There’s no reason you can’t be the mastermind behind your own baby photoshoots

You’ve probably been taking impromptu pics of your baby since day one—an unexpectedly adorable expression here, a snuggly selfie there. But wouldn’t it be nice to have a few really good shots of your growing family? Yes, you could hire a professional photographer to create the perfect experience, or you could get creative and do it yourself (which can be a lot more fun!). With the holiday season on the horizon, you have a great excuse to get everyone together for some quality, photo-worthy time, and then share the amazing snaps from your baby photoshoot with friends and family on Tinybeans (check out our app here!).

Here’s how to plan and execute your DIY photo shoot.

1. Enlist a friend or family member

Do you have a teenage niece or nephew who’s passionate about photography? What about a neighbor with a really great DSLR camera? Call in a favor and ask if that artsy pal of yours would be interested in setting aside an hour or two to capture your family for a moment in time. Offer to return the favor in some way (especially if he or she has a family to be photographed!), and say “thanks” with a gift card to a nice restaurant or a bottle of wine and some gourmet chocolate.

2. Nail the timing

Think about your baby’s fluctuating energy and moods throughout the day, and pick a time when you know your little one will be the most calm and content. For some, this is first-thing in the morning. For many, this is right after a nap or feeding. Be flexible with your baby photoshoot and work around the youngest one’s temperament. Also, if you’ll be shooting outside, try to maximize the natural light by taking advantage of early morning or late afternoon rays, but avoid the harsh overhead sun at midday.

3. Coordinate outfits—without being matchy-matchy

We’re all familiar with the matching khaki pants and crisp white shirt look found in countless family photos. While you want to look cohesive, don’t feel obligated to match outfits, which can look canned and inauthentic. Instead, decide on two or three colors (at least one being a neutral) that you will use as your inspiration and find outfits that fit the bill. Simple, solid (non-patterned) clothing is always a safe bet.

4. Carefully consider props

Think about what toys and objects mean something to you and your little ones. If your child has a favorite, love-worn stuffed animal, why not include it in the shot? Be selective, but try a few different props that are unique to your family. And be sure to bring plenty of soft blankets to lay on the grass, curl up in, and play peek-a-boo with.

5. Get low and close

If you’re all sitting on a blanket or casually lying down on the grass, ask your photographer to get as low to the ground as possible so you’re all at the same eye level. And see if he or she is willing to do some close-up shots in addition to wider angles. The variety will make for a really nice collection of photos.

6. Be goofy

Encourage everyone to be silly in an effort to get the baby to laugh and smile. Too often, parents are focused on “looking” polished and perfectly happy in their first baby photoshoot. But feeling carefree in the moment and trying to have fun will result in nicer, more natural images.

7. Forget the camera

Some forward-facing shots are a good idea, but try not to focus on where the camera is at all times. Ask the photographer to move around and achieve different angles that way, rather than trying to coax your baby to turn in a specific direction. Candid shots can be unique and just as gorgeous as posed photos.

8. Don’t stop shooting

If your pal hasn’t photographed babies or tots before, kindly explain that fast-moving little ones make for difficult models so he should use continuous shooting mode and keep snapping. Chances are, one or two of the series will be the perfect pic.

9. Take turns

A big, happy family photo is a great idea, but don’t hesitate to take turns experimenting with who’s in the photo. Take some with just kids, just Dad and baby, just Mom and baby, and all potential iterations. Don’t get too preoccupied on everyone being in same photo.

10. Just go with the crazy

If you have an older toddler running around in circles or your newly crawling baby wants to be on the move, grab a kid, have your partner do the same, and flip them upside down for a playful shot. If tears or tantrums are part of the mix, don’t stress. They can actually make for great, memorable photos.

For parents who want to share special moments with friends and family without making it a public display, there’s the Tinybeans app (you can learn more and download here!). The secure platform puts parents in total control of who sees and interacts with photos and videos of their kids.

