Securing Housing

Moving out of the house and into your own place is exciting and a little nerve-wracking. The new freedom is exciting but living on your own can also be intimidating. There’s a lot of things to consider when looking into where to live: location, price, private or shared room, amenities, and even the social atmosphere. 

As a freshman, it’s a good idea to consider student housing. There’s always the option of just renting a traditional apartment, but student housing is convenient and sensible while in college. When renting an apartment, the lease won’t necessarily begin at the beginning of the school year. Student housing is more likely to become available at the right time. If you want a more social college experience, student housing will be full of students your age. Apartments could be filled with people that are a range of different ages.

Choosing Roommates

College is the perfect time to break out and form new relationships, but that doesn’t mean you have to drop all of your old childhood friends. It can be nice to room with old friends – just be careful to establish some expectations on how you live. Try to find roommates who have similar lifestyles as you. Do you both want to throw parties all the time? Are you both morning people? How clean do you like to keep your apartment? These are important conversations to have with your friends before deciding if you can room together.

Picking Classes

Choosing College Classes: Important Tips For Incoming Freshmen

Freshman year most of your classes will be generals. Use your university catalog to find what classes you need to take. Unlike in high school, there will be hundreds of classes to choose from. Choose a class load that will be challenging and fun. You are going to college to learn, so don’t just take all the fun recreational classes. But also remember that college is about experiencing new things so if you want to go ahead and try out that scuba diving class.

Selecting Professors

Choosing Your Professors and Keeping Those Ties

Professors can make or break your class experience. Talk with people who have taken your classes and ask which professors they had. Use websites like ratemyprofessors.com to see what people have to say about your professors. You won’t find the perfect professor for every class, but you probably can find a professor that is a fair grader and engaging to listen to.

Buying Textbooks

Textbooks are expensive. Probably more expensive than you expect. Honestly, there’s no need to go and buy a brand new textbook for each of your classes – especially while you are taking generals. Look for used and less expensive textbooks at your university’s bookstore. Compare your university bookstore’s prices with prices on Amazon or other websites that sell textbooks. Many universities even have Facebook pages dedicated to buying and selling textbooks. Look around before you buy that brand new textbook you only need for one semester.

Freshman year is an exciting time and you’re bound to make a lot of fun memories. Just remember to sort out some of the logistics, like housing and professors, before you get to campus this fall.

The post Preparing for Your Freshman Year appeared first on InstantELLA.

Starting college is like starting a new adventure, one that will only change your life for the better.

Now it might seem intimidating to have to start at the bottom of the totem pole again, but college is a totally different story, and being a freshman comes with its own perks.

Going to College? No?

Freshman year of college is full of amazing opportunities to figure out your passions, make new friends, and have so much fun.

Here are seven other awesome things about being a college freshman that will have you packing your bags and ready to leave tomorrow.

Great social opportunities

4 Reasons Why College Is Going to Be the Best Time of Your Life

From clubs to sports to just your normal classes, college is full of a ton of opportunities to meet new people and make lifelong friends.

Even your college freshman housing can be a way to make a new connection because most of the time you will be set up with a roommate that’s most likely someone you’ve never met before.

A chance to try new things

7 Tips To Help You Succeed In College

Being on your own means that you have to make your own decisions, which also means an opportunity to try things you have never tried before.

There will likely be so many different people from so many different places all with different upbringings and lives different from your own. Not to mention the fact that you will probably be living in a new city, perhaps even in a different state, which can also expose you to new things to try.

The place to find your passion

The Best College for the Best You

High school was about doing the things you need to do to get to college, whereas college is where you learn to find your passion.

You can take all kinds of different classes to find out what really moves you and what you could see yourself doing for the rest of your life.

Time to learn life skills

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Laundry? Clean room? Prepare dinner? Those are all things that you are in charge of doing for yourself now, which can be overwhelming sometimes, but it’s just a few of the life skills you learn going to college.

But it can also be fun, and even in your college freshman housing you can band together with all the other freshman and make doing all your adulting into a fun game or a time to spend together bonding over this new experience.

