creative play Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Inspiring Imagination with Zing

Paula — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 12:29:00 +0000

I received Zing toys for consideration here. My opinion is all my own. Inspiring imagination is what play should be all about. When kids play, either indoors with a game or construction set or outdoors with their friends, their imaginations are what make it so much fun. In my opinion, the best gifts are the gifts that work towards inspiring imagination in our kids. Inspiring Imagination Indoors and Out Remember when you were a kid? Every game was so much bigger than what was really happening. Tag was a battle for survival. Hide and seek was a stealth opp. Those were the times when we had the most fun, and I love toys that get our kids back to that. That’s why I love these offerings for 2019 from Zing Canada. They’re all about making playtime full of imagination, whether the kids are playing with foam bows or making stop-motion animation. HyperStrike Bow HyperStrike takes backyard battles to a new level. This bow and arrow set is designed to add even more fun to the classic foam gun battle. The bow can launch foam arrows up to 250 feet! It’s available in camouflage or carbon fiber. HyperStrike Facemask To protect their eyes and look super cool at the same time, the HyperStrike facemask makes an excellent companion to the boy. It fully protects the face and eyes and comes with interchangeable team color indicators. Zax Throwing Ax! Talk about inspiring imagination. My nephew likes to pretend he’s a lumberjack with the Zax. Zax is a lightweight, foam throwing ax with suction cups along the blade. It’s designed to be thrown at both indoor and outdoor walls, and it can even be thrown at windows. I like that added safety factor for the house. This one is one of my all time favourites for the year. I gave this to my nephew recently and he had the most fun ever at Thanksgiving slamming it into his wall in his room. It sticks extremely well and damages nothing! Pretend you are an ax thrower with this fun toy! Get it now! StikBot When inspiring imagination and animation collide, you get StikBot. These multicolored figures are designed to make it easy for kids to dip their toes into the world of stop motion animation. Each Stikbot is able to be articulated quickly and easily and they come with a free stop motion app, so the kids are free to let their imaginations run wild. KlikBot KilkBot takes the idea behind StikBot and improves upon it. These colorful figures are designed to help kids who have more experience with stop motion take their animation to the next level. Featuring more points of articulation that StikBot and interchangeable pieces, KlikBot is the next step for budding animators. Inspiring Imagination This Holiday Season My nephew is already loving the Zax ax, and I’ve already put KlikBots on my list for another budding animator in the family. The toys offered by Zing Canada this holiday season are perfect for inspiring imagination and making play mean something again. I’m loving their lineup, and I think you will, too.

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A Travel Printable for Kids – How I Spent 2019

