Play Library

10 Thanksgiving Turkey Treat Ideas For Kids

Linette Gerlach — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:27:47 +0000

I love the cute little Thanksgiving turkey treats you see everywhere this time of year. One of my favorite to make is a Rice Krispy (well actually it’s Cocoa Krispies) turkey treat. A friend made them for a kids Thanksgiving party several years ago, and I’ve been making them ever since (with a few modifications).

When I got to looking around there are several fun variations on the turkey treat, several use candy corn, many use Oreo cookies. I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favorite Thanksgiving turkey treat ideas, cupcakes and cookies just for the kids.

I love all of these fun Thanksgiving treats, I wish I had time to make them all! If you give any of them a try, stop back and let me know how it goes.

Image (c) L Gerlach

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Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery

Linette Gerlach — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:56:38 +0000

I love playing with fondant, it’s kind of like edible play dough. Girl Gourmet has a new Cake Bakery that lets little girls (or boys and big kids too) make their own mini two tiered cake and decorate it with fondant.

Kids just add water to one of the cake flavors, stir and pour into the double cavity cake molds, then they can place the molds into the microwavable safe container and microwave for 30 seconds. I like that there are no hot ovens involved.

Next you add water to one of the colorful fondant mixes, stir and roll out onto the non stick mat. Remove the cakes from their molds when they’re cooled then cover the cakes with colorful fondant.

I like that the Cake Bakery ingredients are gluten and wheat-free, trans-fat free, and are produced in nut-free facility in the U.S. Many children who suffer from Celiac and nut allergies will be able to safely experience the art of baking, which I think is fabulous!

I think the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery is wonderful for children who have not had much experience with baking in the past. Children who already participate in baking on a regular basis may be a little disappointed with the Cake Bakery, but they may also still have fun with the individual decorating aspect.

The Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery is available at most major retailers, or you can find more information at the Jakks-Pacific website.

Image Jakks-Pacific

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Have You Checked The Black Friday Toy Deals

Linette Gerlach — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:08:14 +0000

I’ve been seeing all the black Friday deals showing up, and I’ve been checking out the toy deals. I always enjoy shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. My sister in law and I get up early in the morning and head out shopping. We make a day of it and have a blast.

We shop all day long, chatting away while we wait in the long lines, and taking a nice leisurely lunch break after we’ve hit all the morning door buster deals, and before we head back out for more shopping.

Of course we check out all the Black Friday ads before we head out, so we can plan our strategy, and make our list of stops. I usually get most of my toy shopping done.

Yesterday I shared the Toys R Us Black Friday deals. Today I have a few more Black Friday sales ads to share with you so you can make your own plans.

Walmart has some great Black Friday deals on toys for the kids, including the Girl Gourmet Candy sweets factory for $15.00, Twilight New Moon Board Game for $5.00, Bakugan Collectors Tin for $9.00, FurReal Friends Tuggin Pup for $9.00 and many more great deals and door busters.
Kohl’s has everything on sale.
Kmart has Bakugan toys and Lego sets buy 2 get one free, Crayola Glow Dome for $18.99, the Uno Flash Game for $24.99 and many more great toy deals in their Black Friday ad.

Are you a Black Friday shopper?

Image sxc.hu

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Toys R Us Opening At Midnight Black Friday

Linette Gerlach — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:43:06 +0000

Toys“R”Us will open its stores nationwide at midnight on Thursday, November 26, to give toy shoppers access to their Black Friday deals five hours earlier than ever before. The company is catering to all types of shoppers, from those who want to stay up late and shop as early as midnight, or those true Black Friday powerhouses who start at 5am. They’ll also have special stocks of some of the “must-have” toys this year.

Here’s what bargain-seekers will find at Toys“R”Us this Black Friday:

More than 70 outstanding doorbusters available between midnight and 1pm
A preview of more than 100 unadvertised “Mystery Deals” on Toysrus.com at 12:01am on Wednesday, November 25, available in-store on Black Friday between midnight and 1pm
50 additional doorbusters available beginning at 5am until 1pm
Nearly 25% more hours to grab hot deals on Black Friday
Tens of thousands of highly sought-after Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters ready to find new homes
More than 250,000 FREE Crayola 64 Boxes (an incredible value) gifted with ANY purchase, along with access to receive an $18 Crayola coupon

If you’re a Facebook user you can visit Toys R Us on Facebook to access a special RSVP application to receive a special sneak peek, on Monday, November 23 at 12:01am, of the deals and discounts that will be available in-store on Black Friday.

