Writing to Santa

In case you missed it, Canada Post has a letters to Santa program running this Christmas where they will deliver their letters to the North Pole. Kids can write a letter to good ol, Saint Nick, no postage required and will get a returned letter from Santa himself provided they get it mailed before December 10th. 

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels

We officially have one week left!

This weekend when your kid tells you that they are bored have them write a letter to Santa and address it to:

Santa Claus
North Pole
H0H 0H0
Canada

Just a reminder, no stamp is required! I'm 80 percent sure we put a stamp on ours by mistake, whoops!

Molly and Jack wrote their letters in late November and got their returned unique letters today! Who doesn't love getting mail?

This was a fun and educational way to get your kids into the Christmas spirit!

Let's have our kid practice the lost art of letter writing and have them get writing today. Molly has already pinned up her letter to Santa in her room.

M&J and their letters

Mustache Man - Raising Money for Movember

The pandemic has a lot of us doing things that we never thought we would. For my dad, that means revisiting the 1970's for the sake of charity.

Me and my two siblings managed to convince our dad to participate in Movember and re-grow the amazingly terrible moustache he had in the 1970s.

My dad in all of his 1970's glory!

With the hopes of re-creating this awful, err I mean magnificent moustache he hopes to raise money for an important cause: The Movember, Prostate Cancer fundraiser.

We’ve set up a page for him below and would appreciate any donation you can make by clicking on where it says "Donate to Paul", below his photo on the following link:

https://movember.com/m/14655904?mc=1

We also plan to send  photo updates throughout the month where we compare his lip foliage to other famous moustachios, so come back and visit! Will he pose like Magnum PI, Hulk Hogan, or Burt Reyonlds? Only time will tell.

If you can't donate at this time, you can help us by spreading the word either via email or sharing and liking our social media posts about this endeavour.

Thanks so much for your support!

Becoming Glinda The Good Witch - Homemade Halloween Costumes

I can't remember the last time I dressed in ALL pink. I'm guessing it's been at least 30 years, maybe longer. There are only a handful of people who could get me in all pink, luckily Molly is one of those people.

When Molly approached me about going as characters from the play Wicked this Halloween, I immediately knew who I'd pick - Elphaba. Unfortunately, the acorn doesn't fall too far from the tree and when Molly assigned the roles mine was as Glinda the Good Witch, or "Galinda, with a Ga" for those who have seen the musical. 

We had two versions of Galinda to work with, so we decided to combine them.

Galinda in the play primarily wears pink in the beginning then transitions to blue in the later acts. She is the Good Witch of the North afterall with blue representing winter! (Image Courtesy of Today's Tix)

Molly and I decided that if I wore blue too many people would think I was the tooth fairy or even trying to be Elsa from Frozen. Molly and I also had a debate about whether or not Glinda has wings (I am firmly in the camp of her not having wings since she travels by bubble) and these would make me seem like the toothfairy or the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio, so we skipped them. (Image Courtesy of Vocal Media)

The basis for my crown was this tutorial here 

The supplies I used were two sheets of square glitter scrapbook paper ($1.99 a sheet at Michaels Craft Store). I managed to get stick on velcro to adjust my crown from the dollar store as well for $1.50, and uses a stapler to connect my sheets of paper. My gemstone stickers were $3.00 total so I could get sheets in pink and clear. The adhesive from the stickers alone were not enough to stick to the gritty, sandpaperish texture of the sparkle paper, so I secured them on using a glue gun. 

Using the velcro to adjust the crown to him my head really helps keep it in place!

I purchased my wand for from Value Village for $2.99. My necklace and earrings are my own. For my bodysuit, I got it on sale from Ardene for $13.93, during a 30 percent off sale. The most work intensive part of my costume was making a floor length tutus. I spent some time searching thrift shops for a cost effective skirt or dress I could layer, but didn't have any luck. Any grown-up sized tutus I found were quite short and didn't fit the bill. I used this tutorial to create my tutu. Even though I had a 30 percent discount from Michaels, I still ended up spending roughly $35 on pink tulle.In retrospect I should have probably bought a crinoline underskirt instead and simply dyed it pink, but I can reuse my tutu for other projects down the road. I am wearing a pair of light coloured leggings under my long tutu to keep warm and avoid any potential see-through costume issues. 

All together my costume cost just over $60. I will wear the bodysuit again as a layering piece in my fall/winter wardrobe.

Happy Halloween from these two witches! To view my How To Wicked Witch of the West Costume Click here.

