Finding the magic in your own backyard, city, and neighborhood can open your little one’s eyes to how expansive their community really is and how different cultures are able to coexist side by side. Always make sure you and your nanny kids’ parents talk before changing a child’s routine or bringing them somewhere new. As long as you and your nanny family are on the same page, breaking out of your normal routine can add the excitement and adventure that you and your littles may be seeking!

Here are our top ways to jump-start your stay-venture:

1. Visit a new neighborhood you’ve never been to before!

If you live in a busy metropolis there are bound to be a few places you have yet to explore. Immerse yourself in a new neighborhood and experience a culturally different/ new area and try some new foods!

2. Go on a child-led walk

Give the children the reigns and let them decide where you go on your adventure! For older children, let them look at a map and let X mark the spot. For younger children and toddlers, venture to a new park or playground and let them lead the walk and explore at their pace. Do not rush children and let them take time to examine and explore.

3. Find local events

Does your neighborhood have a seasonal jazz concert series? A summer carnival? Children’s Shakespeare in the park? Find something brand new to you or out of your everyday routine to experience with your kiddos. Here are some fun

4. Take a new mode of transportation

Has your little ever taken the train with you? If not, this is a fun and engaging way to travel to your destination and the memories are priceless. Live somewhere where you can access a ferry? Hop aboard! Lucky enough to have a tram or gondola nearby? Take in the land from a different perspective!

5. Follow your stomach

Are your kiddos adventurous eaters? Pick a cuisine and a corresponding neighborhood to explore food you may not eat on the regular with your nanny kids. Have you had the opportunity to introduce your little ones to your personal culture and heritage? Bring over your own favorite foods from your childhood or a nearby restaurant and read a story while snacking on the sweets and treats you enjoyed as a child!

6. Be a tourist for the day!

Locals never really love having to navigate the morning commute with tourists snapping photos, but what if you were the tourist today? Pick a local landmark you’ve never been to and explore a museum you wouldn’t naturally visit! A reminder that many of these locations have discounts for residents and often have free admission for children.

BONUS: When traveling with your nanny family, research ahead of time!

If your employer is taking you with them on vacation, take the initiative to research some child-friendly adventures ahead of time. Are their local museums that cater to children? Any local events going on? Does the hotel/ resort have child-centered activities? Show your nanny family what a pro you really are and offer up some ideas ahead of time.

There are so many ways to create adventure at home with a little bit of creativity and planning ahead.

Looking for a Nanny who takes initiative and engages your child with creative and fun adventures? Are you a Nanny looking for a family who loves spending time out of the house, seeing new places, and trying new things? We would love to help you find your ideal fit! Email us today at info@nannyauthority.com and inquire about working with us today.

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While family meals provide a daily opportunity for connection and relationship building, the kitchen table can be a space that offers chances for children to learn to try new foods, parents to model safe eating behaviors, and more!

CHOICES

One of the most important things we can do as parents and caretakers when helping a child struggling with picky eating is to create opportunities for autonomy during mealtime. But wait, how do we do that? The best way is by offering choices to your littles. Offering choices during mealtime does not mean overstimulating your child with an overabundance of variety, but rather, it means providing a choice between vegetable A and vegetable B. When we provide organic experiences that encourage autonomy, we are empowering our children to say, “Yes I want to eat this, because it was my decision!”

Another way to incorporate the power of choice into mealtime is by including both safety and stretch foods in your family meal. Safe foods are foods you know your child will eat, they enjoy and have a strong preference for. Stretch foods are foods you would like your child to try, foods they have not had a lot of exposure with and you are working on encouraging them to eat. When creating a dinner menu for your family, it helps to incorporate safety and stretch foods to provide opportunities for guaranteed eating and opportunities for kids to have new food exposures.

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INTENTIONALITY

It can be hard to sit down and leave your phone to charge elsewhere, we understand that. If you are working on fostering a sense of community and struggling with a child who is refusing to try new foods or is having food regressions, being present and intentional at the dinner table can make a huge difference. Leave the toys and the iPad away from the dinner table. If the focus is to connect with your family, it’s going to be very difficult to do so when your child is expecting to zone out with Peppa Pig.

