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 around you! It’s easy to come up with daily activities and games to play with your child that are fun. Try these activities:

In the kitchen, use pots and pans to talk about ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’ and ‘more’ or ‘less’, this is math talk.
In the grocery store, use prices to talk about numbers.
Use clocks to talk about time.
Look for patterns on your walks to the park or to school.
Make math a part of your child’s play time. Count toys as you take them out or put them away.
Go on an adventure around your home and count all the chairs you may have.
Ask your child to count every window anytime you walk into a new building.

It is okay for children to make mistakes during math time, praise effort! Remember:

Learning math will take practice and effort.
The more you practice math at home, the stronger your child’s math skills become.

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$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 artisans featured in the Arts & Crafts Marketplace, and interactive activities and games for kids. A Taste of Colorado is the ultimate end-of-summer opportunity for residents and visitors to experience the sounds, tastes, and sights of Colorado’s diverse cultural traditions and Western heritage.

PoloFest at Denver Polo Club
Aug 31, 12:00 pm – 11:45 pm
Denver Polo Club is hosting the 3rd annual Polofest featuring Kygo on Saturday, August 31. World-class polo players and music will be part of a unique outdoor festival to raise money for the equine partnership program.

Denver Outlaws vs. Boston Cannons at Broncos Stadium at Mile High
Aug 31, 3:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Don’t miss the thrill and excitement of Major League Lacrosse at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Family-friendly and affordable, the non-stop action will have you on the edge of your seat!

Concert on the Prairie at Barr Lake State Park
Aug 31, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Enjoy an evening of music and dancing to the light of a beautiful sunset while supporting a great organization! The proceeds of this concert will be going towards the Bergman Barn Restoration Project at Barr Lake State Park.

University of Denver Women’s Soccer vs. Kent State at Denver Athletics and Recreation
Sept 1, 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Come out and support Denver Pioneer Women’s Soccer!

Labor Day Weekend Fireworks at Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park
Sept 1, 10:00 – 10:30 pm
Don’t miss as we light up the Downtown Denver skyline with our fireworks extravaganza! Shows start at park closing time. Show is free with a daily ticket or season pass.

Grand Opening Celebration at Framework Cycles
Sept 2, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Come join us for our Grand Opening Celebration! There will be lots to do for the whole family, kids course, bike demos, tasty treats, and free prizes. You won’t want to miss this fun way to spend the day.

Free Day at Denver Botanic Gardens York Street
Sept 3, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Free Days occur throughout the year, thanks to funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). No tickets are needed for admission to Free Days. Free Days are for regular Gardens hours only and do not include ticketed events.

ONGOING EVENTS

Summer@DEN Series
May 24-Sept. 2
Denver International Airport is brimming with free family-friendly activities all summer. DEN Park on the Plaza will include gardens featuring native Colorado trees and plants, live music, lunchtime fitness classes and family activities. Each Wednesday, join a free, weekly lunchtime workout. Fitness classes include yoga, Pilates, Krav Maga, Zumba and more! Each Friday, enjoy a variety of free, fun, cultural and family-friendly activities and performance and from June 14-July 14 you’ll find free 18-hole mini golf course! Test your putting skills while you wait for your flight or simply as a fun outing. www.flydenver.com/events

Butterflies at Chatfield Farms
May 25 – September 2
$4, $2 Gardens or Butterfly Pavilion member, free for children 2 and under
This seasonal habitat is home to hundreds of native butterflies such as swallowtails, monarchs, mourning cloaks and painted ladies. The plants in this house are used as a nectar source for butterfly food and designed to create a whimsical atmosphere for visitors of all ages to enjoy. Learn what types of plants you can add to your garden to attract butterflies and other pollinators. Presented with Butterfly Pavilion.

FINAL WEEK: Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America at the Denver Art Museum
May 5 –August 25
Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America presents the concept of playfulness in postwar American design as a catalyst for creativity and innovation. This exhibition explores how employing playfulness allowed designers to bring fresh ideas to the American home, children’s toys and play spaces, and corporate identities. The cost is included in general admission which is free for kids 18 and under every day.

