welcome

Our new favorite fall dessert: Pears in a Blanket, page 62.

SEPTEMBER 2015

share

9 | THE BUZZ Trending fun on social media, readers’ best lunchies, choose your favorite school superhero, and more 12 | TRY IT IN YOUR TOWN Put on a peanut butter and jelly food drive 14 | YOUR GREATIDEAS Creative solutions from readers. Plus: how to clean up kids’ art messes. 16 | MOMENT OF GENIUS One dad’s simple strategy for easing his son’s separation anxiety

IN EVERY ISSUE

2 | welcome! 6 | big fun 92 | workbook 96 | last bite

SPECIAL SECTION 48a | little ones: seasonal activities just for kids under 5

create

19 | SILLY CELEBRATIONS A paper-plate parrot for Talk Like a Pirate Day 20 | MAKE IT Personalized crafts, magical mushrooms, an eraselet, and more 24 | MEET A MAKER Art teacher Hope Knight shows how to make collage creatures 28 | ART SPARK A printmaking activity with cookie cutters 30| HAPPY HOME Assemble your own Lego table 34 | LET’S EAT! Sheet pan suppers for busy weeknights 40 | SPOTLIGHT Five outdoor crafts that let you turn a nature walk into an artistic adventure

play

51 | ACTIVE GAME Build soccer skills with our spin on a classic activity 52 | HEALTHY FAMILY The rainbow challenge, sunglass smarts, tips for spy kids, and more 56 | FAVORITE THINGS Noteworthy back-toschool supplies, new novels, and more 60 | GET SMART Math practice: water balloons + hula hoops = ? 62 | KITCHEN FUN Pears in a Blanket, a stackable snack, and more 68 | SPOTLIGHT Could family meetings bring new harmony to the author’s household?

smile

79 | BATH & BODY TREAT Tips for relaxing and pampering yourself 80 | BEAUTY Upgrade your ponyail, try a new mascara, and more 82 | GO FOR IT Real women share their surefi re ways to jump-start the day

explore

85 | WORTH THE TRIP Take a stroll above the city on New York’s elevated High Line 86 | ROAD TRIP One family’s adventure through the wild heart of Ohio, from Sandusky to Hocking Hills

ON OUR COVER

Alexandra and Georgia, both age 8, photographed by Lucy Schaeffer; styling by Don Sumada; grooming by Sylvester Castellano. Butterfl y backpack by Gap Kids, hat by Mokuyobi Threads. Get Ready for School! 6, 16, 56 Make Art Outdoors 40 The Cookie Calculator 96 Sheet Pan Suppers 34

Table Talk

It’s back-to-school time and you want to hear about your children’s day at school…but do you often get a “shrug” and a one-word answer? The dinner table is an excellent place to start improving family communication.

HERE ARE SOME ENGAGING CONVERSATION STARTERS:

• What was the best thing that happened at school today? • Tell me something that made you laugh today. • If I called your teacher tonight, what would she tell me about you?

Help your kid’s school with every bite!

The Tyson Project A+™ program is one of the simplest ways to support your school. Just clip and redeem Tyson Project A+ labels from packages of Tyson® products. For every label we receive, we’ll give your school 24¢—and your school can use the money for whatever it needs.

ProjectAplus.tyson.com

A SNEAK PEEK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS ISSUE

Seven-year-old Timmy, son of Deputy Art Director Tim MacKay, holds up one finger to show he’s starting first grade, then climbs aboard that big yellow bus.

Let the new year begin!

No offense to January 1, but for me, the real pivot point in the year is the first day of school. As the mom of two, that’s when I practically hear the hands of time clunk forward and feel my family propelled into the world of new schedules, new teachers, and new school stuff to label (and lose!). It’s a busy time, but I always love it because, like the other New Year, it gives my family a chance to rethink our routines. Fortunately, this issue is packed with ways to do just that. For example, I’m all over the sheet pan suppers on page 34. These midweek dinners dirty just one pan and taste great (trust me: we have a test kitchen here). I know my daughter, our family’s crafting maniac, will want to add bling to her school shoes after seeing Big Fun on page 6. And I love the idea of offsetting homework and screen time by turning our fall hikes into art-making moments (page 40). But those are just my family’s “resolutions.” This issue has so many other ways to ring in your family’s new year—and even a candy calculator (page 96) to count them all up on! Ann Hallock

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ENTER TO WIN

WE’RE ON TV

WHAT’S YOUR KID’S STYLE?

High-tops and dresses? Denim and neon? If your child is a stylin’ dresser, snap a photo and enter it in the Kids Cool Style Contest, which we’ve teamed up with Crazy 8 to bring you. You could win a $500 gift card! See page 95 for more details.

TUNE IN BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

Look for FamilyFun’s best travel tips on the new season of Family Travel With Colleen Kelly, hosted by the PBS travel expert and globe-trotting mom of two. Find local airtimes at familytravelck.com.