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Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt
It’s the season for falling leaves, pumpkin pie, and expressing gratitude.  How will you be celebrating with your children?
A Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt for kids would be a ton of fun and an activity to keep them busy over the holiday break. Mike is back with a great group of clues:
·      For this clue, to find out where you are going, look in the horn that is overflowing.  (Cornucopia)
·      Find the...

Sesame Street is celebrating its 40th birthday today. Do your kids love the show as much as you did when you watched it? If so, you may want to join in and have your own small celebration with your family to celebrate. Who better to inspire you, but Elmo (who always remains 3-years-old!)
Small children love Elmo, and it is sure to be a wonderful theme for children aged 1 to 3 years old. If Elmo is your kid’s favorite friend, and he wants to have a party with this theme, have a look at the ideas below for some ideas for this sweet, lovable character!
If you use primary colors of red, yellow, and blue these would keep very well with the Elmo theme and may be more budget-friendly than themed goods. Make sure to do balloons, streamers, and party table ware in these colors. Have a few Elmo Mylar Balloons attached to the birthday...

It’s autumn and time for a series of holidays that will keep your kids busy throughout the next few months. First up was Halloween which now leads into Thanksgiving only 4 weeks later. What is wonderful about these holidays is they fall within the same season and use the same color scheme. As a result, many of the things you purchase for one can be used for the other. This reduces the amount of money you need to spend on the kids’ fun during this season.
Here are some examples:
Cookie Cutters: A simple pumpkin cookie cutter you chose to create marvelous pumpkin invitations and decorations for your spooky Halloween party can be used at Thanksgiving time to make pumpkin sugar cookies, pumpkin bread, brownies, etc. Pumpkins are as festive at Halloween as they are at...

Here They Come!
By Kim Estes PEACE of Mind
Here they come… the holidays, the relatives and the insane schedules! Now is a great time to take a moment BEFORE things get too crazy, to talk to your family about some common sense safety tips.  There will be lots of interaction with family and friends, new experiences and new places. Take time to practice “what if” scenarios with your kids. Taking time to talk safety with your kids will take some of the anxiety out of your holidays!
 Safety while...

Tis the season for all things wicked and hocus pocus.  Here’s an easy concoction to make that kids will love!
Take a plastic goblet —...

Do your children's words ever take you by surprise because they sound remarkably like something you've said?  These "boomerang words" can be a good thing or not such a good thing.
When we hear our children repeat our words, it's a strong reminder of just how much they are picking up from us. We also get a new appreciation for how those words feel to the person receiving them! Where have I heard that before? One mom told me that she was in her 6-year-old daughter's bedroom when she accidentally knocked a toy off her dresser. Her daughter exclaimed "Mom, next time could you be a little more careful!" This mom was taken aback by this rather rude sounding comment. Sadly she realized her daughter had learned these precise words from her. She remembered how often she reminded her daughter to be more careful when she made a mistake. Hearing these words directed back at her, she understood how harsh they sound. She's now working on showing empathy when her daughter accidentally spills something instead of admonishing her to be more careful in the future. Repeating...

It’s coming on Halloween season again, and it’s the perfect season for a Halloween Treasure Hunt.   Mike, Peppers and Pollywogs’ own poet, has created a great set of clues all around Halloween decorations this year to keep the kids on the hunt for their treats!
Check out the clues:
If you find your next clue, I hope that you’ll grin. It’s under a vegetable that’s lit from within. (Jack o’ Lantern)
Where’s the next clue? I think that I saw … the last one holding it was...

So, will you have goblins and pumpkins around your home this year, or perhaps Chicken Little? Whatever you decide for your costumes for your Halloween party and trick or treat night, keep a few tips in mind when purchasing and/or making costumes for your trick o’ treaters ….
If purchasing costumes, wigs, beards, etc. make sure that they are labeled flame resistant. Although the label does not mean these items will not catch fire, the label does mean it will resist burning and extinguish quickly.
Avoid costumes with baggy arms, billowy sleeves, pontoon pants, and/or made...

We all know this age-old rhyme as Halloween approaches:
Trick or treat, you’re so neat.
Give me something good to eat.
Nuts and candy, fruit and gum.
I’ll go away if you give me some.
Trick or treat, smell my feet.
I know you’ll give us lots of treats.
Not too big, not too small,
maybe the size of Montreal.
Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat,
Give me something nice to eat.
If you don’t, we don’t care,
we’ll put money in your underwear!
Cute, huh?
Halloween Eve will be a time for your children and their friends to get together, don their costumes, and head out into the crisp night air with their torches to light the way. Here are some ideas for...

At your upcoming Monster Mash, be sure to serve a creepy menu of snacks to your guests.  It’s quite easy when you transform ordinary every day snacks into ghoulish ones by simply renaming them.  Write the spooky names with chalk on black heavy cardstock and place next to each bowl of goodies:
1.     Baked Skeleton Bones (Pretzel Sticks)
2.     Bat Brains (Popcorn)
3.     Bloated Ants (Raisins)
4.     Boiled Lady Bugs (Red Jelly Beans)
5.     Braised Beetles (Milk Duds)
6.     Candied Spider Eggs (Gum Drops)
7.     Cheesy Owl Eyes (Puffed Cheese Balls)
8.     Chocolate-Dipped Houseflies (Chocolate-Covered Raisins)
9.     Compressed Cobwebs (Chex Brand or Similar Cereal)
10.  Crumbled Bat Wings (Blue Corn Chips)
11.  Deep Fried Fingernails (Bugles Brand Snacks)
12.  Dehydrated Dragon's Wings (Doritos)
13.  Dirty Shoelaces (Black Shoestring Licorice)
...