KSATKIDS

Look, life as we know it right now is pretty insane. Omicron is raging across the country, it didn’t even feel like 2021 happened and America’s sweetheart, Betty White, is dead.

If you welcomed a new bundle of joy in 2021, you likely did a little research whilst attempting to pick your favorite name.

As an adult, by my late 20s, I started to feel a little bit “meh” about Christmas. Sure, it was a nice time of year, and I enjoyed seeing my family when I could, but I didn’t really understand the appeal of decorating, baking or most holiday-themed events. All of that changed, however, once I got into my 30s and had kids.

We don’t know about you, dear readers, but Christmas gives us all those warm, fuzzy feelings: Of years past, of childhood, and all the magic that goes hand in hand with the holiday season.

This dad is a super fun “follow,” if you’re looking to add to your social media lists! He’s funny, smart, and his posts will make you think.

We’re used to seeing Santa at the mall, or better yet, on his sleigh delivering toys to children around the world, but you don’t see Santa (let alone hundreds of him) skiing or snowboarding down a mountain.

Besides giving and receiving presents, the next best thing about the holidays is all the Christmas movies -- and Freeform has so many for you watch this month.

The longest partial lunar eclipse of the year is happening early Friday, and people in all 50 states will be able to view it.

Have you heard of Operation Santa?

If you drove past the former fire station in Hamburg, Michigan, you probably wouldn’t think much about it, but once you step inside, it’s like walking into Santa’s workshop.

As most might know, October marked 50 years since Disney World opened its doors.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of Play-Doh being introduced, and Thursday is National Play-Doh Day.

I’m not always the best “get on the floor and play” kind of mom, but any time one of my kids wants to bring me a book, I’ll drop what I’m doing in favor of some cuddles and reading time.

Those along the Great Lakes and rivers near Detroit and Canada have taken notice of a special boat that’s been sailing those waters this summer.

They may not live in a pineapple, but they’re certainly hanging out under the sea.

Starting high school can understandably create nervousness among parents and kids.

Regardless of the time of year, or how old your kids are, it's important to have a system in place to wind them down at the end of the day.

For much of his life, Timothy Rohrer, a now-young adult who was diagnosed with autism as a second-grader, has dealt with exclusion from his peers.

Walt Disney World gave new details Monday about its upcoming holiday celebrations.

Firework spectaculars are returning to Walt Disney World.

Hurricanes are a strong force of nature. Many have seen the toll they can take on people, homes and land, but there are a few things you may not know about the storms, and they’re pretty intriguing.

There are many 16-year-olds who get a summer job and spend their earnings on gasoline and fun activities, but Shane Jones did something much different with part of his money.

Ethan was a typical 12-year-old boy: He loved video games, Legos and his dog, who is named Lego. That was, until he was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma on July 30, 2020.

Meet Sky Brown, a skateboarding prodigy who is on the verge of becoming one of the youngest athletes to ever compete at the Summer Olympics.

How well do you know your international travel destinations? It’s time to test your knowledge.

Tuesday is officially recognized as the iconic doll’s birthday, and it appears Barbie is aging like fine wine. Barbie dolls are still a staple for kids to play with and even for adults to collect, so National Barbie Day will give people another chance to celebrate Barbs and all of her friends, who have come into our homes and hearts for so long now. If you’re a Barbie fan, or even if you’re just curious to learn more about her, try your hand at the quiz below.

Who doesn’t love “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” (And the polar bear version. And the panda edition!) Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle definitely have that formula down to a science. And well, the classics are the classics for a reason, and most parents can probably agree there will be room for those books on any shelf.

An artist with quite the following on Instagram has turned heads for some of his work -- which includes illustrations of some of the classic Disney princesses.

Valentine’s Day is big business in the United States.

The inauguration of George Washington as the first President of the United States. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)Things have changed quite a bit since the first presidential inauguration in 1789. Illustration of American general and politician George Washington (1732 - 1799) receiving the news of his election as the first American president, 1789. While emphasizing the public good, Washington addressed the need for a strong Constitution and Bill of Rights. He also said he would be declining pay beyond what the public good thought was required.

Tuesday marks the anniversary of one of the most significant days in U.S. and world history, a day that still lives in infamy, 80 years later.

’Tis the season to give, and we have a feeling this might be one of the best ways yet to do exactly that.

Let's get the Elf on the Shelf to work for us this year (and hopefully every year moving forward).