Images from the Tracks at the Colorado Railroad Museum
January 28, 2019 – January 5, 2020
One of the foremost photographers to photograph the great American West, William Henry Jackson’s images had an immense influence on the public’s perception of the American West. A portion of those images were captured here in Colorado as Jackson traveled throughout the west by rail. This exhibit not only showcases the Museum’s collection of Jackson photographs but provides visitors with the opportunity to visit the rail car he traveled and lived in – the Denver & Rio Grande Western business car – the Rico.

Marine Biologist for a Day at the Downtown Aquarium
Jan 1- Dec 31, 2019
See if you have what it takes to become a Marine Biologist! Spend a day behind the scenes where all the scientific action happens. Experience close encounters with exotic species from the deep sea to shallow reef and everywhere in between. You’ll even get to dissect a squid! Program includes guided tour, biologist dive show, squid dissection, animal feedings and much more! T-shirts & lunch included.

Friday Night Bazaar
June 7- September 27
Celebrate the return of Friday Night Bazaar as they open on June 7th and pop-up weekly in RiNo, River North Art District all summer long from 5-10 p.m. for your shopping & sipping needs! Weekly features include 25+ Local Makers, Food & Fashion Trucks, live DJ and more. denverbazaar/fridaynightbazaar

First Light Family Space at the Denver Art Museum
June 1-Dec. 31, 2019
Step into the shining world of the new First Light Family Space and try hands-on activities inspired by the exhibition, The Light Show. Trace a shadow, make a mirror, play with patterns and create a colorful city. The museum of free for kids under 18 for kids. Have fun learning about artwork with gallery games similar to I spy, bingo, and memory matching with Gallery Games. Create Playdate’s artmaking with little ones is on the second Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. DenverArtMuseum.org.

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:

Also, there are over 850 farms in Boulder County. Don’t miss our 5 must-dos for harvest season in Boulder.

Fall Festivals

Downtown Boulder’s Fall Fest: Sept. 13–15, 2019
Boulder‘s autumn fest lines up music performances, a beer garden, local food vendors, a children’s carnival and more along the city’s beloved and bustling Pearl Street Mall.

Chile & Frijoles Festival: Sept. 20–22, 2019
This event is your best chance to taste of the pride of Pueblo — a special, intensely flavorful variety of green chile. Served smoking on a stick, chopped and tucked into a quesadilla or sprinkled in salsa, it’s the star of this show. Cooking competitions, live music, dancing, arts and crafts, and a farmers’ market round out the festivities.

Oktoberfest Denver: Sept. 20–22 & Sept. 27–29, 2019
Oktoberfests around the world are largely about beer, but downtown Denver’s autumn celebration turns out fun for the whole family with a daschund derby that has to be seen to be believed, costume contests, food booths, polka dancing and live music.

Mountain Harvest Festival: Sept. 26–29, 2019
Colorado’s Western Slope town of Paonia covers all the festival bases at their annual celebration of harvest with live concerts, farmers’ markets, beer and wine tasting, a chili cook-off, arts and crafts, and farm tours. The bounty from locally owned orchards, ranches and farms brings in revelers from all over surrounding Delta County.

Elk Fest: Sept. 29–30, 2019
The beautifully haunting bugle of a bull elk is unmistakable, and every October spectators head to Estes Park to experience the phenomenon. The elk gather there, at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, to show off for their ladies during the start of the rutting (breeding) season. At Elk Fest, you can learn about these beasts’ behavior, observe them in their natural habitat, participate in a bugling contest and see performances by American Indians.

Applefest: Oct. 3–6, 2019
Driving into the small town of Cedaredge on Colorado’s Grand Mesa, you’ll pass row after heavenly row of trees bursting with shiny red and green apples beckoning you to sink your teeth in. At Applefest, more than 150 vendors share the area’s agricultural wealth with visitors, who can also check out a classic car and antique tractor show, bands and much more.

Punkin Chunkin: Sept. 21–22, 2019
See how far pumpkins can fly using a variety of air cannons, catapults and other wild contraptions at this long-time Aurora favorite. Pick pumpkins, watch an exciting chainsaw-carving competition, listen to live music, enjoy face-painting, pony rides, crafts and other family activities as well as a wide variety of food and beverage vendors.

