Summer seems to rapidly approach every year and many of my students' parents have approached me for advice on how to support their children's learning at home. I always tell parents that allowing their kids to have fun is extremely important, but you also want to ensure they are learning in some capacity. Here are 32 ways that all parents can keep their child learning this summer: Take them to your local library! Read to your child, and with your child, regularly. Help them master different math concepts as you cook together. Play counting and math games while swimming in the pool. Take nature hikes and use science terms to study nature. Complete science experiments as a family in your kitchen. Do arts and crafts together a few times a week outdoors. Sign up for educational learning boxes that are delivered to your front door and are very affordable. Listen to educational songs and talk about the lyrics and compare it to poetry and poetic terms. Create … [Read more...]
Our Fun Family Picnic At The Park! #GoodFunForAll @FritoLay @SkylandersGame #Ad
*I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour on behalf of Frito-Lay and Skylanders® and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own. As the summer comes to a close in a few weeks here in New York City, I am reminded of all the fun activities that I have engaged in with my husband and sons during this time. We have fully taken advantage of the sunny and mild weather that we have had this season to spend quality time as a family and to enjoy being together outdoors. One of our favorite activities has been going on a family picnic at a local park and nature preserve. It almost felt like everything was perfect that day, from the weather to the smiles that all of us had on our faces. Up until six months ago, my husband was working nights until he got laid off. Although getting laid off imposed some financial hardships on our family, we have adjusted and grown to relish in this newfound … [Read more...]
Ditch Your Sleeves For The Sleeveless Summer Challenge! #SleevelessSummerSweeps #MC #Ad
*I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Influence Central for Dove Advanced Care Deodorant. I received a promotional item to facilitate my review. The Summer is the worst time to have irritated skin under your arms from shaving or irritating deodorants. During the warm weather, all of us ladies want to wear cooler clothing and possibly go sleeveless to show off our great skin. There are certain things that I look for when I am purchasing deodorant and Dove Advanced Care Deodorant has a lot of the qualities that appeal to me. Obviously, my number one item on my deodorant criteria list is that it keeps me fresh and clean. Dove Advanced Care Deodorant with NutriumMoisture keeps you dry and odor-free for a long-lasting 48 hours which means that I can leave work and head straight to my afternoon business meetings without worrying about odor. It is also clinically proven to reduce irritation from shaving and provides softer, smoother skin in just three … [Read more...]
Introducing Carvel Ice Cream Featuring Nutella®! @CarvelIceCream #Giveaway #Partner
*This post was written by me on behalf of Carvel. I received complimentary product samples to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% mine. When I was a kid growing up in Spain, one of my favorite "meriendas", or snacks, was freshly baked bread with Nutella® spread on it. I can still remember how much I looked forward to coming home from school and enjoying that special treat with my Grandmother. When I found out that Carvel was going to be introducing a new ice cream flavor featuring Nutella®, I was thrilled beyond words! Yesterday, I decided to take my boys to Carvel to try this new ice cream flavor after depositing some money at the bank. I explained to them how I had grown up eating Nutella® and that we were going to try ice cream that would taste like it. Carvel introduced its line of treats with Nutella® June 30 and it will be available until Sept. 30. You can choose from the new flavors in soft-serve, hand-scooped ice cream, as well as Sundae … [Read more...]
How Can You Make Your Kids Read More This Summer?
I'm sure that most of you struggle with coaxing your children to read during summer vacation. Even though I am a teacher, my kids would much rather ride their bikes outside and play on their tablets than read any day. Believe me, teachers' kids are just as good as at other kids at getting out of doing anything that is remotely related to school work. The truth is that I don't even read as much as I used to because I am just so busy most of the time. However, I can tell you that reading is the foundation of everything that your kids will every do in school and it is important to encourage them to read as much as they can. Doing so will help them with their fluency, which is the ability to pronounce words properly when they are reading aloud. Also, reading frequently helps kids with their comprehension and their ability to clearly understand what is taking place in the text. So here is the million dollar question, just how can we all get our kids to read more when … [Read more...]
