Keep your whole family moving with these tips!

If you’ve been stuck at home juggling working remotely, homeschooling, and trying to keep everyone happy and healthy, you may have seen your otherwise active lifestyle fall by the wayside.

Regardless of age, being physically active provides numerous health benefits. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity for adults each week, and 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for kids between the ages of 6-17 each day. Finding ways to move daily can help everyone in the family maintain their health – and prevent them from going stir crazy.

Have a Christmas in July celebration!

Pretty soon, it'll be "Hello August"! Wow, this month has blown by quickly! And if it has felt pretty uneventful because of … well… COVID-19 and all, then here’s your last chance to win Mom of the Month for July: a Christmas in July celebration that the kiddos will love. Here’s how to pull it off!

Here's how to Explore Nature in The Woodlands with Your Child

The outdoors are open and beckoning for you to visit! You and your child can enjoy the beauty and wonders of nature by exploring just outside your front door. All you need is some observation skills (tips below), and you can add in a notebook and field journal if you’d like!

Even if your child is an infant confined to a stroller or baby carrier, he/she can still benefit from nature – there’s a lot to see and hear, and plenty of fresh air to breathe!

Use your senses to observe the world around you. Lizards and June bugs are really showing out this season, but what else can you see that isn’t immediately noticeable? What can you hear? Stand still, wait, and watch.

Let's start homeschooling!

Have you been wondering about what to do with your child for the upcoming school year? As guidelines roll out and school districts share plans for conquering the upcoming months, many parents are starting to grow concerned.

THE OPTIONS:

School resumes in August or September this year, and we’ve got options to consider! Many of our local districts, including Conroe ISD (Woodlands-area schools), Klein ISD, and others, have detailed an On-Campus learning option for students (with the requirement of wearing masks, social distancing, etc.), as well as a Virtual / Online learning alternative (which doesn’t exactly equate to “homeschooling” in the general sense. The virtual learning option will most likely require your child to be enrolled in the school, be available for daily attendance, possibly plug-in for live virtual classes, follow the scope, sequence, and lesson plans of the teacher/ school, and submit work for grading, etc.)

What’s a parent to do? Send your child to school where he’ll have to adhere to new COVID-19 guidelines, or keep him home and try to navigate the waters of the school’s newly-formed online learning program?

Read more …

Summertime Projects: Chalk Board Table

I've always wanted to try chalkboard paint! You too? Well, you'll be happy to know that it's quick, easy, and from what I've read, foolproof. This old worn play table I purchased from Pottery Barn Kids 12+ years ago became my first project, and I'm pleased with the results. Here's a quick "before" photo plus DIY instructions, followed by a couple of photo of the finished table.

BEFORE:

How to Celebrate Memorial Day at Home with Kids

You were planning a fun-in-the-sun, social-distancing type of Memorial Day, but the forecast calls for rain beginning at noon. Need a new plan? Try these ideas:

Watch the PBS Video of the Arlington National Cemetery. Explore the history, mission, and daily operations of this final resting place for 40,000 Americans.

Have a family feast. Too wet outside for firing up the grill? Try this delicious recipe for Mom's Oven-BBQ Ribs by Taste of Home.