There are so many options when it comes to teaching our kids. Learning at home is where the greatest amount of time is spent. But sometimes it can seem like a burden, because we aren’t sure just what to do. Or how to do it. Or even have the energy to spend time planning and gathering materials and making it happen.

That’s why subscription boxes can be such a game changer. When you choose the right one, it can save you time and energy, plus help you teach your kids a little better.

Why Subscription Boxes For Kids

In general, a subscription box is sent monthly to your house and includes something for your kids to do. The point is to have something regular for kids to look forward to. It’s something for them to do, and often to learn and practice something they’re interested in too.

I was not an easy or early convert to this concept. But then I changed the way I thought about it, and now we get several different subscriptions for my kids–it’s one of my favorite things.

Finding the right one

The key to finding good educational subscription boxes for your kids is knowing what they’re into, and finding one that meets your criteria. It should be both fun for your child and keep them engaged and learning like you want.

There are sooooooo many options for most interests you can think of, for any age range–from babies to teenagers. Here are some of the categories your kids may like and what I recommend for each one.

For cooking I recommend Raddish Kids. It go into a whole lot of detail about it in this post, and even more in this one. I like it because it’s easy enough for kids to follow, especially because it uses pictures for its recipe cards. There is a monthly theme that’s often to do with cuisine from a different country, but sometimes follows the time of year–this month was all about lunchtime. And it comes with a high-quality utensil or cooking device to use with one of the recipes.

For reading and books we LOVE our Literati box. I did a lot of searching before deciding on this one, and am so glad that I did. All of the details about it can be found in this post, but basically you get 5 books each month that you can choose to keep or send back. The pricing is the same or cheaper than Amazon, so you know you’re getting a great price too. They’re all based around a theme like friendship or space or adventure. They come with a beautiful art print and little extra goodie (like a book mark, friendship bracelet, cootie catcher game, etc.) to keep. I like this one because the base price is a whole lot lower than other options, and I get a variety to choose from.

For all-around variety and value nothing beats KiwiCo and their line of crates. All the details about them are here in this post. They have different options for babies all the way up to teenagers, focusing on STEAM–science, technology, engineering, art and math. And you can switch between crates at any time. My son has tried the Tinker Crate and Eureka crate (for engineering) and my daughter will be getting the Kiwi crate.

For science we’ve used the Young Scientist’s Club based on the Magic School Bus and my kids love it. Everything you need to complete experiments is in the kit (except water) and there are 6-7 experiments to complete each month.

Kids have many more interests than these, so check our some more options at Crate Joy.

Making it cost effective

I was not on board the subscription train for a long time because I thought they were just expensive and not worth it. I thought I could find the materials and put things together myself for a whole lot less. Which may be true in some cases, but a subscription saves you so. much. time. And energy. And mental space. Because they’re put together by people who do this full time. Especially the ones I listed above.

But, to make it have the most value, you need to look at what you get and what you want them to get out of it carefully. The reason I chose Raddish Kids was because after looking at the other options (and there are many) I liked that it checked off my criteria. The emphasis on building skills and not just making things; the way it was presented; and what was included both in the box and online– dietary substitutions, and additional recipes.

Same thing for Literati–the base price is only $9.95, so it’s not such a large monthly investment. I also get several books for the same price as many other boxes that only include 1 book plus extra goodies we don’t need. My goal is building our library, not adding to our clutter.

Another way to make it cost effective is buying the full year subscription all at once. It’s almost always cheaper on a per box basis that way.

We then give them as birthday and Christmas presents. They’re gifts that keep on giving throughout the year instead of ending up in the corner after a few weeks.

Or, view the price as class or camp you may sign your child up for. You’re spending the same amount of money, but just for a different thing.

How to use your subscription box

The beauty of having something fun and engaging for your kids to look forward to is that you’re in charge of how and when they can do their box.

Want to reserve them for rainy days? Cool.

Want to let them open it up and start on their project as soon as it lands on the front porch? That’s cool too.

If you’re homeschooling or remote learning this fall, add it to their curriculum. It will give them a little something extra fun to do and learn.

