5 Summer Must-Haves for the Multiracial Family

Summer is in full swing here, and if you're like me, you know it's going to be three months of both fun and sibling bickering and boredom and chaos.  That's summer for ya.   

If you're part of a multiracial family like I am, you need to know about these fabulous products to help make your summer a little more sweet and sane.

  
Sun Protection

Yes, people with more melanin in their skin can get sunburns and can get skin cancer and can also face issues from sun damage including discoloration.  Yet vitamin D deficiency can have major health consequences; this stems from too much indoor time and too much sun protection.  So what is a parent to do? 

We wear sunscreen during peak sun hours, but generally speaking, we aren't out swimming during those hours.  Our swim time is usually in the later afternoon after the baby's nap.  

Which sunscreen is best for kids of color?  

You don't want unhealthy ingredients, nor do you want it to bleach your child's skin.  We use this sunscreen because it comes in a spray bottle (easy to target areas), it's reasonably priced, and it's considered safe and healthy (non-toxic).  It also has a barely-there scent.  

And don't forget to protect hair from the sun and pool chemicals, too.  I recommend putting a sleep cap over your child's hair, followed by this "long hair" swim cap that's perfect for braids, dreads, etc.

Art Supplies

We love to have lots of art supplies on hand for those hot, sunny days or hot, rainy days when going outside is unbearable or not possible.  But you want your art supplies to reflect your kids!   I recommend this skin-tone paper (for portraits), these markers, and these crayons.  There's even paint options!   

Of course, you'll also want scissors, stickers, coloring books, stencils, etc. on hand-as well:  these are great items to get at your local dollar store.  I also love to cover the table with paper so everyone can work together to create a mural.  We also go on nature walks, gather up natural materials (flowers, rocks, pinecones, etc.) and these as stamps into paint.  The kids LOVE this activity! 

I'm a big fan of sensory play, but on scorching hot or rainy days, you might be stuck indoors.  This is a great opportunity to create and play in a rice bin.  (My kids, ages 1-9, all love rice bins!)

Personal Product Bags

If you're like us, you're taking your kids to various activities and camps throughout the summer.  If your kiddo is spending the day elsewhere, consider making them a personal product bag to carry with them.  This may include lip balm, mini-deodorant (we buy Native, Schmidt's, or Jason's), mints, first aid gel and moisturizer, etc.  Teach your child to check their skin and lips and address as-needed. Of course, throwing in a few Tru Colour bandages that match his or her skin tone isn't a bad idea, either! 

Popsicle Molds

Children of color have a 50% chance of developing type 2 diabetes in their lifetime, so encouraging active play and healthy eating is crucial since type 2 diabetes is primarily a lifestyle-based disease.

Buying healthy popsicles (not the artificial-dye and sugar-filled ones) is really expensive, so we DIY by using these popsicle molds. (Since we have a big family, we own three mold sets!)  We buy a variety of fruits and let the kids create their own flavor combinations.  For the liquid, we usually just use plain water or Trader Joe's low sugar lemonade (sweetened with Stevia) mixed with water.  

Great popsicle recipes for kids and adults (including boozy popsicles) can be found here and here.  

Educational Fun

We do some homeschooling in the summer.  For example, this summer my five-year-old son will continue to learn how to read while my nine-year-old is focusing on honing her math skills.  

I love choosing educational fun where my kids are represented.  A few suggestions include the ABC Me (Black History) Flashcards, Eeboo's I'll Never Forget a Face matching game, books like Little Leaders:  Bold Women in Black History and What Color Is My World?.

If you're feeling creative, generate some lessons/activities with your kids.  For example, teach them about the man who invented the super soaker, and then hand out water guns for some outdoor fun.

Don't forget to take education outside of your home:  concerts, museum exhibits, festivals, library story hours, etc. 

What are your summer plans?  What products does your family love?

Dear Sugar: 5 Ways to Prepare Little Ones for Back-to-School (Diverse Resources Included)

Dear Sugar:

It's that time of year.  School supply aisles are packed with moms acting like it's Black Friday. They've got their venti iced coffee in one hand, a mile-long list in the other, while they push the cart with their midsection.  Their eyes?  Bloodshot.  This is serious.

Back-to-school is a time many of us moms have a love-hate relationship with.  We get all soft, feeling sad that our "babies" are going to be getting on buses and spending their days with someone who is not us.  On the other hand, the sibling wars, the "sharking" (yep, that's a verb) around the pantry for snack #26 of the day (and it's only 10:15 a.m.), and heat waves---we are just DONE.  OVER IT.

Going back to school can be especially hard on younger kids.  An abrupt and extreme change in their routine, meeting a stranger who is now the authority (teacher), making new friends (hopefully), and all the transitions (bus, classroom, cafeteria, gym) can be overwhelming and exhausting.

And it's hard on us mamas, too.  My kids all start school at the same time (this year at THREE different schools), but they arrive home at different times.   And then there's the after school meltdown...which I really do not want to even think about right now, so let's move on.

This isn't my first rodeo, so here are my tried-and-true tips to help you and your littles ease back into the school year:

1:  Get diverse toys and books.

Two weeks before school starts, I gather up books from our home library to read to the kids.  This helps them get into the school-year mindset.   Each of these feature diverse characters, reflective of my children's schools.   (Click on the book image to learn more.)



2:  Play school.

