Like many families, our children are learning at home this school year – even our high schooler.

I’m thrilled to have her home with me again, but I’m also concerned about keeping her safe and focused on her schoolwork.

Have you been feeling the same way about your family this year?

Trust me, I get it.

We need to keep our kids healthy but we also need them to pay attention in class and keep up with their schoolwork as well as possible.

Since I’ve been working from home for years, I know it’s important to have a dedicated workspace. The same is true for our kids who are learning at home.

But, with four children in the family, we don’t have a lot of extra space in our home.

And, since our daughter needs to use materials provided by the school district, I was concerned about keeping the home free of any germs that might come in.

So I’m sharing a few tips to help you set up a simple and safe DIY distance learning schoolwork station this year! I hope these ideas help you make the most of your learning space for your kids too!

How to Set Up A Simple and Safe Distance Learning Station

When the school district announced all students would be learning virtually this year, my first concern was helping our sophomore adjust to taking her high school courses online.

Then I found out she would need to use a district-issued laptop, along with district-issued materials. Which is when I started to worry about picking up harmful germs too.

So I was immensely relieved to get my hands on Arm and Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes.

These disinfecting wipes are available in two different scents: Lemon Orchard and Renewing Rain. And they’re ready to go right out of the package.

The Arm and Hammer Disinfecting Wipes are thick, cushiony wipes that you can use on almost every hard surface in your house.

You can even use them to wipe down electronics, as long as you squeeze the excess moisture out first.

No more worries about that germy school laptop!

Even better, Arm and Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes are 99.9% effective at killing viruses and bacteria, including human Coronavirus, MRSA, Strep, E.Coli, and Salmonella. And they manage to work that well cleaning without harsh chemicals.

Which was an enormous relief to me as a mom.

We found a simple student desk that would fit in our daughter’s room and I wiped the entire thing down with Arm and Hammer Disinfecting Wipes.

I also wiped down the district materials and the laptop. Then it was time to add a few decorating touches.

We printed a poster with an encouraging scripture for the wall and added a cute corkboard. She keeps thoughtful cards from her friends on it, along with her school year calendar.

Hopefully, those little spots of positivity will keep her going on school days that don’t go so well.

And we’re ready to go for the school year!

If you decide to set up a distance learning station in your home, I’d love to hear how it goes!

Want to learn more about Arm and Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes? Check them out for yourself before you go!

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First, we have four children, so buying four devices would be a bit of a financial strain.

Second, we didn’t want to encourage them to run off into their rooms and spend time away from the other members of the family.

Most of all, though, we were concerned about the effect extended screen time could have on our children who are living with ADHD.

So it took us a while to agree to personal electronic devices.

Once we did, though, we immediately saw the need to set and enforce screen time limits, which is where these cute printable screen time tickets come in!

If you’re looking for a simple way to regulate screen time with kids, these printable tickets can help!

Read on to get a set for free!

And, for more ways to stay connected with kids at home, take a look at our printable Family Night Scavenger Hunt cards!

How to Print Screen Time Tickets for Kids

To use these printable screen time tickets, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer Paper
• Laminator (optional)
• Scissors

After the time tickets are printed, you can cut them apart for use.

There are tickets for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes.

If you’re planning to laminate them, regular printer paper should be fine.

But if you don’t want to laminate the tickets, you might prefer to print them on cardstock so they’ll hold up to frequent use.

How to Use Printable Screen Time Tickets with Kids

Now that you have your printable screen time tickets, what do you do with them?

Well, it’s really up to you.

You can let kids have a set amount each day (say, 30 minutes) and then use the longer ticket times to reward them.

You might hand out 45 or 60 minute tickets for finishing schoolwork, doing their chores, or even showing a respectful attitude.

Or you could print them and keep them handy to hand out each day – after the day’s chores and schoolwork are done.

If you want to use these in the classroom, print several sets and let students “earn” them for finishing work early or helping their fellow students.

Scroll down to get your printable kids’ screen time tickets!

Take a look at these other activities and tips for kids and parents!

To get your free printable screen time tickets, click the image or the link below to download them to your computer!

>>> Printable Screen Time Tickets <<<

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Especially if your children are fans of screen time.

But when they’re on break from school or stuck inside because of bad weather, we don’t want them to run right for their devices.

So – here’s a list of 20 fun and easy indoor activities for kids to help you fill your days at home with quality time!

These are also great for class art projects, sensory play ideas, and games. They’d also make great activity choices for kids’ parties!