Paula — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 08:20:45 +0000

Oh my goodness we have rarely travelled as much as we did together in 2019. Now that ski season is almost here again my youngest daughter keeps asking: “Hey Mom, can we do a trip like we did last season?” Kids Can Reflect on a Fun Year Too! Last season, for your information we took an epic trip of 12 Days, nine to ten of those were straight days of skiing!” Yes, ski season was fantastic this year! I wish we could do an epic trip like that every single year, but it seems unlikely. Sometimes, these trips come together last minute, especially when you are a travel writer. Last minute trip offers arrive and you know to gather all of the things fast and get going. Sometimes, that adds to the excitement and occasionally that is tricky with kids in tow. Now that I have teenagers I’d like to think it is a bit simpler because they are able to do some things themselves. In fact, my teens are skilled travellers at this point because they have been picking up and jetting off or road tripping with us from the time they were small beans. So, they have the skills to do some of the preparation themselves. Taking Stock of Memories At the end of any given year it is customary to pause and reflect on things that happened that year. So, I figured this cute kid’s travel printable could help you to do the same. If you took any adventures together as a family, here’s a travel printable children’s activity sheet they can do. This season, at the end of the year I thought it would be amazing to pull together a sweet kid’s travel printable here, one that encourages literacy and also helps to celebrate some of the great family trips you have all had. While my kids are older and they are more likely to text or post to instagram than do a worksheet, there’s still room for fun imaginative children’s pursuits. So, that said, I might print this off and mail it out to my niece and nephews so they can reflect on their trip to Alberta, or their visit to Aunt Paula’s house in London in the summer. I will forever remember that trip even though it didn’t involve any travel for me, because they came here and one came for a sleepover and during the day we swam and then raced out to watch my older nephew play baseball. Such sweet memories. In fact, I might even lay some of these on the table here, so the kids can doodle and fill it out and have some positive thoughts and memories about what we did this past year. Where We Were This Year My Facebook memories and Instagram memories remind me of where we were one year ago on this day and two years ago this month and so forth. Nothing makes me happier some days than seeing these memories in my feed. Ski Season 2018/2019 In March of this year, we started our road trip from home and went straight to Okemo Ski Resort in Vermont then up over to Sugarbush to celebrate their 60th birthday at one of my favourite ski resorts ever. After three days at Sugarbush, we went to Sunday River Maine and finally on to Quebec City and Hôtel de Glace!! That was just March! After that came Missouri Lake of the Ozarks, and Oregon and Vermont again for the first time ever in the summer months, and Rochester, New York and Finger Lakes! How to Use This Travel Printable for Kids As always, this is a quick reminder that this is mine and it is protected by copyright. It is an original work owned and created by Thrifty Mommas Tips. You may print this out and fill it in with your kids. But please do not reprint, or republish it on your site. That is stealing and when I find this somewhere else stolen I will report it to google, so don’t do it. Get This Adorable Kid’s Travel Printable Here’s what you need to do. Right click on the image above and then save it and print it and have fun. OR click on the PDF link below and print it out. DOWNLOAD IT NOW FREE! Have Fun! If you ever have questions about sharing my content or linking to it with proper attribution please ask. I am always willing to answer your questions especially as an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I’d rather clarify now than have to chase down stolen content and engage Google in getting it removed. Did you travel much this year? Did you use this Kid’s Travel Printable with your family, your homeschool or your class? Please leave me a comment and let me know, or send me a photo. That makes me happy. Don’t Forget to Check Out my Free Printables Pinterest Board for more easy and fun activities. Wishing You a Great Holiday Season! Happy New Year! Here’s to many safe and memorable trips this coming year!

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10 AWESOME Power Rangers Ideas – Crafts, Costumes and Recipes

Paula — Mon, 15 May 2017 11:27:31 +0000

One weekend recently I visited my niece and nephews in Toronto. We always have a great time when we drive to Toronto to see them and we had a delicious ham dinner too. My niece and nephews are 8, 6 and 3 and they are busy kids. The boys adore baseball so my youngest spent a lot of time playing catch. After dinner the TV went on. Netflix of course. My niece started jumping up and down singing the Power Rangers theme song, so that was what the kids ended up watching. The Power Rangers are so old they are new again. That totally astonishes me. But it really shouldn’t by now I suppose. Everything new and nostalgic is fair game for TV and Movie producers these days. Anyways, I really could not get into the show and found it super ridiculous. But the kids loved it. My teen was not at all buying the special effects. But it really didn’t matter because the kids were cuddled up and quiet and calm and she enjoyed the snuggles. LOL. That got me wondering if there were any great posts out there about Power Rangers Ideas that I could share with my readers. So, here are a few costumes, crafts and treats you can make with your Power Ranger wannabes. [tweetthis]Ten Fun Power Rangers Crafts, Recipes and Costume Ideas. [/tweetthis] TEN Power Rangers Ideas: Go Go Power Rangers!! Never stop Never stop! I had to do it. At least you can’t hear me singing. 1. DIY Power Rangers Shirt 2. Power Ranger Coloring Pages 3. Power Ranger Cube Craft 4. Printable Power Rangers Coloring Masks 5. DIY Power Rangers Party Punch Box 6. DIY Power Ranger Paper Mache Pinata 7. Power Rangers Cupcakes 8. DIY Power Rangers Costume 9. Personalized Power Ranger Letter 10. Power Ranger Movie Punch Recipe Do you remember the original Power Rangers? Which one were you?

