Activities

  • Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables

    Download and print these free Amphibians worksheets for kids!

    Whether it’s for homeschool, supplementing lessons, or ensuring your kids don’t experience educational summer slide, enjoy these Amphibian worksheets for kids. All you have to do is download and print; they’re all free of cost. These science worksheets are perfect for younger children, whether you choose to use them to introduce amphibians or to review or retain lessons from school. Feel free to share these worksheets with other parents or teachers in your network.

    Download Free Amphibians Worksheets for Kids Here!

    Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables
    Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables
    Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables
    Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables

    If you like these Amphibian worksheets for kids, you may also like:

    I hope your kids love these Amphibian worksheets as much as my children do and it’s helpful for them. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest where I share more worksheets and resources for families.

    There are lots of worksheets and educational resources on this blog! Download and print as many as you like and be sure to share with all of your friends who are moms, teachers, etc. You can find all worksheets here!

    Print and Download these worksheets!

    Free The Nervous System Worksheets

    Free Science Worksheets

    Free Solar System Worksheets

    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    Sea Turtles Activity Sheets

    Sea Turtle Activity Sheets

    Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet 

    FREE Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet

    Plant Life Cycle Worksheets Free Printables for Kids

    You can also receive new free printables worksheets delivered directly to you email inbox by subscribing to my newsletter here!

    Interesting in our homeschool journey? Learn about our homeschool journey and favorite homeschool resources here.

  • Free Science Worksheets| The Nervous System

    Free Science Worksheets | The Nervous System

    My second grader is currently learning about the nervous system as part of homeschool, and he’s a tad bit obsessed. I have to admit that the nervous system is one of the most exciting scientific topics about the human body, so I understand his fascination. If you’re a regular reader, you will know by now that we use Time4Learning for science, but I’m always finding other resources or creating challenging worksheets for my children to reinforce their lessons. These nervous system-free science worksheets are informative yet fun for elementary school children. Print them for your kids to learn, practice, or improve their knowledge on the topic.

    Enjoy these free worksheets! If you’re a parent, teacher, or homeschooler, please take advantage of all of the free worksheets on this website for your young scholars. I linked a few more at the bottom of this post.

    The Nervous System | Parts of the Brain

    Functions of the Parts of the Brain

    Label the Parts of the Brain

    The Nervous System Diagram

    The Nervous System Word Search

    Draw the Nervous System

    As you can see, these worksheets are a mix of challenging and fun for kids. Please share there with any teachers, parents, or homeschoolers in your life who you think will benefit from them. Don’t forget to check out the other free science worksheets on this website and download them.

    You may also want to download these free worksheets:

    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    https://adannadill.com/free-solar-system-worksheets-for-kids/

    Plant Life Cycle Worksheets Free Printables for Kids

    Sea Turtles Activity Sheets

    Sea Turtle Activity Sheets

    Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet FREE

    FREE Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet

    Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter, following me on Pinterest and Instagram for more free printables!

  • Screen-free Activities to Keep Kids Busy While You Work

    Screen-free Activities to Keep Kids Busy While You Work

    This post contains affiliate links.

    I can’t believe that we’re already on our fourth week of distant learning, remote school, homeschool, or however you desire to call it. There seems to be no end in sight, so I’ve been doing my best to keep the kids occupied. They usually finish the work that their teachers assign them within 2-4 hours. Since they’re learning mostly online, I try to ensure that they have to offline, screen-free activities, so they’re not overstimulated. So I wanted to share seven screen-free activities to keep kids busy while you work.

    You may also like: 8 Black Homeschool Momd Share Advice for Homeschooling During COVID-19

    Make Stuffed Toys.

    This is such a fun craft to get kids to express their creativity. I ordered this set for my son as I knew he would love it. He designed and stuffed his own toys which was really fun. He was able to do it all without any help from me.

    Unicorn Themed Crafts

    My daughter loves unicorns, so this unicorn set was great for her. It’s for kids six and older and includes six different crafts, which are all fun and straightforward.

