For most parents, some good snack options that will get eaten are quite enough. And if you can pack delicious options that are quick and easy to put together, well you’ve won the parenting lottery.

Here are a few of our no-brainer, delicious, kid-friendly and simple (read: you don’t have to be a Pinterest master to make them) school lunch snack ideas.

Pretzels & Hummus

Pretzels are basically just a sneaky method for getting hummus into your kid. Give them a yummy treat (like pretzels) and some hummus for dipping and they’ll be getting a great snack. Plus, you can buy hummus in individual-sized little containers, so you can just grab them out of the fridge and pop them into the lunch box.

Yogurt & Homemade Granola

This one requires a little make-ahead preparation, but lots of granola recipes come together in a flash and you can make enough to store for a whole week ahead. Put the yogurt and the granola in two separate containers and let your kid mix them up when it’s time to eat. Simple and delicious! Tip: We like topping with chocolate chips in our house.

Apples & Seed Butter ‘Sandwiches’

I have one of those apple slicer/corer things that cuts the apple into slices perfectly in one fell swoop. Then I smear a little seed butter on each slice, smoosh it together with another slice and call them sandwiches. Kids love them and it’s super quick to put together. Once you’re home and allergies permit, crack open the peanut butter or Nutella.

Rice Cakes

A good combo of salty and crunchy, my kids love rice cakes in our house. And I like putting them in school lunches because I know that they will be devoured at lunchtime.

Nut-Free Homemade ‘Trail Mix’

Here’s a pro tip: put your kids’ favourite dry cereal, some raisins (or other dried fruit), sunflower seeds and chocolate chips into a container and shake it up. Instant trail mix.

Edamame

Kids seem to love edamame. You can grab the fresh or frozen kind and toss it into a container for your kids easily. We love it.

Sticks

No, not twigs. We love to grab pepperoni sticks and those little breadsticks for a quick snack. The breadsticks go well with dips like hummus as well and the pepperoni sticks are just fun and yummy.

Anything That Freezes Well

If you can pull something out of the freezer that you’ve made ahead of time and pop into the kids’ lunch the day of, what could be easier? Here’s a list of 7 school lunch foods that freeze well that could double as a simple, no-brainer snack idea.

With a few of these, you’ll be full of great ideas for a full year of delicious school snacks!

Related Reading:

12 Breakfast Recipes Perfect for Kids

The post The Best No-Brainer Snack Ideas for School Lunches appeared first on SavvyMom.

Here’s a helpful school supplies shopping list by grade. You may not need everything on it, but it’s a great guideline to get you started.

Click here for a larger and printable version.

The post Back to School: School Supplies Shopping List appeared first on SavvyMom.

But there’s also a part of me that feels this slight responsibility for their well-being, which includes their learning. I don’t really want to worry about reading and doing math and preparing them for the next school year right now. But I also know it’s important for kids of all ages to keep up with their reading over summer months.

So that’s why I chatted with an expert to get his take on just how important it is for kids to be reading over summer and how many books should be on their list.

Dr. Steve Truch is a Canadian educational psychologist who specializes in literacy and learning disabilities. He’s also a Grandpa to a kid named North. But more on how North comes into this later.

The Phenomenon of Summer Learning Loss

Summer learning loss refers to the loss of skills or knowledge in kids over the holidays – and it truly is a phenomenon according to Dr. Truch.

Researchers started looking into it in 1978 in the U.S. and in 2010, a study was conducted in Ontario. Out of the 2000 students studied, 46% had some form of learning loss during the summer. Basically, what researchers are finding is that over the summer, kids are losing approximately two months of skills and knowledge. And when they get back to school, it can take up to two months for them to get back to where they started. (It’s an even higher loss in math).

The studies showed that some of these results were connected to things like parent education and income level, so there are some socio-economic factors at play. But overall, as parents, we should take reading and math, and learning over the summer in general, seriously.

What Parents Can Do & How Much Reading Over Summer Is Necessary

Setting aside time each day to do some math and to read with your kids is the key. Here’s how much:

• Try to get in 10 minutes of math skills a day.
• Aim for a mix of reading to your child and having them read out loud to you (or silently) for 30 minutes a day.
• However, if your child is already a good reader and they like it, they can easily do more than that because they won’t be resistant.

