Author: ColleenF
Celebrating National Family Literacy Day
Celebrate National Family Literacy Day
Reading with your children is vitally important for their success, both in academics and in life. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is recommended that parents read to their parents each and every day (even to newborns)! The Healthy Children Organization offers parents great tips for reading to and with children of all ages. To celebrate National Family Literacy Day, Kolcraft staff members are sharing their favorite books to read with their children!
- Brent, Kolcraft’s graphic artist, loves to read his 2 year old daughter Time For Bed by Mem Fox. The book’s soothing rhymes and beautiful illustrations are perfect for bedtime. Another of his daughter’s favorites is Miss Spiders New Car by David Kirk.
- Sam, one of Kolcraft’s engineers, enjoyed reading Mr. Brown can Moo! Can you? by Dr. Seuss to his kids when they were little. The antics of Mr. Brown are fun for young children learning their sounds. Another family favorite is The Napping House by Audrey Wood.
- Hyon, the head of Kolcraft’s fashion team, has two daughters who love to read magical Disney princess stories. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson is another of her daughters’ favorite books. Young kids will love the hilarious tale of woodland creatures and a hibernating bear.
- Shannen, Kolcraft’s resident stroller guru, loves to read her son Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems. Her son also enjoys reading Baseball by Murray Books. This fun fact-filled book is shaped like a baseball and is sure to delight any young sports fan.
What is your child’s favorite book?
Easy Halloween Crafts
With Trick-or-Treating just hours away, we’ve compiled our favorite crafts and ideas to get you and the whole family ready for Halloween, whether you need a last minute costume for your little one or a kid-friendly craft for your Halloween party.
- Michael’s Arts and Crafts has fun spider and pumpkin stickers for a mess-free and kid-friendly way to decorate your pumpkin!
- Need a last minute Halloween costume for you little one? Check out our easy to make Halloween masks.
- Use construction paper, glue and markers to turn an old paper bag into a trick-or-treat bag. This is a fun project to do with your child that can spruce up their costume. Are they going as a bumble bee? Turn your paper bag into a beautiful flower!
- We love Martha Stewart’s spooky Glowing Ghost . Simply snap a glow stick and place into a balloon. Let your kids draw fun faces on the balloons for an easy decoration.
Do you have any last minute Halloween ideas? We’d love to hear them. Happy Halloween!
Creating a Homemade Halloween Costume and Craft
![](http://www.kolcraft.com/blog/<a href="http://www.kolcraft.com/blog/homemade-halloween-costume/"><img src="http://www.kolcraft.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Marisa_Kim_Masks.jpg" alt="" title="Marisa_Kim_Masks" width="414" height="336" class="size-full wp-image-4644" /></a> "Homemade Halloween Masks")
Still looking for a Halloween costume for your little one? These inexpensive masks are easy to do and can be made out of materials you might already have laying around the house!
What you’ll need:
- Scissors (for adult use only)
- Non-toxic glue
- Construction paper
- Hole punch
- Yarn or string
- Paper Plate
How to make the flower mask:
- Cut out the inside circle of the plate, leaving a two inch perimeter.
- Using a piece of construction paper, cut out one petal.
- Using this petal as a stencil, tracing and cutting out multiple petals until you have enough to cover the perimeter of the plate
- Glue the petals around the edge of the plate until completely covered
- Punch one hole on each side of the flower mask
- Cut two pieces of string or yarn and tie one piece to each hole, leaving enough string to secure the mask around your child’s head
- On Halloween, wear a green t-shirt or sweatshirt for the stem of the flower!
- For a fun variation, instead of petals, cut out brown triangles to create a mane. Paint whiskers on your little one’s face for a fun and adorable lion costume!
Marisa & Kim try on the masks for us!
How to make the Frankenstein mask:
- Cut the paper plate in half. Trim off an inch from the perimeter of the plate.
- Glue green construction paper to cover the plate and trim any access paper.
- Cut out a large black rectangle. Cut tiny small triangle notches in the rectangle for Frankenstein’s hair and glue onto the plate.
- Use a black market to draw stiches onto the forehead.
- Cut two eye holes.
- Cut out to ‘nails’ and glue onto the ends of the mask
- Punch one hole onto each side of the mask
- Cut two pieces of string or yarn and tie one piece to each hole, leaving enough string to secure the mask around your child’s head
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Monster Halloween Cookies 2011
Whether you are looking for a tasty treat for an upcoming Halloween party or a yummy way to use up your leftover Halloween M&Ms, these Monster Halloween Cookies are sure to be a hit with parents and kids!
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 lb. brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 Tbsp. Karo White
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 lb. butter
- 1.5 cups peanut butter
- 4.5 cups oatmeal
- 1/4 lb. of chocolate chips or peanut butter chips
- 1/4 lb. of chocolate candies
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla
What to do:
Outside in the rain? Try these Family Friendly Rain Activities.
There is no reason to let the weather bring down your day. The weather today at Kolcraft’s corporate offices in Chicago is rainy. Fall is approaching, but we recommend trying a few of these activities to enjoy your rainy day today, or whenever it hits your neighborhood.
- Puddle Jump! It’s time to get wet. See who can make the largest splash, get their boots wet, or jump across the largest puddle. One, two, three, JUMP!
- Bring bath time fun outside: Take your favorite tub time toys outside with you. Rubber Ducky loves the outdoors. There are a ton of bath time toys that are made for the water.