    Actually, I really love the Craftastic brand themed sets and plan to get the kids a few more, the Llama set is on my daughter’s wish list, and you can check out all their sets based on your kids’ age group here.

    Make Jewelry.

    There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment that kids experience when they create something themselves. Jewelry making is fun for all age groups; my kids love making jewelry together. Of course, these sets are best for older kids to use without younger siblings, as the pieces are small. My daughter is an American Girl fan, so she loved this American Girl Jewelry Making Charm Set.

    Reusable Sticker Books

    As you can probably tell by my toddler morning routine post, I’m a big fan of Melissa and Doug products, especially for the preschool age group. I discovered their giant reusable sticker books when my son was a toddler, and since then, I’ve been hooked. This book can keep my toddler focused for a good 20-30 minutes, which buys me time to get something off my to-do list.

    Magformers

    My kids have the Magnetic Construction STEM Gear Set, which I purchased for them over three years ago, and they still love it. All three kids use them to create and build fun shapes. If the Construction STEM Gear Set isn’t in your budget, you can start with the basic set, and you can build your collection from there.  

    Play-Doh

    Good ole’ Play-Doh is always a great way to keep kids occupied. I remember how much I loved Play-Doh as a child, and my kids love it just as much. Play-Doh keeps my toddler occupied while her siblings do their school work. We use our favorite cookie cutters to make fun shapes.

    lego-juniorssuitcase

    LEGO sets

    I’m yet to meet a child that doesn’t love LEGO sets. The pieces can be a challenge to keep track of around your home, we try to keep them stored well, but I always find pieces here and there, but they’re such a great way to keep your kids learning through play at home. For my toddler, I love the Duplo sets

    I hope this post is helps you find the perfect screen-free activities to keep your kids busy while you work.

  • Apple picking near NYC + Fall Family Photos

    Apple picking near NYC

    We went apple picking near NYC this weekend and had the best, best, best time! As big-city residents that mean a ride either by train or car was necessary with most farms at least 1 hour and 30 minutes outside of the city. We looked up at least 8 farms in the area and settled on Apple Dave’s Farm in Warwick, NY. Although, we never visited before there were so many good reviews we decided to just try it.

    fall family photos apple picking

    Getting to apple picking near NYC.

    We drove there and it took us two hours each way to go apple picking near NYC from Queens. You can also take the MetroNorth to a nearby station and an Uber/Lyft to the farm.

    Apple picking near NYC + Fall Family Photos
    Family apple picking

    Things to do at Apple Dave’s Farm.

    This was one of the most fun farm experiences we’ve had so far! There were many different activities for everyone in the family. If you check out our vlog, you would see that my baby loved the puppet show, there was also live music, apple cider donuts, wagon rides, shopping, walking paths, a pumpkin patch, apple orchards with twelve varieties of apples. They also have a vineyard and craft beer but we didn’t try the alcohol.

    Toddler at farm | Rattles and Heels

    Cost

    There is no admission fee to the farm but you pay for a bag before going to the orchards. You can select either a small or large bag and then fill it with apples. The small bag of apples is $16 and the big bag of apples is $30. You pay for your apples when you leave the orchard.

    apple picking near NYC
    Apple picking near NYC + Fall Family Photos

    Since we don’t have the opportunity often to take advantage of such a beautiful backdrop as the apple orchards we took the opportunity to get some fall family photos. It was really fun getting photos of the kids in all of their excitement and capturing the fun of the moment. I love those real-life captures of kids. This is a really good time of year to get some family photos.

    Fall family photos on farm

    We had a really good time and we plan to return to Apple Dave’s again next fall for more fun.

    Did you go apple picking this year?

    Where to go apple picking near NYC

    Looking for a pumpkin patch in NYC? Check out our favorite farm in Long Island

  • Choosing and Scheduling Kids Activities and Sports

    Things to consider when choosing and scheduling kids activities and sports.

