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2022

Go Explore Johnson County

Johnson County Kansas is home to the Overland Park Convention Center, numerous arts and crafts attractions, thrill-seekers favorites and living history sites.

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Go Explore Midtown

Kansas City’s Midtown and Country Club Plaza Districts offer many family-friendly attractions and sites to enjoy including the city’s beloved Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kansas City Zoo, and more.

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Go Explore the Crown Center District

Crown Center and Union Station are two of Kansas City’s most beloved landmarks. With a variety of kid-friendly favorite attractions as well as world-class museums, this is an excellent area to explore with visitors.

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The Empty Dog Dish

We hadn’t had Precious since she was a puppy, but when Sandi’s brother passed away, his dog became part of our family, helping us deal with our loss.

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Fall is in the air…

What better way to kick off the autumn season and beat those end-of-summer blues than by planning fun days with your kids exploring walking trails and parks in town?

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Best of March

Enjoy extraordinary shows, exhibits, and familyannafun. Our top picks for March in Kansas City are here!

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Best of May

Enjoy extraordinary shows, exhibits, and familyannafun. Our top picks for May in Kansas City are here!

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Best of June

Enjoy extraordinary shows, exhibits, and familyannafun. Our top picks for June in Kansas City are here!

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Best of July

Enjoy extraordinary shows, exhibits, and familyannafun. Our top picks for July in Kansas City are here!

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Best of April

Enjoy extraordinary shows, exhibits, and familyannafun. Our top picks for April in Kansas City are here!

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Best of August

Enjoy extraordinary shows, exhibits, and familyannafun. Our top picks for August in Kansas City are here!

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Kansas City’s Pickleball Courts

Pickleball is the newest sport taking the city by storm! This easy-to-learn sport is an excellent way to exercise and enjoy a bit of friendly competition. This is your guide to local pickleball courts:

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Fun and Games!

These attractions include great hangouts for kids, several for the entire family and a few just for adults that make a great parents night out.

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Holiday Reflections

Showing through Jan. 2, Union Station, Kansas City’s Home, is celebrating the holiday season with its annual installation of “Holiday Reflections.”

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Six Stop Tour: Platte County, MO

Inspire your inner creativity with a visit to the Northland where you can hone your culinary skills, paint a masterpiece, play at one of our city’s most whimsical playgrounds or explore history.

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Must See in KC in 2023

This new year is going to be great in Kansas City with a brand-new state-of-the-art aquarium, a reimagined Zambezi Zinger bringing back fond summer memories, and more.

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Digital Detox

Keep in mind that unstructured playtime is more valuable for a young child’s developing brain than is electronic media.

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Say What?

Do you find yourself frustrated from repeating the same phrases over and over again when talking to your children?

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How Rhythms Help Moms

As parents, our lives are ruled by routines. We have a bedtime routine, naptime routine, mealtime routine and, likely, hundreds of others.

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Naming Baby

With the debate that erupts around naming babies, expectant parents may wonder: How much should popular trends and others’ opinions influence our decision? And how...

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Exercise with Mommy and Me

There are plenty of great ways to keep moving while you are expecting, and it’s simple to add exercise to the time you already spend playing with your baby or toddler.

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Pregnancy Nutrition

Proper nutrition during your pregnancy is not only essential to your baby’s development, though, but also your continued health.

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Christmas Time at the Johnson County Museum

Enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere of the All-Electric House at Christmas time when it’s all decked out with an aluminum tree, festive stockings, and packages. And, learn more about the history of Christmas celebrations in Johnson County.

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Six-Stop Tour: Atchison, KS

Atchison, KS, a town named for the man who was president of the United States for one day—David Rice Atchison of Missouri—is a quaint river town with a rich history.

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Ringing in the New Year with Kids

Maybe your New Year’s Eve nights of wine-fueled festivities and shenanigans with the besties have been put on hold. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still ring in the new year with just as much pizazz.

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Reindeer Faces

Here is a cute little craft for kids to enjoy inside when the weather is cold outside and they need something new to do! Make one or make all of Santa’s crew!

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Goal Getter

Those objectives become a central part of our existence as we continually reach for the next achievement.

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When Parenting Styles Clash

Humans are tricky. Relationships are tricky. Families are tricky. Which means relationships with other humans in a family are indeed tricky, no matter how well you get along. Add on jointly parenting younger humans and it’s a lot!

