The holiday season is coming up fast and furious, but this year won’t be like others. Out-of-town family won’t be able to join us as easily. The busiest travel day of the year will be much quieter at the airports. Even picking up our ingredients from the grocery store won’t be nearly as simple. For many families, this time of year is steeped in tradition, and traditions are very hard to change.
Kids anchor on rituals and traditions. For kids, time is an endless loop that compresses and stretches based on events, emotions, and experiences. My 5-year-old recently celebrated her birthday, and, two weeks after, she was busy picking out what color candle would be on her cake for her next birthday.
When I explained that a year is a long time, she responded, “Is a year longer than Coronavirus times?” What an important reminder for us adults: COVID-19 will eventually abate, but the events that happen during this pandemic will form the core of who our young kids are and will become.
As I begin to visualize the upcoming months, I’m finding myself looking for ways to keep things simple, but also festive. In that light, here are a few ideas that I am bouncing around in my head as we approach Thanksgiving:
Stories looking back are just as important as stories looking forward.
Read children’s books by Native American authors (We love Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story, and there are so many other great books.)
Let’s learn about the practice of land acknowledgments as a family and do the research to learn more about the Indigenous People on whose land we live
Share the story of your own family’s identity and history. You can discuss it, draw it in pictures, write it in poetry form or use music...whatever works for your story.
Gratitude makes life happier.
Find ways to incorporate gratitude into your everyday life with your family. Maybe there is a gratitude jar in the kitchen that kids can put a note in at breakfast time or a nightly gratitude journal that you draw or write in with your child at bedtime.
Create a gratitude ritual that allows kids to share and discuss gratitude with others.
Make a gratitude mural with your family on butcher paper, drawing events, people, and ideas from the past year
Silly fun is a great way to let go of what is not possible and embrace the new.
Can your family create a "Great Debate" where each person is in charge of championing their favorite food from your holiday meal?
A holiday table decorating competition where each person decorates their place setting to help express a common them.
Our holidays may be different this year, but I wish you amazing experiences that make them bright and joyous.
Nina Meehan is CEO and Founder Bay Area Children's Theatre and the host of the Creative Parenting Podcast. An internationally recognized expert in youth development through the arts, Nina nurtures innovation by fostering creative thinking. She is mom to Toby (13), Robby (10) and Meadow (5).
Looking to capture baby memories for your family? Try out these creative ways to preserve those special moments
Almost from the minute you learn you’re pregnant, you want to remember every detail. But babies grow quickly, and it can be easy to forget how things used to be. Here are six ways to capture what life with your child is like and preserve those special baby memories.
iStock
Photo Book Creating a photo book ensures you can show your child what life was like when they were a baby, not just tell them! You are probably already taking tons of photos of your little one. Make it a point every year to print out some of those photos in an annual book. Tinybeans makes it easy to print a photo book using the photos you upload on the site. Choose a specific date, such as your child's birthday or Christmas, as the day you'll create your photo book so you don't miss a year. Find out more in our photo book FAQs.
Video Montage Moving pictures also make great memory-keepers. You don't need to be a professional director to create a great family video. Use an app like 1SE to capture just one second a day to create a short video with a big punch at the end of baby's first year and beyond. The basic app is free, but the pro version allows you to capture longer snippets of video and add features like music. Otherwise, most phones contain basic video-editing software that will allow you to stitch together several short videos to create a great, moving memory capsule.
Letters Even in the digital age, there is nothing quite like an old-fashioned handwritten letter. Notes from the heart in Mom and Dad's own handwriting will be treasured forever. A weekly letter to your child, even if it's short, will provide your child with warm memories of their childhood. Some parents choose to write letters to their child on their birthdays to highlight the previous year's major events and recap some of the day-to-day activities their child enjoyed that year. Some parents add letters on special occasions such as graduations. Collect your letters in a sturdy box and add photos or letters from siblings and other special people in your child's life. Or, wait until your child is 18 and collect the letters in a book.