Becoming "Wicked" - Homemade Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) Costume

The summer before lockdown I took Molly to see the play Wicked, presented by Mirvish as the main part of her birthday gift. Instantly she was in love with the other side of the story surrounding The Wizard of Oz.

This year when she told me she wanted to be Elphaba AKA the Wicked Witch of the West for Halloween, I knew we'd have fun with it.

Image Courtesy of Wicked Wiki

First we looked for a black dress. When we couldn't find one that would work, we spotted this pink one from Value Village for $4.99. Next we dyed it with some fabric dye which I bought for $3.99, by soaking it for two hours. We also have enough fabric dye left over to use for a future project. 

We opted for a larger sized dress so it would be longer on Molly

While the Wicked Witch of the West isn't known to wear the Ruby Slippers or the striped socks (they belong to her sister), Molly and I felt they were iconic enough to the story of The Wizard of Oz that we wanted to include them in her costume. We found the cosy socks from Dollarama for $1.50. We bought the red slip on shoes for $6.99 from Value Village and spent an additional $2.00 on sticky gems to affix to them to make them really sparkle.

These slippers will be great for Molly to wear post Halloween too.

After Molly and I attached the gems.

Look complete - Magic Ruby Slippers & Iconic Black and White Socks

Next we bought a witch hat from Dollarama for $1.50, as well as some green gloves for $1.50 and I painted on black nails with some black nail polish we had on hand. We were able to get a broom from Spirit Halloween for $5.99, and some green face make-up from Dollarama for $2.99. I added some of my own lipstick to make Molly's lips stand out once I applied the green makeup.

Molly was feeling "Wicked" once we put her look together.

The total cost of the costume was roughly $31.45 plus tax and included several items (shoes, dress, and socks) that will get reused aside from dress-up wear. Added bonus,

Molly & Jack together before their class Halloween party

What are you and your family dressing up as for Halloween this year?

Becoming Wallace & Gromit - Maker Parent Handmade Halloween Costumes

Last year, about a week before Halloween, Jack announced that he knew what he wanted to be for Halloween 2021. This isn't unusual for my kids, they both pick their costumes well in advance, but I make them wait until May before we begin talking about costumes for the following fall, particularly with growth spurts and changed interests in mind.

Jack is really into claymation, and as such he's a big fan of the British cartoon Wallace and Gromit he decided this is who he wanted to be. We talked a great deal about whether he'd want this to be a group costume (as in would one person dress up as Wallace and the other as Gromit), but he was insistant that he alone wanted to be both.

Image Courtesy of Pinterest

This is how we made his Wallace and Gromit costume and how much it cost.

This summer I began scouring thrift stores, closets, and our dress up box for an outfit to transform Jack into Wallace. We decided that Gromit would likely be a stuffed animal that he carried.

From our supplies we found a dress shirt, black pants, and a bright red tie. The shirt and pants were hand me downs from a cousin, and the red tie came from something Chris used to wear with a black suit about 15 years ago, so that cost us nothing! The major problem was finding a green vest. After searching thrift shops since July I decied in early October that the green vest wasn't going to happen. Instead I purchased a sized small women's V-neck green shirt for $4.99 from Value Village and cut the sleeves off.

Outfit Complete

Once that was settled we needed to find our Gromit. Since it is a British series that was most popular 25 years ago our pickings were slim. We managed to find a Gromit Puppet perfect for the job on Ebay for $20 Canadian plus shipping from a seller who specialized in vintage toys. 

Next we picked up a wig net from Dollarama for $1.50, a plain white mask from Spirit Halloween for $2.49, and a bald cap from Spirit Halloween for $8.99.

The big problem we had with our mask was that it wasn't  even close to matching the shape of Wallace's face

Since I am better at costume construction than I am at mask painting, I outsourced Jack's mask to my niece A (the same person who painted Jack's amazing Pennywise masks from last year). She used light weight clay from the Dollarama to glue on a prosthetic nose and teeth to create a profile that matches Wallaces. She mixed paints she already had on hand to match his skin tone to the bald cap.

Wallace Face

This afternoon we put it all together for a dry run to see how it would look.  Below is the grand reveal....Enjoy!

Wallae and Gromit can't wait to go Trick or Treating this year!

The total cost of the costume, costume supplies, and shipping was roughly $45, plus Jack has a Gromit puppet he adores as a Halloween keepsake for years to come.What are your kids going as for Halloween this year? Happy Crafting! Happy Halloweening!