If screens are present at the table and you are relying on a baby to open their mouth and sneak in a spoonful here or there, while this may seem like a solution geared towards introducing a nutritious bite or two, this is ultimately a short term fix that degrades trust between you and your little one. Eliminate the screens for both children and adults and start talking! Encourage eating by sharing what you notice about the foods on the plate rather than pressuring your child to take a bite.

Try this: “I really love the color red of this bell pepper. When I take a bite it feels crunchy and makes a cool sound!”

Not this: “I worked so hard on this meal, can you please take a bite? It was your favorite last week, can’t you just take one bite?” *This puts unnecessary stress on your child and while we know how hard it is to just sit back and wait, it is so important to feign indifference instead of adding commentary that adds stress.

Struggling to eliminate screen time at the table? Find some great resources !

MODELING

The family meal offers numerous opportunities for adults to model eating for littles at the table. For us, the process of learning to eat is often an afterthought. But for those with young children, you quickly discover how learning to eat solids is so much more than opening your mouth and swallowing. We as adults want to ensure our children eat safely, and modeling what to do if a child bites off a piece of food that is too big, or how to move food around the mouth to build an oral map, is so important! When we are at the table as a family, we can model social skills, manners, and the step-by-step actions of eating.

We can also model life skills when we invite our children to help prepare meals. Whenever we can provide opportunities for independence and autonomy, we are facilitating experiences that empower our children to make choices when it comes to what they eat, when they eat, and how much! While it may seem scary to let go of this control, often this provides a more positive association with mealtime and fosters confidence in our kiddos!

Looking for more tips and tricks on helping your picky eater at the dinner table? Start !

At Nanny Authority, we have highly skilled nannies who are ready to help make mealtime smoother for you and your family. Reach out today to meet some of our fantastic nannies and family assistants by emailing us at info@nannyauthority.com or calling us today!

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Traveling can help expose your children to different cultures and communities that differ from their own and give your children a wider perspective of the world. Here are some of our favorite spring family destinations to head to this year.

East Coast family who loves exploring and spending time outside? Head to Yosemite National Park for a West Coast adventure. Between the walking trails, wildflowers, and wildlife there is something for every nature lover at Yosemite. Don’t miss these

Does your family love history and get excited when passing by a local monument? DC may be the perfect family vacation for you. Easily accessible by train, with countless museums and monuments to see with your children, there are limitless things to visit and learn about. Looking for something out of the ordinary in between visiting the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian? Head to the and visit the edible outdoor garden and conservatory.

Sometimes the best part of getting away is unwinding and relaxing. Spend your time in the sand and visit a family-friendly Saint Thomas. Between time on the beach and the countless marine-based activities, you are sure to have an experience you will remember for years to come.

Ready to head abroad? Exploding with a large variety of museums, and centuries of rich culture, Madrid, Spain is a perfect spring destination for families. With some of the largest parks in Europe, such as the live performances, an artificial lake, and stunning monuments await. The Spanish capital is home to the , a great place to bring your soccer star to experience local sports culture.

Looking for something a little more relaxed? Travel to the land of Swedish meatballs and open-faced sandwiches in the urban city of Stockholm, Sweden. With Swedish forests just outside the city, there are plenty of opportunities for quiet and calm on family hikes and wildlife watching. The waterways throughout the city create an assortment of architectural and cultural gems for you and your kids to explore. Some of the city’s museums have unique experiences perfect for family fun! Head to and go on a self-guided “Castle Mouse” tour and end your day in the Play and Learn room where your littles can dress as Kings and Queens and knights!

Spending time exploring the world beyond your backyard opens up children to an entire universe of new experiences, cultures, and opportunities to see what excites them most in life. Wherever you and your family decide to go this spring, remember to have fun and enjoy your time making memories together. If you are looking for the perfect nanny to join you on your adventures and are not sure where to start, look no further. Get in touch with �Ӱɴ�ý today and inquire about any one of our amazing applicants. Reach out to �Ӱɴ�ý today by��emailing us��or calling us at 973-466-2669 today!

