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Category Archives: FamilyTech

Next Phase of Womens Movement: #Womensday #FamilyFriendlyWork

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This has been a busy time for the Women’s Movement. Today happens to be International Women’s Day 2013  which has “thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements“. The documentary “Makers: Women Who Make America” debuted February 26.  The blog All Things D broke the story about Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Now Requiring Remote Employees to Not Be (Remote)  and the commentary has been all over the map. Lastly, Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Lean In, continues to be a hot topic.

 

Many of my friends and social media colleagues expected me to come down hard one way or the other on Mayer’s requirement calling employee’s back to the office. However, from my perspective, what should be the topic of conversation are policies including family leave, job training, childcare and other economic issues that are holding back women from reaching their full potential. Taking on these categories of public policy is the next phase of the women’s movement.

 

In the “Makers” documentary, Karen Nussbaum highlights that “despite the gains, the failure to win childcare options was a major failing of the women’s movement…“.  For companies, developing appropriate family leave policies and flexible work arrangements (i.e. telecommuting) for “relevant” jobs will enable primary caregivers of children to care for them and still work. Other options include companies that either have their own childcare center or have agreements with local childcare centers.  What about women who work for small businesses or have their own business? What if public and private resources could be pulled together to offer more options for health insurance, job training and childcare? This would allow women more flexible job options while supporting the environment of entrepreneurship.

 

Technology has enabled the flexibility to not only work at home but also work from anywhere (mobile) – so businesses should incorporate telecommuting for relevant jobs. At the same time, some jobs require being in the office for collaboration.  A safety net would give women the options to choose jobs that fit with their flexibility needs or even work for themselves. Better yet, why not use the power of online networking to help communities find and hire their local resources? What if every community had the match-making resources to really place businesses with women who have specialized skills, as contractors or employees?

 

 

Currently there are numerous email groups, websites and online social networks that list jobs and those looking for jobs. But sifting through all of the information is overwhelming. What if a localized system of matching jobs with those looking for work not only allowed them to pick jobs to fit with their “flexibility” needs but also showed information on what type of job skills are needed and what job training is available?

 

Now that there are so many educational resources online, job seekers could even find economical ways to get training if they need to revamp their skills. If I had my wish (and a magic philanthropy wand to wave) I would use the power of local communities to support women helping each other. Local community centers could be used for job training in addition to sports and hobbies. Those with technical skills (like me) could be part of a volunteer effort to help train women in need of technical skills. In my fantasy, local communities could recycle older technology to those in need and get donations for new technology.

 

My personal story is an example of the tough decisions women need to make. I worked hard to earn my role as Senior Manager at one of the top consulting firms in the world and was on Partner track. This firm was so supportive of my work/life balance that they gave me a flexible work arrangement after I came back to my job with my first son and then moved me into a job where I worked mostly at home when I was on bedrest at the end of my pregnancy with my twins. I had a company that not only had family friendly policies – but also wanted to work with me to find the right job for me as my family situation changed.

 

 

But after I delivered my twins (yes – the picture above is the view I had from my hospital bed), I realized I needed to step down from my job because the amount of money I would need for childcare of three kids would be either equal or less then my salary. I tried to find a economical sitter that worked into my family schedule but could not. I talked to other working moms who interviewed 50 or more childcare resources, and with three kids (2 of them being twin newborns) – I did not have time.. or the energy. I also realized that my job required travel and I was not able to do that anymore.

 

It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. But my precious little boys were worth it! I even had (luckily still have) a husband that is a 50/50 partner in raising our kids and a company willing to work with me on job flexibility.  I grew up with a single mother so I also knew first hand that childcare is an even greater challenge for single moms (parents). But I left my “company” job over 14 years ago when the online network of women was not as powerful or prolific as it is now. Over the years I have met other women who shared their childcare solutions with me to similar problems.. If only I had that information years ago!! I adapted by creating my career 2.0 online, so now I want to use that power for social good.

