Have A Wild Time With This Fun Wild Kratt's Birthday Theme

With the Kratt brothers doing their summer tour at zoo's across the country and their new toys coming out, your kids might be talking a lot about the PBS show The Wild Kratts. My daughter just loves The Wild Kratts! She can watch the same episode over and over again. Sound Familiar? If your child is like mine, they might be convincing you they need a Wild Kratts birthday party. My five year old daughter really wanted one, and  I found out that there really aren't that much as far as party supplies go. So I had to improvise. I thought I would share my experience with having a Wild Kratts themed birthday party, and give some tips or ideas to make it special!

First, I wanted to decide on a place to have the party. You could have the party at home, and that is totally fine, but I was inviting a lot of people, and thought having it somewhere else would be easier. I looked into a local zoo that my daughter loves, and was going to plan to have it there, but I ended up finding a pet store that does birthday parties and they had a better deal. I wanted more for the money, so we decided on the pet store. Any place with animals would be a perfect place for the party. Zoo, pet store, animal rescue, or the Rainforest Cafe. Keep in mind it doesn't have to be an animal themed place, and your home is a great place to do it as well, this is just what I wanted to do. I don't know if you have on by you, but we chose Petland. They gave us a room for 2 hours, an hour of visitation from any animals we wanted. My daughter got to pick out a few dogs, a ferret, and a guinea pig. Unfortunately we had picked out some reptiles and the lady doing the party was too afraid of them to bring them out and told us there wasn't enough time. So if you want reptiles, especially a snake, make sure that you request someone who is okay handling them. They also included gift bags for everyone, and a tour of the aquarium adventure side complete with a piranha feeding and a chance for the kids to feed and pet the Koi fish! All for a reasonable price.

Next, I thought that I wanted to incorporate the Wild Kratts show into the party decor, but finding Wild Kratts party decorations was a chore, seeing as there really isn't any. They do have birthday banners for purchase though through the PBS website, so I decided since it was almost the only party decoration, we had to have it. I went ahead and bought the banner, and when it came I was very surprised! I thought I would be getting one of those little plastic birthday banners, but what I got was a full size vinyl banner! It was gorgeous! I was very impressed with the banner, although I did wonder how I would hang such a heavy banner. This banner is something she can keep for a long time and hang in her room.

Here are links to Wild Kratts Banners.

https://www.wildkratts.com/products/birthday-adventure-banner/

https://www.wildkratts.com/products/wild-birthday-banner

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Personalized-Wild-Kratts-Birthday-Adventure-Banner/30280479

There are a few other party supplies and t-shirts, and creature power suits also. I know if a lot of kids are invited and you'd like everyone to have a power suit to put on, it would be much cheaper to make them. My mother-in-law made my daughter a creature power suit for Christmas last year from Santa that she wore to her party! It was simple to sew a vest, and add on the details, and a pocket in back for the creature discs. The creature discs were made from fabric and she drew on the animals. There are many ways you can make your suit.

I decided that since there weren't Wild Kratts decorations or tableware that I would do a blue/green and animal print theme. I got blue and green paper plates, and cups. I also got animal print napkins. I found zebra and giraffe dinner napkins and peacock and  leopard beverage napkin prints at party city! You could find a lot online too if you're willing to pay shipping and have time to wait. For the party I stacked the dinner napkins together, and separately the beverage napkins together alternating prints. 

I also bought a pack of 20 animal print balloons from Party City

and one #5 Balloon! I then separated the balloons so that there was one of each in a group and put them on different tables. Instead of buying weights, I used different stuffed animals to add to the Wild Kratts theme. I also hung info fact cards around them. (Read Below)

I looked up ideas for Wild Kratts parties on Pintrest and found a lot of cool ideas for themed food, so I decided to use some of the ideas. I then also named the food, printed out a paper that had a picture of the animal on it, and then wrote a fun fact about the animal. I thought this was a really neat way to tie the party together, although it was a lot of work, and I'm pretty sure no one read them. I recommend this more for a party at home where more time is allotted to the party and the guests may eventually read them.  It was a really cool tie in to the party, but in the end, maybe not worth it. I did also however print out a picture of the Wild Kratts as different animals (carnivore, omnivore, and herbivore and at the watering hole) and taped that to the table near the food/drinks that went with it. That may be a cool tie in option that would take less time to make, and read! 

Zebra Treats

Popcorn in individual animal print cups.

                                                                  Chickens

  Yellow Marshmallow Peeps and Jellybeans. 