The point is, there’s no wrong way to use your educational subscription boxes with your kids. The important thing is them learning and have fun–and you having the time, mental space and energy to use for things other than keeping your kids entertained all. the. time.

The post Educational Subscription Boxes for Kids appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

(I want to make clear that yes, I know that in the grand scheme of things, canceling a trip is not a big deal. But, it’s still disappointing.)

We are all a bit bummed, so we decided to make a virtual trip instead. And where else would we start but with the food? Because eating our way through a country is one of the best ways to get a feel for its culture.

Seriously, a lot of times whenever we go on a trip, trying local food is 90% of what we do, and bring back with us if we can.

Spain is one of the largest countries in Europe and has several different regions known for different things. Some for wine and grapes, some for beaches, others for ham so soft and tender it practically melts in your mouth.

To make our virtual food trip both authentic, and simple enough to actually make, we decided to use our Spain box from Raddish Kids. I talk about a lot in this post, but basically it’s an awesome themed box that arrives monthly full of delicious recipes, culinary quizzes, a high-quality cooking tool to be used for one of the month’s recipes, (like a spatula, tongs, masher, whisk, measuring cups, etc.) and some extras to help you learn more about the theme. I love that it helps me have fun while cooking with my kids.

Inside our Spain box the recipes were for Tapas, Spanish Paella and Churros. Tapas are small plates, like appetizers, meant to be finger foods. These were such a hit in our house we’ll definitely be making them again:

Dates wrapped in Bacon, Roasted potatoes and Pan con tomate (bread with tomato) They were all sooo good, and my kids loved them.

While this paella isn’t the most authentic version (there aren’t shellfish, thank goodness) it is pretty close, and definitely kid friendly. Those people at Raddish really do know what they’re doing.

And for dessert we used our included piping bag and made churros with chocolate sauce. I loved that my daughter could help and learned how to use a piping bag to make these .

Oh. my. goodness. They’re delicious! Ours are even gluten free and they turned out perfectly. The combo of the cinnamon sugar, and the chocolate is simply divine.

While eating I quizzed the kids about the different regions in Spain and what they’re famous for, and they colored them in on the included map. (Valencia for oranges!) We also practiced some basic Spanish words and phrases that were included. Since B and K already know them all because they’ve had Spanish for years, they taught them to C who hasn’t. It was fun watching them practice together.

We love all of our Raddish Kids cooking boxes because they make cooking together so fun and easy. The recipes are always delicious, and often more simplified and kid friendly than some strictly “authentic” versions of food. (Like with the Paella not having shellfish or their French Nicoise salad that doesn’t have tuna or green beans. But, I like these versions better myself, so I’m not complaining!)

We especially adore the boxes dedicated to a specific country because we love eating foods from around the world. This box was especially appreciated since it helped us feel a little better about not being able to be there in person–and everyone gobbled everything up too!

The post Cooking with Kids: A Trip to Spain appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

I always seem to have bananas that are going brown on my counter. I swear we mean to eat them, and we do like eating bananas, but like avocados, they’re fine one day and too brown the next.

Anyway, I’m never mad about it, because I can whip up a loaf of this super easy banana bread with my kids and it’s great for breakfast, snacks or dessert.

The recipe

This recipe is based on the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, because seriously anything that Sally makes is perfection! It’s addition of yogurt that makes this easy banana bread extra moist and not crumbly. Even when we make it gluten free.

I also love it for kids because the steps are straight forward and easy to do. Especially the combining of the dry ingredients. My kids love turning the mixer on and off, and adding things to the bowl. It helps build their dexterity and math skills.

Let’s make banana bread:

Add all of the dry ingredients to a medium bowl and combine.

Then cream the butter and sugar together until they’re well combined.

Add the remaining wet ingredients–eggs first, then the yogurt, mashed bananas and vanilla on medium speed. (It’s important for the eggs and yogurt to be room temperature so that they mix into the other ingredients more easily. To quickly warm eggs, put them in a bowl of warm water for 3-5 minutes.)

Then add the dry ingredients slowly. Add nuts if you’re using them. I LOVE banana bread with chopped walnuts. It gives it such a nice texture.

Add the batter to a greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 60 minutes. When it’s done the center will be moist, but not cling to a toothpick. Let it rest in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then remove to finish cooling.

