Month: August 2019

Do the Math: tips for learning math at an early age

Math learning begins at a very early age. While making sure kids read is super important, you should also practice everyday math with your child. As your child’s first math teacher, you will foster these early skills.  Check out this video about how to incorporate math into your daily routine Set aside time specifically to practice math. Five minutes a day is helpful to build math confidence. If you write down an activity, you are more likely to do it! Here’s how:  Write down how many minutes you will spend doing math activities each week. Put this goal in a place where you and your child will see it often to remind you. Set an alarm to remind you that it’s “math time” every day.  Tell a good friend or family member about your goal to make your goal public.  Math is all...

$1.2 Million Inclusive Playground Opens In Aurora’s Red Tailed Hawk Park

An adoptive mother who worked to get her son and three other adopted children with special needs an accessible playground got to see her wish come true in Aurora this weekend. A $1.2 million, 8,000 square foot playground that was inspired by her 8-year-old son Ashaun is now open at Red Tailed Hawk Park. It’s fully accessible — a purposeful playground with equipment, instruments and experiences every child can enjoy. His family cut the ribbon because having a play area for all kids — not just accessible, but inclusive — was his wish. The Make-A-Wish Foundation and other groups made it happen. -Credit: CBS

18 fun events for Labor Day weekend in Denver

Denver has lots of fun events Labor Day weekend include A Taste of Colorado, Concert on the Prairie, Labor Day Weekend Fireworks at Elitch and more. See our event calendar for full listings.  University of Denver Women’s Soccer vs. Texas at Denver Athletics and Recreation  Aug 29, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Come out and support Denver Pioneer Women’s Soccer! Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field  Aug 29– 31  A Taste of Colorado at Civic Center Park  Aug 31– Sept 1  A Taste of Colorado is a three-day, free admission festival produced by the Downtown Denver Partnership. The event takes place over Labor Day Weekend in Downtown Denver’s Civic Center Park. In addition to local and worldly cuisine, music stages and shopping, there will be local ar...

Colorado’s best fall colors, festivals and corn mazes

Autumn offers a colorful time for adventures through the backroads of rural Colorado. Mother Nature’s masterpiece of fall foliage becomes the backdrop for memorable hikes and drives; farmers who are gathering delicious crops and produce from the land open their doors for harvest events and dinners. Outdoor recreation drops to a more relaxing pace with easier access to best-loved rivers and trails. Guest ranches and rural lodging offer enticing seasonal packages and lower rates, making fall an optimal time to explore the lesser-known corners of Colorado. Here are a few of our fall favorites: Where to find Colorado’s dazzling autumn mountain scenes Great Fall Family Hikes Near Denver Colorado’s Best Fall Drives Top 20 Places for Fall Colors in Denver Also, there are over 850 farms in B...

Back-to-school: What every parent should know about car seat safety

Supplies have been gathered, and school is in session. Car Seats Colorado is reminding parents and caregivers about the most important school supply that may not have been on their list — car seats and booster seats. Car Seats Colorado, a partnership of the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado State Patrol, is offering a quick list to keep kids safe and avoid serious injury in a crash. Coordinate your carpool. Carpooling? Make sure the designated drivers know the correct seat for each child. All drivers should know how to correctly install the seats and secure every child. Every car and booster seat model is different, and different vehicles may have varied installation procedures. Check the car seat manufacturer’s recommendations for every seat in the car. Resist peer pressu...

Deals: Labor Day + ski deals + Elitch

Summer is unofficially ending after this weekend. Labor Day weekend ushers in lots of fun to top off the summer season squeezing in all that we can on a sun-soaked long weekend. But also this weekend introduces thoughts of football (going to the Buffs game AND Broncos games this weekend), cozy sweaters (hello Outlets shopping), and Pumpkin Spice Lattes (yeah, already in Starbucks). No matter if you enjoy summer or fall more – you get a bit of both this weekend! Outlets at Castle Rock Shopping Extravaganza. September 14 is one of the best shopping days of the year at Outlets at Castle Rock. The 14th Annual Shopping Extravaganza is Colorado’s premier shop-for-a-cause event. $20 of each $30 ticket sold goes directly to your choice of participating charity. Each ticket includes access to all e...

