Rosie's Rules on PBS is a sweet show about a little girl in Texas figuring out the world by asking questions and seeking help from her supportive family, including her abuela in Mexico City, who she video calls once an episode. The show weaves in multicultural elements without feeling forced since the premise is just following Rosie through her regular routines and relatable problems.

Work it out Wombats is a newer PBS show (February 2023) that my three year old fell in love with and my seven year old isn't unhappy to watch alongside him. Three wombat siblings live with their grandma, who is the "super" for their "treeborhood". Each episode has a problem they have to solve, usually by breaking it down into steps and working each step in order.

I reluctantly recommend these 2-3" keychain squishies only because my 7 year old says it was the best thing she ever got in a gift bag and gave them out at her own party and to friends on her bus. They are cheap, scented and work as a fidget toy. I'm not so sure about the non-toxic claims, so likely best for bigger kids who still like cute things.

These mini-writing tablets are still in regular use 6 months after my daughter's last birthday. They're the perfect size for carrying along in the car or tossing in a play purse. My daughter particularly likes that she can lock the screen and save her drawings and lists for later. At $1-$3 each, they're reasonably priced for throwing into a gift bag.

I am a big fan of Patagonia's commitment to the environment and how the thought they put into how their products are made. Their kids' line is my go to for coats and outdoor gear, but they also carry a small selection of basics, like t-shirts and sundresses. I've ordered from their "worn wear" section several times and the condition of the items I received always met or exceeded my expectations.

This Russian import about a spunky kid and a curmudgeonly bear has an old school Looney Tunes vibe that is entertaining in small doses. Most of the episodes are fast paced capers set to music with limited dialogue. My oldest found some of the episodes too scary as a preschooler, but loved it as a 1st/2nd grader.

Painter's tape can be used on all types of floor (even carpet) to temporarily make hopscotch grids, obstacles, or pretend roads. For a long time we had a tape circle, two lines, triangle, square and pentagon going down a hallway. We had a little dance (turn around in the circle, jump feet apart on the two lines, etc.) that reinforced shapes and counting. It also just made going down that hallway more fun.

This is a great series for kids who are just learning to read longer books on her own. Yasmin is a spunky second grader solving typical second grade problems. The books are relatively short and engaging. Yasmin's family is Pakistani, so little details about Pakistani and Muslim culture are woven through the stories, like that fact that her mom wears a hijab and her family speaks Urdu. The focus, however, is always on Yasmin and her adventures. As a grown-up sometimes reading these books with my daughter, I really enjoy all of the cultural details and that my daughter has asked to try new foods that she read about in the books.

Piggy is a pig and Gerald the Elephant is not. Gerald wants to celebrate Happy Pig Day! but he's not sure he belongs. Luckily, Piggy is there to teach him that Happy Pig Day! isn't just for pigs, but for anyone that loves pigs! This is a great first book for gently showing kids that it is okay, and even fun, to celebrate other cultures, how to recognize what it feels like not to belong and how to empathize with and include others.

Peg looms make it easy for even young children to learn how to knit. We recently got an adjustable one that can be shaped into different sized circles and even a square. The square configuration can be used for both regular peg knitting and weaving potholders.

I'm not sure what to officially call this, but if my daughter has a hobby right now, this is it. Early in the pandemic we gave her free access to do anything she wanted with whatever was in the recycling bin. Our house quickly filled up with avant-garde box towers and tinfoil-bottle cap collages before we had to reel it in a bit. Two years later, she's worked her way up to unrestricted recycling bin access again and some of her recent creations have been pretty awesome and sturdy. Her brother particularly appreciates the new multi-story car garage she made for him.

Stop motion video is surprisingly easy to make. Parents can show kids how to do it by taking a series of pictures of a Lego or beloved stuffed animal slowly moving over a table. Then, upload the photos into your favorite video app, set each photo to show for a short duration. Finally add music or a voice over. Once kids get the idea, it is pretty easy to come up with more elaborate sets and stories.

Pencil toppers are a great cheap option to throw into a Halloween goody bag or hand out to trick or treaters. There are a ton of options to choose from: erasers, squishy stress relievers, fidget toys and more. Buy pumpkin or skull erasers in bulk if you want to stick to a Halloween theme or choose cute characters and fidget toys for something kids will want to play with all year.

We purchased these in bulk for my daughter to hand out at school and they were a big hit! My daughter has one on her backpack and plays with it all the time, so I'm hoping the other kids in her class will get some mileage out of theirs too.

I found this channel while trying to get my youngest to start talking and it is now one of his favorites. He loves the songs and puppets and has picked up a few words from the short educational segments that demonstrate baby signs and sound formation. I've learned a lot of little jingles and speech techniques that seem to be helping his language development during non-screentime as well.

I don't have a ton of time to work out, so when I do, I try to see how far I can get with these high intensity, challenging videos from Cirque du Soleil. Most don't require any equipment and can be done in a small space.

OfferUp makes it easy to simultaneously make items available for local pickup or shipping. Most people on this site are looking for a bargain, so if you are in it just to make money, this isn't it! However, my local charity donation centers aren't accepting children's toys for safety reasons, so I've been using OfferUp to find homes for usable items. I find the app easier to use and less intrusive than Facebook Marketplace and the shipping option is seamless.

I've found the Mercari app really easy to use for both buying and selling clothes. The listing lets you clearly indicate whether items are new, like new, fair, poor etc. in a searchable field and you're not limited to name brands and recent styles. They also offer dynamic pricing, which will slowly drop your price over time to a minimum level that you specify.