Serve as breakfast, a snack or at a party–it’s guaranteed to be gone fast!

Easy Banana Bread: A Simple Quick Bread for Kids to Make

Recipe by Kirsten ReederCourse: Breakfast, Snacks, Dessert, AppetizersCuisine: Quick breadDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

loaf

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

This quick and easy banana bread recipe is moist, full of flavor and great for weekend breakfasts or mid-week snacks.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar–light or dark

• 2 large eggs, room temperature.

• 1/3 cup plain yogurt

• 2 cups mashed bananas, about 4 large very ripe bananas

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions

• Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl
• Using a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• On medium speed add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined.
• With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ones until no flour pockets remain. Don’t over mix.
• Fold in the nuts, if using.
• Set the oven to 350 and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake 55-60 minutes. You can loosely cover with aluminum foil at the 30 minute mark so it doesn’t get too dark on top.
• A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when it’s done. Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow it to cool 10-15 minutes, then remove from the pan to continue cooling so the bottom doesn’t get soggy.
• Cover and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe Video

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Enjoy!

The post Easy Banana Bread: A Simple Quick Bread for Kids to Make appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

That’s one of my favorite things to read in a recipe. The fewer ingredients the better, in my opinion, because I’m more likely to have them, and it usually means the recipe is easier to make–which I love.

So, when I stumbled upon this recipe from the Beaming Baker, and made a few tweaks to make it my own, I was hooked! We make this at least once a week because it’s a lot cheaper to make than buying granola from the store, and I control what goes into it too.

What makes this a healthy granola is that it’s packed with nuts–which are packed with brain-boosting nutrients and healthy fats. It’s also refined sugar free, the only sweetener coming from maple syrup. Yum!

The oats give the granola fiber, which is lacking in many diets and is essential for good health and digestion. Plus, did I mention the nuts are also full of protein, so you’ll stay fuller, longer.

Another reason to like this healthy gluten free granola is that is goes with so many things. It makes a great breakfast with some milk–or, if you don’t do milk you can do like my kids, and top it with some yogurt. This is their favorite breakfast combo.

When you’re on the go–as we will be again some day–it’s a great snack because it won’t spoil, takes up little space, and gives instant energy.

Ok, now you’ve heard why it’s amazing, let’s get to the recipe, shall we?

Making your granola

Start with the nuts. You can use any combo you would like. We often do almonds, walnuts and pecans. But, if we’re out of one, it doesn’t matter, we just add more of the others. I’ve made it solely with almonds before. They just need to add up to the right amount.

Chop them so they’re in pieces.

Then add all the rest of the ingredients together and stir till they’re well combined.

Spread it all on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, or a baking mat. Though I do prefer the parchment paper a bit more. It should be flat and pretty evenly spread.

Place in the oven at 325F for 20 minutes.

Then gently flip with a spatula, (gently stirring is ok) you just want to make sure that the different sides of the ingredients are exposed to the heat.

Bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until it’s just lightly browned. It will still be soft, and will harden as it cools.

Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and cool about 30 minutes. Store it in an air tight container and enjoy!

Your granola will last 1-2 weeks (if you don’t eat it first!)

Healthy Gluten Free Granola–only 6 ingredients

Recipe by Kirsten ReederCourse: Snacks, BreakfastCuisine: granolaDifficulty: eaay

Servings

6

cups

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

This healthy, gluten free granola is perfect for snacking or breakfast. With just the right amount of sweetness it’ll be your new go-to recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.)

• 2 cups gluten free rolled oats
  

• 1 cup finely ground almond flour

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
• Add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Stir all together with a spatula until well combined.
• Pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently nudge the granola into an even rectangle.
• Bake fore 20 minutes. Flip/Gently stir the granola to expose different sides of the ingredients. Bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until it’s just a nice golden brown. It will still be soft and harden as it cools.
• Place baking tray on a cooling rack and cool for 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container

Recipe Video

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The post Healthy Gluten Free Granola Even Kids Can Make appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

One of the major misconceptions is that Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican Independence Day–it doesn’t. That’s on September 16th. What it does celebrate is the victory of the Mexican army over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

As a holiday, it is much more celebrated in America than in Mexico. And originally started with Mexican-Americans in California in 1863 when they heard the Mexicans won the battle. It didn’t become popular in the rest of the United States until around the 1940s. Now it is a celebration Mexican-American culture and heritage.