Here’s what to do when your child gets three of the same toy for Christmas

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone’s holiday resembled a scene depicted in a Norman Rockwell painting? It’s just not realistic—and where’s the fun in that, anyway? Smiles and tantrums, calm and kerfuffles, serenity, and debacles are all the things that make the holidays unpredictable and beautiful. Our holiday survival guide includes a list of possible snafus and tips to help you keep your cool.

Possible Snafu: Meltdowns on Santa’s Lap

holiday survival guide tip: what to do when they meet santa
_drz_via Unsplash

Imagine you’re standing in the line of melting children and anxious parents waiting to overpay for that annual snapshot with the mall Santa. It's your turn and suddenly one of your little angels develops an irrational fear of all things Santa. Mr. Claus props your kid up like a wet noodle as you’re looking for the nearest exit.

Holiday Survival Guide Tip: What's the problem here? A cheesy mall snapshot capturing a Level 4 toddler freakout and an obviously annoyed Santa is Instagram gold. Get the shot, dig out their favorite lovie you’ve stashed in the diaper bag, and smile because this is a picture you’ll treasure.

Possible Snafu: Gift Duplication

iStock

An adult who receives a duplicate gift will proclaim their love of the item while discreetly digging through tissue paper in search of a gift receipt, careful to preserve any tags. Children, however, are prone to reactions anywhere on the spectrum of matter-of-a-fact “I already own this” proclamations to window-shattering, rolling-on-the-floor screaming fits.

Survival Tip: Never underestimate the value of role-playing. Prepare them for the possibility this could happen and coach them on ways to respond— "No matter what you receive, just say 'thank you" It's also a great time to remind them it’s the thought, not the gift, that counts. Play a fun role-playing game and simulate opening something they already own, allowing yourselves to get a little silly. Should the situation occur, it’ll be an amusing wink-and-nod secret between you.

 

Related: 15 Genius Photo Hacks to Try This Holiday Season

Possible Snafu: Toy Surplus

bedtime routine
iStock

Once the pine-scented dust has settled, post-holidays, you’re left with a mountain of toys and tchotchkes that need to find a resting place in your already-busting-at-the-seams home. Finding space for the 25 spider rings and 16 pencils accumulated at the school Halloween party drove you to tears, and now you need to find space for a life-sized panda bear, Barbie’s Beach House, and Ken’s midlife-crisis cherry red Corvette.

Holiday Survival Guide Tip: Resist the urge to meet the garbage man at the curb come trash collection day and adopt a one-in, one-out rule. A couple of weeks before Christmas, review your kid’s wish list with them and explain in order to receive, they need to give. Be prepared: They’re resourceful little boogers and will try to convince you they can find space for it all—even if it means shoving things under chairs, stacking items precariously, or throwing out their underpants to make room in a drawer. Donate gently loved but no longer wanted toys to a worthy local nonprofit organization.

 

Possible Snafu: Batteries Not Included

holiday survival guide: make sure you have lots of batteries
Kevin Woblick via Unsplash

Toy manufacturers seem to enjoy the idea of parents wrestling with a mini screwdriver to get battery compartments open. And they usually don’t even throw us a bone by giving us the first round of juice with a starter set of batteries. What do you do if it's Christmas Day, no stores are open and Johnny cleared out his closet to make room for a life-like dinosaur that walks, talks, transforms, and is slated to crush his little sister’s My Little Pony herd?

Survival Tip: Do yourself a favor and buy batteries in bulk before Santa makes his rounds. For the most part, you know what gifts they’re receiving, so research the batteries requirements and be sure to have them on hand. Throw a few extra in the cart for the unexpected gifts from the family.  While you're at it, grab a toothpick-sized screwdriver the next time you're at the hardware store— you're going to need it.

Related: 30 Life-Changing Hacks to Save Your Holiday Season

Possibly Snafu: Understocked Pantry

Mara Lin Kim via Unsplash

Holiday euphoria has fueled a sudden burst of energy and you have an inexplicable urge to bake 15 different types of cookies and a fruit cake. After a quick ingredient review, you realize you're a ¼ tsp. of vanilla away from your destiny, but your little one is napping. Even if he wasn’t, you risk getting stuck in line behind the people clearing out the bottled water supply preparing for snowmageddon because they spotted a flake.

