Autumn Activities for the Family

Autumn is the perfect time for making memories with your family. From engaging outdoor adventures to creating beautiful fall crafts, there’s no shortage of fun to be had this season. Take a look at some of our ideas for some fun autumn activities for the whole family:

Get Outside

Now that it’s the peak of autumn, it’s the perfect time to take your family for an outdoor adventure. Go on a nature walk and encourage your kids to take up a curiosity and passion for the outdoors. One great way to do is to bird watch. Encourage your kids to spot and identify as many birds as they can. Continue this curiosity at home by building a birdhouse or bird feeder together.

Collect Leaves

Another great way to encourage their interest in nature can be through leaf collecting. Encourage them to collect leaves throughout the season, identify which trees they come from, and write that information down in a leaf log. Preserve their favorite leaves between contact paper and show them how to make fun leaf rubbings, prints, and stamps.

Go Camping

Fall can be a wonderful time to go camping. Just pack your car with some vital supplies, and find the perfect setting to pitch your tent under some stunning fall foliage. Take this opportunity to make some wonderful memories. Teach them to set up a tent, build a campfire, how to fish and catch dinner, and how to roast the perfect marshmallow. Now that the days are shorter, it’s also the perfect time to stargaze. Grab a stargazing scavenger hunt (like this one) and start planning your trip.

Staple Fall Activities

If you haven’t already, treat your family to a classic fall weekend. Go apple picking and pumpkin carving, and bake delicious treats from your harvest. Explore a corn maze, fall festival, or haunted house for a thrilling weekend adventure.

Fall Crafts

Autumn is also the perfect time for crafting. Just make some hot cocoa or apple cider, light some pumpkin scented candles, and engage in an afternoon of arts and crafts with your family. Knit some new hats and scarves with older kids for when the temperature dips even lower. Have the whole family decorate the house with fun Halloween and Thanksgiving crafts.

Here are some more ideas for fall crafts:

• Collect some leaves, pinecones, and fabric to make a new front-door wreath
• Paint pumpkins for the front porch
• Make homemade Halloween costumes
• Paint some mugs with your favorite fall themes and colors
• Explore Pinterest for adorable ideas like Pumpkin Apple Stamps, DIY Twig Candles, or an Autumn Handprint Tree

Bonding with some different autumn activities will help you reconnect as a family from your busy fall schedules, while time spent outdoors hiking, camping, and exploring your community will revitalize you.

With an abundance of fun and adventure left to be had this season, start making wonderful memories that will last you a lifetime today. For more ways to celebrate the season and to start celebrating the holidays early, visit Gifts ‘N Things today.

Throwing a Halloween Spooktacular Party for Your Kids

Zombies, ghouls, witches, oh my! Everybody’s favorite and spookiest holiday is right around the corner, so what better way is there to celebrate than by throwing a Halloween spooktacular party for your kids? Get in the spirit early with these tips for a kid-friendly Halloween party. From decorations, games, food, and treats, we’ve got you covered. [Note: Costumes and a spooky fun playlist are an absolute must.]

Devious Decorations

From streamers and balloons to spider webbing and pumpkins galore, where do you get started with colorful and fun Halloween décor for kids? A simple way to start is to set out tall vases and bowls full of orange and black candy around your house. This will serve double as decorations and treats, and if you have kids guess how many candies are in each vase or bowl, it can serve as a game, too!

For more devious decorations:

DIY Bat Garland
Spooky Eye Wreath
Monster Doors
Monster Tissue Pom Poms
11 Easy and Awesome Halloween Decorations

Ghostly Games

For starters, have a Mummy Relay Race in your backyard. Divide kids into teams of three, and have them choose one teammate to be the mummy. Have all the mummies stand on one side of the yard. The remaining members of each team will start on the opposite side of the yard, and on a count of three, they will run to and wrap the mummy in toilet paper as fast as possible. Whichever team makes it back across the line with their mummy wins!

