This post is sponsored by Google Have you ever thought about the role technology plays in your life? Living a digital life is exciting but also complicated. Digital devices make us more productive, help us stay connected, allow us to keep learning, and provide a much-needed break from reality. Our phones are the first things…
teens
How to Teach Your Kids to Unplug in Favor of Digital Wellbeing
This post is sponsored by Google Every family struggles with screen time. You’re not alone in telling your kids to put down their phones, issuing reminders about dwindling minutes when gaming, and feeling frustrated when requests to get off the computer fall on deaf ears. Some of us have tried to limit minutes using devices…
Teach Your Kids to Take Better Pictures with 4-H Digital Photography Curriculum
This post is sponsored by 4-H With improvements in smartphone technology and the cameras inside them, it’s easier than ever for tweens and teens to be photographers. However, a great image is measured by more than how many friends you can cram into the frame of your selfie. Parents with budding photographers can make screen…
Dear Future Coders: 4 Pieces of Advice for Tween & Teen Technologists
Thank you to Capital One for sponsoring this post As a former classroom teacher, I can distinguish between social chatter and productive chatter. Social chatter was typical in my first-grade classroom as kids were transitioning between parts of the day or weren’t engaged in classroom tasks and had the power to create a ripple effect of off-task…
2018 Gift Guide: Best STEM Gifts for Kids of All Ages
Since starting this blog almost 11 years ago, there’s been an influx of STEM focused toys on the market. There’s no shortage of products designed to foster curiosity and get our kids interested in these subjects but the teacher in me can distinguish between items that provide worthwhile STEM learning experiences versus those that masquerade…
2018 Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Teens (ages 13+)
If you’re a parent of a teen, you probably find yourself counting down milestones from time to time. The number of birthdays left to celebrate at home, remaining seasons of their favorite sport, years left in high school before they’re off to college, and maybe summers but let’s be honest, those 18 summers are a…
How to Talk to Tweens and Teens About Sexual Consent
From headlines in the daily paper, morning radio talk show hosts discussing it on the air, and news outlets sharing breaking news through Snapchat, it’s hard for our kids to avoid words and current events that are associated with sex. It may be tempting to change the radio station, turn off the nightly news, flip…
From Bourbon Street to the Bayou: 5 Days in New Orleans with Tweens
New Orleans may conjure up images of Mardi Gras and late-night degenerate behavior on Bourbon Street but families who are looking to visit will find a city rich with history, culture, delicious food, and lots of fun activities that will leave your kid wanting to unplug. From Bourbon Street to the Bayou and beyond, New…
How Bark Lets You Monitor Your Child’s Smartphone without Invading Their Privacy
This post is sponsored by Bark As expectant first-time moms and dads, we sought out as much information as possible about milestones at every age and stage. Fast forward to the present and there’s no handbook guiding us through the tween and teen years when it comes to our kids, mobile devices, and social media….
I’m Practicing Being an Empty Nester Now because 18 Summers is a Lie
All those summers you thought you had with your kids? 18 summers are a lie. It’s easy to get nostalgic about the dwindling summers we have with our children but what happens when they end? You won’t find the answer in a parenting book but I’ll let you in on my secret: Instead of pining…
