Category Archives: Kids Crafts & ideas

crafts and fun ideas

Party Food – How to Organise Fun Food for Little Kids and Control the Sugar Intake

Posted on September 7, 2010 by kidbestbuy

One of many parents’ biggest concerns when organising a kid’s party is the food and how much sugary junk is appropriate. Should we take the attitude that it’s a party, it doesn’t happen every day, so go crazy with the sugary treats. Or do we show concern for the health problems of today’s society and set a good example with lots of healthy nutritional items and nary a red thing in sight.

Well, before even thinking what to serve, how about thinking how to serve it. No matter what food you choose to serve you can at least control the portion sizes by organising the food into equal portions before even putting it on the table.

As you know, kids have a habit of grabbing, so one of my favourite styles of delivery is putting the food in a party box or bag. It works great with younger children as you can make sure everyone gets a bit of everything instead of little Bobby grabbing all the chocolate biscuits before anyone else gets a look in. It is also a great way to transport food to a park or other venue as it is already neatly packed away and can all be popped in the boot of the car without mess.

A plain brown paper bag works really well, as long as it is the type with the flat base. You could use a colourful bag from a craft shop or even a small inexpensive basket. I have a collection of these baskets which I picked up for $1 at a discount store. I spray painted them all different colours and my friends and I have used them over.

If using a bag, simply stack all your finger food inside fold down the top and seal with a colourful sticker. Write each child’s name on the bag or box too as this method will enable you to easily cater for specific dietary needs. With a basket, pop the traditional serviette in the base then load up with the goodies, sandwiches, fruit, mini crisp bags, and a cup cake and so on. Talk about easy portion control!

If you are going to use a table you can still have some control over portions by serving the food in one sitting then pack it away when everyone is done. A buffet style delivery works well with teenagers, but leaving food out on a party table can be messy with little fingers around. It also means you can stay in control of who is doing what and won’t be distracted by missing children who are often found raiding the left over crisps…and eating them under the table.

Don’t forget to check with parents before the day them about any allergies or special dietary needs their child may have. To be on the safe side I always recommend avoiding anything with nuts in at parties as so many children these days are allergic

Perhaps you are an aspiring Party Mum and need a little help with ideas and tips on throwing a healthy kids party, well, as healthy as a party can be without being boring. It is possible to have your cake and eat it too with low sugar low fat versions of your favourite desserts that will let you and your kids have your cake and eat it too!

The Party Mums can help, so why not visit us and while there please grab our FREE article: 10 of the PartyMums Top Tips to Perfect Parties.


Enjoy them while they’re young!


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Cleaning and Organizing A Kids Room

Posted on September 7, 2010 by kidbestbuy

This is one of the worst jobs in the world to attempt, broken pieces of toys, missing pieces of games, clothes that are too small or too big, not enough room and the list goes on. This is a job that actually won’t take that long to do and is done when the child is not home or at least not in the room.

It is amazing, a toy can lay there for months and not be touched, until mom is going to get rid of it and then it is the most valuable thing on the face of the earth! It kind of sounds like the miniature version of us, wouldn’t you say?

We have things that we don’t use, that are stuffed in closets, the attic, basement and dresser drawers that we forgot that we owned; but when we find them, all of a sudden, they become valuable again. Then we wonder where the kids get it from!

We look at things in the kids room as clutter and they look at it as their entire life’s possessions. Which in reality, it is! Everything that is theirs is in this room and they guard it with their lives even if they don’t play with it. So, it tends to reason that they are protective. This wouldn’t look like clutter and junk in our eyes if it was organized and not laying all over the floor. So how are we going to tackle this job?

Simple, we need to start with these methods of organization:

Plan what we want the room to look like when we are through
Get rid of everything that has missing parts and are broken
Clean everything in the room, curtains, bedspreads, furniture, shelves etc.
Sort through all clothes and get rid of what doesn’t fit anymore, is damaged or box what is too big.
Separate all toys and possessions into categories; books, trucks, dolls, games etc.
Decide how much space these items will take and what is the proper type of container for them to go into.
Can we utilize the space under the beds (if it is put in proper containers) for extra storage space?
Do we need a hamper for dirty clothes?
Do we have a older for C.D.’s, either for the computer or music?
Can we use bookshelves for storage space?
Do we need a desk or table and chair for homework, coloring or building things?
Have a box for toys, books and clothes that the child has outgrown and you will give away

