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Ideas for Giving Back and Spreading Kindness
For the past few years I have felt the need to recharge and really focus on kindness this time of year. With World Kindness Day falling on November 13, November just seems to be the perfect month for this focus. Children learn by observing adults, even when those adults aren’t intentionally trying to teach them anything. This month I am challenging myself to be more intentional in spreading kindness in hopes that my children will learn and follow my lead. Join us in celebrating World Kindness Day on November 13 by completing 1 random act of kindness. Put together snack packs for the Ronald McDonald House. Your gift of an…
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10 More Ways to Explore Columbus from a Social Distance
As the summer continues, so do the recommendations to stay safe by keeping social distance. Staying home is the safest way to avoid people, but sometimes it’s nice to break up the week by getting out and exploring. Below is a compilation of “off the beaten path” ways to explore Columbus from a safe distance. If these don’t appeal to you or you have exhausted them all, be sure to check out these “15 Ways to Explore Columbus from a Social Distance.” Get outside and walk the 1.3 mile loop around Antrim Lake Trail. Take a Walk on the Alum Creek State Park – Storybook Trail. The interactive trail is lined…
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Toddler Talk: 18-24 Months
Your child is now a year and a half, can you believe it? 18 to 24-months is such a fun age and you will continue to see tremendous growth in overall language development. During this time, your child will continue to understand more than he can express. He will demonstrate understanding of language by following simple directions (get your shoes, find mommy) and by looking towards or picking up a familiar object after it has been named. During this time, play skills will begin to expand and you will notice your child beginning to use two objects in play by giving a baby doll a bottle or stirring a pot…
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15 Ways to Explore Columbus from a Social Distance
Are you looking to get the kids out of the house this summer, but would like to continue to social distance yourself from the masses? Then read on! I have put together a compilation of outings that we have done in and around Central Ohio that I felt were safe ways to explore while still practicing social distancing. Spend a magical afternoon walking The Fairy Trail at Infirmary Mound Park and see if you can find all 24 of the fairy homes and businesses along the wildflower trail. You can find signs to the trail by starting to walk around the north side of Mirror Lake from the Shelter 6 parking lot.…
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30 Ways to Play All Day in the Backyard
It is finally summer and finding novel ways to play in the backyard is going to be clutch to get us through this summer of social distancing. With the majority of our favorite activities either being closed, cancelled, or just too much of a hassle to make work, I am looking at ways to turn our backyard into the backyard park of our dreams. As our neighbors and friends are growing older, we have been the happy recipients of a lot of backyard equipment. We have also scored some great finds on our local buy, sell, trade page. In addition to the new equipment, I have found that introducing a…
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52 Ways to Stay-n-Play at Home
It’s official, we are all going to be staying safe at home for a few more months. Since this will be our new normal for the foreseeable future, I went digging back into the archives to compile a list of activities you can do at home – so you wouldn’t have to do the digging. Check out the list for fun ways for the littles to stay busy all while learning through play at home. Most of the activities are a pretty simple set up, use a lot of items you probably already have at home, and will hopefully keep your littles busy for 10 to 90 minutes (fingers crossed!).…
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Behind the Scenes with Lisa Armitage, owner of Goldfish Swim School
My family has been connected with Goldfish Swim School here in Columbus in some capacity since August 2016. After all of these years of raving about how much we love Goldfish, I finally had the chance to connect with the woman behind the pool, Lisa Armitage, the owner and water safety expert of the Goldfish Swim School – Central Ohio locations (Dublin/Westerville/Lewish Center). Lisa is such a lovely person and it is instantly obvious upon meeting her that she has so much passion for what she does. She is the reason Goldfish Swim School is here in Columbus, and for that I am extremely grateful. Read on to learn how Lisa…
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Toddler Talk: 13 to 18 Months
Your child is now one-year-old which officially makes him a toddler. Crazy, right?! At this stage he will probably be on the move – crawling, cruising, walking – will most likely be getting into everything, and will be starting to say his first words. Your child understands more than he can express. He will respond to his name consistently and will continue to follow simple directions such as “want up,” “come here,” and “give me.” He will recognize familiar objects and demonstrate how those objects should be used (picking up a spoon or cup and feeding a baby doll). He will begin to recognize body parts and will start pointing to…
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25 Ways to Play this Winter in Columbus
The first 3 months of the year are the longest for me! (As I’m sure they are for everyone else). This year I am attempting to shift my mindset. Instead of lamenting about the season, I am to actually looking forward to things that I generally only do during wintertime. I have thought back on our winters with the kids and have compiled a list of outings I tend to save for wintertime. I have also thrown in a few that are on our list to try this year. Will you join us in shifting your mindset this winter? Tried and True Hunt for Bison at Battelle Darby Creek. The bison…
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Our Baby Playdate at Goldfish Swim School
Last month I collaborated with Goldfish Swim School to host a Baby Playdate. We invited babies 4 months to 36 months to participate in a free mini level lesson at Goldfish-Westerville. During the lesson, the babies experienced how Goldfish makes learning fun. The babies participated in songs, ball play, and parent/child interactions throughout the lesson. And, if the baby was willing, he had a chance to interact with the instructor through back and fourth glides. Parents experienced how swim safety skills were built into the lesson. And of course the babies had a chance to float on the duck mats and twirl around the pool. If you missed our playdate,…