Holiday Survival Guide Tip: Stock up on baking essentials. Most ingredients required for baking have a long shelf life, so if it takes you until Easter to use them all, no biggie. You can also get simple ingredients and lots of staples delivered to your home fast by using a food delivery service such as Instacart.

Possible Snafu: There Is Noise ... Lots of It

holiday survival guide: how to deal with loud toys
Kelli McClintock via Unsplash

Maybe before you were a parent it brought you great joy to buy the most annoying gift you could possibly find for a sibling's kids. Why not? You didn’t have to live with it and plus, when you were little your brother teased you relentlessly, so he totally deserved to lose partial hearing because you gifted his two-year-old cymbals. The day of reckoning is upon you—the gifts your kid receives will be big, they will be loud and they’re going to have more pieces than stars in the sky.

Survival Tip: We can't help you here. If you fired the first shots, you have no choice but to accept an annoying gift or two. After the scores have been settled, initiate a peace treaty so no one needs to live in fear of what might be under the tree. Discuss parameters for gifts and work together to complete wish lists. If they break the treaty, you are well within your rights to unleash a wrath that can only be calmed by buying your niece or nephew a rambunctious puppy or a matching drum set for those cymbals.

 

I was 42 years old when I gave birth to my son.

Why 42 years old?

There are several reasons:

  • I only got married at 33 years old.
  • I had a demanding career that involved lots of travel.
  • We lived in South Africa and unfortunately, did not think it was a safe environment to raise a child.
  • We eventually emigrated to Australia, which involved finding new jobs and settling into life in a new country.

Of course, there is never a perfect time to have a baby, but there was another reason I waited so long….I am not what you would call naturally maternal.

Do not get me wrong, I love children. I dote on my nieces and nephew. When they were little, I would have them over for sleepovers, take them to the zoo and the circus. They are teenagers and young adults now, and I still enjoy spending time with them.

I just did not have this overwhelming desire to have a child.

Until I turned the big 40.

Suddenly I worried I would look back on my life and regret not having a child. I know my reason for deciding to have a child may seem almost unnatural to some people. But my reason for having a child does not make me love my son any less, and I could not imagine my life without him.

So, there I was at the age of 40 trying to get pregnant with my first baby. Understandably at my age, this was not without some heartache, and after three miscarriages we decided to turn to IVF. I consider myself extremely blessed that after only one round of IVF, I was pregnant with my son.

When my son was around 18 months old, we decided to try for a second child, as I did not want him to be an only child. One of the driving forces behind this was the fact my mom was an only child and hated it. She would recount stories from her childhood about how lonely she was and how much she disliked going on holiday with just her parents for company.

Another reason was that as we had immigrated, and we did not have any family close by. I knew my son would not grow up surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He would not know the joy of large family gatherings and ultimately, I did not want him to be alone one day.

Unfortunately, after another miscarriage and five failed IVF attempts, I had to accept that a second baby was not going to happen.

I had to face the fact that my son was going to be an only child.

I admit it was tough.

I worried my son was going to be on his own one day with no siblings for support.

I worried he would not get to experience the joy of a sibling relationship.

I worried he would hate being an only child as my mom had done.

My husband, on the other hand, was more pragmatic. He pointed out that we had tried and told me our son would be fine. Part of me knew this was true, but it did not stop me from feeling guilty.

Not being able to give my son a sibling is the one thing I feel most guilty about. I have a close relationship with my brother and sister. Whenever I see siblings playing together, I feel that painful pang of guilt. I know my son will never experience the close bond; you can only share with a sibling.

My son is now seven years old; he has never once asked for a sibling.

In fact, he has told us many times that there is no way he wants a brother or sister because apparently, this would mean:

  • He would have to share his toys.
  • He would not get us (his Dad and me) all to himself.
  • There would be a baby in the house crying all the time.

One day I will tell my son about how he was conceived and how we tried to give him a sibling. I try to focus on the positives, my son is happy, well adjusted, exceptionally bright, and has lots of friends who regularly come for play dates at our house.  