To learn to live on your own

5 Qualities of Great Student Apartments

Along with life skills, college is the place to learn to live on your own without relying on your parents or even people you grew up with.

Self-reliance is so important, especially in the years after college and on into adulthood.

How to be disciplined

How to Combine Working and Studying While You Are in College?

Between class, work, social life and everything else going on, learning to juggle it all might be difficult at first. But over time you will find out that one of the awesome things about college is that you learn to be more disciplined and make it all work in your favor.

It may not be easy, but it will be worth it and something you will be always grateful for.

Finally, to have some fun

And last but certainly not least, one of the most awesome and greatest parts about college is all the fun you will have at college!

Although there are a lot of serious, adult-type benefits, one of the best is that you are free to have so much fun in your new experiences in this new place and while learning so many new things about yourself.

The post 7 Awesome Things about Being a College Freshman appeared first on InstantELLA.

An apartment should be a home; a place where you can escape the world. It should be a place of safety and comfort. Many student living apartments provide an experience that is wonderful, others not so much.

What makes the difference. I would say it is what the apartment owners do to make it feel like home, and to show you that you matter. There are many ways this could be done, but here are a couple of my thoughts from my experience.

Updates/Improvements

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No apartment is perfect. Everyone should understand that. Most students are also okay with the fact that their apartments are not going to be the nicest or fanciest out there. That doesn’t stop students from wanting a nice, clean place to live.

A good tenant will look for ways to update or improve their apartments, whether it is replacing furniture, renovating the apartment, getting wifi for apartment, or simply adding homey elements like lamps and coffee tables.

This shows that the apartment owners care about your experience. Apartments that are willing to do this for their tenants usually can be trusted to go the extra mile and treat you right

Maintenance

Does your apartment take 700 business days to respond to the request to fix your sink? The fulfillment of maintenance requests is seemingly one of the biggest complaints I have ever seen from apartment tenants.

It makes sense. No one asked for a brand-new, five-star place to live in. We pay rent to stay in an apartment, and if something breaks it should get promptly fixed.

When I was living in student apartments I never waited longer than a few days to have something fixed or replaced. It made me feel cared for, and I knew that the management was going to do their best to take care of their tenants. It felt very much like home.

Tenant Appreciation

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Some apartments will do little things to show that they appreciate you living there. Sometimes they through parties, do raffles, or host a movie night.

Not many apartments do things like that. Nor would you go into an apartment expecting them to. The fact is you pay rent and they provide a place for you to live. That is all that is required, but for an apartment complex to go above and beyond like that really makes them more appealing to students.

Free Stuff

The average college student had no money. Everyone is poor and just trying to get by. One of the best things an apartment can do is offer things to you for free. The word free will get a student’s attention faster that just about anything.

Laundry is a perfect example. First of all, the thought of paying for the privilege of wearing clean clothes is a little ridiculous. I understand that utilities are being used but still, come on. The best apartments offer free services like laundry, or if you have the best of apartments, parking. Some places “calculate it into the cost” of rent, and some don’t charge at all. A huge thing to consider when looking for housing.

Amenities

In the apartment amenity arms race, service and technology win out

Amenities are king. Grills, pools, lounges, weight rooms, study rooms, and theater rooms are all examples of great amenities.

Amenities are just nice. They show that the apartment was willing to spare no expense in making the living experience a great one. They are also convenient because you don’t have to leave the apartment to workout, soak in the hot tub, or host a party or game night.

I was recently impressed to see something I consider to put apartments in the top tier. Not only do they provide amenities, but also put in effort to ensure they are up to par.

American Avenue Apartments in Rexburg, Idaho did some updates to their lounge areas, improving the student experience. Think about it, they provided a common area that they weren’t required to, and not only maintained it, but updated it to make for an even better living experience. Hats off to them.

Conclusion

Apartments are a big deal. They will be the pace you call home through the formative and challenging years of school, and likely for a while after. Find a good one, an apartment that cares about you and your experience. Just because you are a student, doesn’t mean you have to settle.

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The wonderful thing about teachers, though, is that they love what they are doing. They try to support the kids that come into their classrooms, and they are usually doing their best to provide the best possible learning environment for each of their students.

