Fun Non-Candy Activity Goodie Bag Party Favor Ideas (Plus a Free Printable Zombie Word Search)

Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing the party favors used in creating the activity goodie bags featured below.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Earlier this week, my oldest turned 11.  He'll be moving onto middle school next year and I'm still having a little trouble accepting it.  Since this is his last year of grade school, I wanted to make sure we sent some fun goodie bags to school for his birthday.  We always send non-food goodie bags due to there being so many students suffering from a variety of allergies, plus the school does not allow sweets to be sent in for birthday celebrations.  We do this for all 3 of our children, who all happen to have birthdays in January.  Sometimes it's difficult to come up with a fun new idea.  Thank goodness I found some inspiration from Oriental Trading Company!

Our twins will be turning 8 later this month.  Their goodie bags were easy to put together.  Since our family went to the local Super MegaFest comic convention, our children have been obsessed with drawing their own comics.  So, when I saw these superhero-themed party favors, I just knew I had to create something fun with them.  That's when I had the idea to make DIY comic book kits for the twins' 2nd grade classmates!

What you'll need for DIY Superhero Comic Book Goodie Bags . . . 

Publish Your Own Book Journals

Superhero Super Stickers

Superhero Roll of Stickers

I Love To Write Pencils

Silver Size Comic Book Bags

There are 100 stickers on the roll, so I had enough to put one sticker inside each of the goodie bags and to place one outside of each bag to seal it.  These books have a framed space for drawing on each page, as well as lines below for writing.  I think one frame per page is perfect for 2nd graders.  The twins can't wait to hand these out to their classmates!

Like this idea? Pin it for later . . .

For my oldest son, the theme of his goodie bags changed several times.  One thing that stayed the same was the nose pencil sharpeners.  After he saw them on Oriental Trading, he just had to have them.  After playing with a few different body part themes, we settled on the ever-popular zombie theme.

What you'll need for Zombie Activity Goodie Bags . . .

Nose Pencil Sharpeners

Eyeball-shaped Erasers

Brain-shaped Erasers

3D Skull Key chains

Zombie Roll of Stickers

Zombie Pencils

Printable Zombie Word Search (at bottom)

Silver Size Comic Book Bags

Apparently zombies are extremely popular with 10 and 11 year olds.  The goodie bags were a big hit and our son was thrilled to finally have a nose pencil sharpener.

Pin this idea for later . . . 

TO PRINT:  Check to make sure your computer's printer is on and ready to go.  Click on the desired image to enlarge.  Then right-click on the image and select print.  Use your browser's back button to return to this page.

Zombie Word Search (plus Answer Key)

I made the above free printable word search puzzle with the help of Discovery Education's Puzzlemaker.  This particular puzzle is difficult and would be perfect for adults and older children.  Enjoy!

Easy DIY Personalized Duck Tape & Washi Tape Poly Bookmark Craft (Free Printable Templates)

The time has finally arrived when every member of our household is reading books that they cannot necessarily finish in one sitting.  In preparation of this, Santa put two bookmarks in each of our children's stockings last Christmas.  Unfortunately, most of those bookmarks have vanished into a black hole somewhere.  (I think it may be the same one that mysteriously makes single socks disappear from the washer and dryer.)  In any case, I came up with a fun and easy way to solve our problem of never having a bookmark around when we need one . . .

This easy DIY bookmark craft uses Duck Tape, Washi Tape, and Tapeffiti along with poly folders.  I chose to use poly folders because they are colorful, more durable than cardstock, easy to cut with scissors, and are fairly inexpensive.  I got mine on sale for $0.69 each and one folder can make up to 10 bookmarks if you remember to use the pockets inside too.  This craft would be a fun rainy day activity!  It would also be perfect for a classroom craft or birthday party activity, especially if you cut out the bookmark shapes and the ribbon pieces in advance.  You could even make these to pass out as end-of-the-year students gifts or as party favors.  What a fun way to promote literacy!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

patterned and solid tape (both wide and narrow)

poly folders (in colors that work with your tape)

computer printer

scissors

pen or pencil

standard size single hole puncher (needed for 2 of the 3 styles)

1/8" wide ribbon, yarn, or twine (needed for 2 of the 3 styles)

thin permanent markers (optional)

Step 1.  Print out the bookmark templates I have created for you.  (To print, be sure your computer's printer is on and ready to go.  Then click on the image below to enlarge it.  Right click on the image and select "print."  Then use your browser's back button to return to this page.)

