Interested in some podcasts for adults? Sarah shared her master list here.
Do you listen to podcasts with your kids? I love it as both a form of entertainment (screen-free entertainment!) and as another medium for learning. For all of the podcasts on this list, the kids think of these as purely entertainment, and I just love that the learning is a by-product.
This is a round-up of our absolute favorites after years of listening. We definitely can’t rank them, because that list would change daily. Over that time, our interest in the different shows ebbs and flows depending upon the boys’ interests, but we always come back to the podcasts on this list.
The episode length for these podcasts may be anywhere from 7 to 30 minutes long, which is great for listening when we’re running errands around town. When we’re going on longer road trips, I like to put on an audiobook because the playtimes are much longer. We’ll share some of our favorite audio books in another post.
Last year (2020) the boys got a sewing machine for Christmas. It may not be the typical gift for a 5 & 7 year old, but know how much they love tools and making things, this was the perfect addition to their arsenal. It goes well with a Viking helmet, don’t you think?
During their first year of having the machine, we did a few things.
April is National Poetry month. Admittedly, I don’t think of myself as needing a special month to wax poetic (wink wink) about the nature-inspired poetry books that we love. But apparently I AM the type of person that needs a national initiative because I hadn’t put together a post sharing this collection until now.
There’s a wide variety of subjects on our list of favorites. Insectlopedia that focus on insects to Old Elm Speaks that highlights trees. One of my absolute favorites is When Green Becomes Tomatoes. But I also get so excited when someone will read Joyful Noise with me. Every poem in that book is written for two readers making one poem. It’s just a pile of beautiful poetry.
My focus for this goal is to increase our awareness of the role that the seasons play in our daily lives. I want to find ways to highlight for the seasonal shifts that occur in in the foods we eat, the activities we do, our celebrations, and even in how we feel.
Today I wanted to share the seasonal focus that we’ve added to our morning routine.
Two years ago I shared some photos taken with our wildlife camera. It’s worth popping over to that post if you want to see some of our neighbors.
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For the longest time we had the camera pointed on our pond to catch a glimpse of the wildlife, but recently I’ve been itching to do something more with it. A fortuitous moment made that possible!
Our Cooking with Kids post are taking a major step forward this week in that there are no parents involved! We’re going to have to change to name of this series to Kids Cooking. And I’m 100% A-OK with that.
Both boys love to help with meal prep, but 7 y.o. Alex was really itching to make a meal (that required the stove) completely on his own. And it couldn’t be something as a simple as an over-easy or scrambled eggs. He wanted it to be more complex, so we gave it a thought a came up with banana pancakes!
These are nothing new, and I’m sure most parents of toddlers are familiar with this tasty two-ingredient recipe (four ingredients if you count the salt and butter!). Anyway, we realized that not only is this dish a great early food for your baby, it’s also a great “first recipe” for your budding chef.
Banana Pancakes
1 ripe banana
2 eggs
butter
salt
Peel and mash the banana. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs. Add the mashed banana and mix well.
Warm a frying pan over medium heat. Add a tab of butter and let it coat the bottom of the pan. Pour in the appropriate amount of batter to make a pancake that’s a “flippable” size for your kiddo. We found that having a smaller ladle for pouring the batter into the pan helped with this task and with keeping the pancake size consistent.
After the pancake has cooked on one side, flip it and allow the other size to cook. We determine doneness based upon color and how well the pancake sticks together (it can fall apart if you try to flip it too soon).
Add a sprinkle of salt and then serve! We don’t add any additional condiments, like maple syrup, but you’re welcome to cross that sticky bridge if you’re feeling courageous.
Additional Tips
You know your kids and their skill level best, but here are a few things that we found helpful.
Teach the kids how to use the burner and be specific about where the knob should be facing for the best cooking temp. We helped Alex learn the trick to turn the burner to high at first and then turn it down to the best temp for the burner he commonly uses. You could even add a tiny sticker to the knob area to identify where the knob should be pointing.
Having designated tools for the job really helps kids to tackle the task without your help. As I mentioned above, we have a specific ladle that he uses which helps to keep the pancakes consistent. He also has two different pans that he’s comfortable cooking on. Neither of them are non-stick (one is cast iron and the other aluminum), but he’s become comfortable using either.
Rather than using hot pads, we really like these pan handle covers. They stay on the pan well while he’s cooking so he doesn’t absentmindedly grab a hot handle and there’s no risk of them getting too close to the burner and catching fire.
Get a good metal spatula. This is one of our favorites and it’s make in the USA! I find that the thin metal spatulas make lifting the edge of pancakes and flipping them easier than trying to wiggle a thick spatula underneath. I also like that you don’t have to worry about the end of the spatula getting banged up or misshapen from the heat.
Your kids will be so excited to make a meal for the family. You can make it an extra fun experience by letting younger kids wait on you. They can take your order and deliver the dishes to the table.
*This post was originally published in October of 2017. We’re republishing it today as a reminder to everyone that botanic gardens are a great space for relaxation and inspiration.*
Have you ever been to a botanic garden? If not, it’s time to find one in your neck of the woods. You may be lucky enough to have one in your city or town, or you may want to visit one the next time you’re on vacation. Trust us, this is a field trip that’s equally entertaining for both adults and kiddos.
With so many families learning at home, I wanted to share one of our favorite spring-time science projects : raising beneficial insects and releasing them into the backyard! Continue reading …
These are some of our favorite out-of-print “thinking” books.
The back of the books say: “This is not a mathematic book in its usual sense; it is a book about thinking. It is about perspective, and about abstracting to look at things in a new way.” That simple description concisely explains why I love them. These books are unlike any typical math book.
With so many families learning at home, I wanted to share one of our favorite spring-time science projects : raising beneficial insects and releasing them into the backyard! 