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This post has been sponsored by ZenTyme Moments via a gifting collaboration. All opinions within the article are my own.
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With Mother’s Day around the corner, it is again the season to scramble and find the best ways to show mom how much you care. I say scramble, because as a mom myself, I know exactly what my household looks like in the lead up (also, as someone with a mom, I also know Mother’s Day preparations always felt like chaos because it is mom who usually did all the planning!)
This year, I’m offering a few last-minute suggestions for those still scratching their heads about how to treat the mothers in their lives. And my first product feature is guaranteed to help mom relax on the rare occasion she gets to treat herself at home. Because what mom doesn’t love a luxurious bath?
That brings me to the product itself: theZenTyme Moments ergonomic bath pillow. I’d never been a huge bath person before having my kid, but as a mom, I am totally beginning to see the appeal! And no bath is complete without a relaxing place to rest your head! This pillow is incredibly plush and luxurious, making it absolutely perfect for mamas looking for me time in the tub! Drying the pillow is super easy because of the convenient (and sturdy) hanger, and storage is a breeze thanks to the bag included (because let’s be honest, our homes are cluttered enough with all the stuff from our kids). The pillow has many suction cups hold it firmly on the tub, so no need to worry about it slipping, and the ergonomic design with elevated sides to ensure you also don’t slip, either. I’m absolutely obsessed with mine, and I know any mom who enjoys a nice bath would love this product as well (hint, hint for those still looking for Mother’s Day gifts!!).
Where can you find it? Head over to the ZenTyme Moments website, or find the product on Amazon! Looking to up the ante with the spa day at home essentials? ZenTyme moments makes a wide variety of self-care products! And what makes them even better is this company is a small American owned business featuring many made in America products. Who doesn’t love supporting the made in America initiative? Plus, all their ingredients are ethically sourced and the company is committed to sustainability. Plus, they never test on animals. You can learn more about their commitment here. Now if only mom could find a way to keep the kids out of the bathroom when she is trying to get some time alone. Perhaps invest in a good lock, too?
More ZentTyme Moments products you may love!!
Stay tuned for more great gift ideas for Mother’s Day (or birthdays, Christmas/Hanukah, or just to treat yourself, mama!). Or, check out myholiday gift guide for her, which also has a bunch of options that would make great gifts for mom!
Shopping later? Be sure to save this on Pinterest so you can find it later!
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SPONSORED POST
The books discussed in this post were gifted to me by Jolie Canoli for the purpose of review. All opinions are entirely my own!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. Commissions earned help support my small business, and my participation in the program comes at no added cost to you. You can learn more about my participation in this program here.
The school year is dragging on, and yet, it is almost over for many students. Virtual learning is just not quite as effective as in person learning, is it? Even if your child is going to school in person, they may be missing quite a few days due to the current circumstances. Especially for very young children, reinforcing the basic foundational skills they learn at school has become all the more essential.
Enter Jolie Canoli Phonics!
If you are looking for a supplement to school based reading instruction for your preschooler, kindergartener, or even early elementary student, these books are an amazing resource. They are also great for families looking to give their children a head start on the foundations of fluent English reading. As I’ve previously shared, literacy science indicates five critical areas of reading instruction, and phonemic awareness and phonics (together making up the larger category of phonological awareness) are two key areas to focus attention on early during reading development (National Reading Panel, 2000). I’ve also noted that many kids’ books and programs do not adequately promote development of critical phonological awareness strategies. Given this fact, I am happy to add Jolie Canoli texts to the list of books that I can enthusiastically endorse as using effective letter sound mapping strategies. Plus, these books have the added benefit of promoting decoding/carry over of skills.
Each text starts with an introduction for parents and caregivers. Essentially serving as a crash course in the basics of how to use the text and concepts of reading and reading instruction, these brief instructions are in simple language that even those without a degree in education can easily retain. But they don’t just focus on speech sounds. Both books in the phonics series offer prompts for how to write each letter. This is the only widely available phonics/alphabet book series I’ve found with that feature, setting them apart from competitors. 
About the Alphabet Book
In the alphabet book, the text is presented in rhyming form, and ties the grapheme characters into the story seamlessly. Onomatopoeia is used as a device to help children further understand the sounds that letters make. Phonemes are repeated multiple times in different words, as well as different places within the words. The author also provides fun rules for letters that have multiple phonemes to help children understand where a letter might make one sound or another (my noting this inherently means she also spends time focusing on the fact that different letters can make many different sounds in the first place; one example is the hard and soft G that many books neglect to explicitly address).