    A few years ago when my oldest was in Kindgerten I decided that she had too much free time on her hands and she needed a few activities. In just one evening signed her up for ballet, soccer, and a crafting class. The ballet and crafting class were great but it turned out that my daughter wasn’t particularly a big fan of playing soccer. I also realized after about two weeks that I was spreading myself too thin between work, caring for my two kids at the time and driving her all over to these activities getting caught in rush hour traffic. I was stressed and couldn’t wait for those activities to end to get back to a less stressful routine. I learned so much from that experience and since then about choosing and scheduling kids activities and sports so I wanted to share a few things you should consider when making those decisions:

    Choosing and Scheduling Kids Activities and SportsChoosing and Scheduling Kids Activities and Sports

    What your kids are genuinely interested in.

    Most kids like a lot of different things but if we’re honest they’re just a few things that they’re genuinely interested in committing to. Sometimes you can tell right away if your child is genuinely interested or it might be when you realize how much your daughter hates grass when she’s playing soccer. All three of my kids swim, my older daughter now plays basketball which she absolutely loves and my son just started flag football and while it’s only been two lessons, he really likes it. There are some activities that offer a trial, that’s a great way to know if it’s a good fit before committing.

    Consider the time and location of the activity.

    I’m at the point where I do not sign up the kids to any activities that I would have to travel to during rush hours. It’s just a big waste of our time and unnecessarily stressful. I used to be against giving up my time to sleep-in on weekends but it’s so much easier to get them to activities during the weekend than spending two hours in traffic on a Thursday evening. A ride that would take me only 15 minutes on a Saturday morning can easily be 45 minutes during rush hour here in New York City.

    Don’t overschedule them.

    The rule in our home is that the kids aren’t allowed to take more than two activities/sports at the same time. Their academic work is the priority in our home and they need time to do their homework as well as downtime to be creative. I’ve made exceptions on the two activities rule for clubs after-school at their school since it’s no sweat off my back and usually low-cost or included in the cost of their tuition.

    Cost of the activities.

    Going off my last point, with three kids the costs of activities and sports can add up quickly. The kids may need uniforms, gear, and supplies in addition to the cost of the program so keep your budget in mind.

    I hope all of these tips are helpful! Let me know what activities and sports your kids are currently participating in the comments.

    You may also like these posts:

    Mo Willems Pigeon Party Invitation Printable

    Kid-Friendly Resturants in NYC

    Make sure you’re following me on Instagram to see how I juggle my kids’ activities and sports in my IG stories!

  • Free & Cheap Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019

    I love living and raising my children here in NYC! There is always something fun to do with my family and we try to go out as much as we can especially during the summer. Not only could this get overwhelming, but it can also get expensive so I try to take advantage of all of the high-quality events that are offered in throughout the city. Whether you’re going to be visiting NYC for summer 2019 or you live here like my family, I wanted to share some really great cheap and free things to do in NYC with kids summer 2019. I did a list like this last summer and many of you loved it so this is the 2019 updated version.

    Free Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019

    Shakespeare in the Park. Sign up here for the free ticket lottery.

    Games at Bryant Park! Over 50 free board games available until 8 pm.  

    FDNY Fire Zone

    National Museum of the American Indian

    Riverbank State Park.

    Ride the Staten Island Ferry.

    Juggling lessons at Bryant Park. 

    Brooklyn Museum (pay as you wish)

    Domino Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has one of the best splash pads with a gorgeous view of the Manhattan skyline. 

    Brooklyn Bridge Park has tons of free things.

    Gantry State Park 

    Coney Island Beach/Boardwalk accessible by subway. 

    Governors Island

    Statue of Liberty Museum

    Times Square

    The High Land kids events

    Central Park

    Kayaking at Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse Pier 1 and Pier 2.

    Hudson River Park

    Rockaway Beach (accessible by A train)

    Jones Beach (accessible by LIRR and Long Island bus).

    Walk the Brooklyn Bridge.

    South Street Seaport

    Unisphere at Flushing Meadows Park 

    Battery City Park

    New York Classical Theatre’s free performances of The Importance of Being Earnest Jun 18 – 23rd.

