Fun Ideas for Kid-Friendly Sunny or Rainy Day Picnics

PHOTOS: Provided by Oriental Trading Company

Oriental Trading Company will be sending us supplies to use in our son's community service project, aimed at donating bags full of toiletries and fun items to children of local families in need, in exchange for sharing these kid-friendly summer fun picnic ideas with 3G2S readers.

By the time we are halfway through summer vacation, I am usually looking for fresh ideas to create some fun memories for my children.  Planning something fun doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be complicated.  There are two things I try to do . . . get the children involved in preparations and keep some supplies on-hand for impromptu fun.

Oriental Trading Company is my go-to place for fun ideas year-round.  You can find everything you need for a kid-friendly picnic indoors or out among their extensive collection of Picnic Party Supplies.  There, you will find everything from colorful gingham plates and napkins to fun summer-themed picks.  One picnic must-have would be the disposable checkered tablecloths, available in 4 colors.  They come in a pack of 12 and are perfect to cover your picnic table outdoors or to sit on during rainy day indoor picnics.

Keep it simple, but colorful!  My children would be perfectly happy with cheese, crackers, pepperoni, and fruit for a lunchtime picnic.  We try to keep a supply of colorful picks in the kitchen drawer to add some fun to cut fruit or cheese.


4 Fun Ways Kids Can Help to Prepare for a Picnic . . . 

1.  Ask your children to build a utensil holder and a napkin holder out of plastic interlocking building blocks.

2.  Have your children decorate LED tealights with colorful washi tape for a flameless candlelit meal.

3.  If you don't already have picks for serving bite-size food at your picnic, ask your children to make some with toothpicks and washi tape.

4.  When you have cut all the food, whether it be sandwich quarters, cheese, fruit, or something else, ask your children to arrange them in a pattern on plates or platters for you.

For more creative summer fun ideas, visit the Create Fun blog!

What ideas do you have for a fun kid-friendly picnic?  Share them with us in a comment here and be sure to pin this post for later.

Parents and Children Enjoy the Spring Weather with Easy-to-Assemble Guillow's Gliders

Thank you to Guillow's for providing sample toy planes and gliders for us to base this review upon and for providing additional products for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

My boys have recently gotten very interested in making paper airplanes, so when we were offered an assortment of Guillow’s gliders, I knew they would be really excited and they were not disappointed. These gliders are made of plastic, foam, and/or balsa wood, so they are lightweight and fly great, plus they were very easy to assemble. We assembled all of them within 10 minutes.

Guillow sent us a variety of these simple planes, seven in all (the small ones came as a set of 2), and my boys have played with them for hours.

The gliders really fly very well and far, and they’ve had fun launching them and seeing who’s could go the farthest or fastest. They have literally spent hours playing with these airplanes.

We’ve had a few “fatalities”, as in the airplanes have broken, but most of them are still in great condition after all that play time. The materials used are fairly sturdy, but because they have to be light enough to fly, they will not last forever. While they do last though, they are tons of fun. My kids (and husband, I won’t lie) have really, very much enjoyed playing with these and they will continue to have fun with these for as long as they last.

These Guillow gliders are recommended for ages 8 and up because of small parts. They have many varieties of airplanes, rockets, and other gliders on their website, www.guillow.com. All seven of these gliders combined retail for $19.75, so these are easy on the pocketbook as well. In fact, Guillow has toys starting at $1.79. Visit their website to see their full selection.

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Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Silly Monkey Story: The Many Faces of Baseball

Our 8 year old son has decided that this is going to be his last season of soccer.  He wants to try his hand at baseball next Spring, so his Dad has been trying to get in some practice whenever they can squeeze it in, which hasn't been too much considering all the rain we've been getting for the past month or so.  I must say that our son has been doing very well.  With a little bit more practice, he will be a great player.

These photos were taken on Mother's Day.  When I was looking through the many photos I had taken, I just had to pull a few aside.  The expressions on our sons' faces and even my husband's are priceless.  What kind of mother and wife would I be if I didn't publish them online for the world to see, right?

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Click here to read all my Silly Monkey Stories!

5 Books That Encourage Children to Get Outside and Play

Teaching children healthy habits should start young and colorful children’s books are one way to instill lifelong lessons. Candlewick Press has a new line of books that feature good messages about food and exercise in ways that children can relate to and understand.

1.  Let’s Have a Tree Party by David Martin is an adorable rhyming book that has the animals of the forest having a delightfully active celebration. Dancing, swinging, singing, and more, the forest comes alive with activity until the day’s end...and then beyond. Geared toward 2-5 year olds, this nicely illustrated hardcover book is sure to be any child’s new favorite read. $15.99

2.  In Hop, Skip and Jump, Maisy!, everyone’s favorite mouse gets up and moving in this unique pull-tab book that gets Maisy kicking a ball, jumping rope, and more until she wears herself out and heads off to bed. Designed for children 2-5, this book is so much fun because the illustrations come to life with the pull tabs, something children are sure to enjoy. $12.99

3.  Cookie Monster’s Busy Day has the Sesame Street characters exercising, teaching proper hygiene habits, eating healthy and more in several mini-books inside this fun book. With 48 pages and simple sentences, this book is perfect for any emerging readers or Sesame Street fans. $5.99

4.  If your child has ever wondered where their food comes from, How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? is a perfect book for them. From bread to chocolate chips, this book tells children where food starts, how it’s made, and how it gets to the grocery store and eventually their lunchbox. This is a beautifully illustrated book with fresh, retro-type artwork that kids are sure to love. $12.99

5.  Finally, Go Out and Play! (my personal favorite) has super fun games for children to play outside. Featuring old favorites such as Red Rover, Ghost in the Graveyard, Kick the Can, and new ones like the twist on Tag, The Blob, this book is sure to have something for every child to enjoy. It sure gave my kids new things to do outside and stopped me from hearing the every-popular, “I’m BORED!”. $11.99

All five of these books are available at many major book retailers nationwide, such as Amazon.com and Candlewick.com.