Here are a few things that parents of preschool and grade-school age children can do to help your kids’ teachers.

Donate Books

25 doable ways to volunteer at your kid’s school

Teachers love to have books available for their students to read during their downtime. A great way to support your child’s teacher is to give her a few books. These could be books that your children no longer like or even stories that you picked up at a garage sale. However you come by the books, the teacher will be grateful to add them to their meager supply.

Purchase School Supplies

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Most parents roll their eyes when they see the school supplies list. They think that it isn’t fair that they have to buy hand sanitizer and tissue for the classroom. This may come as a surprise to those parents, but your child will probably need tissue and hand sanitizer sometime during the semester. If you don’t buy it then the teacher will have to and chances are your student will still use those things.

One way to make those supply lists more useful is to include items that help students learn more efficiently and cut down on waste. For example, a pen that can be erased cleanly lets kids fix mistakes without messy crossings-out or extra paper. Many parents and teachers have found practical value in the Pilot FriXion erasable pen, which comes in pens, highlighters and stamps and erases neatly for neater homework. Tucking a couple of these into a pencil case can save time and help students turn in cleaner work more confidently.

Be Involved In the Classroom

Why I Volunteered in My Kid’s Classroom and You Should Too

Teachers are always looking for volunteers to come into the classroom and help with activities. Whether it is dressing up as a witch and serving the children “snot-stew” (based on the children’s book Snot Stew) around Halloween, or being the chaperone on a field trip, the teacher will be grateful for any help you’re willing to provide.

Attending School Board Meetings

Three Reasons Why You Should Attend Your Next School Board Meeting

If you are able to help on a more managerial level, try to make it to the next school board meeting. This is where all of the big decisions are made, and your extra voice could be the difference between a band competition and new parking spots for seniors.

Volunteer

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There are lots of ways to volunteer besides in the classroom. You could be part of the parent music committee and help with the band and choir. You could be a coach on the speech and debate team. By doing these sorts of these you help make possible what the teachers are trying to do for your kids.

If you’ve read through this list and none of these suggestions seem like things you could do, then talk with your kid’s teacher. They will be thrilled that you are willing to lend a hand and, most likely, they will be more than happy to find somewhere for you to help.

The post How to Support Your Child’s Teacher appeared first on InstantELLA.

High school is done and as you reflect back you probably think of all the fun times you had with your friends, all the football games and activities you went to, the dances, and just all your teachers and classes.

For some these are very fond memories, maybe some of the best so far, and for others, let’s just say they were very excited and eager to leave those years behind.

The Best College for the Best You

Whatever feelings you had about high school the good news is that for pretty much everyone, starting college and the things you will see and do will trump anything you experienced in high school. You will make some of the best memories of your life.

Here are four reasons why college is going to be the best time of your life and a time to grow and change into the best version of yourself.

You get to leave home

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For some, this may sound scary and overwhelming and it definitely might be at first, but you will find over time that leaving home is probably the best thing you ever did to let yourself grow and to become the independent person you always wanted to be.

Whether it’s a couple hours away or clear across the country, leaving home is one of the big steps of the college experience but one that teaches you self-reliance and how to make your own choices based on what you want and not anyone else like your parents, teachers, or siblings.

You get to live on your own

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Part of leaving home means you get to live on your own whether that means a dorm room or an apartment.

But the good news is that you usually aren’t completely alone and have roommates and friends around to keep you company.

And the best thing about living in a dorm or student apartments is that you can make the place your own and make it comfortable and do fun things like game nights, all-night study sessions, or movie nights with your friends.

You can choose what you want to learn

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Remember all those boring or super hard classes in high school that you had to take?

Well, the great thing about college is although there will be some general education classes that you will be required to take the rest will all be classes that you get to choose, including the major you want to eventually focus on.

Fun Things To Do For College Students this Fall

That means if you’ve always wanted to learn about art history, or anatomy, or sociology you can! And if you have no idea what you want to study you can take a bunch of random classes and find something you like.

You can even take fun classes like guitar, dance, or slam poetry; basically whatever sounds good to you.

