We're thrilled to have so many fresh faces joining us this week, just in time for the Unplug and Play summit. I know that each of you is bringing your own flavor of curiosity and commitment to play. @Ayisha Taylor is a mom of 5 looking to ease the screen time struggle with her 1.5 and 4-year-old, and she's here to learn alongside us. @Alex State from Las Vegas came through a @Dale Cox invitation and is fully committed to homeschooling two little ones through play. @Alida Vermeulen from South Africa is stepping into grandparenthood and is excited to be here. @Tami Ekpo has a 14-year-old with a passion for the science behind cooking, and she's diving into ideas for meaningful connection around food and learning. You'll definitely want to visit the Culinary Classroom and the Curious Kitchen Classroom. @Melinda Pate from Southern California is a homeschooling mom of 5 and creator of fun-based learning printables. @Patrick Taylor from Central America has that adventurous, inquisitive child in him that makes play so alive. @Chris Pallister from Clevedon is a newly-retired granddad to 4 who loves the idea of helping kids discover life beyond screens, and he's rekindling his passion for photography too. The photography session with @Cristal Vancarson tomorrow may be of interest. @Frances Scully is a curious educator and grandmother of 8 who coaches others on child engagement. @Khanyi Mzolo wants to rejuvenate connection between his son and grandson through intentional play, what a beautiful three-generation goal. @Demetrice Odds from Florida is a veteran and AI consultant focused on calm creativity, and she wants to connect her godchildren with life off their tablets.

Wow, thank you to everyone who attended live sessions, watched replays, or explored the classrooms yesterday. I hope you were able to walk away with one or two nuggets. One of the most uplifting things I heard yesterday was when a participant told Chef @Andrew Brooks he was the first person to make nutrition make sense (I'm paraphrasing here). Here's the cool part - all of our speakers are also in the community so don't hesitate to strike up a conversation and ask your questions. If you have a question, my guess is someone else does, too. Okay, on with the plan for today. First, if you have pre-teens or teens in your life who like to draw, I suggest you pop over to the #Illustration Scholarship Journey with Beth to learn how your artist could potentially be published. Coming up today we have several live sessions, all are Central US Time. At 9:00 we have @Tosca Fasso and Christopher with Play It Again, Claude! Where you will learn four simple prompts to turn Claude (a free AI tool) into a creative play partner. At 10:00 @John Futch will be sharing beginning guitar. If you have someone in your family who is interested in learning an instrument, this is a great starting point. At 12:00 @Brenda Chilstrom and I will be discussing Emotional Regulation in Children. I encourage you to watch the video here #The Missing Piece of Emotional Regulation - Brenda before the session. Then at 5:00 this evening @Nat Carey will be joining us from "down under" to talk about what happens when dad's have nothing left. We also have quite a few pre-recorded sessions for you and your family, why not take a look at role playing games through the lens of DnD over here: #Dungeons & Dragons for Families with Cam, if gaming isn't your thing, check out #Praise What Can Be Repeated with Max

The summit is live and I'm so excited. Here's a short video to walk you through the set up and I'll include text notes shortly. TLDW (Too long didn't watch) How to Find Your Way Around the Unplug & Play Summit There is a lot waiting for you this week, but finding what you need is simple. 1. Start with the Calendar Select Calendar at the top of our community to see the complete summit schedule. Click any session to view the details and set a reminder so you do not miss it. 2. Explore the four summit themes Open Classroom and choose the area that interests you: - Culinary - Tech - Craft & Hobby - Experts You do not need to complete anything in order. Pick the sessions that sound useful, interesting, or simply fun for your family. 3. Open the individual session page Each page includes information about the speaker, what you will explore during the session, and any resources or special gifts they have shared. This is also where you can return when you want to revisit the material. 4. Join the conversation Come back to the Community tab for announcements, reminders, questions, and conversations throughout the week. Tell us what you tried, what surprised you, and what your family wants to explore next. 5. Want to keep everything? The Unplug & Play All-Access Bundle includes all pre-recorded sessions, recordings of the live sessions, speaker resources, and giveaways in one convenient place. You will have access for the life of our community. he bundle is just $16 through August 22. From August 23 through September 1, the price will be $25. Most importantly, do not put pressure on yourself to attend everything. This is not another checklist. Choose what fits your family, invite the kids when you can, and enjoy creating a few memorable moments together. What session are you most excited to explore?

For there are so many events happening each week in hundreds of Skool communities across the platform and it’s hard to keep up with everything. About a year ago, my new friend and community member @Heather Wilson created Skool Events Daily to solve that challenge. This week, we made the cover. If you’re looking for other events, check it out and if you’re a community owner like @Auli Takala, @Chanie Twersky, @Celia Kibler, and @Tosca Fasso you may want to consider joining the community. From the Editor: The latest Skool Events Daily Weekly Bulletin is out! 🎉 This week’s edition is packed with amazing events and opportunities to connect, learn and grow, as always. ✨ Editor's Picks: Play, Purpose & Connection — featuring events from the summit being held in Connected Through Play, including: 🎤 When Dad Has Nothing Left 🤖 Play It Again, Claude! 🔬 Simple Science in the Kitchen and more family-focused sessions designed to bring people together. We also have: 🌟 Partner Spotlight featuring Justin Yip and his work helping entrepreneurs build aligned businesses. 💡 Experts Corner — Why Events Are The Heartbeat Of A Community — sharing why connection and community matter. 🎨 Unplug & Play — a full week of free family summit sessions covering creativity, cooking, technology, experts and more. Plus dozens of live events, workshops, masterminds and community experiences happening this week. Click on the link then click on the words "Weekly Bulletin" on the front cover to get to the events. https://designrr.page/?id=514222&token=859082334&type=FP&h=9542

Last week, I shared a simple homemade ice cream recipe and asked for your favorite flavors. I also teased we'd have something more in-depth and here we are. For the full activity, along with variations by age go to the Curious Kitchen Lab in the classroom and select #Ice Cream Magic Ice alone is cold, but ice mixed with salt becomes even colder. That extra drop in temperature is enough to turn a sweet liquid into creamy homemade ice cream. Gather Your Gear: Ice Cream Mixture - 120 mL (½ cup) milk, half-and-half, or a combination - 15 mL (1 tablespoon) sugar - 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) vanilla extract Freezing Mixture - About 700 g (3 cups) ice - 75 g (⅓ cup) table salt or coarse salt Supplies - 1 small zip-top bag - 1 large zip-top bag - Kitchen towel or oven mitts - Measuring cups and spoons - Bowls and spoons - My Science Notebook (optional) Optional toppings - Cooled caramel from From Sugar to Caramel - Sugar crystals from Crystal Makers, if prepared using food-safe materials Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before handling food. Check both bags carefully for holes before beginning. Steps 1. Combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla in the small zip-top bag. Press out excess air and seal tightly. 2. Fill the large zip-top bag with the ice and sprinkle the salt evenly over it. 3. Place the sealed small bag inside the large bag and seal the large bag tightly. 4. Wrap the bag in a towel or use oven mitts. The outside will become very cold. 5. Shake, roll, and gently turn the bag for 5 to 10 minutes. 6. Check the ice cream. Continue shaking until it becomes thick and creamy. 7. Remove the small bag and wipe away any salty water before opening it. 8. Scoop the ice cream into bowls. Add optional toppings if desired. 9. Watch how your ice cream changes as it begins to warm.