Read below to see the full list.

And for more ways to keep kids engaged and entertained, don’t miss our list of 50 cabin fever activity ideas!

20 Fun and Easy Indoor Activities for Kids

If you try any of these yourself, I’d love to know which were your favorites!

1. These printable Farm Paper Bag Puppets are perfect for spring or fall!

2. Make this Beach Shoebox Diorama with an old shoebox in just a few minutes!

3. Share this easy DIY Flubber for some quick sensory fun!

4. Practice recognizing money values with this fun Dollars and Cents Game!

5. You don’t need cold weather to play in the snow with this easy Snowman Slime!

6. Pick up these printable Family Night Indoor Scavenger Hunt cards for an indoor family night game!

7. This low-prep Farm Five In A Row Game is a great way to extend a farm unit any time of year!

8. Running low on craft supplies? You only need the basics for this Paper Tube Butterfly Craft!

9. Practice recognizing colors with little learners with this Color Matching Birds Activity!

10. This Coffee Filter Crab Craft only takes a few minutes to make!

11. Interested in learning sign language? These ASL Alphabet Matching Puzzles are a simple start!

12. Have a race to see who can complete this Finish the Emoji Drawing Activity first!

13. Work on times tables with this fun basketball-themed Shoot and Score Multiplication Game!

14. Make this Floating Spider Craft and let the kids practice flying them around the living room!

15. This printable Snowball Emoji Board Game is so fun for building emotional vocabulary!

16. Make your own DIY Moon Sand for moldable play!

17. Let kids make this Paper Bag Fox Craft and use it for storytelling!

18. This Edible Solar System Playdough is both fun to play with and safe to eat!

19. Blast off with this easy Paper Roll Rocket Craft!

20. This low-prep Mail Color Sorting Activity makes a wonderful busy bag go-to for little ones!

Want to see more fun ways to learn with kids? Try these ideas!

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You already know.

My brother and I argued growing up and there were ten years between us, so when I tell you that our four children are all between the ages of 7 and 15, you can imagine what a typical weeknight is like.

We’ve been at this parenting thing for nearly 16 years and we’ve finally found a few easy ways to stop kids from arguing that I thought might be helpful for others. 

After all, when the kids are very small, they only argue about toys or elbow room. It’s when they get older that the real conflicts begin.

Read on to see these tips for yourself! And, for more help with parenting in the early years, take a look at five ways to help preschoolers manage their emotions!

3 Easy Ways to Stop Kids from Arguing

Image c/o: monkeybusiness & lufimorgan / depositphotos

Empathize with your kids.            

When there’s more than one child in a family, it’s easy for each one to feel that they need to fight for your attention as a parent. It may not be true, but depending on the situation, that’s how the kids may feel.

We can put a damper on many arguments between the kids when we try to see things from their point of view. Then make sure the kids know that we care about their feelings and want to include them as we got forward.

Hold a family forum each week.

Choose one weeknight to hold a regular family forum. This is a time when each child gets to talk about the things that are bothering him or her.

During the forum, each person can speak freely and openly about frustrations, problems, fears, or anything else that has been weighing on their mind. If the kids are getting into arguments about the same issue, the family forum is a good time to address it.

It’s important to keep the environment during the family meeting positive. Focus on hearing everyone’s viewpoint and then compromising to solve the problem. Then agree on a strategy to follow moving forward.

It may even be helpful to post the strategy in writing as a reminder for how to defuse the argument next time.

Be sure to check on how everyone is doing with the plan at the next meeting!

Be consistent.

We have to parent each child differently, considering their age, disposition, and level of responsibility. Which means that nothing will ever be “fair” between them. 

However, we can insist that each child follow the house rules. When a rule is broken, each child has to be held accountable, according to their level of maturity. 

Consistently enforcing rules is one of the best ways to stop kids from arguing before they even get started.

How do you stop your kids from arguing at home? Share your tried and tested tips in the comments!

Don’t miss these other parenting tips!

Follow my Parenting with Joy Pinterest board for more support!

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Actually, I’ve been known to say the same myself.

Still, doing chores around the house is an important part of growing up. But that doesn’t mean it has to feel like chores, right?

There are plenty of easy ideas for how to make chores fun for kids and I’m sharing a couple today!

Keep reading for some great tips on making chores a little more fun for your kids. Plus, grab a handy printable chore chart for kids to help the little ones keep up each week!

