The Extraordinary Book that Eats Itself: the eco-forward book full of hands-on, earth-saving fun
It’s a clear, gorgeous 65-degree day here today, and it’s the perfect opportunity for me to send my 10-year-old to the back porch with a copy of The Extraordinary Book that Eats Itself — along with permission to do any of the fun eco-friendly...
5 wonderful new books about spring for kids! YES, it’s finally here!
It’s spring! Or as this homeschool mom thinks of it, spring book season! So many of us are relieved to have made it through the brutal pandemic winter, and reap the rewards of longer days, warmer weather, outdoor grilling, maybe some backyard camping, and of...
How to encourage your kids’ interests and passions: 5 expert tips
We keep looking for the silver lining in the past Year That Was Like No Other, and as we talk to other parents, one thing comes up over and over: “my kid discovered they really love _____.” Whether it’s manga or chemistry, dystopian fiction or...
Here are the 2021 Caldecott, Newbery and all the ALA book award winners. Time to update your reading list!
Readers, get excited! The 2021 ALA youth media awards have been announced, and it’s time to update our reading lists! In case you’re not fully in the book-nerd world like me, that means our 2021 Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King awards and more have...
A free lesson plan about Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem will make for some great dinner table conversation tonight.
My kids and I were glued to the TV last Wednesday, watching history take place on Inauguration Day. We were sobered by the national guard presence, excited about the achievements of our new VP Kamala Harris, and just so totally and completely relieved to see President...
2021 inauguration activities and events for kids and families: Lots of ways to watch, learn, and celebrate with your kids
As we move on from the worst president of all time, some wonderful organizations are coming together to help us collectively process, plan, and heal. You can find the full schedule of official Biden-Harris inaugural events here, but there’s more inaugural...
The best subscription gifts for kids this year: 40+ ideas for every age, and every interest
It’s final countdown to the holidays, which means last-minute gift ideas, which means subscription gifts for kids, which are always some of our favorites to give — last minute or not! Wwe know from experience that our kids love to receive boxes in the...
Stop everything and watch Debbie Allen in Dance Dreams: The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker on Netflix.
The day it was released on Netflix, I watched Shondaland’s Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, the new documentary about Debbie Allen Dance Academy and their annual production. Before I knew it, I was crying. While I danced as a child, I was never a ballet...
The coolest virtual experience gift ideas for kids and adults. They’re fun, we promise!
You might think experience gifts are out this year, with the pandemic is still raging, but I’m here to tell you they are very much in. They’ve just gone virtual. And yes, I realize we all have serious Zoom burnout at this point, so if you’re looking...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.
Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)
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