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What Big Ears You Have!

How many times do I have to tell you to put your socks on? What did I just ask you to do? Didn’t I say to be home by 5? If these phrases, and many other similar ones, sound vaguely familiar, you are not alone!

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Christmas Lights

“Father, why don’t we put up lights on the outside of our house?” James always came straight to the point whenever he had a question.

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Chores for Tiny Tots

Putting your kids to work on their own chores at an early age pays off in the long run—no matter how daunting it may feel to enforce the jobs at the time!

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Go Explore Kansas

Outstanding shopping, historic sites, agritourism… these are a few of our favorite things about exploring Kansas.

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Turkey Napkin Holders

These cute little turkeys are quick and easy, and, as an added bonus, you can choose to personalize these turkeys for your Thanksgiving Day guests!

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Party Plan Like a Pro!

Planning any event can be a job, but birthday parties take the cake, literally. So how do rock star parents plan showstopping shindigs and make it look so easy

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Teaching Kids to Share

Because parents desire to raise children that grow up to become kind and generous people, it’s important that moms and dads know what’s going on developmentally within their children.

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Growing Gratitude

How do we instruct our children to grow in gratitude? After all, small children and toddlers don’t naturally view gratitude as a high priority.

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Count us in!

As a stay-at-home momma with a few years under my belt, I’ve learned to love the activities my kids and I do together. It’s second nature.

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Kansas City’s Halloween Guide

From Trick or Treat Events to Puppet Shows, Spooky Storytimes to Halloween Concerts, Mad Science Demonstrations to Living History Events… we have the scoop on Halloween in KC this year!

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Halloween at Science City

This year, Science City at Union Station is celebrating Halloween all month long with themed decorations, activities, and a NEW Virtual Reality Ride kids love!

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Hiking with Goats

We visited Providence Hill Farm to hike with goats. Christy Harris, the owner and creative mind behind the business, believes that life is better with goats.

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Giant Spider Web

Bring back your high school tee-peeing days and make this cheap and easy craft your kids will absolutely love destroying!

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It’s the Little Things

Parenting success doesn’t always look like early potty training, meeting every developmental milestone or feeding your toddler snacks from each of the food groups on a daily basis.

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Engaging the Daydreamer

Though many dreamers are bright, creative children, they may have trouble getting work done during the school day, struggle with paying attention to the teacher and forget to turn in homework.

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Breast Cancer Awareness

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and can be a good time for women of all ages to become more well-informed and educated on the topic.

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Loot

As usual, trick-or-treating ended for us when the boys tired and wanted to go home.

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What Parents Can Learn from Kids

There are many valuable lessons we can learn from our children, such as living in the moment, making new friends, forgiving quickly, being true to yourself, trying new things, listening well to others and laughing more.

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Finding Quality Childcare

Finding the right caregiver for your little one can be a bit overwhelming, but with a little research and a lot of questions, you’ll be on the right track in no time.

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Defeating New Mom Isolation

Many moms begin to deal with a common feeling called newborn mom isolation. Let’s take a look at what you can do to combat this if it happens to you or someone you love.

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My Name is Not Mom Giveaway

KC Parent Magazine is giving TWO Winners one pair of tickets each (bring your bff) to attend My Name is Not Mom, LIVE! at Uptown Theater on Fri., Sept. 23!

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Shape Name Puzzles

This super quick and easy craft is full rounded on the educational checklist! Drawing and tracing, coloring, writing, cutting and then spelling! Make one or...

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Birthday Planning Secrets: Tips from Savvy Moms

Planning the perfect birthday party for your kids may seem a herculean task, but it doesn’t have to be! Follow these party planning secrets approved by savvy moms to make your kids’ birthday parties the best yet—with minimal stress!

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Ways to Stress Less

Let’s take a deeper dive into some of the ways in which stress presents itself, its negative effects and some simple ways to reduce it.

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Making the Safest Ride to School Even Safer

Parents can help make the bus riding experience even safer. Just as you may remind your child about appropriate classroom behavior at the beginning of the school year, it’s also important to review safe school bus behavior.

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Date Night Ideas in KC

Do you and your sweetheart need some fresh ideas for date night? If so, maybe you are up for a little adventure. Or how about just some fun and games? Or even … a little romance? Read on for several ideas.

