We must have a BAZILLION old crayons in the house! 

I kid you not — old crayons from previous school years, the small packs the kids get when we eat out somewhere, crayons that we’ve received in treat bags at birthday parties — a bazillion crayons.

How would you like to win some amazing books for the kids? 

And just in time for the holidays, right! 

Welcome to the Kid Lit Giveaway Holiday Hop sponsored by Youth Literature Reviews and Mother Daughter Book Reviews.

This is the final post in our 5-part series of The ABC’s of Family Field Trips. 

If you missed the first posts in our series, you can review the tips, resources and ideas that were shared for family outings:

{Part 1}  Getting Ready, Using Books & Exploring

{Part 2}  Fun, Inspiriation & Hands-on Ideas

{Part 3}  Learning, New Places & Outdoor Fun

{Part 4}  Pretend Play, Reading, Science & Tours

Since we’re covering topics from A to Z, our final post will highlight tips for U – Z.

Life is busy!  Especially at this time of the year — so I will frequently jump on any chance to make things a little easier.

For example, using holiday bags to wrap odd-shaped gifts instead of wrapping paper – much easier!

And bar cookies that you can bake all in one pan – homemade and easy!

Just as portable as my morning coffee but waaay stronger!

So when I found out there was a way I could have wifi for my iPad and computer no matter where I was — Big Score for making life easier!!

You catch up with friends on Facebook, check in on Foursquare and tweet on Twitter.  But, do you have an online library account?

Wouldn’t it be great if the kids were able to do more for themselves during the holidays?! 

I know, most parents think it would be great if the kids could do more for themselves all the time but I think it’s extra nice if it happens during the busiest time of the year. 

So we rounded up a few ideas about how to help the kids be more independent from some wonderful activities shared at the Discover & Explore Life Skills linky last week.

There are so many benefits to getting kids more involved in the kitchen — kids are more likely to try new foods, more likely to eat a wider variety of foods and less likely to complain about what’s being made for dinner 🙂

But what to cook?

Recently, my daugher has been very focused on reading books from the fantasy genre and I’m sure you know how kids can quickly become obsessed with a specific type of book.  I’ve been looking for good books in various genres that will grab the interest of my daughter so she can vary her reading a little more.

I’m sure your kids love to pretend just like mine — sometimes they dress up for pretend play and other times they employ the use of toys to create their own little worlds.

My daughter really enjoys playing with the small figurines in the Toobs^® from Safari Ltd^® – her favorites are the Mythical Realms and Ocean.  As we were exploring Ancient Greece, we thought it would be fun to build a playscape for the mythical creatures figurines.  Hands-on opportunities to create are always a big hit with kids 🙂

During November, we will be sharing a number of ways that kids can learn about gratitude and share ideas for giving to others.  I’m thrilled to be part of the #SimpleGiving Champions for Kids campaign sponsored through Collective Bias^® and to share my ideas about how families can support local schools and children this month.

Giving to others is such an important life lesson.  And as parents, it’s up to us to model and teach this skill to our kids. 

No pressure really, kids have this amazing gift of knowing when to reach out to others.  I see it all the time when a young child gives someone a hug or kiss, when friends at school help others to carry their heavy backpacks or in the excitement you see on a child’s face when they’ve made a special picture or gift and just can’t wait to bless the recipient with their wonderful work.