As parents, we put way too much pressure on ourselves, we worry and feel guilty when we should not. And whilst I would not say I am entirely over all my guilt, it has eased. When I see his smile, hear his laugh or when we are dancing around the house together like crazy people, I am thankful for my little miracle.

I am married to Brandon and am the proud Mum of a beautiful son. My mission is to help busy parents navigate the critical milestones of their child’s life. Children are truly phenomenal and can achieve amazing things when given the opportunity to Play, Learn and Grow.

When I was around nine years old, I was playing in the front yard of my home when I noticed a big, fluffy dog jogging around the neighborhood. Having seen the dog for several days, I wondered if he belonged to one of the neighbors.

I remembered playing with him and giggled at his jolly demeanor and excited slobbering. I already had a loving family dog but this lone dog was a complete joy. As a young child, you don’t think much about who the dog belongs to or if they are dangerous. But I remember looking into his big brown eyes and instantly knew he wasn’t dangerous at all. In fact, his overexuberance of friendliness might have been his own downfall.

After several days, the inevitable finally came. I was once again playing outside and the adorable dog ran towards me, all excitement and carefree. However, just as he was about to reach me, a white truck pulled up beside the dog, parked, and the driver got out. Looking at the name on the side of the truck, I knew eventually someone from the animal shelter had come out. I had high hopes that the dog actually belonged to someone, but who could ever leave their darling dog to roam free every day?

The injustice to both me and the dog came when the driver came up to me while I was holding onto the dog. He asked if the dog belonged to anyone. I was faced with a difficult decision but fear at what would happen to the dog took over and I immediately nodded and said, “Yes, the dog belonged to a neighbor up the hill.” The driver looked at me for a moment and then asked if I could return the dog to its owner as someone had reported a stray dog matching his description. I quickly nodded again, afraid that he would think I was lying. But, perhaps he believed a young child, or perhaps not. Whatever the reasons, he got back into his car and drove off. I brought the dog back to my house, gave him some water and food, and went inside the house to tell my mom what happened.

It was moments after the incident, while my mom gave me a snack, that I suddenly realized I could no longer eat meat. Something just snapped inside me when the driver of the truck took out a stick with a loop at the end and the dog looked innocently between me and the stranger. Somewhere deep inside my heart, I couldn’t bear the thought of eating meat and thinking of the dog being captured and who knew what would happen to him. The connection was almost immediate and from that day forward, I told my mom I was going to stop eating meat. My mom related that seeing the dog almost being captured must have sparked some compassion inside me.

I was around nine when I had single-mindedly decided to just stop eating meat and become a full-time vegetarian. As loving as my parents were, they weren’t exactly sure how to handle a nine-year-old vegetarian. Was that even possible for a young child? My parents were accepting of course, though they were afraid not eating meat protein would hinder a growing child. I went back to eating chicken on the behest of my parents but after I went off to college, I reverted back to being a vegetarian.

I know many vegetarians and vegans will agree to this single reason: that they became vegetarians out of compassion for animals. It is truly a humane thing to do but it doesn’t work for everyone. I did my fair share of research and even spoke to pediatricians and doctors. Some were skeptical about any health benefits and some were encouraging. But in all honesty, you should do what is best for your own body and lifestyle.

So should children become vegetarians? Well, my nephew became a vegetarian at the age of seven. He just decided to stop eating meat out of compassion. His parents were supportive and later became full-time vegetarians too. My nephew is now fifteen years old and five-feet-nine. I think he’s doing pretty well in the growing aspect as a vegetarian.

Here are some tips if your child decides to go vegetarian. Keep in mind that vegetarians eat only plant-based food. Not seafood, and not “sometimes” a vegetarian. 

  • Determine why your child wants to be a vegetarian. Is it for humane reasons, a picky eater or their friends are doing it?

  • Decide on the right age. A pediatrician told me that children younger than five years old should not become full-time vegetarians unless there are health reasons. Up until the age of five, most children’s bodies are fast developing and they need the full spectrum of vitamins as long as they eat a balanced diet. 