Here are some of the doorbusters that will be available at Toys“R”Us stores beginning Thursday, November 26 at midnight through Friday, November 27 at 1pm, while supplies last:

FREE $50 Gift Card with the purchase of ANY iPod touch
Buy 1 Get 2 FREE on ALL Batman Dark Knight 6” Action Figures
TWO Bakugan Season 2 Booster Packs for Only $7.99
Save $200 on Furreal Friends S’mores Pony – Was: $299.99; Now: $99.99
Save $80 on Little Tikes Jump ‘n Slide Bouncer – Was: $229.99; Now: $149.99
Save $60 on STEP2 Neat & Tidy Cottage – Was: $159.99; Now: $99.99
65% Off Sleeping Beauty Styling Head Vanity – Was: $69.98; Now: $24.49
60% Off SanDisk 8GB Memory Card – Was: $49.99; Now: $19.99
50% Off ALL V-Motion and V-Smile Software
50% Off Vtech Learning Laptop – Was: $29.99; Now: $14.99
50% Off Nextar 2GB MP3 Player with Video – Was: $34.99; Now: $17.49

Here’s a list of some of the doorbusters available at Toys“R”Us stores on Friday, November 27 beginning 5am through 1pm, while supplies last:

Save $100 on 12’ Trampoline and Enclosure – Was: $279.99; Now: $179.99
Save $75 on Razor E300 Scooter – Was: $249.99; Now: $174.99
Save $60 on Flexible Flyer Kingston Swingset – Was: $159.99; Now: $99.99
Save $50 on Harley Davidson Rocker Ride-On – Was: $149.99; Now: $99.99
Save $50 on Coby 7” Portable DVD Player – Was: $99.99; Now: $49.99
Save $30 on Avigo Street Style/Spectrum 20” Bikes – Was: $79.99 (each); Now: $49.99 (each)
60% Off Star Wars Clone Trooper Blaster Game – Was: $49.99; Now: $19.98
Over 55% Off DS Guitar Hero On Tour/Decades 2-Pack Bundle – Was: $69.99; Now: $29.99
50% Off You & Me Little Twins – Was: $34.99; Now: $17.99
50% Off Select Wii Fit Accessories
50% Off Bakugan BakuBowl – Was: $26.99; Now: $13.49

They’ll also have other hot deals available at Toys“R”Us stores during the during the 2-day sale all day Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28, while supplies last:

Select Nintendo DS Games Available for Only $9.99
Select Wii Accessories for Only $10 Each
70% Off ALL Dreamtown Role Play Sets by Playskool
60% Off TRANSFORMERS Bumper Battlers – Was: $10.99; Now: $4.39
50% Off ALL $6.99 “R” Superbuy DVDs – Was: $6.99 (each); Now: $3.49 (each)
50% Off Doodle Pro Dora & Diego – Was: $19.99 (each); Now: $9.99 (each)
50% Off Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6 Blaster – Was: $24.99; Now: $14.99

Toys“R”Us stores will have special hours for Thanksgiving Weekend. They will be open Thursday, November 26 at 12 midnight – Friday, November 27 at 10pm. They will open Saturday, November 28: at 7am and stay open until 10pm.

Happy shopping!

Image Toys R Us

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A Fun Line For Little Fashionistas

Linette Gerlach — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:55:05 +0000

If you have a little designer or fashionista in your family, or on your toy list, I have some fun toy ideas for you. The Style Six line from Jakks-Pacific. With Style Six embellishing tools, girls can design and customize almost any item in their wardrobe to create their own look or set your own new fashion trends.

Let girls tap into their creative side with the Style Six Silk Screener they can layer on cool and trendy printed graphics to t-shirts and other fashion pieces. The Silk Screener includes 2 silkscreen devices, paint bottles, blotter, roller, masking board, stencil sheets, supply tray, and a garment separator. It is recommended for children 8 and up, and retails for $39.99.

The Style Six Gem Decorator lets girls turn ordinary items into extraordinary works of art by applying colorful rhinestones, ribbons and more! The Gem Decorator includes a gem decorator device, rhinestones, ribbon loops, and ribbons. Recommended for ages 8 and up, with a suggested retail price of $19.99.

The Style Six Airbrush allows little fashionistas to embellish anything from tees and tanks to their favorite jeans with a motorized Blopens® airbrush that sprays on the vibrant colors. The Airbrush set includes a Motorized Airbrush, fabric Blopens, and assorted stencil designs. Recommended for ages 8 and up with a suggested retail price of $19.99.

I’m so jealous! These look so fun. I wish they would have had these when I was growing up!

You can find more information about the Style Six line visit Jakks Pacific.

Images Jakks-Pacific

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Free Shipping Day

Linette Gerlach — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:01 +0000

You’ve heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I’ve got a new day to add to your holiday vocabulary, Free Shipping Day. If you’ve got plenty of toys to buy this holiday season you’ll be happy to know many online retailers are having free shipping day on December 17th this year.

Over 300 merchants have already signed up to participate in this year’s Free Shipping Day, and founder Luke Knowles expects more than 500 merchants will be participating by the time the date gets here. Some of the merchants that have already confirmed they are participating include Toys R Us, JCPenney, Apple Store, Nike, Sears, Babies R Us, Eddie Bauer, PacSun, PetSmart, and Adidas. If you order on December 17th, participating stores will deliver by Christmas Eve, if items are in stock.