You can find your tribe

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One of the best parts of college is that you are now in a place with thousands of intelligent people who are around your age and many of them interested in a lot of the things you are. Whether it’s bonding over a shared love for doom pedals in a music club, attending poetry readings and writing, joining the dance club and enjoying dancing the night away at campus events or immersing yourself in the theater scene, there’s a group for every passion. Dive in, and you’ll soon realize that your tribe is just waiting to be found.

Most colleges have so many groups and organizations that you can be a part of that help you to find out more about yourself as well as connect with like-minded people.

And a lot of these people will turn into some of your best, lifelong friends.

The post 4 Reasons Why College Is Going to Be the Best Time of Your Life appeared first on InstantELLA.

It may seem like yesterday you were taking them home from the hospital, but the reality is that the tomorrow of taking them on their first day of preschool education in Montgomeryville, PA, or wherever in the world you may be, is fast approaching.

Part of your anxiety may stem from thinking about your baby leaving you for the first time, but probably another big part of that anxious feeling stems from the fact that you are not sure if you have done everything you can to prepare them properly.

Whether it is a year, a few months, or a week away there are actual several easy ways that you can begin to prepare your little one for that next big step – heading to preschool. It may seem overwhelming, but getting your little guy or girl ready for school is a lot easier than you think.

Here are six of things that you can do from home that will leave both you and your child pretty confident when it comes time for the first day of school.

Read books about school

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Books are a great way to introduce a topic to a child and to help them learn about it in a gradual and non-overwhelming way.

There are plenty of books out there most likely featuring characters your child is familiar with and showing them on their first day of school or going to school.

Read and discuss regularly with your child the characters in the books who are going to school and how they will go to school and likely do the same things your child will do. This will get them excited for when their time comes and help it seem a lot less intimidating.

Teach them to be independent

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Teaching your child little tasks each day to make them feel more independent will be a great way to help them prepare for a school where they will be doing a lot more independent tasks.

Ask them to help you to do little tasks throughout the day, and as time goes on make those tasks a little bigger and a little bit more difficult.

Let them figure it out on their own at first, then take the time to teach them how to do it, and then stand back and let them complete it.

Adjust your routine

If you know which preschool your child is going to go to, find out their schedule. And if you can, learn how their day-to-day is run and match your at-home schedule to it.

Adjusting your daily schedule to match theirs will help your child to adjust easier once school time runs around, such as getting up earlier than they normally do, taking a nap at a different time, and eating their meals at certain times.

Talk to them

Ways to Bring Your Family Closer Together

One of the best things to do with your little one is to be open and honest and allow them to express their feelings about going to school and being without you most of the day.

Talk about how you will have to leave them, but that they will have their teachers and friends there with them so they won’t feel alone or won’t have someone to help them.

If they are nervous or scared let them express it or be observant and watch for abnormal behaviors that could have to do with their anxiety and try to help them with it to the best of your ability.

Buy school supplies

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A fun way for you and your child to prepare for school is to go out together and gather the supplies they will need for a school, such as a backpack, Branded Notebooks, pencils, and paper.

Let them pick out what they want and help them to know what they will be using it for.

Show them how they will pack everything and how they can write their name on it so they will know which is theirs versus their friends.

Find the place that fits both of your needs

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This step is as much to prepare you as it is your child but look for a place that fits both your needs and the needs of your little one.

If you work for example and need both a daycare and a preschool, look up places such as loloschildcare.com which is both a quality preschool and daycare. Or if you want one that is just a preschool, drive around or look online for one that fits that criteria in your area.

Ask around and see what friends with your kid’s same age are doing and discuss possibly sending your kids to the same school.

The post 6 Easy Ways to Prepare Your Toddler for Preschool appeared first on InstantELLA.

Seeking help or personal improvement?

Has Technology Made Student – Life Easier? It’s Time To Find Out!