  • Vegetarians usually eat healthier. Don’t be a “junk food” vegetarian. That is, a vegetarian by name only and eats junk food instead of a healthy plant-based diet.

  • Start off slowly. The transition to full-time vegetarians is not easy. Your body will most likely go into shock at the sudden change of diet. Gradually decrease the consumption of animal meat each day up until two weeks for your body to adjust.

  • Take your child grocery shopping with you so they can see the various fruits, vegetables, and nuts available to them. The more informed they are of their food choices, the better it is for them to decide.

  • Don’t be too harsh or judgemental. Deciding not to eat animal meat when other family members do can be confusing for everyone in the household. Listen to their reasons and support them as much as possible. Remember that there is a great assortment of plant-based food available.

Regardless of the choice, it’s never too late to make an important food change out of health and compassion.

I am a mom first and foremost. I might not be a supermom, but I am constantly learning and growing.Topics I stand with are parenting, the environment, and living a healthy and happy lifest‌yle. I work at an elementary school and I have 30 years experience in the health industry.

How many out there remembers the game of ‘Playing School’? This was a game that I played whether pretending myself or playing with some friends. One was the teacher and the rest of us were the students. The classroom was usually outside or in an old shed or just out in the yard with a collection of folding chairs and odd tables. The materials were old magazines, newspapers and, if we were lucky, some old papers and books from our school classroom that the real teacher was throwing away. 

The game usually lasted for a few hours that would consist of maybe a pretend reading or math lesson or even making a craft of sorts. Depending on who was the teacher the activities would vary from the more strict to the more laid back. I remember when I played this game with my cousins where one is now a principal for a high school she would actually have classroom rules to play by and even have discipline guidelines from writing assignments to sitting in the corner. 

Playing school for me was a way to pass the time and it was fun for it gave me a chance to play with my cousins, and who knew maybe this was why I became a teacher of young children. Before I began to play this with my cousins though, me and my mom would play and I remember that my ‘play classroom’ also had one of those magnetic letter boards where I could practice my letters, numbers, and spelling. I could even have ‘magic’ markers and practice writing them on the board. Every once in awhile a math problem and numbers would be added to the mix. My mom and I would also read some of my old storybooks for reading practice for she would join in once her work was done.

Playing school is an activity that increases social skills, but is usually just to make learning more fun and not so structured as in the school classroom and seems to be a right of passage for many generations. It just seemed that ‘playing school’ entailed reviewing the basics of letters, numbers, spelling, and reading. 

As I grew up and starting helping to ‘babysit’ my nieces and nephew I would ‘play school’ with them and gather some picture books and blank writing paper for at this time they were only four and two. I was also a student in an Early Childhood Education program and had some chart paper where these two kids would tell me stories and I would write them down as they told me. After they finished telling me the story I would have them try and read their words to the best of their ability at the time. I would usually have my two-year-old nephew ‘draw’ some pictures, even though he was at the scribble stage of drawing.  After a little while, our ‘playing school’ was mainly arts and crafts and nature walks.

To me playing school is a necessary game to play as kids for it does develop discussion and communication skills. In many ways and it is a time to experiment with how we learn and what we need to know to practice the rules of the classroom. Now, if I am playing school with my youngest grandnephew I usually have him write stories using real words using paper and pencil to practice forming his letters and numbers. Sometimes, I would have him write stories and draw pictures on my computer where he has have the story and picture go together. We would also practice ‘cursive writing’ every once in a while, and then moving out for ‘PE’ with a lot of running and kicking a ball around the yard.

Playing school is an activity that we all have participated in either as a ‘student’ or as a ‘teacher’ that could have lead us to this profession of teaching. This is an activity that allowed us to use our imaginations that lead us, maybe, in figuring out what we wanted to be when we grew up and sharing interests when we were playing school. If you were to ‘play school’ now, what would your classroom look like and what would you be ‘teaching’? 

In a world of online education does playing school mean the same thing today as it did in the past? And how has the world of homeschooling taken over the activity of ‘playing school’? I will always remember my classroom when I was a daycare teacher there were learning centers from housekeeping to construction to library to art and music. These centers were to give young children an array of interests to ‘work’ with deciding even more possible interests. 