The point of Cinco de Mayo is to understand Mexican culture better and celebrate what we have in common and what we have shared with each other. One of my favorite things Mexican culture has shared is its delicious food.

In our house Mexican food is one of our favorites that we could literally eat every day. Sometimes we do ; ) And no dish is complete without the salsa (sauce). When it comes to making food, I prefer recipes that are simple and require only a few ingredients. That’s why these easy to make salsas are on the top of my favorites list.

Since Salsa means sauce in Spanish, it can take many forms. One of my favorites is a pico de gallo, which is sometimes called salsa fresca (fresh sauce) because the ingredients are simple and it’s so fresh. It literally means beak of a rooster, which makes no sense, so we’ll stick with the Spanish pronunciation, pee-ko duh guy-yo.

All you need are fresh tomatoes, lime juice, salt, cilantro, pepper and onion. Everything is chopped finely and mixed together. I don’t like raw onion, so I don’t use much and make sure it’s chopped very fine.

Pico de Gallo

Start with fresh ingredients. They’ll make your salsa not only delicious, but more nutritious too!

The tomatoes should be firm and plump. Chop them in a small dice–the smaller the better because you’ll be able to get a better flavor profile and get more on your chip later!

Chop the remaining ingredients finely as well. Kids can help with this using the knife skills they worked on making the Nicoise Salad. This will help it mix better and taste better!

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and let sit 5-10 minutes for the flavors to combine

Variation: Blended Salsa

If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, one of my other favorites uses a can of diced tomatoes. It’s smooth and not chunky like pico de gallo, but has a delicious flavor.

The steps couldn’t be easier–even young kids can make this one nearly by themselves. They might just need help with the can opener and slicing the pepper. You simply add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Let it sit about 15 minutes and it’s ready to enjoy.

Now all you need are tortilla chips or tacos or your favorite Mexican food to enjoy these easy to make salsas!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

• 1 cup whole cilantro

• 1-2 Tbsp lime juice

• 1/2-1 tsp salt

• 1/2-1 jalepeno, with ribs and seeds removed

Print

Directions

• Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor
• Blend 10-15 seconds, until smooth
• Let sit 15 minutes to settle. Taste and adjust salt or lime juice according to taste preference.
• Serve with corn chips or with your favorite Mexican foods.

Pico de gallo

Recipe by Kirsten ReederCourse: Lunch, Dinner, SnacksCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

cups

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Pico de gallo is a fast and easy to make salsa using only a few fresh ingredients–tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime and salt–and comes together quickly and easily.

Ingredients

• 2-3 large red tomatoes, finely chopped

• 1 serrano or jalepeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped

• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  

• 2-3 Tbsp lime juice

• 1 small onion, finely chopped, about 1/4-1/2 cup

• 1/2-1 tsp salt, to taste

Directions

• In a medium non-metallic bowl combine the onion, tomatoes, jalepeno, and cilantro.
• Add the lime juice and salt to taste and stir to combine
  
• Let sit 15 minutes and then taste again and adjust accordingly
• Serve as a dip for chips, or serve with a slotted spoon to avoid too much juice from transferring to other foods.

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #vibrantmomsociety

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The post Easy to make salsa to celebrate Cinco de Mayo appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

I’m sure it’s happened before…you’re trying to get dinner on the table for your hungry family and your child wants to help…

Your blood pressure rises as you envision how much longer it’s going to take. Not to mention the much bigger mess it will make. You say in your most disappointed, sorry voice that it’s just not very fun and that they won’t like it, then hurry them out to go do something–anything–until dinner is ready.

But….then you feel bad because you actually do want your kids to learn how to cook and enjoy helping in the kitchen. You know that once they really know what to do that’s less cooking for you!

I know. I get it. I’ve totally been there, and heck, sometimes I still would rather just do it myself because it’s faster and easier. But, I’ve also learned that having my kids in the kitchen is a pretty fun way to spend time with them.

