New Year's Eve / Day Coloring Pages - part II

Countdown to New Year's Eve with this nice little list of New Year's Eve coloring pages, part II!

Happy New Year - words, image #1.

Happy New Year - words, image #2.

Champagne on Ice - with glasses and balloon.

Happy New Year Mouse

New Year's Eve / Day Coloring Pages - part I

Countdown to New Year's Eve with this nice little list of New Year's Eve coloring pages.

Grab the crayons, markers, glitter glue, colored pencils and whatever else you think can add sparkle to your New Year's Eve celebration pages.

New Year's Eve Clock Coloring Page

New Year's Celebration - two men celebrating New Year's.

Arthur Celebrating New Year's Eve

The Gift of Giving: Best Kids Charities to Donate To This Christmas

Christmas charities are wonderful organizations to help people in need. If you want to give the gift of love to a kids charity of your choice this Christmas, then the following places can get you started in the true spirit of giving. Each of these Christmas charities is dedicated to bring light to children around the world. You can do your bit to help by giving a generous donation. Every dollar helps.

If you happen to live in the Windy City and are in search of fun things for kids in Chicago this season, you could combine gift-giving to a charity with a fun day out to teach your little ones that there are children in this world who are not as fortunate as them.

Recommended Christmas Charities

* The Christmas Spirit Foundation is dedicated to helping families and children across the United States, especially during the holiday season. Their primary goal is to help enhance the spirit of Christmas. Throughout the year, they actively promote environmental stewardship .

* The Make A Wish Foundation helps to realize children's wildest dreams. Most of these kids are riddled with life-threatening medical conditions. Their dream might be to swim with dolphins or to have a backyard basketball court. The Foundation is giving these kids hope, thanks to your help and donation. It is wonderful Christmas charity because it instills new hope.

* Angel Tree is a Prison Fellowship ministry. It delivers new hope with the help of gift giving to children of inmates and their families.

* The Holiday Project is on a mission to enrich the lives of people who find themselves in hospital, a nursing home or institution. Staffed by volunteers who join local chapters, people go out in search to help others with their presence and small gifts.

* Christmas Card Aid is a UK-based Christmas charity that donates all profits to a good cause. In true Christmas spirit, you can pick and choose your favorite cards. Why not make a day of it and get your children to input their creative self for a Christmas card with a difference.

* The non-profit organization Alternative Gifts International gifts through generous donations to needy children and families worldwide. You can give a gift directly from their website and choose a recipient from their list. This organization could be gifted by your whole family if you chose to forgo presents and instead gift the money to others – people who need it more than you.

* Toys for Tots is an ingenious idea to help children with some Christmassy love. This Christmas charity lets you donate new toys or money to reach out to needy kids in local communities. Run by the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve and the Marine Toys For Tots Foundation this charity is likely to bring a smile to children's faces.

The above selection is only a small one. There are literally dozens of Christmas charities out there. Each one will enable you to reach out to others. Giving in the spirit of love will leave you glowing with happiness and joy. The knowledge of having helped others with a tiny donation will likely make your holiday season a very special one.

the ball of christmas present



NORAD Santa Tracker

Get ready to track Santa's 2010 journey with the NORAD Santa Tracker.



"NORAD is the bi-national U.S.-Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace and maritime defense of the United States and Canada. For more than 50 years, NORAD has tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight by using four high-tech systems – radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets.

By having high-speed digital cameras pre-positioned at many locations around the world only on Christmas Eve they are able to capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world."

Elf Yourself 2010

Back for yet another year is the very popular Elf Yourself. The elves are back and better than ever, in the update 2010 Elf Yourself.

Elf Yourself


If you have never experienced Elf Yourself, get ready for some laughs as you take part in an annual holiday tradition of transforming yourself and loved ones into pointy eared dancing elves!!

Free Christmas Road Trip Passport for Kids

We featured the Thanksgiving Kids Road Trip Activity Book a few weeks back, so with Christmas upon us, we'll feature the Christmas Road Trip Passport for Kids.

Great for keeping the kids entertained on your holiday travels, the wonderful folks at RadRoadTrips.com have created a December version of the Road Trip Passport that has a distinct Christmas theme.

Inside the Christmas themed Road Trip activity passport you will find games, songs, activities, and discussions that center around the Holiday and it’s spirit.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Video

An adorable video of the Christmas classic, Twas the Night Before Christmas, narrated by Robin Williams.

Many year ago, Clement Clarke Moore wrote this famous poem, which he named "A Visit From St. Nicholas." Arguably the best-known Christmas tale ever, today we know this famous poem as "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Make sure you click on the image of the four arrows, located on the bottom right hand side of the video, to see "Twas the Night Before Christmas" in full screen!

Free Personalized North Pole News For Kids

Back for another year is the North Pole News. We had a great time with this one last year and the kids got a big kick out of it.

North Pole News For Kids


Free Personalized Call From Santa

Have Santa call your children with a personalized message for free.

Free Personalized Call From Santa


To get your Free Personalized Call From Santa, just answer some questions about your child, enter your phone number and then choose to get a message from Santa via phone call, e-mail or on Facebook or Twitter.

Very cute and sure to get a big smile form your children!

Make sure you visit all of our other Christmas and Hanukkah Pages!



If the above link is not working or are expired, please do us a favor and let us know by clicking: Contact US. We may also be able to help you get some of the free coloring books, pages and E-books that may have expired.

