Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Bear Finds Eggs Kids Book Review

Books


by MBE Kids Editor
Rachel Marks

Children's Book Review


Thanks to the publisher Simon and Schuster, the new book Bear Finds Eggs by New York Times best selling author Karma Wilson has brought immeasurable joy to our evening family reading time. 


Bear Finds Eggs by Karma Wilson Kids Book


MBE partnered with Simon and Schuster, post contains affiliate links

My hubbie, as you can see from the photo, had as much fun reading Bear Finds Eggs (2024, Simon and Schuster) as our kids enjoyed listening to him reading to them at storytime at the end of the day. Stay tuned for a @mommyblogexpert Instagram Reel to be published soon featuring this devoted father reading to his little ones.

As a mom, I appreciated its engaging story and charming illustrations by illustrator Jane Chapman who has once again teamed up with the author for the newest title in the beloved Bear book series. The plot this time around centers on Bear and friends who go on a seek-and-find adventure together to help Mama Meadowlark find her lost eggs. This made for a real fun read-aloud experience and provided some great moments for interaction with my kids.


Cozy Kids Book Reading Nook


A Book That Appeals to Kids, Parents

The heartwarming gesture of leaving treats for anticipated baby birds created a sweet theme throughout the book celebrating the arrival of Spring making this a heartening story to share. The rhythm and rhyme in the storytelling were ideal for repetitive reading sessions, holding up well to frequent repetitions. Realistic and beautiful illustrations of animals against calming green backgrounds and vibrant flowers sparked curiosity in my children about different species.

While the overall simplicity aligned with a picture book for my two younger kids, the eleventh-book-in-the-series context (the title's target child audience is actually ages 4-8) left them with some minor curiosities about the diverse group of animals and questions about the meadowlark's lost eggs. Nevertheless, the focus on friendship, kindness, helping others, and welcoming new life in springtime remained among the highlights.

Without a doubt, Bear Finds Eggs was a hit for us parents. Similarly, the title also received a resounding seal of approval from each of our children: sons Izzy (age 5) and Ori (age 3), and Arya, our 16 month-old daughter who just started walking. The vibrant pictures and engaging storyline captivated their attention, making it a beloved choice for our family reading time, showcasing its broad appeal on different levels across a range of young children's age groups.


Bear Finds Eggs by Karma Wilson Illustrated by Jane Chapman


Bear Finds Eggs is available direct from the publisher Simon and Schuster and in stores where books are sold. Bear Finds Eggs can also be purchased on Amazon in hardcover and paperback, and is available instantly as a download to Kindle

DISCLOSURE: MBE participates in the Amazon Affiliate program and we receive a bit of compensation, at no extra cost to you, when you click through to Amazon to make a purchase of this book. 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Spring DIY Easy Crafts for Kids

DIY Creativity

MBE Guest Post
by Ck Harrington
Content Writer, Southern Sketch Designs

Easter, Passover, Spring Projects


Craft ideas in post provided by Ck Harrington 

In the Northern Hemisphere, spring begins on either March 20 or 21. But, because it's a Leap Year in 2024 (with an extra day in February), spring will arrive this year a day earlier on March 19, with Easter on March 31 and Passover from April 22 - 30.


Magnolia Tree Flowers with Scissors


Post contains Amazon affiliate links
 

While anticipating the return of flowers, foiliage, and warmer weather, we've compiled a list of easy and fun crafts by some of the most creative crafters that you can make with your littles. Whether you're looking for arts and crafts to celebrate Easter, Passover, or just spring in general, you're likely to find one or more spring-themed crafting activities suitable for a range of kids' ages here.


Easy Easter Kids DIY Craft
The Best Ideas for Kids


Easter Bunny Slime Jars


These holiday slime jar bunnies are a spring take on a popular craft involving basic ingredients you may already have on hand: washable white craft glue, baking soda, water, food coloring, and a contact lens solution containing boric acid. You'll also need: stiff felt or craft foam, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, glue dots or a low temperature glue gun, and air tight mason jars or plastic jars. An easy enough project for older youngsters, while younger kids will need help cutting materials and using the glue gun.