If you have gifts you need to order online, or gifts you’ll need to have delivered, keep December 17th in mind.

You can find more information, and find out all the merchants who are participating at the Free Shipping Day website.

Image:Sxc.hu

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Girl Gourmet Sweet Jewelry Makers

Linette Gerlach — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:51 +0000

Girl Gourmet has some sweet jewelry makers for the little girls on your Christmas list this year. From candy necklaces to candy rings these sets are definitely sweet. Check out these Girl Gourmet Sweets Jewelry makers from Jakks-Pacific.

The Girl Gourmet Sweets Candy Jewelry Factory allows girls to design, bake, wear and eat scrumptious candy jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets and rings. The set features a small baking oven and a variety of molds to create jewelry charms and sweet gems. Kids fill the molds with the candy chips and pellets included in the set and add colorful sprinkles to decorate.

Next up the Girl Gourmet Sweets Candy Bead Studio where girls can create their own necklaces and bracelets with candy beads and pendants strung on licorice rope. Then they can use the edible ink to stamp, draw cool designs or write their favorite sayings. With the studio kids can make 24 uniquely edible necklaces & bracelets!

Girls can create edible rings with the Girl Gourmet Sweets Candy Ring Maker! Just add your favorite candy rings to a plastic ring-base. The ring is then rolled, dipped. Then spread or paint with icing and decorate with fun sprinkles, candy flowers, beads, charms and glitter.

The Girl Gourmet Sweets Sprinkle Art Jewelry is deliciously fun and fabulous! Featuring clear plastic reusable tube bracelets, necklaces, and pendants that can be filled with tasty colorful candy crystals and sprinkles.

You can find all of the Girl Gourmet candy makers at major retailers, and online at Amazon.com and at the Jakks-Pacific website.

Image Jakks-Pacific

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Wiggletime~ New Website For Preschoolers

Linette Gerlach — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:29:55 +0000

There’s a new virtual world for preschoolers and their parents to check out. Wiggletime.com, based on preschool favorite The Wiggles. Wiggletime.com is designed as a safe online environment for children to learn and play.

The website features interactive play for children, and helps you as a parent introduce your child to the Internet, without the risk of children communicating with strangers. The new website is also completely free of advertisements.

The Wiggles are big on getting children up and moving, so Wiggletime has a “take a break” feature that encourages children to get up an wiggle every twenty minutes.

“We wanted to take our Wiggles Fan Club to another level. We just needed to make sure we were going to be able to provide children with an environment that was exciting, fun, educational and safe. WiggleTime.com certainly has all of the right ingredients to provide children with a fantastic Wiggles experience”

- Anthony Field (BlueWiggle).

Your children can visit some of their favorite Wiggle destinations including Wigglehouse, Dorothy’s House, Wag’s Kennel, Captain Feathersword’s SS Feathersword, or Henry’s Underwater World, while they’re learning and having fun.

Wiggletime.com has different levels of membership from free, to monthly and yearly subscriptions, visit the website to sign up and for membership details.

Images Wiggletime.com

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Build A Gingerbread House With Your Kids

Linette Gerlach — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:59:20 +0000

Building a gingerbread house can be a fun project for you and your kids. It’s a great fall and winter family activity, especially around the holidays. You can even get together with some friends and have a gingerbread house making party Build one giant gingerbread house, or several smaller ones to take home.

“How To Build a Gingerbread House” is a great guide to help you along the way. The book contains step-by-step instructions, easy recipes and over 200 color photographs to help you complete your gingerbread house project from start to finish.

The best part is, all you need to get started are everyday grocery store ingredients and basic kitchen equipment. The author, Christina Banner, was winner of the National Gingerbread House Competition and Food Network’s Gingerbread Challenge, so she knows her gingerbread!

You can find more information about gingerbread house building and her book at Christina’s website GingerbreadBuilding.com. She also has a recipe for a tree and greenery recipe for your gingerbread house, and gingerbread house making tips.

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Kimochis~ Toys With Feelings

Linette Gerlach — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:48:40 +0000

Today I have some fun toys to share with you. Kimochis are new toys with feelings inside. Kimochi (pronounced Key.Mo.Chee) means “feeling” in Japanese. The three Kimochi characters, Cloud, Huggtopus, and Bug help kids communicate their feelings in a fun, playful way.

Each character comes with 3 small “Kimochis™” – or feelings inside a special pocket. The small Kimochis have feeling (happy, sad, silly,brave…) printed on one side, and a corresponding facial expression on the other. Each one also comes with a How-To Use Kimochis™ Feel Guide with easy fun lessons developed by nationally renowned child communication expert Ellen Pritchard Dodge M.ED.CCC-SLP.

The Kimochis™ characters will also have books, animation and an online world with educational content and activities that we will be launching in December.

If you’d like more information about these adorable plush toys with feelings, or to check out their educational content starting in December, check out the Kimochis website.

Image Plushy Feely Corp.

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