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!

Have Your Own Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Movie Premiere Party

Thank you to Monsters High for providing the prize pack for our reader giveaway and for sending us a prize pack as a thank you for sharing the Frights, Camera, Action! DVD and toys with our readers.  All opinions expressed are my own.

On March 25th, Monster High released a new movie on DVD that was much-anticipated by tweenage Monster High fans everywhere . . . Monster High Frights, Camera Action!  To add to the fun, a new line of Monster High dolls have been introduced bringing the fashion savvy ghoulish movie characters to life.

Are you planning a playdate, a sleepover, or a Monster High birthday party for your little girl?  How about setting up a movie premiere screening for your daughter and her friends?  All you'll need is the Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! DVD,  the Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Premiere Party Playset, and a few of your favorite new Monster High fashion dolls. My daughter's favorite dolls from the new line are Black Carpet Clawdeen Wolf, New Stars Elissabat, and Black Carpet Lagoona Blue.  My personal favorite is Black Carpet Draculaura.  That ghoul has got style!


Watch the Monster High trailer below to get a glimpse of Draculaura's and her friends' adventures in Hauntlywood as they search for the Vampire Queen . . . 

If you really want to make some fun memories, you could even have a dress-up and make-up session with your daughter and her guests to see what their best Monster High character-inspired Hauntlywood look is for walking down the Black Carpet during the movie premiere.  If I were my daughter's age, I would want purple hair like Elissabat's!  There are 8 new Monster High dolls in all.  Which one is your favorite?

You can look for everything you need for your own Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Movie Premiere Party at Target, Walmart, Toys"R"Us, and Amazon.com.

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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.

Surviving 3 January Birthdays with the Help of Hallmark #ValueCards & Party Supplies for $.97 and Under! (#shop #cbias)

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

Our son just turned 10 at the beginning of January!  I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around how our little baby turned into a young man overnight.  It used to be that we took his January birthday in stride, even though it takes place so close to Christmas.  Then, when the twins came along, we added two more January birthdays to the equation.  Even though they will be turning 7 later on this month, my stress level goes up when December approaches.  It's not just the amount of planning it takes to make both Christmas and the 3 birthdays special each year, it's also the amount of money it costs.  Over the years, I have fine tuned what works best for us to make our children's birthdays memorable, but also affordable.  My latest victory is discovering Hallmark value greeting cards, gift wrap, and other party supplies at Walmart for $.97 or less!

Checkout what I purchased on our recent trip to Walmart . . . 

• (A)  Luncheon party napkins for $.97
• (B)  Square party plates for $.97
• (C)  Hallmark birthday cards for $.47 and $.97 each
• (D)  Gift bags for $.97 each
• (E)  "Happy Birthday" Buttermint Creams for $.97
• (F)  Number birthday candles for $.97 each
• (G)  Sequin tissue paper for $.75

The best thing about these greeting cards and party supplies from Walmart are that they are part of the regular inventory in most store locations.  It's much different than shopping at a dollar store where you never know what you will find.  I was thrilled with the selection of Hallmark Value Cards available.  Not only were there birthday cards for children, pre-teens, Moms, Dads, and other members of the family, there were also Valentine's Day cards.  I was able to buy cards for each of our 3 January birthdays plus one for my grandmother's and my mother's birthdays coming up in February and March for just $3.85 total (not including sales tax)!  I would say the average price I normally pay for a greeting card is $3.99 to $4.99.  Compared to paying $3.99 each for 5 birthday cards, I saved $16.10.  What could $16.10 pay for? . . . A birthday cake, another birthday gift, or how about 2 or 3 dinners from the children's menu at your favorite family restaurant?

When I choose a card, I try to find something lighthearted and humorous.  Then I write a personal message inside.  I know my children take to heart what I write and they save all their cards as keepsakes.  Some people skip giving cards to save money, but I never do.  With the price of these Value Greeting Cards by Hallmark, you don't have to.

To add to the value of buying Hallmark Value Cards at Walmart, you can earn a reward for every 5 cards you purchase and report with the Hallmark Card Rewards Program!  It's free to register and it is a separate program from the Crown Rewards Program.

Reporting my purchased cards could not be any easier.  I just used the Hallmark Card Rewards app on my smartphone to scan the UPC bar code on the back of each card and selected the name of the retailer where I made my purchase.

I still cannot believe that I spent $3.85 on cards I needed to buy anyways, but now I get to choose a reward for doing so!  Some of the rewards currently available are $5 gift cards to retailers like Nike, Lands' End, and Starbucks or $10 promo codes to Shari's Berries and Omaha Steaks.  Which one would you choose?

Make sure you check out connectionsfromhallmark.com to sign up for Hallmark Rewards, and to see great content from other bloggers. You can also join in on the #valuecards conversation on Twitter!