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Back to School on a Budget

School supply lists seem to get longer each year. With those longer lists and generally higher prices all around, the price of preparing for school has climbed steeply.

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Benefits of Asking Open-Ended Questions

Parents desire a healthy and open relationship with their children, but building communication can be challenging, especially if you feel like your children are not sharing the ups and downs of their day.

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Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

annaannaannaanna Remember the old 1940s Disney character Pinocchio? I’m sure you can recall that every time the little wooden boy lied, his nose grew. I...

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Dancing to Circadian Rhythms

“Bill, you’d better start going to bed earlier.” Mom looked me in the eye. “School starts next week, and you need to change your sleeping habits, young man.”

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Back to School for Mom!

Back to school can be a stressful time for children and moms alike, but no matter which side you find yourself on, find a way to make going back to school fun for you, too, not just the kids!

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Alice’s Wonderland at Coterie

This week, my daughters, niece, and I attendedannaAlice’s Wonderlandannaat Coterie, a vibrant, colorful, musical set inside a videogame boasting fresh hip-hop and rap music.

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July Editor’s Letter

July brings our Birthday Party Guide AND a big birthday in our home!Twenty-one years ago, as my husband and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary...

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Making the Most of Summer

We really do only get a handful of summers with these kiddos of ours. On the flip side, don’t dwell too much on making each moment “the best” because, oftentimes, the simple memories are the sweetest.

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Bloodsucking Little Varmints

“Would you like some nametags?” We’d just arrived at a summer picnic with Partners in Behavioral Milestones, a group that provided immeasurable help for kids on the autism spectrum, and stopped at the greeting kiosk.

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BirthdayannaParty Life Lessons

Aannabirthdayannaparty may look like just aannabirthdayannaparty to you now, but what I see is a breeding ground for life lessons kids can learn that will carry them through their lives to help make them successful, happy and kind.

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Minions: The Rise of Gru – Review

Our favorite characters are back with Minions: The Rise of Gru. Audiences love this film as the cheerful, loyal, silly Minions, with all their rapid gibberish and childlike antics bring trademark charm and slapstick humor to the big screen.

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Blowing Bubbles

Want a fun outdoor craft to put a twist on your normal bubbles?anna Try this easy—and a bit messy—craft that’s sure to provide a lot of fun and a lot of laughs!

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Labor Day!

Every birth story is different, but most women can expect to experience these stages of labor in some capacity.

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Jurassic World Dominion: Review

This summer’s mega-hit blockbuster brings nostalgia, action, adventure, and suspense! Fans of the Jurassic World franchise won’t want to miss this exciting conclusion to the beloved series.

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Parade of Hearts in KC

This spring, the Parade of Hearts is taking Kansas City by storm! Local artists showcase their creativity with 154 hearts across the metro and give families a great way to explore the city.

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Sunflower Summer

PreK to 12th Grade Students and their Parents/Guardians Eligible for FREE Admission to Theatre in the Park and the Johnson County Museum!

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Summer Safety

Summer has finally arrived! That means the kids are out of school and probably home more, which means we parents need to refocus on how to keep them safe so summer season can be as enjoyable as possible.

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Hammer and Nails

“Hold the handle near the bottom.” Dad moved my hand toward the base of the hammer. “You’ll get more leverage that way.”

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Fun Food Experiences

Did you know KC also offers some fun food experiences for kids and families? Read on to find a new place to try with your family!

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Pete the Cat Review

Our family has been big fans of that groovy blue feline known as Pete the Cat ever since he was first introduced to the world so endearingly in the first book by Eric Little and James Dean.

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Go Explore the Country

Kansas City is more than an urban core… surrounding communities including many favorites in the country including local farms, pumpkin patches, and museums.

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A Kansas City Staycation

Kansas City is an absolutely incredible place to live and explore, and I am thrilled to share it with you during the three days you will be here.

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What’s Hot, KC?

Where do my friends and I start when we just want to have a good time? Where can we relax and unwind? Where can I get loose with the girls? Have a drink with the guys? What exactly is hot in KC nightlife?

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Maur Hill-Mount Academy

Maur Hill – Mount Academy (MHMA)annais a place where teenagers across the U.S., as well as from countries around the world and our small town of Atchison, come together to learn, study and prepare themselves for the academic rigor of college

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Handprint Flower Bouquets

Need an easy and personalized craft for Mom this Mother’s Day? This sweet little bouquet of flowers is one that will stay around more than a few weeks!

