Could your kiddo use some cardboard magic in their life? If your creative child needs an outlet for their artsy side, this new product is the perfect playtime activity!
Cardboard Magic is an eco-friendly toy that gives your child the chance to create their own dramatic play set. Instead of a ready-made playhouse, this imaginative option lets littles start from the ground up and color or design the exterior and interior to their heart’s content.
The cute collection includes several different options to meet your child’s interests. Choose from a color-in play house, princess castle, rocket, pirate ship, mini castle, coastguard boat, castle (larger-sized), beach buggy, safari jeep, ice cream truck, food truck, fire truck, mini house, or helicopter.
Whether your child is a future sea captain, a budding foodie, or just enjoys a day filled with plenty of pretend play, these cardboard color-in’s take creative crafting up a notch—or a few. Each kit is 100 percent recyclable and made to use indoors or outdoors (depending on the weather).
How can you get a Cardboard Magic kit for your fam? Visit the brand’s website here to browse options, learn more about the products and buy a kit for your kids.
su·per·he·ro /ˈso͞opərˌhirō/ noun A benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers, such as Superman
The word Superhero is a common word used in our house these days. My son has developed a love and often fixates on “superheroes” from Batman, Green Lantern, Spider-Man, Captain America, and more. And for those of you with loved one’s on the spectrum, you understand when I say that love runs deep!
He often needs his superheroes as a token during transitional times… from the house to the car…from the car to school. Bedtime sometimes isn’t a reality until LEGO Batman has been found and is safely in his hands, tucked into bed with him. I looked at the definition of “superhero” and I got caught on one word, “fictional.”
In my son’s world, superhero’s aren’t fictional. They are very much a living, breathing part of his reality. So much so, that the absence of them can send our world spinning. Their very presence can make a stressful situation of transition easier and in the same breath, with one quick flip, they can add more stress with their absence. And at the moment, there is nothing fictional about our present reality and daily struggles with autism. Calm to upset…happy to sad..content to active.
But, I can’t help but think to myself “How does this superhuman navigate all these emotions and still smile at my silly jokes?” Still willing to trust me when I get frustrated and raise my voice in the midst of a meltdown? Still continue to wake up with a clean slate, ready to love and start the day, no matter how traumatic bedtime was the night before?
And then I go back to that word, “fictional.” Because now I realize superheroes aren’t just a reality in his world, they are a reality in mine as well. In my world, there lives the strongest, most benevolent superhero of all. He embodies all the characteristics of what describes a superhero—brave, strong, resilient, and admirable. He is someone I look up to every day. He inspires me more than any other person in the world. He is superhuman. And most importantly, no part of him or autism ever has or ever will be viewed as fictional. I have a real-life superhero in our house and he goes by the name, Murphy. And he has already saved me in so many ways.
Shannon is a proud boy mom, Hairstylist, and passionate Autism Advocate. She lives in New Orleans, Louisiana with her two sons Murphy (5) and Merrick (2). Murphy was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3. Follow her family as they journey through Autism together on Adventures in Autism with Murphy Facebook and Instagram page.
It seems like every parent wants their kid to play a varsity sport. Parents put such a large focus on their children’s athletic talents and gifts—you are a great swimmer, you are good dribbler, and so on. Children start activities and sports way younger now than in previous generations and we applaud our children for their focus, specialization, and commitment from an early age, convinced these pieces are the foundations for their later success. Unfortunately, many of us relegate one of the most important characteristics, kindness, to the B-Team.
Here are four ways to influence your children to be the “Varsity Captain of Kindness.”
1. Establish a Better Morning Routine.
Set yourself and your family up for success in the morning. The beginning of the day sets the tone for every family member. Mornings can often be rushed, and important details may fall through the cracks. This stress can lead to family fights, which doesn’t do anyone any favors. Instead, gather as a family in the evening and work together to prep for the next day. Not only will it be a good bonding time, but it will save everyone from a stressful morning and give everyone the space to be kinder to each other.
2. Set Daily Kindness Goals.
It’s great to set family goals. Kindness can be a family and individual goal just like playing on a sports team. You can’t make varsity unless you practice every day and it’s great to remind your children of any age to be kind during their day.
Teach children at an early age to be kind or a “good sport” to the other teammates. This will help them develop into being a good sport for the rest of their life. You can also play “Spot the Giving Moment” where you recognize the opportunity to give to other children and adults. The giving moment, when practiced over and over, becomes second nature. These moments can become magical and more easily seen if the focus is put on children to look for them daily.