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Playmobil Pirates Treasure Island #Giveaway

Paula — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 14:26:47 +0000

There are toys and then there are toys that last and captivate and help your children create their own little worlds. Playmobil is the kind of big experience high quality toy that lasts and generates hour after hour of imaginative play. Playmobil Pirates Treasure Island is a swashbuckling adventure toy. Voyage the pirate sea in search of hidden gems with the PLAYMOBIL Pirates Treasure Island! X marks the spot, but this secret pirate hideout has some tricks up its sleeve to ward off unwanted visitors.Successfully navigate your way through uncharted territory and you may just find yourself singing yo-ho-ho! The Playmobil Pirates Treasure Island set includes three figures, a rocky island with adjustable landscape, map, treasure chest with treasure, and many other accessories. The most enjoyable part of this one for me as a parent though is the fun canon with shootable balls. As a tween, my daughter enjoys the challenge of putting the set together. She’s the chief toy assembler around here. Chef toy assembler. #kids #toys #fun Playmobil Pirate Treasure Ship might be one of the cutest Pirate play sets ever #family #cute #love #girls #activity #play #gifts #birthdays #christmas #holidaygifts A photo posted by Paula Schuck (@inkscrblr) on Sep 24, 2016 at 2:16pm PDT This one is easier to set up than the City Zoo, just so you know (in the event you buy it for Christmas and need to help set it up that day). It reminds me a bit of the activity treehouse we had here for several months until we gave it to my niece and nephews, who were thrilled with it! I can’t wait to see what my nephew thinks of this Pirates set. Playmobil builds some of the best quality toy sets I have ever seen. We’ve had many here and it’s always a special occasion at my house when we are sent another Playmobil Playset to test out. Even I was excited when I heard Playmobil had a new Pirates lineup. Everybody loves Pirates. Playmobil Pirates You can find this at any major chain store. I have also seen these fly off the shelves at Scholar’s Choice and they are also available at Amazon. As always there are numerous additional accessory packages you can buy to add to the set. As a parent and an aunt I like that because you always have gifting options available. I received product for purposes of consideration here. My opinion is all my own and it is truthful. I am currently giving away a Playmobil Pirate Treasure Island play set exactly like the one I received here. To enter follow instructions below. This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you. I make a small commission when someone purchases from the link in the post. Entry-Form

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PLAYMOBIL City Life Zoo – Imagination Station

Paula — Sat, 06 Aug 2016 13:57:03 +0000

Post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. The PLAYMOBIL City Life Zoo is a great play set for younger kids. With a durable construction and design, fun animals, and the classic PLAYMOBIL styling, the PLAYMOBIL City Life Zoo brings animal adventure to kids. My family loves this brand and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. PLAYMOBIL City Life Zoo – Everyone Loves the Zoo! This Zoo playset has become a fast favorite of my kids and their little cousins. Although my kids are older, two of their little cousins are 5 and just under 8, so this set is perfect for them. And since it requires a bit of assembly, the City Life Zoo is a perfect play set to bridge the gap between my kids and their younger cousins. They enjoy setting it up for the younger kids, and the kids have fun playing with the set and their older cousins. Plus they enjoy coming to our house because we always have the latest Barbie toys, a huge dress bin, and the latest Playmobil toys too. PLAYMOBIL City Life Zoo Description Have a roaring good time at the PLAYMOBIL Large City Zoo. This family-friendly destination features exotic animals from around the world. Enter through the rocky arch topped with decorative animal cut-outs. Once through the turnstiles, be sure to check out the animals feeding schedule. The pen- guin habitat is a must-see for bird lovers, as adult and baby penguins waddle around, while a curious pelican watches from the rock wall. Head to the souvenir shop to buy a stuffed animal or a penguin balloon, before checking out to the lion enclosure. These fierce mammals love gnawing on bones and roaring at passersby. Set includes seven figures, two adult lions and one cub, two adult penguins and four baby penguins, peacock, fish with bucket, wheelbarrow with meat, child stroller, mouse, postcards, cash register, camera, fencing, and lots of other accessories. If the PLAYMOBIL description sounds like they’re describing a real zoo, there’s a reason for that. It’s that immersive. When the younger kids come to town, we can hear them talking to my kids like they’re all really at the zoo. It’s so nice to hear them playing together so well and knowing that my kids are also having fun with the younger ones too. I have mentioned this before, but when people come to visit we always spend a huge chunk of time in our pool. But it’s nice to have some toys that will bring kids indoors for a break from the sun, or even the rain. And honestly who doesn’t love a zoo? Every child I know loves going to the zoo. You can add to these sets as well! PLAYMOBIL City Life Zoo – Tons of Fun My kids and their cousins have a blast with the PLAYMOBIL City Life Zoo set. It has everything the little ones love in a play set. Since my kids set it up for them, it’s great bonding time for everyone. The PLAYMOBIL City Life Zoo is durable, colorful, and most, importantly, fun. If you have younger kids, I highly encourage you to check it out. It’s been a hit here. For more Playmobil reviews see this post on the last Activity Treehouse set we received and enjoyed. Check Out the Treehouse we loved here: Order now for a great kid’s birthday gift. [tweetthis]This Playmobil set would be a hit for any birthday party – #affiliate http://amzn.to/2aJ0qYP[/tweetthis] BUY NOW – > EASY gift for a birthday or Christmas recommended for ages 3 and up. The Take along school would be perfect for getting them ready to go back to school. I received this playset for consideration here on this site. My opinion is all my own and it is truthful. This post contains some affiliate links.