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Santa & The Little Teddy Bear Free Coloring Book

We received a very nice e-mail from Peter Lucking, author and illustrator of the epic adventure, Santa & The Little Teddy Bear.

"Peter believes that children, parents and grandparents will delight in reading the tale of Santa and the Little Teddy Bear as they travel the world discovering the magic of Christmas and how different countries celebrate.

A magical ride with Santa and the reindeer takes a teddy bear on a whirlwind adventure to become a special Christmas gift.

Best Car Safety Features for Single Parents

If you have a lawn, you’re eventually going to have to mow it. It’s not going to mow itself. That’s how it is with everything: The job isn’t going to come to you – you have to go to it. The groceries aren’t going to pick themselves up. Your children aren’t going to bring themselves to school (for a few years, anyway).

At the root of it all (except for mowing the lawn), the issue is the same: eventually, you’re going to need a car. As a single adult, unattached, you might have been able to function fine relying on carpooling and public transit, but with kids now in the mix, a car is a necessity.

Have Santa Personally Read to your Child for Christmas - FREE

Would your kids enjoy having Santa Claus read them a short Christmas book? Well, for a limited time you can!

The people over at Story Before Bed are giving away personalized recordings of Santa Claus reading the holiday story, For Christmas Day.

To get your free personalized recording of Santa Claus reading to your child or children, sign up at Story Before Bed and they will pass along your info [e-mail address and child name(s)] to Santa and send you a link to your child's personal recording before Christmas Day!

Magic Santa Personalized Video

Santa Claus will create and send your loved ones a personalized video directly from the North Pole, for free.

Sympatico has launched their popular Magic Santa website that allows you to send a card to the "North Pole" so that Santa can send a personalized video message to a loved one.

Personal Video Message from Santa Claus

Here's a chance to send your loved ones a Personal Video Message from Santa Claus, sent directly from his village in the North Pole.

Start off by selecting who you would like to receive your message (toddler, children, grown up) and the add the recipient information. Next, choose what special efforts have been asked of the recipient, choose up to two photos (optional), a gift for the recipient and another optional photo. Enter your name, e-mail and an e-mail address of where you would like the personal message sent and your recipient will receive the message.

Build-A-Bear Black Friday Weekend: Holly and Hal Moose $5 Each

Black Friday Weekend, November 26-28, 2010, Build-A-Bear is offering Hal and Holly Moose for only $5 each. Plus, add Holly's coat and hat or Hall's coat and goggles for only $5 more.

The animals are regularly priced at $16/$18, while the outfits are regularly priced at $12.50 each.

The Hal and Holly Moose offer is valid in Build-A-Bear stores and online, while quantities last. You will have to pay a shipping charge if you order online.

I would like to thank Gail for sharing this offer with us!



The above offer will expire on November 28, 2010. Click Fun 4 The Children to return to our homepage

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It's Never Too Early to Save: How to Find Deals on Back to School Supplies

When the time of the year rolls around when your children go back to school, you can breathe easier knowing they are being productive with their time. It may be a relief, but you still have to worry about buying supplies. To your children, getting new supplies and clothes may be the best part of the new school year, but it does not mean you have to spend your summer salary every August. There are many ways for you to get what your children need for school without breaking the bank.

Last Year’s Supplies May Still Do the Trick

10 Fun Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

A fun list of easy Thanksgiving crafts, offering you children a quick way to create a memorable holiday and create a festive mood the whole family can enjoy. You can also use these Thanksgiving crafts to help keep impatient kids and guests busy while you prepare the Thanksgiving feast.

Dora's Pumpkin Turkey - create an easy pumpkin turkey with a small pumpkin, scissors, double-sided tape or pushpins.

Hand Turkey Thanksgiving Placemat Craft - a very cute and easy Thanksgiving placemat craft.

Easy Thanksgiving Day Crafts for Kids

Your children can learn how to make beautiful custom made napkin rings in the following Easy Thanksgiving Day Crafts for Kids video.

Materials needed for the Thanksgiving Day decorative napkin rings:

Indian or Western beads
Cloth napkins (preferably orange, brown or white or gold)
Feathers of the same colors
Leather strapping or leather that you use to make a necklace

Thanksgiving Kids Road Trip Activity Book

With the holidays upon us, many will be traveling, visiting family and relatives. I don't know about anyone else, but road trips with my kids in the car can SOMETIMES be a little stressful. Who's bored, who's not sharing, fighting, etc.

The wonderful people over at RadRoadTrips.com created a kids travel activity passport that will help your kids enjoy the number of miles you spend together during your Thanksgiving road trip.

Color by Numbers - Animal Coloring Pages for Kids (part II)

Here's part II of the Color by Numbers - Animal Coloring Pages for Kids.

Have the kids grab their favorite crayons, colored pencils, markers or water colors and then use the guides with each image to choose the right colors.

To print out the color by numbers animal coloring pages just click on the below links, what for the image to load and then use your computers print button.

Color by Numbers - Find the Animals - what animals can you find.

Color by Numbers - Horse

Color by Numbers - Animal Coloring Pages for Kids (part I)

Kids love to color by numbers. They have fun while coloring and it helps them practice identifying numbers and colors.

