science and STEM Archives | Cool Mom Picks

How Ada Twist, Scientist is making STEM more accessible to girls | Spawned Episode 253

by Kristen Chase | Books for Kids, Entertainment + Media, Podcast

In a very exciting first for Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we chat with aerospace engineer, Keji Sojobi, who is a part of the new book-to-TV adaptation of the very popular Ada Twist, Scientist. We love how she’s working to make STEM more accessible to girls,...

3 new books for kids about climate change that inform, uplift, and help us move forward

by Caroline Siegrist | Books for Kids, Doing Good

I know I’m not the only parent struggling with how to talk with their kids about climate change. So I was thrilled to discover these hopeful kids’ books about climate change, each of which educates without inducing panic or despair. A tall order if you ask...

The single most important thing your kids can do after they’ve been vaccinated from Covid-19

by Liz Gumbinner | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Thinking : Parent

I can hardly express the relief and utter joy we’ve felt over the past few weeks, since my teens got their first Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19. The feelings increased substantially since their second shot — knowing they can safely see friends, go to the...

10 cool vaccination t-shirts that let people know, even when you’re walking around (safely) without a mask.

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion, Health, Fitness + Wellbeing

Vaccination t-shirts are more than a trend, they may be kind of important to you. I have seen so many people tell me that they are thrilled to be vaccinated, they’re ready to take off their masks outside or with friends — but they don’t want people...

5 free online courses that look fun to take with your mom for Mother’s Day

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment + Media, Mother's Day Gifts

So far, we’ve loved what’s happening with The We Time Project that we introduced last month: In order to help you connect more with far away friends and family around shared experiences, we’ve been offering our readers 30 days worth of unlimited...

The Extraordinary Book that Eats Itself: the eco-forward book full of hands-on, earth-saving fun

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids, Toys + Playthings

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!

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids

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

by Cool Mom Staff | Kids, Tips + Tricks

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...

The best subscription gifts for kids this year: 40+ ideas for every age, and every interest

by Kate Etue | Holiday Picks, Kids, Toys + Playthings

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...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

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.)

We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).

We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.