Upcycling for Play, Girl Edition

Perhaps the best way to offset your beautiful new kids’ bedroom furniture from The Bedroom Source is to include some fun, upcycled pieces you don’t mind if your kids personalize, a little bit. Think of it as a springboard for your own ideas, depending on the kinds of toys and play things your kids use the most. Dress-Up Wardrobe We have a love-hate relationship with dress-ups at our house. The kids love to play with them, and we love the imaginative play value, but the clothes-all-over-the-pla …
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Finding a Safe Mattress that Delivers for Your Long Island Kids

While “horror stories about tumbleweeds of mite feces blowing through your home” is the stuff of urban mythology, dust mite allergies are real concerns, especially for children. Those with asthma are especially prone to have reactions to dust mites. (In fact, dust mite allergies can increase a child’s risk for developing asthma.) Spanning the age spectrum, one out of every four Americans has an allergy of some kind, and two out of three within the allergy group have allergies to dust mites. Du …
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Classics 4.0 by Smartstuff: The Perfect Bedroom Suit for Peerless Students

In keeping with the other styles within our Smartstuff™ Line of kids' bedroom furniture, the Classics 4.0 Collection offers a traditional outline for sleep space that does double duty as a study space and even accommodates the entertainment equipment of today’s tech-savvy teens. From preschoolers to young adults, Smartstuff™ furnishings can accommodate your child as he or she progresses from just learning the ABCs to conjugating Spanish verbs and even applying for grad school! The …
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Creating Space for Your Little Artist

Sure, it’s easier to tell our kids to just go play a game on their electronic devices. They want to be creative? There are plenty of apps for that. There’s also fewer supplies we need to gather, less mess potential — win, win, right? Well, just as writing things out longhand is more beneficial for our minds than typing out the same message, physically manipulating media to create provides greater developmental benefits to kids. Providing an “invitation to create” does take some planning and ma …
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Boredom Busters: Setting the Stage for Intentional Play

If you’re like most of us, your home doesn’t lack for “stuff to do.” And yet your kids whine, “I’m bored.” Sometimes so-called boredom is actually lack of imagination combined with being overwhelmed by too much stuff from which to choose. Instead of shouting “Go play! You have plenty of toys!”, the intentional parent can create invitations to create, to play, to learn. Starting Steps: Clean Space, Clear Mind To create a place where creativity and imaginative play can flourish, the space needs …
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4 Keys To Toy Organization

Maybe you were with me on this post until you got to the “organize” part. It can be pretty daunting, for those of us for whom it doesn’t come naturally. But it’s a science, not an art: It can be learned. Once you’ve purged and sorted toys into sets or categories, you’ll probably be better prepared to do some more purging. Once you’ve pared down to what makes sense to keep, you need a plan. Storage Furniture Here at The Bedroom Source, we have plenty of storage furniture options that coordinate …
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Solutions for the Too-Many-Toys Dilemma

Too many toys — it may be a first world problem, but it can definitely be a problem. For our kids, for our family relationships, for our sanity. Today’s parents are getting smart. Many are aware of the dangers of a pervasive materialistic, entitlement mindset fostered by modern advertising. Others are constantly purging their home of toys, for a variety of other reasons, including these biggies: 1) Educational & Developmental Health (see "Children Play Less the More Toys They Get") 2) Househol …
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Fostering Academic Success at Home: Being Intentional About Family Relationships, Part 2

Being intentional about family relationships can reap rewards both academically and otherwise, for both you and your children. While there is no replacement for regular, routine times for building relationships (as we discussed in Part 1), parents can also be creative about orchestrating an environment and special activities and occasions that intentionally celebrate and anticipate relational closeness — one of the most significant factors in a child’s academic success. Environmental Factors Fr …
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Fostering Academic Success at Home: Being Intentional About Family Relationships, Part 1

Amid the constant debates about educational funding, benefits of private vs. public education, teacher preparation and professional development, recent studies have unearthed an even more significant factor in the academic success of children: parental support and home life. According to a 2012 study involving 10,000 students, “while both school and family involvement are important, the role of family involvement is stronger when it comes to academic success." As a parent, that kind of statemen …
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Gabriella by Smartstuff: A Bedroom Set with All the Frills

Complete with little luxuries and modern amenities, our Gabriella Collection is designed with your little beauty in mind. Whether her days are filled with daydreaming or working hard to make her dreams into reality, this dreamy set will be sure to bring a smile to her lips and a twinkle to her eye. The Beauty of Gabriella Pure as the driven snow, the Gabriella Collection has a finish that hints at lace and charming rose-shaped carvings that speak beauty into the stuff o …
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