Playing school is or was an activity that we all have done and probably enjoyed playing as a child or even as a grownup just keeping a child or children occupied and sharing their many ideas. Remember playing school does not have to be too structured it is just to be fun and if learning happens so be it for those basic skills practiced will lead to something better.

I am a person who writes children's and young adult book reviews. Currently, an avid reader with many interests that I would like to share.  Definitely, a person that likes working outside and making crafts and that enjoys learning many subjects and trying to have fun with learning many ways.

I feel like my 4-year-old nephew wrote this story: “There will be a virus that will scare the whole world, a lot of people will suffer, schools will be closed and the world will run out of toilet paper.” Who would have thought that year 2020 is going to start out like this!

It is not an understatement to say 2020 is going to be a defining year in many ways for all of us. This year put family, life, and staying healthy into focus like never before. As we all get into the groove of working from home, cooking three meals a day, online classes for the kids and social distancing, we also need to pay attention to staying sane, healthy and reaching out to those who are alone and could potentially be impacted by social distancing more than many of us.

Extroverts, like me, are going to have a hard time being in isolation and not being able to interact with people face to face. We tend to get our energy through these interactions. If your kid is an extrovert and thrives in the company, they will also face similar issues. Please be mindful of this and figure out ways to give them social interactions.

How can you handle all this from home? You have plenty of useful tips on the web on how to work from home, set a routine, and manage day-to-day activity without losing your mind. Here are some tips from us at S’moresUp on how you can make it fun and a better experience for kids.

  • Do a brainstorming session with the kids to come up with fun activities for the family. Ask everyone to come up with ideas and vote on it. We came up with a bunch of ideas in our family like family potluck (where each one of us will make a dish for dinner), scavenger hunt in the house, jumping jack competition, etc. Reserve time in the evening every day to do this together. These all can go to the Rewards section in the S’moresUp app.
  • Set up daily and weekly chores for the kids. Make it a competition if you have more than one kid and reward them weekly. Movie choices, a virtual hangout for an hour with a friend of their choice, they get to set a menu for a day, they get to be the adult in the house for the day (play the role of dad or mom), etc.
  • Daily family workout time. Do simple workouts together. Keep them active.
  • Set up a time for them everyday to hang out with some friends via Google Hangout or FaceTime. There is a chrome extension called ‘Netflix Party’ that you can use where they can watch a movie together and chat at the same time. Give that a try.
  • Set up their calendar and help them plan, so they know what their day looks like. Put in everything from playtime, workout time, virtual playdate time in the schedule. Given them a structure and set expectations for the week.

Social distancing is essential, but you can still take them on a drive. If allowed by local government, go out for a run. Walk the dog. Make sure that they get some fresh air.

You can get playful with the family wall. Put up a surprise game for them for the day like a scavenger hunt. Start a friendly challenge with your neighbor using Family Circle or send virtual hugs and kisses to your ones.

For more ideas and tools on how to stay organized, stay informed, and stay connected, check out www.smoresup.com.

Priya Rajendran  is a developer and “Silicon Valley tech mom” who’s created S’moresUp an innovative iPhone and Android solution to the problems of managing family’s day to day life, with over 100,000 moms and dads already on board.  She’s a technology veteran who lead the team behind Paypal's Wallet.

 

Do your mini chefs love helping out in the kitchen? It can be a lot fun to cook with your kids, but it’s not always easy to get them to follow the recipe. If you left things up to them, you’d end up with some very creative concoctions, much like the recipes in this cookbook written by preschoolers.

Twitter user Jordan Adams shared the finished pages from a cookbook created by his nephew Ethan’s pre-K class. While these dishes might not be entirely edible, Gordon Ramsey would definitely give them an apron for sheer out-of-the-box creativity.

One of the best examples is Ethan’s own recipe for “Eggs.” The ingredients include “pancakes, sugar and skittles.” No eggs, obviously, and all of the ingredients should be procured from a “Texas Roadhouse.” The prep time is one hour, but the cook time is listed a mere “two seconds.”