Keep in mind that it is easier to organize a room if you designate areas of the room as ‘home’. Explain to your child that now everything has it’s home and when they are finished with it, it has to go ‘home’ for the night. They will understand this context of thinking because they want to be ‘home’ at night. Give each area a name such as:

Toy Area
Study Area
Sleep Area
Homework Area
Clothes area (include hamper here)

Some simple storage ideas that help to save on space and money are:

Over the door shoe organizer-cars and small trucks, jewelry, hair accessories, Barbies, crayons, paints and books etc.
Under the bed plastic containers for the clothes that are too big or out of season, large toys or games etc.
A ribbon or a rope hung from one end of the room to the other or hanging down in a corner of the room for school artwork, stuffed animals etc.
Plastic containers for on shelves to hold small pieces, building blocks, paints, crayons, books, craft items, notebooks and pencils etc.

These are just a few ideas that may come in handy and help to point you toward other ideas. Use your imagination and don’t forget to ask the kids for ideas, they come up with some really good ones when they know that it is going in their room.

Jan Hayner is creator of Easy Home Organizing at http://www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com Get free tips, shortcuts, hints and printables. Order your free pamphlets 50 Things To Do In 10 Minutes or Less and Guiltbusters for Working Moms.


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Children’s Furniture and Accessories your Kids Will Really Use

Posted on September 7, 2010 by kidbestbuy

It’s frustrating to spend hard-earned income on a toy or accessory for your child’s room and watch it fall from favor in less than a week. In the stores, you may have thought a particular lamp or chair would have been great for your child, but after the toddler loves the gift for five minutes, it’s set aside and never used again. Choosing children’s furniture and accessories for their room that they’ll appreciate isn’t easy, but it can be done. Here are some great ideas for things your kids will love:

Pint-sized picnic tables are perfect accessories for summer days in the back yard. Kids love to have things at their own size, and a table they can use outdoors gives them a small-scale place to have a rest and take a break. Not only that, if you love to have barbecues, your child will have his or her very own place to eat where trying to see over the table or reaching overhead for his or her plate aren’t issues. You can use children’s picnic tables to offer a coloring area for quiet play by placing the picnic table under a tree in the shade.

Rocking chairs are wonderful pieces of furniture to add to a child’s room or to place in an area reserved for reading. The motion of a rocking chair is soothing to all sizes of people, from tall grown-ups to tiny toddlers, and making a rocking chair rock is an easy thing for little kids to do on their own. Placing a pint-sized bookcase with low shelving near your rocking chair is a good idea. Fill it with interesting books to turn the area into the perfect spot for some quiet learning perfect for imagination.

An art activity desk build from solid wood is the perfect accessory for budding artists. While children do draw without table and chairs, using the floor as a hard surface readily, body positioning isn’t ergonomic or comfortable. Try it. Put a piece of paper on the floor, and then attempt a half-hour period of coloring. Feeling cramped when you go to stand? An art activity desk places everything at a good height for children to paint or color at a comfortable position. Choosing a desk offering seating for children as opposed to one with no chair, is easier on little backs and spines and helps avoid long periods of standing.

Toy organizers are great additions to a young child’s playroom or bedroom. Children have short attention spans and move rapidly between toys, leaving many of their castoffs lying scattered about. Helping your child learn to pick up is important, and providing a toy organizer with bins at a toddler’s level is a good way to encourage cleaning up after play. Also, children will love the sorting potential that a toy organizer offers. With multiple bins at hand, they can make cleaning up a game by sorting types of toys into different storage bins. Make the job easier by labeling bins with colored squares or pictures – blue is for blocks, red is for crayons, and so on.

When trying to make choices about which things to buy for your child, think over what will have long-lasting value and playtime potential. Fad toys stamped with cartoon characters may fall from favor quickly, so aim for long-term appeal. Plastic items may be budget conscious, but they aren’t durable or solid. Choosing well-crafted and better quality accessories provides years of appreciation for generations to come.

Find helpful and creative ideas for parents and grandparents while you shop our great selection of stylish kids furniture and classic toys. Visit www.TheMagicalRockingHorse.com today!


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