The Season of Giving - 5 Fun Ways to Get Involved in Your Community

EI Editor Posted On Nov 12, 2019 | Holiday

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for all that you have. It’s also a great time to help your kids begin to think about those who may be less fortunate. Volunteering benefits those in need, but it also introduces kids to the concepts of compassion, understanding, and gratitude. Below are a few of our favorite, family-friendly ways that kids can support those in need in their own communities:

Help stock your local food pantry. Together, clean out your pantry and gather any canned or boxed goods you can do without. On your next trip to the grocery store, let your child choose a few items that they think another child might enjoy. If they’re old enough, let your kiddo call their grandparents, friends, and family asking for donations. Round it all up and drop it off, together. Visit Feeding America’s website to find a food bank near you.[caption id="attachment_5130" align="alignnone" width="998"] Photo Credit: https://www.ntfb.org/[/caption]

Deliver a meal – and a smile. Meals on Wheels encourages parent volunteers to bring their children along on their deliveries to homebound seniors and people with disabilities. In just one hour your family can make between eight and 10 visits – often providing the only human contact those people will have all day – and no one brings more cheer than a child! Commitments are flexible, so you can decide what works best for your family. Check out this inspiring article, "Mom Makes ‘Coffee Date’ Fun Out of Meals on Wheels Volunteer Time".[caption id="attachment_5132" align="alignnone" width="299"] Photo Credit: sageeldercare.org[/caption]

Visit an animal shelter. It’s not just humans who are in need! There are millions of animals in the United States who have been lost or abandoned and are in need of some loving kindness. Visit your local shelter and spend some time with the cats and dogs. Your child might consider using their allowance to buy some toys to donate to the shelter or contributing the profits from their next lemonade or hot cocoa stand to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).[caption id="attachment_5137" align="alignnone" width="686"] Photo Credit: https://www.fotasaiken.org[/caption]

Pack a bag. If you’ll be traveling this holiday season, check out Pack for a Purpose for a list of school supplies, first aid supplies, personal hygiene items, kids’ clothing, household items, and pet products are needed by charity partners near your destination. Let your child help you shop for the items to contribute. Together you can pack it into a suitcase to be delivered to the charity on arrival.[caption id="attachment_5139" align="alignnone" width="707"] Photo Credit: wayfairertravel.com[/caption]

Let your child choose. Visit Project Giving Kids to see a list of activities, ranging from helping fight hunger and saving the planet to comforting the sick and supporting our troops. Choose the amount of time you have to volunteer (starting with as little as 30 minutes!) and whether you’d like to volunteer from home, on-site, in your community, or make a donation Then click to find the perfect activity for your family.[embed]https://youtu.be/cbZbZLfFz6g[/embed]

No matter what you choose to do, the important thing is to teach your kids about the importance of giving back. For more fun, family-friendly ideas, visit our Pinterest board!

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EI Editor | Posted on Nov 1, 2022

Top 10 Stocking Stuffers and Small Gift Ideas

Finding a stocking filled with small surprises is one of the most exciting parts of the holidays! To help parents make the most of these tiny treasures, Experts at Play at Educational Insights are here with 10 small gift ideas guaranteed to bring big smiles, spark lasting joy, and keep kids’ interest well into the new year.

Playfoam Pals Holiday Ornaments – Give the gift of holiday spirit with this 2-in-1 craft set! Kids decorate the ornaments with the included stickers and hang them on the tree, then sculpt the Playfoam inside into the perfect pretend play props for the Snowy Pals figurine hidden in the Playfoam! When they’re done, squish the Playfoam flat and begin again—Playfoam never dries out, so the fun never ends!

Playfoam Build-a-Snowman – Kids can squish and squash these packs of Playfoam into their very own no-melt snowmen, then accessorize them with the included hat, scarf, carrot nose, arm branches, eyes, and buttons. This set of three kits is perfect for spreading across sibling stockings, too!

Playfoam Putty 4 Pack – Stimulate sensory play all season long with Playfoam Putty! A uniquely textured putty is perfect for squishing, squashing, and sculpting, and makes a crackle sound with every squeeze! Perfect for screen-free ASMR play. Plus, all that squeezing and squashing builds fine motor skills.

