Archive for August, 2009

5 Great Ideas for Safe Halloween Celebrations with Kids

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

All kids love Halloween, but many parents don’t because of worries surrounding trick-or-treating.

You don’t want your children to be out on the street on their own; you’re not keen on the quality of the treats they bring home; and you may even be worried that someone could put something in a treat bag that would be unsafe. …but all your little munchkins want to do is get out there and have some fun! What can you do?

Well, there are a whole range of options available, and 5 of the easiest are right here for you:

1. Organise a trick or treat tour.

The TOUR element is the important bit. Choose a route with a number of pre-arranged stops, and agree with the householders at those stops what to give as treats and how much. It’s a good idea if you can do this with other parents in the area. Make sure that the kids know that there is a plan and they have to stick to it – or else forfeit their treats! Make sure that there is a chaperone available to accompany the kids on their rounds too.

2. Tell ghost stories around the fire.

If you don’t live in town or near other families with kids to help you with a tour, have some old-fashioned spooky fun at home. Have an open fire or gather a few candles on the table and take it in turns to tell gruesome ghost-stories. After each story toast a few marshmallows on skewers. The person voted spookiest story-teller wins a prize.

3. Have a competition to keep the gang busy.

Got a few kids you can pitch against each other and keep them busy? Great! Have a competition to make the best Halloween creature. A ghost-making competition is a good one, as all you need are a few old sheets (from a charity shop if you don’t have any) and the colouring and craft supplies you probably already have at home. Think of a prize to give to the winner – and to forestall arguments, make it something that is big enough to share with all the others. The great thing about this sort of competition is that it works for any number of kids from 2 upwards.

4. Host a Halloween party.

We don’t often see old fashioned Halloween parties nowadays and more’s the pity. Some traditional tricks and games will keep kids (and grown-ups!) happy all evening and won’t break the bank either. Think: apple bobbing; find the eyeballs (pickled onions in a big pan of water and tea-leaves – which feels disgusting!); and the finger in the matchbox. Ask your own parents and grandparents for more ideas – they will remember doing all of these things as children.

5. Find alternative activities in your area.

If you want a quiet life, have a look in your local area for organised activities that you can take your children along to. Organised activities can be more expensive than doing it at home, but you don’t have to worry about arranging it yourself. Schools and youth clubs may be organising parties, and visitor attractions may be doing something special for Halloween this year. Check online listing sites and local newspapers and magazines for details.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Baby Shower Ideas, Throw The New Mom A Surprise!

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Many moms go through many changes during pregnancy. Once the baby has arrived, they are going to go through even more changes. However, there are a variety of ways that you can celebrate a new baby coming, and that is having a surprise baby shower. This is an exciting party that you can throw for the new mom where you eat tasty food, play games, enjoy good company, and bring mom gifts to help out with her nursery decoration.

Having a surprise baby shower is a great option for a brand new mom who hasn’t had her baby yet. It can be tough to buy everything needed for the nursery décor, and the shower allows others to help her out a bit and it definitely is a great surprise. Not sure where to begin when hosting this type of a party? Here are a few great tips and ideas to help you host the most amazing baby shower for the new mother.

Pick a Date. The first thing you need to do for the baby shower is to plan a good date. Since it is a surprise, you’ll have to find out from her husband or a family member whether or not the date you are thinking about is a good one for her. You’ll also need to arrange it so she’ll be prepared to go out but she’ll have no idea about the party. Check with all the people you want to invite too to make sure that you pick a date that works well for everyone. Choose a good time for everyone as well.

The Invitations. The invitations are going to be important. They should be given out about 2-3 weeks before you plan on having the shower. Just make sure that those you give the invitations to keep them well hidden from the new mom. When you are picking out the perfect invitations, consider something that goes with the baby theme, such as invitations that include pictures of nursery décor, or other baby items on them.

A Baby Gift Registry. Many mothers will have a gift registry at various stores or even online. This is a great way that they can pick out the nursery decoration that they want and others will be able to figure out what kind of gifts she wants. If the ideas are expensive, several people can go together to purchase one gift. Check with those that know the new mom well to find out where she is registered. This way you can pass on this information to the reset of the people that are coming to the surprise baby shower.

Great Decorations and Favors. Of course you are going to want to have some beautiful decorations and favors for the big party. Go with decorations with a theme. If you know the mom is having a girl, go with decorations that reflect this. The same applies if she is having a boy. Another way to choose a theme for your decorations is to find out what kind of nursery décor she is using. If she is going with Disney Characters in the baby’s nursery, consider using this for a theme for your decorations. You’ll also want to purchase favors for all the guests. This is to thank them for taking the time to attend the surprise baby shower. While you probably can’t afford a lot on the favors, make sure that they are beautiful and useful.