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10 Sensory Play Ideas with Gelatin

Paula — Mon, 25 May 2015 15:01:40 +0000

My kids are a curious combination of sensory seeking and sensory avoiding. That’s not uncommon for children with sensory processing difficulties. My older daughter avoids anything that feels scratchy. My younger daughter seeks out deep pressure often and also avoids any fabrics that are not soft and comfortable. Both have some sensory issues. I have written about that often here. Remember this post about 5 easy and free sensory play activities for kids with sensory processing disorder. [tweetthis]Five Easy and Free activities for kids who love sensory play https://www.thriftymommastips.com/easy-and-free-sensory-play-activities-for-kids/[/tweetthis] Both of my girls indulge in and seek out messy play. Not always but often. They like painting, gardening, crafting. They are also very kinaesthetic (which is a fancy way for saying they learn hands on best.) Kids like mine need many opportunities to move and to be actively learning with their hands and bodies interpreting science. That is in fact one of my oldest daughter’s favourite subjects. These are some great Sensory Play Ideas with Gelatin for kids who love hands on experiments and kids who need to be entertained a lot. This is one you will need to bookmark for the summer months when you start running out of things to do. Pin the image above for future reference. [tweetthis]Here are some great experiments with gelatin for kids who love sensory play.[/tweetthis] Sensory play Ideas with gelatin 1. Rainbow (No Time For Flash Cards) http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/02/rainbow-gelatin-sensory-tub.html 2. Swamp (No Time For Flash Cards) http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/05/swamp-sensory-tub.html 3. Glowing Star (Fun At Home With Kids) http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/08/catch-star-edible-glowing-gelatin.html 4. Jello and Ice Valentine’s (Dirt and Boogers) http://dirtandboogers.com/jell-o-and-ice-valentines-sensory-box/ 5. Gelatin Play (Fun At Home With Kids) http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/02/gelatin-play-infant-at-one-point-when-s.html 6. Dirt and Worms (Two Daloo) http://www.two-daloo.com/dirt-and-worms-coffee-gelatin-sensory-play/ 7. Colorful Castles (Two Daloo) http://www.two-daloo.com/sensory-art-play-colorful-gelatin-castles/ 8. Squish Bags (Stay At Home Educator) http://stayathomeeducator.com/gelatin-squish-bags-an-edible-sensory-bag-for-babies/ 9. Princess Snot (Kids Play Box) http://www.kidsplaybox.com/sensory-activities-princess-snot/ 10. Moldable Sand (Disney Imagicademy) https://disneyimagicademy.com/homemade-moldable-sand/

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New Barbie Amaze Chase Feature