Luckily my daughter's birthday is in February, so we had the party at the end of March, and there were peeps and jellybeans available since it was so close to Easter. I just laid jellybeans on the platter and put the peeps on top in rows. 

Caterpillars

Green grapes, skewers, and frosting. 

I just poked the grapes onto the skewers longways, and then once I got to the head horizontally. Then just added a mouth and eyes. 

Earthworms

I used sour gummy worms.

Ants On A Log

I used celery sticks, peanut butter, and chocolate sprinkles.

I made sure to be precise with the chocolate sprinkles, one at a time so it looked like ants in a line. You can also use mini chocolate chips, or raisins if you'd like. 

Jungle Vines

I used green vines (like the red vines you get, they also have green.) from Walmart

Goldfish

I just got a huge jug of Goldfish at Walmart

I also got some animal cookies and put them in a basket, made strawberry, banana, and kiwi kabobs, a veggie tray with dip, and got some two liters of pop, water bottles and ice. 

I also made a sign for outside the room, and taped it to the door so that when people came in they could read it and get more of a animal adventure/Wild Kratts theme feeling. I just used a brown paper bag, and crayons/markers. Used bubbles letters, and drew animal print inside the letters! 

Jar of Fireflies

I got a container with a lid and enough glow sticks for each child.

I made a label which also said to "take one", poked holes into the lid to act as you would real fireflies, and then right before the party I cracked all the glow sticks to make them light up like real fireflies.

I also made a poster board full of pictures of my daughter from birth to 5 years old. Just random cute photos from different ages and made a collage.

Lastly, The cake!

I had the cake made at Jewel. They don't have Wild Kratts cake decorations, and won't put anything on that you buy yourself. I printed out a Wild Kratts picture, and had them put it on the cake. I told them to make grass and water around the picture and write happy birthday. I then went out and bought small animal figures. I got a variety pack of animals, and marine animals. After I picked the cake up, I put on my own little pieces. I also bought animal print candles. 

So now that you have some ideas, go ahead and say YES to the Wild Kratts party your kid's been bugging you about!! All these food items went over very well! You can even use these ideas and be creative with it, make it your own. Yes, it will take some work, but it is do-able, and your kid will love ya for it. Make memories.

8 Easy Ways To Be Festive For The 4th

The 4th of July is one of my favorite days of celebration! I just love celebrating our independence with fireworks, music and the red, white and blue! My family had an amazing day at the parade, and an amazing night with beautiful fireworks here in the suburbs! Since I love decorating for the holidays, and being the crafty mom I am, I decided to try out some fourth of July crafts, and food recipes I found on the internet! My daughter loved getting into the fourth of July spirit with me by helping create them! Whether you want to get your little ones involved in the festivities, or having an outdoor barbecue these simple ideas will be a great addition to the fun! Here are the fun ideas we tried out this year!

Tin Can Windsock

• Empty can-We used an empty can of beans, washed it out and let it dry. You can use any kind of can, and size. 
• Blue acrylic or spray paint-We used acrylic paint because we already had it, but spray paint works as well. 
• Red and white ribbon
• Glue gun
• Star stickers (optional)

We emptied a can of beans, washed and dried it. Then I let my daughter paint it with blue acrylic paint. After it dried I painted white stars on it because we used what we already had at the house, but if you want the younger kids to get more involved you can buy star stickers and allow them to stick them on the can. While the can was drying we cut red and white long ribbons of the same length. When the can was dry I used the glue gun to attach the ribbons to the inside rim of the can alternating colors. Then I used a nail and hammer to make two holes in the top of the can, and tread a string through them, and tied it to make a loop for it to hang.

Here is the finished product!

American Eagle Craft 

• Thick paper such as construction paper or art paper
• Brown paint
• White paint
• Orange/Yellow paint
• Black/Blue paint
• Red/Blue marker

I painted my daughter Autumn's hands brown then instructed her to put her right hand on the paper with her thumb pointing down on the left side of the page. Then her left hand, thumb down on the right side of the page overlapping the first hand print. After that you can paint the neck and head white, the beak and feet (which we forgot) orange or yellow depending on preference, and a blue or black eye. Then take a marker and write U.S.A or America on the paper. My daughter chose to write both. She also made a second one where I wrote U.S.A with glue and she used glitter to decorate it. 