Keep the Guests Hidden. When you are throwing the surprise baby shower, make sure that you keep the guests hidden away. Have them all park somewhere else so that the mom isn’t suspicious about what is going on. When she walks in the door gently surprise her, just don’t go too crazy. You don’t want to be the ones that end up inducing labor.

Having a surprise baby shower is a wonderful way to help out a new mom and surprise her. No doubt she’ll be thrilled with the party, the friends, and the nursery decoration gifts that she receives.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Creating An Active Birthday For Tiny Tots

Monday, August 24th, 2009

If your tiny-tot has a birthday soon, celebrate the event with a party. The little people at this starry-eyed age are easy to please with a variety of activities.

One of the most attractive birthday parties our small one ever attended was held from three to five p.m. This gave Tad plenty of time to have his nap so he went to the party well refreshed. Because of the youth of the guests we parents were invited too. However, when we arrived our individual responsibility ceased for the afternoon.

The dining room which joined the living room had been cleared of as much furniture as possible. Small tables and chairs borrowed from a nearby church nursery were scattered about. Large sheets of brown wrapping paper for would-be artists were piled on the end of one table. Nearby were plenty of crayons. Bright-colored magazines (old ones) and plenty of round-pointed shears – also borrowed from nursery school – were handy.

A big box of nursery blocks and all available toys owned by the small host were in this same room. Everything was ready when the small guests arrived. This was the children’s room – the parents stayed in the adjoining living room, close enough to oversee the youngsters yet far enough away so the youngsters felt free.

It was fun to watch the small fry. The little chairs were inspected first. One or two such chairs at home were no novelty but here was a whole roomful. They needed to be looked over, sat in and moved about. Soon even the shyest child was busy playing. The older tykes began drawing or cutting and soon the younger ones were following suit.

After a period of free play the young host’s mother produced a tiny bell and asked the children if they wouldn’t like to play “Ring Bell Ring.” All the children bowed their heads in their laps while Johnny, holding on to the bell clapper, ran and hid in the next room. When he was safely hidden the hostess called out, “Ring Bell Ring.” The children then pointed in the direction of the bell ringer. This simple game delighted the children and had to be repeated again and again with a different bell ringer each time.

Then the hostess told a story about Mother Kitty and Baby Kitty. She chose a little lass to be Mother Kitty. Then Mother Kitty and all the baby kitties went fast asleep. While Mother Kitty slept four of the babies awakened and tiptoed away to hide. When Mother Kitty awakened and found her babies gone she cried, “Meow.” The little lost kittens cried, “Mew.” Mother Kitty had to locate her babies by sound. After her every “Meow,” the babies answered, “Mew.”

“Policeman and Lost Child” next delighted the youngsters. One child was Policeman, and Mother worriedly asked his help in searching for her lost child. The Policeman asked Mother to tell him what her lost child was wearing. Mother then described in detail the clothes of her lost child. The Policeman looked about at the children and brought to Mother the child answering the description.

Keeping kids active during a birthday party is a key to having a successful party. As you know, young have boundless amounts of energy and will not be satisfied sitting still. They’d much rather play these fun party games.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

 

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Why Kids Stationery Is A Great Gift For A Child

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Are you looking for a gift for a child and not sure what to get? Kids stationery is a surprisingly welcome gift for a child of any age, something most children are not even aware that they want until they get their own. Believe it or not, kids buy stationery products for themselves all the time – notebooks with cool covers, stickers, novelty pencils and pens. Boys and girls both love unusual stationery gifts, but most of them never think of buying kids stationery sets for themselves. Why is kids’ stationery such a great gift for a child? Here are some reasons that kids will love a gift of stationery on many different occasions – with suggestions for special stationery gifts by age group.

Kids love to express their personalities.

Walk down the stationery aisle in any store and take note of all the stationery products aimed at kids. You’ll notice dozens of different styles of notebooks – decorative covers, unusual shapes, different colored papers – as well as memo pads, pencil boxes, novelty pens and rolls of stickers. Kid’s stationery sets are an inexpensive way to give a child a gift that says you see and appreciate the unique personality that they are.

Kids HAVE to write thank you notes.