    Free & Cheap Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019

    Free events by day/dates/times

    Mondays

    Bryant Park Free Movie Nights. 5pm

    Tuesdays

    Kids Days at Atlas Park 11am

    Reading Room at Bryant Park 10:30am-11:30am ages 2-8

    Wednesdays

    The Bronx Zoo (pay as you wish)

    Prospect Park: A Summer Movie Under the Stars. RSVP here!

    Madison Square Park Concerts for Kids July 10-August 14 from 9:30-10: 30 am

    New York Aquarium 3:00 – 5:00pm

    Art Cart Workshops at Bryant Park. 11:30am

    Staten Island Children’s Museum3:00 pm to 5:00T

    Thursdays

    Brooklyn Children’s Museum 2-6pm (Pay as you wish)

    Brooklyn Bridge Park: Movies with a view. Starts July 11. 

    Outer Space Outdoor Movies: Albee Square, Brooklyn (Every Thursday in June)

    Citi Summer in the Square: Union Square Park  – Stories, animals, chess and performances for children.

    Children’s Museum of the Arts (pay as you wish) 4-6pm.

    Free & Cheap Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019

    Fridays

    Brooklyn Botanical Gardens (free before noon)

    Manhattan Children’s Museum (First Friday evenings of the month are FREE)

    MoMA Kids

    Museum of Modern Art MoMA  (Friday evenings are FREE)

    The New-York Historical Society 6-8 pm on Fridays (pay as you wish)

    Museum of the Moving Image, 4:00pm – 8:00pmS

    Saturdays

    Governors Island Kayaking 

    Le Carrousel Story Time at Bryant Park 2:00pm

    Puppet show at Bryant Park 2:00pm

    Reading Room at Bryant Park noon-1:30pm

    Guggenheim Museum (Pay as you wish 5–7:45 pm)

    City of Water Day at South Street Seaport July 13th

    Come Out & Play Family Day in DUMBO, Brooklyn Saturday July 20th

    August 31st – Kiddies Carnival Parade in Brooklyn

    Summer Streets  Aug 3, 10 and 17

    Randall’s Island Free Outdoor Movies Field 81 in Randall’s Island Park

    Sundays

    Sundae Sermon – Central Park

    Free Basketball Clinics at Brooklyn Bridge Park for kids 7-17.

    Gibney Dance Performances at Brooklyn Bridge Park

    Sugar Hill Children’s Museum FREE every third Sunday of the month.

    Randall’s Island Park Art on the Farm 2:00-4: 00 pm

    Magic Show at Bryant Park 2:00pm

    Brooklyn Children’s Museum 4pm to 7pm

    Free & Cheap Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019

    More FREE Events

    Find events at local parks throughout the 5 boroughs here.

    Find free SummerStage concerts here.

    Remember you can use your library card to get admission to cultural attractions like the American Museum of Natural History, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, the Guggenheim, MoMA and more through Culture Pass. Find out how it works here.

    Free & Cheap Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019

    Cheap things to do in NYC with kids

    Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park, it’s only $2 to ride Jane’s Carousel and you can purchase 12 tickets for $20.

    Central Park Row Boats  $15 per hour. Each boat holds up to 4 people. 

    Stories Bookshop + Storytelling Lab. Drop-in Classes $10 + per class.

    Storytimes and music and movement at Book Culture Long Island City donation of $10 and $5 for each additional child. Spanish class $15

    I hope you find this list of Free & Cheap Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019 useful and your family takes advantage of these activities and have fun. Please share with all of your friends and family! Let me know if I missed any in the comments below.

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    Brooklyn Bowl Family Night Review

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    Things to do in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with kids.

    Kid Friendly Williamsburg

    Five things to do at Brooklyn Bridge Park

    lthings to do at brooklyn bridge park
  • Keeping Kids Active During the Winter

    Keeping Kids Active During Winter

    Thank you, Boogie WipesⓇ saline nose wipes for sponsoring this post.