Below is a list of free printable color by numbers animal coloring pages for kids. Have the kids grab their favorite crayons, colored pencils, markers or water colors and then use the guides with each image to choose the right colors.

To print out the color by numbers animal coloring pages just click on the below links, what for the image to load and then use your computers print button.

All New Crafts for Thanksgiving

We've come across a free Thanksgiving crafts e-book that we want to share with all of our readers.

All New Crafts for Thanksgiving by Kathy Ross and illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm, has some wonderful and different Thanksgiving crafts for you and your children to work on.

With fifty pages, your kids will have plenty of Thanksgiving crafts to design. Crafts include:

Coloring and Crafts for Kids

Coloring and craft projects for kids are easy using glue, scissors, a pencil, markers or crayons and construction paper.

In the following video, Cori DiSimone, who teaches art classes at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona talks about some coloring and crafts you can do with your kids. The project for which Cori talks about is what she calls "using a found object and creating a composition around it."

Grab the kids and have them work together on this for a wonderful collaborative work of art.

Halloween Coloring Pages - BOO!

Here's a couple of Halloween coloring images all with the word BOO!

My kids were going through the ghost coloring page and said there were no images with the word BOO! So, as they found them, I've posted them here for you to print out and color.

BOO! Pumpkin - this one is neat because you can change the template, the font and the text.

BOO! Two Pumpkins

Kids Halloween Events and Freebies

Parents searching for safe, family-friendly Halloween fun can bring their children to the following Halloween store events for a howling good time. I couldn't leave us parents out, so there are a couple of freebies for us.

Just be sure to to call each Halloween event, store location to to confirm participation.

Bass Pro Shops Halloween Event 2010:

Bass Pro Shop Halloween Event


Cereal Character Pumpkin Carving Guides

Haunt your pumpkins with characters from your favorite cereals. Bettyrocker has exclusive jack o' lantern, Cereal Character Pumpkin Carving Guides of the whole cereal gang.

Lucky Charms Leprechaun, Trix Rabbit, Honey Nut Cheerios Bee, Chip the Cookie Crisp Wolf, Franken Berry, Count Chocula and Boo Berry are all ready to come to life as jack o' lanterns on your front steps!

The cereal character stencil guides are free to download when you become a member of the Betty Crocker website (signing up for their website is free also). After signing up, you can download and then print out your favorite cereal character pumpkin stencils.

Make a Mini-Pumpkin Bat in 4 Steps - Kids Halloween Craft

Teach your children how to make fantastic Mini-Pumpkin Bats in four easy steps. This cute Halloween craft is very easy to make requiring just a few simple materials to complete.

Materials needed to complete your Mini-Pumpkin Bat:

Mini pumpkins
Construction Paper
Toothpicks
Glue
Magic marker (any color you like)
Scissors

Free Happy Halloween Coloring Book Download from Land O Lakes

Get a free Happy Halloween coloring book from Land O Lakes.

The Happy Halloween coloring book is eleven pages long and images include Halloween Jack O' Lanterns, ghost, haunted house, Halloween trick-or-treaters and more.

The Happy Halloween coloring book is available in PDF format and you can print out the whole book or just individual pages.

Pumpkin Stencils and Carving Templates

We've come across some new pumpkin stencils and patterns for your children (with your help) to enjoy carving into their pumpkins.

Along with the old pumpkin stencils post here on Fun 4 The Children(see list at bottom of this post) and these new ones, your children should find some wonderful patterns to carve into their pumpkins.

Pumpkin Stencils: Disney Pumpkin Carving Patterns - seven original Disney pumpkin patterns from Cartoon Jr., including Disney princesses and our favorite Disney villains.

2 Free Multimedia Children's Books

STORY TIME FOR ME is offering 2 Free Multimedia Children's Books.

"STORY TIME FOR ME is a unique literary website designed specifically for toddlers and children in early elementary school, allowing them to read and listen to enjoyable, online interactive picture books."

The multimedia children's storybooks are narrated by professional actors who bring excitement and drama to their story, while providing hours of independent reading, discovering and learning. Their children's storybooks can help to improve your child's reading skills with interactivity as well as making reading fun, educational and enjoyable!

Free Bowling Passes from Brunswick Bowling Centers - Halloween Offer

Brunswick Bowling is offering free bowling passes with their "No Tricks, Just Treats" Halloween promotion.

They are providing these Free Bowling Passes as an added "safe" gift to pass out to the kids who are Trick or Treating in your neighborhood.

The coupon are good for one (1) free game of bowling at Brunswick Bowling Centers, any time lanes are available. Limit one coupon per household. The free bowling passes are valid October 31 - November 23, 2010. You can print out as many of these coupons as you would like.

Easy Halloween Crafts & Homemade Halloween Decorations: Blogger Edition 2010 eBooks

One of our favorite websites on the Internet is FaveCrafts. We refer to them on many different post here on Fun 4 The Children for craft project, eBooks and more.

I very happy to find out they have two new free Halloween eBooks, Easy Halloween Crafts & Homemade Halloween Decorations: Blogger Edition 2010.

The Halloween crafts and decorations in these eBooks are geared more for us parents and older children, BUT the little ones can always help with certain portions of each craft and decoration.

Free Children's Books - Free 6-pack of books from Pacific Learning (Teachers)

This is for teachers at a public or private schools.

If you register with Pacific Learning by December 31, 2010, they'll send you a FREE 6-pack of books (No obligation required - FREE including shipping and handling).

