Hosting a Spring Break Party

Spring Break is just about here, and for many parents, that means keeping kids entertained while they are out of school. Some families go on vacation, others do special activities around their hometown, but have you ever thought about throwing a spring break party with your kids? Check out some tips below for a fun-filled day of spring break activities:

Fuel up!

Take this time to make special snack time treats for your kids. Many snack time staples like wings, cheese dips, and chips, are already kid-friendly. If you invite other tiny spring-breakers over to enjoy the party, limit time spent in the kitchen by setting out a simple taco or chili bar. Adults and kids alike will love loading delicious toppings onto a steaming bowl of chili or taco meat. Check out these links for ideas for your own chili bar or taco bar.

For more recipes that are sure to score big with both adults and kids:

Corn Dog Pops

Mini Taco Bowls

Ranch and Wing Dip

Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Breadstick Snails

Don’t forget about these sweet treats:

Strawberry Creme Crepes

Spirit Fruit Cones

Chocolate Coconut Bars

Butterfinger Cookies

Play some Games

Have some small games and activities ready for the kids to enjoy. A face painting station can help kids get creative. Have some bright colors and simple design ideas (like flowers, baseballs, dog/cat faces, etc.) on hand. Kids can decorate their own t-shirts using markers. If you have a large group, break the ice with a fun spring-themed photo booth. Compile some flower petal hats, funny mustaches, sports gear, and other spring-themed props for a memorable time.

With weather permitting, play a game of flag football, dodgeball, or your kids’ favorite sport to liven up the party. Challenge the kids with guessing games, like memory games or the classic “how many jellybeans are in the jar” game. For older kids, make an elaborate scavenger hunt filled with different items and clues to keep them occupied all afternoon.

For more game and activity ideas and printables, check out:

Printable Bingo Cards

Coloring Sheets

Party Games

Springtime Décor

For a big event at home, you don’t have to buy elaborate decorations. With a visit to your local hardware shop and some time spent crafting with kids, you’ll have a wonderfully spirited and decorated house.

With construction paper and paint, kids can help create and decorate spring themed banners, placemats, nametags and more. They can also help decorate by taping up paper designs, hanging up streamers and paper chains, and decorating table tops with confetti. You can find green turf at most hardware shops, and decorate your buffet table like fresh spring grass. Use confetti to add flowers, ladybugs, butterflies, and more to have a festive, springtime table.

The last thing you want for your kids during their spring break is to see them planted on the couch with an electronic device attached to their hands. The added duties spring break brings can be stressful for parents, but with mounting activities, homework, and other school stress, your kids - as well as yourself - deserve a break. Give your kids a productive and fun break this year with a spring break themed party - it just might become a yearly tradition!

Donating: Not Just A Holiday Theme

The importance of donating is a much-needed lesson to teach your children. Many organizations do incredible work for their communities based off the giving of others and take little to no profit for themselves. There are many reasons to teach your children about the importance of giving, especially once the holidays are over. Here are a few to get you started:

Donations Are Always Needed

The holidays are the most popular times for donations, as shoppers see Red Cross volunteers ringing bells and are told that donations are tax deductible for the upcoming tax season. The truth is, after the holidays are over, many organizations are still in need of toys and other donations - perhaps even more so.

Declutter Your Child’s Space

To most children, the glamor of new toys begins to wear off after some time. Have your children think about older toys (perhaps from last year’s holiday gifts) that they no longer play with, gather them together, and have them pick out toys they are willing to donate. This helps declutter your child’s room and gives your family a jump start on spring cleaning

Teach Your Children the Value of Giving

Giving to those less fortunate should be a year-round theme, not just during the holidays. Teach your children about the importance of giving and appreciation of what they have by donating some of their unused toys. This lesson can be taught much easily shortly after they have just been given new toys to play with. Let them know that there are some children that are not so fortunate to receive new toys, clothes, and other things they may take for granted.

Understanding that they are fortunate to have what they have will give your child a greater appreciation for the people and things in their life. Help your kids build character and help their community at the same time by donating some of their toys to worthy causes. Perhaps you have a local favorite organization that is near to your heart - if not, check out some of the top-rated charities in America at charitywatch.org.  

Get Creative with Your Gift Wrapping This Holiday Season

For many people, finding the perfect present for a loved one can be just as fantastic as receiving one. Get creative with your gift wrapping supplies and skills this holiday season, and check out all the great options Gifts ‘N Things has in store for you.

Variety and Versatility

For every season, holiday, and celebration, Gifts ‘N Things has different holiday themes, winter scenes, and year-round prints including rustic, glamour, sophisticated, superhero, princess, sports, kids, color and pattern, animal, romance, party, and many more.

The decorative wrapping supplies found at Gifts ‘N Things also serve a variety of purposes beyond gift wrap. From the heavy duty material to the enormous selection of color, design, and sheen, Gifts ‘N Things decorative wrap can be utilized in art projects, to cover textbooks for students, and to decoratively protect shelves and storage. You can even find theme decorations to complement or accent your holiday décor at home.

Value Sets

There are great deals on every page of our Perfect Presents and Winter Wonderland brochures, but check out these excellent opportunities to make the most of your gift-wrapping this season.

Duo-Rolls are a hit this season! Made of extra heavy paper, crafters love this durable and versatile decorative paper. Duo-Rolls are comprised of two papers rolled onto one core. This means you get to benefit of more square footage, more textures, and more bang for your buck!

The Everyday Flat Wrap Value Pack, with 50 square feet of assorted wraps, offers 25% more paper than a standard roll. Preselected designs save you time and money.