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Staycation or Vacation

This year, some families aren’t quite ready to strike out for the shore. If you are staying close to home this summer, MCPL has the perfect staycation resources to help you “seas” the day!

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May Editor’s Letter

Parlez-vous français? ¿Habla español? Sadly, I can’t really answer yes to either. I took Latin, French and Spanish in high school but can only speak...

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Super Moms!

Moms wear a ton of hats. They’re equal parts chef, chauffeur, counselor, first aid administrator and activities coordinator. But the true beauty of a mom’s talent isn’t found in all the stuff she does that can be seen by the outside world.

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Second Mom

“What’s your name?” I knew the question was audacious for someone going into third grade to ask an adult, even rude, but the court order that had dragged me away from my mother left me resentful and rebellious.

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Parks for All!

We’re fortunate our city is home to many wonderful parks that are inclusive and accessible for all children.

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Maur Hill-Mount Academy

Maur Hill – Mount Academy (MHMA)annais a place where teenagers across the U.S., as well as from countries around the world and our small town of Atchison, come together to learn, study and prepare themselves for the academic rigor of college

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Ask the Experts

We have a wide range of experts on hand to answer your questions on everything
from pregnancy and birth to sleeping, feeding, fitness and general well-being.

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Puff Ball Easter Egg

Need a super easy and fun Easter craft? This painted egg will help your little one with matching up colors and developing fine motor skills, all while having fun!

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Tips to Save on Your Grocery Bill

Everything seems to cost more these days, and your grocery bill more than likely reflects that. Though it may feel as costs are mostly out of your control, there are a few simple tweaks you can make that could help save you money.

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Kids Healthy Heart

Want your kids to have healthy hearts? Of course, you do and you can start in the kitchen! Certain dietary components enable a healthy heart, while others increase the risk for heart disease.

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Terrific Twos!

Your once sweet baby is now mobile and ready to make her own mind up. Here are some tips to help make the twos terrific all around!

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Mom Brain: It’s a Thing

Did you recently bring home your first newborn baby? Do you have four babies that are all currently in school? Now, do you also relate to so-called “mommy brain”?

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Making the Most of Your Maternity Leave

When you come back from the hospital beginning maternity leave, initially it is an overwhelming experience in terms of how little you actually know, regardless of how informed you thought you were, about caring for a newborn.

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Baby Spit Up

Concern or even frustration—after all, you got up in the middle of the night to satisfy his hunger cries—can perplex new parents when spit-ups happen. So what’s going on in that little body?

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Family Fun in South Padre Island

Though it’s still a spring break destination for those college kids with boundless energy who think the drive will be super easy, SPI is becoming a great destination to bring the entire family!

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Maur Hill-Mount Academy

Maur Hill – Mount Academy (MHMA)annais a place where teenagers across the U.S., as well as from countries around the world and our small town of Atchison, come together to learn, study and prepare themselves for the academic rigor of college

Read Article

BirthdayannaParty Life Lessons

Aannabirthdayannaparty may look like just aannabirthdayannaparty to you now, but what I see is a breeding ground for life lessons kids can learn that will carry them through their lives to help make them successful, happy and kind.

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What’s in a Name?

“Bob, what’s the subject of this sentence?” Mrs. Lewis did a credible job teaching fifth grade at Merriam Grade School, but our class had no one named Bob. She looked me in the eye.

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Choosing the Right Camp for Your Child

Even though it may not feel like it, summer is right around the corner here in Kansas City! We certainly are blessed with a plethora of choices for our children, but deciding can feel quite overwhelming.

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Preparing Happy Campers

Summer camp! Kids look forward to it and parents do too. There are so many different camps to choose from, and right now is a great time to begin your search. Take cues from your child’s interests to build interest and anticipation.

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NEW! Grow-A-Reader App

Mid-Continent Public Library is proud to announce the launch of a new FREE app designed to help caregivers engage in constructive, enriching, and fun literacy activities with their children.

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Product Reviews

By Elena Epstein, Director of the National Parenting Product AwardsKindie Rock Stars PodcastShowcases the amazing talents of children’s musicians and family entertainers. Each episode features...

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Breaking Bad Behavior

Children know how to press their parents’ buttons. It’s how they’re wired. In fact, on a number of occasions I have wondered if their actual job title is “Make Mom Crazy at All Costs.”

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