big kids – Page 3 – The Next Kid Thing

Going Back to School with Target

September 8, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The other week, I had the pleasure of attending a back to school event hosted by Target. The event highlighted great back to school gear and cool new styles that the retailer is featuring this season.

As a lunchbox fanatic, I was thrilled that model, actress and mom of 3, Camila Alves was onhand to personally share lunchbox tips!

For those of you in the throes of back to school shopping, Target had several tips to offer that I’d love to share:

School supplies
DIY notebooks, markers, stickers and washi tape to add a personal touch

One of the biggest trends in back to school supplies is personalization. Graphics are always awesome, but kids can truly make their gear unique with vibrant stickers and washi tape.

Backpacks & lunch bags
Target has some cool new gear that’s worth checking out. The Eco-friendly Embark Backpacks, Embark Crush Resistant Lunch Bags and Circo Light up Backpacks

While I love and am now carrying around the Embark Crush Resistant Lunch Bag as my kids’ drink container these last few days of summer, it was that light up backpack from Circo that really caught my eye!

I love that it can be switched on and off, unlike those flashing sneakers that always blind me. I thought this was a cool feature that could double as a safety feature when out at night!

Lunch items
Market Pantry and Simply Balanced products to make back-to-school snacks easy peasy.

Truth be told, one of the main reasons almost everything I own is bought at Target is because I can get all of my shopping done under one roof! And that goes for lunch box supplies. I appreciate that Target has organic and inexpensive drinks and snacks to fill the kids’ lunch boxes. Even better, Camila shared several amazing recipes to make back-to-school snacks even more delicious!

Kids’ Fashion
From Stevie’s Shoes to the new stretchy denim assortment to plaid—lots of plaid, Target has all of the best trends in stock at reasonable prices.

Styles from my teenage years are back: moto boots, mixed patterns and plaid consumed me in the early 90s, so it’s fun to see them back on racks as my kids start school. I loved that Target had talented kid dancers at the event showcasing the stretchy jeans. With two very active boys and one who would rather see my kids in clothing other than athletic gear, I appreciate jeans and styles for active kids!

And leave it up to Target to make school shopping totally seamless. Target’s new tool: School List Assist. The tool, which is in beta, is a curated assortment of the most common K-8 supplies on the list making it quick and easy for guests to find what they need. With a few clicks, you can purchase the supplies you might need and pick them up in store or have them shipped to home. For those of us who are still traveling and soaking up every last minute of summer, School List Assist sounds like it’s key in the time managment assistance department!

Be sure to check out your local for the latest deals for back to school gear and supplies. And don’t forget to match and stack deals with your Cartwheel App!

Summer Reading Fun with PBS Kids

August 5, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Like so many of you, our summer has been an endless list of outdoor fun. Between summer sports and fun at the lake, we’ve rarely had time to sit in and veg in front of the tv. Before we start our day, however, I tend to do some work and let Biggie enjoy some unstructured play and reading time. Before any screen time, he has to read or create something for at least 30 minutes. So far, we’ve read a Ronald Dahl book and worked on the latest Wimpy Kid book.

Our friends at PBS Kids are always encouraging educational fun. In fact, for this summer’s reading initiative, they sent us a kit to have a little reading party with friends. Since we’re all about integrating reading in our day, we happily obliged, and had some friends over for a dessert reading party!

In addition to our desserts, we all hung out and shared our love of books. The older kids had fun reading to the younger kids and the younger kids loved telling fun stories to the older kids. We chatted about what makes reading so fun, and also what kinds of books catch our eyes.

In honor of the reading party, PBS Kids sent us fun goodies to share with our guests. We loved sharing bookmarks, reading charts, badges, booklets, and yes, even books! Harper Collins sent over a selection of I Can Read books, which were perfect for my soon-to-be 2nd grader and our young reading friends. I loved that so many favorite books were included, such as Fancy Nancy and Amelia Bedelia!