Journal Keeping a journal gives the same ultra-personal feel as handwritten letters but with the convenience of having all of your notes to your child bound together in one place. Some parents-to-be even start journals to their baby when they are still expecting. We love the Baby journal from Write to Me. If you think you might get writer's block, try a guided journal like Stories for My Child: A Mother's Memory Journal, shown above. These types of journals provide prompts to guide you through what to write.
Keepsake Box There are things you will probably want to keep to help tell your baby's story. It might be a hospital bracelet, the front page of the newspaper from the day your baby was born, the first time they met their grandparents, an early drawing or a lock from their first haircut. After you designate a box as the place to store these keepsakes, make the items come to life for you (and, in the future, for your child), by writing a small note to go with each one. Over time, you may add another box or two to your collection. This is a great way to keep all of these small but important things together to ensure they don't get lost. That way, when you walk down memory lane, you will have some tangible reminders of those long-ago days and the special stories to go with them.
Email A simple way you can preserve memories of your baby is to create an email account for them. Send an email to your child to read in the future describing the events of that day or week. Include milestones but also details about your day-to-day life as a family, their friends, and how you feel about watching them grow. Some parents give their child the password to their email account when they turn 18, but there is no rule saying you need to wait that long. Be sure you log into your child's account at least once a month to keep it active!
Here in California, we are back in a semi-lock down. It’s not quite as intense as it was back in the spring, but our parks are closing and the overall message is STAY HOME! Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m 100% on board with this plan. Our ICU’s beds are filling fast and I want as many people to stay safe and healthy and I will do everything I can to ensure not just my family, but our entire country stays safe. This is truly a “We’re All in This Together” moment—thank you “High School Musical.”
But, that doesn’t change the fact that I am sad—sad about plans that won’t come to fruition, sad for plans I hadn’t yet had time to make, sad that I really can’t change anything about our current Groundhog Day situation.
I had a really great idea to do a bunch of outdoor socially distanced experiences for Chanukah this year. No gifts, just quality family time at the Oakland Zoo Glowfari and other really awesome outdoor exhibits! Well, that’s canceled. We also were hoping to go camping over the holiday break. (Yes, we live in California where you can camp in December). We love camping and we love going on outdoor adventures and under the current restrictions, that is not allowed (except in our back yard).
Back in the spring, I felt like every day I would wake up with a new thought about something that I won’t be able to do or that I can’t make happen for my family and it caused this constant low-level melancholy. So, this time around, I am trying something new. I am going to actively say goodbye to future planning and expectations. Yes, folks, I am going to journal!!!! Let me be clear, I am not a journal-er. It is not in my DNA to open a beautifully bound notebook and write out all of my thoughts. All the power in the world to those of you who do that daily. My hat goes off to you…but, it hasn’t been, until now, for me.
So, I think I am going to take a page from my kids. I will be drawing, doodling, painting my plans, and drawing my expectations in stick figures and cartoons with the sophisticated medium of crayons and magic markers. But, every day, instead of waking up to low-level melancholy, I am going to make a little piece of art that represents something I would like to be able to do, but can’t. I will use the time while I am creating to say goodbye and let go of looking ahead. By letting go of expectations, I’m hoping to remind myself of the beauty of right now and living in the moment. Anyone want to join me on the “goodbye and let go” journal project? Find me on insta @creativparenting for more information. This is a grand experiment. I would love to know if it works…for you and for me!
Nina Meehan is CEO and Founder Bay Area Children's Theatre and the host of the Creative Parenting Podcast. An internationally recognized expert in youth development through the arts, Nina nurtures innovation by fostering creative thinking. She is mom to Toby (13), Robby (10) and Meadow (5).
On the new series Elinor Wonders Why, observant bunny rabbit Elinor and her young friends indulge their curiosity about how the world works, learning basic scientific skills to answer their own questions about science, nature, and life in general.
My young daughter loves going on nature walks to examine and collect flowers to make “tea” for her dolls. These jaunts around the neighborhood are often her favorite part of the day. (And mine, too!) In fact, preschoolers are naturally curious, and getting outside with them and exploring nature is a perfect way to learn about science and how to question in an age-appropriate way. In fact, exploring nature has myriad benefits, says pediatric neuropsychologist Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein of the Johns Hopkins Center for Behavioral Health.