In as much as students always hope for the best grades and in which case, qualify for admission to higher levels of learning, writing end term papers has been quite an impediment among those whose skills fall below par. Apart from seeking help from third parties, it should also be understood that there is room for improvement for the poor writer who hardly gets any good grades.  This can be achieved in a number of ways. It is either one embarks of rigorous training if he or she wants to make improvements or look for someone who can adequately answer to a question of who can help me do my math homework perfectly.

Mobile Applications Make Parents’ Life Easier

This post focuses on top hacks that will make a difference in one’s approach to literary composition and consequently beget better grades. Note that the tips discussed hereafter are time tested and also full proofed by experts.

Mind Topic and Thesis

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To write a great academic research paper, essay or thesis, one of the things that every student must factor in is the need for a strong, original and relevant topic. While a good number of students always find it challenging to come up with the best, one thing that is for sure is that this can be approached in many different and productive ways.

Rely on Experts to Help You Express Yourself

For instance, group discussions, research on topic prompts and brainstorming have never disappointed.  This is one bit that custom research paper writers always take into serious consideration in order to meet students’ expectations.

Own Voice To Reach The Audience

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Originality is an important aspect in academic paper writing. It is all about being unique in the sound and feels readers get from a piece of composition.  This is all about translating own voice unto a piece of writing to enrich readers with new style and knowledge.

Cut & Proofread

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One of the mistakes students make when it comes to writing term papers is handing in their papers without going through them to identify mistakes and make necessary corrections. In fact, failing to check on this has been a reason why marks are deducted on a piece of composition.  There are many word processing tools and programs that can help with grammar check. Take care not to use those which at worst, do article spinning even when hiring assignment help online.

No Experience Needed: How To Get Any Job With No Experience

In concluding, there shouldn’t be a reason why students out to complain all the time whenever writing tasks are assigned. With so many experts tips published on the blogosphere and including practises that one can make a habit, it is only a matter of days before one becomes a top-notch essayist.

The post Three Hacks To Writing A Term Paper appeared first on InstantELLA.

Don’t be overwhelmed just yet. If you play your cards right, summer vacations can be a time of fun, learning and rediscovery of your own youth! Here’s how you do it.

Create a Routine

It does not end with planning a drive down to the beach or renting the perfect beach-house getaway. I’d recommend chalking out a schedule, planner or routine of activities even before summer starts. That way you will not only be prepared on day #1 but you would have been able to pre-register and save a spot for all those outdoor summer activities as well, you know what they say about the early bird. Obviously, having a plan would also ensure you’re making the best use of time and opportunities during this vacation.

A quick tip on planning the summer for your kids – include a mix of activities because children get bored easy and love variety. While a large part of summer is about the kids, it’s not all about them. Remember that you need to be relaxed and having fun too. Don’t cram your calendar with activities 24/7. Not only will that burn you out (and may burn out the kids too) but it leaves no room for re-adjustment or tweaking, and that’s no fun! Lol. Take on only as much as you’ll logically be able to handle and save room for downtime.

Having said that here are a couple of activities you and your kids can include in your summer routine.

Interactive Learning

Summer is all about Fun and so is Interactive Learning.  It involves a PC, tablet or other devices, interactive software, immediate answers to queries, virtual rewards and badges/ titles for performance and even online competitions. Sound like a video-game? Yes, because it pretty much is and that is exactly why kids find it so much fun. Except they’re learning along the way too.

American educational technology companies like IXL, through their online tools and website, offer students a chance to practice educational material. Often affiliated and recommended by the Public-School System, they provide students an engaging yet focused environment in which to excel. Sign-ups are free, through the affiliated school and students like my kids can use them throughout the year. Hint: even during summer

Registering your kid(s) at the Local Library’s online Summer Reading Programme is another great example of interactive learning. These programmes include several other exciting activities that go along with reading. My kids, for example read “The giving Tree” and then completed the lesson by planting a sapling in our backyard. They also enjoyed building their original Legos after reading a book on Lego design; and made their own tin can- robots after attending a book reading at the library which focused on robots and machines. Find IT Virginia and similar free online resources provide opportunities for e-reading and learning.

The possibilities are truly endless and I would have killed to have these opportunities growing up, but am happy my kids have them now. Better late than never.