Beyond the party, our friends have been loving keeping track of their reading time and sharing what books they’ve loved. We’re well on our way to finishing our new I Can Read favorites and reading aloud to little bro!

A big thank you to PBS Kids for sending us supplies to host our Summer Reading Party. We loved sharing the reading fun with our friends! For more information about PBS Reading programs, be sure to check them out online.

Full disclosure: As a PBS Kids VIP, I was sent supplies to host a summer reading party. As always, all opinions on NKT are our own.

SwimToday and Dara Torres Promote Swimming as #FunnestSport

June 17, 2015June 17, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of joining an informative media event at the Asphalt Green for SwimToday, hosted by our friends at MomTrends. SwimToday is a joint, industry effort created to promote and grow participation in the sport of swimming. The campaign is led by USA Swimming, Arena USA, Speedo USA and TYR Sport.

Dubbed the #FunnestSport, this campaign hopes to highlight the many benefits of swimming as a sport. SwimToday and MomTrends brought together influencers to listen to Ambassador and Olympic Gold Medalist, Dara Torres, and hear several swim moms share their kids’ experience as swimmers.

Before Dara shared her experience, I enjoyed learning some benefits of swimming as shared by SwimToday:

·       It’s closer than you think – 62 percent of families live within 10 minutes of a pool; 52 percent of households with combined income of $50,000 or less report they have access to a pool nearby

·       Everyone participates – Swimming is inclusive, there are no benchwarmers (nor benches)

·       Swimming is a team sport – Only 16 percent of non-swimming parents view swimming as a team sport but parents of swimmers associate the sport with teamwork more than any other sport

·       Suit up and go – Only a swimsuit, cap and goggles are necessary to get started

·       Life skills – Swimming increases self-confidence, self-esteem, time management, goal-setting and social development

·       Easy to learn – 76 percent of parents said the ease of learning to swim was high

·       Low risk of injury – No contact makes for a safer environment

·       Swimming = total body fitness– Burn 650 calories in an hour – more than walking, biking or team sports

·       Sport for life – Once you learn to swim, you can enjoy no matter your age

·       Swimming is FUN – Parents confirm that swimming is the #FunnestSport

I appreciated the swim moms’ different perspectives about their children’s involvement as swimmers. For some, their kids love for swimming began as tots, for others, swimming opened brand new avenues and camaraderies. I enjoyed how the moms shared how swimming rounded out their kids altogether.

Dara Torres shared how her career as a swimmer didn’t always go swimmingly. In fact, there was a time she said that she didn’t always come in first. Since her youth, however, she said she worked hard and never gave up. She was constantly reinventing herself and striving to do more as a swimmer. I loved listening to her speak as a swim mom and how her career has molded her outlook as a parent. She was so down to earth and well-spoken. I think we could’ve listened to her talk longer, had there not been any time restraints.

Since we live at a lake, I’m proud to be a current swim mom. My older guy enjoys being active and participating in sports, and swimming is one of those sports that we’ve just recently added to our summer schedule.

Unlike the contact sports that he prefers, swimming is a challenge because it’s still new to him and he’s constantly competing against himself in addition to participating as a team. As the other swim moms mentioned at the SwimToday event, swimming competitively allows the kids to develop special bonds with teammates. It gives kids a chance to challenge themselves and learn how to better themselves with every lap. At 7 years old, my guy isn’t the strongest swimmer, but I appreciate his willingness to try hard and to pull through for his team.

I see us continuing to be a swimming family, especially now knowing that my younger guy loves the water. For someone who’s had so many challenges, being in the water seems to make him feel invincible. It didn’t take much for SwimToday to convince me that swimming is the #FunnestSport. We are pretty lucky to live by the water and are able to enjoy swimming almost every day in the summer!

To learn more about SwimToday and the #FunnestSport, be sure to check them out on Facebook. Head to SwimToday.org to find a swim club near you.

