The U.S. Postal Service is in on the best Secret Santa action ever! Through USPS Operation Santa, you can gift a child in need with something off their holiday wish list.
Every year children from across the country put pen to paper and write out a hopeful list of possible presents. While many of these would-be gifts end up under the Christmas tree, many go unanswered.
Low-income families who need money for necessities, such as rent or food, can’t always fill their kiddo’s Santa lists themselves. Here’s where the USPS and you can help. Through Operation Santa you can make a difference in a child’s life, giving them the Christmas of their dreams.
So how can you help a child this holiday season through the USPS? Visit the USPS Operation Santa website and browse letters from hopeful children. Choose a letter to adopt (or a few), fill the wishlist, wrap the gifts and bring them (plus the necessary postage) to a participating post office by December 18, so kids can receive them by Christmas.
Here’s a bit more info on how the program works: the USPS receives thousands of letters to Santa every year and scans them, with personal information hidden. Once they’re live on the website, people like you can adopt the letters and help Santa fulfill their wishes! The gifts are shipped on behalf of the North Pole so you can deliver holiday magic together.
Hola! Bonjour! Shalom! If introducing your kids to a new language is on your list of learning, use your tablet or phone to make it happen. From sign language apps to Rosetta Stone and even an Eric Carle word app, scroll down to see our picks for the best apps to learn a language.
LinguPinguin
Kids as young as preschool age can get in on the learning fun with one app that offers multiple languages. Each language has 90 new vocabulary words that are practical, everyday words around subjects like the body, nature, clothing, etc. It’s playful and you’ll be surprised how quickly the kids start picking it up. For ages 4 and up.
Available on iTunes, a bundle of 4 languages for $3.99
Babbel
For older kiddos (or even adults!), Babbel is an app based on real-world conversations to get started speaking fast. Whether you learn best with games, videos, podcasts, or another way entirely, Babbel is dedicated to all learners. Plus, learners are immersed in the culture, history, and people who speak the language, so you get to appreciate all aspects!
This phonics program teaches basic letter sounds in English, French, Spanish and Italian and, like the Montessori approach itself, is not full of loud noises, bells and whistles. It’s very simple, which makes it great for younger kids and nice for parents sitting in the same room with their learners as well as sensitive kids. Very self-directed (again, Montessori approach) but also very effective.
Rated for ages 4 and up (but we think 3-year-olds would gain from it, too).
Kids can play along with a panda bear named Pim as he teaches common words via flashcard drills set to music. Using everyday activities to teach kids and available in 12 languages—including Chinese, German, Spanish and Italian—you can browse the whole catalog online at littlepim.com. They even offer streaming now offer streaming videos you can download to your device for offline travel.
Want your English-speaking child to learn a little Spanish? Or one of 23 other languages? Rosetta Stone allows you to download lessons for the kids and will give you a personalized plan.
Smaller linguists will enjoy this colorful app that uses familiar Eric Carle illustrations to teach a handful of basic words in different languages. The app is simple enough for little kids to use on their own, though it's meant for parents and kids to peruse together. Language options include English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and German.
Got a brood of kids who need language practice? Up to four kids at a time can play this game-show-style app that asks players to pick which word matches the given picture. The first to hit the correct button wins. Along with a roster of basic K-3 school subjects (math, geography, sight words), Futaba (which means "seedling" in Japanese) also has a Spanish and Japanese word game. It is also customizable, so you can add words and pictures to suit your language-learning fancy.
Kids will recognize some of their favorite characters (Berenstain Bears! Arthur!) with this nine-app bundle of interactive storybooks read in French, Spanish, or English (one app also offers Portuguese). Through songs, stories, and interactive pages, kids can learn proper pronunciation, recognition and meaning. Kids can navigate the stories themselves—all the pages are animated with characters and features that "come to life" with a touch—or choose the "Read to me" option.
Not all languages are spoken. Kids will love watching other kids use common signs from the American Sign Language dictionary. Some of the "expert" signers on here are still toddlers themselves, so as long as your kiddo's got the attention span to follow along, he's old enough to play. The layout is simple enough for kids to navigate without a parent and includes fun quiz games with 21 free signs (an optional pack of 87 more signs is available for $1.99).
Kids will think they're just playing a memory game as Gus the friendly owl schools them on numbers, colors, shapes and more. Got time to spare? Conquering basic lessons "unlocks" more games, so the more they play, the more they'll learn. More screen time? OK!