This year, the International Space Station celebrated 20 years of having a continuous human presence on it. But what exactly is the International Space Station and what does it do? Over a 13-year period from 1998-2011, different modules were launched into space and attached to each other in orbit by astronauts. That mission was successful to create an initial base, and in subsequent years, other modules were launched into orbit and connected. The ISS is aging -- and if it’s not eventually destroyed or taken down by humans, space obstacles might arise, according to space.com.

Both of these holidays celebrate the brave men and women who protect our country, but is there a difference between the two days?

Let’s officially talk Halloween.

For more than six decades, humans have been launching spacecraft into low-Earth orbit and out into the universe, including satellites that provide GPS and weather forecasting down on Earth, but they have limited lifespans.

When you’re on the hunt for a new nanny or babysitter, it can be incredibly stressful.

It doesn’t matter how old your child is, back-to-school time is a mixture of excitement and nerves for everyone, especially as we navigate through this coronavirus pandemic.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Walt Disney World is set to once again open its gates to the Magic Kingdom following a lengthy closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. But with most families staying inside and not traveling, how crowded will the theme parks really be when they reopen? Park Capacity Capacity at 25% Magic Kingdom 57,000 people 14,250 people Epcot 34,093 people 8,523 people Hollywood Studios 30,843 people 7,710 people Animal Kingdom 37,671 people 9,417 peopleA park at 25% capacity would mean very minimal wait times. As we can all imagine, visiting a Disney theme park when it reopens will be a new experience for all -- no matter how many times you’ve visited. The Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom parks will open first July 11, with Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopening July 15.

According to Disney, buses and monorails will implement a combination of physical distancing and physical barriers to provide separation between guest parties. Ground markings will help promote proper physical distancing in attraction queues at Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Matt Stroshane, photographer)In order to provide appropriate social distancing, Walt Disney World is only allowing a limited number of guests to visit each theme park per day. “Ground markings will help promote proper physical distancing throughout the parks, including attraction queues,” Disney said. Guests at Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., are encouraged to use cashless payment options whenever possible when making purchases as the parks begin their phased reopening July 11, 2020.

You don’t have to be a devoted prepper -- you know, those people who stockpile food and supplies for doomsday scenarios? -- to get your family ready to face potential emergency situations.

Summer camp might not be an option this year, but YouTube has created a free #CampYouTube, so as to re-create common camp experiences through YouTube videos. These include arts and crafts, sports, writing workshops, photography tutorials, mental health exercises, exploring the outdoors and SO much more — seriously, there are about 1,200 videos in total. Any interest in learning how to make a ping pong ball float? Plus, YouTube uses resources for its videos from partners like the BBC, Imagination Library, Code.org, Breakthrough Junior Challenge, Google Arts and Culture, National Geographic Society, Sesame Street and others. “These resources are not meant to replace homework assigned by teachers, but meant to complement that work,” YouTube states on its camp website.

One child in particular really stood out: A boy who decided he wanted to give back to the community for his 9th birthday. Erica Gamboa said her son, Mason, wanted to use his birthday this year to help out locally. That’s when the idea of a canned food drive came in. “We were able to collect $485, and also a lot of canned goods,” Gamboa said. The canned goods Mason collected on his birthday.

It’s the perfect time to put the red, white and blue out on display.

If it goes off as planned, this will mark the first mission involving astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011. Still, NASA astronaut Bob Behnken has said he and Doug Hurley are “really comfortable” with the risks. So you’re making educated guesses, at best.”It seems there’s just more uncharted territory when it comes to space travel. “The first astronauts really started out as test pilots,” Garfinkle said. But assuming this launch goes well, “It would be great for kids to see a successful, triumphant moment of science,” Fink said.

“Cooking With Pixar” is a new series featured on the Pixar YouTube channel. Each video shows a step-by-step process for making easy recipes that kids of all ages can help out with. Cook alongside Forkey from “Toy Story 4” as you create a Pizza Planet pepperoni pizza with bell pepper rings. It’s important to note that Pixar’s cooking videos don’t include ingredient portions or measurements. So, if you aren’t comfortable cooking that way, it might be a good idea to keep a similar recipe handy to compare.

(Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "Dragons Love Tacos" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "What Do People Do All Day?" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)"From there to here,and here to there,latex gloves are everywhere." (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "Everyone Poops" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "Go, Dog. (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: The "Olivia" series (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "Miss Nelson is Missing!" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Inspiration: "Madeline" (Illustrations used with permission from Stefanie Trilling)Who doesn't love the "Pete the Cat" books?

Whether it’s pre-school, kindergarten, or even daycare, separating from your child can be tough -- in a lot of cases, tougher on the parents than the kids.

The value of reading cannot be overstated. No matter how old or young your children are, have you read with them today?