 

There is already an amazing revolution of social good that exists online for moms with sites such as Mom Bloggers For Social Good, The Motherhood, One Mom Bloggers,  Go Mighty, The Mission List, BlogHer coverage of social good and BlogHer’s Mission of creating creating greater exposure and economic empowerment (and their powerful network of women) . There are women’s centers and organization looking into ways to develop solutions to fix the women’s leadership gap such as the Bentley University’s Center for Women and Business. And of course businesses like Clever Girls Collective that are women owned and have a network of women. On International Women’s Day I am announcing my social good project. I will be on a mission to help connect women (and working mothers) to the resources and networks they need for their careers by sharing this information online. I have some fun ideas which I will be announcing soon…  This will support the next phase of the women’s movement by having women HELP other women to find the resources they need to work.

 

If each woman can help just one other women find work resources the “pay it forward” will be exponential. Of course,  this includes moms supporting other moms who are trying to do that elusive work/life balance that in reality does not exist. In a perfect world this model could also translate to women helping other women worldwide, such as the organization Global Good partners that was profiled on Katie Couric show.  Global Good Partners is a “a nonprofit organization that sells handmade, fair trade products in order to improve the economic status of women in marginalized communities around the world.”

 

So instead of marching, this new phase of the women’s movement would be for women to help train other women with job skills, help them find work related resources, share information about women owned businesses/marketplaces and enable women to get the technology they need not only for job skills but to help manage their families.

 

Women, it is time to power up our network to a new level! If you have any ideas, please do share! If you have favorite sites that support women’s work efforts, please also share.

 

 

 

CES2013: Whirlpool Kitchen of the Future Concepts

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On my last post I discussed how our family kitchen is the activity hub of our house. So of course one of the top tech categories I planned to look into at CES 2013 (Consumer Electronics Show) was new kitchen concepts. Now that I am here are CES, I was excited to find some fantastic new kitchen concepts that will not only simplify, add more style, save energy, add new options to listen to music but also change the process of buying and storing food in the home.

 

While at the Whirlpool CES Booth, I had the opportunity to learn about exciting new concepts. The first is something I would call “Fireplace 2.0! The Whirlpool website explained that “The Fireplace concept which seeks to center people around a new central heart of the home with a common area for relaxing and sharing real experiences around food and fire“. I find this concept the most fascinating of all because it takes the experience of socializing around a fireplace or campfire to the kitchen table. The surface could keep food warm or cold, as well as an air circulation system in the hood. Because the kitchen table is the one place many families gather each day, adding new features to it adds value to home design and enhances family time. The new technology would also enable new social eating experiences, such as fondue to smores, right from your kitchen table.

 

Here is a picture of the Whirlpool “Fireplace” Concept.

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Kimberley Clayton Blaine  (TheGoToMom) and I could already see how the fun it would be to socialize around the Fireplace concept table.

 

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I had the opportunity to join in Fireside chats in the Fireplace concept area of the Whirlpool booth with other social media moms and Tanu Grewal, Senior Brand Manager from Whirlpool. We were all so comfortable, we did not want to leave even after the chat was over!

 

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When I saw the Fresh Connect from Whirlpool section of the CES2013 Whirlpool booth, I realized it could not only help families keep food fresher but also change food storage as a whole. What if you could have separate units to store food, each paired with other food that requires the same temperatures (no more frozen lettuce)? We can already order food from our mobile devices, but what if we had a system at home that let us order food that would be delivered in bags that would keep it fresh until we got home? The Fresh Connect concept would help create “a seamless shopping experience from the palm of your hand to the foot of your door.. and streamlined access to a select network of food suppliers“.
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Here is picture of the Whirlpool Fresh Connect concept flow:

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Food is not only organized by the temperature needs, but also in a modern style that could take food storage out of the kitchen into any room in the house. My sons would love to have food storage of their snacks in the family room!

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This concept could also create spaces to grow herbs from inside the house. This would enable us to finally grow herbs without the little critters that live outside from eating it!

