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Cute snack, craft ideas for Groundhog Day
Will Phil see his shadow on Thursday? We'll find out on Groundhog Day (which is Thursday) and if you want to have some fun with the kids, check out this really cute snack idea from the Playtime With Mommy blog. Using pudding snack cups (or use your own small clear bowls) and add pudding, crushed oreos and graham crackers with an emerging Teddy Graham popping out of the "dirt." I just love clever moms like that!
For an easy craft, check out this cute pop-up groundhog from All Kids Network. It's basically a peek-a-boo toy that you can make seasonal. ... Read more
Jose Gaspar himself will be at kids parade
For the first time in Gasparilla’s history, the legendary pirate Jose Gaspar is making an appearance in the festivities. Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla has organized a show after Saturday’s children’s parade to tell the story of Tampa’s biggest party and bridge the time between when the parade ends at 6 p.m. and the fireworks begin at 7. In the past, many families packed up their beads and left before dark.
The multimedia presentation will take place from the Jose Gasparilla, the “pirate ship’’ moored off Bayshore Boulevard near Rome Avenue in the Hillsborough Bay. Parade-goers will be able to see it along Bayshore and hear it from speakers set up along the parade route. ... Read more
Review: Laurie Berkner Band delights twins, parents alike
Annnnddddd, the eggs are still shakin’.
My husband and I took the little monkeys to their first show last weekend: the Laurie Berkner Band, at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Any outing with multiples is a production, and my heart baby is now on supplemental oxygen after having her third heart surgery last month, so I felt a bit like a pack mule toting all their gear plus a tank of O2, her heart monitor, etc. But it was totally worth it. The monkeys (they are 2 now) had a blast, and so did we. ... Read more
GattiTown will give out free lunch, game time for grand opening
On Friday and Saturday, early birds will get the pizza and game tokens at the newly opened GattiTown gaming center. As part of its grand opening celebration, the first 100 kids (12 and younger) in line at 11 a.m. will receive a free lunch buffet and 30 minutes of game time. The restaurant serves specialty pizzas, pasta, salads and dessert.
The game center has 16,200 square feet of bumper cars, video games and mini bowling. This is the first Florida operation for the Texas-based gaming chain described as "Chuck E. Cheese on steroids."
GattiTown, a new kids' play zone, opens
Our colleague Drew Harwell reports that a pizza chain called GattiTown is opening in Clearwater this week and is described as a Chuck E. Cheese on steroids. Instead of toddlers, it will cater to older kids and their parents. They even have bumper cars! ... Read more
Throw a Fear Factor party for kids
I had to share the details of one the most fun birthday parties we've ever thrown, and it didn't cost very much either. We had a Fear Factor party for my son's 9th birthday. The kids at the party ranged from 3 to 13 and the challenges included who could stand in a bucket of ice water the longest, picking small toys out of a bucket filled with live jumping crickets and eating chocolate covered ants (Raisenettes), roast beef hash they were told was dog food, gummy eyeballs (that looked quite real), and sardines.
I was surprised that pretty much all of them did the challenges, though some of them dropped out of the yukkier eating challenges. I was downright shocked how many kids willingly ate a sardine!
I even did the ice water challenge against my husband. (I won, but I did it by tricking him into thinking we were quitting at the same time to call it a draw. Psyche!) ... Read more
Museum makes 'Wizard of Oz' pop-up adventure
Check out this story by our colleague Mary Jane Park on the new interactive exhibit that opened Saturday at the St. Petersburg Museum of History. You will learn little-known history (like that Dorothy wore silver shoes in the book, not ruby slippers) in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" story presentation, which includes 10-foot-tall pop-up books that blend entertainment and education geared to children ages 4 to 12.
Each major character has its own "book" and begins, as did the 1900 volume, with a black-and-white area, then moves to color once a tornado carries Dorothy from Earth to the Land of Oz. ... Read more
Free and cheap things to do with the kids this week
See costumes from Star Wars and superhero movies like those worn by Batman's nemesis parading in Tampa, or maybe you are more in the mood for cute baby leopard cubs, left, or how about roaring super boats off the coast of Clearwater Beach? We have that and more in this week's episode of Free and Cheap Things to Do With Your Kids. ... Read more
Free (and fun) places to throw a kid's birthday party
Our colleague Katherine Snow Smith, the original Rookie Mom columnist, has a great article today on places to hold a kid's birthday party that are free or nearly so. And best of all, they are terrific unique ideas for a party.
Among them: ... Read more
You can toss the football while tailgating again
We have tickets to Saturday's USF football game at Raymond James Stadium, and I have to admit I wasn't sure it would be that fun for the kids. Last season we ran afoul of the security guards who put a stop to my kids tossing around a football as we grilled our skewers on our portable grill and prepared to yell our heads off.
No throwing? But this is football! The guard patiently handed over a business card with the stadium rules that banned “throwing or kicking objects.” He pointed out how the weekend warriors were penned into an area specifically designated for throwing Frisbees or tossing footballs.
That really took the fun out of our tailgate parties. ... Read more
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THE AUTHORS
E-mail Sharon Kennedy Wynne:
wynne@tampabay.com
E-mail Kate Brassfield:
katedaphne17@gmail.com