Whole Wide World Toys Village Playsets Introduce Diversity and Culture

June 15, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Unearthing new and innovative toys is our favorite thing to do around here. When it comes to checking out new toys that help my kids grasp different cultures and diversity, I get down-right giddy.

As a multicultural family living in not-so-diverse town, playing with toys that allow us to have healthy conversations about race, culture and to examine what makes us different is rather important. Whole Wide World Toys sent us some a set of their new World Village Playsets—China, and we’ve been enjoying learning about China and a culture that isn’t very familiar to us.

The World Village Playset is multi-faceted; it comes with a fabric playmat, a chunky wood puzzle with 13 pieces, a My China Travel Journal and 14 story cards. The set encourages culture with creative play, and that’s exactly what I found my kids to do upon opening the set.

My youngest was immediately drawn to the playmat and wooden puzzle pieces, whereas my older son was intrigued by the cards and journal. The playmat and wooden puzzle pieces quickly turned into a scene where they made up a story and were able to interact with one another. We learned English translation of each item from the puzzle pieces and enjoyed the story, which gave us more insight.

I appreciate that this set encourages curiosity about different cultures and serves as a wealth of conversation starters. The amount of open-ended play that the set allows is great for younger kids, as well as older grade schoolers. I especially found this set to be a wonderful way to engage in speech and language with my younger son who has a speech disability.

I totally visualize that this beautiful set could be used within a classroom setting to complement a lesson about China or at home for kids who are genuinely curious about culture. I can also see this Whole Wide World Toys to be a great resource for multiracial families like ours, or in a blended family where a child is adopted from a China or another country.

Overall, this well-made playset is an excellent tool that encourages culture, creativity and conversation about the world around us. You can find Whole World Wide Village Playsets on Amazon or at specialty retailers.

The Children’s Place Spring into Style

April 2, 2015April 2, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The northeast is finally feeling the warmth of Spring, and with that, we’re starting to break out our Spring clothes. The thing I love most about Spring kids style is that we can start shedding layers and, inevitably, brighter colors come into play.

At The Children’s Place this Spring, boys and girls styles are as vibrant as ever with cool graphics and fun prints as main focal points. The boys’ clothes are a super fun mix of classic cool and modern fun. Girls’ styles are playful and eclectic, with copious amounts of sweet prints and sassy silhouettes.

NKTSpringBoyStyle

For my boys, I’m always drawn to TCP’s classic shirts and graphic tees. Since my younger one always inherits the older ones clothes, it’s important for me to stick with classic styles. I love the shirts I bought for Easter this year, and the ties and bow ties are the perfect complement, too!

Check out my Spring Haul from TCP!

Full disclosure: I was provided with a gift card to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

Rihanna, Jim Parsons and Steve Martin Take us ‘Home’ in Dreamworks’ Latest Family Film

March 26, 2015March 27, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In Dreamworks’ new animated film, “Home”, two unlikely characters cross paths and work together to overcome alienation while learning to embrace imperfections.

Home Image8

When the free-spirited tween, Tip, voiced by Rihanna, finds herself isolated and alone as the eccentric aliens, Boov, colonize Earth, she ventures out with her cat to search for her mom. As the Boov settle into their new digs, the quirky and often misunderstood, Oh, voiced by Jim Parsons, finds himself in another unfortunate scenario when he mistakenly sends a party invitation to everyone in his contact list—including their evil enemy, Gorg. When the cluelessly arrogant Boovian leader Captain Smek, voiced by comic legend Steve Martin, finds out that Oh made another mistake that might cost them their new home, ultimately, Oh is banished.

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At the press junket a few weeks ago, I enjoyed listening to Rihanna, Parsons and Martin as they charmed a room full of bloggers and journalists.

HOME Group

To my surprise, Rihanna was hilarious and self-deprecating; at one point, I totally felt as though we could potentially be BFFs. When a fellow blogger asked Rihanna about how important it was for Tip to resonate with her own character and traits, I appreciated her candor:

“I think it was both important to me and DreamWorks Animation for this to be as realistic as possible. We wanted little girls to feel empowered, little girls of any size, shape, color, race. It didn’t matter. We wanted girls to just feel strong and brave and empowered and beautiful and like they can do anything. And they can take charge of their life or their situation no matter what.”

