At Home Heroes

i can't fight it. SCREEN TIME is everywhere; TV, computer, video games, portable DVD players, iphones, ipods and portable gaming systems like a DS or PSP. jeesh. that's a lot of screens. if you can't beat em, at least you can make it worthwhile. i know (from too much personal experience) that there are some amazing games on the market that can be used as learning tools. so goes it for online gaming.

HABITAT HEROES is a website with social networking for kids and information to educate and inspire them about the environment. sharon lowe, the founder of HH says that treating other living creatures with respect is of the utmost importance to her family, and that children learn better by playing - we can all agree with that. so she has put to practice these ideas to help teach kids about the animal habitats that are being affected by global warming. players choose an animal and make their way through the site.

www.habitatheroes.com

the lesson: their eyes glued to a screen, at least can be productive. children often relate to animals' struggles as they also feel like voiceless beings themselves.

***added bonus: once kids learn games on this child friendly site, a parent might just have time to say... open a magazine?? return a phone call?? ahh, the dreams. how they change.  

BULLSEYE!

it often feels like i can go weeks, even months, without seeing the big picture. living in a myopic world of my family and the "to-do list", i forget about all the help needed in the world. AND to add insult to injury, i know i'm not alone when i fondly reference those regular, almost mindless, trips to target where very full shopping carts (sometimes two) of god only knows what are de riguer.

here we can solve both of those problems: make meaningful purchases at target AND help those who need it.

the TARGET HOUSE is a home like no other. it is affiliated with the st. jude's children's research hospital and accommodates thousands of families NOT on vacation. they have made a wish list of items that you can easily buy on target.com to help these children feel more comfortable during their treatments.

www.target.com/targethouse and scroll to the bottom to find "wish list"

although you still might need to go to target for toilet paper (and 5 dozen more random items), at least now you can cross off help others from your "to-do list" this week.

'Wich Craft

my kids eat the same lunch almost daily. peanut butter and jelly sandwich for one, and soynut butter and jelly for the other (who has a strict "no nut" policy at school, and yet, somehow they always let me in!). 

making lunches is a deeply tedious task and one of my least favorite mom jobs.

BUT since we're doing it anyway, here's a kooky idea...

what about a sandwich assembly line? a loaf of bread, a jar of PB, a jar of jelly, a butter knife and some ziplock bags. you and your kids can whip out a dozen sandwiches in no time flat.

take them to a shelter, a food bank or just hand them out on the street to those who look like they could use it. it is really fast and really fun and makes a really big difference to the people who are hungry. 

the lesson: if we can help, it's our job to do so. this is the same lesson written here again and again but it's the lesson i really want my kids to own.

***added bonus: while you're at it make a few extras and stockplie for the week's lunch boxes.