Beat The Heat This Summer With Movies On Demand! @MoviesOnDemand #Giveaway #Ad
*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Movies On Demand. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you for participating. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Summer vacation began here in New York City about two weeks ago. Although I have been enjoying some wonderful time outdoors with my two boys since school closed for the season, some days I just want to relax indoors. This has especially been the case on those days when the humidity and heat index is very high in the city. As a mom, I know that these are the perfect days to keep the kids inside since they both suffer from asthma. The challenge then becomes how I can keep the kids engaged and happy while they are indoors. It becomes even more tricky when my nephews are visiting and I have to entertain all the boys in the house. Luckily, I don't have to worry about that thanks to Movies On Demand! As cable subscribers, we have access to some of the most popular … [Read more...]
Keep Your Skin Healthy During The Hot Summer Months! #LuminousSkin #Jergens @JergensUS #Ad
*This is part of a product review campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and JERGENS® ; complimentary products were provided. However, all opinions expressed are my own. My skin really takes a beating during the hot, summer months. Besides the fact that I expose it to more sun than the rest of the year, I am constantly taking the kids to the pool and to the beach which causes it to get dry and dull. In recent years, I have realized the importance of taking special care of my skin during this season. After all, along with the warm weather, comes the opportunity to spend a lot of time outdoors and show off my skin so I have to keep it looking radiant. Thankfully, I have great skin care products from Jergens® in my arsenal! Over the years, I have discovered ways to keep my skin healthy and hydrated during the summer and you might be surprised at some of the things that I have learned. Since I want all of you to have luminous skin along with me during this time of the year, I … [Read more...]
Take Time Out For Yourself And Put Your Feet Up! #StreamTeam @Netflix #Ad
*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Netflix. As a member of the Netflix Stream Team, I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. Although Summer Vacation began this past week here in New York City, parenting is a 24/7 job! That is why taking time out for yourself helps keep you strong for your family. This month I'm switching gears and making the focus some time to myself for a change. Most of my favorite shows are on hiatus, but Netflix has a selection of titles to get me through the summer months. And yes, that includes all-new episodes of some of my favorite Netflix originals -- Orange Is the New Black season 2 launched June 6th! I plan on waiting until the kids are asleep for the night and then relaxing with one of my favorite new shows. Here are some of the titles I have heard about but I haven't yet had time to watch but plan to this Summer: 1. Orange Is the New Black 2. Scandal 3. Pretty Little Liars 4. Sherlock 5. Breaking … [Read more...]
Making Memories And Sharing Moments! #Pier1OutdoorParty #Giveaway @Pier1 #MC #Sponsored
*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pier 1 Imports. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for participating. This past Memorial Day, we hosted an Outdoor Oasis party in order to make some precious memories and to share special moments with our friends and loved ones. It was very fortunate that Mother Nature was kind to us and graced us with some sunny and mild weather for our special event. Since we were partying outdoors and expecting about ten guests, we were definitely hoping that it wouldn't rain and spoil all our fun. We consider Memorial Day to be a very traditional holiday so we planned for our event to feel like a good old fashioned family barbecue which we knew everyone would enjoy. As I decorated our outdoor space, I made sure that there were plenty of snack plates filled with chips and foods that all the kids would love. Also, having beautiful new outdoor accessories … [Read more...]
Make Sure Your Kids Are Healthy And Safe This Summer! #HealthyCampers @MinuteClinic #Ad
*I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour for Minute Clinic and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own. Now that the month of June has begun, my sons are looking forward to finishing school and starting their summer vacation. This will be an important time for them to enjoy the warm weather and to spend quality family time together. I also realize, however, that it is crucial that I make sure they are healthy and safe during these months as they prepare to engage in physical and outdoor activities. Some kids will be attending day camp or sleep away camp and it's important that they be deemed physically fit to participate in all camp activities. Our boys love to play sports so they will be playing basketball and enjoying the outdoors. Even if your child's camp or sports team doesn't require it, it is important to make sure that your kids are healthy enough to take … [Read more...]