Raising Biracial Kids in Today's World
*I received these products in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*
When you have a baby, you pack everything but the kitchen sink in the diaper bag. You never know when you might need a burp cloth, pacifier, or some other cry shushing tool.
As your baby moves out of the infant stage, carrying a bag is still a necessity, but what your list of essentials changes. Here’s a cheat sheet for your toddler’s diaper bag:
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*I received these products free through a partnership with Oriental Trading Company. Even though the product I received was free, all opinions are solely mine.*
Planning a multicultural festival is a great way highlight the cultural diversity of your community through music, dance, art, storytelling and more. Want to plan one at your school? Read below to find out how!
The committee should be comprised of teachers, school counselors, an administrator, and parents.
Committees work best when people are assigned duties in their area of expertise. If there is an artist in the group, assign that person duties like making flyers and signs. The administrator can be responsible for making the call home alerting parents of the festival.
If your school is low on funds, then this is a must! You would be surprised at what community members are willing to donate. Many are willing to donate supplies, money, and even their time!
Draft a letter on school letterhead describing the event (location, purpose, time & date). Bring the letter to various community vendors & businesses at least two months in advance. Click here for a sample donation letter.
Before you visit the business with your letter, call in advance to find out the name of the manager and what days and times they will be available.
Calling ahead of time ensures that you will be able to talk to someone when you bring the letter.
Publicizing your event is a great opportunity to get the students involved. If you have a Student Council at your school, have the Student Council advisor present this festival to them.
Get them involved in making flyers and announcing to the school. The president may be in charge of making the morning announcements. Draft an announcement that can be read daily.
If the school has a website or a social media page (like Facebook, Twitter, Remind 101) put out a social media blast about the festival. Flood your school and community with information.
The world is a big place! Count the number of classrooms you have in your school, and pick the countries you will assign to each classroom. You may choose to combine smaller classes together.
Each classroom will be responsible for making a class flag and cultural dress. Students will enjoy being creative and making their own attire. Teachers can be as elaborate or simple as they choose based on their comfort level. Oriental Trading Company has several materials that are perfect for multicultural activities!
This will make your social studies teachers very happy because it will align with their standards. ELA teachers could even assign a writing assignment about the country that could align with their standards.
Announcing your event and assigning duties should be presented in a faculty meeting, followed up by an email.
Have a spokesperson (counselor or administrator) explain the details of the Multicultural Festival to teachers during a faculty meeting. This allows for questions and suggestions.
Explain to everyone the purpose of the festival and at that time, assign countries to each classroom. Have each classroom responsible for researching their country’s flag, music, traditional dress & cultural norms.
On the day of the festival, plan for a march around the school.
The multicultural march will allow each class to see what the rest of the school has been working on. Have someone in charge of playing It’s a Small World on the loudspeaker or PA system as the students march around the school.
Assign someone the duty of taking pictures of each country on display. After the march, have students and teachers return to their classrooms to enjoy a feast of multicultural foods.
Want to propose a Multicultural Festival at your school? Print this pdf and give to your administrator or counselor to get the ball rolling.
Looking for a deal at Oriental Trading? Visit their coupon page for the latest in sales.
*This post is sponsored by Oriental Trading Company. All opinions are my own*
Planning a toddler birthday party should be fun event for parents, not a stressful one. However, when toddlers are involved, unpredictable events can make one nervous. Here are some tips for a stress-free, fun party day.
I cannot say this enough. Toddlers get overstimulated easily and they really don’t care whether you spent hours on every detail.
They still might not smile for your picture.
One of my favorite places to purchase party supplies from is Oriental Trading Company.
Their supplies are affordable and often come small packs, perfect for giving as party favors.
My girls love playing dress up. Paw Patrol reigns at our house, so we picked up some Paw Patrol costumes .
They wore those things all day (pre and post party!) I think they almost enjoyed them more than the gifts. The adults even joined the fun and wore Paw Patrol masks!
Of all the birthday parties I’ve attended with my children, I’ve noticed that they enjoy the ones that are catered to toddlers (playdough, colored spaghetti noodles, small bouncy house, coloring station, etc).
Maybe it’s the educator in me, but I find that when the activities are age appropriate, it helps the kids have less melt down moments. Toddlers have short attention spans, so short games, music and age-appropriate arts and crafts are usually a hit.
Be careful to steer clear of foods that can pose choking hazards, unless they are cut into small bite size pieces (grapes, hotdogs, etc).