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Well, it can be easier than you think – and a lot of fun. There are a lot of simple and impactful swaps you can make to reduce the waste produced in your home such as switching out one-use plastic items for durable and long-lasting ones. From , to , and even , these little changes can grow and have a big effect in the long run. One of the biggest things we can do to teach the power of sustainability is to children is to engage them in fun upcycled crafts that spark curiosity in reprocessed and low waste life changes.

Let’s get crafty!

A popular and classical upcycling craft that brings us back to our kindergarten days is the simple, but never dull, upcycled crayon. Crayons break and that can make life so frustrating for toddlers and early elementary-aged kids. Repurpose those crayon bits together in your favorite silicone mold for a little bit of !

Do you ever feel like out of all of the toys you buy, the only ones your child really wants to play with are the cardboard delivery boxes? Us too! Embrace this child-led activity and reuse packaging to create anything you can imagine from to for your hot wheels!

As spring approaches, we are so excited to hear birds and see little nests returning to the city. Birdhouses and feeders are a popular and time-old tradition for kiddos in suburbia. You know the one, the paper towel or toilet paper holder rolled in peanut butter and birdseed? Let’s take it a step further and provide allergy-friendly upcycled bird feeder crafts as you carry on the tradition. Save your empty goldfish and milk cartons and paint, cut, and hang for your flying friends.

One of our favorite upcycled crafts happens to be an all-inclusive eco-friendly project for adults and kids alike! If your family wants to learn more about at-home composting or you learn your town has a food scrap recycling program you’d like to get involved with, consider creating a DIY kitchen compost pail. Simply by saving an old coffee container or a container with an airtight or vacuum-sealed lid (such as Tupperware) you can begin storing daily food waste. Add a personal touch by pulling out permanent makers and decorating the outside of your kitchen compost pail. Learn more about composting with kids and getting involved with your local food scrap program !

Looking for a creative nanny who can join you on your upcycling journey? Let us help! Reach out to �Ӱɴ�ý today by emailing us��or calling us at 973-466-2669 today!

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What is a temporary nanny?

A temporary nanny is a childcare professional who provides short-term coverage. You may seek to employ a temporary nanny if your full-time nanny is on medical leave or away on holiday. You may also seek short-term coverage if your family is away on vacation and you need coverage while traveling! There are many reasons a family may need short-term coverage and in addition to filling a gap in childcare coverage, a short-term placement may be required if school is closed for your older children and you need a supervisor during a break.

What should I look for when searching for a temporary nanny?

When looking for a short-term nanny you should look for most of the same criteria you would expect when searching for a full-time nanny.

• Three or more years of experience as a childcare taker in private households
• Verifiable references

Some of the things we would recommend you consider when seeking short-term care would be searching for someone who:

• Familiar with the city/neighborhood you live in

Travel-ready

• On-call availability/flexibility
• Accustomed to supporting families through transitions
• Provided temporary coverage in the past
• (If you are looking for seasonal/summer coverage) has the summers off and works as either a nanny or an education professional during the academic year
• Fits your family’s needs if you are traveling with them! Going somewhere by the water? Make sure this person is a strong swimmer!

We are going on vacation. Why hire a temporary nanny?

While there are some hotels that have babysitters on staff, it is important to know the limitations of what kind of support a hotel sitter can provide. Do you need someone to accompany your family on excursions outside of the hotel grounds? Most likely, a hotel childcare provider will not be authorized to take your child outside of the hotel.�� It is important to have someone who is authorized to supervise your child within and outside the environment where you are staying as a guest. It is also vital this person can communicate with your child and language is not a barrier to them providing appropriate care for your little ones.

Where can I find a qualified nanny on a short-term basis?

Who you decide to trust with your children is one of the most important decisions you can make as a parent/ guardian. Let us help make the process of finding short-term and long–term coverage easier for you at �Ӱɴ�ý! We work with applicants throughout the U.S. who are pre-screened, have a minimum of 3 years of experience, are authorized to work in the country, and have an array of explicit skill sets ranging from expertise with infants to homework help with preteens and more!

Contact us today to learn more about finding temporary coverage when you need it the most by emailing us or calling us at 973-466-2669 today!