Oh my goodness, do kids love to "play school."  Take turns being the teacher, do workbooks and art projects, and just have fun.  You can also pull out toys, such as the Melissa and Doug or Little People school bus sets.  We also love the eeBoo Create a Story cards:  the back-to-school version.



3:  Get the gear.

Shop for a first day of school shirt (online; because no one is going to the store right now).  Buy new lunch boxes.  (We do NOT buy new backpacks every year---too expensive!  But we do get one new piece of "gear" each year.)  This year Pottery Barn Kids is offering some diverse character school gear products (yeah!) that we're loving such as the ballerina lunch box, mermaid lunch box, Peanuts lunch box, and the Disney princess lunch box (Tiana included!).

4:  Create a countdown calendar.

Create a calendar two weeks before school starts.  Have the kids alternate putting stickers on the days as they pass by.   A visual reminder is helpful for kids (and mamas!).   The dollar store often has diverse character stickers.  

5:  Plan an after-school routine together.

After school is a REALLY hard time for us.  Talk to your kids about what helps them relax and refresh.  For us, we have a snack ready for the kids as soon as they walk in the door from school. And when I say snack, it's really first-dinner.  My kids are so hungry after school.  Make sure the snack is balanced (protein, carbs-including lots of fiber, and healthy fat) and has different textures (crunchy, smooth, soft) which helps meet sensory needs.    Great options include an apple with peanut butter and a Greek yogurt tube, a small sandwich and a piece of crunchy fruit, a homemade smoothie (sipped through a straw) and whole grain dry cereal or veggie chips.   Additionally, after snack we go outside (if possible) where the kids pick an activity.  My oldest prefers to sit and read or create art with sidewalk chalk, while my middle two kids (who are more active) enjoy riding bikes, playing catch, or playing with the hose.   If we have to be indoors, I let the kids play a dance or sports game on the XBOX or play downstairs (we have plasma cars).    It isn't unheard of for my kids to be in their PJS right after dinner.  Sometimes changing clothes just makes a person feel better!

How do you prepare your kids for heading back to school?  Let's chat on Facebook!  

-This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Dear Sugar: Teaching Kids Valuable Lessons and Skills Through Play

Dear Sugar:

Since it's summer and my children are home for three straight months (where is my coffee?!?), I'm using these precious days to teach, and more importantly, teach through play!   

I have a mad mommy crush on all-things-eeBoo and for some very good reasons.  eeBoo values creativity, diversity, affordability, and quality.  I would describe the company as selling products-with-purpose.   

If you've been parenting for any length of time, you know that so many children's toys and games are completely pointless, even annoying.   I loathe noisy, over-stimulating, non-imaginative toys.   But eeBoo?  They provide the very things this mama loves!   

Here are our favorite eeBoo products and a description of why we love them:

Currently, my oldest has a math tutor.  Like me, she's not mathematically-minded.  We're awesome at all-things-creative (think art and writing) and enjoy learning about cultures and history.  But numbers, they just don't add up!  (Pun intended).   When I was trying to decide how to get her to enjoy math (is that possible?) it dawned on me that games are fun.  So why not nab a math game for her to learn-while-playing?   The Simple Math Lotto teaches children ages 5+ about addition and subtraction. 

Then comes talking to my kids about adoption.  Because we're a transracial family, adoption is an open-topic and an obvious "status."    The Happy Families card game, geared toward kids ages 3+, explores the diversity of families while emphasizing communication and taking turns.



Now, let's talk about empathy.   Empathy is something that's very important to our family.  I see parents asking, how do I teach empathy?  Is it something that one either has naturally, or not?  I believe empathy can be learned!  I think experience truly is the best teacher, but why not enjoy a game that teaches empathy, too?   I Heard Your Feelings conversation cards are incredible for "reading emotional situations."  48 cards, each with a picture on the front, and multiple questions on the back to prompt kids to analyze and examine social situations and how to be empathetic.   

I'll Never Forget a Face is our all-time favorite matching game.   It's great for memory-building, diversity-mindfulness, cultural-competency, and laid-back fun.  Have a globe or world map nearby and show your kids the different places where the "faces" are from. They also sell Children of the World art cards and a puzzle.   


For easy, quick fun (with a focus on turn-taking), we love Old Maid (diverse cast of characters) and SNAP!  My three oldest can play these games together.   We took SNAP! with us to family Christmas, and the cousins had a blast!  I love uncomplicated, fun games that include kids with a variety of ages and skill sets.  Also a win: one of my kids struggles with impulsiveness, so any games requiring awareness of others' rights and needs and turn-taking is helpful.   

We are old school.  We still send our friends and family members greeting cards via snail mail. Nothing is better than getting "happy mail"!   eeBoo offers diverse greeting cards to celebrate life's occasions.   My kids include their own messages and sign their names (or for the baby, we trace her hand) to personalize the cards. By doing this, they practice composition and handwriting. Remember what I shared with you on Insta a few weeks back? That a great way to decorate around your house is to frame postcards and greeting cards?  These cards are perfect for that, too!


eeBoo sells so many fantastic items including:  lacing cards, puzzles, party games, art supplies, story cards (my kids LOVE these), paper dolls, block tower sets, and much more!   You can also shop by age, and 
eeBoo has products for babies to adults (and families).   




This post is sponsored by our friends at eeBoo.