Periodic check ins provide an opportunity for children to practice blending/decording using the phonemes and graphemes they have just reviewed. As I’ve previously noted, decoding/word segmentation is a critical skill associated with later reading fluency (eg. Muter, 1998; Hjetland, et al., 2017). While it is not the primary focus of the text, the introduction to blending/decoding practice is a fantastic addition that many children’s alphabet books neglect. 
About the Vowels Book
The vowels book pairs with a song by the author, available for download on her webpage. Like the alphabet book, the vowels text reviews the multitude of sounds each letter can make, in a variety of places within the words, and introduces phonics rules in rhyming form. The characters each letter becomes also helps indicate to readers what sound each respective letter makes (e.g. up vs. unicorn for the letter u). Like the alphabet book, the pages are colorful, fun, and interactive.
Critiques
While there are no major drawbacks within these texts, there were two areas where I could see some minor room for improvement. Both were in the alphabet book, and the first can easily be addressed by using the vowels text in addition to the alphabet book. This was that the letter A was not addressed using one of the most common sounds it makes; a as in apple. Instead the author uses the word ant for the short a sound, and a in acorn for the long a sound. As a former educator training in the Wilson school of phonics instruction (a methodology supported by extensive research), I would much prefer the boring a for apple over a for ant. [Note: I am not in any way sponsored or affiliated with Wilson; I am simply a major proponent of their method). That said, this is not something I see as a major problem with the alphabet book given the audience is parents and their children rather than teachers involved in early reading instruction, and the vowels text does address the matter further. The second critique I had of the alphabet book was that one of the blending practice words used a double e (which makes a long e sound), despite not explicitly covering this concept. However, this is a children’s book we are discussing here, not a curriculum package (reference my audience comment prior). I am not horribly concerned as a result!
Overall Assessment
These books get a definite recommendation from me! I am pleased to add them to my child’s library, and would certainly encourage other parents to do the same! They are fun, engaging, and importantly, have content presented in a way I believe would aid in the development of early reading skills*.
Where can you find the books?
Other books by the author
*I say believe because, as a scientist reviewing a program not supported by science, I am incapable of drawing causal claims. That said, these are children’s books, not a curriculum program, and as such, there is no necessity to support the books with scientific studies.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and commissions earned help support my small business. You can learn more about this program here. When the weather starts getting nice, my family loves spending as much time outside as possible. We are outside on days we work from home (I am writing this from a lounge chair on my deck!), we play outside, eat outside, and generally find every excuse possible to be outdoors. But every parent has had the experience of their child feeling bored with outdoor free play. Here are 10 ideas that are low or no cost, and perfect for keeping the entire family entertained outside throughout the warmer months! 1. Gardening
2. Water Play
3. Messy Art Activities
4. Take a Nature Walk
 If you happen to live in or around Westchester, I also strongly encourage you to check out Lasdon Park's Dinosaur walk!!! It is an amazing resource available FOR FREE!!! The trail isn't particularly long by adult standards, but it is perfect for little feet. Along the way take time to learn about the different dinosaurs, their environment, and more. The trail also offers a virtual reality experience and stations where you can scan signs to learn more!  5. Picnic
6. Outdoor Movie Nights
7. Get Dirty!! Mud kitchens, dirt play, sand boxes, and mud pies are all great ways to have fun getting dirty! While many parents cringe at the idea (admittedly, I am included in that), kids love it. Warm spring and summer days are perfect for getting dirty, because you can do it in a swim suit. Just spray off with a hose when done! 8. Backyard Camping Grab a tent, a sleeping bag, and a flashlight; then head outdoors! You don’t have to sleep outside to experience the fun of camping! Get comfy, light a fire in your fire pit if you have one, and roast some marshmallows. When it is time for bed, you can always head inside, but not before taking a long gaze at the night sky! There are some great apps out there that help you discover stars, planets, and constellations.  9. Go for a Bike Ride Even small children can partake in family bike rides with a balance bike (which is obviously a lot slower than a regular bike, but a great tool for helping kids get ready to use a big kid bike!) or wagon attachment. Biking is great exercise, and allows you to get out and explore faster than using your own feet. My community has some excellent cycling trails, or just take a ride around your neighborhood.  10. Obstacle Course
 Want even more ideas? I update my Instagram stories regularly with new activities I am doing with my preschooler, or things we are doing as an entire family. You can also find great ideas from around the web on my Pinterest account! What are some of your family’s favorite outdoor activities for the spring and summer? Comment below and let me know! Be sure to share this with other parents looking for creative ideas to stay busy outside this spring and summer! Fresh spring coloring pages have hit the website and are available for immediate download!