Glitter Fireworks

• Any color glitter, but at least having red, silver and blue is a good idea.
• Glue
• Thick paper (construction or drawing paper)

It's a good idea to show the kids how to make a firework first if they are younger. I showed my daughter just to get her started, and she did a few, then kind of went off on her own imaginations version of a firework. I showed her how to make a glue blob in the middle and kind of drag the glue pressing lightly out from the middle blob in lines. She did a few that way, then made some that looked like they were falling or booming. We tried doing one firework at a time so the glitter wouldn't mix as much.She had a lot of fun with this one! 

Patriotic Jello

• Red jello
• Blue jello
• Cool Whip
• Clear cups

The amount of jello you need depends on how much you want to make. I used one small box of each and made 7 cups. Make the jello according to the package. When the jello is set put the jello and cool whip into a cup. I put blue first, then cool whip, red, then I topped it off with cool whip, but that's optional. Mine didn't all turn out as pretty as I wanted. The cool whip was stubborn about going in. I will try to find a better way to get it in next time, but I was only making them for my family. They tasted great!! 

Red, White and Blue Strawberries

• Box of Strawberries
• Bag of white chocolate candy chips 
• Blue sprinkles
• Wax paper

Use one box of strawberries, more if your entertaining a larger group. Rinse and dry. White chocolate candies can be found at a local craft store, or Walmart. I like the bags from JoAnns. Put 2 cups in a microwavable bowl and cook on high for 1 minute. Stir. Then cook in 30 second increments and stir after each time. Once they are melted enough they should be easy to stir and blend to a creamy chocolate. Cook more if necessary which depends on how many strawberries you bought. Get a small bowl and pour some blue sprinkles in. This is an easy food for kids to help with as well. My daughter loved being able to help make this festive strawberries. Dip the strawberries 3/4 way with white chocolate, then, dip ends in the blue sprinkles. Place on wax paper to dry. It hardens pretty quickly, then you can transfer them to a more decorative plate. Re-heat white chocolate as it hardens. 

DIY 4th Of July Flip Flops

• Any pair of flip flops, but red, white or blue work best! 
• Red, white and blue ribbon

I could not find fourth of July flip flops anywhere, so I decided to make my own. We have ribbon laying around the house already, so I just had to find flip flops. I could not find plain red, white, or blue, so I used the flip flops with jewels on them that she already had. Cut medium long strips of ribbon. 2 red, 2 blue, and 2 white. Wrap the colors around the flip flops and then tie each color in the font of the flip flop. Double knot if possible. Now you have a pair of custom 4th of July flip flops. 

Ribbon Braids

• Red, white, and blue ribbon
• Rubber bands for hair.

I started by taking the front of her hair and pulling it back into a half pony tail. Then I tied ribbon to the pony tail and held it in place with a rubber band. There are many ways to hold it in place, or attach ribbons to the hair tie. Then I separated the pony into 2 parts. I took one of those parts and separated it into 3 parts, each part had a separate ribbon color. I then braided a normal braid trying to get the ribbon to be on top so it would show through every braid. I then took the other half and did the same. Then I separated the rest of the hair into pig tails, and tied the hair and ribbons with a hair band right past the ear. I then let the rest of the ribbon hand down with the hair and cut the ends so they were all even. 

American Rice Krispy Treats

• 1 box of rice krispy cereal 
• 1 bag of mini marshmallows
• Red gel food coloring
• Blue gel food coloring
• 1 stick of butter
• Glass pan 
•  Wax Paper

Use separate bowls for the 3 colors. Measure 2 cups of mini marshmallows, and pour them into a bowl. Using bigger bowls is a good idea. Cut a small slice of butter and add to marshmallows (this part may not be necessary, I did not try it without the butter because the recipe I had requested it) Put bowl of marshmallows in the microwave. I put mine in for a minute or minute and 25 seconds. Watch them in the microwave and when they get big a fluffy over the top of the bowl you can stop them, take them out and stir. When ready add the food coloring. Gel works best. You can get Wilton gel colors from craft stores or Walmart. Royal Blue and Red work great! Use the blue first. Put a small amount of gel coloring in the marshmallow. I use a toothpick to get it out. Stir until all the marshmallow is blue. Add about 2 cups of rice krispies. Stir until rice krispies are completely blue. Grease pan so the rice krispies don't stick. I used vegetable shortening to coat mine. I used a 9X13, but it was a little big. This size would work, but a slight smaller might be better. Make sure to get sides as well as the bottom. Pour the blue rice krispies into the pan. Pat down and spread with wax paper. Repeat steps, but this time with no food coloring for the white. Then repeat steps and add red gel food coloring to the marshmallows for the top layer. Once Marshmallows cool they should be ready to eat! Cut up and Enjoy! 