There are 28 language apps available. Check out Gus On the Go to browse more options.
Santa! I know him! Modern tech is making it easier than ever to connect with Jolly Saint Nick and now you can request a personalized Cameo video to spread a little Christmas magic with your family.
Mall Santas are out and virtual Santas are in. To celebrate “Dear Santa Letter Week” Coca-Cola has partnered with Cameo to make these videos possible. Now through Nov. 16, you can visit coke.com/holiday to enter your information and ask for a Santa video in English, Spanish or French. You’ll be notified by email if you’re picked for a customized video and you’ll be able to download and save the memory to view for years to come.
But if you still want to see Santa IRL, you’re in luck. The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan is headed on a cross-country tour for the ultimate Christmas photo opp. Starting Nov.17 the big red truck with twinkling lights will pull up in various cities for free pictures with Santa. Check back on the holiday website for the exact dates and locations!
Finally, keep an eye out for Coca-Cola’s new holiday video “Real Magic at Christmas.” This year’s piece celebrates joy and inclusion, following a boy who uses holiday spirit to bring his community together. It’s premiering Nov. 15 on TV, online and in movie theaters!
When was the last time you enjoyed a pre-flight coffee at the airport as the kids played in a safe, enclosed area and got some wiggles out before a flight? Never? Same. At San Jose Mineta International airport, that is now a reality. Zoom Zone, an interactive, educational play space created by the Children’s Discovery Museum in collaboration with the airport and sponsored by Zoom, is now open and ready to welcome young travelers. Read on for all the details and make sure to include time to check it out before your next flight!
Located in Terminal B between gates 24 and 25, Zoom Zone is conveniently located across from Peet’s Coffee and next to Chick-fil-A. At 600 sq feet, it has just enough room for kids to discover all about flight and aviation through its five exhibits.
We went on opening day and got to play with kids spanning the age spectrum but the one exhibit that kids kept returning to was the Pin Screen. This signature experience at the Discovery Museum has been replicated here at Zoom Zone with its soft pins that can be pushed on both sides of the board, generating a 3D impression.
In the center of the room is the Bird Climber, a slide structure that encourages kids to climb and slide or crawl under its feathers and wings. Tucked in the corner of Zoom Zone and demonstrating the mechanism of wings and flight is the impressive Kinetic Butterfly. The gorgeous wings flap when manipulated by turning gears and kids loved getting the view of the wings in action from below!
A Plane Kiosk with its knobs, levers and steering wheel lets little ones imagine flying a plane—there’s even a bench for passengers so fasten your (imaginary) seat belt! The Alphabet Airplane exhibit has the entire alphabet on display while mimicking airplane window shades. Each letter corresponds to a city (L for London, T for Tokyo) that San Jose Airport flies to with a lovely city graphic underneath the shade. This gives little hands plenty of opportunities to get out the need to open/shut window shades and hopefully, along with letting out steam in the Zoom Zone, makes for a smooth flight!
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!
Sunscreen giant Coppertone is voluntarily recalling specific lots of five aerosol sunscreen spray products due to the presence of benzene, a human carcinogen. The company has not received any reports of adverse events, but the recall is taking place out of an abundance of caution.
All of the affected products are packaged in aerosol cans and distributed nationally. Pure & Simple SPF 50, Pure & Simple Kids SPF 50, Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50, Sport Mineral SPF 50 and travel-size Coppertone Sport Spray SPF 50 are under recall.
Specifically, the following lots are affected:
UPC
Product Description
Lot
Manufacturing Date
00072140028817
CT P&S BABY SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN0083J
1/10/2021
00072140028817
CT P&S BABY SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN0083K
1/11/2021
00072140028824
CT P&S KIDS SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN00854
1/12/2021
00072140028824
CT P&S KIDS SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN00855
1/14/2021
00072140028701
CT SPORT MIN SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN008KU
3/15/2021
00072140028701
CT SPORT MIN SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN008KV
3/16/2021
00072140028800
CT P&S SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN00BR2
3/31/2021
00072140028817
CT P&S BABY SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN009GH
3/31/2021
00072140028824
CT P&S KIDS SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN00857
4/6/2021
00041100005069
CT SPORT SPRAY SPF50 1.6OZ 24S
TN00BU3
5/6/2021
00072140028800
CT P&S SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN00CJ4
6/15/2021
00072140028824
CT P&S KIDS SPF50 SPRAY 5OZ 12S
TN00CJV
6/15/2021
If you have one of these products in your house, stop using it and dispose appropriately. You can visit https://www.sunscreenrecall2021.com/External Link Disclaimer to request a product refund and for additional information. Coppertone is also notifying its retailers by letter and is arranging for returns of all voluntarily recalled lots of sunscreen spray products.
