Today my family and I witnessed something truly crushing during my four-year-old’s swim class. She was having a great time, as usual; she loves the water, as many children do. Her dad does the class alongside her, and today she asked him to actually let go while she was floating—a big step! Though she remains uncomfortable “going under,” as many people do, we refuse to push her, allowing her to learn at her own pace and maintain her level of interest and comfort with the water itself.

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With back to school in full swing... this is a great time to learn about printing your own paper. This in itself might read as a little confusing because your not making paper - you are just printing a design on it. Yes, my friends, you can now create your own notebook paper, graph paper, or really any kind of specialty paper - absolutely free. No strings attached. How is this a good deal? Well, for most people, even the least expensive notebooks you can buy have so much paper and then inevitably it gets lost, or you go to a keggar and spill beer all over it, or the only use for it after that semester is to hold your milk crate coffee table level - you get the gist of what I am saying, right?

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Okay, so Tapi might not be the BEST deal ever but thanks to the wonders of marketing - it kind of appeals to me! It is also one of those things that I stop and think "Why am I not the inventor of Tapi" - whomever did must be making a killing!

 

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Everyone's favorite plastic vegetable is currently on sale at Toys R Us for $7.99 (plus tax where applicable) - which includes free shipping.Mr. Potato Head is fun for kids and adults alike and comes with everything you need for hours of molded entertainment. I think I might get one to put in the fridge with a small note that says "drop the plate, fatty" - and I will not get upset because of that great smile (and besides you can't hit a guy with glasses). I remember as a child always wanting to put his pieces where they didn't belong - looking back this almost insignificant child's play really explains a lot about my life. In addition to the above uses, if you like to partake in the joys of medical herbs I am quite certain this little toy will make every game of "Baked Potato" a barrel of laughs.

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The Internet loves a jolly, dancing, happy baby. Who doesn't? Post a video of a happy little kid, dancing, and naturally, rocking to the music, and watch it go viral.

Little Sydney Foye, when she was eight months old, joined viral history. Her dad, musician Aaron Foye, was entertaining the then eight-month-Sydney, with some Bon Jovi, when she decided to rock out and dance along,

The tape of the kid's performance made it to YouTube. This week, the family, Sydney, her mom and her dad, made it to CBS Early Show.

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Attention all artists, knitters, crafters, tinkerers, and people who generally like to make stuff: how would you like to engage in your hobby while earning money for your favorite charity—as well as some prize money (in the form of a JoAnn gift card) for yourself?

JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores are hosting a “Craft for a Cause Contest 2010” just with this idea in mind. With a very simple premise and an easy way to participate, the contest allows entrants to do what it is they do already—make stuff!—and enter in the contest at the same time.

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During the fourth grade, every Friday we had a “Motts Day.” Yet another example of the superficial attempts made by adults to control children through bribery and sweets, it was a day to reward kids who didn’t get written up every week by allowing them to visit the “Motts Machine” and purchase some sugary juice product to reward them for their good behavior—and to let the “bad kids” sit by and watch solemnly while those who had fifty cents enjoyed their drinks.

Of course, those of us who weren’t written up but didn’t have the money for Motts Day didn’t get a reward, either, which made the whole thing pretty pointless in my eyes. The injustices on all of these levels were not lost on little ten-year-old me, who’d already been to her first protest—for my swim teachers’ union, alongside my mother and many other people—though I still didn’t quite understand the dynamics entirely.

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How would you feel if your child went to his third grade, secular classroom one day and was instructed that he was going to attend a religious class without your permission? A class that, rather than demonstrating different viewpoints and allowing constructive discussion, serves to only indoctrinate children in one religion—a class that taught your child that only the Muslim faith is the way to live (and die)?

This very thing happened—only, instead of a Muslim class, it was a Christian one. If it were a Muslim class, do you think this behavior would’ve even been allowed in any secular school district? If it were a Wiccan, Buddhist, or even Jewish “little church on wheels,” as this program was described, not only would the whole situation have probably been avoided entirely—but entire communities be outraged, too.

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Just because summer is nearing its close doesn’t mean the sand and sun have to end, too. This year, my husband built us a fun sand and water play table with simple wood scraps and two rectangular buckets. Ideas for using this new toy are endless; here are just 10 of them.

10. Use Sand for Writing Practice

If your child is a kinesthetic learner—or just will be sure to have fun in the sand—wetting some sand and allowing him or her to draw in it with a stick is a great way to practice numbers, letters, and simple drawings. I know it’s a lot more fun than kindergarten-lined paper, that’s for sure.

9. If You Build It, They Will… Probably Tear It Down

But that’s okay! Building sculptures out of the sand is another great kinesthetic activity for both young and older children.

8. Engage in Pretend Play

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We have all been there. A restaurant outing with friends and family is made disastrous by bad service. I am talking about cold food, snotty servers, waiting what seems like years for a refill... you can set the scene I am sure. What is the right thing to do in this situation? What is the proper etiquette? Is it okay to just stiff that guy slinging out your food and drinks who is obviously having a bad day? Well...

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