    I can’t think of many places I would prefer to raise my children besides New York City! It’s one of the best cities in the world and I love everything that this city has to offer except winter. New York City winters are brutal — frigid, dark and dreary. All I want to do between December and March is park my kids on the couch and eat, but as their mother, I must do more, I must ensure that they’re healthy and well and keeping them active during the winter is essential to their wellness. So how do I go about doing that? It’s been a process of trial and error for me but over the last almost 9 years of parenting, I’ve found a few ways to keep them active during the winter and I wanted to share with you.

    Keeping Kids Active During Winter

    I grew up in the Caribbean and didn’t see snow in real life until I was 15 years old, so I had no first-hand knowledge on what to do in the winter with kids. My husband, on the other hand, grew up in New York City so he’s always been happy to play outdoors with the kids during the winter.  When our oldest was a toddler, I would tell him to keep her inside, but I realized that she got sick when she was indoors more than when she went out to play. The truth is, it’s germs that makes kids sick, not playing outdoors. So once it isn’t unbearably cold, they go out with their dad to enjoy the fresh air.

    This weekend, we took them out to ride bikes and rollerblade at the park. I always keep Boogie WipesⓇ saline nose wipes handy for those tough winter boogers that seem to appear in the corner of their noses as soon as we leave the house. As I mentioned before Boogie WipesⓇ saline nose wipes have been my go-to saline wipes since I was a first-time mom because they remove boogers and clear up noses with little effort and without irritating my kids’ little noses and skin.

    Snow Activities

    Keeping Kids Active During Winter

    Interestingly enough, we didn’t get much snow here in New York City this year (well at least not yet). Whenever it snowed it washed away almost immediately so the kids didn’t have a chance to play in it this year. But usually, we take the kids outside to play in the snow. Making snowballs and snow angels are always fun for them. We’ve never taken them skiing but we plan to once my one-year-old gets old enough.

    Keeping Kids Active During Winter
    Keeping Kids Active During Winter
    Keeping Kids Active During Winter

    Indoor Play

    The truth is that some days are just too cold to head outdoors with kids. We have days that are below 0 with wind chills that feel like -10 degrees. That type of weather isn’t conducive to playing outdoors so the kids play indoors. They learn new dances and do kids workouts that I find on YouTube. They also play indoors if they have a cold, so they can remain active during their recovery.  To combat the dry air indoors, I use Boogie DropsⓇ saline nose drops for my toddler and Boogie Mist saline mist for my older children. Boogie DropsⓇ saline nose drops are my favorite saline nose drops for my baby’s nasal passages because of the size of the dropper, it’s really perfect for tiny noses and it clears her up quickly. I’m also happy that it comes packaged in a box of two, so I keep one at home and one in my diaper bag in case I need it on the go. Even though my son is now 5, he still has a hard time blowing his nose, so I love Boogie MistⓇ saline mist as it clears out all of the mucus easily.

    Swimming

    Getting the kids to the pool to swim weekly is another way we keep them active during the winter. Besides getting exercise they’re becoming stronger swimmers and learning a life skill so it’s one of my favorite ways to get them active on a cold day.

    Keeping Kids Active During Winter

    I hope you got some ideas to keep your little ones active during the winter too. Remember to stock up on all of the Boogie WipesⓇ brand products at Target to ensure your little ones don’t have stuffy noses.

    Keeping Kids Active During Winter

    How do you keep your kids active during the winter?

    This post is sponsored by Boogie WipesⓇ saline nose wipes

  • 3 Benefits of a Goldfish Swim School Membership Besides Swimming Lessons

    This post sharing 3 Benefits of a Goldfish Swim School membership is in collaboration with Goldfish Swim School. All opinions are my own.

    If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that for the last year and a half my kids have been taking swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School. I share their progress in my Instagram stories weekly, and I’ve mentioned several in a few posts how pleased I am with their progress since starting Goldfish Swim School. But besides my children learning about water safety and a necessary life skill, their Goldfish Swim School membership goes beyond their fantastic swimming instructors. Here are a few benefits that we take advantage of all the time:

    Family Night Out.

    Once a month, Goldfish Swim School hosts a themed family night out event. The theme of the event is usually based on the season like Halloween and the holidays, and there are fun crafts for the kids, snacks, and music.