Want more ideas for keeping your home in order? Take a look at how to set up a spring cleaning plan of attack!

How to Make Chores More Fun for Kids

Images c/o: antiksu & Dmyrto_z / Deposit Photos

1. Turn up the Music!

When your little ones have chores to do, turn on some of their favorite tunes. You can even make a special playlist for your child to keep their spirits up.

After all, when I have a pile of work to get through, I go to a dedicated “work flow” playlist that features upbeat electronica. Why not try the same for the kids?

Be sure to take a dance break every few songs too!

2. Play A Game

Everyone loves to play games of some kind – kids, in particular. Turn as many chores as you can into friendly competitions.

If you have kids who share a room, see who can get their side clean the fastest! If you have laundry to fold, divide the pile in half and challenge the kids to finish folding their pile (neatly) in five minutes or less.

Shower them with praise for their hard work!

3. Offer A Few Rewards

Giving myself a tiny reward for finishing work often helps me stay on task. And I’m grown!

Kids love rewards too, so be sure to reward your child for a job well done in completing their chores.

Because chores are often daily tasks for a lot of children, you may want to choose to offer a reward at the end of the week, instead of daily. It can be as simple as letting the kids choose the family’s movie for the week or serving a favorite dessert.

4. Use a Chore Chart

How can you keep up with who is supposed to do what each week? Use a printable chore chart for kids! 

Issue one to each child and let them fill out their weekly chores and check off their progress along the way. They’ll love the feeling of charting their progress!

If you need a printable chore chart, just scroll down to grab one for your kids – free!

Don’t miss these other home and family tips!

Follow my Parenting with Joy board on Pinterest for more tips for happy parenting!

Dinosaur Free Printable Chore Chart for Kids

I can’t lie. I love a cute printable. 

And so do my kids!

With this printable dinosaur chore chart, I don’t have to remember who’s responsible for what. The kids can do it themselves!

To use this printable chore chart for kids, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer Paper
• Laminator (optional)
• Dry erase marker (optional)

This chart includes a fun dinosaur theme, a space for a child’s name, and lines for tracking up to eight chores.

Kids can simply check off the chore as it’s completed each day. 

You can print the chart, laminate it, and hang it on the fridge for use each week! Just mark off the chores with a dry erase marker.

To get your copy of this dinosaur printable chore chart for kids, sign up for our weekly email newsletter! You can follow the instructions below to get started.

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You get to spend all day outside, you can explore nature when the days are long, and you can wear shorts the whole time. 

But fall is also an awesome time to go camping as a family. And there are lots of reasons why!

Read on to see why fall camping is a great vacation for families! And pick up a free printable fall scavenger hunt you can share with the kids while you’re camping out!

Want more ways to spend time in the great outdoors as a family? See five ways you can get outside with the kids more!

5 Reasons to Go Fall Camping as a Family

1. The camping rates are affordable.

Camping tends to be fairly inexpensive in the first place. If you go tent camping, you’ll only have to pay for the campsite fee each night.

But rates tend to be lower during the fall and that makes it a great time of year to grab a campsite!

2. You won’t have to deal with bugs.

Insects are usually all over the place during the hot, humid weather of summer. But in the fall, bugs (especially mosquitoes) are few and far between. Since we live in the Deep South, this makes fall camping a definite win.

3. The autumn colors are glorious.

If you plan your fall camping trip right, you’ll be sleeping outdoors when the trees are at their most beautiful. In our area, we tend to see fall foliage around late October and into mid-November, right when the weather is turning crisp.

And there’s nothing like sitting around a campfire with gorgeous fall leaves all around you.

4. Campsites are less crowded.

After the new school year begins, most families take a break from vacations. Which means fewer campers! If your school year includes a fall break (like ours does), that is a perfect time to book your camping trip together. 

5. Fall is a wonderful season to spend time outdoors with the kids.

There are so many fun outdoor activities you can try with your family on a fall camping trip! 

• Roast marshmallows around the bonfire.
• Gather up colorful leaves and make a DIY leaf garland to hang inside your tent.
• Get a handful of leaves and add them to a baby food jar to make an easy fall leaf snow globe.
• Or try an easy fall scavenger hunt with the little ones, like the one below!

Printable Fall Scavenger Hunt for Kids

This printable fall scavenger hunt is a fantastic fall camping activity to try with the kids! Since it has words and pictures, you can even use it with pre-readers!