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We love a good birthday party here at the Nanny Authority and we know a well-planned party can be the foundation for your child’s fondest childhood memories. But just how DO you plan a successful birthday party? Are there things you should steer clear of during party planning? What are the top considerations when event planning? Let us help with some of our key do’s and don’ts!

DO involve your child in the party planning process if they are old enough to express their preferences. Your child may really love superheroes or mermaids and we feel it’s more fun and empowering when we include our little ones when selecting a party theme. Ask them what they are most excited about right now and see if it’s a theme you are comfortable working with.

�ٰ���’T assume your child’s interests are too out of the norm to plan a themed party! One of our lovely friends has a little boy who really loved his new kitten, Zoom. ��For his fourth birthday, he requested a cat and sunglasses-themed event as a tribute to his feline best friend. Complete with inflatable cats, oversized neon sunglasses, and cat-eared headbands for guests, all of his perfect party dreams came true!

DO set the scene with themed invitations, party hats, plates, and more! The options are limitless when it comes to finding the perfect stationery for your family’s needs. We love paper products or customized invitations that fit your theme from a website like or . Has your family gone digital? has a wide variety of templates as does !

�ٰ���’T wait to send out invitations until the last minute. Waiting to send out invitations can be risky business and can jeopardize your child’s celebration. Consider how busy your own schedule and life is and then think of the x number of children you are intending on inviting and how busy their parents may also be! Everyone has different schedules and priorities, especially during holiday times and you do not want your child’s friends to be unavailable because you hadn’t sent invites out on time. It can be common for children in the same class to have conflicting party dates and to ensure your party is the first that classmates have the opportunity to RSVP to, you’ll want to be on the ball for this one.

DO be specific about what guests should expect. Are you serving lunch to your guests? Are siblings welcome? Is this a drop-off situation? Is the party at a special venue and should guests need to dress accordingly? You will want to make sure your guests are clear on what is expected when they RSVP yes to your party. No one wants their kid to show up to a party in jeans only to realize it’s a gymnastics party and there will be tumbling involved.

�ٰ���’T exclude kids. It’s ok if your child does not want to invite the entire class but you don’t want to include 14 out of the 15 children in your child’s class either – especially if you’re distributing invitations via their teacher. No one should be excluded based on the assumption of ability or inability or any perceived limitations. Let their parents make the decision if the party is an appropriate space for the child to interact with other children in. Please don’t come from an exclusionary mindset or discriminate against children.

DO include a party favor as a reminder of the fun and as a token of your appreciation for their attendance. This does not need to be as intimidating as you may be thinking. While some families will opt for goodie bags filled with candies, personalized trinkets, and themed knick-knacks, maybe at your party one of the experiences at your event could dually serve as a party activity and a party favor! For instance, maybe your child has a pottery and painting-themed party and they get to paint a piggy bank of their choosing which also serves as their favor. See other creative party favor ideas for kids !

�ٰ���’T open gifts during the party. Gift opening is best left for after the party ends and everyone has returned home. Why you may ask? First off, opening gifts can be incredibly time-consuming and waste time you are paying for a space to entertain your child and guests. You also do not want children comparing gifts and unintentionally offending or hurting someone’s feelings who may have purchased a gift that your child does not immediately gravitate towards. Most party places that are available for events will have a designated gift space where they will collect your party gifts before transporting them to your car for your ride home.

DO call the Nanny Authority or email us at info@nannyauthority.com to find your perfect party planning savvy childcare taker or personal assistant today! We would love to connect you with our top applicants who have versatile skills sets ranging from backgrounds in nursing to handling childcare at large events. Happy birthday party planning!

The post The Do’s and Don’ts of Planning your Child’s Dream Birthday Party appeared first on NannyAuthority.

Per the Oxford Dictionary, mindfulness is, “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.” It can also be the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

When we think of mindfulness, we often conjure images of people practicing yoga, meditating, or engaging in stress-reducing activities like breathing exercises for relaxation. These practices traditionally reserved for adults have years of research backing their benefits to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and more. Only in the last decade have scientists and medical professionals started funding research focused on the benefits of mindfulness for children and adolescence. In 2016, researchers in Italy implemented a school-based study and found that Italian school-aged children who participated in mindfulness-based interventions had increased focused and enhanced children’s socio-emotional development and academic skills.

