Hey Reader - Let me clarify, because I've been getting some questions. "I thought I cancelled my subscription." Yep. You did. Honestly, there's not a subscription that is paid for anymore, so you can't be paying. We shut down The Activity Room in December. The app is no longer. The packet of activities is no longer. The monthly challenges, the story times... all no longer. But, what I've decided to keep - and free of charge to you - is the weekly plan of activities. Delivered right to you,...
8 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader - I've been thinking... what looks like a "successful" activity to you? Is it the time spent on the activity? The quality time you spent together? The outcome of the craft (i.e. does it look nice)? Have you ever had an activity that didn't go as planned, which maybe in itself was a fail, but it sparked an idea for another activity that then created a great deal of time spent on it together? What that initial activity a fail then? Do you tend to stop a craft in its tracks so that it...
15 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader - Below I've shared next week's activities, I hope you enjoy some of these seasonal activities as we get into the Spring season and it's Easter week! If you don't want to use food coloring in the cloud sensory play activity, you can try a natural dye like blueberries. Let me know what you come up with! ~ JamieHands On As We Grow®Engaging our kids with simple, fun activities, every day. Your Weekly Activity Plan: March 30- April 3 Monday: Ribbon Streamers Tuesday: Counting Sticker...
22 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader - I've been thinking... what looks like a "successful" activity to you? Is it the time spent on the activity? The quality time you spent together? The outcome of the craft (i.e. does it look nice)? Have you ever had an activity that didn't go as planned, which maybe in itself was a fail, but it sparked an idea for another activity that then created a great deal of time spent on it together? What that initial activity a fail then? Do you tend to stop a craft in its tracks so that it...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader - Thank you! I got some great feedback that you like the weekly plan of activities and the supply list - and that Friday is a great day to send it so you can prep over the weekend. Any other suggestions? We have our 'spring break' this weekend - just a long 4-day weekend with Friday and Monday off of school. Do you have a spring break coming up? My youngest (who is now 13!) has a basketball tournament this weekend at Wisconsin Dells (have you been? it's known for its water parks!)....
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader!I hope this newsletter finds you well. It's been a while and I'll be trying something new - so please send me your feedback on what you think - and what you'd like to see in your inbox. I'm also sending this on Friday which is new to me, I've always sent newsletters on Sunday or Monday -- so I'd appreciate your thoughts on when you'd like to see it in your inbox as well. This newsletter includes a fun hands-on activity plan for you to do with your kids this coming week. Its...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader!Christmas is now right around the corner!!! -- and kids are probably asking "how many more days", right? Create a Christmas Countdown to build on the anticipation, but also keep it at bay. These are the days we long for as a parent, picturing ourselves sitting around as a family, doing crafts, listening to Christmas music and everyone is super happy and all is perfect. Unfortunately, this time of year also brings out a bunch of stress, tension and utter chaos. Our goal = BALANCE....
5 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader!With Thanksgiving coming up in a couple of weeks for us here in the United States, I'd like to share with you a quick and easy way to begin the thoughts of thankfulness in your home. It is SUPER hard to express this to really little kids. So it's easier to lead by example and hopefully they'll follow suit. They will eventually. Brigitte, a contributor on Hands On As We Grow®, shared this super simple Thankful Chain she and her girls make every year. You start by having the kids...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader!Do you carve pumpkins every year? We do -- however there's a couple things I don't like about it -- My husband and I did all the cutting until the kids were 8 or 9... It's a huge mess. My kids are asking to do it from the 1st of October... ... and they only last a few days after they're carved. But the look on the kids' faces makes it worth it year after year. So we still do it. But I want to offer my kids a way to decorate pumpkins themselves each year -- and this way they last...
6 months ago • 2 min read