Print several copies and see who can find the most fall items to check off first!

Scroll down to get your copy of Fall Scavenger Hunt for your kids!

Try some of these other fall learning ideas and activities!

Follow my Fall Activities for Kids Pinterest board for more autumn ideas!

To get your free fall scavenger hunt, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get this printable, plus lots more, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

By the way, if you don’t see the welcome email in your inbox, check your spam folder. Sometimes it ends up there.

Just follow the instructions below to sign up!

The post 5 Reasons to Go Fall Camping and a Fall Scavenger Hunt for Kids! appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Sometimes we have our children pack a lunch, especially if we’re doing a field trip or planning a long day out of the house.

It’s always a nice surprise to find a thoughtful note from a family member And, if our kids are having a rough day at school, seeing a sweet note from Mom can really lift their spirits.

So I thought these printable school supply lunchbox notes for kids would be an awesome gift to share with all of you!

These are so adorable!

They’re school supply themed and they each have a sweet message that can help kids feel more confident about the day ahead.

Read on to see how to get your set free!

And, don’t miss our Back to School All About Me writing prompts while you’re here!

School Supply Printable Lunchbox Notes for Kids

To use these school supply printable lunchbox notes for kids, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Cardstock
• Scissors

This set includes eight different lunchbox notes for kids. 

Each has a school-themed picture with a confidence-boosting message.

You can print these on regular printer paper, but I think cardstock holds up better. 

Especially if your child’s lunch has a juice box or a thermos in it.

Since the back of each note is blank, you can add a short handwritten note if you want!

Scroll down to get your set of school supply printable lunchbox notes for kids!

Don’t miss these learning printables for kids too!

To get your copy of our printable School Supply Lunchbox Notes for Kids free, click the image or the link below to have it delivered to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter – coming this weekend!

>>> School Supply Lunchbox Notes <<<

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It was always a race between my brother and I to see who could get the rare blue raspberry flavored pop first.

I didn’t know then that you could make popsicles at home. And, since we have four children, it’s actually worth it to make a lot of DIY popsicle recipes for ourselves. That way, the kids can get involved in making them too!

These easy homemade popsicles are perfect for making delicious summertime treats together. Pick a few to try for some cool sweets your kids will love!

Read on to see the list of popsicle recipes below! And, for more summer fun, take a look at our list of 60 outdoor play ideas for summer!

20 DIY Popsicle Recipes to Make with Kids

1. Banana Popsicles Recipe – On My Kids Plate

2. Blueberry Peach Popsicles – Dancing Through the Rain

3. Strawberry Freezer Popsicles – Low Carb Yum

4. Banana Berry Popsicles – Sidewalk Shoes

5. Orange Pineapple Popsicles – Five Spot Green Living

6. Root Beer Float Popsicles – Boulder Locavore

7. Watermelon Popsicles – A Magical Mess

8. Blueberries Cream Popsicles – A Simple Pantry

9. Peach Honey Popsicles – Cookie and Kate

10. Watermelon Sorbet Popsicles – Parenting Chaos

11. Green Smoothie Popsicles – 5 Minutes for Mom

12. Kids Summer Watermelon Popsicles – Powerful Mothering

13. Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles – Yellow Bliss Road

14. Fruit Smoothie Popsicles – Lemon Tree Dwelling

15. Creamy Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles – Good Life Eats

16. Limeade Popsicles – A Simple Pantry

17. Grapefruit Popsicles – Paper N Stitch Blog

18. Strawberry Coconut Milk Popsicles – The Roasted Root

19. Chocolate-Covered Banana Popsicles – Cafe Delites

20. Mermaid Popsicles – Seduction In the Kitchen

Did you love this list of DIY popsicle recipes? Make warm weather learning fun with these other summer ideas!

And for more ways to spend summer with the kids, follow my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

The post 20 Easy DIY Popsicle Recipes to Make With the Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

My kids always enjoyed summer break, too. Even though we’ve been homeschoolers for many years, we’ve always taken a break over the summer and this year will be no different.

Still, though, I never wanted my kids to just sit around being bored through June and July. 

So I thought it would be good to share a printable family summer bucket list to give you some ideas for how to keep the kids (and yourself) entertained over the summer!

This is such a simple way to add fun to your summer without overloading everyone’s schedule. Plus, you can choose as many or as few activities as you like.

Read on to get your copy free! And, for more ways to have fun this summer, take a look at our list of 60 outdoor play ideas to share with the kids!