The process is much less tedious when they have fun and unique stationery on which to write. You can help encourage a lifelong habit that will stand them in good stead as they get older. Did you know that hiring managers in hundreds of companies say that an applicant that takes the time to send a thank you note after an interview stands out in their mind as more qualified? Just think – the gift you give can help a child get a job in the future.

Personalized stationery makes writing letters more fun for kids.

Writing letters is not, as many would have you believe, a lost art. It’s an art well worth learning, because letters bring joy to so many people. Personalized stationery in a design that expresses their personality will encourage kids to write letters to friends and family.

Stationery gifts that include writing paper, a matching pen and stickers are just fun.

Girls especially love stationery kits that include matching pens and stickers. There’s something very grown up about a boxed set of stationery that includes writing paper, matching note cards and post cards.

A gift of personalized, professional stationery is an excellent gift for a high school or college graduate.

High quality stationery engraved or thermal printed with name and address is an excellent gift for a graduate getting ready to enter the job market. Professional looking stationery is a gift that says “Welcome to the adult world, kid”.

Ages to 5 - Yes, you can buy stationery for children even in the preschool range. Littler kids love ‘writing’ to grandma and favorite aunts and uncles long before they can write. Choose a ‘grown-up gift’ of boxed stationery in a design that has a colorful border, and add a box of crayons. Younger kids will love having a built-in picture frame for their masterpieces, complete with matching envelope so that they can send them to their favorite people.

Ages 5-8 – Remember the dreaded thank you note ritual? You can make it far less painful and help instill a good habit with stationery that makes it fun to write. Pick stationery that matches the child’s personality – there are literally hundreds of prints and styles available, so it’s not hard to find puppies and kitties for the cute enthusiast or basketballs and baseball bats for the sports lover.

Ages 9-12 – Encourage the habit of writing by giving children in this age group personalized stationery. Kids in this age group love things printed with their names, from mirrors to bike tags. There’s something magical about stationery printed with your very own name. This is also the time to encourage writing letters for more than ‘thank you’ notes. Encourage them to write by writing letters to them yourself so that they learn how very special it feels to receive a hand-written note addressed to them.

Choose printed note cards with matching envelopes for this age group. They’re much less intimidating than trying to fill a whole sheet of note paper with a note.

Teens - Teens tend to fall out of the habit of writing letters as they learn other ways to communicate via text messages, online instant messengers and email. This is a great time to reinforce the habit of thank you notes with personalized thank notes. Girls and boys alike will find many uses for fold-over personalized note cards and post cards, and a gift of personalized stationery will encourage kids away at summer camp to take a few moments to write home while they’re gone.

Stationery may seem like an old-fashioned gift in these computerized and connected days, but it can be surprisingly welcome. Next time you’re looking for a gift for that special child in your life, wander through an online stationery catalog and see what you can find.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Planning a party for children

Monday, August 24th, 2009

When you start planning a children’s party you need to think it through thoroughly, otherwise thing may now go as smoothly as you had thought and anticipated. Depending on the age of the child you are planning the party for; there are many different games and activities to choose from. Just remember to have time put aside for other things as well. Planning the whole occasion around fun and games is all good, but children often have many other ideas amongst themselves, and would probably want to play for a while without the direct involvement of any adults.

In addition to games and activities, there are a few other things to consider: Location – Where will you be hosting the children’s party? Not everyone has the option to host a party at their house and then you need different options. The same goes for food and drink. Are you serving lunch, a birthday cake, cookies and lemon? The multitude of options are endless, just make sure the children do not spend the whole time sitting and eating. As was mentioned previously, children want to play more than they want to sit still as a rule, which is probably the most important thing to remember.

How many and whom should you invite to the party. How many can you fit and are you inviting the siblings (if there are any) as well? Should the parents stay during the party? You have to consider all these issues; otherwise you may end up with people not having anywhere to sit or, in the worst case scenario, that you do not have enough food to go around.

When planning the children’s party, one of the most important factors is to make sure you have a lot of activities for the children to partake in. If you are lucky and have access to a house with a garden as well as nice, warm summer weather, being outside is much easier. On the other hand, if you are hosting the children’s party indoors, having a couple of somewhat calmer games planned can be a good thing; things tend to get a little intense and noisy at times.

Children are very inventive and have a large imagination, and seldom need adults to get the games started. In spite of this, having planned games and play can be quite comfortable for the adults, because they can easily take control of the situation again should it get a little out of hand. There are always a few children who will get loud, scream and so on, and this can be a good time to gather everyone around for a game of the calmer sort.

