Day cra…
My kids can easily spend an hour at the kitchen table working on a good DIY project, so I'm always on the lookout for cool crafts kits that will pique their interest. Lately, it's been the globally-minded kits from Festive Roots , which …
You always need a few toys to keep kids entertained in the bath, of course. Cups and boats have always always been a hit with mine, but I just had to share the adorable new Marco light-up bath toy from Boon from Boon for something a litt…
I don't want to let holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day slip by with my kids thinking it's just an extra day off of school. So if you're like me and are looking for some ways to honor the spirit of MLK while you're home today, we hi…
Kudos to my sister-in-law who scored with arguably the biggest hit of all the gifts this holiday season, Telestrations . Or actually, credit may go to my 9-year-old niece who saw it in a store and said, "hey, that looks fun" which was th…
As your kids get older, you realize you don't have to ply them with gifts or offer extra ice cream at dessert just to be The Cool Parent. (And despite what you may have learned from Amy Poehler in Mean Girls , you don't have to serve the…
Total Star Wars score! I just discovered these awesome printable Star Wars Force Awakens coloring pages from Etsy's DJ Penscript and I know my kids will be clamoring to get their markers on them, stat. This is no rudimentary clip art; Ne…
While we still have a lot of love for all the cool adult coloring books we featured this year -- and saw everywhere this holiday season -- I realized there was another relaxing drawing option for us big kids, when my teen daughter unwrap…
Oh, bless you paper snowflakes! For all we need to make them are scissors, paper, and if you want to get fancy, some very cool snowflake patterns. It's the perfect holiday craft for those of you, like me, who are enthusiastic about doing…
H i Cool Mom Picks! Can you put to gether some unique holiday gift ideas for creative kids that go beyond the same craft kits I see everywhere? Thanks so much! Ooh, I love this question. We know that all kids have creativity in them, so …
Paper jewelry kits are a pretty awesome gift, giving your crafty kids something wonderful they can make and wear -- even when you're sure you want one more little bead, button, or plastic charm strewn about your house. I adore paper jewe…
If there is one gift we always hope our kids get unwrap this holiday, it's an art toy or craft kit , or something that encourages and help develops their artistic sides. For us, toys that build on children's natural creativity are as imp…
This is a sponsored message from SimplyFun board games With Thanksgiving break coming up this week and Hanukkah and Christmas not far behind, it's a great time to be thinking about getting a few family game nights on the calendar. You pr…
Since I'll be busy in the kitchen next week,I'm going to put my kids in charge of the Thanksgiving table decorations. Craft projects and art are usually a fun way for them to fill their down time when they're home from school, and what I…