Helpful Parenting Tips

Winter Games to play outside

I know as the weather gets colder your kids would rather stay inside to stay warm; however, it’s probably more important to keep your kids active during the winter months.

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Autumn Themed Games

This fall, make sure that your kids stay active and engaged by using these fun and easy Autumn themed games and activities that can be played outside or in!

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Outdoor Fall Activities For Kids!

The weather is getting cooler, indicating the arrival of the much awaited fall. The leaves are slowly changing color, becoming brighter, and offering a rare beauty that is not seen or experienced at any other time of the year. Why then, must your little ones sit indoors, when there are such great outdoor activities that can have them enjoy the best of nature combined with a whole lot of fun? Accompany them in these different outdoor fall activities for kids, and have them perceive the beauty of the outdoors during fall in a completely unique manner.

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Fall Traveling Tips – Child Passenger Safety

Whenever you’re on the road, make sure your child passengers are buckled into appropriate safety seats. The safest place for children of any age to ride is properly restrained in the back seat.

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Best Back-to-School Savings Tips From Moms Around the Country

Fall clothes, No. 2 pencils, book bags, magic markers … the back-to-school shopping list can quickly grow out of control and overtake the family budget. So we asked moms around the country for their best money-saving tips on everything from school supplies to brown-bag lunches. We want to hear from you, too! Share your best school-related cost-cutting tips in the comments section below

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Back-to-School Transitions: Tips for Parents

Getting a new school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence, and performance both socially and academically. The transition from August to September can be difficult for both children and parents. Even children who are eager to return to class must adjust to the greater levels of activity, structure, and, for some, pressures associated with school life.

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Day Trips with your Kids

Don’t have time for a summer vacation with the family, or are your kids are getting restless waiting for that long vacation in August? There are great places to go just for the day with your kids! Getting out for the day is a great way to get your child off the computer or out from in front of the television. With this list of day trip ideas in the Pennsylvania area your kids are sure to have a great time and even learn something while also spending quality time with you!

For fun day trip ideas click here!

Get in the Kitchen with your Kids


Parents, grandparents, and youngsters cooking together in the kitchen, sharing family recipes and secrets passed from one generation to the next, is a lost art in many households across America. These days, it’s hard for busy parents even to take time out to teach their kids basic cooking techniques.

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Vegetable Gardens for Kids: How to Make a Kids Vegetable Garden That Works!

Gardening is an excellent summer activity for all ages. With school out of session, gardening with your children is a great way to spend quality time with them in the warm summer weather! Vegetable gardening is safe, fun and helpful in learning about the environment, healthy eating habits, and responsibilities.

The best vegetable gardens for kids provide healthy snacks while kids are on the go, as well as opportunities to learn about how food grows. Think of it as a healthy and ever-fresh lunchbox planted within the kids’ play space.

The kids vegetable garden is all theirs to experiment with and develop gardening skills that will be useful for life. While they care for their plants they learn about the food cycle, the workings of nature and how to care for the Earth.

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Fun Ideas for You & Your Family to Experience Nature

Plant a Tree

Materials

  • Tree seedling

Directions

Plant a tree in your yard, watch it grow and change, sit by it and talk about your problems, nurture and love it! Here’s how you do it.

  1. Dig a hole bigger than the seedlings roots.
  2. Pour water into the hole to give your tree an extra drink on its first day.
  3. Set the tree in the hole and cover its roots with soil, filling the hole and packing the dirt around it as you go.
  4. Put wood chips, bark, and leaves around the base of the tree, but not right next to the trunk. The leaves and bark will break down and provide food for the tree. This is called mulching.
  5. Water the tree regularly the first few weeks.

Nature Hunt

Materials

  • One paper bag per player
  • One list of natural objects to collect per player

Directions

  1. Give each player a paper bag and a list of natural objects (a bird’s feather, a leaf, a smooth rock, a pine cone, a wildflower, and so on) to collect.
  2. You can give the same list to all the players or have each player look for a different group of objects.
  3. Challenge the players to find all the objects on their lists. Set a time limit: perhaps twenty minutes to find ten objects.
  4. The first player to find all the items on his list is the winner.
  5. A child may play this game alone or with others. For a group of children, pair up nonreaders with readers.

Breakfast in the Park

Our family often has picnic lunches and dinners at the beach, but I hadn’t thought of having breakfast in the park until a friend suggested it. What a great idea for early risers-and you’ll definitely beat the crowds!

Materials

  • Breakfast foods
  • Blanket or tablecloth
  • Sweatshirts
  • Hot cocoa

Directions

  1. The night before your outing, pack up everything you’ll need.
  2. Your meal may be as simple as cereal, milk, and juice or may include pancakes or bacon and eggs.
  3. Bring a plastic tablecloth if you plan to sit at a picnic table or a blanket if you’ll be sitting on the ground.
  4. Mornings are often cool, so don’t forget to bring sweatshirts and hot cocoa, too.

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