    Family Swim

    3 Benefits of a Goldfish Swim School Membership Besides Swimming Lessons

    Family swim is hands down my favorite benefit of a Goldfish Swim School membership. During the family swim, you have free time in the pool. The kids can play or practice swimming, and the whole family can get in together. There are lifeguards to ensure your safety, but besides that, you’re able to enjoy a full hour of fun in the pool. At the Garden City location where we attend classes, there is also Family Swim on Friday nights. A full hour your family can enjoy swimming together. We love taking advantage of family time hours. The whole family gets into the pool together, and I love that there are lots of toys and floaters available to keep the pool safe and fun for everyone regardless of their swimming ability. Family swim is also perfect for play dates.

    Swim Force

    The Goldfish Swim School Swim Force is the ultimate goal of my kids. They want to progress to the level to become qualified to participate. The kids in the Swim Force get the opportunity to compete, have fun and learn at the time.

    Kids swimming in the pool at Goldfish Swim School.

    These are all benefits of our Goldfish Swim School membership that we absolutely love. I’m excited to share that two new Goldfish Swim School locations will be opening in New York City this year. One in Gowanus Brooklyn and another in Centereach, Long Island, you can attend the opening party on March 3rd.

  • Win FREE Kids Swimming Lessons | Goldfish Swim School Giveaway

    I love this time of year because I get the opportunity to partner with the amazing brands that I work with for some epic giveaways. I’m especially excited about this giveaway in collaboration with Goldfish Swim School Garden City so you can win FREE kids swimming lessons and a holiday gift package.

    All three of my kids are enrolled at Goldfish Swim School Garden City and I couldn’t be more impressed with the facilities, instructors, and more importantly my kids progress since I first signed them up. I get emotional when I think about how far they’ve come. Goldfish Swim makes make swimming lessons fun and the classes are small and convenient as it’s really easy for me to cancel and schedule.

    Win FREE Kids Swimming Lessons | Goldfish Swim School Giveaway

    Holiday Gift Packages

    Swimming lessons are one of the best gifts you could give a child, as learning water safety can save their life. I think it’s a great idea to improve their skills during the winter means that they will be safer during the summer when they are at the pool more frequently. If you feel like it’s not the type of gift that your child would be excited about on Christmas morning,  Goldfish Swim School holiday packages can be wrapped and under the tree.

    New Member Package ($245) | Current Members ($220)

    Includes:

    • 2 months of group lessons
    • Goldfish tote
    • Bubbles bath toy
    • Goldfish goggles
    • Goldfish towel
    • Bubbles storybook
    • 4 Family Swim passes

    This is $320 value for new members and $295 value for current members. Packages are available
    through December 31, 201,8 or until supplies last.

    Enter to win the Goldfish Swim School Garden City Holiday Package!

    If you’re in the area, enter to win the Goldfish Swim School Holiday Package for your child, this giveaway is only for the Garden City location in Long Island, New York and not transferable to any other locations.

    Good luck!

     

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • My Baby’s Swimming Lessons at Goldfish Swim School {Update}

    This post is in partnership with Goldfish Swim School. As usual, all opinions are my own. 

    Back in the spring, I shared that my baby, who was five months old at the time started taking swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School, Garden City where my older two kids are enrolled. It’s a full seven months since she started and I wanted to share an update on what the experience has been like if you’re considering enrolling your baby in swimming lessons. I started her much earlier than my older kids because I regretted waiting so long with them, I felt like I did them a disservice and while they’ve come a really long way and can both swim now they’re still working on becoming more confident swimmers.

    Baby's Swimming Lessons at Goldfish Swim Schoo

     

    [Tweet “An Update on My Baby’s Swimming Lessons at Goldfish Swim School”]

    When we first started her lessons she really enjoyed splashing in the pool, she would light up during that part of her lesson, and I have to admit that seeing how happy it made her, made it my favorite time too. As she approaches her first birthday and is a bit more aware of her surroundings, she’s very excited about the toys and floaters used in the class. She loves when the puppet sings to her at the end and waving to her siblings sitting in the gallery area looking at her.