After you complete the registration process, you will receive an email to select the grade level you would like.

"Only one submission per registered user. Form must be submitted by December 31, 2010 to receive your FREE 6-pack of books. While supplies last. Applicable to public and private schools only, which a verified school address"

Winnie The Pooh Halloween Coloring Pages

Listed below are a few Halloween coloring pages of the ever lovable Winne the Pooh and gang.

You'll find Winnie dressed up in different Halloween costumes, Tigger getting a big scare from Piglet, a Halloween parade, Piglet with pumpkins and more fun Pooh Halloween coloring pages for you to print and decorate!

Winnie the Pooh in Pirate Costume

Piglet in Halloween Costume - with pumpkin #1

Piglet in Halloween Costume - with pumpkin #2

Tigger in Halloween Costume coloring page - afraid of his own pumpkins shadow.

Winnie the Pooh with Treat Bag

Devil Tigger - with pumpkin and pitchfork.

Piglet inside Pumpkin

Piglet scaring Tigger - Piglet flying out of a pumpkin.

Make sure you visit all of our other fun Halloween pages!



If any of the above links are not working, please do us a favor and let us know by clicking: Contact US

Sources: thepoohbearcoloringpages.com, coloringdrawings.com, www.supercoloring.com, neverland-tinkerbell-coloring-pages.blogspot.com, coloring-pages.tv, just-pooh.com


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31 Halloween Craft Projects e-Book

Have a crafty countdown to Halloween with 31 free Halloween craft projects in this printable e-Book collection, from the wonderful folks at FaveCrafts.

Inside the 31 Halloween Craft Projects e-Book you will find some wonderful Halloween craft projects for families to do together and a whole section of Halloween crafts devoted to kids.

Free Halloween E-book - How To Make Your Own Spooky Halloween Crafts

Halloween is approaching quickly, so it's time to start making some fun Halloween crafts. Here's a free e-book for you and the kids to use when making your own spooky Halloween crafts.

Inside of the How To Make Your Own Spooky Halloween Crafts e-book you will find a huge list of topics that include:

Money and Fun can Play Together

Mary Poppins said, "Find the fun and snap! The job's a game".

For an adult, there's not much fun to be had when it comes to personal finance! But when it comes to teaching your child about money, the best thing you can do is make a game of it. Not only will this keep their attention, but it will also begin to plant the seeds of a sound financial future for them.

Learning the coins

The first step should be teaching your child what each coin is called.

Kids Crafts - Fun Crafts for Kids With Pipe Cleaners

Pipe cleaners are very easy to use and fun for the children to create different craft projects with. In the follow video, you and the kids will learn how to make a person, a reindeer and the sun, all using pipe cleaners.

Materials needed for all projects in video:

Pipe cleaners
Scissors (safety scissors for smaller children)
Pencil
Googly eyes (optional)
Pom poms (optional)

Your Life in Comics: 100 things for Guys to Write and Draw Review and Giveaway

Your Life in Comics: 100 Things for Guys to Write and Draw, is the newest book from the very talented Bill Zimmerman. My family is a big fan of Mr Zimmerman and love his books and websites. If you have been a reader of Fun 4 The Children for some time, you've read other post in regards to Bill Zimmerman (Pocket Doodles For Kids and MakeBeliefsComix.com).

Bill's new book, Your Life in Comics, is geared for boys, ages 9-13. With this do-it-yourself, interactive comic book your boys can tell stories from their own life. Rather than provide the story, this interactive book allows them to decide what happens by using words and drawings of their creation.

101+ Ways to keep Kids Busy - Free E-book

Here's a nice little e-book you can use to help your children to grow and develop. It’s full of wonderful ideas of things you can plan and do with your children.

The free e-book, title 101+ Ways to keep Kids Busy was written for caregivers, but is also wonderful for parents use as your child is
growing and developing.

Inside 101+ Ways to keep Kids Busy, you will find some wonderful ideas such as making a musical instrument, obstacle course, ideas with paper, experiments, make a book and so much more!

With 101+ Ways to keep Kids Busy, you'll have plenty of fresh ideas ideas for your youngsters.

Tip: To save time and money on ink: When you choose Print, you may have noticed a button that says "Properties." Click "Properties" and then "Print Quality." Select either "Draft Print" or "Fast Draft" (options are different on some printers) to print a fast copy that saves ink!



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Toys R Us: Thomas Play Date Event (9/11/10)

Visit your local Toys "R" Us store on Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 11 am - 1 pm, for the free Thomas Play Date Event.

Toys R Us: Thomas Play Date Event (9/11/10)
Your little ones will be treated to free story time, games, coloring and complimentary gifts.

The activities at the Thomas Play Date Event are intended for children, ages 3 and up and parental supervision is required at all times.

Free Cyber Safety Kids E-book

Parents, we are responsible for providing safe Internet for our children. The Internet contains millions of web pages that contain unsafe content for our children.

There are so many risks associated with the Internet, cyberbullying, online gambling, sexual predators, scams and so much more, with the numbers increasing by the day. One can not be to protective when allowing our kids to use the world wide web.

We found a wonderful e-book to help you and your children learn more about safety on the Internet. The Free Cyber Safety Kids E-book will teach you how to keep your children and teens safe online by applying
effective real world parenting skills to cyberspace.