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?

Plan a “Teen Beach Movie” Family Movie Night with Disney Channel on July 19th (8pm EST) #TeenBeachMovie

Thank you to Child's Play Communications for providing the trailer and promotional items to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you are planning on hosting at least one family movie night or sleepover this summer, July 19th would be the perfect evening for it. That is when Disney Channel's "Teen Beach Movie" airs for the first time!  This fun summertime musical is geared towards tweens and young teens, but any adults who enjoyed the movie "West Side Story" will likely also enjoy this tribute to the film.

My family was sent a wide array of props to create a fun beach-themed family movie night of our own.  Read on to see how easy it was to add some fun elements to the standard movie night event, but first checkout this "Teen Beach Movie" trailer . . .


Fun things to include in your "Teen Beach Movie" Family Movie Night . . . 

1.  Inexpensive inflatable beach or pool toys to sit on, such as a raft, a surfboard, or inner tubes.

2.  One or two beach blankets would be great for anyone who likes to sit on the floor.

3.  An inflatable beach ball

4.  A beach bag to hide goodies and treats within.

5.  Whistles to wear around the neck like a lifeguard.

6.  Summer-themed temporary tattoos.

7.  Beach-friendly snacks, like popcorn and fruit.

8.  Leis from the party store or make your own like we did using the free printables from the Teen Beach Movie party kit.

For more fun ideas, such as banners, games, and recipes, checkout the free Teen Beach Movie party kit.  To learn more about this family movie starring Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Grace Phipps, and Garrett Clayton, visit DisneyChannel.com.

Tune into Disney Channel on Friday, July 19th at 8pm EST to catch the premier of "Teen Beach Movie"!

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.

Magic Wand Party Favors for #Halloween Party Guests or Trick-or-Treaters

Halloween is just two weeks away!  Every year that my children grow older, I become increasingly excited about this holiday.  Last year, we handed out Trash Pack toys to the trick-or-treaters and that was a huge hit.  This year, with the help of Party City, I have created Magic Wand Party Favors to hand out.  I cannot wait to surprise the trick-or-treaters with these!

This party favor idea would work for themes other than Halloween.  You would just need to change the style of cello bags you use.  How cool would these favors be for a Harry Potter-themed party?

Today's Project:  Magic Wand Party Favors

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Wizards of Waverly Wands (Or use covered/painted wooden dowels)

Halloween-themed Cello Bags

Twist Ties (if not included with your bags)

Spider Rings (Or another small toy)

Charms Candy Carnival Assortment

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Step 1.  Fill a cello bag with treats.  (Ours included 2 types lollipops, 1 piece of small candy, and a spider ring.)

Step 2.  Wrap a twist tie around the tip of a magic wand, as shown below.  Then give the tie one twist to help it stay in place.

Step 3.  Twist the neck of a filled cello bag twice.  (This step is optional.  You may find it easier to not twist the bag, depending on what type of bag you are using.)

Step 4.  Attach the filled bag to the magic wand by placing the neck of the bag against the tip of the wand and then using the twist tie to secure the bag in place.  Twist the tie at least 3 times to ensure that the bag stays closed.

Step 5.  Wind the wand (like you would the handle of a vice or a tourniquet) until it feels tight.  This keeps the tie snug around the wand so that the goody bag stays at the top of the wand, rather than sliding downward.

I made 30 of these to hand out on Halloween.  A Halloween bucket was the perfect thing to hold our Magic Wand Favors for the trick-or-treaters.  If you are making these for a Halloween party, you could find a more creative way to make an impressive centerpiece for your treats table.  If you have any ideas, please do share them with other readers by leaving a comment below.

Thank you to Party City for providing complimentary product samples for us to use in this project.

A Mini Monsuno Tournament Party!

About 65 million years ago, meteors fell to the planet and they carried a new type of life. This life was powerful, chaotic, and uncontrollable. These were Monsuno, and they were catastrophically destructive to all the prehistoric population. Over time, these Monsuno fell dormant, until today when a potential energy source is discovered. But can the Monsuno be controlled?

Monsuno is a fun new toy from Jakks Pacific as well as a television show on Nicktoons. Kids get to help control Monsuno with cards, cores and action figures in a fun, fast-paced battle for children of various ages. Jakks Pacific was kind enough to send us a box of Monsuno toys to hold our own Monsuno party.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

We created invitations and my kids invited their best buddies over to play the game and earn free cards. We had finger foods like pretzels, cheese and crackers, and juice boxes and decorated my oldest’s bedroom with balloons and the Monsuno toys. Even though I had activities planned, all they wanted to do was play with the Monsuno toys and cards we were sent, which worked out okay. They just did it in tournament form so everyone played for the same amount of time and no one was ever bored.

