MyTime Calendars

We had lots of little goblins and ghoulies this Halloween and once again, made it all home safely with our overstuffed bags of candy! Aside from another scorpion sighting, we made it through this spooky holiday unscathed! We hope your Halloween was equally safe and full of more treats than tricks.

Looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, it is easy to start reflecting on the many blessings in our lives. In this difficult economy with financial stresses and economic woes, it is sometimes easy to forget the important things in our lives. It is equally difficult for our children to appreciate the small but important blessings in their lives. We’ve got some fun family activities that might help everyone count those most important daily blessings in our lives. Hope this gives everyone some positive family fun!…

Create a Thankful Paper Chain

Similar to a  regular paper chain (cut strips of paper and connect them together as loops) but a Thankful Paper Chain has things you are thankful for written on each paper strip. Take a moment each day of November to add chains and by Thanksgiving, you’ll have a unique reminder of the blessings in your lives! Use green and white paper and keep it up as a Christmas decoration!

Giving Thanks Placemats

The goal here is to create something that can be a reminder of each year of your childs life and the things they were most thankful for that year. Help your kids cut out pictures, draw, paste special items or photos and make a collage of all these materials. Take the completed collage to a copy shop and have it laminated! Don’t forget to put your childs name and the date on it!

Basket of Leaves

Create a small paper box and cut out leaves from different colored paper (fall colors of course!). This will be their Basket ‘O Blessings! Have your kids write something they are thankful for on each leaf and put them in each others boxes. Keep collecting leaves through the next few weeks. At Thanksgiving, have each child read through the leaves in their boxes and see if they are thankful for the same things or maybe they missed a few! It will be a good exercise for your kids to see what each of them is thankful for and how their blessings differ. Also a great opportunity for each child to anonymously tell their siblings things they are thankful for about that person…great esteem builder!

We hope this gives you some fun ideas for this Thanksgiving season!

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, Crafts, easy crafts, education, Family and Home, holiday activities, holiday crafts, parenting
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Ok, I know this is somewhat limiting to all of you out there not currently in Arizona. But for those of you burned out on the traditional pumpkin patches of Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek or Mother Nature’s Farm in Gilbert, we’ve got a new alternative for you! Hop on over to DeWitt Stables and let your kids enjoy “The Patch of Pumpkins, Pets and Ponies”! You definitely can’t beat the price! Kids under 3 are FREE and admission is $5.00 for 3 and up. Families can purchase a group ticket for only $25.00! They also have special rates for larger groups.

Besides picking out that perfect pumpkin from their pumpkin patch, kids can enjoy hayrides, a petting zoo, pony rides, a hay maze, a craft fair, games and even more rides! The festival hours are Fridays from noon until dark and Saturdays from 10:00am until dark.

DeWitt Stables is located at 2211 E. Quince in Mesa, just 1/2 mile north of the 202 Red Mountain on Gilbert Rd. For more information, call (480) 717-9540 or visit their website at www.dewittstables.com

Be sure to mark your calendars with our pumpkin graphic to help remind your little ones of the upcoming holiday fun! Halloween is almost upon us!

Kids will love this great petting zoo!

Pony rides are sure to delight those little western rustlers!

Don't forget to stop by the pumpkin patch for the perfect holiday pumpkin!

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, Crafts, easy crafts, entertainment, Family and Home, fun, halloween crafts for kids, holiday activities, holiday crafts, pets
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Are your kids just chomping at the bit to get their little hands on what is sure to be another Halloween masterpiece of Jack o lantern proportions? There are of course very inexpensive ways to make these pumpkin purchases and while Walmart tops our list of cheap alternatives, we’ve got some suggestions for helping you make this festive purchase a memorable experience for your little one! Taking your little one right out into the pumpkin field to retrieve their special pumpkin can be a very fun activity to help your child mark he season. Check out some of these options…

PUMPKIN AND CHILI PARTY

Schnepf Farms, 24810 Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. Phone: 480-987-3100. Website: www.schnepffarms.com

Description: Voted as one of the best family friendly experiences by Phoenix Magazine, this pumpkin patch festival offers something for everyone. Featured rides are a hay wagon, a mini roller coaster, carousels and trains. Try finding your way through a 4- or 10-acre cornfield maze. And check out the chili.

Times: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
 
Prices: $15, $10 military. $12 discount tickets available at Fry’s. Be aware that a lot of the farm activities are priced a la carte so discount tickets are definitely recommended. This is not a cheap experience but it is sure a lot of fun for the kids!

