April 28, 2025
I thought Make Way for Animals was an interesting book for Earth Day. We hear a lot about protecting endangered animals - and believe me,...
I thought Make Way for Animals was an interesting book for Earth Day. We hear a lot about protecting endangered animals - and believe me, it's still vitally important for us to continue doing so - but this book introduced a different topic: creating safe ways for animals to cross roadways.
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April 25, 2025
I couldn’t let Arbor Day pass this year without doing a feature story. But you cannot imagine how hard it was to pick just one feature boo...
I couldn’t let Arbor Day pass this year without doing a
feature story. But you cannot imagine how hard it was to pick just one feature
book for Arbor Day. We’ve read so many awesome tree books and I’m sure there are
dozens I haven’t discovered yet!
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you.
April 22, 2025
I'll be the first to admit I had no idea how Earth Day originated so this book was a great find! This year marks the 55th anniversary of...
I'll be the first to admit I had no idea how Earth Day originated so this book was a great find! This year marks the 55th anniversary of Earth Day and while I do believe it's helped us all pay more attention to how we treat our amazing planet, I think we still have ways to go! So we're going to keep trying to celebrate Earth Day every day by being mindful of what we use and throw out and how we care for the world around us.
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April 12, 2025
I can't talk about taking care of the Earth without mentioning National Parks! National Parks are vital partners in the quest for prot...
I can't talk about taking care of the Earth without mentioning National Parks! National Parks are vital partners in the quest for protecting the Earth. Not only do National Parks preserve and protect lands, but they allow us to explore, appreciate, and learn about the natural world around us. And none of that would be possible without park rangers!
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April 07, 2025
I'll be perfectly honest, I've COMPLETELY forgotten about Earth Hour the past few years. I remember trying to do it when the kids we...
I'll be perfectly honest, I've COMPLETELY forgotten about Earth Hour the past few years. I remember trying to do it when the kids were little (although, I'll be honest, it was pretty easy then because 8:30pm was time to be sleeping!) but somewhere along the way it just wasn't on my radar anymore. But while I was at the library collecting lots of awesome Earth Day books, I happened across this one! So I thought I'd kick off the month with Earth Hour as an inspiration for all of us to give an hour for the earth this month (even if you, like me, missed the official earth hour...)
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April 01, 2025
Next up for Women's History Month is Elizabeth Blackwell. Now this is a women most of you have probably heard of but I thought she was...
Next up for Women's History Month is Elizabeth Blackwell. Now this is a women most of you have probably heard of but I thought she was important enough to mention because, can you imagine a world where women are NOT doctors?? I can't, but it did exist! And I'm forever grateful to Elizabeth Blackwell for opening up that door for all the women who followed after her.
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March 24, 2025
Alma Thomas is new to me but as soon as I read the quote before the start of the story I knew I would love her. "Through color, I have ...
Alma Thomas is new to me but as soon as I read the quote before the start of the story I knew I would love her.
"Through color, I have sought to concentrate
on beauty and happiness, rather than on man's
inhumanity to man." - Alma Thomas (1970)
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March 11, 2025
Harriet Tubman definitely does not fall into the category of awesome women I'd never heard of, but the anniversary of her death was ye...
Harriet Tubman definitely does not fall into the category of awesome women I'd never heard of, but the anniversary of her death was yesterday and I feel she deserves a spotlight. Tubman is most well known for being a conductor for the Underground Railroad but she was also a Union nurse, spy, and general during the civil war, founder of the Home for the Aged, and a suffragist.
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March 05, 2025
This month we're celebrating Women's History Month and I'm starting things off with the unbelievable story of Wilma Rudolph in...
This month we're celebrating Women's History Month and I'm starting things off with the unbelievable story of Wilma Rudolph in "Wilma Unlimited" by Kathleen Krull and David Diaz.
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July 31, 2023
I was initially thrown by salt as the mystery ingredient this week. I mean, I use salt in almost every single recipe I make, but how do you ...
I was initially thrown by salt as the mystery ingredient this week. I mean, I use salt in almost every single recipe I make, but how do you really highlight it? Well, after a little researching and exploring, I discovered there's more to salt than meets the eye.
Here's a good article about salt's uses from Spruce Eats:
Six Functions of Salt in Food. Our bodies need salt so one use is obviously as a nutrient, but it also helps preserve food and enhance the flavor by cutting bitterness or enhancing and balancing out sweetness. And I did not know you needed it in yeast breads for proper rise and structure! I always thought it was just for flavor!
So, using that article as inspiration, I've put together some ways to explore salt's different uses in this week's activity calendar, which you can download here:
Don't forget to follow along with us on
Facebook and share what you've done too!
July 26, 2023
My kids have always been interested in food and cooking. When they were little we spent tons of time in the kitchen messing around! Now tha...
My kids have always been interested in food and cooking. When they were little we spent tons of time in the kitchen messing around!
Now that they're older and we have a lot of activities outside of the house and more schoolwork that needs to get done, we sometimes forget to make time for cooking. So when we happened across the
Mystery Recipe podcast from America's Test Kitchen, I knew it was the perfect inspiration for a series of food exploration and cooking activities!