Step 2.  Carefully cut out one or more of the bookmark templates.  If applicable, using your single hole puncher, punch a hole through the black circle in the template(s).

Step 3.  Place the template on your poly folder and trace the shape with a pen or pencil.  Be sure to trace the punched out circle too, if your template has one.

TIP #1:  I started by cutting out the pockets from inside the folder.  They can be used to make one bookmark each.

Step 4.  Cut out the shape you've traced.  If applicable, punch out the circle you've traced with a single hole puncher.

Step 5.  After you've selected which tapes you would like to use for your bookmark, cut a piece of tape about 6" long.  Then position the tape on the front of your bookmark as desired and wrap the ends around the back of the bookmark.  (For a neater appearance, make sure the edges match up where the ends meet.)  Repeat this as many times as you need to create a design you like.  Be sure to experiment with other ways to use your tape, such as creating a frame with it.

Tip #2:  One of the perks about using these poly folders is that, with most types of tape I've tried, the tape can be removed and repositioned if it is not exactly as you would like it.

Step 6.  For the bookmarks with a hole at the top, cut a piece of 1/8" ribbon, yarn, or twine approximately 10" to 12" long.  Then fold it in half and thread the loop end through the hole in the back of the bookmark.  Pull the loop out the front of the bookmark, then feed the two ends through the loop.  Pull tightly to complete your knot.  Tie another knot right at the top of the bookmark for added security.

Tip #3:  You can get creative with this by using multiple colors of ribbon, adding beads, or making a tassel at the end.

Step 7.  Personalize your bookmark with a name, initial, or a monogram using tape or permanent marker.

This craft comes with a warning . . . I started out with a just few rolls of tape and now need to think of a way to store the many rolls I've purchased since.  I may be addicted, so look for more patterned tape crafts in the coming months!

Have Some #FrozenFun with This DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game (Free Printable) #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This Walmart toys shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification about FROZEN toys for Collective Bias and its advertiser.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Whether your children have had the chance to see FROZEN the movie by Disney in the theater or not, it is likely that an Olaf toy, an Elsa toy, or an Anna toy is on their wishlist.  We were saving a trip to see this film as one of the family activities we could do to celebrate our daughter's birthday this month.  Still, even not having seen the film yet, she was super-excited when we went to shop at Walmart for FROZEN toys.  I was particularly looking for a variety of figures from the movie to do a photo bingo game craft for my children, but there were not enough different figures in stock to do what I wanted.  Then we saw the Disney FROZEN Castle Play Set and decided to purchase it because my idea began to evolve.  Plus, who could resist this pretty-pleeeeeeease face . . .

Since the play set only comes with an Olaf figure, we agreed that our daughter would use her own Christmas and birthday money to buy the Anna and Elsa dolls to go with the castle.  In the meantime, the castle will be used with her other fashion dolls and may very well be turned into an evil lair or a secret hideout by her two brothers at some point.

After we shopped that day, we stopped into the Subway at Walmart for lunch. Along with their Fresh Fit Kids Meals, the twins received an Olaf keychain (a Walmart Subway exclusive), a FROZEN jigsaw puzzle, and their meals came in two different styles of FROZEN-themed reusable bags.  The twins were wondering what they could put in their new bags, but I already knew what they would be perfect for . . . our DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game!

What you'll need to make your own FROZEN Castle Bingo Game:

• Print out pages 1 and 2.  Then cut out the 4 bingo boards.
• Print out page 3.  Then cut out each individual bingo calling card.
• (Optional) Print out page 4 if you would like a reference for the names of the items shown in each picture.
• Small items to use as bingo markers (see suggestions below)
• A paper or reusable lunch bag to store the bingo calling cards (bag should not be see-thru)
• A sandwich bag to store the bingo markers
• A small tote to store all the items above

TO PRINT:  Be sure your printer is on and ready to print.  Click on the desired image to enlarge.  Then right-click and select print.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to this page.

What can you use for bingo markers?

I really wanted bingo markers that were fun and went well with the theme and colors of the bingo boards.  I wandered around Walmart for awhile and then I found this set of 4 faux gem elasticized bracelets in the party favors section for just $2.97.  That's when I got the idea to cut the elasticized string and use the individual gems as bingo markers.  I also had some sparkly pompoms I had picked up in a craft store and thought those looked like they could be snowballs.  I really could not decide which bingo markers I liked better, so I decided to use them both!

Some other ideas for small items to use as bingo markers would be blue and white M&Ms, buttons, foam shapes, and pennies.  What else could you use?