    She’s not swimming yet, this class takes a very gentle approach, and the focus is to help little ones feel comfortable in the water. When she first started, they started with getting her used to water on her face and now she also does underwater dips. Over the time, she’s getting more comfortable with both of these.

    Swimming Lessons at Goldfish Swim School

     

    We love bonding with her during class! 

    When she first started because of the timing of the lessons my husband didn’t get to get into the pool with her so although we absolutely loved her first instructor we switched her time so she could rotate and her new instructor is just as impressive.

    We’re huge fans of Goldfish Swim School, and I share clips from each class on my Instagram. You can watch them here. A few of you have also joined our location or messaged me that a location opened up close to you and you joined too. If you have also joined, please shoot me a message. <3

     

    Swimming Lessons at Goldfish Swim School

  • One Month Update: Violin Lessons at Guitar Center

    This post is in partnership with Guitar Center via The Motherhood. 

    I tend to overthink most decisions that involve my children out of fear of making the wrong one. When my daughter asked me a few years ago to sign her up to take violin lessons, it wasn’t one of those decisions I had to think long and hard over. I knew that learning to play a musical instrument would be beneficial to her. But after two years, I noticed that she hit a plateau; she seemed a bit bored, so it was clear she needed a change. Enrolling her for individual violin lessons at Guitar Center proved to be the type of change she needed. Her instructor, Monica is a talented musician who is very inspiring to my daughter. Monica has continuously found ways to make the lessons exciting for my daughter from her first lesson by playing her favorite song “Havana.” It’s been over one month since she’s been taking music lessons at Guitar Center and I have to say that overall my daughter is much more confident which is contributing to higher self-esteem not just when she’s playing music but in all areas of her life. I’m so impressed that I enrolled my son for piano classes at Guitar Center too. Here are a few things I’ve noticed since my daughter’s started taking violin lessons at Guitar Center:

    Violin Lessons at Guitar Center

    She’s motivated again.

    My daughter practiced to play her violin daily when she first started taking group violin lessons two years ago but her enthusiasm fell off, and I noticed that she practiced less and less. It got to the point where I would have to remind her to practice, but we’re out of that zone. I’m impressed that she comes home from violin lessons and practices immediately. She practices daily, sometimes a few times a day. It’s nice to see her excited and enjoying violin again.

    Violin Lessons at Guitar Center

    She’s improved overall.

    During the first class, my daughter’s instructor evaluated her, and she’s worked on helping her improve everything from proper posture, better use of her bow and other things that would be harder to improve in a group lesson. The individual attention has been really good for her and I can hear the difference when she plays now, she’s still a beginner but sounds much better.

    Violin Lessons at Guitar Center

    She is much more creative.

    I’ve always rented an instrument for my daughter for violin lessons since violins are expensive and I wasn’t sure if she would stick with it, but after her third lesson at Guitar Center, I saw so much promise in her that I purchased a violin for her. Having her own instrument has given her a sense of freedom and since then; she’s been much more creative. She lets me know all the time that she’s writing music and I love that she’s inspired creatively in this way.

    Guitar Center is a community.

    We haven’t had a chance to attend yet, but Guitar Center has free workshops for kids like guitar classes as well as community events where everyone from regardless of their levels can come together and play music. Now that she’s officially out for summer break and her brother is starting piano, I plan to take them.

    So yes, I place a great deal of thought when I make decisions for my children so I am happy that enrolling my daughter for violin lessons at Guitar Center was a good decision. I don’t plan to send her back to the group lessons at school when the new school year starts and will continue at Guitar Center. Based on her performance in the short time since she’s started it’s safe to say that individual lessons are better for her. I want to note that while I did partner with Guitar Center for lessons for a trial period for my daughter, I am putting my money where my mouth is with this recommendation as I’m paying for my son. The lessons are affordable and well worth every dime in my opinion. If you’re considering signing your children up, there are over 200+ Guitar Center locations across the country, and you can make your schedule and the process to reschedule is easy if you ever need too. Find a location close to you here. Also, my kids chose violin and piano but they offer lessons for every instrument.