3. Surround Yourself With People That Want the Same Goal.
The exciting piece of being part of a team is that all the teammates are want to win the games. Every part of the individual’s practice, whether it is stretching, doing the drill over and over or staying for private coaching etc…will greatly impact the wins or losses for the season.
The beautiful part of life is that we are not alone. We can make conscious choices daily to have people in our lives with similar approaches to and goals of kindness. You can listen and look at how they interact and see if they are a person you want on your team or are, they going to not be committed and talk badly about their teammates? Look at the people currently on your team of life and see if they are going after the same goal of kindness.
4. End Your Day on a Kindness Note.
A kindness reminder at the end of the day will help to instill this virtue in your children. Consider buying—or better yet, making—cute posters or signs with reminders to be kind. Originally creating and then focusing on this visual before drifting off to dreamland will inspire your team players to strive to be the Captain of the Varsity Kindness team.
Let’s make kindness the varsity sport in our homes. Make a daily, conscious decision to devote practice hours to be more loving and kind players in the game of life. Not only can we earn our letterman jackets, but we can also all strive to be the captain!
Plank Books is founded by Jane and Katelyn. Jane, a former childhood star of the movie The Mighty Ducks, now has the opportunity and passion to bring joy again to a new generation of children through the Giving Adventures of Sam the Squirrel and other animal friends to come.
Grab your headphones! It’s time to tune in to another exciting season of the popular Story Pirates podcast. Season 4 debuts today with a special guest appearance by Stephanie Hsu (Be More Chill, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and a new theme song written by Bobby Lord, arranged by Brendan O’Grady and Jack Mitchell, and performed by beatbox artist Kaila Mullady.
Season 4 begins deep under the ocean, where the last episode of Season 3 left off in dramatic fashion with the mysterious return of Story Pirate Rachel. In the 2-part season premiere, the Story Pirates discover that Rachel is back to her treasure hunting ways, this time in fierce competition with a singing submarine captain named Eric.
Like all Story Pirates entertainment, the episode’s featured song and story are adapted from real kids’ ideas. The Weird Sisters, by 9-year-old Evalea from Missouri, is a poppy Billie Eilish homage song composed by Monique Moses and featuring Stephanie Hsu. Eloy, a 7 year old from New Mexico, is the author of The Secrets of the Paintings, during which a talking Mona Lisa foils an art heist. Story Pirates co-founder Lee Overtree interviews kid authors during each episode.
With millions of students going to school virtually, families are looking for fresh resources to spark creativity, connection and play. Meeting kids where they live right now, the Story Pirates also just launched regular online after school programs as part of their popular Creator Club.
Every week, Creator Club subscribers tune in to listen to Story Pirates Radio, participate in the livestreamed highly interactive SPTV and Story Creation Zone episodes, and engage with teaching artists in workshops which help young authors explore and share their creativity in a safe, hilarious and freewheeling environment. On Oct. 15th at 7 pm ET, Creator Club members will enjoy a special Zoom call where they can interact with podcast hosts Lee Overtree and Peter McNerney.
Among the other secret hidden joys of parenting like explosive poops and… well, pretty much all the poops, no one warned me of the advice hurricane coming inbound as soon as my egg has been fertilized. No joke, in the few months between announcing my pregnancy and the baby’s arrival, I heard alllllll the cliché advice, phrases, and jokes a thousand times over.
I imagine it’s the same feeling someone has towards a joke about their name (“Oh man, haven’t heard THAT ONE before Jim!”), or the marriage advice you started hearing when you got engaged (“Wait, so just to be clear, should I go to bed angry or NOT go to bed angry?”) And trust me, it doesn’t end with the pregnancy because, at every stage of development or ailment of the day for your little bug, there is a lady at the grocery store coaching you on what to do.
Over the years, I got pretty tired of smiling politely and nodding while grinding your teeth down to a powder, so I began to amass a list of fun conversation killer responses—which means you don’t have to listen to another second of that unsolicited advice.
And to be fair, yes, sometimes the advice that you get is actually just small talk because that person actually doesn’t care about your baby (spoiler alert: no one really does, not really, but that’s another post). With that said, these phrases are a nice way to put both of you out of your misery so you could just get back to gossiping about a mutual acquaintance instead, guilt-free.