Paula — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:52:38 +0000

No big secret here that my kids are Barbie fans. So, when we heard this new movie featuring Barbie was coming out we had to see it to believe it. Some days I am still certain Barbies are hatching a plot to take over my house. My one daughter has collected Barbies since she was two. I have written about our Love for Barbie often over the years. I fact my daughter’s love of Barbies is well documented. But what about my Barbie beginnings? Timeless Toys Look Like This In the 70s and 80s I grew up with Barbie and I can still recall every last dreamy pink Barbie gift I ever received. My Barbie collection included the Barbie cruise ship and the Barbie camper and so many Ken dolls and adorable Chelsea too. Every birthday I received a new Barbie. As a child, I dreamed and created and built glorious afternoon stories with the entire Mattel family of Barbie dolls. We were most often on a cruise ship and Ken was a lovely husband to our sweet daughter. My Barbie was always a career Mom. In my childhood, I don’t think I knew any Moms who didn’t work. When You Don’t Want to Outgrow That Stage I had it pretty good with my Barbie team and I recall all too well NEVER ever wanting to outgrow that. Now, my girls are right here at this stage. Just last week one of them said to me: “Some of my friends don’t play with dolls anymore. They think dolls are immature for grade X.” See, that’s the thing about Barbie for me also. She has always given me a beautiful pretty little bridge into my daughter’s world. I take it, grab the bait and hold on tight. “And what do you think?” I ask. (This is my secret parenting trick number one. Always throw the ball back into their court in form of a question.) “Well I see what they are saying but I still love to play with dolls.” “I remember exactly feeling this,” I tell her. “I remember that I was encouraged to grow up and even though I put my Barbie cruise ship in storage at Grandma’s house, I played with it every single time we went over to her house. Dreaded moving them out of our house. Boy, I really loved playing with them a lot.” My daughter listens as I go on. “So what do you think?” “Mom, I really still love playing with dolls and I don’t want to give that up yet.” “Okay, then I think we need to get them out and play right now.” Strolling Down Memory Lane The gorgeous thing about parenting is this: you get to relive childhood. But you pick and choose the fun moments and you get to play Barbies on a Saturday afternoon with your soon to be tween daughter, if you wish to do so. So, I am a fan of Barbie for so very many reasons. Barbie opens doors for me with my girls and that is so precious. Confession time – I am still honestly like a child every time I see the Barbie toy aisle at Target or Walmart. A Tool For Building Friendships The Barbie Dreamhouse we have in our basement is epic and it is also a tool for friendships and sharing and connecting. Neighbour girls and my niece love to play at our house because of the Barbie Dreamhouse. My girls sometimes still play together because of the many dolls we have. I am sure many of you Moms of girls are familiar Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse. There is a brand new episode that I am excited about called Amaze Chase. This is the first-ever 22-minute long episode of Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse. There are several chances to win prizes here too so pay close attention. Enter for a Chance to Win 1. First of all Barbie Amaze Chase wants you to visit the main Barbie hub page and enter to win one of 30 incredible Amaze Chase VIP viewing packages. (Value is over $100) Go here: http://www.barbie.com/en-ca/promo/barbie-my-dreams and register for an account by entering your phone number. A total of 30 lucky fans will win a Barbie® Amaze Chase suitcase full of Barbie® party essentials and a doll from the Amaze Chase line. The suitcase will give fans everything they need to unpack and get ready for the newest episode of Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse, Amaze Chase, airing November 23 on Teletoon. Show also airs on YTV on November 30. Two great chances to catch this show!! This Prize Includes!! This prize kit includes: (Remember there are 30 chances to win this one.) Winter Chalet & Barbie Product (Approx. $50) Barbie party essentials, including plates, cups, napkins, etc. A $35 Loblaw Gift Card AND ALSO ENTER FOR CHANCE TO WIN HERE!! 2. To celebrate, I am giving away to one Canadian reader a VIP Viewing Party Prize pack valued at about $60. My prize includes: 1. special package of Barbie sisters. and a Dream Chalet (wouldn’t someone LOVE those for Christmas?) Actually don’t tell my kids because they are getting some of these things. (so I can keep playing with them too.) HOW? So follow the instructions to win. And don’t forget to watch the YTV premier of Amaze Chase is November 23 @ 5PM on Teletoon & November 30 @ 8:30AM on YTV. (it promises to be fun. This is an episode where Barbie goes on a sort of Amazing Race type trip with her friends! Entry-Form I received product to help facilitate this post. My opinion is my own. This post contains an affiliate ad as a service to readers. Purchases made via qualifying links mean a commission for me.

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