The latest from Spawned: Our award-winning parenting podcast
Dr. Lisa Damour on the Emotional Life of Teenagers: Important insights and advice | Spawned Episode 297
It's always a pleasure to chat with Dr. Lisa Damour, New York Times best-selling author, podcast host and psychologist, about parenting teens. In this Spawned episode, we're talking specifically about the emotional lives of teenagers, based on her newest book of the...
Luvvie Ajayi Jones on raising “good troublemakers” | Spawned Ep 296
Sometimes kids get in trouble, not because they're doing bad, but because they want to do good, though they just haven't quite figured out all the boundaries yet. It's such a good reminder for parents. It also happens to be the premise of the wonderful new picture...
Why the sex talk with your kids is more important than ever | Spawned Ep 287
It's not the first time we've talked about the sex talk on Spawned, but if your school district is like mine (and many across the country), they are making sex education an optional, home-taught module. That means, we need to be more invested than ever in ensuring our...
Why our teens are so darn tired, with author Lisa L. Lewis | Spawned Episode 286
Just when I thought I was pretty aware of what I needed to know about teens and sleep, I got my hands on Lisa L. Lewis's book The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, And How Parents And Schools Can Help Them Thrive and I realized there was so much I...
The impact of Covid on kids: Anya Kamenetz on what we know and what we don’t yet | Spawned Ep 285
This week on Spawned, I have the honor of welcoming back the wonderful Anya Kamenetz, NPR Education reporter and author, to talk about her new book, The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Kids' Lives...and Where We Go Now. I will tell you this: From the title alone, this...
More coolness from recent weeks…
Cool, creepy non-candy Halloween gift for a teen or tween? : Reader Q & A
When Lisa asked us for cool but appropriately creepy non-candy Halloween gift ideas for her teen and tween nieces and nephews, I was on the case! I checked with my own Halloween-loving but decidedly...particular teens to see what kinds of things they would think are...
From Elle Woods to Fresh Prince: 12 of the best 90s Halloween costumes for kids
For my fellow millennial parents who need a laugh, I present these hilarious 90s throwback Halloween costumes for kids, all inspired by the decade of our misspent youth. We've got Fresh Prince! Wayne's World! Clueless! As if... you couldn't tell (see what I did...
Stylish trench coats for fall into spring: 9 of my favorites for any style, shape or budget
I was just poking around for stylish trench coats for my fall wardrobe, when a @coolmompicks Instagram follower (hey Alyson!) DM'd me with a question -- she was looking for trench coats as well. Only she offered a few must-haves in her request: "More city than...
11 cool teen Halloween craft ideas that don’t suck.
Halloween is coming, and while we love sharing Halloween craft ideas for our preschoolers and little ones, our teens and older kids want to get in on the fun too. So with my own Halloween-loving older kids in mind, I searched around for some cool Halloween craft...
7 gorgeous nail trends for fall 2023…that you can actually do yourself.
Each year, we love sharing our favorite nail trends for the season. In 2023, it's all about shades of brown, goth-core matte nails, holograph meets glitter, and a fun tone-on-tone take on the French manicure. As for the best nail brands, I will say I swear by...
20 magnificent children’s books and YA books for Hispanic Heritage Month
September means new backpacks and football kickoff and pumpkin spice everything (*insert eyeroll), but mid-month, September becomes Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15). So we put together some of our very favorite children's books, middle grade books,...
5 terrific children’s books about 9/11, featuring heroes and helpers
I've been looking for children's books about 9/11 because now that 2001 is so far behind us that it feels like "history" to our kids (and now, to some young adults) I want to be sure my kids to really understand the importance of this day. You may want to read Liz's...
Nikkolas Smith’s The Artivist: Here’s why every family, every school, every library needs this inspiring new picture book.
"Activism is the power to spark the compassion and the empathy of the whole world," says the young narrator of The Artivist. the stunning and important new children's book from architect turned Disney Imagineer turned best-selling author/illustrator Nikkolas Smith....
The coolest free school printables: Lunch notes, planners, labels, chore charts and more | Back to School Guide
Back to school time isn't just about shopping! (Not that there's anything wrong with shopping, of course.) One of our favorite annual traditions is sharing our favorite back to school printables in our Back to School Guide to help make the school year easier, more...
9 cool ways to transform your plain white sneakers after summer
If you're a traditionalist, Labor Day marks the last day to wear those white canvas sneakers until next Memorial Day. Which is why we've brought back this great post on cool DIY white sneakers makeovers for you, so you can get more wear out of your favorite white...
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 tributes and memorializing we tend...
Free printables for kindergarten: Sight word help, 12 ways | Back to School Guide
Finding all of these free sight word printables for kindergarten instantly brings me back to those sweet early days of school, sniff. I have teens now, but I remember how scary it could be to send your kid off to kindergarten, hoping that their reading and writing...
Here are the organizations fighting against unnecessary gun violence. Don’t lose hope.
While this is not a political site per se, we have never shied away from sharing the causes, concerns and values that are dear to us as parents and as humans. And so I would be remiss if I didn't write about unnecessary gun violence and what we can do about it. In...
The coolest lunch box accessories, water bottles, and other goodies to make school lunch more fun | Back to School Shopping Guide
Each year, in our annual back to school shopping guide, we always love tracking down those cool lunch box accessories, water bottles, bentos, and other fun goodies that help make opening that same old lunch box every day a little more special. Some of of these lunch...
Setting up a study space at home: Tips to make it one your kid will actually use
So many parents have learned over the past few years that setting up a study space at home is more important than ever. Maybe you homeschool, maybe your kids just need a dedicated space for homework, or maybe they've got virtual tutoring or other extracurricular...
The Maui wildfires and how to help: A list of trusted organizations (Updated)
It's been devastating watching the fires in Maui this week, and I've been looking for some ways to help. Their hospitals are overwhelmed, historic sites have been burnt to the ground, thousands have been evacuated, families are searching for missing loved ones, and...
10 important things all kids should know before leaving home and going to college. Sniffle.
With my oldest heading off to college this fall, I've been thinking about all the things kids should know before leaving home. And it's a lot. In fact I've found myself in a sort of panic mode wondering whether she knows some basics to help her navigate life. As...
7 creative time-saving hacks to save your back-to-school routine. | Back to School Guide
When we think back to school season, we're also thinking about those time-saving hacks we dust off to ease out of the summer groove and ready for our September (or August!) routines. While our Annual Back to School Guide mostly features the coolest new backpacks,...
15 of the coolest backpacks for preschool and kindergarten | Back to School Shopping Guide
When we put together our picks for the coolest backpacks for preschool and kindergarten each year, we think about how exciting it is for little ones to pick what may likely be their very first school gear ever. They seriously geek out over all their school...
Lunch bags and totes for teens who have outgrown lunch boxes | Back to School Shopping
As our kids have gotten older, we know they prefer lunch bags to lunch boxes because it's so much easier to shove into a backpack--especially when they may or may not have a locker. And of course, it doesn't look so "little kid" The key is finding a lunch bag for...
20 cool backpacks for teens this year | Back to School Guide
When we look for cool backpacks for teens, it's not enough for them to just be, you know, cool. As kids head to middle school or high school— especially after a whole year at home more or less (sigh) — they need bigger, sturdier backpacks, better shoulder straps, and...