Winter days can leave families in need of fun indoor activities. We worked with Sylvan Learning, a leader in STEM education for kids, to develop ideas for a “boredom buster” jar full of STEM activities. Each fun project is super simple and includes concrete STEM educational tips to bring the learning home. That’s what we love about Sylvan EDGE programs; the educators at Sylvan Learning always make sure that the kids go home understanding important STEM concepts while having fun doing it.

To make your STEM activities boredom busters jar just print out the downloadable sheets, cut out the activity cards, fold and place in a jar or bowl. Any time the kids get restless or need a screen time break, just pull an activity out for some at-home fun. Note: Some of these activities do take some preparation, so make sure to gather your materials—including freezing your colored ice sculpture shapes—in advance so you are ready to go when boredom calls...or whines, as the case may be.

Skiing and snowboarding near New York City always feels like a trade-off. The further you are willing to drive, the better the skiing. The less you drive, the less you get in terms of runs, altitude and amenities. Or so I thought until our recent visit to Mountain Creek Resort in New Jersey. Mountain Creek is the closest ski area near New York City, but we found it offers a superior experience even to some further away ski mountains. I don’t know how I had missed this great ski spot so close to the city.

Just 47 miles from the George Washington Bridge, we arrived at Mountain Creek in just over an hour. Dealing with the logistics of skiing with kids can be stressful, so taking hours of travel out of the equation made the day much more relaxed. We didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn or feel rushed to get on the slopes. We knew we could take our time and still get a full day of skiing and boarding in. No worries.

In his victory speech President-elect Donald Trump vowed to be a “president for all Americans.” Since Election Day, however, there have been an alarming number of hateful events in our nation’s schools invoking Trump’s name. We are now living in a country where children fear for their safety and that of their loved ones. As advocates for children and families, we, the mothers and fathers of Mommy Poppins, call on Trump to explicitly denounce all forms of hate speech, attacks, threats, and bullying that are erupting in our nation’s schools and beyond.

Donald Trump, saying “stop it” isn’t good enough. Your directive must be explicit, immediate, and unequivocal. There can be no room for confusion. We call on you to directly address all Americans to say hateful speech and behavior against people of any race, religion, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation is not acceptable to you or this nation.