Category: Family & Parenting

Free Coloring Page: Building a Sandcastle

This cute boy and girl building a sandcastle on the beach coloring page is a fun summer activity for kids who want a seaside getaway! Click on the image below to save this 8.5 x 11 letter (paper) size free printable coloring page. All rights reserved. This is for personal use only, you may not …

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Gardening With Coraline: Planting Veggies & Herbs

This year we decided since Coraline is now 3 years old, it would be a good time to introduce her to the family friendly activity of gardening. Not only will she truly learn where her favorite produce comes from, it is also a great tactile activity she can take part in.  Not to mention it …

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Spend a Weekend at Pickathon

Every summer for the past twenty-plus years, music-lovers have flocked to an 80-acre farm outside of Portland, Oregon to attend an event called Pickathon. The three-day-long festival takes place from August 2rd through 4th this year, and this year, the lineup is huge: 65 bands, including Sudan Archives and Damien Jurado, will play at least six uniquely constructed stages, delighting …

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Crafty Recipes: Cloud Dough

We all love play-dough and all the different objects that you can mold with so I decided to add another recipe to my already growing recipe list.  Having lots of alternatives for play is a great way to keep children interested in the activities that you set out for them. Cloud Dough is interesting in …

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Cooking with Coraline: Berry Picking Adventures!

Yesterday the family and I headed to Sauvie Island (in Portland, OR) to visit The Pumpkin Patch farm and do some berry picking.  Since moving to Oregon this is something we’ve enjoyed every year as a family. Luckily the temperature high this day was only 70 degrees too – perfect for picking! The day we …

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A Fun-Filled Day at DryTown Waterpark

This week my family and I are on vacation in sunny Southern California.  We have quite a bit of family here, so luckily we come often.  On this trip we decided to have a fun-filled day at DryTown Waterpark in Palmdale, CA. Let me start by telling you only one day before this trip was …

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Backyard Wonders

I have found over the years that I have become a person that will leaf through travel brochures and gaze longingly at planes as they pass by overhead. I think to myself, “What wonders will I see if I travel to faraway destinations? What would I experience?” I think everyone has those thoughts, well, except …

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Illustration: Sydney Smith’s Town is by the Sea

Our inspiration for today comes from children’s book illustrator Sydney Smith and his new book, Town is by the Sea. In the story, written by Joanne Schwartz, a boy spends a pleasant day about the town by the sparkling sea, playing with friends at the playground, going to lunch and the shops with his mom, …

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Language Development and Your Four Year Old

The preschool age is a wonderful time during childhood and I really enjoyed teaching children in this age group.  They are interested in learning about any topic from bugs to space and have countless questions for you to answer.  Developmentally, they should be at a level to really express their needs and some of them …

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Cheat Sheets: Butterflies

If you have ever spent a few minutes with any child, you will know that they can come up with questions that stump you.  I have seen experts in a field being taken completely aback by the complex question asked by a 5 year old.  I have also seen those same experts sputter and blush …

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