Hellobee

Since we moved to the Philippines, we’ve been doing things differently with our nine-year-old son Charlie. We’ve been homeschooling him, and giving him a lot more free play than we used to. And now that our costs are so much lower, we’ve also made some changes in our life choices so that one of us […]

As the wife of a playground designer, making playgrounds a bit more dangerous is a topic that comes up a lot around our place. It’s a tough one because creating an industry around something draws attention to the ways it lacks. And kids come to expect a certain level of safety from playgrounds that they don’t […]

How much time do your children spend outdoors? I recently read there is no causative link between screen time (yay!) and myopia, however time spent outdoors has been found to be a protective factor. Have you seen this see-through classroom in China – they bring more light into the classroom to combat the myopia epidemic. The Australian […]

Growing up, I remember going outside often to play. We would ride roller skates, run around our apartment complex, play with mud and make mud pies, or play hopscotch. I also remember playing with Barbies and making clothes for her out of aluminum foil or cotton balls. I would make jewelry out of foil and […]

When Charlie started public pre-k, we never considered other after school care options because the on-site program was the most convenient and affordable option ($300/month until 6pm M-F). We couldn’t even register for 2, hour-long classes a week for less than that, and a sitter would have cost much more. The program had some sports […]

Over the past year, I’ve noticed that the kids have needed less and less toys. As they’ve gotten older, they’ve tended to play with the same ones, and these days they’re more into arts and crafts anyway. One thing that hasn’t waned though is their love of playing with pretend ice cream. Charlie has loved […]

When Mr. Bee and I were taking Charlie to the playground this past weekend, we came across some kids who had put together a carnival on the sidewalk in front of their apartment. They created games like bowling, ring toss, and archery using cardboard boxes and household items. They even made origami prizes for the […]