 

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Containers would store fruit in a temperature that would let it ripen but keep it fresh. This concept would enable me to buy more fruit without worrying about it going bad (and my boys eat lots of fruit!).

 

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Apps could be used from any mobile device to order and manage the food in your house. This would enable a process for me to schedule food delivery and plan meals.

 

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Another concept that enables families to manage their home from anywhere is the Whirlpool® Appliances with 6th Sense Live™ technology. Families can manage things such as “refrigerator temperature, locking your dishwasher control console, knowing when your cycle is done and managing energy costs“. When my kids leave the refrigerator door open (like they do daily), I will get an alert even if I am not at home. This would enable a future where I don’t have to worry about coming into my kitchen and noticing that the freezer door is open and ice cream is now in liquid form!  And  I would be able to save energy costs by using the mobile app to run the appliances during off peak times even if I was not at home. The Whirlpool CES press info explained “by connecting to the Smart Grid used by select utility companies, these appliances optimize energy usage and track how much energy is being used.”

 

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Anyone looking to create add beautiful art and modern, streamlined style to their kitchen will want to take a look at the Whirlpool Art Gallery Collection (stove) Hoods. There is a selection of 12 hood panels with original graphics themes that are easy to install. I especially appreciate incorporating art into appliances because I have a small kitchen.

 

 

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My favorite design:

 

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Another new concept that helps streamline kitchens by adding new features to appliances is the CoolVox refrigerator concept. Now, families can stream music or podcasts through the refrigerator directly from a Bluetooth-enabled device, so this means I could even listen to recipe podcasts while cooking.  Or my 10 year old son who loves to cook can rock out to his favorite tunes. When we are entertaining and everyone ends up in the kitchen as usual, at least we can play some music to enhance the event.

 

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What do you see in the kitchen of the future? I see new features and appliances that will help me save time, simplify household processes and have more flexibility around how I manage my home. I can also see a future where mufti-function appliances allow me to save space,  add style to my kitchen and create new social environments to enjoy my family time.

 

Learn more about Whirlpool #2020 at their Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook  and Pinterest pages.

 

 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. My words are my own.

 

 

 

Activity Hub of My House: Kitchen

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With three boys and frequent teen visitors, our family spends more time together in our kitchen area then any part of the house. Whether it’s meal time, snack time, or just “grazing time”, kids are visiting our kitchen multiple times each day to eat and adults are frequently there to prepare meals. Because the kitchen is such a hub of activity, one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to make this part of the house more efficient and welcoming.

 

 

The year is young, and as a first step to satisfy this resolution I am exploring how to better organize the kitchen and incorporate helpful appliances and gadgets. A well organized kitchen just makes cooking easier, which makes my life easier. I plan to incorporate some of the new kitchen technology trends including Bluetooth (wireless) and personalization. This will allow me to use my other important mom tools (smart phone and computer) to interact with the kitchen and seamlessly plan my day. I want to create recipes that can seamlessly translate into shopping lists. Once the food is purchased and stored in the refrigerator, I would like an automatically generated food inventory list which also details how long the food will last before spoiling. If I know vegetables will soon go bad – time to cook some vegetable soup! I’m also considering adding some color to my predominately white kitchen.

 

 

 

 

The second step will be to reorganize my kitchen and make it a more comfortable central “hang out” location. The kitchen is small, with a breakfast area separate from our dining room. Even on special holidays when we use the dining room, guests always seem to spill over into the kitchen. To accommodate the crowd, I want the flexibility to change our regular family meal space into a space for entertaining as well. For example, it would be great to have a simple way to stream music into various parts of the house, including the kitchen, while we are cooking and entertaining. We can play music on some of the family room’s gadgets, but they are frequently in use (games, videos, etc…) when we would like to share music with our guests. It would also be good to find some multi-device chargers so my kids can put all of their phone in the kitchen to charge at night without lots of wires hanging around. Another idea for re-organizing the kitchen would be incorporation of a dining table that converts to a comfortable lounging area when we have guests. This example of built in seating near the kitchen counter in Houzz looks like a good example of creating extra seating in a small space:

 

 

 

Do you have any new years resolutions to reorganize or retool your kitchen or tips for others who are starting their planning? If so – please share.