PUMPKIN PATCH

Mother Nature’s Farm, 1663 E. Baseline Road, Gilbert. Phone: 480-892-5874. Website: mothernaturesfarm.com

Description:  Families can purchase pumpkins and decorate them, plus take part in activities including an inflatable bounce house, hayrides, a straw bounce, animal feeding and Alexander’s Adventure Maze created with bales of hay.
 
Times: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily through Nov. 5.

Prices: $7, $3 adults. 

Wherever you decide to purchase your pumpkins this year though, keep your little ones age in mind when it comes time to decorating. Remember, pumpkins don’t necessarily need to be “carved”. Fingerpaints can be an especially popular way for the youngest of your crew to still enjoy the experience. Topping your childs painted creations with a little glow in the dark paint or fingernail polish, glitter glue or the like, available at most grocery stores, and you’re good to go!

Does your enjoy Mr. Potato Head? How about working on the work bench with their play hammer and pols? Well, Paper Magic Group from Creative Seasonal Solutions has some great pumpkin decorating kits available at your local Fry’s Marketplace. The Fright Lights kit allow your child to pound in some transparent colored pegs with a small wooden mallet which then light up when a light is placed inside the pumpkin! Great for ages four and up. You could also try the Pumpkin Push Ins for ages 3 and up that allow your child to decorate their pumpkin with eyes, ears, horns, teeth, mouth and nose in true Mr. Potato Head fashion!

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time making this years Halloween masterpiece!

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, easy crafts, entertainment, Family and Home, halloween crafts for kids, holiday crafts, product reviews
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It means so much to our kids when we display their artwork in our home. It can boost their morale, help them feel appreciated and contribute to their confidence in succeeding. But sometimes, we look at our cluttered walls and wonder, “what would this look like if it weren’t covered in scribbles?!” Well, one of our subscribers, Meggin, found a wonderful fun compromise!…

She started with your basic set of fingerpaints, large paper and of course, her two toddlers! She let the kids go nuts outside with the various colors of fingerpaint. Along with their crazy splashing across the page, each toddler thought it fun to make their own handprints on different pieces of paper as well. Once it was dry, she noticed some really fun coloring combinations along with some interesting lines in her little ones artwork. She had some extra frames and decided to see what they looked like. Then she found the pages with the handprints on them and had one of those “lightbulb” moments! She cut out the handprints, framed the large pages and placed the handprint on top of the matted artwork. She finished it off with each childs name and date and voilá! She had a beautiful piece of memorable artwork to perch on her wall that not only looked nice, but was a great positive reminder to her and her little ones of the days fun and the creative powers of those little minds!  Thanks for sharing, Meggin!

If you or someone you know has a great craft or creative activity for young children, please submit them to us at info@mytimecalendars.com with subject line of “creative fun”.

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, Crafts, easy crafts, Family and Home, homemaking, toddlers
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Looking for a new spin on kids birthday parties? We’ve got a great idea for you courtesy of Cheryl Tallman of “Fresh Baby”! When her son turned 5, she decided to play off his particular interests and strengths by providing a cooking party for him and his friends! She hosted a 2 1/2 hr party in their kitchen which she entitled “Cooking School for Brilliant Kids.”

Cheryl’s party was complete with disposable chef hats, aprons and a few kid sized cooking utensils which she used in take home gift bags for each child. The recipes were simple consisting of pizzas, green beans, carrot sticks, pigs in blankets (hot dogs rolled and baked in crescent rolls), and home made ice cream. She had her husband do a short little magic show during the baking time (he read up earlier in the week at the library!).

At the end of the party, she took a picture of her “class” and mailed each child a certificate of completion from the “Cooking School for Brilliant Kids” that had their class picture in it! What a fun idea!

As a former Pampered Chef consultant, I actually did many child birthday parties that were a huge success! Sometimes the mothers even tagged along for a brush up on some kid friendly recipes and demos! These types of parties were certainly a departure from the norm and gave each child an opportunity to participate, start good cooking habits, enjoy some great food, and take home not only fun memories but some actual cooking skills and recipes they could use at home!

Some tips for hosting this kind of party:

1) keep it simple!…easy recipes with a short list of ingredients are best. Mix and match things you can cook with things you can serve right away.

2) keep the party list small!…smaller groups definitely work better in this situation. Keep the number of attendees to 5 or 6 depending on the age and maturity of the group. This gives everyone a chance to participate and helps you maintain some order in the kitchen as well as safety.

3) have a time filler to keep kids busy while the food is cooking…in Cheryl’s case, she had her husband prepared with some “magical” interlude but you could have any number of fun party games prepared. Some oldies but goodies are “pin the hat on the chef”, musical chairs at the dinner table, and hot potato.