Making this bingo game was easy, although a little time-consuming.  All I had to do was take photos of different things in the Disney FROZEN Castle Play Set.  Then a resized the images, cropped them into identically sized squares, and digitally pasted them onto a large solid colored square.  To make the calling cards, I just used the same images I used on each bingo board and digitally pasted them onto one page.  You could really make this bingo game with any theme as long as you have enough items to photograph.

In addition to enjoying this DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game with your children on a rainy or snowy day, it would also make a fun inexpensive party favor for a FROZEN-themed birthday party.  You can just print and cut out a set for each guest and include a little bag of M&Ms to use as bingo markers in the goodie bag!  What do you think?!

3 Ways to Have Fun Food-Free Classroom Celebrations for Birthdays and Other Occasions

Thank you to Winning Moves for providing an educational board game to facilitate this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

We're well into the month of December now, a time when most people are focused on their Holiday plans and finishing up their gift shopping.  For me, however, it is a time to think about how we will be celebrating our 3 children's January birthdays, the first of which is coming up in just a few weeks.  When the children were in preschool, we used to send in cupcakes and other treats to celebrate their birthdays, but now things are different.  In our health conscious grade school, cake and cookies and other sweets are not allowed in the classrooms, even for special occasions.  I am all for not giving our children sugar highs while they are supposed to be well-behaved and focused on learning.

Throughout the years, the school has slowly moved away from asking for healthy treats towards encouraging non-food celebrations for birthdays, the Holidays, and Valentine's Day.  This is actually a relief to me.  There were so many allergies to consider when providing treats for the class, including no eggs, no nuts, no dairy, and more.  I am in no way disappointed with this new trend.  If your school is encouraging non-food celebrations too, then here are three of my favorite ideas for celebrating food-free in the classrooms . . .

1.  Donate an educational game to the classroom.  This January in honor of their birthdays, all 3 of my children will be donating a fun game to each of their classrooms in addition to handing out multi-colored pens to each of their classmates.  I'm particularly excited about donating the game PayDay Classic Edition to our 4th grader's class.  Throughout the year, the class learns all about money, including earning classroom cash and paying fines for doing (or not doing) their homework, keeping a bankbook to track their balances, building and running a business, and more.  This board game is all about making and spending money and is just the perfect game to gift to my son's classroom.  There are many educational games out there that teach reading, counting, strategic thinking, problem solving, and more.  You just need to find the right one for your child's classroom.

2.  Send in a themed goodie bag for each student.  If you decide to go the goodie bag route, then why not put some thought into including items that really work together?  Random little items are fun, but items that can be used together for a particular activity can be even more fun.  For example, last year we sent goodie bags in for all the students in each twin's kindergarten class that contained a detective's pad, a pencil, and funny glasses (with attached nose and mustache) so the junior detectives could have disguises to wear when they were working undercover.  Those goodie bags were a huge hit!

3.  Do a fun craft with the whole class.  I think this is a fantastic idea, but I honestly have never done it.  If the thought of having to direct a group of 20 grade school children does not phase you (I don't know how teachers do it), then it would be a very cool celebration to have each student make something, which they can then keep.  Some easy ideas would be to make pencil cups for their desks, decorate notebooks, make magnets, or make bookmarks.  The possibilities are really endless and I'm certain that you will find some great ideas for low-mess kids crafts on Pinterest and at your local craft store.

What ideas do you have for non-food classroom celebrations?  Please do share your ideas because I have 3 children and many more birthday celebrations to plan in the coming years!

Easy DIY Gingerbread M&M Holiday Favors Craft (#HolidayMM #shop #cbias)

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This Gingerbread M&M shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client.  All opinions expressed are my own.


If you've always thought about making your own party favors, gift toppers, or tree ornaments to gift for the Holidays, but were worried that it would be too time-consuming, too costly, or too difficult, then I have an easy and fun craft for you.  Using Gingerbread M&Ms (exclusively sold at Walmart), some inexpensive golden cord and wired bows I found after raiding the Holiday gift wrap section at Walmart, and a few little one-dollar glass bottles I had picked up in a craft store, I made these festive and sweet favors.

Craft Project:  DIY Gingerbread M&M Favors

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Gingerbread M&Ms (whole or finely crushed)

small corked glass bottles

golden cord

golden wired twist-on mini bows

hot glue gun

hot glue sticks

scissors

Step 1.  Fill your bottles with crushed or whole Gingerbread M&Ms.  Be sure to tap the bottles lightly on a hard surface so that the candy can settle.  Then make sure to fill the bottles to the top, leaving enough room for the cork.