All the kids had a blast playing with the Monsuno stuff and they played for a couple hours non-stop. Their favorite toy was the core with the transforming action figures, but their favorite activity was playing the Monsuno card game. The youngest of the group was my son, Quinn (5), and he even understood the basic play of the game. They all loved opening their packs of cards and seeing what they got and the older kids really enjoyed playing on a more advanced level. Monsuno is now their new favorite thing to play and they play all the time.

You can purchase Monsuno toys and accessories at most major retailers nationwide, such as Walmart, Amazon.com, and Toys"R"Us.  Monsuno the TV show can be watched on Nicktoons on Thursday nights. Check local listings for show times.  To learn more about Monsuno products, visit www.Monsuno.com and Monsuno Toys on Facebook.


Thank you to Jakks Pacific for providing complimentary product samples for our party.

Little Mommy Dolls Playdate and Birthday Party Ideas

Our now 5 year old daughter received her first Little Mommy Sweet As Me doll for Christmas when she was just about one year old and has added several more dolls to her collection since.  These 14" dolls are the perfect size for a toddler or preschooler and much more affordable compared to most 18" dolls.  In fact, if you are considering an in-store 18" doll party, but are not quite sure you can afford it, you may want to consider hosting a Little Mommy birthday party in your home.  There are lots of free printables, activities, and tips to help you plan a special day for your little girl in the DIY Little Mommy Day activity kit.

Our daughter and I were invited to try some of these DIY activities during a Little Mommy playdate.  Mattel provided my daughter with a Little Mommy doll and a Fashion Pack outfit plus another doll and outfit for a friend.  After she decided on which friend to share this exciting treat with, she had to wait patiently for the day of the playdate to finally arrive . . .

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Prior to the day of our playdate, I prepared some activities to take along with us.  Since our playdate would have likely lasted 2 hours at the most, I chose to make the Little Mommy doll birth certificate for both dolls and the Little Mommy memory game.  To make the birth certificates more personalized for each "little mommy", I printed the blank certificates on my home printer, cut them out, and pasted them onto sheets of colored construction paper that coordinated with the colors in the certificate well.  Then I printed, cut, and pasted an image of each girl's doll onto the same sheet of colored paper.  Images of the most recently released dolls can be found in the Little Mommy Scrapbook Kit, like our daughter's Little Mommy Sweet As Me "Rock Me Baby" Asian Doll.  I easily found an image online of the Little Mommy Sweet As Me "School's Cool" Doll, which would be going to her friend.

I had decided to print, cut, and paste the Little Mommy memory cards onto construction paper, as well.  If you print them out on regular white paper, then the players can easily see the printed images through the back of each piece of paper.  You can avoid this by printing the cards out on heavy cardstock.  I think the colored paper backing framed the cards nicely.  I ended up drawing smiley faces on the backs of the cards so that the girls could easily lay out the cards without any of them being upside down or sideways.  You could use stickers or glue the Little Mommy logo on the backs instead.  I also chose to print out two sets of cards since there were only 12 cards per set.

I have to say that my daughter's friend was thrilled about receiving the doll and the outfit.  Her attention was on other things, so only my daughter completed the birth certificate activity during the playdate.  She ended up naming her doll Nancy (after Fancy Nancy) and filled in the whole certificate herself.  She even drew in little footprints in the designated space at the bottom.  The next time I saw her friend at school, she had brought her Little Mommy doll in to show her teachers and the whole class.  Then she told me that her Mom had helped her fill out the birth certificate the night before and she ended up naming her doll Curly Shirley.

Even though our daughter had played memory before, after her first game with these cards, she has asked to play again and again.  I think these sets of Little Mommy memory cards would make great party favors for your guests to take home.

The Little Mommy Day Facebook app features Rosie Pope, host of Bravo’s “Pregnant in Heels”, and includes the following tips and activities . . .

• Little Mommy Day! Event Guide
• Little Mommy Day! Invitation
• Little Mommy Day! Pretty Patterns & Decor ideas
• Little Mommy Day! Giggle Grahams Recipe
• Little Mommy "My Little Scrapbook" activity
• Little Mommy "My Little Birth Certificate" activity
• Little Mommy "Photo Memories" Family Tree activity
• Little Mommy Flashcards activity
• Little Mommy "My Little Hand & Footprints" activity
• Little Mommy Day! Memory Cards game

To find out more about Little Mommy dolls, fashions, and accessories, visit LittleMommy.com and Little Mommy on Facebook.  You can purchase Little Mommy products at the Mattel Shop, Toys"R"Us, Amazon.com, and most major toy retailers.

Thank you to Mattel for providing complimentary product samples of Little Mommy dolls and fashions for our playdate and for providing additional product for our contest prize.


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