Telluride Horror Show: Oct. 11–13, 2019
Already famous for film, Telluride is also embracing the spooky fun of October with this eighth-annual horror, fantasy and sci-fi film fest in the town’s historic Sheridan Opera House.

Breckenridge Craft Spirits Festival: Oct. 19–21, 2019
Fall’s the time when spicy spirits become the perfect answer to chillier temps. Sip the best offerings from small-batch, artisan distillers and learn more about the distilling process in Breckenridge, a town with its own pioneering distillery.

U-Pick Farms and Corn Mazes

Many Colorado farms offer opportunities in the fall to pick your own cherries, strawberries, carrots, tomatoes, melons, beets, squash, cucumbers and more. The most popular thing to pick by far this time of year is your own pumpkin. Find farm and ranch activities.

Farms across the state invite visitors to stroll rows of pumpkins searching for the perfect jack-o-lantern candidate. Many of them also offer corn mazes, hayrides, petting zoos, bobbing for apples and other hallmark activities of the season. See the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s list of pumpkin patches and corn mazes in your area.

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 pressure.

If your child is reaching the upper limit of a booster seat, they may try to talk you out of using it because their friends don’t use one. Resist the temptation — if your child isn’t the proper size (not age!), using a seat belt alone can cause serious harm in a crash.

Get help from the experts.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), three out of every four children are secured incorrectly. Even the most diligent parents can miss something when it comes to proper installation and correct seat size and fit. Back-to-school time is an excellent time to visit a car seat check station and have car seats checked by a licensed child passenger safety technician. CarSeatsColorado.com has a list of check stations statewide.

Items in a vehicle can act as deadly projectiles in a crash.

Hockey skates, heavy textbooks, and especially unbuckled passengers can cause serious injury during a crash. Imagine a heavy book, or another person, colliding with a passenger at 40 mph. Secure all heavy or sharp objects in the trunk or rear of the vehicle at all times. And make sure every person is wearing their seat belt — even on short trips.

Always check for recalls.

Every year, multiple car and booster seat models are recalled due to manufacturing or design flaws. For example, some latches are within reach, and too easy for the child to unbuckle. Check every year whether your car or booster seat has been recalled, and always register the seat when purchasing a new one. Be cautious of seats that you inherited from friends or purchased used online. Look on the NHTSA car seat recall database to find out if a car seat or booster has been recalled.

Car Seats Colorado provides education and resources to help parents ensure their children are riding safely, as well as recycling programs for used car seats and training courses for safety technicians. Car Seats Colorado is composed of the Colorado State Patrol, CDOT, local car seat technicians, law enforcement, emergency services and other professionals who are dedicated to implementing child passenger safety programs. Learn more at CarSeatsColorado.com.

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 event activities along with one complimentary prize drawing ticket for the chance at over $75,000 in gift cards and prizes from Outlets at Castle Rock’s top brand-name stores. Tickets on sale now.

Labor Day Weekend. The unofficial end of summer has some great fun – really to leave summer with a blast of parties. Most of the fun is Saturday, August 31 – Monday, September 2.

Taste of Colorado. The annual event at Civic Center Park boast hundreds of booths, food and awesome top-name concerts most of which is free (the food is purchased with tickets).
Boulder Creek Hometown Festival. The festival includes juried arts, crafts vendors, The Great Zucchini Race, car show, live performances, food court, car show and DUCK RACE!
Cabela’s. You can count on the great outdoor retailer to come up with fun for kids and adults alike. This year you can participate in ring toss, bag toss, duck pond, crafts, face painting and you can score free prizes and a free hot dog!

JC Penney $10 Kids Haircuts. Getting that perfect back to school look is easier than ever. For just $10 students K-6^th Grade can get the perfect new look haircut! The promotion runs through September 15 – but you’ll need an appointment and coupon.

Gigi’s Cupcakes. Gigi’s Cupcakes has a special cupcake weekly on Tuesday for just $2.