Full instructions at TheBestIdeasforKids.com




Passover Recycled Paper Craft Afikomen Bag
Make It Jewish


Passover Afikomen Bag


This fun Pesach craft is made with a recycled brown paper bag. All you'll need to make one or more of these are some colorful magic markers to decorate the bag as well as some yarn, scissors and a hole punch. Children can release their inner artists and embellish bags however they wish to create a family heirloom you'll be able to save and reuse each Passover season.

Full instructions at MakeItJewish.com

 

Pipe Cleaner Flower Bookmarks


This easy spring-inspired craft will appeal to a wide range of ages and is great for encouraging kids to read. The only supplies necessary to make these cute flower bookmarks are colored pipe cleaners and scissors. Simply cut, twist, twirl. Depending on the age of children, parents can pre-cut the pipe cleaners for younger mini artists to bend to into their favorite flowers. 

Full instructions and tutorial video at PBS.org


Bird Feeder Toilet Paper Roll Kids DIY
Practically Functional


TP Roll Bird Feeder


The return in spring of hungry birds is the ideal opportuity for kids to make bird feeders using a recycled cardboard toilet paper rolls, string, peanut butter and bird seed. Once this super easy craft is complete, go outside with the children and help them reach up to a tree branch to hang their bird feeders. This project is not only fun but educational, feeding local birds while building STEM skills, teaching youngsters about nature.

Full instructions at PracticallyFunctional.com




No Paint Lady Bug Kids Spring Stone DIY
Fireflies And Mudpies


Ladybugs Rock


According to little ones, ladybugs are among the cutest of real live insects. So here's their chance to craft some adorable pretend ladybugs that will live on indefinitely in potted plants or garden, unlike the living variety. The best part -- which Moms, Dads and caregivers will really appreciate -- is that these Ladybug Rocks are made without using colored paint. All you'll need to make these are some small smooth stones, red and black tissue paper, googly eyes, and Glossy Modge Podge, along with scissors and paintbrushes.


Full instructions at FirefliesandMudPies.com




Spring Kids Eco Friendly DIY
I Heart Crafty Things


Pretty Paper Tulip Straws


This simple craft is an excellent activity for groups of kids and parties. It's easy to prep and make, too, involving just two materials: construction paper and paper straws. After printing the template, parents, caregivers and teachers of younger boys and girls will need to handle cutting and hole-punching. But from there, kids as young as preschoolers with the proper motor skills can make this project from there. Cute one-off creations, these little flowers become an impressive bouquet when constructed by a class or group of children. This project is an excellent craft for kindergarten and elementary school classrooms. 

Full instructions, template, and video tutorial at iHeartCraftyThings.com


These are just some of our favorite crafts inspired by spring. Let us know what you think of this roundup, and share the spring projects that bring you and your littles joy.

About this MBE Guest Post Author

Ck Harrington is a content writer for Southern Sketch Designs and the pet parent to three beautiful dogs, with one on the way. When he’s not playing with dogs or typing up articles, Ck likes to spend time with his nephews. Ck discovers which kids' crafts are the most fun and engaging through his nephews.


Disclosure: MBE partners with Amazon as a member of the Amazon Affiliate program and we receive a small bit of compensation, at no extra cost to you, when you click on Amazon links within this post and make a purchase.

Monday, February 19, 2024

Working Mothers and The Mommy Tax

Motherhood


MBE Guest Post
by Carleen Haylett
Founder and CEO, EnrichedHQ


It's Q1, the Corporate Retreat Season. Seasoned veterans of Corporate America spend countless Q1 weeks at off-site planning retreats and sales kick offs. Many consider them a dual “love ‘em/hate‘em” experience. In the pro column employee off sites are often the wonderful respites they're set out to be. At the same time, they can be filled with dread. Especially for working moms. Attending corporate events can easily run into thousands of dollars of unnecessary additional non-reimburseable expenses just to participate.


Women Executives in Business Meeting


Exaggeration? Let's take a look. Whether a single or dual-income household, overnight care alone could cost close to $1K for a 3-day business trip without a local, nuclear family to step in. And that's just for starters. Families may now need to add in the costs (and stress) of arranging for pick-up and drop-off of children at school, coverage for extra travel days, extra groceries (and the higher costs of take out food), and spending money that wouldn't exist without these required employee events.

When "Out of the Office" Meets "The Mommy Tax"


It's a stark reminder that the Mommy Tax exists. This tax on working families, particularly women, represents the out-of-pocket expense and professional losses incurred simply due to having kids.