Hopefully, girls and boys will appreciate and be influenced by Tip’s fearlessness and determination to rise above adversity.

In person, Parsons was just as charming as I’d envisioned. When asked what his takeaways were from “Home,” Parsons appreciated several of Oh’s strengths.

“Oh has his own selection of them too, this optimism and eagerness and friendliness and hopefulness, that I don’t carry with me as in abundance and as much of the time as he does. And there’s not a good reason for–I mean, life gets in the way.”

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Parsons provided charm and awkward likability to the outcasted Oh, while Rihanna gave Tip a sassy, yet vulnerable persona. As recognizable entertainers who stepped out of their usual realm, providing voiceovers for Home was a new frontier for both Rihanna and Jim Parsons.

It was Martin’s brand of grandiose comedy that made Captain Smek’s arrogance and cowardice believable, yet strangely likable. Martin, of course, could effortlessly entertain the room with a single sentence. As for Martin’s takeaway from the film:

“I’m vowing to be more animated. That’s true.”

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Jennifer Lopez voiced Tip’s mom and lent her vocals for one of the songs in Home. With nods to popular lyrics and a unique soundtrack, the music was just as fun as the story itself.

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“Home” unearths a number of themes, but one message that will hit home for kids and families is that camaraderie and friendship sometimes evolve when you least expect it. Despite their differences, when Tip and Oh reluctantly partner up to overcome adversity, they realize they have just as many similarities as they have differences.

Home Image1

As their adventure unfolds, they learn about their own personal strengths and acceptance for things out of their control. As Tip and Oh bond and travel to search for family and safety, ultimately, they find friendship and compassion. Dreamworks’ “Home” is yet another fulfilling family film that explores into multiple thought-provoking themes while maintaining a fun and relatable storyline for kids.

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Overall, this is a fun film for families, but the story may be too big for littler audiences. For those who might not understand complex story lines or who can’t sit through an hour film, I wouldn’t recommend seeing Home in the theaters. At times, I felt that the dialogue was abrupt and borderline questionable. I found myself instinctively thinking a few times “we don’t say that,” as if my 7 year old was watching next to me. Toward the end, in one of the turnkey scenes, grief and loss is a brief topic. So, if your child is uneasy about loss and darker concepts such as evil, I’d give a second thought before watching “Home.”

Home 1Sht

From Tip and Oh’s light-hearted coming of age story, we learn that the idea of “home” transcends its literal meaning of a place or a thing. “Home” playfully depicts home as a feeling of contentment and a personal destination where love, life, family, friends converge. Home arrives in theaters on March 27.

Full disclosure: I was invited to participate in this press junket, but did not receive compensation. As always, opinions on NKT are my own.

Power Rangers Dino Charge airs on Nickelodeon + Deluxe Dino Charge Morpher unboxing

March 11, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

We’re excited to partner up again with Saban to share the latest and greatest. This time, we’ll be focusing on the beloved Power Rangers franchise. Marking the 22nd year, this season is dino-mite. No, really…Power Rangers Dino Charge, which debuted in February, on Nickelodeon is fully charged with wild adventures.

This season in Power Rangers Dino Charge, an alien entrust powerful Energems to 10 dinosaurs, but when the dinosaurs went ext inct, the Energems were lost. Now, an intergalactic bounty hunter is determined to reclaim the Energems and rule the universe, destroying our planet in the process. A new team of Power Rangers must find the lost Energems and use their Dino Chargers to power up an arsenal of din-fueled weapons, zords and Megazords to save the world.

We had the chance to get a look at the new Deluxe Dino Charge Morpher ourselves. They’re pretty amazing and we can’t get enough of it!