Now for the instructions, which read, “First you put pancakes and then sugar and that’s it. You can cook it, but you can go to my house and I will give you eggs because my mom makes eggs all the time. You can eat them with a spoon. Don’t put anything on them because that’s how you makes eggs, with nothing.”

Another recipe for pancakes includes just one solitary ingredient, “salt” and all you have to do is “get a thingy from the house and you put it in the hot thingy. Turn on the hot thingy and it burns so you have to be careful. You make like, something and put it in and it cooks.”

The internet’s favorite recipe by far, however, is Joe’s Tacos, which turns out to be a recipe for cheesy roll ups because as the directions explain, “First I don’t actually know, I really don’t remember anything. Can I change this to cheesy roll ups? Because they are super easy. There is only 3 stuff you need, white cheese, yellow cheese, and tortilla. I don’t even want to make tacos anymore. I don’t even know how. It is so hard think about tacos. But I can make cheesy roll ups. They are super easy. They come from Taco Bell.”

Delicious.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Jordan Adams via Twitter

 

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We had the plans, the materials, the tools, and the will, but could we do it?

In the summer of 2016, we embarked on an adventure of building a treehouse with no working knowledge of construction. We have never built anything more than a sandwich in our lives. But, because our son Jack spent a lot of time engrossed in stories with treehouses in them, such as Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey and The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborn, we decided to give him this unique, meaningful gift.

We gained a lot more than a treehouse that summer though. Here are the lessons we learned, and the reasons you too should go on this journey with your own family.

Learning

What better way to work learning into a child’s summer? There was no summer slide for Jack that year, as he learned so much from this hands-on family project. Jack used a triangle to measure and cut, he sawed, hammered, and screwed. He learned how to read and follow directions. Plan, measure, cut, fasten, repeat. What a neat thing for a kid getting ready to head into first grade.

As an educator, one of my goals is to help Jack become a lifelong learner. I truly believe that as long as you continue to learn and grow as a person you will find fulfillment in life. Projects like this can help build life-long learners.

Building Connections

Throughout the building process, we got to know our neighbors as they cheered us on in the summer heat. They gave us tips and shared in the joy of our imperfect treehouse that we were making for our little boy. “We love watching it come along,” they would say, as they saw us spending countless hours in our backyard creating something special for our child. Together we smiled at the wonderful use of summertime as a family.

The extra words of encouragement were always helpful, as were the extra muscle from the multiple family members who contributed to the building process. When it was time to secure the roof, we knew we needed an extra hand. My nephew came over, arms and body hanging out the treehouse window to help make sure my husband Tim had it steadied while he fastened the roof. I was especially grateful this task did not fall on me, and that the roof did not fall on anyone else. Whenever we had people over to help, we would turn it into a whole day’s activity. Lunch, drinks, snacks, playground visits, or game time. The connections to the community were a nice side-effect of our project.

Problem Solving

Each step along the way, we realized we needed tools that we did not have. Due to trying to keep this project on a budget, we either compromised with tweaking the use of our current tools, or we borrowed from others. Tim’s brother, who is a mechanic and all-around handyman, has a collection of tools at his disposal. Thankfully, the tools often came with his help, and at times, the help of his children.

Watching the kids work together on measuring, painting and using power tools was incredible. At times the adults would sit back and let the kids make the decisions and mistakes. Throughout the process of building the walls, they had trouble with window placement. This allowed them to put their communication and problem-solving skills to work.

The Value of Hard Work

Jack was not going to get off easy during this project. He was six. There were days he did NOT want to be a part of it, but he would. Why? Not because we forced him to, but because he knew in order for him to reach his personal goal of having a treehouse, he had to put in the work. And, he did. I’m proud of this kid for pushing himself in ways his little fifty-pound body never had before. I know when I was six, I definitely was NOT working that hard. Shoot, most days I still don’t!