- Chalk in the rain? Have you used your chalk in the rain before? Chalk still works and creates a painting type form. Try it!
What are your families favorite outdoor rainy day activities? Let us know!
Halloween Craft for Children
As we mentioned Monday, there are a lot of creative and fun ways to decorate your home for Halloween. Today’s Halloween craft is a fun activity for your children, but something you can also use as part of your Halloween decor.
Spider Halloween Craft
What you’ll need:
- Paper plate (black preferable)
- Black, white, and any other color construction paper, we used green
- Scissors
- Glue
- Optional: Googly eyes
Instructions:
- Fold the black paper plate in half. If you do not have a black plate then either let your child color the plate black or you can cover it with black construction paper like we did.
- Trace and cut out eight squiggly legs
- Trace and cut out two circles for eyes on the green construction paper and trace a squiggly smile
- Trace and cut out two smaller circles for inner eyes on the white construction paper
- Start gluing! We glued our eyes and smile on first. The we glued the eight legs
Last year, we did a similar craft and created a pumpkin. You can hole punch the crafts, add some string, and create a Halloween banner for your home.
It’s Back: the Contours 3 in 1 Bassinet
We are so excited to announce the return of the Contours Classique 3 in 1 Bassinet. This bassinet has been a favorite item for new moms and dads. The Classique Bassinet offers classic style, convenient features, and an elegant fashion for contemporary parents. The last model of this bassinet sold out several months ago. It was demanded back by new moms and dads. We updated the fashion and the materials and we are excited to re-release this product.
We are proud of this product and we could gush about it for awhile, but we thought the best advocates are parents like you. Below are a few of the reviews of the previous model.
- Minnestoa Mamas Must Haves
“Pros: Beautiful design of wood and fabric, sturdy construction, on wheels for easy movement, dual purpose-converts from bassinet-moses basket-changing table.
Cons: I can’t come up with anything I don’t like about this bassinet. It is a great bassinet for every baby”
Read the entire review here - Real Moms Real Reviews
“It really is a wonderful bassinet and one I will be using for years and years to come with all my babies. I highly recommend this bassinet to anyone with a baby or expecting. It would make a wonderful baby shower gift too!”
Read the entire review here - Making My American Dream
“I quickly fell in love with the Contours Classique 3-in-1 Bassinet from Kolcraft and I simply cannot say enough good things about it. It is perfect for our small home because it has so many uses and it happens to match our decor perfectly.”
Read the entire review here
This Contours Classique 3 in 1 Bassinet is a new model. We have updated the fashion, materials, and price, but it has all of the great features that these moms, and so many others, loved.
Child Friendly Kitchen Ideas
The fall season brings a change in colors, temperature, and schedules for your family. It also marks the return of new television seasons. While television can give mom time to organize the family dinner, it also can take away time to enjoy with your child. We thought of some fun kitchen activities that will help mom and your child will fully enjoy!
- Cooking with your child
There are many opportunities for your child to help you create the family meal. Baby Matters blog has several meals and ideas for families to create and enjoy together. Also, you can arrange your ingredients for your child to pour into a bowl, they can help mash the potatoes, create their own pizza, and be the ultimate taste tester! - Organizing your kitchen
Children love to play with pots and pans, eating utensils, and in your cabinet. Having your child help sort between your spoons and forks, fruits and vegetables, cups and bowls can be a great experience. You can talk about the different purposes of each item and they will feel part of the kitchen experience. - Family Place Mats
While you cook the family meal, set your child up at the table to create place mats for everyone at the table. They can use a large piece of paper and create a themed place mat based on the meal, upcoming holidays, or whatever you dream up!
Do you have any favorite activities for your family in the kitchen?
Homemade Halloween Decorations
Ghosts, witches and jack-o-lanterns are popping up around the neighborhood. A great way to decorate your own house with the help of your kids is with these homemade Halloween decorations. We have found a lot of great ideas and we hope you try some of them out.
- Halloween banners are an easy way to add some flair to your home. Party Planner Center is offering free bat cut outs to help create your banner. Add some googly eyes and the bats will really pop!
- Mini pumpkins offer a variety of options for your kids to decorate. You can paint the mini pumpkins or decorate them in a variety of ways. We loved this idea from MarthaStewart.com. Cut out a mouth on the mini pumpkin, add fake teeth, and use a pin to create two eyes.
- Using themed picture frames around your home can quickly create a Halloween feeling. We found the picture frame, above, on the blog I Heart Nap Time. Using your old Halloween photos or leave a Halloween message.
Celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month
October marks Down Syndrome Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and abilities of people with Down syndrome. In honor of spreading awareness, the National Down Syndrome Society suggests a few ways for you to get involved.
- Participate in a Buddy Walk: This walk was established in 1995 to celebrate Down syndrome Awareness Month. It began with 17 walks in 1995 to over 250 walks in 2011. Last October over 285,000 people participated in Buddy Walks and more than $11.2 million was raised to benefit local programs, services, and aid national initiatives. Visit BuddyWalk.org to find a walk in your area.
- Learn more with the My Great Story Public Awareness Campaign: The National Down Syndrome Society website created a place to honor people with Down syndrome by sharing inspirational stories by and about them. If you have someone’s story to share you can enter it here, but if you are interested in learning more and in being inspired, read the stories.
The National Down Syndrome Society website offers more resources, opportunities to get involved, and information about all of the celebrations occurring this October and throughout the year.
