How To Throw a Great Halloween Kids Party

Every year, my sister and her family come over for Halloween. Our neighborhood is pretty big on trick-or-treating and we can usually get our fill of candy in just a few blocks. This year I wanted to do something different to make our gathering a little more “in the spirit” of Halloween so I was thrilled to find this information courtesy of Kraft Foods.

It goes without saying that there should be treats at any Halloween party, but what really makes it a special (and scary) occasion are the decorations. Go all out creating a Haunted House complete with unexpected surprises. Spooky games will help to set the ghoulish mood.

To play “Mummy Wrap,” all you need is a roll of toilet paper. The kids will have a blast wrapping each other up. Or else you can try bobbing for apples or play “Pin the Ghost on the Haunted House.”

You might even have the kids decorate their own Halloween cookies or design custom trick-or-treat bags. Of course, you can carve pumpkins into scary or silly faces. Or else let the kids use magic markers, glitter glue and feathers to decorate them. Don’t forget about a contest for best costume or a Halloween parade.

We hope these ideas will help inspire you and your readers to throw a spooky and fun Halloween party this year. For more Halloween party ideas, be sure to tell your readers to check out the brand-new Halloween tab on Kraft Food’s Facebook page. This special tab offers delicious recipes and how-to videos that will help you plan a party (for both kids and for adults) along with ideas for games & activities for a ghoulishly good time!

Try making some Mummy-Face Pizzas as a fun, tasty appetizer for your guests:

What You Need:

• 1 plain bagel (3-1/2 inch), cut horizontally in half
• 2 Tbsp. pizza sauce
• 2 sticks KRAFT STRING-UMS String Cheese
• 4 slices black olives

Make It:

• HEAT oven to 400ºF.
• SPREAD bagel halves with sauce. Pull cheese into thin strips; place in random criss-cross fashion on tops of bagels to resemble mummy bandages. Trim ends with kitchen shears. Add olives for the eyes.
• PLACE on baking sheet.BAKE 10 min. or until bagels are crisp and cheese is melted.

Family Fun at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

This summer, families flocking to Las Vegas will want to visit The Forum Shops at Caesars for myriad attractions. Just the sheer number of stores at The Forum Shops will keep kids’ eyes roving. Below is a list of additional attractions for families:

• The Atlantis Aquarium: The 50,000-gallon saltwater aquarium stocked with colorful tropical fish located in the Roman Great Hall. Of heroic proportion, the hall is 160 feet in diameter and 85 feet high with more than 300 fish. Be sure to watch the aquarists feed them during dives scheduled at 1:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. daily. Families can take a complimentary below-the-scenes guided tour of the support facilities Monday through Friday at 3:15 p.m.

• The Atlantis Show: In this same hall is one of two locations where guests can see awe-inspiring statues that come to life. The gods unleash their wrath in this animatronics extravaganza of epic proportions. Fire, water, smoke, and special effects tell the tale of Atlas, Gadrius and Alia, who struggle to rule the undersea city. Today, these statues are a “must see” for Las Vegas visitors of all ages. The Atlantis Show has more than 400 moving parts in each of the characters. Shows are daily on the hour.

• The Festival Fountain Show: Behold the morning sun and evening stars in a sky that changes from day to night and back again. Then see Bacchus, Venus, Apollo, and Plutus regale the visitors with a magnificent sound, light, and laser shows daily on the hour.

• Houdini’s Magic Shop: The magician in all of us comes out at this unique magic shop. Kids can try out their new bag of tricks. Shhh… in the back, there’s a special room where Houdini’s magicians train visitors on how to do their own tricks.

• Kid’s Kastle: Need a baby or kid-sized signature Elvis white sequined jumpsuit, complete with a gold pair of sunglasses? Or how about Las Vegas emblazed t-shirt with cartoon characters? No problem. Kid’s Kastle carries children’s apparel, infants to size 14, as well as toys, gifts and other unusual and unique accessories.

• Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man: The worldwide phenomenon with a menu primarily made from chocolate debuts this summer. Max Brenner’s location at The Forum Shops will hold the distinction of being the largest at 9,400 square feet. Also to catch the guests’ eyes: enormous white vats mixing chocolate that will flow into pipes running throughout the entire space. The décor will also feature huge bricks, candles, pralines, colorful toy tines and crates overflowing with cocoa beans. Currently, including Las Vegas, there will be 29 total locations, with two in the United States: New York City and Philadelphia.

• Telling time becomes fun: At Swatch, kids learn how to tell time with Flik Flak, a watch brand that developed a method of teaching children to tell the time as young as three. Meanwhile, at Tourneau Time Dome, kids of all ages can turn this watch store into an adventure. At 13,400 square feet, it is the world’s largest watch store according to the Guinness World Book of Records. More than 100 different watch lines are represented in this two-level venue.

• Field of Dreams: For the sports enthusiast, this is the perfect spot for a walk through sports history as well as recognizing hall of famers. Notorious for featuring guest appearances and autograph signings by Dan Marino to Smokin’ Joe Frazier to Pete Rose.