Organizations offering family support in the form of childcare benefits generally cater to the littles of workers through daycare stipends or back up care. Yet, working families with kids between the ages of 10 and 18 are far and away the largest population in the US, yet few options are available for parents of older kids through high school. This group is often having little or no additional benefits to choose from to offset childcare costs.

We need to look no further as evidence that The Mommy Tax is crushing working mothers financially. According to the National Women's Law Center, women already earn just 71 cents for every dollar paid to male colleagues. A discrepancy that continues to rise 5% for each child in the household compared to career women without school-age children. 

Moreover, a study by the Center for American Progress found that women are 40% more likely to experience childcare-related career disruptions, adversely affecting the career trajectories and earning potential. Black single mothers, the largest US group, are disproportionately impacted, spending up to 50% of their annual income on childcare. This far outpaces other other demographic categories: all for the right to have a job.

It's no wonder then to learn that The Mommy Tax is a primary contributor to women's labor participation being at levels not seen since the late 1970s. The Council for a Strong America suggests this alone represents a staggering $57 billion loss of income. If a business case for supporting women's participation is needed, look no further than the recent McKinsey report revealing women's workplace equality will add $12 trillion to the global GDP by 2025.


Asian Teen Boy Wearing Glasses Wireless Headphones


What's a Mom With Tweens, Teens to Do?


While solving for the complex contributors to The Mommy Tax are numerous, there are a few immediate things working moms can collectively do to bring about rapid change. 

Several Ways Mothers Can Inspire Change

  • Speak Out Loudly. It's no cliche that the squeaky wheel gets oiled. Moms need to remain vigilant about being vocal (and loud) with human resources about the impact these events (and the lack of adequate benefit options) have on families.
  • Demand Change. If the pandemic taught us anything it's that virtual events CAN and DO work well. Highlight the need for your company to offer more flexible working options.
  • Build Strength in Numbers. Many organizations adopt employee support groups as a way for staffers to support each other. Seek out and actively participate in these groups. If they don't exist, start one and use that platform to push for change.


Teen Girl With Blonde Hair on Laptop Laying on Bed


A Call to Action for Corporations


Corporations have a critical role in shaping family-friendly work environments. First and foremost, human resources leaders much look at childcare benefits from the lens of all parents, not just those with infants and toddlers. A comprehensive approach involves offering flexible work schedules, providing, or subsidizing after-school care and creating family support policies.

Per the Boston College Center for Work and Family, such measures not only aid employee retention but enhance job satisfaction and productivity. Corporations can quickly provide access to benefits, specifically targeted toward school-aged kids, as an immediate, low-cost extension of traditional childcare benefits.

While none of these represent the magic pill in eliminating The Mommy Tax, incremental steps lead to major change. HR leaders are at a crossroads, looking for innovative approaches to retain and support their female workforce. Making the mom voice a collective clarion call for radical change is a powerful step toward bringing about change.


About the Author of this MBE Guest Post


Carleen Haylett is the CEO of EnrichedHQ. In 2020, as a single mother and technology leader, Haylett witnesses pandemic-driven gaps in the U.S. educational space when her fifth-grade son began to thrive with homeschooling. The schoolwork was manageable, but the lack of affordable virtual extracurricular programs available, which would stimulate his development as a student preparing for middle and high school, was a shock.


Mom Executive Carleen Haylett EnrichedHQ
Carleen Haylett, CEO, EnrichedHQ

 

About EnrichedHQ


Torn between motherhood and her career, corporate pressure mounted prompting Haylett to leave her job. Out of her personal experience as a mom, she founded EnrichedHQ to solve the logistical nightmare of finding and managing options for kids who no longer need day care or a sitter, bridging childcare through high school. Leveraging her 20+ years in technology development, product management, and sales, she developed a platform that offers virtual extracurricular programs for middle and high school age children that enrich them for life. Working parents are able to find an immediate remedy for this common parental stressor through their employers. 

EnrichedHQ handles all the logistics, letting parents easily find, book, schedule, and pay for multiple virtual programs for multiple children across multiple providers. Both corporations and parents benefit from Enriched HQ's commitment. Learn more by visiting EnrichedHQ.com as well as follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.