Major Win for Smart Screen Time

Facebook and Instagram told The Telegraph newspaper earlier this month that they would ban images that promote or glamorize eating disorders, particularly photos that promote self-harm.  The social media giant issued a statement in February saying it had consulted experts about online safety and self-harm. “First, these experts unanimously reaffirmed that Facebook should allow people to share admissions of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, but should not allow people to share content promoting it.”  Teens turn to social media and the Internet for fun things to entertain themselves with, but they also go there when they are struggling emotionally and looking for help. Vulnerable teens are the ones I’m most concerned about; there is plenty of harmful information lurking out there. T...

‘Generation Teach’ Gives Aspiring Teachers Real Life Experience

Some students got some valuable teaching experience this summer. They took on the role of teacher to other students. Generation Teach is a summer program for high school and undergraduate students. Over the past five years, 250 aspiring teachers have taught more than 1,200 Denver Public Schools and charter middle school students in the five-week program.

Parents are ugly-crying over Michael Bublé’s ‘Forever Now Video

The days can be long but the years are short. Our kids are growing up quickly and Michael Bublé video for his song “Forever Now” has parents everywhere in tears.  Sometimes, it’s the tiniest triggers that make us weepy about how quickly our kids grow up — a tiny baby sock, an empty crib, a child’s bedroom. The music video was published on YouTube March 1, but as droves of parents send their kids back to school or off to college, it has resurfaced all over social media and currently has 4.5+ million views. The video opens to an empty bedroom. Slowly, it fills with moving boxes, then a crib, a chair, a dresser — a beautiful little nursery.

Avalanche Dog, Tough as a Mother are awesome films being screened at the Big One Tour

My name is Ariel and I’m a mother to an incredible little boy named River. But, that’s not all I am. I am a dreamer who craves adventure — it is the essence of my being and something I couldn’t ever imagine a life without.  The overall theme that I experienced while pregnant was that once you have a baby, the adventures will come to an end and your identity becomes ‘mom.’ As an aspiring filmmaker, that idea terrified me, and I was determined to prove it wrong.  Currently, my husband and I co-direct films together and travel the country with our little boy, River, in tow. Our goal is to teach River to love himself and our planet by creating humanity-focused films.  This week we are departing on a six-week a national film tour to premiere four short film...

17 family-friendly events in Denver this week

August is winding down and don’t miss these awesome summer events including the Unicorn Palooza at Outlets at Castle Rock, Colorado State Fair, free days at Denver Museum of Nature & Science and National Parks. See our event calendar for full listings.  Just Between Friends of Longmont at Boulder County Fairgrounds  Aug 22– 25  Times: Thurs.-Sat. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (Sat. 50% off); Sun. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. (75% off) longmont.jbfsale.com University of Denver Women’s Soccer vs. Boston University  Aug 22, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Come out and support Denver Pioneer Women’s Soccer! Rugbytown 7S at Infinity Park Event Center  Aug 23 – 28  This August, twenty teams from around the world will gather at Infinity Park for three days of pure athletic spectacle. The Rug...

Contest: Junior League of Denver’s newest cookbook (and don’t miss these 4 recipes!)

The Junior League of Denver (JLD)’s cookbooks have been part of my family since the beginning. Shortly after our wedding, my mother-in-law gifted me with two JLD cookbooks which have become the backbone of what I feed my family for 15 years strong!  Centennial Celebrations, the JLD’s sixth cookbook, has officially been released. The newest cookbook joins the League’s collection of five other award-winning cookbooks that many regard as a Denver institution. Packed with the colorful flavors of the Centennial State and honoring the League’s 100th anniversary, Centennial Celebrations includes more than 200 thoroughly tested recipes for every season and occasion. The creative menus, recipes and entertaining tips will inspire you to cook, connect and celebrate… Colorado styl...