Elitch Gardens 2020 Passes on Sale. To kick off the very special 130^th Birthday in 2020, Elitch Gardens is running a flash sale its popular Season Passes! This amazing offer runs now through Friday, August 30 and includes unlimited visits for the rest of this season including the park’s annual Halloween celebration, Fright Fest, and all of 2020. Season Passes also include free parking for 2019 & 2020, one free ticket for a friend valid during the current 2019 season, free friend tickets for 2020, free concerts, free dive-in movies and, of course, participation in the park’s 130th-anniversary celebration. Passes are only $54.99 for this limited time only!

Women’s Adventure Camp at Camp Chief Ouray. Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby (part of the YMCA of the Rockies) is home to Women’s Adventure Camp, September 6-8, where you can learn outdoor adventure skills, have fun with other awesome women, and play outdoors. How to sessions include how to pack you backpack, hiking, wildlife knowledge and more. All the great things you may have remembered about camp. Archery, hiking, arts, climbing, canoeing, ropes, mountain biking, zip line, bb rifles and s’more. Register here.

Ski Deals. Labor Day weekend also ushers in thoughts of the ski season. Now is the time to get your season passes! No matter where you choose to ski/snowboard.

Vail returns with Epic School Kids FREE pass for Kindergarten through 5th graders. It includes four days of skiing and riding at each: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Crested Butte and Keystone. Plus, if you go today or tomorrow you can score a coupon for $15 off the already totally affordable Junior Trade Program. (you have to go to an Epic Mountain Gear store to get the pass).
5^th and 6^th Grade Passport. Colorado Ski Country (including most of the other Colorado Ski Areas – Arapahoe Basin, Copper, Cooper, Granby, Sunlight, Steamboat, Winter Park, Aspen, Snowmass, Monarch, Telluride, Eldora) is available for 5^th graders who get three days of skiing at each of the resorts, free beginner lesson, and equipment on the day of that lesson for FREE. Sixth-Graders can take advantage of FOUR days at each of the resorts and lesson for just $110.

Free Summer Concerts and Movies. One of the best parts about summer is being outside in the warm evenings and what could be better than a picnic in a park and free live music or a movie? Nothing! We’ve rounded up some of the best of the best in town here: Summer Concerts.

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. This is particularly true when it comes to eating disorders.

There are threads on Facebook and its sister platform Instagram that actually encourage girls to lose weight by fasting together, or by emulating the glamorous, stick-thin models who serve as role models. They share photos of their concave stomachs, thigh gaps, and protruding ribs. I was disturbed to learn of the phrase “Thinspiration” — taking a problematic way of thinking and turning into a positive idea — clever and sadly so dangerous.

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‘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 films our team shot this past spring. We will be traveling across the country in an Airstream trailer– one of the sponsors for the tour– making stops in 10 major cities to premiere our films, connect with locals and raise awareness for ocean and land conservation. This adventure is something I never dreamed I’d be able to do while bringing along my nearly two-year-old son.

Our first stop is in Denver, Colorado, at Improper City Brewery. The films we will be premiering are:

Ruby Dog – Working animals bring an uninhibited passion to their jobs. In this story we follow Ruby, an avalanche rescue dog and her partner Pat, as they fly deep into the backcountry of Idaho to showcase the bond they have formed and their abilities in the snow.

Protect Our Water – Set against the backdrop of Hansen Surfboards and Hobie Surf Shop, two of the oldest and most iconic shops in America, we examine the surfing pioneers, like Rob Machado, and their youthful counterparts as they fight alongside the Surfrider Foundation to conserve the ocean and protect their love.

Family Powers – Phil Powers summited K2 without oxygen and has a first ascent on Denali, but it was a simple climb on his lunch break that left him with the biggest challenge of his life. After a miscommunication and a 70ft fall, the CEO of the American Alpine Club was left fighting for his life.

Tough as a Mother (Preview) – Ariel is an accomplished rock climber, thrill seeker, and adventurer. Upon having her first child, she was left unsure on how to continue embracing her adventurous spirit. Now she is embarking on a cross-country journey with her one-year-old son River to explore public lands and meet other tough moms, so they can together define a new era of motherhood and inspire world-changing values in their kids. Full film coming next year!

Please join us, meet us and hangout with us as we celebrate the Search for the Big One Tour!

Event details:

Denver, CO | August 28 | Improper City Brewery | 6:00pm MT | Benefiting American Alpine Club