Check out our video for our Power Rangers Dino Charge unboxing:

New episodes of Power Rangers Dino Charge will continue to air every Saturday at 12 p.m. on Nickelodeon, with encore episodes airing Sundays at 8 a.m. on Nickelodeon and Saturdays at 7 p.m. on Nicktoons.

New episodes of Power Rangers Dino Charge will continue to air every Saturday at 12 p.m. on Nickelodeon in the U.S., with encore episodes airing Sundays at 8 a.m. on Nickelodeon and Saturdays at 7 p.m. on Nicktoons.

Toy Fair 2015 Faves: Knit’s Cool, Snap Pets, Lego Minecraft, Plan Toys

February 23, 2015February 24, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

There was so much to see and do at Toy Fair this year. Before I share about the trends I saw, I wanted to share a few of my favorites from this year’s show. Most of these toys won’t hit shelves until this summer or fall, so here’s your sneak peek at a few of my favorite next kid things:

Knit’s Cool

Spinmaster’s Sew Cool did so well last year that they’re riding the maker trend with a number of cool activity sets for Tweens. Knit Cool is an interesting set that allows kids to knit with ease, similar to that of finger/arm knitting. I can’t wait to see this generation of kids continue to make cool things with their own imagination and ingenuity.

Snap Pets

Selfies and tech toys were displayed loud and proud at Toy Fair. Snap Pets from Wowee is a fun selfie tool that can be used to take selfie images or as a remote. Tweens will love the small size of this cool selfie tool.

Lego Minecraft

Speaking of creations, Lego, as expected, has a slew of cool new sets. Because Lego Minecraft was one of hottest gifts last holiday season, I thought I’d share a few photos of the upcoming sets in this series.

I saw a lot of new and upcoming Lego sets that encourage kids to forego the instruction manual and enjoy open-ended play. The crafting box is just one of many sets that give suggestions on what to build, but just like the digital version of Minecraft, this set capitalizes on pure imagination.

The Mine is another cool set that I loved seeing coming to life. The skeleton, creeper and spider are my favorite part of this set!

The Ender Dragon is another cool set that is sure to be huge among Minecraft aficionados.

Plan Toys

Plan Toys remains one of my absolute favorite toy companies, not just because they produce aesthetically pleasing goodies, but also because they’re eco-friendly and socially conscious.
Here are just a few of my favorite finds from my Plan Toys booth visit.

This chalkboard table set would look super cool in a playroom or classroom!

This rocket nesting toy is so eye-catching. The toys nesting inside were never-ending!

I can’t resist boat toys. This sailboat was so classic and cute!

If only NYC taxis could be this innocent and cute. Nevertheless, I love this sweet wooden taxi.

You can’t go wrong with wooden pull toys. Plan Toys owns the cute card in this category.

More details and fun finds to come!

National Bubble Bath Day: Benefits of Bubble Baths for Kids

January 8, 2015January 8, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Happy National Bubble Bath Day! After an exhausting day, there’s nothing we love more than winding down with a warm bubble bath.

I love bubble baths that smell fresh, but don’t have the harmful chemicals or synthetic fragrances. We’re all about bubble baths, so here’s a round up of just a few of our favorites:

NKTBubbleBathDay

Little Twig has a bunch of great products, but the Unscented Bubble Bath is one of my favorites. With so many unsavory additives and ingredients in baby soaps and baths, I appreciate that Little Twig products boasts nothing but the good stuff.

So Cozy, as we’ve mentioned before is one of our favorite lines of kid products. From the shampoos to body washes, So Cozy makes bath time fun and so easy. Our favorite for bath time that gets all the suds going is the Cinch 2-n-1 Shampoo and Body Wash. My older guy loves that it smells fresh and not so “baby!”

California Baby Calming

Speaking of babies, California Baby is one of my absolute favorite companies in the baby realm. I’ll always associate CB with being a new mom and bathing my brand new baby. The scents are absolutely divine and i want to believe that the Calming scent really does calm down my rambunctious little boys. CB uses only the good stuff AND they have a bubble wand in their bottle to boot!