For more ghostly games:
Pin the Spider on the Web
Tin Can Bowling
Halloween Bingo
Trick or Treat: Poke-a-Pumpkin
Apple Bobbing

Spine-Tingling Snacks

Have some spooky snacks and drinks on hand between games and activities, like these mummy juice boxes: Grab a juice box and wrap it in white tape. Add some googly eyes, and there you have a wrapped mummy surprise juice box.

For more spine-tingling snacks:
Witches’ Broom
Magic Potion Punch
Jack ‘O Lantern Burgers
Ghostly Pizza
Mummy Dogs

Terrifying Treats

For more than store-bought sweets and decorated cupcakes, cookies, and cakes, set out a DIY decorating sweets bar. Set out frosting bags and a variety of little candies for your spooky little guests to decorate pre-baked cupcakes for DIY fun. Get creative and use black-dipped sugar cones for witches’ hats or Milano cookies cut in half for sweet tombstones.

For more terrifying treats:
Frozen Ghost Pops
Frankenstein Marshmallow Pops
Pumpkin Krispies
Gooey Monster Cookies
26 Healthy Halloween Snacks

Prickly Party Favors

Send some favors home with each guest along with any leftover treats and candies. (It’s only once a year, right?) One simple and healthy party favor? Grab mandarin orange fruit cups, and draw a pumpkin face on the plastic lid. These are simple, healthy, and yummy.

For more prickly party favors:

5 Candy Boxes
Fizzy Orange Water
Healthy Halloween Treats
Popcorn in a Jar
Glitter Slime Pumpkins
Halloween Smencils

Creative Lunchbox Ideas That Will Make Your Kids WANT to Eat Healthy

Today there is a lot of debate about the healthiness (or lack thereof) in the offerings of school lunches. Packing healthy lunches for your children can be easy, you just need to make a couple of creative tweaks...

Muffins

Muffins are easy to make and tasty, as well as healthy. A versatile recipe is the Magic muffin recipe. It’s healthy and the batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. It can even be cooked in the microwave! This is a basic recipe that you can switch up each time you make them by adding your favorite ingredients, such as blueberries, raspberries, ginger, chocolate chips or peanut butter. The possibilities are endless!

Homemade Lunchables

Lunchables have been a long time favorite of children, but have you ever thought of making your own at home? A homemade pizza Lunchable is much healthier than the alternative store bought ones. Kids love pizza sauce and love constructing their own food!

Pinwheel Mini Sandwiches

Pinwheels have been a favorite party appetizer for generations. Why not pack a healthy version in your child’s lunch? These easy to handle, bite-sized, sandwich/wrap hybrids are incredibly fun and with careful choosing can be healthy too!

Hummus

Hummus packs a great protein punch option for lunch, and kids can’t even tell that it is healthy! One surprising way to make hummus is as a dessert. The author of a dessert hummus recipe says, “This takes literally 4 minutes to prepare and makes about a cup and a half of hummus. Refrigerate leftovers; it’s good cold too, because it tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough.”  Of course, the ingredients include chickpeas but also peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and chocolate chips.

Some parents find they can get their children on board with healthy eating by including them in the process. Have a conversation with your kids about which healthy foods they already enjoy and build off their other favorites. Together you can go shopping and work on food preparation. A child is more likely to eat new foods when they feel like they have made it themselves. When in doubt, get creative!

Family Fun on the Fourth

Along with celebrating our nation’s independence, the Fourth of July is a great time to bring the community together to create fun memories with friends and family. Among the fireworks and parades, the fourth is full of excitement- especially for the kids. Activities such as creating fun crafts, making festive treats and playing outdoor games are always popular among children.

Creating crafts is always a hit with kids, no matter the age. For the younger children, try something as easy and fun as creating a Fourth of July wand, a red, white & blue wreath or simply having them decorate individual napkin holders for your Fourth of July get together. For the middle-aged children in the family, try crafts such as creating a Fourth-inspired word find or patriotic firecracker favors. These crafts are guaranteed to get your kids excited about the festive holiday.