Summer Fun! Printable Family Summer Bucket List

One of my biggest regrets about childhood is that I didn’t spend much time outside. I’m a child of the 80s, so I was indoors watching television a lot.

Looking back, I think I would have liked being outside more if I’d had a better idea of what to do while I was out there.

So, if you’re like me and a bit…unsure about how to help the kids get outside more, this family summer bucket list is a perfect help!

There are sixty-five different bucket list ideas here for kids, including ways to have fun outside, places to visit over the summer, crafts to make, and ways to help others.

Some of the ideas include:

• Going on a stargazing hike
• Having a water balloon fight
• Reading to others at a local nursing home
• Going to the zoo
• And many more!

How to Complete Your Family Summer Bucket List

So, once you have your family summer bucket list, how do you actually get around to doing the items on it?

Here’s an idea that may help.

Enlist your kids to make sure you actually choose one activity a day. Since there are 65 different ideas, you can try one each day and fill up the entire summer!

Laminate the bucket list and hang it on the refrigerator. As you try each one, check it off with a dry erase marker.

If you’re feeling really adventurous, let the kids plan your week by choosing seven activities themselves. They’ll be so excited to complete all the activities!

As a bonus, plan a special treat for when you’ve tried each item on your summer bucket list. You might even make some special family memories along the way!

Scroll down to get your printable family summer bucket list!

Did you like this family summer bucket list? Take a look at these other ways to spend the summer together!

Get more ideas to try on my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our printable family summer bucket list, subscribe to our email newsletter! You’ll get this printable, plus lots of others, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

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I wasn’t raised to spend a lot of time outside. I spent most of my afternoons parked in front of the TV watching cartoons.

But my kids love being outside. Which means…I have to find a way to love being out there with them. And that’s why I wanted to share these five fun ways to spend time outside with the kids!

These are easy enough for even the most nature-averse person (AKA me) to try!

We’ve tried a few of these already and, I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed myself each time. So I can tell you from experience that these tips actually do work.

Want more ways to make outdoors fun with the kids? Don’t miss our list of 60 outdoor play ideas for summer!

5 Fun Ways to Spend Time Outside With the Kids This Year

Images c/o: monkeybusiness & Wavebreakmedia / depositphotos

1. Go on a road trip.

Going on a family road trip is a classic outdoor activity for kids. We went on several road trips when I was a kid and I always loved traveling to new places and finding cool stops along the way.

With our kids, we try to take road trips to places we can spend time outside. And we try to find interesting routes so that we can see cool roadside attractions as we drive.

Give yourself an extra day or two on the journey so you can stop and explore natural sights you come across. Bring along a few learning road trip activities to make your trip educational too!

2. Go camping.

Remember how I’m not an outdoors person? Camping is one of those outdoor things that I have always said I’d never do. 

Guess what we’re doing this summer? 

So far, I’ve bought the tent, the sleeping bags, the charcoal, and the LED lights. And I still feel uncertain about it. Fortunately, though, we’re going with an experienced camping family who will, hopefully, be patient with us as newbies.

From what I hear, camping is a wonderful outdoor activity for kids. I’ll report back after our experience, good or bad.

3. Go for a picnic

Picnics are super fun ways to spend time outside with the kids. You can make some simple meals ahead of time (and let the kids get involved with that too!) and take them to a scenic spot to eat.

Use this time to talk about anything with your family and bring a long a few card games or family board games. When the kids get restless, walk around and see what you can find near your picnic spot. Snap a few pictures to remember your time together.

4. Explore a new park in your area

One of our favorite things to do outside is to take a trip to a park we’ve never visited before. In our state, we have plenty of beautiful state parks to explore and, every time we’ve found a new one, we’ve found something unique that we haven’t seen before.

Take a look at your local area and make a list of the outdoor parks. Then let the kids choose one or two to visit this week. You might be surprised at how much you all enjoy it!

5. Go for a nature walk.

Nature walks are excellent ways to explore science in a hands-on way. All you do is take the kids outside (in your own backyard or neighborhood) and try to learn about the plants and animals that are all around you.

If you find it hard to think about specimens you can discover, pick up a set of our flower identification cards, bird identification cards, butterfly identification cards, or leaf identification cards to see which species you can spot locally!

Did you love the ideas here for fun ways to spend time outside with the kids? Take a look at these other tips!

And don’t miss more ways to spend a summer with the family on my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

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