Tip: To save time and money on ink: When you choose Print, you may have noticed a button that says "Properties." Click "Properties" and then "Print Quality." Select either "Draft Print" or "Fast Draft" (options are different on some printers) to print a fast copy that saves ink!



If the above link is not working, please do us a favor and let us know by clicking: Contact US

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Free 6-month subscription to Parent Magazine

Grab a Free 6-month subscription to Parents magazine when you enter the Similac Go Scoopless Sweepstakes.

By entering the Similac Go Scoopless Sweepstakes you have a chance to win daily prizes (100 per day) consisting of a 1-quart bottle of Similac® Advance® Concentrated Liquid (ARV $9.49 each). All eligible entrants will receive a $2 off coupon for Similac Concentrated Liquid.

After you register and enter the contest, you'll have the option to request your Free 6-month subscription to Parents Magazine.

The sweepstakes is open to residents of the 50 U.S. states and D.C., 18 and older. Sweepstakes ends 11:59:59 p.m. ET on October 31, 2010.



If the above link is not working, please do us a favor and let us know by clicking: Contact US

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Fun Activities to help your Children Lose Weight

If you were born during the 50, 60’s 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s, chances are you have not availed of any government program about childhood obesity or even enrolled in a kids gym. You may have gone to a summer camp but not on a weight loss camp, played basketball that involves running and jumping not just by smashing buttons, and played hula hoops with a hoop around your waist not by standing on a Wii balance board. This is all because most, if not all, children during those times are physically fit because they know how to play real games. Kids love to play, no arguments on that; however because of the advent of TVs, video games, and Internet, kids play at home instead of playing in the park. Real play is vital in a kid’s growth and development because through play, their social, mental, emotional, and physical aspects are all enhanced. Let us use play and other fun activities to help the children lose weight and avoid obesity.

Free Fisher Price TRIO Race Car Set

"Start a collection with this race car or add it to other TRIO building sets you child already has. Pieces go together with a "snap" so kids know they've connected them and are sized just right to build fast and build strong."

Mattel will send you a Fisher Price TRIO Race Car Set absolutely free!

The free Fisher Price TRIO Race Car Set is available to US residents only, while supplies last. Only one car set will be provided per household. Better hurry because this will go quickly.

* As of this posting, the Mattel website is very slow *



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Fun Kids Crafts for a Rainy Day

Rainy days giving your kids the blues? Tania, over at the Trying to Conceive blog, provides us with a wonderful guest post, to brighten your kids day up with Fun Kids Crafts for a Rainy Day.

Keeping small kids happy and entertained can be a bit of a challenge on a rainy day! I am sure that every mother has been through days where the whole family is desperate to leave the house, and boredom is making the kids whiney and hyperactive. These days tend to be days where mom is a little short of inspiration too, at least in my experience. Wouldn’t it be great if you had some fun crafts to pull out, just like that? These are some ideas for fun things to do when staying home is your only option.

Free Child Safety Kit

24 pages of child safety guidance for us parents. Keep your children safe with a free Child Safety Kit from the Polly Klass Foundation.

"The Child Safety Kit shows you how to teach your children:

* Which strangers to ask for help when no trusted adults are available.

* How to recognize dangerous situations.

* How to respond to those dangerous situations correctly.

Also included in the 24 page Kit is special information on:

* Special no-scare methods for each age group.

* Recording your child's fingerprints in the privacy of your home.

* Sampling and storing your child's DNA in your own home."

The Child Safety Kit is available worldwide, residents of the USA can get a free hard print copy, while residents outside of the US can download the safety kit.



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Choosing The Best Toys For Your Children

Guest Post: Choosing The Best Toys For Your Children by Eric Waters.

With seemingly thousands of new toys introduced each year it can sometimes be rather daunting trying to decide which ones are the best choice for your child. Here are some tips and guidelines for parents that hopefully prove helpful the next time you're shopping for new toys for your children.

One of the most important factors to consider when purchasing toys is age appropriateness. The manufacturer-provided age guidelines on toys are generally a good guideline to start with. Toddlers and children up to around a year old typically do well with toys that are engaging to their senses. Toys that are bright and colorful are especially appropriate. In addition toys that provide tactile response and/or produce sounds make suitable playthings for children within this age group.

Toys R Us Geoffrey's Free Birthday Card Club

Make your child's special day more memorable when you sign them up for the Toys R Us Geoffrey's Free Birthday Card Club.

Register your children ages 1 to 10 for the Geoffrey's Free Birthday Card Club and each year when their birthday rolls around they'll receive a birthday card by mail, with a surprise gift of a $3 gift card. You can also choose to have a phone call from Geoffrey on the special date.

Make sure that when you take your child to Toys R Us to use their $3 gift card, you stop by the service desk. They will give the birthday boy or girl a birthday crown, Geoffrey balloon and make a store announcement letting everyone know it's your child's birthday.



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Money Bunny – Teach Kids To Save and Manage Money

Money Bunny is a helpful website to offer kids a place to play, while teaching them to be smart about planning, saving, and spending their money.

There are printables for your children to print out and color, an online paint program where the picture can also be printed out (painted or blank to color) and storybooks the you can download and save to your computer, along with an audio file of the story. The theme behind all of these is that they help your kids learn about being good money managers.

There are also resources for us adults. "Learn how to start the conversation about money with your kids, explore storybook podcasts with your kids, and find answers to commonly asked questions in the kids and money Q-and-A section."

