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- š½ Summertime Ideas
š½ Summertime Ideas
A few book, podcast, video, and activity recommendations...
Rion Nakaya
July 10th, 2025
The Kid Should See This ā¢ July 10, 2025
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š½ WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK:
ā±ļø The news feels particularly heavy this summer. While we navigate challenges near and far, it can be reassuring to fill kids' days with stories that spark imagination, books that decode the natural world, and projects that put creation in their hands.
First, if you havenāt already seen them, please enjoy Andrea Loveās felted stop-motion animations together, starting with Summer Grill.
Then keep scrolling to find book, podcast, video, and activity recommendationsā¦
āØšš FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNER
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š A FEW FANTASTIC BOOKS
When our kids were little, summer road trips meant loading the gap between their car seats with a stack of non-fiction books chock-full of information that would keep them turning pages for hours. The books below would have definitely been in that pile.
Also, I realize itās Prime Day all week, but these image links direct you to Bookshop.org, which is the easiest way to support independent booksellers (and TKSST, too). Or find these selections at your favorite local bookshop!
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š» FOR IMAGINATION WITHOUT SCREENSā¦
Iāve mentioned before that, despite TKSST's focus on videos, Iāve always known audio storytelling to be unmatched for fostering imagination. The Yoto Player is excellent for this. Their library includes titles ranging from Winnie the Pooh to Disney and Pixar favorites, educational titles, and more. Each card displays simple pixel art but keeps the experience screen-free. Plus, thereās no microphone, no camera, and no algorithms. The Mini version travels well, too.
Bonus: Phoebe Judge created two of my favorite podcasts for grown-ups: Criminal and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. This summer, sheās reading childrenās books on the latter: The Three Little Pigs, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and Winnie-the-Pooh so far.
š¹ļø AND WITH SCREENS
Piknik games have been our go-to for years; their creative, ad-free digital play is educational, and some of their games can almost feel like analog experiences. Piknik offers an affordable bundle (80% cheaper than subscribing to each app individually), which includes the Toca Boca Jr. games, Sago Mini World and Mini School games, MathTango, and more, making it perfect for kids aged 2-10.
Get a 30-day free trial and use code TKSST25 for 25% off the monthly plan ($8.99 instead of $11.99/month).
My favorite games in the bundle include Toca Builders, a block construction toy app featuring six builder characters with different abilities; Toca Nature, an open-play ecosystem builder where kids create landscapes and interact with the animals that appear in them; and Sago's sweet mini side-scrollers, perfect for preschool-age educational exploring.
āļøā”ļøš FOR MAKING AND DOING
TKSSTās Gift Guide has a bunch of recommendations for DIY kits, projects, and activity ideas.
And if you find some extra time, summerās a great opportunity to cook and bake together. TKSST shares over 100 recipe videos to choose from, including Trenette al Pesto with Luca and Alberto, plus a simple summertime crumbly blueberry (or almost any fruit) crisp.
š AND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
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