Playfoam Pals Snowy Friends – Inspire hours of pretend-play fun! Each special-edition snow globe pod contains a snowy mix of Playfoam perfect for sculpting a squishy, squashy, play world, and a hidden mystery Pal to play in it! Kids will want to collect them all!

Playfoam Shape & Learn 4 Pack – Slip some learning into their stockings! This pack contains four sets of sculptable Playfoam, each with a set of shape, letter, number, or counting cards. Kids shape the Playfoam to match the object on each card, practicing critical preschool skills the creative way!

PaperCraft Doll Fashion Party – Encourage creativity with this set of four PaperCraft booklets, each featuring extra-large, stick-on (and off, and on again) dolls and fashions for endless mix and match outfits and hours of creative play. And with four sets you can spread them across other sibling’s stockings or give as small gifts to other friends and family.

GeoSafari Jr. Dino Discovery – Turn Christmas day into a prehistoric party with a real dino dig packed with surprises! Kids scoop and dig in the reusable dino dirt to find and excavate Triceratops or T-Rex bones, then assemble the bones to create a complete skeleton. Kits also include fossil molds and a volcano carry case!

GeoSafari Jr. Kidnoculars – Kids can scope out everything from Santa’s sleigh to the first buds of spring with this set of focus-free binoculars featuring 2x magnification and extra-large eyepieces! Perfect for nature walks, sky gazing, and more.

Design & Drill Robot – Tis’ the season for STEM learning and this DIY robot is the perfect introduction for preschoolers! Kids snap the pieces together, then use the included screwdriver and colorful bolts to decorate their rockin’ robot pal. When they’re done, it’s time for robot-themed pretend play

Make the most of your stocking stuffers! The right small gifts for the holidays can surprise and delight kids for months to come.

EI Editor | Posted on Dec 7, 2016

Light Up the Season!

Icicles shimmering. Candles flickering Holiday lights reflected in snow. And, as if right on cue, our brand new IllumiCraft™ line launching, just in time for the holidays!

What’s extra special about the twinkling lights in our IllumiCraft kits is that YOUR kids will wire them. Yes! You heard us right. Your kids can and will create complete electrical circuits as part of these amazingly creative, super-empowering, engineering-introducing, love-of-science-inspiring craft kits!

Designed for kids ages 8 and up, each IllumiCraft kit includes super-sparkly stickers and other decorative materials kids use to decorate and dazzle objects ranging from picture frames to cell phone speakers. The kits also include step-by-step instructions and all the materials needed to construct a simple circuit to light each object up.

Assembling an IllumiCraft kit is a relaxing, rewarding, and super fun way to spend a winter afternoon. And, at $19.99, the kits are a great holiday gift or birthday buy. Plus, you’re giving so much more than a craft kit! With IllumiCraft, kids are getting hands-on experience with a basic electric engineering concept, building scientific confidence and laying the foundation for future STEM success. Talk about a bright idea!With 6 IllumiCraft kits to choose from, there’s something for everyone:

IllumiCraft Light Up! Jewelry OrganizerThe spotlight’s on your favorite gems and jewels with this personalized, light-up organizer featuring a circuit kids wire themselves and their custom paint and design jobs!

IllumiCraft Light Up! Cell Phone Speaker DockKids can amplify their sound and style with a light-up cell phone speaker doc featuring a simple circuit they wire themselves and their custom paint job and personalized decorations!

IllumiCraft Light Up! Pencil CaseKids illuminate their style with a light-up pencil case, featuring a circuit they create yourself and custom designs and decorations!

IllumiCraft Light Up! FrameKids can shine some light on their family and friends with a light-up frame featuring a circuit they wire yourself and their custom paint job and decorations!

IllumiCraft Light Up! JournalKids can record their bright ideas in a light up, hard-cover journal featuring a circuit they lay yourself and their very own designs and decorations!

IllumiCraft Light Up! Wall MirrorKids can light up their lockers with this illuminated mirror, complete with a circuit they lay themselves and their custom paint and deco jobs!