Thank you to Candlewick Press for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.

Review: Backyard Safari Outfitters Kids Field Gear & Patch Program

Last summer, we had the opportunity to try out some of Backyard Safari Outfitters' field gear for kids.  Our children enjoyed these toys so much that I was more than happy to try a few more this year.  Now a small handful of Backyard Safari Outfitters products require batteries, but the majority of products are battery-free, including the Camouflage netting, Expedition Two - Hiking Stick, and the Mega Magnifier we received.  These items, topped off with the Backyard Safari Outfitters Essential Field Gear Cargo Vest  we received last year, made the perfect setup for some fun outdoor adventuring.

We do not have that much "nature" around us where we live, but it was still fun for our children to use their imaginations to pretend that they were out in "the wild."  The Backyard Safari Patch Program makes these mini adventures even more real to children.  Iron-on patches now come with many Backyard Safari products.  Children can earn these patches for completing special missions described in the included Pop-Up Field Guide and can then have the patch ironed onto their Field Gear Cargo Vests.  For example, the Expedition Two - Hiking Stick comes with the "Expedition Two - On the Trail" patch.

Since most of these products are recommended for children ages 5 and up, it was not a surprise to me that our 7 year old son got the most enjoyment out of them.  The 48" tall hiking stick was the perfect height for him.  He was also able to use the camouflage netting without it being too clumsy or cumbersome.  Out of all the products, his favorite was the Mega Magnifier.

The Mega Magnifier is super-durable and user-friendly.  It can be used to magnify objects from either side.  My son loved looking at various insects up close.  Since this magnifier floats, he will most likely be taking it with him to the beach this summer.  Seeing everything larger than life is so much fun and this is a product that even our preschoolers can enjoy without any assistance.

I do think this magnifier needs to be used with adult supervision outdoors.  It turns out that, even though the viewer is not glass, it can still focus sunlight enough to start a fire.  Our son had a tree trunk smoking in about 10 seconds.  It happened accidentally while he was looking at an ant on the side of a tree.

To learn more about these products and other Backyard Safari gear, visit BackyardSafari.com and Backyard Safari on Facebook and Twitter.


Thank you to Backyard Safari Outfitters for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.  This review has been written as part of a campaign for Team Mom.

My Photos (W/E 7-2-11)

I was thinking recently that our 7-1/2 year old son and our 1-1/2 year old cat have something in common . . . they both are approaching the age where they aren't cute and adorable all the time, so they can't get away with as much mischief.  Don't get me wrong, they are both still cute in their own way.  Don't you think?

"7-Year-Old-Boy Funny"

"Cramped Quarters"

"Mad Scientist"

"Smile Pretty for the Camera!"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.

Bike Helmets Have Come a Long Way Since My Glory Days

It's bicycle season at last! Not a cloud in the sky today and that crazy wind has finally died down. I think its time to get the kids' bikes out for the year.

I used to be an avid mountain biker (avid in my own mind maybe). When I moved to Boston in my early twenties I didn’t know anybody and money was tight, so I spent all my spare time biking around the city. I used to do some crazy stuff back then, stunts and speeds I would never consider now. I look back and some of the stuff I used to do was quite dangerous.

But seeing the kids' bikes makes me a little nostalgic about the “glory” days of my cycling. Is it time for me to get back out there? It may be, but one thing is for certain this time around: Safety is paramount. Not only for myself but for my kids.

I will not even consider going back out without a quality helmet. Back in the day helmets were hot, heavy, and uncomfortable. When you have a helmet you don’t like, you don’t wear it. But manufacturers like Bell and Giro have changed all that. Today you can check out the latest and greatest Bell and Giro helmets at Helmet City.

Helmet City is known for its motorcycle helmets, but now you can get the newest and hottest cycle helmets there. If you plan on cycling this season, make sure you protect your lid properly to ensure you are around to cycle next season...

My Photos (W/E 4-30-11)

Many of these photos were taken on Easter day.  I did share some other Easter day photos last week, but I saved several of my favorites to share for Weekly Winners.  I hope there is at least one or two that you like.

"Follow Me!"                                  "Enthusiasm"

"Gone Hunting"

"Handsome"                                   "Double Smiles"

"Wind-Powered"

"The Direct Approach"                        "A Handle On It"     

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.

Photos From Easter Morning & Brunch

On Easter Sunday, our family was invited to my cousin's house to have brunch and  take part in an Easter egg hunt with her family.  Before that, the children were able to take a look at what the Easter Bunny left for them in the baskets we put out the night before.

We really lucked out with the weather.  We were expecting rain and it turned out to be sunny with temperatures in the 70s.  The nice weather lasted through early afternoon and the rain waited to start until we were ready to go home.

Here are some photos from Easter day.  You can find more on Facebook and I saved a few to share for the Weekly Winners photo meme next Sunday.

I made this photo on ICaughtTheEasterBunny.com . . . 

Posing for a photo by my cousin's son . . . 

My cousin did a craft with the kids to make bags for the children to use for the Easter egg hunt . . .

The children had a blast playing outside on the play structure, blowing bubbles, and of course taking part in the Easter egg hunt . . . 

Thanks for taking the time to view my photos.  I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter weekend!