As I do every season, I am making select coloring pages available for immediate download. This new PDF has 6 different pages that are perfect to brighten the entire season. There is something for every skill level, and the printable pack is perfect for rainy days indoors. Be sure to head over to my main Spring resource page to check them out!
Plus, you'll find access to tons of other great content.
And more! Content is being added regularly, so stop back to check out what's new!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and helps support my small business. You can learn more here. I'm a huge fan of simple yet flexible crafts and activities for young children! Cotton balls, glue, and paper are three things that I find endless use for in my home, especially in combination with one another. This cotton ball craft is super easy to modify and use for a variety of ages. Here are some ways to do the activity in your home! Cotton Ball Sheep Crafts for Kids of All AgesWhere to StartYou'll want to either trace a sheep shape, or download one of my templates (they are free and available for immediate download... no strings attached!). You can use these as coloring pages as well as for the cotton ball sheep crafts described below.
Other materials you'll need:
For ToddlersToddlers are just developing fine motor abilities, and this activity is a great way to help build them! Allow your child to paint glue onto the stencil, pick up cotton balls and place them within the lines of the sheep. For PreschoolersHave your child color the sheep's face, then use glue to apply the cotton balls. Once done, help you child cut out the sheep. For Elementary Age KidsStart by decorating the sheep's face; color, paint, or use another medium to give it some color. Then, laminate the entire paper. Once the paper has set, heat up a hot glue gun. If your child is super cautious, you may choose to have them help with the glue, but you will probably want to be the one using the glue to help avoid burns. Apply small dots of glue onto the sheep's body, then add cotton balls (they can be pulled a bit to make a more woolen texture, or applied as is). Have your child cut out the sheep once dry/cool. Using the hot glue again, apply two popsicle sticks in a cross shape to the back of the sheep. Then, glue two more popsicle sticks together, one on top of the other. Apply those to the bottom back of the sheep, sticking out towards the bottom. Now you have a sheep puppet or planter decoration! Want to dress up the sheep more? You can use food coloring or water colors to dye to cotton balls for a rainbow sheep, apply glitter using regular craft clue, add googley eyes, and more! Your imagination is the only limit! Expand on the Activity Even More!Want to build on this craft with other educational activities? Here are a few ideas! Sheep Themed Kids BooksFarm Songs and ActivitiesOld McDonald (Had a Farm): Perfect for toddlers, Old McDonald is a great way to work on animal sounds and vocabulary! We love pairing it with farm puppets or my child's farm yard play set!   Take a trip to the local community farm/farm museum: In our area, we have tons of community farms and farm museums, and growing up, we had plenty near us as well. A quick Google search can help you identify the resources available near you. If you are in the Metro New York area, here are a few options you'll love: And in the Boston Metro area, be sure to check out Drumlin Farm! Educational Spring PrintablesUse this activity along with these great printables to create a spring thematic unit!!
More Spring Crafts & ActivitiesCheck out these other great crafts, which pair perfectly with the cotton ball sheep craft, books, and printables for a spring thematic unit! Be sure to save this on Pinterest for easy access to these great ideas later!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and helps support my small business. You can learn more here.
How exciting is it that spring is here? With Easter around the corner, I've been working hard on some great Easter content, including this adorable Easter themed iSpy activity. And they are all free, but only to members of my Mindfully Scientific Caregivers group on Facebook. Not in my group? Be sure to sign up here. I'll be adding more group exclusives as time goes on. Connect with other caregivers, plus find great tips and tricks for raising kids from a place of evidence, mindfulness, and love. The group is 100% FREE, and comes with the added benefit of being run by a seasoned educator and cognitive scientist specializing in education.
I also have three great Easter printables available for immediate download, no strings attached! These include a cute coloring page, and two themed biggest to smallest activities. Also be sure to check out my other great Easter and spring content!
Free Easter iSpy Printable
This activity is super simple, and can easily be used on your favorite device for an eco friendly solution. Just have your child count the number of each item in the array. I've provided an answer sheet to help you with scoring. You can also print and either laminate, or add to your child's seasonal busy book. This printable fits with however they play!
Easter Printable Crafts
Also up on the group is an Easter Basket printable activity, bunny ears printable activity, hanging easter eggs printable, and a crossword puzzle.
Also be sure to check out the spring numbers/color awareness binder book pages on the group!
Binder books are easy to put together. Simply print 2 copies of all pages, other than the cover. Insert the cover in the front of a binder, and one copy of each page into plastic page protectors. Laminate the second copy, and use velcro on both the plastic page protectors and the backs of the laminated pictures. Cut out each of the laminated pictures, and apply to page protectors. Insert into the binder, and you are all done! You can find an example of a fall themed binder book and detailed instructions here.
