Hellobee

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 […]

After reading Kylie’s post about outdoor play, I felt challenged to get outside with my little man as much as possible, trying to average three hours a day. More than research pushing for more and more outdoor time, I have noticed that both Eli and I are exponentially happier when we get to play outside. Being […]

I’ve always been huge on independence – it’s something I work on a lot in my job as a special education teacher, and it’s something I’ve always really wanted to promote in my children. I believe that it’s important to be intentional about teaching independence and encouraging independent play because the older your kiddo gets, the […]

A few months ago, Will started ‘calling us’ using anything that looked like a phone. A few weeks ago, he began telling stories to himself in the car, as if conversations were happening. He would tell his tiny Thomas the train to eat his oatmeal and they would clean up the toys together. This has […]

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 […]

Since having kids, Mrs. Bee and I have both spent endless hours pushing the kids on the swing! Olive at 9 months, Charlie 2 1/2 They absolutely love the swing…  but over time, Charlie started to lose interest as he got a bit older.  So we picked up a few tips and tricks that have […]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the loss of “free play” in the lives of many children. Thanks to structured adult-led activities, screen time, video games and the like, many children are losing the art of play and the benefits it entails. Here’s Paige, enjoying some simple play time. What is free play exactly? […]