 

I am excited to be at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week and will be stopping by the Whirpool booth to see their new kitchen concepts and get some fun ideas for my kitchen redesign and re-organization. They will be sharing updates on their Tumblr, Twitter and Pinterest. So check it out! I will also be sharing my fun CES updates.

 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All of my words are my own.

 

 

 

Tips To Tell Your Kids About SandyHook And How To Help

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*PLEASE check the bottom of this post to see how you can help. UPDATE: A Noah’s Ark of Hope Trust has been created by the family of Noah Pozner.

It was a heavy heart that I write this post about the terrible tragedy (shooting) that happened yesterday at a Connecticut school.  Words just can’t describe the pain that anyone who knows about this is feeling. Our sympathies go out to the families of the victims, as a community we are mourning for their losses. Yesterday I started off my sharing the important resources parents can use to help find the words to explain this tragedy to this kids including Common Sense Media’s “Explaining the news to your kids” and NASP’s guide with tips for parents and teachers to help children cope with a national tragedy (that Jessica Seinfeld shared on Twitter).  Fellow parent blogs such as Cool Mom Picks ” How to talk to your kids about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting” and  TechSavvyMama’s “Sandy Hook School Tragedy: Helpful Tips for Talking to Your Kids“.

UPDATED: Here is a good perspective on “How Not To Talk To Your Kids About Sandy Hook Shooting”

 

Parents of tweens/teens need to also understand that older kids with smartphones need extra tips because they will be flooded with information. My tween first saw the news about the shooting on the news app from his phone. But when he kept reading about it, he found some platforms that had inappropriate information about the shooting. So I told him what many social media parents are sharing with each other: read the facts only – then turn it off. Don’t go to the forums or curation sites for extra facts. I simply told my tween son that in this case it is best to talk to Mom and Dad about the situation so we can all heal as a family. We also talked about it to our 9 year old twins, also just explaining the facts and then the great safety procedures set up at their school. But we also had to explain that sometimes tragedies just happen.

 

This next piece of information is something that I share with an even heavier heart. One of my dear social media (VDog) friends lost a nephew who was in one of the classrooms at SandyHook. There is a Facebook page created to share the information about how to help:

 

Please click on the FACEBOOK PAGE: “How to Help VDog and Noah’s Family” to find out more information on how you can help.

 

 

The Facebook page also has addresses on where to send cards including:

 

  • If you would like to send a card, letter, expression of love, to Victoria or Noah’s family in CT – please send them here: Friends of Maddie, 1534 North Moorpark Road Suite 284, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. Paypal donations instructions to the family are on the “How to Help VDog and Noah’s Family” Facebook page.
  • Toy donations can be made to Toys for Tots or your local children’s hospital. Other Monetary donations are to be sent to: Sandy Hook School Support Fund C/O Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470

 

 

Photo credit: Il Volo Facebook Page

The  “How to Help VDog and Noah’s Family” page also has comforting prayers. I was comforted today by a song my 9 year old son decided to write that included lyrics he heard on another song: “light inside you and me”.  We can all honor the lights of the beautiful souls lost in the shooting by lighting a candle in remembrance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Things That Cause Thanksgiving Anxiety and How To Deal With Them

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Like many parents, as Thanksgiving nears (it is November 22 this year -2012) so does the anxiety of work life balance. If you are entertaining, how do you have time to shop, cook and prepare food along with all of your other parental and work tasks? If you are going to someone else’s house, how do you prepare your kids to make sure they will pleasantly sit through the dinner (cellphones away – for everyone including parents). For those that have anxiety around being with large family events, how do you prepare for that.  My “go to” person when it comes to figuring out how to rid my anxiety is my favorite emotion coach (and national parenting expert) Kimberly Clayton Blaine whose website “TheGoToMom” and book “The Go-To Mom’s Parents Guide: Emotion Coaching Young Children” provide essential tips to parents.