Respond: “Oh, is that what you did with your kids?”
This is especially effective for your coworker Stacy who you know doesn’t have kids but has the expertise and confidence of an incompetent regional manager. The conversation might then play out like this:
Stacy: “Oh no, I don’t have kids remember!” You: “Oh that’s right…”
Don’t let the silent moment scare you, just let that last bit trail off. The beauty of this is, Stacy likely won’t get the joke even after all of this, but your coworker who happened to be getting coffee at the same time will be trying super hard not to start laughing, at which point you can catch her glance and talk about Stacy over lunch later. It’s a phrase that keeps on giving.
Respond: “That’s so interesting, I JUST read a study that found the exact opposite! I guess we just gonna see what sticks, huh?”
Confidence is key with this one, and just say it as matter-of-factly as you can, no judgment on the statistic or best practice or whatever that the other person cited. The thing is, most likely there has been a study done, and even if there hasn’t been they’re not gonna know, they’re just filling the moment with jibberish anyway. This is especially nice for the aunties at a family gathering because you don’t want to be mean to them, they’re just being nice and mean well, but you also want them to know there is more than one right way to do things. No matter what they believe.
Respond: “Do you think so? Only if they could talk!”
I want you to do me a favor and start a note on your phone where you tally the number of times someone tells you they think your baby is cold. It’s of course pretty rampant in the winter, but I kid you not someone asked me if I thought the baby was cold in July when he was red and sweaty because he wasn’t wearing socks (which he pulled off, mind you, because surprise, he was hot). These statements are especially annoying since they’re usually a pretty captain obvious kind of observation. So hold yourself back from screaming “Wow do you really think that I, the parent, the only person besides my partner in this whole entire world who actually cares about my child, haven’t thought of that? Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention!” and just ham it up. But don’t worry, I see you, and I thought the same thing too. It’ll be our secret.
This phrase especially comes in handy if you’re holding the baby because you can use the baby as a prop and ask her the question as a show to lighten the mood. If you’re lucky she’ll do something funny like foam at the mouth or something which gets the people going every time, and the conversation has been diverted.
Respond: “You know, we’re just lucky to have him here and healthy so we really can’t ask for or have thought about anything more than that.”
This usually shuts them up pretty quick too because like, it’s true, and what is anyone supposed to say to that without being a royal jerk. This response is effective for all the seemingly innocent but pretty judgmental generalizations and assumptions people make about things like gender preference or timing of arrival, or just to get you out of discussing topics you just don’t want to like names you may have picked out or whether you’ll breastfeed. Some people don’t mind sharing these details and that’s totally okay too, but having a way to get you out of things you don’t feel comfortable talking about is a fantastic tool to have in your belt.
Practice these in your most innocent delivery, and enjoy the silence that ensues.
Lisa Aihara is a writer and artist based in Los Angeles. When she's not busy keeping her toddler alive, she's growing another human and has no time for any BS. For an honest, practical take on motherhood, relationships, and just life's struggles through comics and stories, follow her on Instagram and her Blog.
Your kids love play dress up and probably know how to mutiny, especially when it comes to veggies, so you might as well accept it, at least for one day: Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19, and ye need to be sure yer in a Jolly Roger mood. Here be 51 common pirate sayings any good matey should know, fer today or any day. Scroll down fer the list.
Afeard: Afraid, as in “I am most afeared of crocodiles.”
Ahoy: Hello!
Arrrrrr: In certain dialects, pronounced “yarrr” and commonly used to start a sentence and emphasize a pirate was about to say something important.
Avast: A command to stop, as in “Avast, mateys! Let’s weigh anchor here.”
Aye: Yes, yes! As in, “Aye, aye, Captain!”
Bilge: Old, stinky, gross water that seeps into the ship’s hull. “Put him in the bilge and make him drink it!” was a form of punishment most foul.
Booty or bootie: spoils won from war, pillaging or plunder. Now used more commonly to denote prizes of any kind.
Buccaneer: A pirate, especially one who raided the Spanish colonies along the American coast in the late 1600s.
Flotsam: Wreckage from a ship and its cargo found floating on the water.
Freebooter: A person who is searching for plunder aka a pirate. As in, "The lousy freebooter stole my apple again."
Grog: a mixture of rum and water with a bit of lemon. Also any alcoholic drink.
Hearties: Friends. As in, "Ahoy me harties!"
