Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Should you think about homeschooling this fall due to COVID-19? Spawned Episode 209
Over the last couple of weeks, many schools have been releasing their plans for fall, and not surprisingly, it's all the parents in our social media feed are talking about. We recently featured a post about things to consider if you're thinking about homeschooling...
Why we need play, levity, and romance, even in a pandemic | Spawned Episode 208
As we continue to navigate through this unchartered pandemic territory, it's easy for us to think that this isn't the time for play, levity, or romance. But as it turns out, those experiences are even more important now than ever, which is something we chat about with...
The GenX midlife crisis: It’s real, you’re not alone, and it’s not your fault. | Spawned Ep 207
This week on Spawned, I have a fantastic, encouraging conversation with Ada Calhoun, prolific author and writer, who's always got her finger on the pulse of culture. Her latest book, Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis (from Amazon, Indiebound, or on...
More coolness from recent weeks…
Scrambling for summer activities? These fun, affordable online coding camps for kids just got even more affordable.
This is a sponsored message from Coding with Kids With all the gaming kids are doing this summer, it's pretty cool that there's a way parents can help turn their love for say, Roblox or Minecraft, into an educational STEM opportunity -- all at an exclusive discount...
Kids and birthdays in the age of Covid: The loss is real. | Spawned Ep 210
One of our most popular posts of the past few months has been this list of social distancing birthday ideas for kids during COVID-19. And the more it's been clear that Covid isn't just a few-weeks-and-it's-over-kind of thing, we're now at the point where we're seeing...
This brilliant mask self-portrait art project is one every teacher needs to assign before school starts.
This back to school season will be different from any we've seen, because no one knows what the heck fall will look like regarding COVID. Let alone next week. What we do know however, is that kids will be (and should be!) wearing masks in public, whether they're...
Stop everything and watch Bill Nye’s super-simple explanation of how face masks protect us right now
By now, we should not need to be "arguing" the need for mask-wearing in public. The science out there is abundant! But when it comes to my own kids (who get a little more leeway than obstinate adults), I have found that providing a solid reason for something they need...
Check out these 4 fun games that my older and younger kids like playing together.
For my kids, their siblings have been their only playmates for months. And hey! Now that we're heading into yet another weekend during Covid, that means finding a few more family activities. Our default is to sit around the table and play card games or board games...
HandlePop: Because we don’t want to touch those supermarket cart handles much either.
Update: Unfortunately this Kickstarter was cancelled in mid-July. We'll be out shortly with some great alternatives! Anyone else feel like they're playing high-stakes poker every time they grab a shopping cart by the handle? I know I can wipe the handle down, try not...
Should you think about homeschooling this fall due to COVID-19? Spawned Episode 209
Over the last couple of weeks, many schools have been releasing their plans for fall, and not surprisingly, it's all the parents in our social media feed are talking about. We recently featured a post about things to consider if you're thinking about homeschooling...
4 cool mask accessories to make wearing a face mask a little more comfortable
If your ears ache like crazy right now, you're doing something right, mask-wise. But good news! With these accessories, you can make wearing a face mask a whole lot more comfortable, and for glasses wearers, a whole lot less foggy. Plus, if your state is like mine and...
Transparent face masks: They’re coming, and we’re ready!
I'm so thrilled to see all the transparent faces masks that are starting to come out, especially considering the incredible technology some of them are delivering. For background, I am one of those WEAR YOUR MASK, PEOPLE! people, passionately and without apology....
Why we need play, levity, and romance, even in a pandemic | Spawned Episode 208
As we continue to navigate through this unchartered pandemic territory, it's easy for us to think that this isn't the time for play, levity, or romance. But as it turns out, those experiences are even more important now than ever, which is something we chat about with...
8 things to think about if you’re considering homeschool because of COVID-19 this fall, from a homeschool mom
With school districts all over the country releasing their preliminary plans for school this fall, I'm hearing so many parents trying to determine whether or not their kids are going back full-time. The requirement between states and districts varies greatly, with...
The antiracist baby board book everyone’s talking about right now
When I first saw Antiracist Baby, the new board book everyone's talking about right now, I thought, Oh, cute, a very cool companion to Feminist Baby! But whereas Feminist Baby was full of punny jokes about napping, Antiracist Baby actually aims to educate about...
The GenX midlife crisis: It’s real, you’re not alone, and it’s not your fault. | Spawned Ep 207
This week on Spawned, I have a fantastic, encouraging conversation with Ada Calhoun, prolific author and writer, who's always got her finger on the pulse of culture. Her latest book, Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis (from Amazon, Indiebound, or on...
The twin quarantine baby onesies making us giggle
I love a funny pregnancy announcement, and these days I'm particularly happy to see them pop up since most of my social media is full of pretty heavy stuff, and I love any excuse to wish someone congratulations. If you're one of the lucky few moms who is expecting...
3 excellent educational videos about Juneteenth for kids. Watch and learn.
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 never...
I’m a lifelong Tennessee white woman. And we have to talk about the Confederate flag and other symbols of hate.
Let's talk about the Confederate Flag, y'all. It's time. As I write these thoughts, I'm sitting at the exact location where Confederate soldiers met the "Federal Front Line" of the Union Army during the Battle of Franklin in the Civil War. I'm not here to research....
Out-Tech Your Kids: Our new tech-positive podcast for parenting in the digital age
Big news, parents! We've got a new podcast called Out-Tech Your Kids, a tech-positive podcast for the age of digital parenting. Liz and I answer parents' top burning tech questions in just 15 minutes or less each week. Hey, we know your time is valuable (we're parents...
This wonderful new kids clothing collection celebrates medical superheroes. Diagnosis: adorable!
I've been blown away by our frontline medical workers during the Covid pandemic, and the degree to which they've selflessly put their own safety and health at risk to care for patients and stop the spread Clearly our kid are learning more about it too, and I wouldn't...
These inclusive baby books are made for LGBTQ parents, single parents, adoptive parents — hey, parents who fit into all three groups!
Spoiler alert: LGBTQ parents want to track babies' milestones too. Seems like kind of an obvious statement in 2020, but so few baby memory books fit that need. In fact, it can be pretty hard to find baby books that don't still offer prompts like "how your daddy and...
How to be the fun mom, with thoughts from fun dad and Magic for Humans host Justin Willman | Spawned Episode 206
On our special Father's Day edition of our Spawned podcast, we wanted to figure out how we can get a little more credit for being the fun parent from a dad who is peak fun. We're talking about magician and dad Justin Willman, who's also the creator and host of one of...
8 reasons why every family should have a virtual pet
It's pretty amazing what you can do virtually these days, which has definitely made these last few months much easier for families. From online classrooms to card games, to lots of other fun things in between, there are no shortage of cool ways for kids to learn,...