If you’ve got a kid who may not be super strong in math or reading, some structured activities may help.

One online resource to help you get started is ixl.com. They’ve got activities by grade level in math, science, language, and reading skills. There are some fees associated with accessing all of the activities, but it’s definitely a good place to start to look for resources. You can also try out your local library to see what kind of programs they offer.

A Word of Caution About Apps

Dr. Truch did recommend against putting a lot of focus on apps (although, I know how much we all love iPads and apps. As a mom of three little kids, I really, truly do.) He said that apps are generally fine if your kid isn’t having any issues with learning – but if they are – you may want to take a different approach.

Why? Well, you want to be careful with some of them because research has shown that tapping on a screen is very different than working with paper and pencil. When we teach kids anything, we’re wiring their brains to work a certain way – and when you’re tapping on a screen, you’re not producing the motor input that your brain needs in order to remember letters (for example), because it’s being produced for you.

So, they have a place – but we shouldn’t put all of our focus on them. I personally went out and bought a few workbooks at our local bookstore because, for some strange reason, my kids think they’re a treat and they enjoy working through them every once in a while.

At What Age Should You Start?

All kids experience some kind of learning loss, so it helps to work on this no matter how old your child is. However, kindergarten-aged kids are just getting prepared for school, so it’s more about learning everything from social skills to new schedules.

The real key is the quality time you spend with your child. I loved what Dr. Truch had to say about this. He suggests that quality time together is the most beneficial way for them to learn. There’s no specific number of books they need to be reading – and while reading challenges are fun and great – it’s not about checking off 100 books. Fluent readers will get through a lot no problem. But if your child needs an extra push, they’ll get the most benefit from the time you spend together going over the story together, talking about the words, asking questions about what’s going to happen next and talking about the pictures.

To help you find some books for reading over summer, Dr. Truch’s grandson, North, developed a reading list by age. We think it’s pretty cute – and spot on.

Book Recommendations for Reading Over Summer by North (an avid reader)

• Hoot by Carl Hiassen (ages 12 to young adult)
• Dance, Dance, Underpants by Bob Shea. Ages 4 and up can listen to this one. Young readers to about grade 3 will enjoy it.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. Ages 8 to 12.
• Tree Mail by Brian Smith and Mike Reicht. Ages 8 to 10.
• The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel. Ages 9 to 14.
• Dog Man by Dave Pilkey. Ages 7 to 9. This book is by the author of the Captain Underpants series.
• The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dave Pilkey. Ages 7 to 9. Hilarious series with lots of phonetic spelling throughout.
• Timmy Failure (Mistakes Were Made) by Stephan Pastis. Ages 7 to 10.
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Ages 10 through adult and Through the Looking Glass by the same author.
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Ages 10 through adult. Told mainly in illustrations.
• Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney. Very appropriate to read to a 5-year-old starting Kindergarten or a 6-year-old starting the first day of school.
• Zen Ties by John J. Muth. Ages 7 to 10. A story of compassion and friendship.

Dr. Truch works with children, adolescents and adults of all ages to diagnose and treat difficulties with reading, spelling, math, written language and comprehension. His clinic, The Reading Foundation, has offices in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Before opening his own clinics, Dr. Truch was a school psychologist for 14 years and also served as a classroom teacher and assistant superintendent for special education.

The post How Much Should Your Kids Be Reading Over Summer? appeared first on SavvyMom.

I’m also a parent of little kids and have a very strong desire for my weebles to understand how amazing and beautiful their country is – and just how darn lucky they are to be living here.

I want my kids to see Canada. But I’m also kind of bad at planning. If I’m going to head to Vancouver (for example) I want to know what the top things are to see that I can’t miss, as well as some cool facts or interesting side trips.

But I want someone else to tell me all the details.

Enter the book: 25 Places in Canada Every Family Should Visit. Written by award-winning freelance travel writer and blogger Jody Robbins (who is also conveniently a Mom), the book covers just that: the top places in Canada to see as a family.

You’ll find destinations that are to be expected, like Vancouver, Banff, Toronto, and Halifax. But you’ll also find little details about each place to add extra adventure and value to your trip. For example, if you’re heading to Vancouver – you’ll know how and where to check out a flightseeing tour, or where to spot eagles.