“Research suggests that more outdoor time is protective for children’s mental health, and allowing children the opportunity to physically explore their outdoor environment, while also engaging them in an understanding of nature and our outdoor world, helps build confidence and cognitive skills,” says Dr. Katzenstein. Bonus: It also gets them physically moving, which can help reduce anxiety and improve sleep. (More sleep at this age is always a win, both for children and tired parents!)
Here are six great ways to explore nature with your preschooler:
1. Make it a habit to go outside.
Whether observing how ants cooperate to build nests or how leaves and feathers each fall softly, Elinor is always outside observing nature. Young children not only love the outdoors but also thrive on routine, so by making outdoor play a regular part of your daily habits, they’ll learn to eagerly anticipate the exploration time.
“Outdoor play may provide unique opportunities for children to observe and engage with diverse objects, which may facilitate learning,” says Daniel Bagner, Psychology Professor at Florida International University’s Center for Children and Families. “For example, if a child throws a rock in a pond, they may learn about density.”
Especially these days, after months of many young children sheltering in place and barely leaving their homes, it’s important—both physically and mentally—for young kids to have outdoor time whenever possible. Consider setting aside dedicated time every day—say, after lunch, or before the nightly bath—to regularly get outside together and explore.
2. Ask questions and encourage questions.
In the eyes of a young child, everything is new and exciting, so asking gentle questions can not only lead to creativity breakthroughs but can also cause them to ponder new questions. And, after all, sometimes the simplest questions can lead to the most profound answers and are wonderful learning opportunities for your children.
When Elinor’s dad is having trouble sleeping in because of loud birds just outside his window, Elinor wonders why birds sing. She eventually realizes that birds sing to communicate, just as humans talk to communicate—and by questioning, Elinor is able to understand how animals get their vital needs met.
3. Draw in a nature journal.
For children, the world is full of wonder and designed to be explored—ideally hands-on. You don’t need to venture far: even the backyard, neighborhood sidewalk, or local park is fertile ground for a young imagination. Elinor has incredible powers of observation, examining everything from how flowers attract bees through color and smell, to the way spittle bugs use their bodies like straws to blow small bubbles.
Encourage your own children’s powers of observation with a nature journal. Ask them to draw what they see: everything from parts of a plant trees to different body parts of animals is fodder for creativity and imaginative learning.
Take it to the next level by creating multimedia projects, such as gluing or taping leaves and flowers collected on walks to your children’s drawings. Other ideas: make leaf rubbings, create poems together about what you’ve seen, or outline seeds and rocks collected on the neighborhood journey.
4. Use field guides to help identify and learn about what you discover.
While observing butterflies and caterpillars, Elinor and her friends realize they’ve never seen a baby butterfly—and eventually learn that caterpillars themselves are baby butterflies! If your children seem interested in a certain aspect of nature—whether plants, birds, or bugs—you can create a field guide together. Identify all the regular specimens you come into contact with and go into detail about their parts.
Once you’re done creating your guide, take it and set off together on a scavenger hunt to locate all the varietals. Your children will be proud and have a sense of accomplishment when they check all the boxes and complete the nature quest.
Another possibility: encourage them to keep notebooks—just like Olive—writing (or drawing, if they’re too young!) observations about what they find.
5. Get a closer look at features on plants, natural objects, and animals.
It can be easy to let nature pass you by and not notice the intricate details. Go on a nature walk with your kids, like in Elinor’s Nature Adventure game, and encourage your children to take careful note of what they see.
By connecting what they observe in nature to how the world at large works, children will learn that scientific practices can be used anywhere to build knowledge as their curiosity is engaged.
After all, as Elinor always says, “We need more observations!”