There are so many things to love about bubble baths, namely the bubbles themselves. But truly, as some parents might agree, bubble baths have quite a few benefits.

A photo posted by Jen Rabulan-Bertram (@jenrab) onNov 11, 2013 at 6:35am PST

1. Bubble baths make bath time a fun bonding experience.

When the kids cooperate, bubble baths are a great time for imaginative play for both the kids and parents, too. We love making crazy hair and mohawks with suds, and silly facial hair too. My guys have a quirky kid shave kit they like to use during bubble baths. It’s always a hoot.

2. Bubble baths are great for bedtime routine.

The thing about baths: they are helpful in winding down the day and even helping to calm everyone down…again, if everyone cooperates. Taking a bubble bath gives everyone a chance to exhale after a long day and it gives the kids something to look forward to end the day.

3. Everyone gets squeaky clean!

The most obvious benefit of a bubble bath for kids is that everyone gets clean at the same time! When you have multiple young children, one of the best things about bath time is just throwing them all in the tub and streamlining bath time by getting the older ones to help with scrubbing the younger ones!

What do your kids love about bubble baths?

Lenscrafters Provides Total Eye Care For the Family

December 10, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Over the summer, I was invited to a lovely event in downtown NYC to check out the latest and greatest in eyeglasses from Lenscrafters. Lenscrafters, well known for being a total eye care solution for families, provided an informative forum as we perused the latest offerings of glasses.

I had the chance to speak to several eye doctors to learn about helpful information to share with all of you.

Reports show that 1 in 4 kids have an undiagnosed vision problem. Lenscrafters suggests that the start of the new school year is an ideal time to make sure kids are seeing their best. But if you ask me, the start of a new year is a good time to start fresh, too!

And because we’re a big sports family, I found this stat particularly interesting:

Nearly 22 million kids between the ages of 6 and 17 play sports. When playing sports it’s essential for kids to have the right eyewear so that they can see clearly and perform their best, including protective eyewear such as sunglasses.

Beyond the stats, it’s always interesting to hear what the experts have to say firsthand. At the Lenscrafters event, we spoke to several eye doctors who shared great information that had me rethinking my thoughts eyewear.

“Kids receive more than three times the annual sun exposure that adults do because they seldom wear sunglasses and their eyes are especially susceptible to UV-related harm,” says Dr. Mark Jacquot, O.D., Lenscrafters’ senior director of eye care.

“Make sure children wear sunglasses all of the time they are outdoors, and make sure the lenses provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection.”

Lenscrafters makes eye care for families easier. Not only do they have highly regarded in-house eye doctors, the glasses are put together for you there too. The turn around time can’t be beat.

With all of the different glasses and sunglasses Lenscrafters offers, it’s great to know they have simplified things, especially for indecisive people like me. Described as a virtual mirror, the My Look App harnesses technology to help provide a better look at your choices. I love the way it lays out all the great choices on one screen, with YOUR look!

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The opticians at Lenscrafters are always so helpful, yet not too pushy. Having an app to help choose glasses makes the decision that much easier. For kids, Lenscrafters offers a variety of brands that appeal to kids, including Disney, Polo and Oakley, among others. I personally love the Disney frames with the cool details on the sides.

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As a kid, I remember hating my glasses; with choices like these, glasses for kids are much more appealing. Though my guy doesn’t need glasses, he was practically begging for the fun Disney frames!

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Because my prescription was pretty minimal, I went with new reading glasses and Biggie went with some super cool Oakleys. Our optician was super patient when we were going through the options. So, for indecisive customers like us, this is huge.

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In the end, we absolutely love our choices and couldn’t have asked for a better total eye care experience. For busy parents, eye care is one of those necessary tasks that we all wish could be easier, and thanks to Lenscrafters, it is! I appreciate that Lenscrafters offers everything in house and is an overall great experience.

Full disclosure:

We were provided with complimentary products and eye exams to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.