Teachers can also introduce financial education into the classroom with Money Bunny resources and lesson plans to teach your class how to wisely plan, save, and spend money.

You can also read success stories or share you own children's success stories about being good money managers.

A nice job done by Money Bunny in their efforts to promote financial literacy among youth.



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Online Storytime by Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble has a neat feature at their website called Online Storytime, where your children can enjoy stories online, every month. Each month they feature a new popular kids story, with pan-and-scan filming of the picture book and narration provided by well-known authors and celebrities.

“Parents and children can now experience the same excitement and fun found in our in-store B&N Storytimes in the comfort of their own homes with our new Online Storytime,” said Rachel Jarrett, Director of Kids and Lifestyle Products for Barnes & Noble.com.

This month's (August 2010) featured story is "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day," read out loud by the author Judith Viorst. You have options to pause the story and to create a full-screen window of the stories illustrations.

Make sure you take advantage of this wonderful program for children by bookmarking Online Storytime by Barnes & Noble and check back each month for a new story.



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Win a Family Getaway to Beaches Resort in Turks & Caicos or Jamaica

How does a nice family getaway to Beaches Resort in Turks & Caicos or Jamaica sound to you? Sounds relaxing to me.

I haven't posted any sweepstakes lately as I only like to post family related or children related sweepstakes and just haven't found anything outstanding lately.

The YoKids® Real Food, Real Fun Sweepstakes, sponsored by Beaches Resorts and KIWI, is offering you a chance to win the grand prize of a luxury-included 4 day/3 night family vacation for 2 adults and 2 children (ages 15 and under) to any Beaches Resort in Turks & Caicos or Jamaica.

The luxury-included Beaches Resort package includes "deluxe accommodations, all meals, unlimited premium brand beverages, daily and nightly entertainment, all land and water sports, including scuba diving (for certified divers), snorkeling, gratuities, and transfers to and from the designated airport".

You also have a chance to win one of the 15 first prizes — a YoKids® backpack. The sweepstakes ends at 11:59:59 PM EST on December 31, 2010 and is limited to one entry per person/email address per day.

Good luck to all!!!



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Free Borders Kids’ Event – The Adventures of OOK and GLUK 8/14/10

Make sure you stop by Borders on August 14, 2010 at 2 pm for The Adventures of OOK and GLUK kids’ event. Borders is calling all kids to party like Ook and Gluk, the zany caveboy characters in Dav Pilkey's upcoming book, "The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-fu Cavemen from the Future."

The Adventures of OOK and GLUK Kids' Event


Join in on the fun with activities, giveaways and more. As per the Border's press release, "These store parties will find kids enjoying an Ook and Gluk read-aloud-and-discussion, trivia challenge and comic book making activity. In addition, there will be samples of delicious treats from the Seattle's Best Coffee cafe served at the parties." Events and details vary by store.

As always with these store events, make sure you call your local Borders to see if they are participating. To find a store that's hosting an Adventures of OOK and GLUK kids' event, visit Borders.com and click on the Store Finder tab.



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Disney Store Kids Event – Make Perry the Platypus 8/14/10

Visit your local Disney Store on 8/14/10 to make a Perry the Platypus Inaction Figure.

Perry the Platypus - Phineas and Ferb


Perry the Platypus is the pet platypus for the Flynn-Fletcher family, from the animated kids television series Phineas and Ferb. Perry lives a double life as a crime-fighting secret agent working for the "Organization Without a Cool Acronym" (The O.W.C.A.), going by the codename "Agent P." He reports to his superior, Major Monogram, via telecast in his large, high-tech, underground hideout.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Session 1: 11:00 am
Session 2: 1:00 pm

Minimum age for participation is 3 years. Event subject to change or cancellation without notice. Make sure you call your local store to confirm participation. For further details, click Make Perry the Platypus or the above image and then click on "upcoming events" in the middle of the Disney Store website.



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Two Free Children's E-book - "Mimi Volume One" and "Busy Book for Kids"

Here are two cute children's e-books that you can download for free on your computer.

The first e-book, "Mimi volume one, a picture story book for young boys and girls," is a fun collection of stories suitable for young children and silly adults. Follow Mimi with her mom and dad, as she makes every day into an adventure, exploring the world and imagining all the fun possibilities around.

Mimi volume one is in black and white and I liked that I was able to print out pages (you can print out the whole book or individual pages) and then the kids get to color them.

You can download this free children's e-book over at http://www.drhowey.com or by clicking the direct link here: Mimi Volume One

The second children's e-book is Busy Book for Kids and has 35 fun activities to keep your kids busy. Inside you will find many different ideas families can do together that are inexpensive and free. You'll find great ideas for indoor activities, outdoor activities and travelling activities.

Happy reading!!



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Free National Geographic Kids Book of Fun

Get the National Geographic Kids Small Book of Fun and the Big Book of Fun for Free.

Inside the Small Book of Fun you will find the Fun Fact Challenge, Silly Sudsey Story, Maze, Fun Frozen Facts and more. The Small Book of Fun is available free of charge by download on the National Geographic Kids website.

You can also get a Free National Geographic Kids Book of Fun through the mail. At the end of the Small Book of Fun, you will find a mail in form. Fill in the form with mailing address and 4 UPC codes from any Popsicle Product 18-count or larger, any Skippy Peanut Butter Product 15 oz. or larger, any Suave Kids Hair Care Product or any Suave Kids Body Wash.

Here are some codes to enter to request your free National Geographic Kids Big Book of Fun:

Suave Kids Body Wash:

7940060496
7940067030
7940035422
7940039896
7940092110

Suave Kids Hair Care:

7940035422
7940039896
7940092110
7940060496
7940067030

Skippy Peanut Butter 28 oz

4800127068

This offer is valid everywhere in the United States. Offer ends September 30, 2010 or while supplies last.



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Celebrate Dora The Explorer's Birthday at Walmart (August 14, 2010)

Here's a heads up for all the Dora The Explorer fans in your home.

On August 14, 2010, you can help Dora The Explorer celebrate her birthday at Walmart.

The Dora's Big Birthday Adventure will take place from 11am until 4pm. Help celebrate Dora's birthday with FREE party favors, a FREE 5x7 HP Dora Walmart photo card and cupcakes!! Make sure your bring in your Favorite photo to create the FREE 5x7 photo card at Walmart Photo.

Dora's Big Birthday Adventure is available at participating toy departments in Walmart Supercenters with bakery. When you click on the above posted link you will able to enter your zip code to find a participating Walmart near you.

Have fun and don't forget to sing Happy Birthday to Dora!

Feliz cumpleaños a ti,
Feliz cumpleaños a ti,
Feliz cumpleaños a Dora,
Feliz cumpleaños a ti!




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FREE Jonas Brothers Locker Calendar at OfficeMax

Enter the Jonas Brothers Winning the Dream Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip for winner and three guests to the Jonas Brothers concert in San Francisco, CA. on September 18, 2010! You also have a chance to win a Jonas Brothers autographed guitar or a $50 OfficeMax® Inc. gift card.

Just by participating in the sweepstakes, everyone gets a FREE Jonas Brothers Locker Calendar!

After you sign up for the sweepstakes, you will be taken to a page with your game piece to bring to OfficeMax to see if you’re a winner. You will also get a coupon to print out and bring to Office Max to get your FREE Jonas Brothers locker calendar.

The Jonas Brothers calendar is 11" x 17" in size and limited to one per customer while supplies last. Coupon expires 9/4/10.



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Free Game Of Bowling Coupon

July 31, 2010 thru August 7, 2010 is National Bowling Week.

On August 7, 2010 participating bowling centers will offer one Free Game Of Bowling to anyone who gets their coupon online.

To get your FREE Game of Bowling coupon just fill out the form at GoBowling.com (above link) and after you submit the form you can print out the coupon as many times as you like. Good for the whole family! REMEMBER, the free game of bowling coupon is only valid on August 7, 2010.



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FREE Crayola Washable Markers after Rebate

With the new school year approaching quickly (can't believe the summer is almost over already) we will be doing your school supply shopping soon.

If magic markers are on your list then make sure you visit Walgreens before 8/7/10 to get Crayola Washable Markers free after a mail in rebate.

Walgreens has a choice of the 8 pack classic washable markers or the 20 pack super tips washable markers for the sale price of $3 and you will get a rebate form for $3, making them free.

They do have a limit of 1 rebate form printed per offer. Offer valid Sunday, Aug 1, 2010 - Saturday, Aug 7, 2010.

They also have the 24 pack of Crayola Crayons on sale for $1 and with their REGISTER REWARDS program you will get a coupon for $1 Good on Next Purchase (coupon prints up separately from your register receipt).

Just make sure if you are purchasing more than one of the same above items, that you request that the each item be rung up on a separate transaction to get the coupons for each one.



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FREE Paper City Download

Here's a fun little city for the kids to play with. It's a free paper city that can be downloaded and printed out on your home computer printer.

Free Paper City download


The free paper city comes complete with people, buildings, vehicles and a helicopter! Just print the templates out, cut them and then let your children color and play with them.

To give them a little more durability, you might want to use some card stock to print them on.

Here are the links to the Paper City Vehicles and Paper City Helicopter

A big thank you to Money Saving Mom.



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Kmart Birthday Club

Join the Kmart Birthday Club to help make your child’s birthday even more special.

"As a member of the Kmart Birthday Club, you’ll receive:

* A Birthday Surprise Fun Pack

* $5 in Birthday Bucks (redeemable at your local Kmart store) on your child's birthday

* Age-appropriate toy and gift suggestions

* Information on developmental milestones from 6 months through 12 years.

* Tips and advice for planning a memorable birthday celebration."

A nice little extra on your child's birthday! To register visit Kmart Birthday Club.

A big thank you to Karen for alerting me to this!



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Free Kidz Bop Music Download

Macy’s is offering 4 Free KidzBop song downloads.

"Featuring today's hottest hits, Kidz Bop is "sung by kids, for kids."

Just head over to Macys.com to download these songs four free songs:

-Let It Rock
-Party Like A Rockstar
-All The Right Moves
-Say Hey

The offer for the Free Kidz Bop Music Download is located toward the bottom right hand side of the Macy's website.



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50% off Clearance Toys at Kmart - In Store and Online

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on a special offer that Kmart has going on right now. It might help you save some money on a birthday present or Christmas presents.

Is it to early to start thinking about Christmas? It is the end of July, so why wait for the last minute to start your shopping.