Making Mistakes

The treehouse came out awesome, but not perfect. The door kind of shuts and the windows semi-fit the walls. But the most obvious misstep turned out to be an actual misstep. Tim worked on constructing the ladder without plans and it came out brilliantly. Except for the top step. It sticks out at a weird angle and needs to be pointed out to all new-comers so they pay attention going up and down.

We are all afraid of making mistakes. For some people, the fear of making a mistake can hold them back from starting something. Luckily, building a treehouse taught Jack many things, but mostly the fact that it is okay, and natural, to make mistakes. We made numerous errors along the way and it’s not perfect, but who or what is?

Fun, Fun, Fun

The most important thing for any summer activity is that you have fun. Though we worked hard and hit multiple roadblocks along the way, building the treehouse was enjoyable for all of us. Most days we worked in frequent breaks that led to dance parties or outdoor games. Maybe we could have finished the treehouse in two months if we hadn’t done these things, but we didn’t care, it was FUN.

Commitment

Oftentimes we start projects with our kids that tend to fizzle out. Over that summer our friends and family watched and laughed with us as we fumbled through the different stages of building. Upon the completion of our treehouse, on a sunny day in September, we had a “Treewarming Party” and invited neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family to come to celebrate our accomplishments. Jack’s seventy-five-year-old great grandmother even took the hike up the ladder into the treehouse. The joy and excitement were palpable as we celebrated our commitment to completing Jack’s treehouse.

The Power and Knowledge of Creating Something Yourself

We built a treehouse. Jack was six and helped to construct all the parts of a house. Learning you can do whatever you set your mind to is a priceless thing for a child.

It may have cost us $600 for the materials and way more hours that I can add up, but teaching your kid they are capable is a powerful thing.

 

This post originally appeared on The Travel Nurse Family.

Heather has a Master's Degree in Education and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. with over 15 years of experience as a tutor for children from Pre-k through college. She is currently homeschooling her son as they travel the country with her husband, a Travel Nurse.

Forget lemonade. When you really want to make some money bake cupcakes. One teen started a cupcake business in order to pay for his family of seven to go to Disney World.

Fourteen year old Isaiah Tuckett had a life-long dream of visiting Disney World, but as the youngest of a family of seven a family vacation to the Magic Kingdom came with a hefty price tag. Rather than give up on his dream, however, Isaiah decided to earn the money himself by selling cupcakes.

“I always liked being in the kitchen when I was growing up, and then I made them for my grandma’s 85th birthday party and also made them for one of my friend’s graduation parties and people liked them and started ordering them,” he told CNN.

Two years after he set out on his cupcake mission Isaiah’s business is booming and the vacation of his dreams became a reality. A year ago the entire family including his mom, dad, sister, brother, sister-in-law and his nephew finally made it to Disney World for six nights.

Not only did his new business give him the trip he’d been dreaming of, but it also has given Isaiah many other benefits. “In a lot of ways, it’s been good for Isaiah,” his mom said. “He can be a little bit maybe reserved or shy, and it’s caused him to have to have conversations with adults who are asking him about his business, which is good, taught him about time management and saving.”

“I mean, there’s just so many life lessons that he’s learning through all of it. It’s not just the baking skills,” said Cheri Tuckett.

Those entrepreneurial skills are paying off for other financial goals as well. In two years Isaiah will have his drivers license and he’s now saving up for a blue Ford pickup truck, and just maybe a visit to Disneyland.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Courtesy of Disney Parks

 

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There’s nothing quite like the knowing feeling when your kid-less friends finally enter the world of sleep-deprived parenthood. That’s exactly the sentiment Prince William shared about his brother and newly-minted dad Prince Harry.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their first baby, a boy, just a few short days ago. Big brother and now uncle, Prince William is already making dad jokes about the challenges of parenting––and we’re loving every minute of it!

In the brief press interview welcoming their new nephew, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expressed their joy over the tiniest member of the royal family. “Absolutely thrilled and looking forward to seeing him in the next few days when he’s quieted down,” Prince William said, adding the punchline, “I’m very pleased to welcome my own brother to the Sleep Deprivation Society that is parenting.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Kensington Royal via Instagram

 

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