5 Easy Birthday Party Themes for your Teen

Check out these 5 easy themes for your teenager's next birthday bash:

Murder Mystery Party: A unique choice for a boy/girl party. Many websites offer ready-made, age-appropriate murder mysteries specifically for teens. This type of party provides a great opportunity for creative teens to get dressed up and utilize their natural tendency for drama. Look for a mystery which includes a basic story line, not a script. Teens won’t want to have to learn lines. Also, be sure to incorporate a meal or fancy snacks with the production. This draws out the players and provides more time for mystery solving.

8 Fun Ideas for Family Time as we await the hurricane!

We’re awaiting a hurricane! Here are 8 fun ideas to help pass the time together with your family!

Do a school project - The learning doesn’t have to stop because school’s out of session. Have your kiddos create a presentation on a topic they’re learning about, such as a colorful play dough model of the digestion system, or a salt dough map of the earth.
Indulge in a read-aloud - If you’re not currently reading a book to your child, start one this week. Use our online library system to check out a digital copy for your Kindle app if possible. For young kids, are few books we recommend the Little House series, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Boxcar Children. For picture books, a few of our faves are Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, The Little House, and A New Coat for Anna.
Watch the storm - It might seem odd, but children and adults alike find it interesting to watch the radar of large storms while listening to meteorologists and news reporters give updates.
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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.

Check out this coffee table we made for $35!

Have you tried your hand at anything new this summer? We have! Last week, my teenager and I built an outdoor coffee table, and though it's not perfect, I couldn't be prouder. It's so easy - and let me tell you - I don't own any special woodworking materials other than an old hand saw I purchased a decade ago (which I ended up not using). Even still, with about $35 worth of materials and a bit of elbow grease, our table was good to go. You can build one too!

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?

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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.

At-Home Learning Throughout Summer: Tips for keeping your child sharp over the long-haul

No doubt many of our readers have been feeling the stress of taking more active roles in their children’s education. As time away from the classroom extends into summer, we're also facing the challenge of helping our children maintain what they’ve learned through a summer of uncertainty.

This year’s shift to at-home learning has provided plenty of resources you can use to keep your children’s minds engaged and actively learning. The shift has also prompted families to create new routines and healthy learning habits. Continuing these best practices over the summer may prove beneficial in setting your child up for success when he/she returns to the classroom.

Get Outdoors and STAY! Here's how to prolong your time outside

It’s starting to get HOT outside already, but there’s no reason why we should stay cooped up in the house. There’s so much fun to be had outdoors at your own abode, but if you’re like us, sometimes the kids (and even the adults) are ready to go back inside all too soon. Here’s our short list of supplies you can have on hand for prolonging everyone’s outdoor time and keeping the crew content.