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Review of Tubelox: Our new favorite STEM toy for kids

If you’re looking for a seriously wow-worthy gift for kids that love to build, I’ve got the perfect recommendation for you…Tubelox. Use the code littlejoys for $100 off any set!

Disclosure: We received the Deluxe Building Set from Tubelox in order to share our opinion about their product. All opinions (and goofy smiles from my children) are 100% our own.

When I was a kid in the 80s, my friend had an amazing toy. It was a giant building set that made it possible to build large-scale creations like cars you can actually ride in, forts you can climb inside, and wagons to pull stuffed animals around.

It was pretty much the coolest toy ever, but I hadn’t seen anything like it in decades…until a few weeks ago.

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Apple towers: a fun (and delicious) STEM activity for snack time

If you’re looking for a SUPER easy way to jazz up afternoon snack time, try building apple towers! It’s a fun STEM building challenge that will get kids thinking creatively and learning through play.

Building apple towers is a fun STEM building challenge that will get kids thinking creatively and learning through play during snack time.

As my boys get older, I find myself looking for ways to draw everyone together for quality family time. We’re not home together all day long the way we were when they were toddlers, so lately I’ve been brainstorming ways to make the most of the time we DO have together.

This activity did just that!

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Awesome science gifts for kids with BIG ideas!

Have a curious kid who loves to tinker and build? These science gifts for kids are perfect for teaching scientific principles and inspiring creativity in your budding inventor!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.

If you ask my seven-year-old what he wants to be when he grows up, he’ll confidently tell you: AN INVENTOR. Specifically, an electrical engineer. He wants to design and build robots that can do everything.

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How to make Easter egg bath bombs: a fun STEM craft for kids

These Easter egg bath bombs are the perfect combination of festive craft and fascinating science! Make them with your kids using easy-to-find ingredients, and then take them to the tub for a fun-filled bath time!

Easter Egg bath bombs STEM craft for kids

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.

Easter is around the corner, and I’ve got an egg-celent (I know, I blame my dad for teaching my puns) DIY project for you today! This one requires a little advance planning (nothing too crazy, I promise), but the little bit of effort will yield LOTS of fun.

We’re making Easter egg bath bombs!

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Why every child needs an inventor box + how to create one

Forget buying kids expensive toys…instead, create a no-cost inventor box (AKA – tinker box) that will inspire endless hours of creative play and STEM exploration.

Forget buying kids expensive toys…instead, create a no-cost inventor box (AKA - tinker box) that will inspire endless hours of creative play and STEM exploration.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.

My six-year-old wants to be an inventor when he grows up. And, honestly, I won’t be a bit surprised if that’s exactly what he becomes. He is constantly creating, imagining, and experimenting with something.

Yes, sometimes it drives me crazy. His big ideas have no bounds (hooray!), but he has a habit of leaving behind a trail of debris (we’re working on that one).

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How to beat the heat: 9 ice play activities for kids

If you feel like you’re melting in the summer heat, these ice play activities will cool things off while you learn and play with your kids!

If you feel like you're melting in the summer heat, these ice play activities will cool things off while you learn and play with your kids!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.

I grew up in central California where summers literally got hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. August was downright brutal, with highs that hovered near 110 degrees!

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How to make a human sundial + more fun shadow activities

This human sundial is a fun outdoor STEM activity that will help kids understand how shadows are made and encourage them to experiment with light and shadow.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.

Science was one of my least favorite subjects in school as a kid. Ironically, I actually love science itself, but much of the way science is traditionally taught (or at least how it was taught to me in school) sucks the life and wonder out of learning about how the world works.

But science isn’t boring!

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How to encourage creative learning at home (without stressing about it)

If you’re looking for simple ways to help your children with learning at home without stressing yourself out, you’ll love this round-up of amazing (and FREE) resources.

If you're looking for simple ways to help your children with learning at home without stressing yourself out, you'll love this round-up of amazing (and FREE) resources.

With schools closing all over the nation, many of us are scrambling to figure out what to do with our kids home all day!

Our school district has dismissed school for at least the next two weeks, and we’re not sure what will happen beyond that time. …

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What to do with leftover Halloween candy…sweet learning activities kids will love

Now that Halloween is over, what are you going to DO with all those sweets? If you’re overwhelmed by the gobs of leftover Halloween candy in your pantry, try out these simple learning activities to give all that candy a new and noble purpose!  Now that Halloween is over, what are you supposed to DO with all those sweets? If you're overwhlemed by the gobs of leftover Halloween candy in your pantry, try out these simple learning activities to give all that candy a new and noble purpose!

How was your Halloween, my friends? Ours was crazy, but the kids had a ball. The boys went trick-or-treating THREE times (trunk-or-treat at church, party at Daddy’s work, and traditional trick-or-treating in the neighborhood), so they got GOBS of candy.

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Dinosaur Footprints: Preschool Measuring Activity

This simple preschool activity is a fun way to help your preschooler practice measuring and see how HUGE some of the dinosaurs were by making your own T-Rex footprint and comparing it to your family members’ feet.

This simple preschool activity is a fun way to help your preschooler practice measuring and see how HUGE some of the dinosaurs were by making your own T-Rex footprint and comparing it to your family members' feet.Note: This post includes affiliate links, meaning I will be paid a small commission on purchases made via those links; however, your cost will be the same.

Little boys and dinosaurs…they go together like peanut butter and jelly. And Little Man is hanging with the best of the dinosaur-lovers right now. He has requested a “dinosaur world” cake for his birthday next month and is constantly stomping around the house, roaring, and proclaiming himself to be a hungry T-Rex. That boy cracks me up….

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