Although kids love crafts, they also love sweets! Making fun holiday treats is always a great way to get the kids ready for the Fourth. Putting together something as simple as red, white & blue cupcakes or attempting more of a challenge with festive sugar cookie bars will light the little ones up like fireworks. Along with being fun and tasty, making treats with the kids is a great way to gain valuable family bonding time over the holiday weekend.

Playing outdoor activities is always a great way to get your kids excited about the Fourth of July.  When it comes to outdoor activities the opportunities are endless. Some hits among children are the bean bag toss, polish golf, and of course potato sack races. These games are great for getting your kids involved with the other children in the community as well as making memories for years to come.

The Fourth of July is a great summer holiday that the family will be sure to enjoy. Whether you choose to create a craft, make treats, play outdoor games or all of the above, your kids will enjoy the fourth in ways they never did before! Check out our Facebook page for even more ideas for family fun on the Fourth.

Outdoor Spring Activities for Kids

Whether you're a parent or a teacher, signs of spring are a welcomed change from the cold spells of winter. After being cooped up in the house or classroom, the thought of being outdoors is a welcomed change for children. Now that it is beginning to be warm enough to venture outdoors, here are a few ideas to celebrate the change of temperature!

1. Garden Rock Caterpillar

If your flowerbed is in need of some character, try making this cute little guy! Perfect for a full-fledged family activity, have each of your kids paint a rock before building.






2. Outdoor Color Match





Stop at your local hardware store and grab some paint chips before going on this color expedition. Punch holes in the chips and give them to your kids as they run free trying to match the colors.







3. DIY Bird Feeder




These do-it-yourself bird feeders are completely kid-friendly! Decorate them however you'd like, and watch your kids' excitement as they await the hungry birds.







4. Sidewalk Chalk Puddle Paint




When the snow drains off, create colorful puddles with sidewalk chalk! Use old chunks of chalk, or pieces that are too small. Your kids will love the effects the pain will have on the water and you'll love their enthusiasm.




5. Rainbow Bubble Wrap Tree
 




Starting Spring on a messy note seems to be a theme, as with this rainbow bubble wrap tree! Watch your youngsters go wild while you enjoy their springtime happiness.






Try a few of these outdoor activities, or a few of your own springtime games now that the warm weather is back upon us. Whatever your reason to get outdoors with your children or students, take advantage of the upcoming season with some new spring activities.

Time Management Skills for Kiddos

Time management is fundamentally a learned skill and an overall good practice for children and adults. The importance of developing good time management skills starts at a young age. From simply understanding the concept of time to juggling homework and after school activities, the benefits of having good time management skills are invaluable.

The best way to promote time management is through consistency. Start by integrating time management practices into your weekly routine. Don’t forget to balance work and play. It is easy to get caught up in the chaos of everyday life. Remember, kids still need to be kids.

Below are a few examples of time management practices to get you and your child started on the path to freedom and efficiency!

Invest in a Clock or Watch – This might sound like a “no brainer" but it is an important step in teaching time management to a child. Many people use their smart phones to track everything, including time. If you are a parent that falls into this category, invest in a clock for your home or a watch for your child.

Organization – Organization goes hand in hand with time management. Designate specific places for your child’s belongings. From clothes to toys, your child should know where everything goes. Tasks and chores will take half the time. Even backpacks need a place to live!

Instructions for the DIY BackPack Wall 

Charts – Charts can be a fun way to visually show the tasks that need to be completed. Start by creating a chart for morning or nightly routines. Eventually charts can be created for other weekly routines such as chores or homework. A good example is this free morning chart download from Illi Style. 

Calendars & Agendas – Create or purchase a calendar and/or agenda for your child. Teach children to write things down and prioritize their time. Break down tasks or activities into increments of time. Include start and end times. Don’t limit tasks to only deadlines or appointments. Include time for playing and relaxing. Eventually you can begin to color code activities, homework and tasks.