6. Dig deeper.
Can’t remember why leaves are green? Don’t worry if you don’t have the answer. Just like in Elinor, while it is important to be helpful and responsive, it’s not necessary to be an encyclopedia. Elinor’s parents and the other adults in Elinor Wonders Why may not always know the answers, but they do always gently guide Elinor and her friends to figure out things for themselves. The most important thing is encouraging further questioning.
Consider answering your child’s question in an open-ended way by saying, “I’m not sure. How can we figure that out?” Parents can also ask children whether it’s a question they should look up or if it can be investigated out in the world.
PBS KIDS believes the world is full of possibilities, and so is every child. As the number one educational media brand for kids, PBS KIDS helps children learn life lessons, explore their feelings and discover new adventures, while seeing themselves uniquely reflected and celebrated in lovable, diverse characters through television, digital media, and community-based programs.
What do you get when you combine an award-winning children’s book series and a powerhouse producer? An awesome new kid’s show on Netflix! Ada Twist, Scientist is coming to Netflix on September 28 and we have the details on what to expect!
The show is produced by Chris Nee, the creator of Doc McStuffins and Vampirina, in collaboration with Higher Ground, the production company of President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. It follows the adventures of eight-year-old Ada and her two best friends, Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck. Ada is determined to discover the truth about absolutely everything and the show focuses on scientific discovery, collaboration and friendship. Watch the official trailer right here!
Today Netflix Kids also released the official cast list for the show, with some big names popping up! Taye Diggs will be Dad Twist, Susan Kelechi Watson will be Mom Twist and Amanda Christine will play Ada. Each episode clocks in at about 26 minutes and there will be six lined up to watch this fall. Episode 3 is available to watch as a sneak peek right now!
The Ada Twist book series were originally inspired by historical women scientists like Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie. The original book is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller. It champions diversity and brings girl power to science picture books. In the book and the series, Ada discovers that her questions might not always have answers, but that curiosity is key.
For a plethora of reasons, kids need all the sleep they can get. But trying to get your littles to find the R&R they need can be a challenge for parents.
In a new study by Stanford Medicine, researchers found a simple and effective way that children can snag an extra hour of sleep. Published in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the study found that at-risk children who participated in meditation gained more than an hour of sleep per night!
photo: iStock
So what did the meditation entail? Within the curriculum, more than 100 third and fifth-graders were trained to bring their attention to the present, practice yoga-based movements and learn exercise for deep breathing.
The coursework was taught twice a week for two years in elementary and middle schools within the study. Interestingly enough, despite the instructors not providing techniques to help sleep specifically, children within the study gained an average of 74 minutes of sleep per night.
While the results demonstrated a vast amount of data surrounding the topics of stress, meditation and sleep, the main takeaway is that the art of meditation can go a long way when it comes to preparing for bedtime. Not sure where to start? Check out this easy way to calm down before bedtime and these easy meditations for kids to get on your way to a peaceful bout of slumber.
To read all the important takeaways, you can read the entire study here.
There are so many things to love about summer: the warm weather, the longer days, the slowed-down attitude, and all of the extra time for activities. Whether your family is getting creative, planning something active or wanting to relax by the beach, the summer heat makes it even more important to stay hydrated. Did you know that according to the American Journal of Public Health, 1 in 2 kids is underhyrated*?
Creative Roots is a flavored coconut water beverage that makes it much easier to help keep kids hydrated, thanks to the delicious fruit flavors that your littles will love to sip.
See what activities these moms are looking forward to this summer, and why Creative Roots is with them along the way:
When Texas-based mom Courtney Williams is looking to spend some one-on-one time with her oldest daughter, they like to check out the trails at their local park. Creative Roots is a win-win for the duo’s hikes since Courtney loves that it has one gram of sugar and Carri loves the delicious flavors.
Patricia Chang is using the summer to spend time outside in her garden with her son, Chase. To help beat the heat and avoid underhydration, Patricia gives Chase Creative Roots to sip on. With four flavors to pick from (Orange Pineapple, Mixed Berry, Peach Mango and Watermelon Lemonade), Chase is always excited to try new options!
