Where Did I Go?

Recently, we posted a new rare children’s book to our Story Bug app called A Apple Pie. This book, written and illustrated by Kate Greenaway, belongs to the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress and was originally published in 1886. It’s a beautiful book with Kate Greenaway’s iconic style of […]

The ABC’s of a Spring Break Staycation

Ahhh spring break. That random week when everyone in the world with children under the age of 15 descends on Disney World. True story: I’ve never actually taken a spring break vacation. So this blog is going to be all about fun things to do over spring break that don’t involve airplanes.   How about […]

There’s No Love Like Puppy Love

Today is National Puppy Day! There are plenty of ways to celebrate: adopt a puppy from your local shelter, donate food and toys to puppies still waiting for their forever families, and help a neighbor by walking their puppy for them, are just a few.   Enjoy these Puppy Themed Stories   Here’s another idea: […]

Happy New Year! (Seriously!)

No, we didn’t lose our minds. We’re talking about the spring festival of Nowruz, which is a celebration popular throughout many areas of the Middle East and Central Asia. Nowruz is not a religious holiday. Instead it is a joyous commemoration of the rebirth of earth and all life on it. Most celebrations take place […]

Reading for Joy on Read Across America Day!

By Jenni Buchanan, Reading Rainbow Mom March 2nd is Read Across America Day, an annual reading motivation and awareness celebration founded by the National Education Association on March 2, 1998 in honor of the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss. This is a day not just to celebrate, but to revel in and share […]

Stories To Read on World Read Aloud Day

Today is World Read Aloud Day! Most of us don’t really need an excuse to read aloud to our kids, but just in case the struggles of coordinating dinner time, bath time, homework, and extracurricular activities have kept your family from indulging in this sweet and cuddly pastime as much as you’d like, here are […]

Meet Grandfather Gandhi

By Elizabeth Huyuk   “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi was a great leader who worked to free India from British rule in the 1930s. Gandhi taught a new way of fighting— without violence. He and his followers simply refused to […]

For the Love of Sport: The 10 Commandments of Coaching

Children love to play! They are often happiest when they are moving. From the time they take their first steps, their love of walking, running, jumping, and dancing begins — and grows! As their love of movement grows, they soon discover the joy of group sports, of throwing, catching and kicking balls, and playing together […]

Chinese New Year: Time to Monkey Around

February is a busy time of year for my family. With a majority of the household involved in Kung Fu, and our Kung Fu school seemingly unable to turn down any request, we spend most of the month shuttling to and from Chinese New Year celebrations. The school (and thus my family) participates in lion […]

Invent It Challenge Week 4: Create It!

The 2016 Spark!Lab Invent It Challenge is finally off and running. This year, kids ages 5 to 21 need to identify a real-world health problem and come up with a solution to the problem. Each entry must follow the seven step invention process spelled out by our partner, the Smithsonian’s Spark!Lab. For the next 7 weeks or so, […]