Easter Printables for Immediate Download
These great printables are available for immediate download! For the small to big activities, I recommend cutting and laminating the cards. This will allow your child to play over and over! You can also laminate the coloring page and use dry erase markers, which is an eco friendly solution enabling your child to color again and again!
Don't forget to share this with other parents with kids who would love these activities!!!Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and helps support my small business. You can learn more here.  This easy, kid friendly recipe is simple to customize. You can even hide veggies in it! Easy Kid Friendly BreakfastBreakfast Quesadillas Ingredients
Instructions
1. Beat eggs, Seasoning, and milk. If using veggies or meats, add these, too (make sure meat is precooked!) 2. Get your pan hot (medium heat), then grease (we use olive oil in a Misto) 3. Pour eggs in. Cook until solid on one side, flip, then cook opposite side. Remove from pan. 4. Add butter and olive oil (which reduces fat/cholesterol and prevents the butter from browning while preserving the butter taste) 5. Add tortilla wrap, then cheese and any additional items (hot sauce, salsa, etc). Finally, add egg. 6. Fold in half 7. Remove from pan, soak up grease with a paper towel 8. Serve with toppings and sides of your choice! Love this recipe? Be sure to check out some of my family's other favorite meals (and some great cookbook recommendations) on my recipe page!!Managing food allergies? Be sure to check out my food allergy resource portal here. Other posts you may love!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and helps support my small business. Learn more here.
One pot meals are a lifesaver for my busy family. Managing being a working professional, mom, and homemaker keeps me on my toes, and dinner time is one area where efficiency counts. This chili recipe is not only delicious and kid friendly, but healthy and easy!
You may notice cinnamon listed in the ingredients. Look strange to you? I promise, you won't taste it, but you will notice the difference it makes! This tip comes directly from my chef husband... who just happens to have won a local chili contest a few years back. Here is my family's favorite chili recipe, guaranteed to be a new favorite in your meal rotation! 
The Best Turkey and Veggie Chili
Serves 6-8 | Approximate Prep and Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients
Love this? Check out my other recipes!Be sure to share with another busy parent who could use some help with easy, healthy, kid friendly meals!
 Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and helps support my small business. If you would like to learn more about this program, please click here. Easy Plastic Easter Egg CraftsPlastic Easter eggs are great for more than just Easter egg hunts! These fun Easter egg crafts use materials you probably already have in home, and are perfect for family members of all ages. Activities you'll find in this post:
 Easter Egg Process ArtThis is a great sensory and art activity for children ages toddler and up! What you will need:
What to do This activity is simple. Just dip the Easter eggs into paint, coat, and then place on a paper lined cookie sheet (you may want to use tape to make sure the paper stays in place). Lift the cookie sheet and move so the eggs roll from side to side. You an also use the eggs as stamps, or roll them yourself. Plastic Easter Egg StampsThis activity is great for kids of all ages. Older children can help you create the stamps before using them, while younger children will love using the stamps once they are done! What you will need:
 
What to do:
You can also skup steps 2-4, and just use the Easter egg halves as circle stamps to create art like the piece below!  Decorated Plastic Easter Eggs
 Take it a step further! Using twine or ribbon and a hot glue gun, you can create garland out of the eggs by apply a dot of hot glue to the back, and affixing the eggs to the string. Or, if you have a cute basket, glass vase, or centerpiece bowl, place the eggs into that container as a decorative element you can use year after year! Or, use the eggs for your Easter Egg Hunt! Be sure to share this with someone who loves crafting, or pin it for other crafters to find! You might also be interested in:
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and helps support my small business. You can learn more here.
You loved my 10 Toys Your Toddler Will Love (it was one of my most popular posts of 2020!), so I'm back with a new post, almost a year later. My child is obviously a bit older now, and has some new interests. These are the toys my little one is obsessed with right now. Of course, he is still interested in the toys on that last list, so be sure to check it out, too.
This list contains a number of educational options, as well as fun movement and art options. With it being cold and snowy in my part of the country, having tons of activities to choose from has been a lifesaver. Where relevant, I've included some of the activities we do using these products. So, without further ado, here is the roundup! 10 of the Best Toys for 2 and 3 Year Olds
Melissa and Doug Train Sets
My little one has been loving playing with his train sets (we have both of the sets below, plus an activity table). The toys build fine motor skills (i.e. putting tracks together), STEM skills (testing how to built elevated tracks, learning about cause and effect through working with the magnets and the swivel bridge), vocabulary skills, and imaginative play skills, making them perfect as an educational toy, too.