The question of presents will always come up when you are planning a children’s party. Children often have a very clear picture of what they want, but it is always a good idea to give your guests a few more alternatives to choose from. Not everyone is on the same budget, so just asking for expensive presents can easily result in putting someone in a rather tough spot. No one should ever have to feel that they were the one who bought the cheapest present, that does not improve the general mood the least.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Birthday Parties – Some Useful Tips

Monday, August 24th, 2009

When throwing a birthday party for children, there are plenty of ways one can add to the fun by arranging some form of entertainment. This entertainment doesn’t have to be expensive at all, pretty much anything goes.

Depending on the age of the birthday child, some forms of entertainment can be hard to understand, make sure to choose something everyone can enjoy.

The choice one must make is to either rent some entertainment, ask a friend for help or do it yourself. The upside of asking a friend or doing it yourself is obvious; the price. A birthday party – although for kids – can cost quite a bit, adding rented entertainment to the picture may very well make the party too expensive. If money is no object, it is often much easier to just rent a clown, balloon artist or even a magician to perform – these things are always appreciated.

The entertainment doesn’t have to come in the form of a performer, it can be many things. One good idea is to get a piñata and let the children work off some extra energy bashing it silly. This, and other games, can entertain children for a very long time, making the birthday party really stand out.

Children are often highly enthusiastic about anything they find out of the ordinary, especially things they find exiting. Asking a local police officer or fireman to just pop in and greet the birthday child can be enough to make this birthday party a very memorable occasion for both the birthday child and all of his or her friends. If worst comes to worst, one can always ask a neighbor or friend to put on a costume and pretend to be something exiting. Tricky, sure, but anything goes when trying to please your children.

Something most children love is treasure hunts. It is exiting, intriguing and it can give the parents hosting the party a well deserved breather. Just make a treasure out of candy, dig a hole in the garden and make a treasure map. As long as it is not too easy, the kids will spend quite some time trying to find the buried treasure. With a little imagination this can turn into a theme for the birthday party. Pirates, parrots and eye patches will undoubtedly leave some lasting memories for all the guests.

For those parents who dread a bunch of children invading their home, there is always the alternative of having the party elsewhere. Moving the party to some other location may cost a bit, but it saves a lot of time arranging and cleaning after the party. Many places where one can host a children’s party also offer many forms of entertainment to rent. More often than not they have various themes available with food, drink and decoration to match the entertainment.

One important thing to remember is to ask the birthday child what kind of party he or she wants. This goes for the food, drink and such but even the entertainment and games are important to ask about. The party is for the children after all.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Party Advice For Parents at your Kid’s Party

Monday, August 24th, 2009

If you are arranging your child’s first big party then you need to get a few basic principles right and the rest should follow. These tips will work for birthdays, club parties, end of year or just celebrating something special.

Give yourself TIME: Make sure you have enough time to really put the effort in to the event or it will be a disaster. Trying to throw together a children’s party at the last minute doesn’t work because making the effort with a party will mean you have had to put the time and effort in and it will also feel a lot easier on the adult who is organising it. If you have left it really late, then there are plenty of professional entertainers who can help you out with the party, always remember this.

Picking The THEME: Having a theme that the children can relate to and understand is very important, birthday parties need to be inspired by something otherwise children will get bored. This is because they will usually attend several each year. So pick your child’s favourite TV programme or sport to inspire you and let the idea’s flow from there. For example a Peppa Pig party or even a fairy princess birthday party for a girl and a Ben10 or pirate party for a boy!

DRESSING UP: depending on the age of your child and the theme, this is a great way of getting everyone involved. If the theme is a problem for you to think up then be inspired by everyday things. Examples include pyjama party, under the sea (swimwear and a pool), rainbow party (pick one colour for each child to wear), winter wonderland (gloves, hats scarves etc.), and kings and queens (make them crowns to wear).

RESEARCH: If your theme needs speciality items then use the internet to research where you can find items to complement your theme – such as invites, decorations, foods but most importantly games!

ESSENTIAL PARTY ITEMS: You will need to make you party area look great, balloons, banners and sparkly bits and some larger picture involving your chosen theme. Your food and party bags must also incorporate the theme, either buying specialist items or creating your own can be really effective and fun for the kids.

ENTERTAINMENT: Creating your own games and activities can be really fun, just make sure you keep things appropriate for the age involved and easy to play along with – watching can be fun too. If you can afford to hire professional entertainers then this can also take the stress and pressure off the parent and let them relax more. Professional entertainers will keep the children well entertained with crafty parties, dressing up and spa parties, as examples and dependant on age range.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory