South Florida Blogger- Family Fun, Reviews, Giveaways, Crafts, Recipes, and More! Get Cozy and Stay Awhile!
I can’t wait for Monsters University to start showing in theaters. Only a few more days! Meanwhile, here are some fun activities!
Click the images to open them for printing.
“Like” MONSTERS UNIVERSITY on Facebook: http://facebook.com/
“Follow” Disney/Pixar on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/
Visit the website: http://www.Disney.com/
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY releases in theaters on June 21st!
Star Wars day is coming up on May 4th- May the 4th be with you!!! In honor of Star Wars Day I have been given the opportunity to review Angry Birds Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bounce Game and Angry Birds Star Wars Foam Flyers.
The Angry Birds Star Wars Foam Flyers are fun 3.5 inch foam character heads that are fun to toss around and make great stress balls to squeeze when you’re stressed. They come in LUKE SKYWALKER, CHEWBACCA, DARTH VADER and STORMTROOPER. Each sold separately and are available for around $9.95.
The Angry Birds Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bounce Game is a fun bounce action game. The object of the game is to bounce the ping pong ball characters on the table and then into the Millennium Falcon to knock over the enemy pigs. If your ball lands in the Millennium Falcon or in the cockpit you earn even more points. There is some assembly required but it is easy. Make sure you know where you want the stickers to go because once you stick them, they will tear if you try to remove them. We learned that the hard way on one of the sides but with a little tape it’s as good as new.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for performing this review. I received one or more products mentioned for free to conduct my review. The statements expressed by me in this post are my own personal and honest opinions of this product.
Do you have empty mint tins (Altoids) around your house or in your purse and you’re not sure what to do with them? Why not make a mini activity and games tin? Here are just a few fun ideas and what is great is that they fit so well in a purse, pocket, or backpack. You will need an Altoids tin and a package of magnetic sheets. No mater what game or activity you are going to turn your tin into, clean out the tin first and cover the top and bottom with cardstock to create a blank surface to play on.
Do you have daughters? Why not make magnetic dress-up dolls?
You can print paper dolls from this site here. They print the perfect size to fit into the mint tin. Purchase magnetic sheets to put the dolls and clothes on. You can print the dolls and clothes right on the magnetic sheet but you will have a lot of wasted space. I suggest you print them on regular paper, cut them out, peel back the protective paper on the magnetic sheets, and stick the dolls and clothes as close together on each sheet to avoid wasting space. Cut around the figures and viola! Magnetic paper dolls that stick well to the tin. Cute, aren’t they?
I started making my own game boards for various games to fit inside our tin but then I found a site that already has great game boards done for you! Artists Helping Children has printable game boards that fit inside an Altoids tin. There is even a sheet of printable game pieces, too! Awesome!
Want to make a magnetic poetry set? Grab some old magazines and start cutting out words. This is a fun project to do with kids. Let them read the words before they cut them out. Once you cut the words out mount them on the magnetic sheet and cut them into individual magnets. 
You can even use this little tin for some learning games. Print out letters for your child to spell words and mount them on magnetic sheets. You can also have them match word endings like -at, -an, -ot, etc. and have them make words. Great of squeezing in a little learning on the go!
Print a set of numbers and math symbols your child can practice math problems.
If you are combining various games and activities in one tin, try putting the pieces of each game in a separate little plastic baggie.
These are just a few of the ideas I have come up with. I am going to give my girls empty tins and see what they come up with, too.
Do you have an idea? Please share it!
If you like this post, please pin it!
http://pinterest.com/pin/229261437253408246/
UPDATE~ I found these mini activity books and mini sticker albums at Dollar Tree that would make great additions to any activity tin.
If you like playing games online, you’ll love this fun website I discovered called Crowdini.com. Crowdini is a FREE question and answer contest. Each day there is a new question for members to answer. The questions aren’t anything difficult. They are multiple choice questions like What is your favorite tea flavor? (black, green, or chamomile), When I go to lunch I usually have this to drink? (water, tea, soda, other), or Which is better? (M&Ms or Skittles).
If you choose the same answer as majority of the other users, then you move on to the next round and answer another question. The winner is the last person left. Every contest has a prize that ranges from electronics to services. They have given away iPad’s, cellphones, subscriptions and gift cards. If you didn’t pick the same answer as the majority of the other users picked, don’t worry, you’ll get to start a new contest with a new question.
Crowdini has become my new addiction. I love waking up in the morning to check my e-mail and see if I received an e-mail saying I answered with the majority and moved on in the contest from the day before or if I didn’t answer with the majority and I need to start in a new contest. So far the furthest I have gone is 3 days in a row. I am hoping to win on day but meanwhile it’s fun trying.
Crowdini is easy and can be played by anyone 18 years or older living in the US. See if you win a prize! Good luck!
You can also connect with Crowdini on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
Disclosure: I was compensated for performing this review but the statements expressed by me in this post are my own personal and honest opinions of this website.
Children like to play with firehouses and dollhouses- they have for generations. But AppVentures has brought playing with both to a whole new level. AppVentures iFirehouse and iDollhouse are themed cases for either an iPad or an iPhone include a dollhouse or firehouse app to enhance the playing experience.
We were sent the AppVentures iDollhouse to review. First I have to say I love that the AppVentures iDollhouse is a protective case so when my girls are playing with my iPad I don’t have to worry that they will drop and break it. We’ve taken my iPad out with us while it was in the dollhouse case and received several compliments. No one had ever seen a dollhouse iPad case before. Both the physical dollhouse and the app compliment each other in a unique, fun way. We’ve been keeping ours on even when we’re not using the app.
Once I put my iPad snugly inside the dollhouse and downloaded the FREE included app, my girls were ready to go. The dollhouse also includes a little girl figure. The figure has a QR code on it that when scanned by the iPad it brings the little girl inside the dollhouse to play with her. Cute, isn’t she?
Once inside the virtual dollhouse there are 6 interactive rooms with lots of things to do. Children can really use their imaginations to play in each room filled with colors, sounds, and fun. Brush your teeth in the bathroom, watch tv, or even play on the see-saw outside. You can add your own pictures to the frames on the wall and decorate the rooms how you like. There are over 70 different interactive dollhouse activities that will entertain for hours. And because this dollhouse is portable, you can take the fun along with you- in the car, in a restaurant, or anywhere else your little one needs to stay busy.
From The Sassy Little (9 year old) Blogger- I like that you can make pretend food in the kitchen for the characters and have them eat what you made. You can also wash the dishes which is really fun. (Insert note from Mommy- Why doesn’t she offer to wash our REAL dishes?) You can also sit the characters down on the couch and have them read a book. Another thing I like about it is that you have to water the plants to keep them alive. My favorite thing is that you can have the characters go outside and play on the see-saw and go down the slide. This is one of my favorite apps and the case makes it even more special.
The iDollhouse and the iFirehouse be hitting mass retail in the fall, but can be purchased here now: https://www.
Once you receive your iDollhouse or iFireshouse, simply download the app and you’re on your way (after purchase you get a rebate for the app so it’s FREE!).
iDollhouse App – https://itunes.apple.com/us/
iFirehouse App – https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Ages 3+ (my girls are 7 & 9 and still had a lot of fun with this app)
MSRP: iPad version ($24.99), iPhone version ($19.99)
Disclosure: I was not compensated for performing this review. I received one or more products mentioned for free to conduct my review. The statements expressed by me in this post are my own personal and honest opinions of this product.
My children are like most children today- they love technology, computers, video games, etc. They learn so much from all the technology around them but sometimes it’s good for all of us to unplug and have fun together. That’s why we love so many of Hasbro’s games. It is always a fun time playing games together as a family. I was excited when I got the opportunity to review Hasbro’s World Series of Yahtzee game. My older daughter was already a little familiar with Yahtzee because we already had several other versions of Yahtzee so it made playing this version pretty easy for her.
World Series of Yahtzee is a fast paced dice rolling game. It is for ages 8 and up but my 7 year old was able to play it with a little help. You can play with 2-4 players. The game starts out with each player getting their own set of dice.
The “game board” has 8 different cards on it, each with one of 11 different dice combos that the players can roll to earn points. Each dice combo is worth a different number of points. Everyone rolls their dice at the same time. If a player wants to keep the number he/she rolled on one or more of their dice they put it aside and keep rolling their other dice. When they can match a card on the game board with the dice they rolled they hit the buzzer to lock it in. Now the musical countdown begins and the rest of the players have 5 seconds to roll a match to a card on the game board AND press their buzzer before the music stops. When the action is done the player who buzzed in first gets to collect the card that they matched and earn the points on it. Then the second player who buzzed in gets to do the same and so on until everyone who can collect a card does so. New cards are put into the empty spots and the next round starts. The game is over when all the cards have been earned and the winner is the person with the highest number of points. 
My husband has always loved poker, so World Series of Yahtzee is especially fun for him because all of the dice combos that players earn points for are similar to poker hands- 5 of a kind, large straight, small straight, full house, 4 of a kind, and 3 of a kind. This game is a great learning game for kids, too, because they have to pay attention to the different number combinations they need to earn points plus they can practice adding up their points on the point sheet. My whole family really had fun playing World Series of Yahtzee and will be adding it to our family game night rotation.
Age: 8+; Players: 2-4; Available: March 2013; Approximate Retail Price: $19.99
Rock the roll with the new World Series of YAHTZEE game. It’s a fast-paced, casino-inspired face-to-face dice showdown where everyone rolls together and tries to match their dice to the YAHTZEE combination cards on the board. Roll fast to try and get the highest score and be the first to lock-in and start the electronic timer. When everyone has stopped rolling, grab your card for points. Highest score at the end of the game wins! Starting in late spring 2013, World Series of Yahtzee will include a digital value offer for a High Roller App pack for use in the World Series of YAHTZEE mobile app. Do you have what it takes to win World Series of YAHTZEE?
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Want to win your own World Series of Yahtzee Game?
Enter below:
Disclosure: I was not compensated for performing this review. I received one or more products mentioned for free to conduct my review. The statements expressed by me in this post are my own personal and honest opinions of this product.
As a parent of two young daughters there are a few attributes that I especially love to find in toys. I love when toys allow for creativity, science, exploration, and trial and error. The Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab fits that bill. It is a set of 60 mix and match pieces that children use to construct all types of courses for the metal ball to go down. They stick to the special 2 foot board that has a Velcro®-like material on it as do all the parts. Set up is super easy. My 9 year old set the board up herself and was able to make her own contraption within minutes. With so many parts to use, the possibilities are endless. It is a great one or two person toy that makes for hours of creative play with lots of trial and error.
With the Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab my children were testing out and learning about gravity, angles, and more without even realizing they were learning. If you want the ball to travel faster do you tilt the slide up or down? That is just one of the scientific questions that my daughters discovered with this set. The set is well crafted and was easy for both my 7 and 9 year old daughters to use by themselves. I think their favorite part is the flying pig at the end of the contraption they created. I mean who wouldn’t love a flying pig?
Standing over two feet tall, the Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab has 60 mix-and-match pieces to build an unlimited amount of contraptions. Kids can dream up crazy courses, then build and test them using this easy-to-construct Velcro®-like system. Instructions offer tips and tricks on how to best manipulate the kit’s components. It guides kids through five sample contraption designs while they learn how to predict the outcome of each.
Components:
Make sure to check out SmartLab’s FREE ZONE for fun, FREE activities, trivia, and coloring pages. There are TONS of great activities to do so make sure to pin this post so you can pull it out on a rainy day or a day when you hear those dreaded words, “Moooooooommmm, I’m bored!” The activities range from making “alien blood” to making a spa mask, from making a rubber band guitar to having a backyard scavenger hunt and LOTS More!!!
Want to win your own ? Enter below:
GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED
Disclosure: I was not compensated for performing this review. I received one or more products mentioned for free to conduct my review. The statements expressed by me in this post are my own personal and honest opinions of this product.
My girls love both of these sites!
Check out Pixie Hollow, create a fairy, and fly!
Need a quiet time activity? Found it! This is an easy DIY I-spy that kids of all ages will LOVE! Perfect for when you need to get things done around the house (without the t.v.) a learning adventure or great for road trips.
This is what you will need:
Clear Plastic Bottle
White rice
Small objects to find
Computer/Printer
Phone with Camera
Funnel
Super Glue
This is what you do:
1. Gather the amount of objects you want to “spy” and take a picture
2. Fill the clear plastic bottle with the white rice and objects in layers using your funnel. If you don’t have a funnel make one out of paper. That’s what I did 🙂
Leave about 1 to 1 1/2 inch of space at the top, so the objects have room to move around
3. Super Glue the lid on and shake it up!
You can either print out the picture from the computer or use your smart phone. Let your kids start spying!