Kmart has reduced all of their clearance toys to an additional 50% off. Here's your chance to get an early start on stocking your gift closet.

I would make sure you call your local Kmart because not all locations will have the extra 50% off but the offer is also available online.

Here are a couple of the 50% off Clearance Toys at Kmart:

Hatchling Dino T-Rex
Playskool Hasbro Playskool Kota & Pals - Hatchling Dino T-Rex. Reg Price: $19.99 - Sale Price: $7.50

Fisher-Price TRIO™ Wizard's Castle
Fisher-Price TRIO™ Wizard's Castle. Reg Price: $39.99 - Sale Price $15.00

I'm not sure how long Kmart will have this offer available so if your interested head on over to their website and start filling your gift closet.



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FREE Children's Music - 21 Baby Genius Circle of Education Songs

Pacific Entertainment is offering 21 Baby Genius Circle of Education songs free for you to download.

They want you to be part of our exciting early learning study. If you agree to participating in the Baby Genius Circle of Education survey then they will send you a short survey in 6 weeks. It’s optional to participate in the survey, either way you will still get your free music!

Along with the free children's music, you get a free printer-friendly songbook that contains lyrics to all the songs included in the download, so you and your child can sign along!



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International Children's Digital Library

The International Children's Digital Library was launch in November, 2002 with a mission to prepare children for life in an ethnically and culturally diverse world by building the world's largest online multicultural repository of children's literature. As of this post, The ICDL collection includes 4431 books in 54 languages.

International Children's Digital Library

Children, parents, and teachers will enjoy the wealth of wonderful reading that is available at this site with an interface in fifteen different languages.

The simplest way to use the The International Children's Digital Library is to just read a book. You can choose one of the featured books from the home page or search books using Simple Search. You can also search using the Advanced Search or Location Search which is located at the bottom of the Simple Search page.

By clicking on the "Read Books" button in the right hand sidebar of the ICDL website, you will be presented with the virtual library. From here you can choose from the featured books or search books in more than forty different languages. You can also search by age level, themes, book cover color, short, medium and long books, and a few other options.

International Children's Digital Library

There is also a very neat option to open a free library account, that allows all users to create a bookshelf to save their personal International Children's Digital Library favorites in one place.

The International Children's Digital Library is an outstanding website with a huge collection of books that your children are sure to enjoy. Another wonderful and entertaining website on the Internet for our children and one that you should be added to your children's bookmarks.



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Summer Coloring Pages - part II

This is the second part of our celebration of summer. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Here is the next list of Summer Coloring Pages for you and the kids to print
out and decorate.

Man Barbecuing Coloring Page - with girl waiting for the food.

Man Barbecuing Coloring Page - with Kiss the Cook Apron.

Man Barbecuing Coloring Page - with two kids licking their lips.

Beach Ball Coloring Page

The Sun Coloring Page - image number two from our summer coloring page list.

Sun and Sunglasses Coloring Page

Girl feeding Ducks Coloring Page

Kids playing in the Sprinkler Coloring Page

Man with dinosaur Pool Float Coloring Page

Shovel and Pail Coloring Page

Man diving into Pool Coloring Page

Girl Scuba Diving Coloring Page - with fish.

You can see part I of the Coloring Pages for Summer post by visiting: Summer Coloring Pages



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Sources: activity-sheets.com, allkidsnetwork.com, animaljr.com, educationalcoloringpages.com, kidprintables.com, kidsturncentral3.com, kookerkids.com, printactivities.com, raisingourkids.com, thundafunda.com

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Free Sesame Street Magazine Downloads

For those of you that may not know, over at the Sesame Workshop website you can get a free download of the current issue of Sesame Street Magazine.

Inside the Sesame Street Magazine, you and your child can enjoy a colorful array of stories, games, activities and more.

You can download the magazine in PDF format and then decided if you want to save it to your computer, print out the whole book, or only print out the activity pages that you want.

I'm not sure when they publish each issue but it looks like they offer a new free Sesame Street Magazine download every month or two.

In the July / August issue you will find that the seven colors of the rainbow are all around you. Using summer's sunny adventures, this issue will expand your child's appreciation of the world's many colors and develop their artistic eye.

Visit the Sesame Workshop website to download your Free Sesame Street Magazine and be sure to check every month or so to see if there are new issues available.



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Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck or Goofy - Free Personalized Disney Character Phone Call

Have Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck or Goofy call your home with a personalized message for your children. Thanks to Disney and Barilla, you can add a little character to your child's day.

Here’s how to schedule your Free Personalized Disney Character Phone Call:

1) Enter you date of birth.

2) Read and accept terms.

3) Choose Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck or Goofy.

4) Personalize the special message by selecting the occasion, the type of message, first name of the child (optional) and sender.

5) Enter your phone number and the time and day to call (Calls may be scheduled as much as 1 week or as little as 15 minutes in advance of the desired time of receiving the call). Calls can only be placed between 9am and 8pm.

Congratulations! Your FREE Disney Character Call has been submitted. Get ready to hear from Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck or Goofy!

NOTE: *Character call offer valid 6/7/2010 - 9/20/2010. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Must be 18 years of age or older to order a call. Open to certain residents of the United States. Currently, calls are not available to residents of ID, WA, GA, KY, MS, NE, TN and LA

As of this post, you can also still schedule personalized calls from Tiana or Woody.



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