There is something peaceful and contemplative about the start of a new year. The bustle of the holidays is past, the decorations come down, and the weather encourages coziness and hibernation. A new year stretches before you, full of possibility and hope. It is...

December is a special time filled with holiday activities and memory-making. Most families have a working knowledge of Christmas and Hanukkah, but there are other special winter traditions and holidays that take place this month. Consider introducing some of these...

 Ah, Thanksgiving. The word summons visions of perfectly roasted turkey, fluffy mashed potatoes with melted butter, pumpkin pie topped with pillows of whipped cream, and … math. Math?!? Yes, that’s right! Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to help your child...

October brings crunchy leaves, pumpkin-flavored everything, and most importantly to kids ... HALLOWEEN! Check out these fun STEAM activities to get the whole family in the Halloween spirit.   Rotting Pumpkin What happens to a pumpkin as it rots? This experiment...

With school districts beginning the school year in remote learning mode, families are figuring out how to make the demanding task of overseeing children’s learning at home actually work.   The extra burden can weigh even heavier on single and working parents. The...

Many children have some level of awareness of race relations in America right now. Maybe they’ve heard things on the radio, glanced at the news at home, or have even had frank discussions with friends and family. As a parent, it can be hard to find the “right” way to...

  As any adult who has ever gone on YouTube knows, it can be the Wild West of content. When you’re not able to be fully present with your children as they watch, it can be ill-advised to turn them loose on YouTube. However, there is some really good educational...

In the past, while the content of library materials might have been exciting, on the whole, libraries’ reputations were that of serious, settled institutions. Today’s libraries, however, are nothing like the archaic models of the past. Most are modern,...

For many Austin families, summer came before we expected it. Not the summer of pool parties, sprinkler playdates, and sparklers with neighbors after dark, but the summer of lots and lots of unexpected family togetherness. When you add in anxiety about the state of the...

The statistics on how much time American children spend outside each day is startling. The National Recreation and Park Association states that the average child spends only four to seven minutes engaged in unstructured play outdoors, while spending an average of...

Getting some kids to read is like pulling teeth.  Actually, for most reluctant readers, pulling teeth would seem like a walk in the park— that’s how resistant they are to reading!   While most of us would agree that reading is good for children, we might not know...