Hornswaggle: To cheat; (someone who cheats is a hornswaggler) as in, “She was sure to hornswaggle the lot of them while they passed out at the card table.” “Or, don’t play Sorry with him, he’s a real hornswaggler.”
iStock .
Jetsam: Cargo or goods cast overboard on purpose, to lighten the ship’s load.
Jolly Roger: The infamous skull and crossbones flag, which was flown to warn “here there be pirates.”
Keelhaul: to punish by dragging under the ship and up the other side. As in, "Drink all the grog again and we'll keelhaul ya."
Kraken: a legendary sea monster, some what like a large ocotopus or squid, that lives in the waters off the coast of Norway. Can be used to declare mayhem, especially when grade schoolers are set free to recess. As in, "Release the kraken!"
Land lubber: A person who does not have much experience at sea or who cannot sail. Usually meant as an insult.
Lass or lassie: A child.
Lily-livered: weak or cowardly. As in, "The lion once was lily-livered but now has found his cuh-raygh."
Matey: What pirates call each other/fellow shipmates. "Hey, Matey, can ye grab me some grog?"
Mutiny: To revolt. For pirates, specifically against a ship’s captain, but can be used to describe any act of rebellion (Warning: It’s possible that the teaching of this word could lead to a “mutiny” against Brussel sprouts.)
Peg leg: A wooden leg. Pirates of olden days lived harsh lives and prosthetic limbs were most often created from salvaged wood and iron hooks.
Pieces of Eight: Silver coins. Originally after the Spanish peso de ocho (worth 8 reales, a Spanish increment of money).
Plunder: To take whatever you want. “My little brother tries to plunder my toys all the time.”
Poop deck: The deck on top of the stern (rear) of the ship. Yep. They get to say poop.
Port: the left side of the ship
Privateer: a pirate for hire; someone hired by the government to pillage enemy ships and weaken their forces
Scallywag: A scamp or a rascal. Not necessarily an evil do-er, but someone out for their own personal gain. “That scallywag traded me empty coconuts for safe passage to shore.”
Scurvy: Originally, a disease with symptoms that includes swollen gums and spots on the skin, brought on by a lack of Vitamin C. Commonly used to describe someone who is nasty, mean or disliked, as in “You scurvy lass, you’ll get none of this treasure.”
Scuttlebutt: A term used to describe gossip, but originally the drinking fountain on a ship. (Around the water cooler, pirate style).
Sea Dog: A pirate, especially an experienced older one.
Sea legs: The ability to keep from getting seasick when out at sea. As in, “Once the storm passed, Davey managed to get his sea legs for the remaining six weeks of the journey and did not get sick again.”
Shiver me timbers: A reference to the wood of a boat “shivering” or rocking with a sudden, unexpected gust of wind, it is an expression that indicates surprise. As in, “Well, shiver me timbers, it’s the Captain’s ghost after all!”
Skull and Crossbones: A human skull above two crossed bones, used on pirate flags and bottles of poison.
3…2…1…Blast off! The Right Stuff brings us the incredible story of America’s first astronauts. The special two-episode premiere will air on Disney+ on Fri. Oct. 9.
Based on the bestselling book by Tom Wolfe, the eight-episode season looks at the early days of the U.S. Space Program and the iconic story of America’s first astronauts, the Mercury 7. Produced for National Geographic by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and Warner Bros. Television, The Right Stuff takes a clear-eyed look at America’s first “reality show,” when ambitious astronauts and their families became instant celebrities in a competition of money, fame and immortality.
At the height of the Cold War in 1959, America fears it is a nation in decline as the Soviet Union dominates the space race. But, the U.S. government has a solution – put a man in space. Newly-formed NASA is given the monumental task, and a group of the nation’s best engineers estimate they’ll need decades to accomplish the feat, but they only have two years.
NASA engineers, including rocket scientist Bob Gilruth (Patrick Fischler) and Chris Kraft (Eric Ladin), work against the clock under mounting pressure from Washington. Together, they hand select seven astronauts from a pool of military test pilots.
The two men at the center of it all are Major John Glenn (Patrick J. Adams) and Lieutenant Commander Alan Shepard (Jake McDorman). Other members of the Mercury 7 include Captain Gordo Cooper (Colin O’Donoghue), Wally Schirra (Aaron Staton),Scott Carpenter (James Lafferty), Deke Slayton, (Micah Stock) and Gus Grissom, (Michael Trotter).