Over the last few years, engaging in mindfulness-based practices has emerged as an effective strategy when treating children and adolescents with a range of psychological and cognitive disorders and diagnoses. Collectively, as a global community, we have all experienced heightened stress and concern over the last two years and children have been especially affected by the uncertainty of the world around them. By teaching our children simple mindful practices we can help reduce their anxiety, support them in talking about big feelings in a healthy and productive manner, and guide our children to self-regulate their emotions which promotes a child’s overall happiness.

Teaching mindfulness to little ones may sound intimidating but it is possible for you to guide children in mindful routines as early as preschool through adolescence and beyond. Here are some of our suggestions, tips, and favorite resources to get started!

Mindfulness for Toddlers

The most important thing to keep in mind with toddlers and mindfulness is that teaching mindfulness is not the goal. Creating space and providing opportunities for toddlers to identify their emotions and be present is our aim with the littles.

Strategies can be as simple as validating your child’s feelings and really allowing kids to experience their full range of emotions sans judgment or trying to, “fix,” whatever is going on for them.

Try this

• Next time your little one is upset, resist the urge to tell them, “you’re ok,” or, “brush it off, you’re good,” try something like, “I understand you’re sad because it’s time to go home. I feel sad when I am not ready to leave too.”
• Mindful breathing is not as out of reach as one may initially think for toddler-aged children. If you are looking to incorporate breathing exercises to help regulate your children’s breathing and calm their nervous system, we have a strategy for you!

Try this

• Grasping the idea of longer inhales and exhales is a hard concept for toddlers; however, when framed in a context they can understand, such as blowing bubbles, it can be introduced as early as two years old (dependent on child’s interest). Modeling inhales and blowing bubbles with your little ones is a great way to practice long exhalations and get their lips comfortable with the movement needed to start mindfully breathing.

Find more ideas for mindfulness and your toddlers !

Mindfulness for Older Children

There has been a huge movement growing within the world of education to promote emotional education and mindful school practices in the classroom. This has provided a new range of resources for parents and teachers to use with their elementary-aged children. Elementary-aged children are old enough to understand the benefits and the why of mindfulness when guided by an adult.

Resources like guides and lesson plans, even full curriculums exist for social-emotional learning and trauma-sensitive informed training!

Try this

• One of our absolute favorite resources for school-aged children has got to be . Cosmic Kids has yoga and mindfulness sessions available on video for free via YouTube for children to engage in at school or home. Each video is easily accessible for children and led in a kid-friendly way that incorporates stories, creativity, and silliness to encourage relaxation techniques and mindful movement.

Try this

• Walking mindfully in nature is a great way to help children get in tune with themselves and reflect inward while noting the sights, sounds, and smells around them. These walks are a great way to shift children’s awareness and fine-tune their focus while encouraging presence. Find more great ideas .

Mindfulness for Teens

Being a teenager is SO hard. The teen years are formative for your child as they go through the emotional and physical growing pains of puberty and adolescence. One of the hardest challenges for teens is navigating the social aspect of adolescence and the ebbs and flows that come with high school. Having a strong toolkit of resources to keep your child grounded and happy can go a long way in combatting and reducing social anxiety, stress around testing, and school pressures.

Try this

• Encourage your teen to sit and think of a quote or a word that makes them feel powerful, at ease, or optimistic. Teach them how to turn this phrase into a daily affirmation practice to get them started in the morning before school or when they are feeling stressed or worried. Find more great ideas for teens and mindfulness !

It isn’t always easy to stay in the moment or regulate our feelings when we are overwhelmed and it is ten times harder for our kids. Kids need adults they can trust who can model positive attitudes and behaviors for them to learn from. Find a nanny you can rely on by contacting us via��email��or at 973-466-2669 to fill your home staffing needs before the new year!

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We at the Nanny Authority LOVE the holiday season and spending time with our family and friends during this most magical time. As a gift to you, we have two fall-tastic activities for you to enjoy with your family, no matter how little or old your children are.