 

Kimberley also hosts a weekly Google + Live Video broadcast each Wed. 11am pst to talk about parenting topics. Today’s topic is on Top 10 Things That Cause Thanksgiving Anxiety and How To Deal With Them, and I will be a co-host. Join us or watch the YouTube video as we share our Thanksgiving anxiety and tips we will be trying. Please also share your tips! I know I could use as many tips as possible!

 

 

Thanksgiving Google + Live show with Kimberley Blaine and Beth Blecherman: Top 10 Things That Cause Thanksgiving Anxiety and How To Deal With Them

 

 

 

 

1.  Use your good china. Life is too short not share your fancy dishes.

 

2.  Be sure you have your Happy Place ready Or a xanax around or bottle of wine popped open if your family is getting too demanding or annoying. You deserve a peaceful or at least a tolerable holiday! But don’t push the limits, you still need to be able to carry on a conversation.

 

3.  Keep it low key, if you want to reach out to  others to invite them – do it. Keeping it small is dandy too. Or make it easy and take a quick trip to restaurant!  Enjoy whoever and wherever you celebrate it with.

 

4.  Outsource your meal. Ask each guest to bring a dish. Who said you have to be chef extraordinaire every year? Or have a gourmet store prepare your whole meal and tell every one you made it. That way you WILL BE chef extraordinaire this year.

 

5.  Capture the moment – Make sure the capture Thanksgiving moments with pictures or video.. That is – as long as it is not in middle of dinner (cellphones at the table = not a good idea).

 

6.  Be Creative – if sitting together for a family dinner is not a good fit – find another way to celebrate thanksgiving. If your kids like to move, either engage in outdoor sports or find an indoor sports facility that is open. Who says you can’t celebrate thanksgiving with your family jumping together in a Trampoline facility.

**Beth added – Or if it is on a sofa together watching the Thanksgiving sports games – so be it! But she and her boys are big Baseball fans (SF Giants rock), so she wishes there were baseball games to watch Thanksgiving weekend!

 

7.  For those still dealing with Hurricane Sandy – just being together with friends or family should be the goal.

 

8.  For those that have holiday anxiety – remember it is just one night. Live in the moment – they go by fast!

 

9.  Get you activity stations ready! Have games, crafts or activities ready the day before, so you can redirect rambunctious kids to keep busy. Yelling and screaming for them to get out of you way all day, isn’t an ideal holiday and you look ridiculous in front of everyone!

 

10.   If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it. If your mother in law makes gravy that tastes like leather, just “Smile and wave.”

 

Please share your Thanksgiving stories and tips!

 

Here is the video from our show!

 

Special thanks to Kim Tracey Prince and Jacqueline Cromwell for joining in our Google + Hangout.

 

 

 

Beth Blecherman just published her book “My Parent Plan” about project planning for families. She will be adding these tips to hers section on planning for Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

Book Is Out: My Parent Plan – How to Create a Family Project Plan

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**New version of My Parent Plan coming out May 30 2013 while I will be at the Book Expo of America in New York City. Please check back May 30 for info on the UPDATED VERSION!

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While I’m known today as “TechMama“, discussing family technology across social media platforms, I started my career (before kids and blogging) in Corporate Finance, Computer Auditing, Computer Programming and then Technical Project Management at a top consulting firm. After marrying TechDad and having my first child, I quickly realized that while I had mastered the art of managing technology projects, managing a family was the toughest – yet best – challenge of all.

 

Four years later, my son was joined by twin brothers. Years of parental trial and error mixed with sleep deprivation brought the realization that when I applied professional project planning concepts to parenting – the process worked. While there are always surprises with parenting, using professional project planning concepts helped me lay out a path I could use to understand my family’s needs in advance and create a flexible plan.

 

My family plan helped keep the family on track and, just as important, helped me, the mama, enjoy motherhood without getting too bogged down in the logistics. For example, instead of just buying the coolest or latest technology gadget, I first documented what features our family needed and how the technology would be used – then purchased the technology that fit with our needs and budget. This helped me make educated buying decisions that would benefit the boys instead of spontaneous purchases that would not hold up over the long haul.

