Tag Archives: summer

Prevent Kids from Losing Ground this Summer with the Help of PBS Kids.

Me with Mando and Rosita from Sesame Street

At the PBS Annual Meeting this year it wasn’t all rubbing elbows with the cast of Sesame Street. No, I learned a lot about all the great programming that PBS is doing for kids. This summer there is a major initiative to keep kids engaged and learning all summer long with some great resources. I’ve go a full press release plus links to those resources below.

PBS KIDS OFFERS FREE RESOURCES TO FUEL LEARNING THIS SUMMER

Multiplatform content and partnership activities provide families with tools to prevent the “summer slump” and inspire exploration

Arlington, VA, May 23, 2013 –This summer, PBS KIDS will provide families with a variety of free and educational resources to encourage young learners to continue learning and exploring over summer vacation. Research shows that students experience significant learning loss when they do not participate in educational activities during the summer months, and that loss is even greater among children in low-income communities. To combat this summer slump, PBS KIDS has developed 10 weeks of special on-air programming, a variety of online resources, and partnerships with Pottery Barn Kids, Education.com, Scholastic and Grandparents.com.

“PBS KIDS and our member stations are providing families with a wealth of resources and partnerships to keep children engaged and learning this summer,” said Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children’s Programming, PBS. “The summer is a great time for families to explore together, and we know that our content can help families bridge the summer learning gap and build critical skills for success.” Continue reading Prevent Kids from Losing Ground this Summer with the Help of PBS Kids.

Get a Jump on Father’s Day with #KmartOutdoor

Enjoying a pre-Father's Day Patio Party thanks to #KmartOutdoor
Enjoying a backyard cookout with our friends to break in the new Patio Set.

Today we had a pre-Father’s Day party on our brand new patio set that we got from Kmart. We invited our friends Greg and Adrienne over along with their kids for a cook out. We’re all part of the same CSA (Community Sourced Agriculture) and we even had some of our most recent crops with dinner. The kids enjoyed hot dogs and the adults had some Johnsonville Chorizo patties along with fresh pineapple and guacamole. After dinner we enjoyed a delicious berry crumble that Adrienne made. It was the perfect way to break in the new set.

The Table and Chairs in their new location
The new Patio Set its new location.

Father’s Day has typically been a day for us to enjoy a BBQ with Dad. We sometimes do breakfast and in the past we’ve done a kayak trip, a trip to the Cape to make sand angels, a trip to Mystic to go to the Aquarium and on my first Father’s Day I had gone to Hot Air Balloon Festival. Now I work weekend nights so I sleep all of Father’s day away (a dream of many dads, LOL). However, this coming Father’s Day we’re taking a Boston Harbor Cruise on the Spirit of Boston and that should be memorable.

We are going to get a lot of use out of this patio set. Most of the summer we eat outside on a nightly basis. We’ll have friends and family over for cookouts. I look forward to many backyard cookouts with this patio set, having my own Dad over so he can enjoy the kids. Allison and her friend Kelly are doing a Backyard Books and Bags Bash, a co-branded party to sell Barefoot Books and 31 Gifts. This new Set is going to get some use. But first I had to build it. Continue reading Get a Jump on Father’s Day with #KmartOutdoor