Step 2.  Heat up your hot glue gun.  Then lay your M&Ms out on your work surface so that they are easily accessible during gluing. (I tried to select M&Ms that were uniformly shaped.)

Step 3.  Apply a small amount of hot glue to the backside of an M&M and place the candy immediately in the desired position on the bottle. (The glue cools almost instantly, so be sure the placement is accurate.)  Some ideas for designs would be initials, wreaths, hearts, candy canes, and patterns.

Step 4.  Using scissors, cut approximately 8 to 10 inches of gold cord.  Tie the cord around the lip of the bottle, while trying to make the ends somewhat even.  Tightly double-knot the cord.  (NOTE:  These bottles also work well as favors without the hangers.)

Step 5.  Knot the ends of the cord together to create a hanger for the bottle.  Trim off any excess cord at the ends.

Step 6.  Shape a wired mini bow, as desired.  Then tie the bow onto the bottle by wrapping the attached wire around the bottle and twisting it 5 or 6 times until the bow is tightly secured.  Then trim off any excess wire with scissors.

The results are these Gingerbread M&M favors that can also be used as gift toppers and tree ornaments.  How wonderful would these look displayed on a mini Christmas tree for guests to take on their way out the door or sitting at each place setting on the dinner table?

The crushed Gingerbread M&Ms are perfect for flavoring hot beverages, such as coffee, hot cocoa, and even tea.  It could also be sprinkled on top of whipped topping, decorating a dessert or ice cream sundae with festive color.

What would you use Gingerbread M&Ms for . . . to bake gingerbread cookies or to decorate a gingerbread house?  If you would like to try this easy craft or to experiment with creating a gingerbread recipe, click on the banner below to grab a coupon for $1.00 off one bag of Gingerbread M&Ms!

Join in on the Gingerbread M&M Instagram contest . . .

“If you need some festive holiday decorating ideas check out these fun Gingerbread M&M's crafts. If you have some creative ideas of your own, participate in the Gingerbread M&M Instagram contest to win a great prize!”

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Upload an original image to Instagram with inspirational ideas and creations using Gingerbread M&M's to decorate and craft during the holidays, caption that image with the hashtag #HolidayMM, and share on Twitter (an “Entry”).

Children are Never Disappointed with These Non-Candy Treats for Halloween, Party Favors, and Stocking Stuffers

Thank you to Moose Toys for providing complimentary product samples as non-candy treats for my children's classroom Halloween celebrations.  All opinions expressed are my own.

For the past two years, non-candy treats have been part of my children's Halloween fun.  In 2011, we had Trash Pack toys for trick-or-treaters who were 5 years and older.  In 2012, we sent in Trash Pack toys for classroom celebrations.  They were such a huge hit that we are thrilled to be able to do the same thing this year, except this year we will also be sending in the new Glitzi Globes as well.

In our school, there is a strict no-sweets policy for any type of celebration.  That means no candy on Halloween and no cupcakes on birthdays.  That coupled with all the various food allergies in each classroom, I find it much easier to send in non-food treats for all celebrations.  The Trash Pack were a huge hit last year, so I am happy to be able to be able to send them in again along with another fun new toy.

 If you are not familiar with them, The Trash Pack toys are small collectible figures that each come with their own trash can container.  Each figure is something you might find in the trash, but portrayed in a cute way.  All 3 of my children, both my sons and our daughter, love collecting Trashies.

Glitzi Globes are a fun new toy that are geared towards girls and also appeal to the collector.  They are little kits that come with everything you need to make a glitter globe.  All you need to do is add water!

Now the single pack samples I received to distribute are not available in-stores, but you can easily purchase multi-packs of The Trash Pack or Glitzi Globe toys and split them up to put in your treat bags or to just wrap each in cellophane and ribbon to hand out by itself.  I found 5-packs of the Series 4 Trash Pack here for just $4.79 each.  That's less than $1 per favor!  I have used these for non-candy treats in goody bags, in Easter baskets, for stocking stuffers, and to hand out on Halloween to trick-or-treaters and the reaction of the children have never disappointed me.

What other ideas do you have for non-candy treats?

10 Easy & Useful Ways to Use Chalkboard Decals in Your Home

Thank you to KiDECALS for providing complimentary product samples to help facilitate this post.