• NIKETOWN: While we’re on the topic of sport stars, NIKETOWN features a sports collection of memorabilia as shoppers walk through two levels of retail. The store is divided by sport’s themes. Autographed collectibles are encased in display units throughout the store where celebrities from Michael Jordan to Andre Agassi are represented.

• Three-level freestanding escalator: When the Phase III expansion debuted in 2004, a three-level, freestanding spiral escalator became the first of its kind in the United States and was designed exclusively for The Forum Shops by Mitsubishi.

• Unique ambience: Perhaps it is the cobblestone streets and the Mediterranean sky. Or the numerous magical touches, such as the ornate fountains, spiral escalator and the intricate mosaic tile. The Forum Shops at Caesars has been paralleled to the likes of Via Condotti, Rodeo Drive and other prestigious shopping venues worldwide. With 160 specialty shops and restaurants The Forum Shops is unlike any other shopping experience in the world.

ABOUT THE FORUM SHOPS AT CAESARS
The Forum Shops at Caesars opened 283,000 square feet in May 1992 to immediate success. An August 1997 expansion to 500,000 square feet continued the momentum. The third phase of The Forum Shops’ growth was a three-level expansion extending from the existing retail, dining and entertainment icon to the famed Las Vegas Strip adding 175,000 square feet, with completion October 2004. A grand pedestrian plaza entrance on Las Vegas Boulevard further validates The Forum Shops as one of the finest luxury shopping streets in the world. The Forum Shops is recognized for its unique combination of top retail, dining, entertainment, excellent location and exciting ambiance featuring 150 specialty shops and 15 restaurants. Additional information may be accessed at www.forumshops.com.

Information courtesy of Caesars Palace

iStoryTime Offers Free Children’s Book Apps to Celebrate Earth Day

iStoryTime, the leading publisher of children’s storybook apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, announced today that it will be giving away select, full featured apps free for Earth Day. The stories that will be available for free this week on iTunes provide an educational way to inspire awareness and help adults and their children appreciate the environment.  The stories being offered are:

• Eartha the Sea Turtle, written by Dan Bodenstein, illustrated by Brian C. Krumm
• Go Green, written by Lilly Barels, illustrated by Kai’ili Kaulukukai
• The Surf Ace of the Sun, written and illustrated by Joe Mohr
• Go out! Go out!, written and illustrated by Joe Mohr

Each of these narrated stories encourages children to experience the outdoors and enjoy the wonderful things that Mother Nature has to offer.  “We’re happy to help make kids aware of our resources and highlight this special day to learn about taking care of the planet,” said iStoryTime co-Founder, Woody Sears.  “We are encouraging parents to use our stories to communicate a positive environmental message to their children while they share time reading together.” The apps will be offered for free through April 25^th.

iStoryTime’s online books, which can be downloaded directly to an iPhone or iPod Touch or iPad, are simple to use and are known for their creativity, illustrations and narrations.  Options for narrations on different stories include voices of adults, kids, and characters.  The narration can also be turned off so that parents can read to kids. All of iStoryTime books are available globally for $.99-$2.99 in the iPhone App Store in 80 countries.

About iStoryTime

iStoryTime is part of FrogDogMedia, LLC.  The company was founded in 2009 by two fathers and an uncle who love to have fun with their families.  Driven by a passion to make children’s books more accessible and entertaining, iStoryTime is the pioneer of children’s book apps for the iPhone.  The organization has created a new medium for established and first time authors to showcase their work at no expense.  The new publishing platform provides parents with a library of compelling children’s books available anytime, anywhere. More information can be found at www.iStoryTime.com.

KinderCare Summer Camps

Growing up, I remember going to Camp Erdman with my 4th grade class. At first, I was a little hesitant since it was my first time away from home for an extended period of time. However, by the end of the trip I found myself having so much fun that I didn’t want to go home. The friends I made, the experiences I gained, and the lessons learned would be something I would remember forever.

With Summer coming up, why not consider exposing your kids to the same wonderful experince by checking out your local KinderCare Camps?

CAMP DESCRIPTION: With input from nearly 3,000 children on how they’d like to spend their summer, we’ve crafted a summer day-camp program that delivers just what they’re looking for: irresistible learning opportunities, hands-on involvement and unique experiences.

The really cool thing about KinderCare is that the curriculum and activities are designed by kids. After all, they know best what their peers are into these days and what they’d find most interesting. Each week the camp will focus on a different theme (ie. science, art, sports, history, nature) which helps your child continue learning even when school is not in session. To me, the continuity of learning over the summer plays a vital role in how well your child will do when they go back to school in the fall.

Unfortunately, there are no KinderCare Camps on Oahu but if there were I would definitely send Kacie and Kiana. I think it would be a great way for them to learn not only academics but also valuable life lessons like friendship and teamwork.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCare and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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