    Do your children take music lessons?

     

  • 4 Things to do in New York City with a Baby

    This post is sponsored by Baby K’tan. All opinions are based on my experience.

    The best part of living in New York City is raising my little ones here! It’s a really baby-friendly city although most people who don’t live here may not think so. I love the diversity that it’s walkable, and It’s refreshing that there is always something fun to do with them regardless of their age. Baby Rattles is now six months old, and she loves observing her environment, people watching and animal watching. I wanted to share four things to do in New York City with a baby, things we did with all of our babies that I believe you should know about whether you’re visiting or you live here. Before I share, I want to warn you that you should always walk with all of your little one’s necessities when hanging out in the city as it’s easy to get carried away and stay out much longer than planned. Right now we love to take the Baby K’tan weekender diaper bag filled with everything all three kids needs for our outings like extra clothes, snacks, water, toys, etc. The Weekender is perfect because there is plenty storage space, a wet bag for soiled baby clothes, a cooler pocket where I can store all of their snacks and a handy wipes dispenser.

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    Queens Waterfront – Long Island City

    One of the things we love about Long Island City waterfront is that while it’s gorgeous and offers some of the most breathtaking views of the city, it’s never really as crowded as some of the waterfront areas. On days when we want some low-key fun, we hang out there. Last week, we put her on the baby swing at one of the playgrounds there for the first time, and she seemed to love. Whenever we hang out there, I love that they have decent bathrooms and our Baby K’tan diaper bag changing pad with antibacterial lining makes changing her a bit more pleasant especially with easy access wipes dispenser is very convenient. When we’re not playing with her on the swing and slide here, we’re sitting people and birdwatching. She loves to scream at the bird (hahaha).

    Bryant Park

    When my husband and I were dating, we would sit in Bryant Park and talk for hours so now that we have our kids it’s one of our favorite places to hang out with them. There isn’t a part of this park that isn’t beautiful; it’s one of the most gorgeous spaces in New York City and very baby and kid-friendly. This weekend, we enjoyed story time played games there and took her for her first carousel ride on the Le Carrousel. This carousel is very baby-friendly since it’s small and slower than most. We sat on the bench which she seemed to enjoy it. You can watch us on my Instagram “New York City with Kids” highlights. I tell all my mom friends this, Bryant Park’s bathrooms are clean. They usually have an attendant there all the time, and it’s potty-training friendly.

    Brooklyn Bridge Park

    If you’ve been following me for a while, I know you expected Brooklyn Bridge Park to be on this list because it’s somewhere we go very often, every summer. I was there with my son only days after I gave birth to him; it’s a great place to take your baby for a walk, to play, picnic, Jane’s Carousel, etc. Be sure to pack a sun hat or bonnet for your little one as well as sunscreen for a trip to Brooklyn Bridge Park and avoid going when the sun is at its peak. It can get hot and uncomfortable for babies.

    Central Park Zoo

    Later this month, we’re planning to take our the kids to the Central Park Zoo. We chose this zoo for her because it’s small and not as overwhelming as the Bronx Zoo which is better for bigger kids. I’m excited to see her reactions to all of the different animals as well as her sibling’s excitement to have this experience with her. A trip to the zoo usually takes an entire day so the Baby K’tan Weekender will come in very handy with its built-in wet bag for any messes and insulated pocket that will keep food cold.

    We can fit everything we need in it, and I love that there is a handy pocket for everything. This bag is unisex so both my husband and I can use it. If you’re planning to travel this summer, this bag is perfect for packing all of your baby’s things.  We have the Baby K’tan Weekender in charcoal, but you can buy it in Olive Green and Navy blue as well. This baby no longer uses a pacifier but this bag comes with an antimicrobial pacifier pouch, I’ve had to purchase those separately in this past, so I appreciate the thoughtfulness of this design.

    Share your favorite places to hang out with your baby in NYC below. And, if you loved the Baby K’tan Weekender as much as we do after reading more about it, grab yours over on their site.