The series also examines the astronauts’ families, including Annie Glenn (Nora Zehetner), Louise Shepard (Shannon Lucio) and Trudy Cooper (Eloise Mumford).
Halloween may be a few months away, but that doesn’t have to stop your little super hero from dressing the part. Disney has released a 25-piece Avengers team dress-up trunk and there’s only one place to get it.
The Amazon-exclusive set is available now for $34.99 and includes dress up accessories for Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Man, and Hulk. It fits kids four to six, and even comes with an official Avengers identification badge holder!
photo: Disney
The four characters come with the following:
Captain America: Red, white and blue costume top, fingerless gloves, face mask with elastic band closure and fabric shield
Black Panther: Top, printed gloves, mask and beaded Wakandan kimoyo bracelet
Iron Man: Suit-armor top, face mask and gloves with printed palm Repulsors
Hulk: Green top, face mask and gloves
The entire trunk kit is available now on Amazon for $34.99.
Over the past few months The Wiggles have been busier than ever helping parents keep their toddlers entertained. We have enjoyed videos, concerts and even the launch of a new album. Now in honor of Summer, The Wiggles are hosting a Virtual Summer Camp.
Beginning Jul. 14 The Wiggles will be partnering with Rascal + Friends to present a two-week virtual summer camp for toddlers and their parents, simply called, “Virtual Summer Camp with The Wiggles and Rascal + Friends.” The program will be hosted by Emma Wiggle and Captain Feathersword, and promises to keep little ones entertained with arts, crafts, singing, dancing, and some special pirate-worthy prizes.
The Virtual Summer Camp is being offered for free. The live 20-minute sessions will take place Jul. 14, 16, 21 and 23 at 12:00 p.m. ET. All sessions will be available to families throughout North America on both The Wiggles and Rascal + Friends Facebook pages. After airing live, all the Virtual Summer Camp sessions will then be available on both pages for the duration of the summer.
“The Wiggles have been trying to provide as much entertaining and educational content for families as possible throughout this pandemic,” said Emma Watkins, the Yellow Wiggle. “We are extremely excited to reimagine the summer camp experience with a virtual twist.”
Looking for a fun science experiment to keep your little Einsteins busy? This simple baking soda and vinegar experiment is a perfect outdoor activity and demonstrates how a chemical reaction can really get things moving. Read on to find out to discover how to make a baking soda vinegar powered steam boat.
You’ll need:
– Baking soda
– White vinegar
– Plastic bottles
– Straws
– Sharpeez (optional) for decorating the boat
– Hot glue (not pictured)
– Baby pool or bathtub (not pictured)
Step 1: Decorate your “boat.”
Take the labels off the plastic bottles and let your kids decorate their “boats” using permanent or (oil-based) paint markers. This is optional, but fun—especially if you’ve got more than one little captain at the helm.
Step 2: Drill a hole in the bottom of the boat—then put a straw in it.
Using a drill or soldering tool, make a small hole (the size of a straw circumference) in the bottom edge of your plastic bottle. Caution: Wear safety glasses—and keep kids at a distance—to make sure bits of plastic don’t fly into your eyes).
Place a three or four-inch straw into the hole so that about an inch of sticks into the bottle and the rest sticks out the back). To secure the straw so that no liquid drips out the sides, apply hot glue around the edges.
Step 3: Fill it up and watch it go!
Turn the bottle sideways, and cover the straw end with your fingertip while you pour about 1 cup of vinegar into the bottle. Then, keeping the bottle flat and the straw side up (so nothing spills out), drop a few spoonfuls of baking soda into the bottle. Make sure to keep the baking soda on one end and the vinegar on the other.
Give the bottle one quick shake, and place it quickly into your pool or tub. And it’s off!
The science of it: What’s happening?
When vinegar (an acid) meets baking soda (an alkali), they react to form a gas (carbon dioxide). This gas must escape the bottle, so it pushes out through the straw, which in turn powers your boat across the pool. Once all the gas has escaped, your boat slows down.
Step 4: Tinker with the steps (and let your kids take over!).
Now that you’ve done the experiment once, it’s time to hand over the ingredients to your kids. Let them try to figure out (on their own, hopefully!) how to get the boats moving as fast as they can. Some things kids can explore include:
– Does more baking soda change how fast the boat moves?
– Does more vinegar change anything?
– What about how you combine the ingredients? For instance, does a quick shake help things move? Or a slow fizz?