4) keep mess in mind…remember to prepare an area where you can have everyone gather and be able to see and participate. In Cheryl’s case, she prepared a ping pong table with a themed table cloth and had everyone gather around it.

5) always be safe!…teach the kids good hand washing and surface cleaning habits. Make sure that no child is left unattended around hot surfaces. It is best to leave the oven and stove preparation to the “master chef” (i.e. the adult!).

And probably the most important tip, cater to your childs interests and food preferences so they and their friends can have a great time making cooking memories together!

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, easy crafts, Family and Home, halloween crafts for kids, holiday activities
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No more rats nests on top of my packages!

If you are like me who has somehow managed to be born with the non-bowtieing gene, then the holidays are somewhat of a struggle when you are surrounded by beautifully tied packages and offer a large oversized knot in return. But I have found two wonderful sites that have come to my rescue!

For you who appreciate the basics, check out this “how to” from Wikihow.com…http://www.wikihow.com/Tie-a-Bow

If you are looking to really impress, then SaveOnCrafts.com is where you want to go…http://www.save-on-crafts.com/howtomakebows.html

No more rats nests on top of my packages!

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, Crafts, easy crafts, Family and Home, holiday crafts, tips and tricks
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We’re continuously trying to add to our growing gallery of clipart and children’s activities. We’ve recently updated our clipart gallery to further help you describe to your little one their daily schedules. We’ve also added some coloring pages and posters to our resources section! We hope your little one will enjoy them! Stay tuned for even more in the upcoming weeks.

A little heads up on what’s to come…we’re currently in production on some interactive games that will soon be available to our subscribers for your little one to further improve their technical skills on the computer while boosting their number and letter recognition skills! We’ll keep you posted and let you know as soon as these games are available!

We’ve got some exciting projects in the works so keep checking in as we continue to increase our offerings and help your little learn to play with time and have time for play! If you’re still wondering what to get that special little someone, consider a membership to MyTime Calendars! It will be a gift they can use all year long that will not only be fun but also a valuable enhancement to their education!

Tags: announcements, arts and crafts for kids, Crafts, easy crafts, education, Family and Home, halloween crafts for kids
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There's something for every age here!

For those of you looking to get your kids into the Halloween spirit, I’ve got a great place for you to check out this season…Jump and Shout Play Center! Located at 1061 N. Dobson Rd., Suite 110 in Mesa  between Bass Pro Shop and Cinemark, they will be converting their indoor bounce and play area into a “haunted” play center for us from 3:00pm to 8:00pm on October 30 and 31 (a Friday and Saturday).

If you are not familiar with Jump and Shout, then you need to get informed about this great Mesa Riverview secret! With the Mesa location of Bounce U closing down, Jump and Shout is sure to take over the area business with ease offering not only great bounce equipment for all ages but also climbing areas, large video screens and “bubble time” where huge amounts of bubbles rain down on our little bouncers!

This special 2-day Halloween event will offer the following features to our eager little goblins:

• UNLIMITED play on their indoor equipment
• Halloween arts and crafts
• costume contests
• games and dancing
• treats
• a real “slime” station!

The price is only $15.00 per child for over 5 hours of Halloween fun! Don’t miss this great safe, clean and fun Halloween party alternative. It’s great for all ages since they have an area for tots (crawlers to toddlers) as well as larger equipment for older children and even adults!

For more information: This facility also offers field trip options for classrooms, party packages, open play  and full membership options. You can contact this Jump and Shout location at 480-834-7529 and you can read more about them at their website or through my previous article entitled “Info 101: Indoor Toddler Play Zones“ which reviews this facility.

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, costumes, Crafts, easy crafts, Family and Home, fun, halloween crafts for kids, holiday crafts, toddlers
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Looking for some fun crafts for your kids? Do they want to be a specific character for Halloween but you are coming up short in finding the perfect mask to match? Well, we’re here to help! Check out these sites that have quite a selection of printable masks that you can make with your child at home! The Star Wars characters are an absolute favorite of my kids!…

Fun Mardi Gras style masks…http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/mardigras/mmasks.htm

Great creative mask ideas…http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/maskcrafts/

Quite the variety here!…http://www.colorbookmasks.com/

The ever popular Star Wars!…http://www.starwars.com/kids/activity/crafts/f20051026/index.html

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, costumes, Crafts, easy crafts, halloween crafts for kids, holiday crafts, mardi gras, masks, printable masks
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