Family Gratitude “Tree”

Regardless of whether your family celebrates Thanksgiving or not, gratitude is always in style, and even more so during a time of year when so many around us reflect on what we are thankful for. If you love DIY activities we have the perfect family gratitude tree for you and your family to create at home. Check out this fun fall activity that can double as a Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Supplies

• Branches/Twigs
• Vase or Flower Bucket
• Small basket or bucket
• Kraft Paper Gift tags or Leaf Tags (we loved and )
  • You can also DIY with colored cardstock and a leaf template like and scissors/hole punch)
• Markers (we recommend washable) or crayons for children 5 and under

Instructions

1. Get outside with your family and collect some branches and twigs that are dry and have a variety of lengths and shapes. If you don’t have time to get into nature you can opt for something like too!
2. Once inside with your twigs, make sure they are clean, and grab your vase or bucket of choice. Fill the bucket with the twigs to look like a tree. It does not have to be compacted, you can allow for space as you desire between branches.
3. We encourage you to include your children in the process of either stringing twine into the gift tags or cutting out leaves on cardstock and using a hole punch (with supervision of course). Once all of the tags have twine strung in them tie the twine so there is a loop large enough for the tag to rest loosely on a branch, somewhat like a Christmas ornament.
4. Set the prepared tags to the side in a small bucket or next to your gratitude tree.
5. Before your Thanksgiving dinner, or whenever feels right for your family, take some time to talk with your children about gratitude and what it means to give thanks. Let everyone take tags to write down what they are thankful for and place on the tree.
6. Leave your gratitude tree up during the holiday season and enjoy!

We are so grateful for YOU and all of the amazing work you do with your littles everyday. Need some more gratitude tree ideas? Find more gratitude tree inspiration ! Share your trees with us on social and tag @thenannyauthorityinc

Handprint Turkey Cookies

Handprint turkeys are a classic craft during the month of November for most early childhood-aged children. We know when we were little, we remember tracing our hands and coloring each finger on the paper to resemble a turkey feather. At Nanny Authority we thought, why not combine our love for nostalgia with the classic tradition of holiday baking? Enter, the handprint turkey cookie.

Supplies

• A roll out sugar cookie recipe (see below!)
• A royal icing recipe (see below!)
• Cardstock or construction paper
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Stand mixer
• Rolling pin
• Paring or X-Acto knife (for ADULT USE)
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or silpat nonstick baking mats
• Pipings bags or spoons
• Toothpicks

Instructions

1. Using a pencil, trace your child’s hand onto a piece of cardstock or construction paper. (Don’t forget to trace your own as well, this is a family affair after all.)
2. Cut each hand out.
3. Roll out your cookie dough to about a 3/8-inch thick (1/4 inch works too!), place your cardstock hands on top of the dough and trace around the hand with a sharp paring knife.

**this is an adult-only step**

4. Transfer your cookie dough hands over to your lined baking sheet.
5. Bake per recipe instructions below.
6. While your cookies are baking, mix all of your icing colors with colors of your choice. We recommend light brown, dark brown, red, green, yellow, and orange.
7. After your cookies have cooled, outline the thumb and palm of your hand cookie with stiff light brown icing.
8. Fill the light brown outline with a thinner light brown icing. Pop any bubbles and drag your icing with toothpicks to adequately fill the space.
9. Outline each of the remaining fingers in a different color and repeat the outline and fill process from steps 7 and 8.
10. Your icing should form a “crust.” It is not dry but the top layer is drying and almost looks like a thin protective shell. Once this crust has formed, take a small piping bag with dark brown icing and make a small eye on the thumb of your cookie. Use the dark brown icing to draw wings on the body of the turkey (the palm). Make small legs in the lower center of the palm by drawing two vertical lines and a small upside-down v on the lower half of each line.
11. With your orange outline consistency icing, make a small triangle for the turkey’s beak facing outwards. With your red outline consistency icing, draw your turkey’s wattle (the red skin) underneath the turkey’s beak.
12. Let your cookies dry for 8 hours or overnight so that royal icing is completely dried before enjoying your cookies. Most importantly, just have fun with it! Let your children explore and play and make holiday memories as a family.

Nanny Authority’s Sugar Cookie Recipe

Non Food Supplies

• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or
• Spoons
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Tall drinking cup
• Small mixing bowls
• Silicone spatulas
• Piping bags
• Toothpicks

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

• 1 C salted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3 C all-purpose flour

Sugar Cookie Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.
2. When your butter is still cold, cube and set aside.
3. Crack 1 egg in a small bowl and add 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Set aside.
4. Prepare your baking sheet with your Silpat mats or parchment paper.
5. Add your cubed butter and your sugar to the stand mixer bowl and mix with a paddle attachment on speed 3-4 until combined and creamy (approx 2 minutes).
6. Once combined, add your egg and vanilla and mix on speed 2-3 until ingredients are fully combined (10-15 seconds). Do not overmix at a higher speed.
7. Add in your baking powder and mix for 10 seconds maximum.
8. Add in your flour slowly while the mixer is on low. Pour in half of the flour, let it combine in the mixer, and then add the remaining flour.
9. Your dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add small amounts of flour while mixing if needed.
10. Take your dough out of your stand mixer and roll in between two sheets of parchment paper to 3/8 or ¼ inch thick. Chill your dough in the freezer for 5-15 minutes. (this step is important if you are hand cutting with a paring knife or X-Acto)
11. Cut your cookie shapes and place them onto your prepped baking sheets.
12. Bake for 15 minutes at 350° degrees F.
13. Take your cookies out with oven mitts and let them cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling wire rack.

Royal Icing Ingredients

• ½ C Meringue Powder (we love this )
• ½ C lukewarm water
• 1 LB confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar, we recommend Domino)
• Food coloring as needed (we love this )

Royal Icing Instructions

1. In your stand mixer combine your meringue powder and lukewarm water on a 3-4 medium speed until frothy. (It should almost look like beer froth)
2. Lock your stand mixer (this is important) and ensure your pouring shield is secured on top of your mixing bowl.
3. Slowly add in your confectioners’ sugar and mix on low. The icing will become incredibly stiff and you may need to add in teaspoons of water as it mixes.
4. Mix the icing until you can stick a silicone spatula in the icing and it the icing comes out stiff enough it stands tall and flips over the spatula with a “dollop.”
5. Now is the time to separate the icing into smaller bowls and mix in your desired color. Add in a small teaspoon of water to loosen the icing a little but it should still be stiff enough that it can, “dollop,” over a silicone spatula. It should be the consistency of toothpaste. This is your outline consistency.
6. Take your piping bags and insert them into your tall glass. Fold the top of the bag over the rim of the glass.
7. With your spatula slide half of the icing into your piping bag as far down as it can go. Pull your piping bag out of the glass and tie the top of the bag. Gently massage the bag to eliminate any air bubbles.
8. With the other half of the colored icing, add in a teaspoon of water at a time and mix with your spatula until the icing is about the consistency of shampoo. This is your flood consistency. Repeat steps 6 and 7.
9. When you are ready to ice your cookies, cut a small hole on the seam of the piping bags and decorate as desired.

Find more icing tips and tricks and .

We want to wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates. Looking for help during the holiday season? Find creative and dedicated childcare workers at the Nanny Authority. Contact us via email or at 973-466-2669 to fill your home staffing needs before the new year!

Photos from and . Find more Hand Turkey cookie ideas and step-by-step photos .

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1. Encourage independence, but stay available as needed

It is always important to encourage your child to complete assignments independently, but if the content is not clicking or the workload is overwhelming, step in as the adult and break down the assignment. Breaking down the assignment can mean making the amount of work to do more manageable by working on the assignment in increments (some today, some tomorrow) but it can also mean working on the content in sequential increments so the work is easier to comprehend. Asking your child’s teacher ahead of time how they model and break down new concepts in class is a great way to reinforce learning at home and to help children stay consistent with strategies taught in the classroom.

2. Create a dedicated workspace

The options for this may seem limited but actually, are endless. Some children are able to complete assignments self-sufficiently and for those children, a kid-friendly (or teen-friendly) space with all of the school supplies needed in an area with limited distractions is great. For children who need a tiny bit more supervision or have only just begun adjusting to a school schedule, a family-friendly workstation is a wonderful alternative. Having an adult close enough to support if needed but working on their own things in tandem can take the focus and the pressure off of little learners who are working towards independence. We loved the ideas we read from and the great reminder that a kid-friendly workspace is in reach whatever your family’s needs may be.

3. Mix it up

If your child is having a particular draw to reading first thing one day and working on some math first the next day, that is ok! �Ӱɴ�ýwork does not always have to be done in a set order to help your child succeed. It is also ok if your child wants to work on one assignment, submit, pause and work on something else. Mixing it up can actually boost learning and increase motivation and your child’s focus. Just as we do as adults, kids can hit their limit after too much, and sometimes switching to another assignment can clear their minds for when it is time to circle back to unfinished homework.

4. Make a plan

Just as it’s important to have a dedicated workspace to focus, it can be highly beneficial for children to have a plan surrounding homework. One of the first things to consider is, “when is my child’s focus the best?” Plan a homework schedule around their most effective learning time, whether that is when it’s freshest in their minds after school, or during breakfast before school. A homework plan can help teach children the importance of time management and prioritization – life skills they will need far beyond their academic careers. When creating a plan with your children, provide opportunities for choice, “would you like to read first, or work on one of your assignments first?” Choices empower children and offer opportunities for ownership over their own learning and can help homework go smoothly. When creating a homework plan, remember to keep in mind the where, when, who, why, and how.

• Where, will they be working on their homework?
• When, what time of day works best for your child?
• Who, will be available if they need support?
• Review why homework is important and the skills being reinforced at home.
• And make a plan that works for your family so you know how dedicated homework time will look in your home.

If you are looking for afternoon assistance and skilled nannies to assist in homework help, always remember you can contact us via email or at 973-466-2669 to support you with finding your perfect after-school helper, whether you have a kindergartener or a middle schooler!

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We’re not sure if it gets any more nostalgic than a tissue wrapped around a lollipop to make the perfect trick or treat favor, you know? at home with this simple DIY that helps engage children’s fine motor skills, engages various sensory input systems, and creates memories to share for a lifetime.

Do you remember the I Spy books you and your parents would read together when you were little, and then you read and played the game with your children? Bring everyone’s favorite wordless picture book to life with this Halloween edition. This is a fun and safe way to change up your after-school walk home from the bus or a new way to make Halloween fun if you plan on downsizing your trick or treating group this year.

We can tell you, one of our absolute favorite Halloween activities to do with children (aside from eating candy!) is building an at-home Halloween library to read from. From scary to sweet, reading to your children and incorporating things going on presently in their lives can have a profound impact on their understanding of the world around them and build comprehension skills. Some of my favorite classics are:

• The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson
• Creepy Carrots! By Aaron Reynolds
• Room On The Broom, by Julia Donaldson
• Big Pumpkin, by Erica Silverman
• Too Many Pumpkins, by Linda White

Have a spooky, scary, skeleton movie marathon at home! Grab all of your favorite Halloween candies, throw on a costume and get cozy on the couch with the family for all of your holiday favorites. From Casper the Friendly Ghost to Hocus Pocus to Halloweentown (we grew up in the 80s & 90s, can you tell?) the movie options for you and your little ones are endless.

Staying in this year? Find some more cool ways to bring in the All Hallows Eve spirit into your home , and .

For a fun, socially distanced, group activity outdoors, head to a local pumpkin patch. Pick pumpkins with the family, enjoy a hayride, and get lost in a corn maze! Nothing says Halloween like picking your own pumpkin to carve and place on the front porch as a jack-o-lantern! Let littles get involved by providing non-toxic paint, stickers, and stamps for a decorated pumpkin of their very own.

For more ghoulish and ghostly ways to celebrate Halloween click here.

This Halloween may look a little different from years past but that doesn’t mean you or your kids need to miss out on the holiday fun. Keep it safe, keep it smart and be mindful of your Halloween activities for you and your children to get the most out of the most ghostly time of year!

Make sure to follow the Nanny Authority on social media and and inquire with us today at (973) 466 2669 about your next nanny hire!

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