 

Through my experiences, I hope to help parents and families create their own parent plan based on their individual family’s needs and personalities. My book, called “My Parent Plan” , will help you learn to apply project management concepts for parenting, the toughest but best project you will ever have!

 

At the end of my book I have a link to the growing “My Parent Plan” online resources section.  I will also be reaching out to my community (yes, that is you) to address your questions, share your family project planning tips and generate the online knowledge and support to complement your own IRL (In Real Life) support system.

 

 

My Parent Plan by Beth Blecherman is available now (soft cover) on Amazon. The Kindle and updated version will be out by May 2013 when I will be the the NYC Book Fair.  Do you have any parent “project plan” tips or challenges to share? What online sites do you use as resources for information? Please share so I can add them to the online resource section I am developing.

 

*Big Thanks to Alicia Dunams – Best Seller In A Weekend (the program that helped me make a plan to create this book). That is a plan and process that works!

 

 

 

Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) – Easy Cooking Gadget for The Kitchen

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I enjoy reading all the food blogs, especially Citymama who shares her yummy recipes and  Stephanie Odea who blogs about crock pot cooking. Recently we signed for organic fruit and vegetable delivery and started getting the kids involved with cooking. Luckily I love organizing the list and shopping while my husband likes leading my boys in family cooking sessions. One of my 9 year old twin boys has also declared he wants to be a cook when he grows up!

 

This morning my husband and 9 year old son made a crock pot lasagna that is slowly cooking away (making the house smell great) and waiting for it’s last coat of cheese.  When I posted a picture on Facebook of my 9 year old son preparing the lasagna this morning, one of my friends asked for the recipe. Because we used a really old slow cooker recipe book, I decided to find one online that is similar to the recipe we used. Stephanie O’Dea of “A Year Of Slow Cooking” has a recipe for super easy crock post lasagna that we will try next time. We like to cook vegetarian lasagna to mix in non-meat meals into our dinner schedule, using all types of vegetables including eggplant, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini and more.

 

Slow Cookers ( or Crock Pots as many call them) is a great cooking gadget that provides a simple way to get a hot meal on the table for busy families. The main benefit of a slow cooker/crock pot is the ability to throw in all the ingredients and then have it cook on it’s own without monitoring it. Some crock pots have features such as removable inserts, handles for carrying to pot lucks, timer to set a specific time to cook and a setting that turns the dish to warm after it is finished cooking.

 

My new slow cooker challenge will be to find one we can brown meat in – which will enable our famous Brisket recipe to be prepared fully in the crock pot instead of using a saute pan first to brown. During my research for a new slow cooker that browns meat in the same container,  I found information on Breville Slow Cooker with EasySeal that has a removable non-stick coated cast aluminum stove top insert. But I did not see any timer features (other then the low, high and auto) which I like to use to set to a specific time to cook.

 

Does anyone have any slow cooker recipes to share? Or does anyone have a recommendation for a slow cooker that also browns meat?

 

Camp Galileo Innovation Approach

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In my last post I discussed that I am excited my kids are going to Camp Galileo again this summer  – or as I call it “Edufun”. My kids always have fun at the Camp Galileo, and as a parent there are many things I like about the camp. One is the Galileo Innovation Approach that has a mission  “to develop innovators who envision and create a better world” and “teach campers to think, explore and create in new ways“.

 

 

As an entrepreneur I see how important it is to be able to think in “innovative” ways. Camp Galileo exposes kids to innovation in a fun way that enables them to express their own creativity. The camp also helps kids learn the innovation process: “Identify the goal, generate ideas, design, create – then test, evaluate and redesign if needed“. The last step at Camp Galileo Innovation Approach is “to share”. My kids always enjoyed sharing their creations with their fellow camp mates, and of course they had to share their creations with their family as well when they came home. The process was not only fun for my kids but also helped them learn the innovation process.