10 Ways to Add Scary Movies To Your Family Movie Night, Without Terrifying Your Kids

Each October we come up with a list of scary movies and Halloween content to watch to get us in the mood for one of our favourite holidays. Some of it we watch as a family, some just the grown-ups, and other specials and movies just Molly and Jack watch.

As we worked on our list for this year Jack mentioned that he's ready to go to the next level of scary movies. As a fan of Jaws, a genre he calls "sharksploitation", and anything monster related we figured he is ready for some more intense movies. This also allows us to up our rotation of Halloween movies which has gotten a bit stale as of late.

Image Courtesy of Den of Geek

What Scares You, Probably Isn't the Same as What Scares Your Kid

I am afraid of what real people are capable of, think cults, demon worship, things like that. I know that's not what keeps my kids up at night, however creeping around and jumps scares do. So keep this in mind when exploring scary movies with your kids.

Screen Movies in Advance

If you haven't seen the movie and are unsure, watch it in advance. This way, even if you do go ahead and watch it you know when to pause for warnings, cuddles, ad more. If you've watched the movie a long time ago, check out other parental reviews for potential pitfalls.

Ask Your Kids If They Want Spoilers

Molly is much more likely to watch a movie that she's on the fence about if I let her know that there is a happy ending, or that all deaths are bad guys. If I answer the question surrounding whatever is stressing her about the film, so long as she doesn't provide spoilers for others we're all set.

Image via Amino Apps

Use Online Resources

Sites like Common Sense Media provide a good picture of what to look out for in a movie to see if it's a deal breaker for you or your kids depending on the content. I find the reviews for kids, by kids, most helpful when deciding whether or not to let my kids watch.

Rating Systems Exist for a Reason

If a movie is R, it's usually for a reason. Find out why and make an informed decision. 

Have Them Read the Book or Graphic Novel First

They'll know what to expect and it gets them reading! Win Win.

Image Courtesy of The Crow Fandom

Often the Older the Movie, the Less Scary It Is

If old special effects don't hold up well, odds are your kid won't be as scared as you were when you originally watched the content when you were knee high to a grasshopper. That being said, some horror movies are timeless and remain scary decades later.

Turn it off on Request

If they have had enough, turn it off. Same goes for if they want to leave the room for a particularly intense scene and return when it's done.

Ask Other Parents

I know that my kids are up for more intense content than some of their peers. I always get excited when another parent mentions their kid watched something that I thought might be too scary for my kids because it gives me assurance that my kids can handle it.

Take Notes and Learn Limits

If something doesn't work this year you can return to it in a couple of years. If one kid is really into something you can let them watch it while the other kid gets to watch something else. We've just had to remember to ban Jack from talking about something he watched that may scare Molly.

At the end of the day it's all trial and error. The other night we watched Ghost with resounding success (Molly loves comeuppance). Later this week we're going to try The Sixth Sense. 

What movies have you let your big kids/tweens/teens watch this Halloween and how did it go?

Waste Not, Want Not - Leaning into Experiential Learning

This past weekend we attended an outdoor BBQ. The hosts were cooking a lamb on a spit and as the afternoon wound down, Jack asked if he could have the sheep skull. The hosts graciously wrapped it up in tin foil on it and we officially had a science experiment in our hands, all to prepare a skull that Jack will most likely use for display, and possibly in one of his home horror movies.

Taking the skull of the animal was a good lesson on using all of an animal, wasting nothing, biology, and animal anatomy. If you are a little squeamish, you may want to skip the next section.

The final product, pre-water based water-based polyurethane spray application

Cleaning and Preparing the Skull

The first thing we did when we got home was to degrease the skull by thoroughly boiling it in water. We did this for around 3 hours, taking it out of the water every half hour or so to clean off  meat and skin as it loosened. Soon it became time to remove the eyeball and soft tissue inside of the eye socket. Jack refused to do this with me, but Molly watched me prepare the left side and then completed the right eye removal on her own. My time working as a butcher assistant in a grocery store is paying off in parenting, who knew right?  

I didn't want to drill into the skull to remove the brain, so instead I used a method employed by the ancient Egyptians when preparing mummies, and I pulled it out through the nasal cavity. While I didn't have specific tools for this, the chopstick I used worked quite well. Yes, I threw the chopstick out after.

Next we used forks, butter knives, and even a toothbrush to get the remainder of the meat and skin off the skull.

