BLACK FRIDAY 2020 DEALS

I love a good sale. Here’s what I have my eye on this year and discount codes to share.

MAMA

RootedWoman. Black owned small biz! Ethically made, 10-free vegan nail polish with names like “unwavering” and “rest.” I often buy nail polish on Black Friday and this was a fun new find. 50% off, discount automatically applied at checkout. Bonus: shipping is only $2.

Olive & June. Another small biz nail discovery! Retailing surprisingly low for non-toxic, $8 and 25% off this weekend with MAGIC25. Just bought the dry drops, so excited to try. $10 off your first order of $50 with this link here.

LVX. Another luxury, eco-friendly nail polish. 40% off for Black Friday, if you can stack coupon codes or if you miss the sale, 20% off with ALLIESEIDEL.

Madewell. Up to 50% off with VERYMERRY, even sale. I bought white jeans for $32, down from $128.

Feetures are my favorite running socks. Thin, seam-free, lifetime guarantee. 20% off.

BLK + GRN. Black owned business featuring clean beauty products from multiple brands. Just discovered and can’t wait to explore.

Unwrapped Life. My favorite shampoo bars. I have greasy hair, and now I wash only once a week with The Stimulator bar, for two years now! 40% off and free shipping over $40, which is a big savings for international shipping rates from Canada.

Everlane isn’t on sale, but they are donating to Feeding America for their Black Friday campaign. The perform leggings in black have been my daily uniform this whole year.

Old Navy: 50% off everything like these flannel pjs.

West Elm: up to 50% off, extra 20% off clearance with SCORE. Cute little felt mistletoe.

Wireless Printer. With all the WFH life we needed a new one. Not on sale, but a budget option at $109 (and priced matched here to Amazon without having to support Amazon, and also free shipping).

KID

Dollhouse we love! On sale for $127, lowest price I could find, and this is a small biz toy shop.

Hanna jams. Nostalgic from my own childhood and our very favorites! $20 off here.

Fire 8 Tablet. We don’t have a TV so this is all the technology our kids get (and the only item on here from Amazon). So helpful on our long road trips to California. Usually $140, on sale for $79, up to 12 hrs battery life.

Hunter boots are on sale, variable each day of Black Friday weekend. At the time of this post, the kids’ boots are as low as $35. (Nordstrom has some Hunter Boots deals as well, although more colors and sizes at their home site.)

KwiCo. We’ve tried the 0-24months Koala Crate for Blaire and the Kiwi Crate, age 5-8, for Trey and have been impressed with them both. Subscription-based, educational, and engaging. $10 off with this link here.

L’ovedBaby carries my favorite organic cotton zippered sleeper/romper. Blaire wore this basically every day and every night for her first year. Up to 40% off organic cotton basics, and an extra 15% if you can stack coupons or if you miss the sale with this link here.

Related: holiday gift guide coming soon!

Some links are affiliate, not sponsored or endorsed by any company, just things we love.

HOW WE DO (HOME) SCHOOL

A lot of us are finding ourselves and our kids home unexpectedly this year, and it’s new territory for us all. There are a million ways to educate children in a pandemic, and I truly believe there is no one “right” way that’s going to work for every family. Some of our friends’ kids are zooming with their districts, some are doing homeschool, some a combo of both, some traveling or doing something entirely different. For our family, both our kids are home this year. At first I panicked, thinking I had to now take on teaching pre-k. There is a lot of pressure on parents right now to also educate their kids while simultaneously parenting/working/doing everything we had our plates pre-pandemic, and that’s just not humanly possible. I am taking a much more relaxed approach (and I get that because my kids are young enough I can do that), but overall I have come down in panic level over my children’s formal education this year.

In my back pocket I have the added benefit of being an early intervention provider, so I’m acutely aware of developmental milestones and skills and abilities for this age. My priorities are on play, language, and social/emotional skills, and developing a love for learning and trying hard. Ironically, my focus is not on the ABCs even though this list seems to lean more academic. I know that the real developmental gold is always within the context of play.

That said, these are some items I added to my pre-k toolbox this year. We don’t do these at a set time each day, they’re just part of our available activities. The more fun a child has with learning, the more the concept is likely to stick. Pick and choose what works best for you and your child. You don’t need to have it all. Quality over quantity.

By Educational Insights

Playfoam. Anyone who grew up in the 80s/90s remember this? I had Playfoam as a child and loved it. It never dries out, even outside the container, and this one comes with letter formation cards.

Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game. Check out those reviews! Games are a goldmine for teaching so many skills to kids of all ages, especially targeting language/cognitive/social skills. This one includes fine motor work with the squirrel “tongs.” It’s an award winner and crowd pleaser. (Other preschool games we like: Zingo and other classics like Candy Land, Go Fish, War, Uno, Dominos.)

Magnetic Alphabet and Numbers. There are so many sets of these out there, but what I like about this set is that the vowels are color coded in red, which is a great visual for teaching early phonics and pre-reading skills. So many uses for these, hidden in sensory bins, on the fridge or a cookie sheet, with magnetic wands, etc.

Hot Dots Kinder. This comes with a little “talking dog” that says the correct answer. We are usually a no-batteries kind of toy family, but this is an exception because of how rewarding this is for Trey. He calls it is his “homework” and he asks for it and surprises me with how much he knows.

By Learning Resources

Letter Construction Activity Kit. So fun! I really like these for a tactile way of teaching letter formation. The letters are really big and snap together.

Math Link Cubes Activity Set. Another one I remember having at home as a child and really liking them. These are great for teaching early math concepts using manipulatives, making abstract math concepts more hands-on.

Counting Bears. Lots of open ended teachable concepts and uses for these, including patterns, counting, sorting, pretend play, etc. Trey said he recognized them from his preschool last year.

Create A Space Storage Container. I keep all our art supplies in here and really like it. It’s helpful to be able to just take out one container at a time, and while storing it all together to save on space.

Smart Snacks Alpha Pops. These are a big hit around here for playing pretend popsicle stand. They are softer and more pliable than they seem, and they pop together to teach upper and lower case letters.

FOR PLAY

ABC Schoolhouse Magna-Tile Set by CreateOn This is a new set out by CreateOn in the shape of a schoolhouse, with alphabet tiles on the reverse. They work with the classic Magna-Tiles sets as well. Magna-Tiles are a well-loved, open ended STEAM toy and a great platform for pretend play.

Plus-Plus Big and Learn to Build Set. Another popular open-ended toy around here. What’s extra unique about them is the shapes can bend, unlike regular blocks. The big size is perfect for all ages, and the smaller size after about age 4. These would also make great Christmas presents.

And the real takeaway: no one has parented in a pandemic before. You’re doing a great job. However you choose to teach your kids this year is the right way for YOU and your kids and your unique family.

Shared in partnership with all companies listed. Links are affiliate.