Some of the best vocabulary these sets can be used for are teaching relationship concepts and words, such as over, under, in, on, etc. These are difficult concepts for young children to begin with, so having visual aides is a huge help! Plus, the sets have the quality you expect from Melissa and Doug toys.
2. Play Food Sets
My little one loves his play food sets. Along with the Fisher Price food truck and thekitchen set we have, my child has been loving his ice cream parlor set. We paired it with kinetic sand for extra fun!
 
3. Dinosaurs!
My child loves all things dinosaurs, but his favorite by far has been this amazing, educational dinosaur toy from Learning Resources. The toy builds color awareness and vocabulary, shape awareness and vocabulary, and fine motor skills. Other dinosaur toys he is obsessed with right now? The Melissa and Doug Dinosaur Party set, and his big T-Rex stuffed animal (also from Melissa and Doug, predictably; it is currently out of stock, but you can check back if interested here).
4. Play-Doh
Of course Play-Doh would make an appearance on this list! It is a great sensory activity for young kids, and this truck builds find motor skills, too! Play- Doh makes products for every interest; they have cooking sets, truck sets, and more.
5. Mega Bloks
I've written before about why blocks are a great educational toy, so it isn't surprising that we have tons of them in our home. This Mega Bloks Peek a Blocks Amusement Park was a Christmas gift from my child's uncle (an industrial designer and inventor, no joke!), and it is a great activity to help build awareness about several different simple machines (specifically a lever and an inclined plane)!
 
6. Magnet Toys
Magnets are an excellent STEM toy, and these PicassoTiles are a lower cost (but durable) substitute for expensive MagnaTiles.We love using them for testing cause and effect, working on basic engineering skills, and discussing relational, shape, and color vocabulary!
 
7. Animal Play Sets
My child is obsessed with animals, so our home is filled with tons of animal toys. One of my child's favorites is the Battat Big Red Barn. It comes with 4 animals and a farmer, as well as the barn. My child spends tons of time playing imaginary games with the set!
Another favorite activity? Playing vet! My child loves his Melissa and Doug vet kit, and "fixing" his kitty and puppy.
8. Reusable Vinyl Sticker Sets
Tired of buying stickers only to have your child go through them quickly and need to buy more? We love vinyl stickers for this reason! My child loves playing with stickers, which means traditional options are an expensive choice (if you don't have sticker piles on paper, are you even a toddler/preschool parent?!). And what about stickers all. over. everything. Vinyl stickers stick to a ton of surfaces, but come off. Plus, these Melissa and Doug sticker pads come with great scenes that your child can use to mix and match during play. Huge score for my kid, for me, and for my furniture!
If your child isn't into dinosaurs or animals, Melissa and Doug also makes a ton of other varieties.
 
9. Active Movement Toys
My child is still obsessed with all the active movement toys included on last year's list, but we've added a few new items (including a Nugget couch and a new swing set!). Here are some of the other great new additions to our collection!
A balance bike can be a great way to start getting a child ready to move on to a real bike... and get moving! Make sure to get a helmet, too! My child absolutely love his Velo balance bike, and all his cousins have had one, too. While it is a bit too cold and snowy to use it at the moment, we look forward to spring so we can pull it out again!
 
PS: Nugget not in your budget? Check out the blocks I put on last year's list. We still use them a lot, and they are on many Nugget alternative round up lists I've seen! You can also add extra sets to get even more building capacity!
We also have a Little Tykes Mini Trampoline with a stability bar that my child absolutely loves. Why no link, then? Because the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend them. Not even mini ones! Why do we have one, then? In consultation with our child's therapy team, we decided (with adequate supervision and in following other recommendations for trampoline use from the American Academy of Pediatrics) that the risks of a mini trampoline were less than the risks of the other places my child was finding to bounce. Our home has specific factors that influenced our decision. Considering one for your home, too? Speak with your child's pediatrician first! There are many, many ways for children to stay active! .
10. Art Supplies
Looking to elevate your child's art supplies beyond the standard crayons and markers? My child loves his tabletop easel! It is great for painting, coloring, and comes with a white board, roll of paper, magnets, and chalk board! We have also paired Crayola markers, crayons, and finger paint, the Melissa and Doug vinyl stickers seen above, and Melissa and Doug animal magnets with the easel for even more fun!
Aside from fostering creativity, art activities are great for teaching fine motor skills, vocabulary, and color awareness, and this product offers letter magnets to help with teaching letter awareness and basic literacy skills such as phonological awareness!  
I hope you'll find this roundup as helpful as last year's! Have an idea to add? Comment and share!
Love this? Be sure to share!
Or, check out other great content available from The Mindfully Scientific Mama!
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