Most of the way through boiling, degreasing, and cleaning

Bleaching the Skull

I didn't have enough hydrogen peroxide on hand to completely immerse the skull, so it sat in the freezer overnigh while we awaited more supplies. The next day we put it into a tall, narrow container and left it to soak. I'd read online that it could take up to 24 hours to lighten a deer head, and since a sheep is considerably smaller, we monitored it closely so not to damage the bones. About 12 hours later we removed the bones from the peroxide soak (while wearing rubber gloves) and then rinsed them well in water to remove all traces of the peroxide. Later this week we will attempt to urethane the skull to better preserve it and wire the lower jaw to the skull.

This was an unusual learning experience, and I hope that it doesn't got moldy, but if it does, we'll throw it out having learned a lot in the process. I am happy that we took this opportunity for some real, scientific experiential learning, even if my Google search history this week has become a little suspect a la Dexter.

What unusual kid-led learning experiences have you leaned into?

I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed - First Day of School

Today is supposed to be the first day of school for my kids. We opted for virtual learning until they can be vaccinated and made this decision known to our school board a month ago. This morning my kids got up, dressed and posed for their annual back to school photo in front of our house. The thing is, we've been waiting on our online class assignment all week, and news flash, it still hasn't come.

My kids have been patient. I've cautiously paid attention to deadlines of when we'll hear by, and only followed up, promptly, after they've passed. I've been reassured time and time again that online kids are not an afterthought, but as I hear of other kids attending in person, and even other kids getting their online placements, it's hard for this not to feel personal.

I get that it's hard to plan classrooms with parents changing their minds between virtual and in person learning as numbers of COVID cases in our community rises, but we made up our minds long ago and so far, crickets. I've heard nothing but excuses, and this is feeling unacceptable.

Today my kids are playing, cleaning, drawing, and most of all waiting, refreshing their online Brightspace accounts to see if something, anything, has been posted. It hasn't.

With COVID-19, all of us are used to things being cancelled, it's just this constant state of disappoinment that really getting to me. Here's hoping tomorrow is a lot smoother. Until then we'll just cross our fingers and hit refresh...Rant Over.

Chasing Waterfalls - Hiking Chippewa Falls

 Earlier this summer we took a driving trip to Northern Ontario, gradually meandering our way to Wawa and back. To break up some of the long spells of sitting in the car we'd plan roadside stops and short hikes. Chippewa Falls is one of the best road side stops we've ever taken. Here's six reasons why:

Located directly off the Trans-Canada highway this popular road stop requires no extra driving time (provided your route is on the Trans Can). This hike offers maximum beauty for minimal time spent. 

This viewing spot can be easily seen at a distance from a viewing platform, or from a short 0.50 KM out and back trail. We opted to do both. Bring a pair of solid running shoes so you can billy goat around the rocks and explore the waterfall completely. Most kids over 4, who will listen to parents on the rocks should be able to handle this hike.

Since this is a popular spot, it means it has a picnic area and washroom available for use.

This spot is truly as beautiful as it seems. It's also the subject of art from Group of Seven Painter A.Y. Jackson. A true gem of Canadiana history. 

For those really pressed for time, the view from the platform is gorgeous, but if you have 20 - 30 minutes to spare I highly recommend climbing the falls.

In addition to being the a gorgeous spot, this also marks the half way point for the Trans Canada Highway, which is pretty cool.

I would come back here in a second!

Reflections on Turning 10 for their Champagne Birthdays

 Each year, usually the night before their birthdays, I ask both minions a bunch of questions to find out a bit about them.  Along with their annual birthday photo this helps both them and us look back on who they were and who they are becoming.  It amazes me how some things stay very consistent while others change drastically. We are officially into double digits tomorrow. Where did the time go! I love how big and capable they are yet at the same time I am dreading the attitude that is coming as we approach the tween/teen years. If I could freeze them at this age I probably would, just for a little while.

Molly Age 10

What is your favourite colour?

Red

What is your favourite toy?

Stuffed animals (Specifically Beary and Slothy)

What is your favourite food?

Crab Sushi, Wendy's (chilli and burgers), and Subway

What is your favourite song?

Cloud 9 by Beach Bunny

What is your favourite movie?

Trolls and A Fault in Our Stars

What is your favourite animal?

Foxes and cats

What is your favourite book?

The Babysitter's Club Graphic Novels

What is your favourite drink?

Milk (and I also love pop)

What do you sleep with at night?

Still blankie

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Artist or a teacher.

Jack Age 10

What is your favourite colour?

Green

What is your favourite toy?