The great outdoors

Physical activity is as important as mental health. My husband and I start our day with a jog around the neighborhood, while the kids do 2 laps each on their bicycles. It doesn’t matter who beats who to the house first, but we all return awake, alive and hungry. Whoever gets home first kills time playing some good old-fashioned basketball outside.

We take it easier on the weekends and substitute the jogs and bike rides for a day of mini-golf, bowling or the park.

And while a trip to the beach is a must, if you’re looking for local activities, Facebook Events  and Groupon Coupons could be a good place to start. Explore local events and workshops , take the kids to the amusement and water parks or the local fare, state-parks and museums, buy putt-putt, laser-tag, roller-skating and arcade game coupons for the family on Groupon at a discounted rate. Save some money, Explore, and thou shall find!

And don’t forget, your own backyard can be an ideal place to spend some time – if you’ve got a pool, make sure you search for a pool service near me to keep it clean and hygienic, but even without a pool, your own outdoor space can be a fantastic place for some truly wonderful adventures. 

Help Around the House

With great fun comes serious responsibility. If you haven’t already, take this time to teach the kids the nuances of laundry, doing the dishes, helping fix a meal and generally cleaning up after themselves.  It will go a long way in teaching them responsibility and preparing them for success as adults. Initially, I used to get a lot of pushback from my kids. It started with the “do we have to?”  but after gentle persuasion it’s slowly shifting to “can I help?”. Why surely, you can!!

Get a Pet

Now’s as good a time as any to get a pet for your kids to play with. My kids brought home 2 hermit crabs – Hermie and Sebastian – from the beach this summer. They had been after us for a while to get them a dog or cat. Since these cute little crabs are low maintenance, we figured it would be a good compromise. The bonus is the kids learn a little responsibility. They have researched how to take care of the hermit crabs and decorated the crab tank on their own with minimum supervision from us adults. Who knows, if the crabs survive a couple years, they might earn their puppy or kitten one day.

Indoor Fun

Ever heard the phrases “What do I do now?” or “I’m bored” from your kid(s), implying that you as the adult, are automatically supposed to come up with a solution to fix the ‘boredom’? Not anymore. This year I invested in arts & crafts, board-games, books, Legos and DIY projects to keep the kids engaged and entertained all summer long.

Some of the more interesting games that both kids and adults can play include, Connect Four, Jenga, UNO, Scrabble, and Monopoly. These never get old. Lego building is another activity that the boys and my husband enjoy and have organized several competitions around them.

We have family game nights where in addition to playing board games we all descend into the basement for a game of Pool or tag team Video Gaming. Other nights we chill over Netflix. Choosing Trilogies and other movie series like Aliens, The Godfather or Star Wars may work well during the summers when you can watch the series back to back and the kids don’t have school the next day.

Execute the Routine

Having created a schedule, it’s important to execute. The easiest way to do this is working as a team. After drafting the schedule, my husband and I discussed it with the kids to get their feedback and buy-in. Once everyone agreed, I had the kids replicate the schedule on a calendar in their room. Now they too share responsibility in keeping track of daily and weekly activities.

While some kids can be stubborn or rebellious, I honestly believe that all kids want structure and do well when given clear directions. Creating and executing a daily routine during the summers help build structure and discipline into the day. The kids have fun, parents can manage their time better and it’s a win-win all around. You know you’ve hit the nail on the mark when reminders and instructions become fewer and smiles and laughter greater!

Remember to have Fun!!

Summer comes along once a year and so it’s important to remember to have fun, irrespective of the activity on the routine. The routine is just a guideline meant to organize the day, not to limit fun. The routine should be flexible. If at some point activities need to be rescheduled, removed or added to the plan, go ahead and make alterations to the routine. As long as everyone is on-board and having fun, you’ll be fine.

It’s been just a few weeks of summer for my kids. Not only have I survived, but I must admit I’m actually looking forward to the weeks ahead. My secret lies in creating a balanced routine that includes having all out fun while learning, growing, being creative and unlocking hidden talents together!

The post Beach More, Worry Less : Smart Tips & Activities To Keep Kids Engaged This Summer appeared first on InstantELLA.