I hope you got some great ideas here and the directions were easy to follow. We had a lot of fun creating our fourth of July items and even more fun decorating with them, and eating them! 

The Ultimate Summer Bucket List!

*image source: intentionalcollegecommunity.com

Summer is here and the kids are off school.  Summer is one of my favorite seasons! Put aside some time to go out, have fun and make some memories! Sit your kids down and write out a summer "bucket list". Let everyone suggest activities they would like to do before the summer is over, and don't forget to add some of your own! Try to do as many as possible and cross them off as you do them! My family made a bucket list of our own, maybe ours will give you some ideas!

-Go camping
Whether it's at a campground, or in your backyard the kids love sleeping outside in a tent! Make some smores, tell stories, and go on a flashlight hunt for night creatures. My family got a tent as a gift last year and have not used it, so we are hoping to camp a few nights at a state park near us. Our daughter Autumn has been bugging us to go for a long time now because she has not yet had a camping experience! We can't wait to go out, pitch a tent, and enjoy some good old fashion camping.

-Go to an amusement park
 Universal Studios, Six Flags, or Disneyland are all good options, but any place works! We're planning a trip to Six Flags this year. Our daughter is only 5 but she is tall enough to enjoy some of the kid coasters and this year, even a big coaster that goes upside down. She can also ride most of the water rides as well. We have a group going so that the adults can take turns riding the bigger coasters while Autumn rides the kids rides. We went two years ago and it worked out okay when she was only 3. There is plenty to do for most ages!

-Go Swimming!
In your backyard pool, your local pool, or a water park! Swimming is always a highlight of the summer for the kids! We have a membership to our local pool. It's definitely worth it, because we go a lot over the summer. Anytime we have some free time on a hot summer day Autumn wants to be at the pool! She gets to see a lot of her friends there too since so many people are members.

-Check out a local festival/carnival.
 Okay, carnivals are pricey. Check to see if your local carnival has a wristband day. Usually on certain days between certain hours they have an all you can ride wristband for sale for about $20! Sometimes you can buy them ahead of time. If you aren't into the rides, they always have good local music and food!! We love our local fest and look forward to it every year! They have fireworks on the first and last day of the fest, so we usually try to at least attend on those days. Fests are a great place to meet friends!

- Visit the zoo or aquarium!
 Always a hit! Who doesn't want to see lions and gorillas up close! No need to travel out of the country! How about dolphins and sharks? Kids of all ages enjoy seeing the animals, so it's a great place for families with children of multiple age groups! We plan to make a trip to our zoo at least once this year. More if we have time! My favorite exhibit to see at the zoo are the big cats, and my husband enjoys the reptile house! My daughter loves everything, and is always telling me facts about the different animals! Maybe we'll even grab a bison burger while we're there!

-The Beach!
 Swimming at a pool is great, but getting your toes between the sand while you build sandcastles is the best! Many cities have a beach near them whether it's a lake or ocean! This is a great place to spend an afternoon under an umbrella. Bring food/drinks and have a picnic! We plan to go to a secluded beach located about an hour from us. It's beautiful, not too crowded, and has a playground! The water is a bit cold, but Autumn loves the sand. She is also fascinated with picking up rocks, and other small treasures from the shore!

-Have a backyard cookout!
Invite friends and family, grill up some hamburgers and hot dogs, put on music and set up a sprinkler! Backyard parties are always fun, and give you an excuse to chill with the people you love! I'll use any excuse to turn on the grill and cook! I like to invite everyone over for a beginning of the summer, Fourth of July, and end of the summer cookout at the least! Anytime friends want to come over for a cookout, drink a beer, play bags, and let the kids run around, I am up for it! I love being outside, because before you know it, summer is over!

-Plan a sleepover for your kids!
 They probably miss their friends about mid summer, why not plan a sleepover! Have everyone bring their sleeping bags, and set them up in the living room. They can play with toys and games, then watch movies and eat popcorn! Customize to fit the needs of the children's ages/interests. My daughter loves when people come over, especially if they are kids she can play with and not just adults! She'd love to have her friends, or cousins over for a sleepover. They can play with her toys, check out her bunny, make some cookies, eat some popcorn, and watch Frozen, or Despicable Me 2. Hopefully we can make this happen!