Jabbe the hut collectible from 1997

What is your favourite food?

Pepperoni Pizza, Tuna Sushi and Salmon Sashimi, hot dogs

What is your favourite song?

Ocean Man by Ween

What is your favourite movie?

Python, Deep Blood, Star Wars, and King Kong

What is your favourite animal?

Shark

What is your favourite book?

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Series

What is your favourite drink?

Pop (Root beer & Coke, all of them)

What do you sleep with at night?

My weighted blanked with a radio and the fan on

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A movie maker and writer: I want to make the following movies: Killer Beach Ball, Crabalanche, Metal Man vs. The Amazing Bulk

A Hiking We Will Go - Exploring Burk's Falls Screaming Heads

What could be better than an art hike on a 310 acre property? An art walk filled with Tim Burtonesque cast concrete sculptures, that's what! This summer we visited The Screaming Heads!

Our hike was meant as an easy way to stretch our legs on the first portion of our 10 day road trip to Wawa an back earlier this summer. 

Artist Peter Camani has created a unique experience for anyone who wants to enjoy a bit of macabre inspired art. It's more of a walk than a hike, but worth it all the same.

We spent roughly an hour and a half exploring the grounds, and we only explored about half of what's available.

Offered for free, but you can provide a donation to support (highly recommended because this place is awesome!), the Screaming Heads has a robust outdoor gift shop that Molly was inspired to buy a necklace at.

The man we spoke to working at the Screaming Heads was incredibly knowledgable about the history of the area, offering tips on the best ways to explore.

This was a simple, 4KM stoll for us and I didn't need wear hiking shoes, my sandals did the trick!

This area of the display was under construction, but that's okay, we could take photos from a distance and have something new to visit the next time we come. It also means this space continues to be a work in progress with something new to see year after year.

There is one section of the park, known as the dragon eye, where the screaming heads provide an aerial view of a dragons eye. It is amazing, but hard to envision from the ground.

The Screaming heads are open all year round. We have been told that the trees around the Screaming heads were deliberately planted in a way to provide a vibrant display of fall colours.  A unique winter view that can be seen in the winter by snowshoe bringing you up higher into the mouth of the heads!

This art park, roughly half an hour north of Huntsville and Arrowhead provincial park is well worth a visit. It is fairly accessible, we saw people using a stroller while we were there and anticipate you could see a great deal in fair weather via wheelchair. This spot can be enjoyed by kids of all ages (provided they aren't scared). 

So check it out this summer, or add it to your Halloween schedule right along with your Pumpkin Spiced Latte!

Things My Kids Say As Posted On Twitter

It's been a while since I shared someisolated gems my kids say. While they're getting older and are a little less random, they still manage some zingers. All items I share on Twitter (and here) I share with their express permission.  These are the things my kids say, as posted on Twitter.  Enjoy!

Image via Giphy

1. J: can I watch that Netflix show The Ripper? Me: no, it’s inappropriate. J: Why? Is it about farts?

2. Every time my kids do something weird I remind myself that when I was a child I collected sad clown dolls, but was secretly afraid of them & would turn them all towards the wall before I went to bed so they couldn't watch me sleep. #parenting #memories

3. M: I know how to do laundry. First you put the dirty clothes in the machine, then you pour oil all over them, and then you turn it on. When it's done you have clean clothes. #thingskidssay #parenting

4. J: can i borrow your phone so I can look up how much a prosthetic swollen face is? I need to know if I have enough allowance saved up. #parenting

via Giphy

5. They’re such big kids. Until you hear your son yell from the shower “hey, wanna here my orca impression” and then you know they aren’t quite grown yet #parenting

7. M: Mom, you're wearing eye makeup today. Me: I'm not wearing any makeup today. M: (pause) Oh, so those are just circles under your eyes from being tired. #parenting

8. Me: J where were you? You're supposed to be paying attention in class. J: just dancing in the hallway. #kids

via Giphy

9. J: ever notice when people in movies are trying to be sexy it just comes off like they were pretending to be cats? #parenting #thingskidssay

10. Teaching J to build a fire. J: so when it’s time to add another log can I just throw it into the fire as hard as I can? Me: no.  J: so that would be a bad idea? Me: to throw a giant projectile at the fire? Yes. J: Ohhhhh #parenting #camping

Return to In Person Learning September 2021 - A Letter to Stephen Lecce

I have sent this letter to various contacts surrounding the school year next year. Please feel free to write your own, share on social, or reuse sections that apply to you, and send your own email as well. To date I have sent this to Mr. Lecce (Minister.EDU@ontario.ca) and CCed Premier@ontario.ca, Councillor_Perks@toronto.ca, Robin.Pilkey@tdsb.on.ca, and CCed our school principal.