I love that each destination concludes with sections called Taste, Nap, Getting Around, Fun Facts, and ‘Get Excited About Your Trip’, where you’ll get restaurant and accommodation recommendations, tips on transportation, some interesting facts about the region and a few resources to check out with your kids to introduce them to where you’re going.

Let’s face it – there’s a lot to see in Canada. And if you’re not a seasoned traveler, it can be hard to know where to start. Who would ever think to make Avalon Peninsula a destination for a family trip? I hadn’t before reading “Looking over the steely grey waters of the Atlantic, we watch fishing boats carefully maneuver around imposing icebergs… There’s a feeling of remoteness in Newfoundland and Labrador, like you’ve reached a secluded corner of the world.”

Now I can’t wait to put it on my list.

Saguenay Fjord, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and Penticton make up just a few of the other places described in detail that I now can’t wait to discover. If you’re looking for the more popular spots, you’ll find write-ups on Victoria, Blue Mountain, Quebec City, and PEI, to name a few.

The book also includes helpful travel tips for families including money-saving advice and a section on camping.

For any parent who loves to travel and wants to share this incredibly beautiful country with their kids – this book is an awesome and helpful resource. And one that you should definitely pack in your carry-on.

Find some more details on the book and the author here.

The post 25 Places in Canada Every Family Should Visit: A Book Review appeared first on SavvyMom.

That is, except for every parent, everywhere.

As soon as you become a parent, you become well-acquainted with the dreaded end-of-the-year madness and June no longer seems so enchanting.

Why is that? Well, it might be partly because your kids’ school seems to think it would be charming to put a fun fair and a movie night during the same week as all their recitals, concerts, and art shows. It could also be the numerous field trips you need to fill out forms for, pay for and keep track of. Or maybe it’s the countless “Spirit Days” you have to prep and plan for. (Dress Like a Literary Character Day and Decades Day, I’m looking disapprovingly at you.) 

Hell hath no fury like a 6-year-old who misses Crazy Hair Day. I speak from experience on that one.

If that’s not enough, there are numerous birthday parties because, for some reason, all of your kids’ friends are born in June. The new extracurricular activities have started up. Teacher gifts need to be selected and bought. And nobody has anything to wear because they’ve all outgrown last year’s wardrobe and footwear.

Ah, June.

I absolutely love my kids’ school, their teachers and all the opportunities they have. I know they’re extremely fortunate. I know everyone at the school works hard and puts a lot of thought and hours into everything they do for the kids. And my kids have worked hard all year at their extracurriculars and are thrilled to finally perform or show us their 8-months of talent. I am truly a big fan of it all.

But I’m also dead tired.

By now, parents have made it through a long year of report cards and projects and assignments. If you’re lucky, you haven’t had too many phone calls from the office or “special meetings” with teachers. You’ve rushed around on multiple weeknights every week since September, taking your kids to this and that so they’re well-rounded, keeping active, making friends and having fun.

You’ve spent nights worrying about their reading, their social development (Are they fighting with their best friend? What’s happening there?), wondering why they’re moody and arguing with their siblings so much. You’ve spent your days writing down everything in your giant ‘Mom Calendar’ or coordinating your phone with your partner, texting back and forth several times a day to remind one another about all. the. things.

It’s been a long nine months. It’s time for a break.

But first? Concerts. Kindergarten graduation. Parent council meetings. Play Day. Don’t forget when pizza day ends so your kid doesn’t go to school without a lunch. (Been there. Mom of the Year has been claimed, guys.)

And, if in between the schedules and costume changes and scrambling you can also spend some time together, you sure as heck better enjoy the weather, because we’ve only got three months of it to take advantage of.

The nice thing is, as soon as June is over, as soon as your last scheduled event happens, you’ve got one of the best stretches ahead of you: Sleeping in. Family vacations. Ice cream for lunch, because why not? Freckled noses. Freezie-stained chins and goofy, happy smiles. Quality time, lazy mornings, afternoon naps, and beach days.

And if it only happens on the weekends or in the evenings because you have to work and the kids are going to camps, it all seems okay because nobody is on a hectic schedule and tomorrow is another long, warm, bright day.

Now if I can just figure out how to tackle Mythology Day and Medieval Day without having to spend an arm and a leg, I’ll be golden.

The post June & The End of the School Year: What Fresh Hell is This? appeared first on SavvyMom.