The Jumbo Roll Wrap offers 60 square feet of reversible and coordinating wrap. This makes for better savings and colorful surprises. And with a variety of more bundled deals, you can find the perfect fit with extra deals in gift wrap, tissue paper, and bows.

Personalize Your Present

Don’t miss this year’s Chalk Board Roll/Table Runner. Use it as gift wrap and write messages, greetings or doodles for your loved ones. Try it out as a fun and festive addition to a party. Use it as a table runner or message board for friends and family to write messages on.

Accessorize and ‘Garnish’

In addition to gift wrap, you can find gift cards, tags, bows, ribbon sets, and a trove of treasures at Gifts ‘N Things. Creative gift wrapping goes beyond the wrapping paper you choose. Consider choosing a gift wrap that doubles as a present. Wrap a wine bottle in a scarf or monogrammed tea towel, or use a tote or decorative basket as a gift bag.

Consider using items that will double as a “garnish” for your gift. Use natural elements like pinecones, acorns, or a sprig of pine needles to add a woodsy touch, old skeleton keys or small lockets for a vintage touch, or trinkets and charms for a personal touch. It’s the little things and thoughts that can create the most joy.

It may be early in the holiday gift-giving season, but don’t delay the joys of gift shopping and present wrapping until the last minute. Get started today.

How to Keep Your Kids Entertained and Happy on Road Trips

Summertime is the perfect time for a family vacation. You can show your kids natural wonders or enlighten them with cultural and historic points of interest. However, whether you are traveling to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Yellowstone, or your family cabin up north, your memories can depend on how fun or how big of a headache the journey was. Below are some tips to keep your kids entertained and happy on road trips.

Help Them Visualize
Provide your kids with a map of your trip, pit stops included. It will help dampen the incessant “Are we there yet?” questions if your child can visualize where they are and where they are headed. Plus, being able to read a map is a useful life tip that they can learn. In addition to providing a map, give your child a briefing of the itinerary, such as how long the trip will be and how much time there will be between stops.

Set Expectations and Reward Good Behavior
Kids are never too young to learn a lesson. In addition to practicing patience, setting expectations on how to behave on a long trip can help your child practice good behavior especially if they are awarded. No complaining from “point A” to “point B” can be rewarded with an ice cream cone or control over the radio. Being helpful with siblings could be rewarded with getting first pick on which sight to see or pool time at the hotel. Remember that a little incentive never hurts.

Eat Well, Take Rests
For everyone’s sanity, make sure to make somewhat frequent pit stops. While trying to reach a destination as quickly as possible may be tempting, getting out of a stale car to stretch your legs will go a long way in maintaining a positive outlook for you and your kids. Think about eating healthy and non-messy foods—not just McDonald’s or gas station goods—to stay refreshed. Pack your own small snacks, maybe even meals, to satisfy your appetite and prevent overtiredness and crankiness. Nuts and dried fruit are portable snacks that provided a great pack of nutrients and energy. Also, remember the importance of water and staying hydrated. Stick with healthy habits on your trip because healthy kids are happy kids.

Be Prepared
Parents probably can’t stress this enough: be prepared for every situation. Prepare yourself for bored kids, tired kids, temper-tantrum-throwing kids, and sick kids. Have enough healthy snacks and a variety of medicine and vitamins in case you find a drugstore unavailable. Have each child bring a favorite toy, book, or blanket for some comfort away from home. This will go a long in helping everyone have the best time they possible can.

No, Really. Be Prepared
Pack activity kits for each child. App games and DVD players can be nice to distract your kids, but have a small variety of toys, paper activities, crafts, books, and games so your child can flex their creative minds. You can give them a new activity after every stop so they have something new to look forward to as well.

Simple tips and habits will help you and your kids have an excellent time on your family travels and will help to ensure exciting and hopefully, fantastic memories.

Teach Your Kids the Gift of Giving

Children Learn the Gift of Giving with Lil' Shopper's Shoppe

This holiday season, like any holiday season, there will be a lot of shopping. While gift-giving is a key element in the holiday season, how can you get your children to learn a valuable lesson without becoming addicted to their shiny new toys? Teaching your kids about giving is very important. Now is the time for them to learn about spreading warmth and helping others. Lessons you can teach your children this holiday season include:

Thoughtfulness for Others
Witnessing the gratitude of others is a great way to help a child’s thoughtfulness grow and it’s a feeling they will want to repeat. Personalizing a gift is a great way to add a little extra touch and to give a child pride. Whether it is something as simple as wrapping the gift in the child’s artwork,or adding a personal message, small touches go a long way. Make sure to ask for your child’s input. Ask what they think would be best suited for siblings, grandma, grandpa, cousins, etc., and be sure to let the child “present” the present. Feeling included in the gift-giving process is essential to making the child understand thoughtfulness.

The Value of Money
A fun and fantastic way to teach children the value of money is to involve them in the gift buying process. If planning a surprise gift for a child, it may be difficult to include them. However, you can easily incorporate their own wish list into a lesson about value and money. You can teach children about shopping around for the best price and how to get more bang for your buck. This will not only make more thrifty shoppers, but also teach your child about worth and value.

Gratitude and Values
Of course kids love receiving presents at the holidays but what truly makes the season special is the goodwill around them. Perhaps most important of all, a child learns gratitude when receiving gifts. When you involve a child in the buying and giving process, it helps them to better understand the effort behind receiving a gift from others. Incorporating your child in gift giving helps them to appreciate what they receive and be thankful. Children learn to express thanks for big and small gifts, not just the ones at the top of their list that year.