As a parent, it can be challenging to find screen time options that are both entertaining and educational.
I get the feeling I've been there.
We recently tried Cocomelon Sing and Play with JJ on our Smart TV, and the difference was obvious.
Instead of zoning out, our kids were up on their feet laughing, singing and clapping, along with JJ and friends.
Using this really cool innovative technology on the Smart TV.
The characters actually responded to our kids' voices and movements, which made it feel like a real play session rather than a show.
Developed by early childhood experts, Cocomelon.
Sing and Play with JJ supports vocabulary growth rhythm, coordination and confidence.
The experience is safe, ad-free and completely hands-free on the big screen, which means no fiddling with remotes.
Our kids loved being part of the action and we love seeing them light up while learning through joyful music and movement.
So if you want screen time that feels like playtime you can feel good about, give it a try.
Available now in the Volley app on your smart TV.
Just search Volley in your TV's app store and start your free trial of Cocomelon.
Sing and play with JJ today.
Volley.
Welcome to Bedtime History.
Hello, this is Breck.
So I have to tell you a funny story.
The other day I was at the store with my son.
He really wanted a new toy.
He just had to have it.
You've been there as a parent.
Then I said, okay, you have your own money.
You can buy it.
He thought about it for a moment and then said, nevermind.
I guess I don't want it that much.
I had to laugh afterward but I love that the Acorns Early app and debit card teaches my kids to manage their own money.
They can earn money with the in-app chore tracker, practice real life budgeting with automatic allowances and even set their own savings goals.
One of my children is now an adult and I believe teaching her financial literacy skills as a child made all the difference in how she manages her money now.
Ready to join over 12 million parents and kids who've unlocked their kid's potential with Acorns Early.
Get your first month on us when you head to acornsearlycom forward, slash bedtime history or download the Acorns Early app.
That's one month free when you sign up at acornsearly.com forward slash bedtime history.
Acorns Early card is issued by NBKC Bank, member FDIC, pursuant to license by Visa USA.
Free trial for new subscribers only.
Subscription fee starting from $5 per month unless canceled.
Terms apply at http://acornsearly.com forward slash early terms.
Imagine a land of thick forests, winding rivers, and wide open shores.
Before cities and roads covered New England, this was the home of the Wampanoag people.
For thousands of years, long before the pilgrims arrived, the Wampanoag lived along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Their name means people of the first light, because they lived in the region where the sun first rises each day.
The Wampanoag were closely connected to the land and the sea.
They lived in villages built near rivers and the ocean, where food and water were always close.
Their homes were called widas, rounded huts made from wooden poles covered with bark and mats made of reeds.
Widas were warm in winter and cool in summer, and they could be built or taken apart easily when families moved to follow the seasons.
The Wampanoag people lived by the rhythm of nature.
They fished in the spring, farmed in the summer, harvested in the fall, and hunted in the winter.
Their main crops were the three sisters, corn, beans, and squash.
The corn grew tall, the beans climbed its stalks and the squash spread across the ground, protecting the soil.
This smart way of farming kept the land healthy year after year.
They also gathered berries, nuts, and shellfish and hunted deer, birds, and small animals.
Canoes were an important part of daily life.
The Wampanoag built them from large tree trunks, hollowed out with fire and tools.
They used these canoes to fish, travel, and trade with nearby tribes.
Trade was very important.
The Wampanoag exchanged food, furs and tools with their neighbors such as the Narragansett and Massachusetts tribes.
Each Wampanoag village had a leader called a sachem, chosen for wisdom and bravery.
The sachem helped make decisions, settled disputes, and cared for the people's well-being.
But the sachem didn't rule alone.
He or she was guided by the council of elders and trusted advisors.
One of the most famous Wampanoag leaders was Massasoit, who lived during the early 1600s.
He was respected for his fairness and his efforts to keep peace between the Wampanoag and the English settlers.
The Wampanoag had deep spiritual beliefs.
They saw the world as alive with spirits.
Every tree, rock, river and animal had meaning and power.
They believed in honoring the gifts of nature by taking only what they needed and giving thanks in return.
Ceremonies and dances were an important part of their lives, helping them celebrate the seasons, express gratitude and remember their ancestors.
Storytelling was also treasured.
Elders told tales about creation, animals and lessons about how to live wisely.
In 1620, when the pilgrims arrived in what they called Plymouth, the Wampanoag had already been living there for thousands of years.
Their population however, had been greatly reduced by diseases brought by earlier European explorers.
Entire villages had disappeared.
When the pilgrims struggled to survive their first harsh winter, the Wampanoag helped them learn how to plant crops, fish and gather food.
In the fall of 1621, the Wampanoag and the pilgrims came together for a feast to celebrate the harvest.
This event is remembered today as the first Thanksgiving.
For three days they shared food, played games and celebrated the successful harvest.
The Wampanoag brought deer and other foods, while the pilgrims offered bread and vegetables.
It was a time of peace and cooperation, though that peace would not last forever.
As more English settlers arrived in the years that followed, the Wampanoag's land began to shrink.
Tensions grew between the tribes and the colonists.
After the death of Massasoit, his son Metacom, whom the English called King Philip, became Sachem.
Medicom tried to live peacefully, but conflict eventually broke out.
The war that followed, known as King Philip's War, was one of the most tragic conflicts between native peoples and English settlers in early America.
Even with these hardships, the Wampanoag people never disappeared.
Their descendants still live in New England today.
They continue to celebrate their traditions, language and history, keeping their culture alive for future generations.
The Wampanoag language, which was once nearly lost, is now being taught again through special programs and schools.
The Wampanoag continue to teach the importance of respect for the earth and gratitude for its gifts, values that have guided them for thousands of years.
When people gather for Thanksgiving today, it's also a time to remember the Wampanoag their generosity, their wisdom and their enduring strength.