-Join a summer reading program.
 My daughter and I both joined one! Local bookstores and libraries have summer reading programs where you can win prizes! Keep everyone's brains from completely shutting off all summer! She has to read 15 days before she can get a prize, and then 30 days for the last prize. I have to read 5 books before August. I already got my first new book to read. The Fault In Our Stars, and I can't wait to start it! Then I can go see the movie! I also bought my daughter two new books from the Splat The Cat series. We just love them!

-Join a summer sport!
There are so many to play in the summer that kids or adults can enjoy! Baseball, swimming, football, cheer, tennis, and golf to name a few. Pick something you've done and enjoy, or try something new! I signed our daughter up for swimming lessons, and cheerleading.She, like a lot of kids, is always complaining she is bored, or else she is watching TV. It gives her something to do this summer other than sit around.

-Go to a museum.
Learning is good for young minds. Museums can provide knowledge and fun! Go to your local planetarium, history, science or art museum! We plan to visit our planetarium this week, and Autumn has never been there. I've always enjoyed astronomy, and as a kid wanted to be an astronaut. I'll take the opportunity to show my daughter how cool it can be! Check your local museums for an discount days they may have. We are going on a scheduled free day so we just have to pay parking.

-Go fishing.
 Fishing can be a great time, especially if you combine it with camping! Teach your kids how to put bait on a line, cast the pole, and watch the bobber for any action! If my husband and I manage to go buy fishing poles at some point, and get our fishing licenses, I think my goal will be to catch at least one fish this summer! Our daughter loves fishing, and it'll be a fun activity to do when we go camping! If we make it there!

These are some things on our list. You can start a list and even add more later if you wish. Whatever you decide to do, have fun, make memories, take some pictures, and enjoy your family. Kids grow fast, and life is short. Don't forget to stop, breathe, and enjoy the moment!

May The 4th Be With You

Well, today is Star Wars Day, "May the 4th Be With You!" With my husband being the nerd he is, my daughter Autumn and I wanted to celebrate it with him. Unfortunately we don't have money this week to spend, so we decided to print out Star Wars coloring pages for Autumn to color as a surprise. My husband is a fan of the clone/storm troopers so I printed out one of each, and a Darth Vader. She was so excited to be a part of his favorite unofficial holiday, and make him smile today. When he came home from work she presented the pictures, and said "Happy Star Whores Day."  It put a smile on his face that we thought of him today. Next year we may go all out with edible light sabers and a trip to the children's museum for some Star Wars fun!

Is anyone you love a huge fan of Star Wars? Here are some ideas to celebrate Star Wars Day next year, or any day of the year, whether it be with your child or your husband! 

Make Star Wars lightsabers with pretzels and candy melts: 

Buy some pretzel rods from your local grocery store. I would probably buy mine from Aldi. They sell a big tub of them for cheap. Then you need candy melt. You can find them at craft stores such as JoAnns or Micheals, and at Super Walmart. I would buy at least two colors, maybe three depending on how many you want to make. Blue and red are the colors I would choose for my lightsabers. Melt the candy melts in a microwave safe bowl is short increments. Start with 20 seconds and stir. Then go from there depending on how melted the candy is. Be aware that the candy does melt fast and you can burn it if you melt for too long. Once the candy is melted dip the pretzel rod 3/4 of the way down into the candy. Place on wax paper to dry. 

Make lightsabers using pool noodles and duct tape:

Buy as many pool noodles you will need for the amount of sabers you want to make. Cut them in half. Use Silver duct tape on the ends to make a handle, and then use either black permanent marker, or black duct tape to make it look authentic! 

Watch Clone Wars or Star Wars on DVD or Netflix

Read a Star Wars book

Make Star Wars Cupcakes.

These are also great for your child to bring to class. You can even bring them to work, especially if you have co-workers who are Star Wars fans! Whether you share with friends or indulge at home, cupcakes are usually a favorite treat. They have Star Wars cupcakes supplies at Party City.

http://www.partycity.com/product/star+wars+icing+decorations.do?from=Search&navSet=star%20wars&bypass_redirect=1

http://www.partycity.com/product/star+wars+cupcake+picks+24ct.do?from=Search&navSet=star%20wars&bypass_redirect=1

http://www.partycity.com/product/star+wars+baking+cups.do?from=Search&navSet=star%20wars&bypass_redirect=1

Check to see if local businesses are doing something special in your neighborhood. A lot of times children's museums, libraries, bookstores and the likes do something for Star Wars Day. If you have a Legoland near you they may have a Star Wars Display like ours in Chicago. Also at Legoland you may be able to build your own Star Wars characters. 

Whatever you decide to do, have fun!