First, a quick summary of the Mystery Recipe podcast. Each week there are 3 episodes focused on a specific ingredient. In the first episode, you get some clues and sounds to help you guess the ingredient. (Unfortunately, I spoil the surprise because I can't give you the activity calendar without saying what the ingredient is! But if you want it to be a surprise for the kids, don't say anything before they've listened to the first episode.) Anyway, at the end of the season, there is a mystery recipe you can cook along with ATK Kids which uses all the mystery ingredients!
Now onto my activity calendar. I figured why not share what we're doing with all of you! I have compiled things to help you and your kids learn, explore, and taste each week's mystery ingredient. Click the link below to download a copy of the activity calendar for onion week and follow along on
Facebook to see what we've done during the week. And feel free to share your photos with us!
Onion Week Activity Calendar
August 21, 2022
This week we decided to explore infinity and beyond! Join us as we learn about space, train to be an astronaut, blast off, and go on some ...
This week we decided to explore infinity and beyond! Join us as we learn about space, train to be an astronaut, blast off, and go on some space missions!
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August 14, 2022
This week's camp was requested by Lil C and Squidgy. They had downloaded a superhero mod for Minecraft and were in total superhero mod...
This week's camp was requested by Lil C and Squidgy. They had downloaded a superhero mod for Minecraft and were in total superhero mode. So when they asked for Superhero Camp, I challenged Lil C to create a bunch of fun activities to do - and she delivered! I think she filled in about half of the calendar on her own and I just had to fill in the blank squares. It was so nice getting her creative input!
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August 07, 2022
This week's camp takes us into the kitchen to explore the science of baking and all sorts of other chemical and matter changes that o...
This week's camp takes us into the kitchen to explore the science of baking and all sorts of other chemical and matter changes that occur when we combine ingredients, add air, heat, and freeze. Best of all, each day will have a science experiment that you can eat! Those are definitely my favorite kinds of science experiments.
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July 31, 2022
During this week's Backyard Summer Camp, we'll be traveling the world exploring different habitats and the animals who live in them!...
During this week's Backyard Summer Camp, we'll be traveling the world exploring different habitats and the animals who live in them! We love sensory bins and they are a great way to learn about various habitats - and also great to do outside in the summer so the mess stays out of the house!
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July 24, 2022
My kids were SOOOO excited about Ninja Camp. We recently got the game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and not only w...
My kids were SOOOO excited about Ninja Camp. We recently got the game
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and not only was it really fun to play - you can play with up to 6 players for a chaotic hilarious time - but the kids became obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Of course I went through my own TMNT phase back in the 90s so they just brought me right back to my youth. Anyway, the prevalence of TMNT in our house made choosing the first theme for our backyard summer camps super easy! And the best part is, you can join Ninja Camp in your own backyard or house!
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June 05, 2022
"We Are Water Protectors" by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade is an absolutely beautiful story illustrating the Native American...
"We Are Water Protectors" by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade is an absolutely beautiful story illustrating the Native American - especially Ojibwe - love of and relationship with water as well as their protest to protect the waters on their land from oil contamination.
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May 22, 2022
Chinese-American author Kat Zhang has 3 different Amy Wu books , but since I'm a total sucker for children's books that involve food...
Chinese-American author Kat Zhang has 3 different
Amy Wu books, but since I'm a total sucker for children's books that involve food, I had to feature "Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao!" The story chronicles little Amy Wu's struggles as she attempts to make the perfect bao like her mother, father, and grandmother.
Before I continue, I feel like I should clarify what bao are for those who don't know. Bao (pronounced bow as in, "She bowed before the princess") are amazingly delicious steamed buns. We get them all the time from the Asian market in town. They come in a variety of sizes with all sorts of fillings. We've had ones filled with various meats, vegetables, red bean, and custard. The kids' favorite is one called a Phoenix bun, which is filled with a sweet runny eggy custard.
Ok, now I can get back to the story. So Amy tries over and over and over to make the perfect bao but they're just not coming out right! Can she figure out the secret to making the perfect bao her own way? Watch the read aloud below and find out!
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May 07, 2022
While it is actually a chilly rainy windy day here, it's May and we're all thinking about warm weather and pools and...ice cream! To...
While it is actually a chilly rainy windy day here, it's May and we're all thinking about warm weather and pools and...ice cream! Today's story takes us back over 100 years to the time 11 year old
Frank Epperson accidently invented the popsicle!
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May 01, 2022
I'm very excited to share my second Global Explorers GET'EM mystery with you all! I originally planned to have one ready last mont...
I'm very excited to share my second Global Explorers GET'EM mystery with you all! I originally planned to have one ready last month but I ran into trouble when I tried to do too much. I was right in thinking creating the mystery this time around would go much more smoothly than with
Korea. However, wanting to also add in a full meal menu proved to be a little crazy trying to test out recipes while doing everything else! (There were also various other ideas popping into my head distracting me...) So I've realized I should focus on one thing I want to do and if I end up with extra time I can add more. Since my kids like the mysteries the best, that's going to be my first focus!
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