video Archives | Cool Mom Picks

What is Labor Day? This book (and its read-aloud video) is a perfect way to explain.

I’m not sure how many kids have ever really asked what is Labor Day? It’s become synonymous with the unofficial end of summer, a three-day weekend, barbecues, and yeah, mattress sales. So much so, we kind of blow past it without the typical tributes and...

7 cool tie-dye pattern tutorials to help you DIY your own trendy tee

by Kate Etue | DIY, Fashion, Kid Fashion

My 15-year-old son recently came home after a camp planning meeting with his friends and announced that they have decided to tie-dye their camp shirts this year. I kind of love this idea, so I wanted to look up some tie-dye pattern tutorials on You Tube to help them...

What was the Tulsa Race Massacre? Resources to help teach kids (and adults) of all ages

by Kate Etue | Doing Good, Kids, Thinking : Parent

May 30, 1921, marks one of the darkest days in America’s history. And yet the Tulsa Race Massacre isn’t an event I ever learned in school — and unfortunately most kids today don’t either. The Burning of Black Wall Street can be a hard day to...

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...

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 coolest virtual experience gift ideas for kids and adults. They’re fun, we promise!

by Caroline Siegrist | Holiday Picks

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...

3 excellent educational videos about Juneteenth for kids. Watch and learn.

by Kate Etue | Entertainment + Media, Tips + Tricks

I’m trying to do a better job of raising anti-racist kids, and I believe that starts with learning more about the history of the Black experience in America. An essential part of that education is the understanding of Juneteenth, a holiday that I was certainly...

Mother’s Day and grandmas: Beautifully simple ideas to help you to feel close when you’re apart

by Christina Refford | Mother's Day Gifts

While many of us will wake up on Mother’s Day to breakfast in bed, a few handmade cards and crafts, or hopefully at minimum some well wishes and a day of semi-relaxation, we are also thinking about all the grandmas on Mother’s Day. There are so many we are...

Outstanding videos and resources to teach our kids about the Holocaust on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

by Liz Gumbinner | Thinking : Parent, Tips + Tricks

Today marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Memorial Day. It’s particularly poignant this year, with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp. The sad truth is, the older we all get, the more the survivors and...

What is Indigenous People’s Day? Great resources for talking to your kids, because Native American history is American history.

by Liz Gumbinner | Books for Kids, Doing Good, Thinking : Parent

Today, the second Monday in October, is the day that’s been traditionally celebrated as “Columbus Day” in the U.S., but knowing now what we know about Christopher Columbus, the holiday is fast transforming into Indigenous People’s Day. If...

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.