It wouldn’t be summer without countless trips to the park! Porsha’s daughter Ivy loves the Creative Roots quirky Sploots characters and is always excited for Creative Roots to accompany her on outdoor adventures.
For Florida mom Mandy Cox, summer means sunshine, tan lines and tons of time by the pool. Creative Roots is the perfect waterside treat to help her kids stay happy and hydrated!
Crafty momma Veena Goel Crownholm spends her summertime doing hands-on activities, like these fun kindness rocks that she and her son spread throughout their neighborhood. Creative Roots helps her family stay hydrated while powering creativity.
Living near the South Carolina coast, mom of three Amber Faust spends most of her summer days at the beach. When she’s packing her cooler, Creative Roots is her go-to option, thanks to one gram of sugar per bottle.
Eight-year-old Honor and her mom Destiney Green are always on the go, whether it’s dance class, a bike ride, or a fun spa day. With resealable bottles, Creative Roots is easy to toss in Honor’s bag on her way out the door.
*Erica L. Kenney, Michael W. Long, Angie L. Cradock, and Steven L. Gortmaker, 2015:
Prevalence of Inadequate Hydration Among US Children and Disparities by Gender and Race/Ethnicity: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2012
Looking for a fun way to keep your kids excited about reading this summer? How about free books!
When you sign your young readers up at Barnes & Noble you can spend the whole summer reading––and earn some free books to tuck them in at bedtime when school starts again. So how does it work?
photo: iStock
When students in grades one through six read eight books over the summer and complete a reading journal, they can earn a free book at Barnes & Noble. All you need to do is download the journal here and print it.
Then, complete the information requested and have your kids log the books they’ve read over the summer. Turn in the journal at any Barnes & Noble location between July. 1 and Aug. 31, 2021.
Once completed, kids are able to choose from a pre-set list of free books grouped by grade level. The list includes titles likeMalala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights, Judy Moodyand the Not Bummer Summer and Because of Winn-Dixie.
New research from the University of Edinburgh found that infants may recognize combinations of words before they can speak. The study, which was published in the journal Cognition, challenges the idea that babies learn single words first and then progress to more complex multi-word phrases.
Researchers assessed the language development of 11 and 12-month-olds to learn more about how infants build communication skills. This study specifically looked at language learning behaviors in 36 babies during a series of attention tests.
The tests used recorded adult speech to explore how the babies responded to combinations of three-word sequences. Study researchers then compared the babies’ responses, measuring how long the children looked—also known as central fixation. Using central fixation times, the researchers found that some of the babies were learning their first words while simultaneously learning combinations.
According to Dr. Barbora Skarabela, of the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Languages Sciences, “Previous research has shown that young infants recognize many common words. But this is the first study that shows that infants extract and store more than just single words from everyday speech. This suggests that when children learn language, they build on linguistic units of varying sizes, including multiword sequences, and not just single words as we often assume.”
Dr. Skarabela added, “This may explain why adults learning a second language, who tend to rely on individual words, often fall short of reaching native-like proficiency in the way they string words together into phrases and sentences.”
Does your kiddo need to dig deep into the heavy lit to build their language skills? As it turns out, what may seem like fun fiction may help readers to develop their verbal abilities.
According to a new study from Concordia University, people who read fiction may have better language skills than those who don’t choose this genre. More specifically, people who read any type of fiction may have better language skills—and this even includes sappy sagas and epic tween/teen supernatural romances.
The study, which was published in the journal Reading and Writing, found that people who enjoyed reading fiction for leisure scored higher on language tests than those who only read to access specific types of information. Researcher Sandra Martin-Chang, professor of education in the Faculty of Arts and Science, said, “It’s always very positive and heartening to give people permission to delve into the series that they like.”
The study used a scale called the Predictors of Leisure Reading to better understand how reading behaviors predicted language skills in 200 undergrad students. After gathering data using the scale and via SAT-like language tests, the researchers found positive attitudes (about reading), enjoyment and deeply established interests were more often associated with exposure to fiction and were more likely to predict better verbal abilities.