While shopping in the home furnishings department in local stores, I have been noticing chalkboard signs incorporated into everything from storage baskets to spice jars.  I loved the ideas, but I didn't like the prices.  When I saw the chalkboard decals on kidecals.com, I had a "eureka" moment.  I started thinking about all the things on which I could use these decals, which only cost $10 for a sheet of 12 (6 of the 3" and 6 of the 4").  There are also various shapes available.  The ones I used are the Chalkboard Cloud II Labels.  Since KiDECALS was nice enough to send me some chalkboard labels to play with, I was able to experiment a little.  Here are some of the ideas I came up with . . .

1.  Flatware Caddies - For parties and other gatherings, you can place these chalkboard decals on any type of smooth container.  I found the little pails pictured above in the Target dollar section.  They were the perfect size for holding forks, spoons, and knives.

2.  Wine Glass Markers - For parties, put chalkboard decals on acrylic wine glasses, flutes, or tumblers.  Then mark each glass with the guests' names or initials.  Since the decals are dishwasher-safe, you can reuse these chalkboard drinking glasses for the next party.

3.  Home Office or Craft Room Storage - I'm a big fan of using photo boxes for storage on shelves because I can label them and they keep the contents out of sight.  Sometimes those boxes just are too large to hold small items.  That's when smaller labeled jars or buckets can come in handy.  They would look very neat all lined up on a shelf.

4.  Rainy Day Jar - Everyone has something they are saving up for, whether it's a vacation or just mad money.  Place a chalkboard decal on a jar and write what you're currently saving up for on the front.  That way you'll be reminded to make an effort to add to the fund each time you see the jar.

5.  Playroom Storage - These chalkboard decals would be very handy to hold things like crayons, markers, and more.  You can write the name of what belongs in the container for organization or you can write each child's name for personal containers to keep each child's belongings separate.

6.  Mud Room Storage - If you have a mud room, you may have large bins that hold different things depending on the season.  Use these chalkboard decals on bins to label them with their purpose, such as mittens and hats, umbrellas, wet socks, balls and frisbees, etc . . .

7.  Bake Sales - If you participate in bake sales several times a year for school or other organizations, then it would be a time saver to label the side of your reusable containers with chalkboard decals rather than having to make hand written signs for each item you contribute baked goods.

8.  Easy Personalized Teacher's Gift or Get Well Gift - The acrylic stemless wine glass pictured below only cost me $1.99 each at Target.  They would make cute shatter-resistant vases to hold fresh flowers for your child to present to their teacher at the end of the school year.  The would also make thoughtful get well gifts.  It's easy to personalize the vase with a chalkboard decal to make it more special.

9.  Place Cards and Favors - A little personalized vase or glass would make an elegant place card at a wedding or a dinner party.  They could double as a favor for the guest to take home.  You could place a fresh flower or chocolates inside.

10.  Kitchen Treat Canisters - In our house, we use stainless steel canisters with glass lids to store cookies.  You really cannot tell what is inside each canister without picking it up and looking through the lid (or asking Mom).  Using chalkboard decals on these canisters would make it clear what kinds of treats are currently in each canister.


If you have other ideas for using chalkboard decals, I would love to hear them.  Feel free to share them with me and other 3G2S readers in a comment below.

"The Trash Pack" Toys and 9 More Ideas for Non-Candy #Halloween Treats

Our children's school has a strict policy against sweet treats, such as cupcakes, candy, and cookies for school celebrations.  Some people think that the policy ruins the fun, but I have to disagree.  Our children do not seem to mind having alternative treats, both food and non-food items.  Last year, we handed out The Trash Pack toys to trick-or-treaters and the children just loved it.  Our own children enjoy collecting these little Trashies, as do many of their friends at school.  So this year, Moose Toys sent us enough single-pack Trash Pack toys for my children's teachers to hand out to all their students on Halloween.  I will be sending each of these jack-o-lantern buckets filled with Trash Packs to school as a surprise for the classes.  I have even managed to keep it a secret from my own children.

Ideas for Non-Candy Halloween Treats:

1.  The Trash Pack Toys
2.  Fun Pencils
3.  Mini Boxes of Raisins
4.  Pencil Toppers or Erasers
5.  Temporary Tattoos
6.  Granola or Fruit Cereal Bars (But, be aware of any nut allergies)
7.  Bookmarks (To promote literacy)
8.  Superballs
9.  Whistle Keychains (Handy as emergency whistles for kids)
10.  Mini Magnifying Glasses (To encourage exploration and discovery)

What items would you add to this list?

To learn more about The Trash Pack, including where to buy them, visit www.TrashPack.com, where you will also find fun free games and downloads.  You can also find The Trash Pack on Facebook.


Thank you to Moose Toys for providing complimentary product samples for us to donate to our school.