I keep a bin of art supplies at the ready for my kids so that they can create masterpieces whenever the mood strikes. My daughter in particular, loves to make crafts. When we had the opportunity to try out some Creativity for Kids craft kits and throw a party for some friends, I jumped at the opportunity.
My daughter was so excited to have her friends over for a craft party that she made a sign to hang in the foyer and set the table with some of the supplies and kits.
The girls promptly got to work creating their Stuck on Fashion Tote Bag. This is an easy project but one the girls adored. The bags came in handy to store all their other goodies as we went along!
They moved on to making bracelets. The kit comes with 5 large plastic bangles and several skinny metal ones. The girls personalities came out as they chose from the variety of floss, ribbons, and beads to decorate their bracelets and make them their own.
The pop art necklaces were one of the easiest projects but also among the most fun to create. The girls were able to choose from a variety of stickers or color their own. The addition of beads and gems put their final personal touch on these adorable necklaces. One of my daughter's friends said "This would be a really good project to do at a birthday party!". She is very right there, this is simple enough to do with a group while providing an end result the girls love.
All of the girls present voted the headbands as their favorite project. The kit comes with a selection of many different colored satin covered headbands and a variety of ribbons, rhinestones and embelishments. Each of the girls made their selections thoughtfully and created a personalized end product that they enjoy wearing.
Baby Girl sporting her creations
Want to have your own craft party? Pick up your own Creativity for Kids kits and invite a few friends over!
Disclosure: I received complimentary craft kits from Faber Castell to host a craft party. No further compensation was received and I was not asked to express a particular point of view. All opinions are my own based on use of the product.Creativity for Kids is an affiliate link.
On one of our trips this summer we spent a day in Washington DC. We discovered this tower of books dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. It extends 4 stories and every book on there is all about our sixteenth president. I thought it was one of the neatest things I've seen.
Recently my family was invited to spend a day at Dutch Springs Aqua Park located in Bethlehem, PA. This water park is a bit different from your traditional water park that is filled with winding water slides and lazy rivers. Instead of being constructed inside a traditional "park" setting, it is located on a large, crystal clear lake. You won't be walking to each attraction, you will swim to them!
When we approached the park we didn't think it looked all that big. However, once in the lake, there is a much different perspective. That water slide that didn't look so large? Suddenly it looks like it is towering above you. The iceberg that looked like no big deal? It proved to be quite a challenge. And all those attractions that didn't seem so far apart? Well, when you are swimming to them instead of walking over to them they sometimes seemed miles apart. It was in fact larger that it first appeared and there was plenty to keep us occupied all afternoon.
In order to enter the lake, everyone, adults included, is required to wear a life vest. They provide life vests there for your convenience. The lake has a steep drop and is 50 feet deep. The water, while cooler than a pool, is warmer than the ocean at this time of year and is so crystal clear you can see many feet down. There are a limited amount of chairs set up at the edge of the aqua park area but if you arrive late in the day, as we did, it will be hard to find any open chairs. Many people brought their own beach chairs or spread out towels on the side of the grassy hill.
For your convenience, there is an on-site restaurant offering wraps, subs, pizza, wings, and other offerings. We ordered the family pack which includes a pizza, two orders of bread sticks and a 2 L bottle of soda for under $30. This was the least expensive option to feed our family of 5. You can also bring coolers in if you'd like to pack your family some lunch, snacks, and drinks.
Pros:
It is a different water park experience which provided a new level of excitement from the kids.
There is plenty to do to keep them occupied. We spent 4 1/2 hours there and enjoyed every minute of it.
You can bring in a cooler to cut down on cost of food.
Life jackets are provided and available in many different sizes.
Lifeguards on duty.
There are bathhouses to change, shower or use the restroom. These were kept pretty clean.
Chairs provided, some with umbrellas and a limited amount of picnic tables outside of the aqua park.
There are other activities including kayaking, paddle boating, and the Sky Challenge course.
For those interested in scuba diving, there is a separate program available.
Camping available on site if you'd like to make a stay of it.
Cons:
You get tired out from swimming to each attraction and climbing on all of them (though this could actually be a plus!)
Not a lot of seating lake side.
You need to be pretty strong to pull yourself up on each apparatus. I found this to be quite difficult on some of them. In my opinion, this is best for older kiddos.
It gets busy and not everyone follows the rules making for safety concerns. My son jumped off the Wibit and the kids at the top did not wait for him to swim away. They narrowly missed landing on him. On this same Wibit, my daughter slipped off and other patrons were climbing over her and she was pinned under part of it.
The lifeguards are spread out and watching multiple attractions at once. Nobody seemed to know who they were blowing their whistle at and unless you were near them, it was difficult to hear them (which could be why they had to repeat themselves a million times)
Over all, this was a great way to spend the day with our family. My kids had a fantastic time and can't wait to return. I highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area or within a reasonable drive.
If you'd like, you can see us enjoying the park:
Disclosure: My family and I were provided complimentary tickets to Dutch Springs Aqua Park to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own and no form of compensation was received.
On a recent day trip we went exploring and ended up at Thomas Edison's lab. The chemistry lab appears very much as it did when Edison was last in it. I fell in love with all the old glass flasks, jars and bottles.
I had the pleasure of seeing an advanced screening of the newest Disney movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green. It is about a couple who is struggling with infertility and dream about the child they would love to one day have. One night, Timothy magically appears in their lives bearing every characteristic they had wished for. He is full of love, life and gifts. Everyone who interacts with Timothy is forever changed for the better.
What I walked away with was this: If we all just slow down, admit we aren't perfect (and stop trying to attain perfection!) and really see what we have to offer others and recognize what they have to offer us, we'd be doing pretty darn good. We all have gifts to share, they just might not be obvious at first.
I found this to be what I would describe as a sweet movie. While this isn't necessarily a "kid flick", it is certainly not animated and doesn't have any requisite talking animals or teen pop stars, there is absolutely nothing that is inappropriate for kids in the entire movie. I love being able to sit through a movie with my kids without having to flinch at things that appear on the screen or inappropriate language used.
This is one of my favorite clips from the movie:
If you have the chance, catch The Odd Life of Timothy Green, now showing.
You can take a ride on the trolley through Mr. Rogers' neighborhood at Idlewild where you will see the likes of King Friday, Henrietta Pussycat, X and all the other neighborhood friends!
craft kits and throw a party for some friends, I jumped at the opportunity.