 

Funny enough, I used a similar process during business application development projects at the consulting firm I worked at for years. That is also a process I have seen used by entrepreneurs for creating new businesses.  I am thrilled my kids get to experience the Galileo Innovation Approach in a fun camp environment when they are elementary school age. Who knows what innovations it will lead to throughout the years for them? I can’t wait to see!

 

Disclosure: I am participating in a mom blogger program and will be receiving a complementary week at Camp Galileo. I have been a customer of Camp Galileo for years before this program – my words are my own.

 

Heading to Family Fun With The Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship

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Tomorrow I am heading to Florida to join in the fun on the newest Disney cruise ship called Disney Fantasy. This is a media trip for me (and other media) to find out details about the ship to pass on to my readers.  I am braving the trip with my twin 9 year old sons (hubby and my tween are staying home). I consider myself a savvy traveler after traveling the world for business – but traveling with kids is something completely different. Honestly – traveling with kids simply makes me nervous. Which is why I love going on Disney adventures that are not only made for families and put also put nervous mother’s like myself at ease.

 

 

So check back next week where I will share my adventures and all the family fun the Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship has to offer!

 

Disclosure: My travel expenses for this media trip are covered by Disney. This is not a paid post, my words are my own.

 

Camp Galileo – EduFun (Educational and Fun Summer Camp!)

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Every summer, our family searches for a way to keep my 9 year old twin boys busy, in both body and brain. Like many kids, they thrive in a supportive and structured environment that encourages both sweating and thinking. We try to mix up their summer with sports camps, vacations and what we call “education-fun” camps that are fun and include learning concepts. I’m very happy to be sending them back to Camp Galileo after school is over, confident that they will have a good time, get some exercise, be creative, make friends, have serious fun, and learn a few things along the way. Camp Galileo, for Pre-K through 5th grade and Galileo Summer Quest, for 5th – 8th graders, has 30 locations around the San Francisco  Bay Area.

 

 

The camp consists of four primary “themes” this summer with thoughtful curriculum for each “theme” planned along the three vectors of Art, Science and Outdoors. The curriculum is customized within age groups from Kindergarten through eighth grade and seems to be have lots of thought put behind it. As a mom, I appreciate that Galileo has an approach focused on developing innovators, collaboration and creativity – all important skills for kids to help them develop into innovators as adults.

 

 

The four themes for this summer are “Leonardo’s Apprentice”, “ Create the Golden Gate”, “Galileo Olympics” and “Galileo Rocks”, each with its own innovative activities. In “Leonardo’s Apprentice”, campers are inventors in the time of the Renaissance, bringing alive the time of Leonardi DiVinci through frescos or a cloud-filled dome ceiling. The science of this time is realized by studying the science of compression forces or gears and pulleys. Compliment these brain and expressive exercises with some outdoor exercise like maypole games or juggling and fencing and the week is complete.

 

 

The other three themes are similarly balanced between artistic expression, science associated with the theme, and physical activity to keep the kids moving, excited, stimulated and social. My kids are looking forward to seeing a few friends, exercising the different parts of their brain and having a ton of fun along the way. Every year they build some exciting new project, so I can’t wait to see what they do this summer!

 

 

5th to 8th grades can attend Camp Galileo Summer Quest which has subjects such as  Arts Academy ( Digital Photography, Digital Filmmaking, Cartoon Workshop, Painter’s Studio and Fashion Design ), The Builders and Makers (Inventor’s Inc., Go-Kart Makers and Go-Kart Makers Extreme),  Culinary Arts (Chefology: 30-Minute Meals, Chefology: Just Desserts) and High Technology (Video Game Design Foundations, Video Game Design,  Advanced Web Design, Lego Robotics).  When my twins boys are in 5th grade, I would like to send them to Chefology class. Who knows, there may be hope in the future for me getting help from my three boys with cooking dinner!

 

Disclosure: I am participating in a mom blogger program and will be receiving a complementary week at Camp Galileo. I have been a customer of Camp Galileo for years before this program – my words are my own.