Dear Mr. Lecce,

We are less than a month away from when parents need to decide whether or not their children will return to in person learning in the Toronto District School Board and are in the dark when it comes to making an informed decision.

With the Delta variant making headlines, and a fourth wave looming, to say I have concerns is an understatement.  Children 12 and under (such as my own) are now among the most vulnerable communities and virtually nothing is being done to help ensure their safety.

I have been told that online learning will not be an option for children as it was last year, and that they will be streamed to a classroom at their home school but not much more. This is disappointing because not only did my children excel at online learning with an excellent teacher, but they were also safe and didn't have to endure the disruption between shifting from in person to online learning as other students did.

Last year when parents, including my family, requested a reduction in classroom sizes, this request was ignored, and despite "safety measures" being placed in the school, in person students spent close to half of their academic learning remote anyway. 

I have heard nothing of enhancements to filtration systems or safety protocols that will make the 2021-2022 school year any different than the last. 

When I inquired with Ward 7 about waiting until my children are vaccinated to attend in person school I was told that I would likely be able to move them back into in person schooling in February after term one. This is the only information I have to make a monumental decision about my children and their safety.

My son has two learning disabilities. Disruption in routine, like from in person to online learning when fall numbers spike, will be detrimental to his learning. I am trying to do what is best for him and his twin sister, who is quite social, but also enjoyed and learned a lot during her online year.

My family is fortunate that we have been able to work from home and keep our children safe. Many offices are remaining remote until late fall or early to mid 2022, and working at reduced capacity, on shifts. These are businesses with fully vaccinated adults, yet it seems the safety of our children is being treated as an afterthought. 

I have many questions. Mr. Lecce, when will the government give school boards a plan and when do you expect them to operationalize? 

Before parents are asked to sign on the dotted line for the school year, I ask that you revisit the option of online learning with dedicated teachers, that you work towards better safety protocols in school, with smaller classrooms and more outdoor learning, and that you actively communicate with parents instead of asking them to make a decision with essentially no information or confidence in the safety of their children.

Thank you for your consideration,

Sara

Concerned Parent, Ward 7, Toronto 

The Summer of Scorekeeping & Minimizing Screen Time

 After a year and a half of online learning and limited affordable summer camp options, the hubs and I began to worry about exactly how much screen time Molly and Jack would be getting, particularly when we were working and they were lazing about this smmer.

While some days of camp,time outside with a vaccinated babysitter, family vacations within Ontario, and visits with Nana and Papa are all on the schedule there will also be a lot of downtime.

I am a big fan of kids having unstructured play time, on the other hand I have deadlines and Zoom meetings, and two kids fighting or complaining they're bored often leads to screen time to keep the peace, quiet, and deadlines met.

So, the night before the last day of school Chris and I sat out on our back porch to brainstorm some ideas on keeping screen time to an absolute minimum. Then, I had an idea.

Like most parents, I had seen the images of notes from parents to their kids doling out the Wifi password each day ONLY after they had completed a series of chores. This popular online parental trope gave me an idea.

Image Courtesy of Social News Daily

That night we decided during working hours the kids would need to earn their screen time. We came up with a list of activities that earned them screen time. Some earned at minute for minute other items, like a successful 45 minute session with their tutor would earn them double screen time. 

Essentially we gamified screen time. Within those parameters things like pre-approved online drawing, crafts, and educational tutorials do not count as screen time. A minimum of one hour of reading a day is on the list as required, but again completing the reading earns them screen time. So far the kids love the process and when they don't feel like doing the items on the list they'll draw, work on crafts, or play together quietly. 

Here's the list of items our kids can complete to earn screen time. Ironically some of it involves being on screen, but we're okay with that.

• Reading
• Writing letters or postcards
• Playing with the dog outside
• 15 minutes of typing tutor games
• Chores (what needs to be done is determined on a day by day basis)
• A productive, focused session with their tutor
• Tutoring homework
• Speech therapy sessions (this one is only for Molly)
• Walk the dog with mom

I'm happy to report a week in this is working! Another thing we did to get the kids excited was to join the TD Summer Reading Program. The kids can search for ideas on books to read, log what they have read, and write recommendations for other kids. The goal at this point is 20 books each for the summer. 

How are you keeping your kids off screens this summer?