It’s been a year, and we need savvy parents like you to help local families navigate the ups and downs of life in San Diego, CA!
Do you love exploring your city with your family, uncovering local hidden gems, and then dishing to your friends about your awesome weekend? Are you a parent or caregiver living in San Diego with kids between the ages of 0-10? Are you active in the digital writing/blogging community? If you answered yes to these questions, then Red Tricycle & Tinybeans wants you!
Red Tricycle/Tinybeans is looking for talented San Diego-based writers to join our team and contribute stories to our San Diego metro market. Ideal candidates must:
• Have a firm grasp of the English language, excellent grammar and punctuation skills.
• Be active in the writing and blogging community with published work (either print or online).
• Possess an intense curiosity and excitement to explore the city and dig deep (both online and in the real world) to find off-the-beaten-path story ideas and insider tips.
Our mission is simple: to help busy parents have more fun with their kids!
Good luck!
To apply Email Us at aimee.dellabitta (at) tinybeans.com your cover letter, resume, and writing sample with “San Diego Writer” in the subject line.
What do you get when you combine Build-A-Bear and Harry Potter? Pure magic! Now the collaboration has expanded with new Hogwarts house hoodies, on-point accessories, plus a Hedwig and Buckbeak!
Your bear will have some serious swag with themed hoodies featuring the colors and crests of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. To up the cuteness factor, grab a matching house beanie! And to complete the look, you can buy the sword of Godric Gryffindor, a Slytherin locket or the famous Hufflepuff Cup.
We’re in love with the new plush Hedwig owl. She even carries a personalized Hogwarts acceptance letter in her beak! Or if you’re looking for something a bit more exotic, you can buy the Buckbeak, a magical beast that’s half eagle and half horse. Despite its fierce looks, it has soft plush claws and a fuzzy tail.
Prices vary and you can buy the new items online or in stores, some with limited quantities. Head to buildabear.com to get started! And in honor of today’s National Teddy Bear Day, you can enter online to win furry friends for a year. Grab a cup of Butterbeer and happy browsing!
It’s been a year, and we need savvy parents like you to help local families navigate the ups and downs of life in Portland, Oregon!
Do you love exploring your city with your family, uncovering local hidden gems, and then dishing to your friends about your awesome weekend? Are you a parent or caregiver living in Portland with kids between the ages of 0-10? Are you active in the digital writing/blogging community? If you answered yes to these questions, then Red Tricycle & Tinybeans wants you!
Red Tricycle/Tinybeans is looking for talented Portland-based writers to join our team and contribute stories to our Portland metro market. Ideal candidates must:
• Have a firm grasp of the English language, excellent grammar and punctuation skills.
• Be active in the writing and blogging community with published work (either print or online).
• Possess an intense curiosity and excitement to explore the city and dig deep (both online and in the real world) to find off-the-beaten-path story ideas and insider tips.s.
Our mission is simple: to help busy parents have more fun with their kids!
Good luck!
To apply Email Us at annette.benedetti (at) tinybeans.com your cover letter, resume, and writing sample with “Portland Writer” in the subject line.
It’s been a year, and we need savvy parents like you to help local families navigate the ups and downs of life in Chicago!
Do you love exploring your city with your family, uncovering local hidden gems, and then dishing to your friends about your awesome weekend? Are you a parent or caregiver living in the Chicago area with kids between the ages of 0-10? Are you active in the digital writing/blogging community? If you answered yes to these questions, then Red Tricycle & Tinybeans wants you!
Red Tricycle/Tinybeans is looking for talented Chicago-based writers to join our team and contribute stories to our Chicago metro market. Ideal candidates must:
• Have a firm grasp of the English language, excellent grammar and punctuation skills.
• Be active in the writing and blogging community with published work (either print or online).
• Possess an intense curiosity and excitement to explore the city and dig deep (both online and in the real world) to find off-the-beaten-path story ideas and insider tips.
Our mission is simple: to help busy parents have more fun with their kids!
Good luck!
To apply Email Us at maria.chambers (at) tinybeans.com your cover letter, resume, and writing sample with “Chicago Writer” in the subject line.
