If you’re like many parents across the United States, social distancing has had an immediate and drastic impact on your life. Suddenly, you may be juggling working from home and staying productive, all while wondering how to homeschool your children. Check out these eight activities to keep kids busy, learning, and growing.

Hiking does not require access to forest trails or mountaintops, nature preserves or valley fields. These are all great places for a trot through nature, but cities can offer some of the many same advantages when hiking with the kids. Commune with nature. The right route through a city can offer beautiful neighborhood gardens, grassy parks […]

Are you hitting the road with the kids in tow this summer? If so, here are 10 tips to make the trip more pleasant. We’ve based these ideas on prior mistakes we’ve made … er, I mean, adventures we’ve had along the way. Not surprisingly, most are about keeping the backseat occupants entertained. “By failing […]

It seemed like a great idea to take advantage of living in Europe and visit one of Germany’s famed Christmas markets. Our Whole Village’s Patricia Monahan had been to the Christmas market in Cologne and loved it. We settled on Dusseldorf’s Christmas market because we could get inexpensive, direct flights; a good price on a nice, […]

It’s that time of year and we all could use a little inspiration for our gift buying lists. There are plenty of good ideas beginning to circulate. We’ve pinned several and have come up with just a few more that our kids (and we) wouldn’t want to be without. 1. Colored Pencils & Pencil Roll […]

Everyone knows that Washington, D.C. is a great place to go with kids. With museums, monuments and lots of green space, there’s plenty to keep the whole family entertained. What few out-of-towners know, however, is that there are loads of great things to do just across the river, in Northern Virginia, as well. Last weekend […]

Do you remember how much fun fall was when you were a kid? You got to jump in the leaves, go to the pumpkin patch, dress up for Halloween and bake fall-themed treats. Or, at least, that’s what I did and I loved it. Little did I know that it actually meant quite a bit […]

Does your family take day trips? We do, but not regularly and not enough. We’re city people and really would rather be out and about on foot rather than driving off somewhere in the car. But, I think we’re missing the boat sometimes by not making more of an effort to head out for the […]

When we are traveling, one of our kids’ favorite activities is playing at a local playground. I have to admit, I love this too. From a cutlural immersion standpoint, it doesn’t get much better than letting your kids run, play and make friends with local kids. Whether visiting another country or just another town or […]

We’ve moved back to the States from two years abroad in Spain. Unsure of our next destination, we opted to spend the summer on the east coast with family. My husband envisioned a quiet summer spent with the grandparents – the kids happily entertained. We’ve been together for 16 years. He should know better! Our […]