9-12 years

surprise! we’re going to Disney: a checklist for parents who want to pull off a last-minute surprise for kids

We have always taught our kids to be thankful for each and every person who makes our day a little brighter. And those people include family and friends, neighbors and teachers, but it also includes our newspaper deliverer, and the …

  I have a hard time sitting still during sporting events. I won’t lie. I love the tailgating and the food and the crowds, but sometimes. . . the games seem really long to me. So we’ve been creative in …

  Oh, friends. How things change as our kids get older, right? After years of doing what we can to give our kids choices, listening to them, doing all we can but ultimately having the final say–our kids have expressed to …

originally published November 8, 2010       Maddy has been so proud of her spelling and word-learning progress over the last few weeks (and so are we!).  She really is borderline excited when I print out a new list …

    One of my dear friends has just published her second book–it’s a book that is so filled with crafty awesome, it’s a must-have for all families. My pal Jean is the author of The Artful Parent blog, and …

    Let’s face it: classroom parties are difficult to throw. Scratch that.  Class parties easy to throw but difficult to throw well. And what I’ve found over time–and by being a classroom parent for five years–is that certain things work and certain …

Much like our Christmas Guess the Word Game, the New Year’s Eve Guess the Word Game totally rocks. Okay. There you have it. Plain and simple. Rocks.  The kids loved playing our holiday version on the way to see their …

      I admit that I am the absolute worst with emails. The worst. But I’m trying to be better. I’ve got thousands of emails just sitting there in my inbox, and I rarely respond because I’m always busy. …

halloween party ideas for kids and classrooms | everything room parents need from start to finish — parent letter, games, and more

      This game was surprisingly more difficult than I expected it would be for my 10, 9, and 7 year olds. I don’t know if they were just not in the pumpkin-matching mindset or if they need more matching …

    I’m always on the hunt for fun ways to keep my kids engaged and interested and thinking creatively. And when I find something that works, and it’s unplugged, creative fun, it’s a serious win. Today after school, while …

Once your kids hit elementary school, things get a little bit crazy. All of a sudden, your kids actually need to be at school on time. All of a sudden, you’re buried under a mountain of papers, fliers, and notices. …

Originally published 12/7/09 but republished today because, well, it’s worth it–   When I first started teaching, in order to make ends meet, I ran several after-school activity clubs at an elementary school near the high school where I taught. …

Everyone needs a little positive affirmation once in a while. Everyone.  Countdown’s on for the new school year, so I’ve been at work making a new set of lunchbox love notes. In the past, we’ve covered joke notes, we’ve covered …

I’ve said this before: June and July are crazy for us with our busy swim and dive schedules. So honestly, any downtime my kids can get, I’m totally thankful for. Even when Maddy, Owen, and Cora are not at practice, they …

The following Rockstar Sunday guest post is written by one of the coolest gals on the planet, Becky Morales.  Becky is a mom, teacher, and creator of Kid World Citizen, where she shares activities that ‘help young minds go global’. …

This post about getting reluctant readers to love reading is written by Ali Dent of Courage on the Edge of Tomorrow. Thank you, Ali, for this incredible post! ____________________ Getting Kids to Love Reading with a Literacy Club–LITClub, by Ali Dent Reading doesn’t …

    We are gearing up for a Disneyland adventure, and to prepare our family, we’re rocking some Disneyland fun fact lunchbox notes.Actually, these little fun facts are perfect not only for lunchboxes–but they work just about anywhere! I’m a …

      Lent is here. And this year, rather than have Lent be a time when my kids complain and moan because they can’t have dessert every night, I wanted it to be a more meaningful time of the …