What can we learn from a walk in the woods? It turns out a lot more than you might think. On a recent sunny weekend, I printed out a couple of Tree Bark Scavenger Hunt pages from Backpack Explorer: Discovering Trees (you can download … Read More

DEANNA: How did you decide to become a kid's book illustrator?  HSINPING: I have loved to draw since I was a kid, but I never thought that it could be a career option for me. Until when I was in high school, there was a … Read More

Whether in the backwoods or the backyard, a sun compass is a fun and simple way to use the sun to tell what direction is north. For best results, start making your sun compass before noon, when the sun is still at an angle, not … Read More

Mindfulness is about noticing what’s happening right here, right now. We can discover so much, just by paying attention! These kid-friendly yoga moves—and many more peaceful activities—can be found in Mindful Moves by Nicole Cardoza. Rise and Shine. It feels good to … Read More

On my run this morning, I came across a long trail of caterpillars marching in a head-to-tail procession. My mind began concocting all kinds of stories about why they were lined up and what they would transform into. Perhaps the procession was a mechanism to … Read More

You may think of wildlife as being African elephants and Antarctic penguins, but there’s wildlife all around you. How can you save the wild animals, like birds, foxes, butterflies, and turtles, that live in your neighborhood? Become a backyard ranger and make your own yard … Read More

Stop me if you see a pattern here. My wife, having never previously demonstrated an interest in puzzles, has recently become a jigsaw junkie, burning through 1,000-piece projects every two weeks. Many of her friends are doing the same. Harry Potter star Daniel Ratcliff says … Read More

Rise and shine silly bear. Breakfast is ready! Busy Little Hands: Food Play!, from Amy Palanjian the creator of Yummytoddlerfood.com, is packed with activities (like this!) for preschoolers that foster fun in the kitchen and promote healthy eating habits. Read on … Read More

The mail has been a bit slow this year (we've all felt the pandemic related delays...), but that shouldn’t stop your kids from making a Valentine's Day card for someone they love. We've got some simple steps from Busy Little Hands: Art Play! to … Read More

You might say that Kaori Becker has cooking in her genes: her grandmother owned a ramen shop in Fukushima, Japan, and her mother Yukiko, is such an inspired home cook, the food she made spurred Kaori to delve deeper into cooking herself. Tapping into that … Read More