Written by Josh and Jenny Solar of The Happy Family Movement First off, what exactly is a Fun Fest you ask? Here’s the thing…it’s SO simple. You pick a day (we usually declare a fun fest the night before), and you do nothing but have fun! That’s it! We’ve done a few Fun Fests now, and [...]
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Intentional Adventures
Written by contributor Josh Solar of The Happy Family Movement We talk a lot about adventurin’ in our house. Big, grand adventures— like our 5-month trek to Europe happening in late 2014/early 2015. But, sometimes, we get so caught up in trying to adventure HUGE that we miss out on the tiny adventures found wherever/whenever we [...]
POSTED BY ON February 4, 2013 | Comments { 3 }
DIY Play Kitchen (from old computer desk)
I always get a thrill out of Trash to Treasure projects— and this one is definitely one of my all-time favorites. Kaley from Dualey flipped an old particle board desk into an adorable play kitchen for her son. The details that they included in it are incredible— a nightlight in the oven, a pullout cutting board [...]
POSTED BY ON November 29, 2012 | Comments { 2 }
5 Reasons to bike to school
Growing up, I never lived close enough to school to walk or even ride our bikes. I feel like I missed out on a part of childhood because of that. Maybe Hollywood has glamorized bike riding childhoods (Sandlot and Now and Then) but I have fallen for it and want my kids to experience the adventure [...]
POSTED BY ON September 18, 2012 | Comments { 1 }
Books and Cookies: Yes to literacy!
Unplugging the family is always high on my list. We got rid of our TV 8 years ago, but over the years our home has become filled with different kinds of screens. Say hello to the iPad, the iPhone and my 27-inch iMac. We are a tv-free family who is completely plugged in. So when [...]
POSTED BY ON August 7, 2012 | Comments { 1 }
St. Augustine with Kids: The Nation’s Oldest City
When you live three hours from the nation’s oldest city, you kinda have to check it out. So last minute, we packed the truck, loaded the kids and spent the weekend in St. Augustine, Fl. Aside from the horrific heat and humidity, we had a great time exploring the historic fort and the quaint oceanside [...]
POSTED BY ON July 19, 2012 | Comments { 2 }
6 Eco-friendly “toys” from Mother Nature
During our Family Sponge cardboard treehouse giveaway, we asked our readers to fill in the blank: “My favorite eco-friendly toy is _____________________________.” I loved the responses from our readers. No one recommended their kids’ cool eco-friendly toy. Which makes me think that The Story of Stuff is on to something. Do we really need to buy [...]
POSTED BY ON July 12, 2012 | Comments { 3 }
25 Summer Bucket List Ideas for Families
Jadah shared her summer bucket list last week and it really inspired me. I have been “thinking about” a bucket list since I fell in love with The Happy Family Movement. ”Making” one has been a whole different story. This week, I finally sat down with my family and brainstormed what we would love to do [...]
POSTED BY ON July 7, 2012 | Comments { 2 }
30 summer bucket list ideas for summer fun!
Summer is here! I am inspired by The Happy Family Movement to create and display our summer bucket list in our home. This way our summer fun ideas are staring us right in the face all summer long. My list was a lot longer, but I decided to trim it down to make sure we [...]
POSTED BY ON June 22, 2012 | Comments { 2 }
Bike riding with kids: The Hansard Family
Three months after The Hays family captured my attention with a look inside their bike-riding life, we have become a bike-riding family. Immediately after reading the article Wendie wrote, I wanted to buy a bike and trailer for the kids and hit the road. Well, it would have costed us $1400 to get the bike [...]
POSTED BY ON June 21, 2012 | Comments { 8 }
DIY Tutorial: Toddler Fun With Felt
I just love this colorful felt board that introduces geometry to your toddler or preschooler. This DIY project lets you use your leftover crafty scraps, so your child can have hands-on fun with felt! This super-easy craft serves as room decor and a quiet activity for your kids. Here are some pictures, along with the [...]
POSTED BY ON June 4, 2012 | Comments { 1 }
Eco-Friendly Birthday Party Ideas for Kids
Birthdays parties are tons of fun, but also create tons of waste. And with parties every year, why not consciously change some things to help the environment and eliminate some of the waste? We have a few suggestions that can save some trees, some money and also look super cool.
POSTED BY ON May 24, 2012 | Comments { 12 }
The importance of pretend play
Written by contributor Melissa Allen of Green Owl Art Something magical happens when children pretend play. Have you ever just stopped and watched a child completely engaged in a new role? It is pretty amazing. Pretend play is such an important learning tool for children. It helps them to grow and mature socially and emotionally, gives [...]
POSTED BY ON May 23, 2012 | Comments { 2 }
How to cool off this summer with kids
Summer time and slip n slides go so well together. We found this one at a garage sale a few months back and I snagged it up, knowing that it would come in handy once the weather warmed up. The kids had some friends join us for an afternoon of fun. They all had such [...]
POSTED BY ON May 22, 2012 | Comments { 1 }
The Kids of Summer
Summer. Swimming, exploring, star gazing, watermelon, sunscreen, barefoot, bicycles, lemonade stands, rolly pollies, popsicles, tree climbing, bbqs. This is summer to me. This is how I spent June, July and August as a kid; and look forward to reliving it through my own kids.
POSTED BY ON May 21, 2012 | Comments { 1 }
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HOW TO BE SORTA-CRUNCHY•••
Join our simple living + world-changing journey!
1. Adopt a plant-based diet with green smoothies
2. Start using coconut oil (for almost everything)
3. Ditch the paper towels and use cloth napkins
4. Make Trash to Treasure Art Projects with your kids
5. Unplug the TV and reconnect with your family
6. Furnish your home with second-hand treasures
7. Be the change you wish to see
8. Teach your kids responsibility and effort with important work—chores.
9. Save the world we live in and bike around town
10. Upgrade your kitchen to eco-friendly pots and pans
1. Adopt a plant-based diet with green smoothies
2. Start using coconut oil (for almost everything)
3. Ditch the paper towels and use cloth napkins
4. Make Trash to Treasure Art Projects with your kids
5. Unplug the TV and reconnect with your family
6. Furnish your home with second-hand treasures
7. Be the change you wish to see
8. Teach your kids responsibility and effort with important work—chores.
9. Save the world we live in and bike around town
10. Upgrade your kitchen to eco-friendly pots and pans