Here are three ways to teach kids to cook by letting them help in the kitchen while you all stay calm and have fun.

Pick the right time to start

Is there a right time and a wrong time to teach kids to cook? YES!

The wrong time is when you’re in a hurry or constrained on time in any way. If everyone is hungry, taking extra time to show techniques or fix mistakes is not what you want to be doing.

Pick a time when you have nothing else pressing going on and everyone is pretty well fed. After a meal or snack is great. Saturdays or Sundays tend to work best for this if you have school aged children, but really any time you have some time is great.

This lets you all relax and take things slowly, which is increases patience and you child will be more likely to listen.

Start small

When you’re teaching a child kitchen skills, small and simple is the best place to start. This is not the time to make anything that takes a long time or is elaborate or requires a lot of steps.

Think about the things you want them to know what to make. What will be helpful for you and for them? These are the foods to start with, because if you don’t get very far they’ll at least have the basics.

At the beginning they’re also less likely to have a long attention span. Keeping the recipe it short and simple will give them a sense of accomplishment when they’re done.

Teach skills they can master

When starting out, kids like to know that they’ve accomplished something. They want to feel capable and proud of themselves. But, it’s hard to do when they’re trying to get good at too many things at once.

When you’re cooking together, pick a couple of skills that your child wants to learn or that you want them to know. You can also pick recipes you want them to learn to make and focus on those.

It can be any skill. Like stirring or mixing or spreading with a knife. Little ones can wash fruits and vegetables or grate cheese. If you have an older child they could learn to chop vegetables too.

We love using our Raddish Kids box to help with specific skills. For a lot more info on that, check out this post all about it.

The key is repetition. So, take the time to show them how to do it right, then have them practice. This could become their new “job” in the kitchen whenever you need it.

For example, my kids love quesadillas. I got tired of grating cheese all the time so I taught my daughters how to use the cheese grater and grate the cheese. It took some practice, but now they do it perfectly fine on their own.

Now they get the tortillas, grate their cheese, put them on a plate and microwave it until the cheese melts. They love being self sufficient and doing it themselves.

Even little ones can wash fruits and veggies if they have a stool, and it does feel like a big help to them.

If you want your kids to help in the kitchen without you losing your patience and it taking way longer than necessary, pick the right time to start, start small, and teach them skills they can master.

One of my favorite recipes to get started with is Healthy Gluten Free Granola because it’s very simple and they can practice measuring and stirring skills.

The post Teach Kids To Cook by Helping in the Kitchen appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

After having the ingredients on hand for weeks, I finally decided…it was time! I don’t know what I’d been waiting for. So I called my daughter into the kitchen and we made up a batch in about 15 minutes–even with her doing most of the work.

I’d suggest you stick to the original recipe, because it’s just sooooooo good! But, my husband is mildly allergic to peanut butter, so we used sunflower butter instead. It tastes pretty close to the original and has the same consistency, so it all incorporates just the same. Not quiiiiiite as good, but these are the sacrifices we make for love ; )

Once you melt the ingredients together, it’s important to mix the chocolate mixture and cereal well, otherwise the powdered sugar won’t stick, and no one likes that. Even when it looks like you can’t cover any more pieces and you don’t have enough chocolate mix, you do. Keep stirring gently!

Once you add the powdered sugar it’s time to shake it baby! Get that sugar onto every piece and make it mouth-wateringly delicious! But don’t shake toooooo hard, you don’t want to break your pieces!

That’s it! Really, super easy and fast to put together, and oh, so delicious! Ours would’ve been gone in under an hour if I didn’t give everyone separate servings.

Print

Ingredients

• 9 cups Chex cereal

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup peanut butter (or sunflower butter)

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Print

Directions

• Measure cereal into a large bowl and set aside
• In a microwavable bow, add chocolate chips, butter, peanut butter. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer, or until mixture can be stirred smooth.
• Stir in vanilla
• Pour mixture over cereal and stir until evenly coated.
• Pour into a 1 or 2 gallon size resealable food storage plastic bag. Add the powdered sugar.
• Seal the bag and shake until well coated. Enjoy!

How long will yours last?

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