A toddler party is not the time to bring out expensive catered foods. Most toddlers are pretty picky and wasteful. Pinterest has a ton of ideas for healthy snacks that are colorful and attractive. Kids are more likely to try foods when they are appealing to the eye.
However, if you choose to go the catered route for the adults, make sure you have toddler-friendly snacks for the little (picky) ones.
There is NOTHING worse than missing those special moments because your camera or phone is dead.
Be sure charge the device you are using a day in advance to ensure you don’t miss blowing out the candles, family & friends or those messy cake moments.
Or, you can give the task of photography to a party guest so that you can fully enjoy the special moments with your little one.
When the guest list is too long, you are busy running around and entertaining, thus not enjoying the party or the time with your little one. Younger toddlers aren’t ready for a lot of socializing, so the size of your guest list doesn’t matter as much, however, that does add to your list of things to do as far as entertaining.
Older toddlers often enjoy the company of their peers.
I don’t know about you, but my kids get some kind of cranky before a nap, and even after waking up. Who wants to have a party with a cranky toddler?? NOT ME!!
Timing is super important. Try to keep the party two hours or less. Nap time is key! Their little bodies need time to rest and recharge after being partied out.
What tips and tricks have worked for you when planning a toddler birthday party? Leave a comment and share with me!
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Being a mother is a tricky position to play. It often means late nights, no sick days, and giving more of yourself to your family than you ever imagined.
One of the hardest parts about motherhood is answering the question that we are afraid to answer: Does loving my family mean that I no longer love myself?
Here are a few ways mothers sacrifice themselves for their families:
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I have to admit, toddlers do and say some pretty funny stuff, but they also have some annoying habits.
Strangers often look at me when I’m with my kids and say aw, those (referring to toddler years) were my favorite. You look up, and they’re grown. I’d love to share their sentiment, but as they attempt to walk down memory lane with me, my kids are hitting and slapping each other.
Some of their habits are cute and endearing. But some are just plain annoying.
These are my LEAST favorite.
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Halloween doesn’t have to be unhealthy. It can be a celebration of costumes and characters along with seasonal snacks to share! You can skip the added sugar, chocolate, caramel, and even peanut butter. Instead, create fun and delicious treats to share with co-workers or your child’s classroom that are tasty yet are better for you.
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This week, first time mom Melissa joins me on the blog to share some of her favorite fall activities for babies & toddlers!
Having a new baby or young toddler is an exciting time for families. Experiencing the holidays with your children can feel like being a child yourself again. Sometimes it can be difficult to find age-appropriate activities for your child.
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Marriage is a beautiful thing, yet complicated endeavor. It brings two people together, from different walks of life, who want to spend a lifetime together. Combining cultures in marriage can be difficult, especially if you’ve had minimal exposure to the culture you have married into.
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This month, my oldest daughter will turn 5. She will have a themed birthday party, receive presents & have the love and support of her family. Her life is glamorous in comparison to many 5-year-olds in South Sudan. July 9, 2016 marks the 5th Anniversary of South Sudan, the world’s youngest country. A country that is plagued by war and conflict. Many five-year-olds in South Sudan depend on the efforts of humanitarian workers, such as CARE workers, to survive.
Let me share with you the story of a five-year-old named Nyahok. Her family doesn’t have enough money to send her to school.
South Sudan has the highest proportion of girls who aren’t in school in any country.
As much as my daughter craves learning and being around her peers, I can’t imagine this life for any five year old. There isn’t enough clean water where Nyahok lives, so she and other kids drink dirty, disease-laden water. We as Americans often take these little blessings for granted.
Children in South Sudan are 13 times more likely to die before their 5th birthday than American children.
Nyahok’s favorite game is mixing dirt with water and pretending she’s cooking food. With no crops or cattle, Nyahok’s mother feeds her a porridge of grains and wild leaves.
Watch this video to learn more.
If you are looking to get involved in a humanitarian effort, CARE is the perfect organization for you! The best part about this organization is that 90% of money donated goes directly to program activities and CARE is a top-rated organization with Charity Watch. Donations of any amount will help these girls have a better chance at survival.
$150 can provide full nutritional support for a malnourished child. $70 can provide a family with a crop kit so they begin growing food again. For South Sudan’s 5th birthday, give its children hope for a better future. Our children are our future. The least thing we can do for them is helping them reach their full potential.
Thank you to CARE for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to help South Sudan!
