Destress and Satisfy Sensory Needs with Squishy and Soothing Nee Doh #sensoryregulation #anxietytools

Those who struggle with anxiety and other self-regulation issues know the value of strategies and tools to help calm the mind and body. In our pediatric clinic, we find that many of our clients benefit from manipulatives and fidget toys. It helps them to manage emotional, sensory, and/or self-regulatory needs, and balance alertness, so that their brains are ready to focus and engage on tasks presented. As an adult, I find some of the same strategies helpful in my own life! One of the newest manipulatives that I've come across and can't put down is Nee Doh. This squishy stress ball has such a mellowing effect, that it's definitely worth talking about. Nee Doh comes in a wide range of shapes, colors, and themes, and I fully expect it to be a popular items with kids this season, so check it out below!

Create the Perfect Party Flow for Your Holiday Gatherings! #TitanGreatOutdoors #holidayhosting #partytips

There's nothing we love more around this time of year than throwing holiday parties! In our house, there's no such thing as too many guests, but creating space for everyone can become a stressful endeavor. We always want to ensure a great flow throughout our home, so that our guests have a variety of conversational areas to munch on goodies and mingle with each other during the party. This year, we've finally perfected our layout with the help of Titan Great Outdoors. Check out our tips below and get inspired to create the perfect flow for your own parties this season!

STEM Toys for Kids: Promote Brain Development with Magformers Backyard Adventure! #CriticalThinkingSkills #CreativePlay

Imagination and creative play go hand-in-hand with brain development and STEM toys are the perfect way to introduce kids to creative exploration to help them develop a love for learning. Magformers is one of our favorite STEM toy brands and the Magformers Backyard Adventure set is fun for preschoolers and school-age kids alike. With 61 pieces included, the possibilities are endless and pieces are designed in a way that makes it easy for little fingers to build and connect without frustration. 

5 Benefits to Storing Dry Goods in Mason Jars #pantry #organization #BallJars #WinIt #Giveaway

About a year ago, we gave our kitchen a major overhaul to create a quick and easy way to to improve the shelf life of our groceries and add organization to our pantry. We started by making the switch from keeping our dry goods in store packaging to putting them in sealed glass mason jars. We've found that storing dry goods in mason jars has some big benefits! It's about the easiest thing to do and requires almost no effort to get it done.

Thinking of making the switch? In this post, we've provided five benefits to using mason jar storage, some information on the Ball® Collection Elite® Regular Mouth 32 oz. Glass Mason Jars and 4 oz. Mini Storage Jars we use, and common bulk items to look for. 

When you're ready to get started, FreshPreserving.com is a great site to order jars directly to your door!

Educational Learning Games for Fun at Home or On the Go! #Giveaway!

With Spring Break here and summer just around the corner, we're excited to share about three new learning games that our kids love! On Track, Gemz!, and Lava Lizards have kept our family very entertained. As parents, we love that they promote academic skills in a really fun way and at $9.99 per game, the price can't be beat! Even better, the size makes them ideal for travel, so toss them in your bag for fun on the go. Check out each of the games below and be sure to enter our giveaway for a chance to win one for yourself!

Increase Reading Skills with Zingo! Sight Words #ReadingGames #Thinkfun

Parents, teachers, and speech-language pathologists will all tell you that Zingo! games are a must! We have used the original Zingo! board game in our therapy clinic for years as an engaging way to target language skills related to naming of common objects, matching, turn-taking, requesting, formulating sentences, and so much more. Knowing how much we love original Zingo!, when Thinkfun allowed us the opportunity to review the Zingo! Sight Words board game, we jumped at the opportunity. If you haven't added it to your own collection already, check out our post below to understand why it's one of our top learning games.

The Scoop on The Toy Insider Summer 2021 Virtual Toy Event! #SweetSuiteatHome

We'd been anxiously awaiting The Toy Insider Summer virtual event for weeks and we're so excited to share with you about all of the fun we had and the amazing toys and games on the market right now! We had the opportunity to chat with some of our favorite brands and discovered new favorites as well. Read on for some first hand information about the latest and greatest toys and games you can find in stores this season!

Create Back-to-School Book Traditions #RichardScarry #AlphabetBooks #kidsbooks

Back-to-School sales have begun and it's already time to start loading up on supplies. But Back-to-School shopping doesn't have to focus only on supplies! In addition to picking out the basics, our family has had a long tradition of book gifting for the first day of school. It's a great way to get kids excited about the school year and promote reading while building special memories. This year, we have two little ones starting pre-K and Kindergarten in our family. One of my favorite authors at that age was Richard Scarry, so I wanted try to foster that same love with two fantastic Richard Scarry books.

Building Literacy Skills: A Hands-On Approach with Junior Learning CVC ToolBox

Phonological and phonemic awareness skills are key to building a solid reading foundation. We're always looking for engaging, tactile approaches to help kids improve these skills and this week we are really excited to share about a fantastic set called the CVC Toolbox by Junior Learning. We love this kit because it provides hands-on learning activities and can be used as a direct instruction tool or an independent activity. Check out the CVC Toolbox below, as well as a brief explanation about literacy development and how to enhance your child's reading abilities.

Explaining Adoption through Storybooks: 'ABC Adoption & Me' by Gayle Swift #adoptionpicturebooks

For those of you who follow us often, you know that our family is on an adoption journey that has had many twists and turns. We are part of a strong network of adoptive families and how to talk to your child about their adoption story is one of the number one topics that comes up time and time again. We want to be open and honest with our child about how adoption has formed our family and we hope that talking about it from a young age through storybooks and age-appropriate discussion will help to create a sense of security. We are always on the look out for quality books about adoption and as it stands, we are a little disappointed in the amount of picture books that represent this genre. When we come across a story that addresses adoption in a sensitive and uplifting way, it's such an exciting win for us that we want to share it with everyone! "ABC Adoption and Me" by Gayle H. Swift and Casey H. Swift is just that sort of picture book. Whether you're an adoptive family or are looking for a special book to gift to a family you know, we think you'll like it as much as we do!