Archives for October 2011

If your kiddos end up with more candy than you want to see them goblin’, you might try talking them into selling some of it back.

Tomorrow, November 1st, all three locations of Molen Orthodontics will be offering their annual candy buy back event from 3-6:30 PM. The pay out rate is 2.00 a pound (not too shabby)! Kids may bring a maximum of 10lbs. and they’ll also score an extra dollar for coming in costume and one more buck for donating two or more cans of food. Molen has locations in Sumner, Auburn, and Enumclaw

If there isn’t a Molen office near you, you can also try looking for a candy buy back site at HalloweenCandyBuyBack.com. I saw sites in Port Orchard, Kent, and Renton. Do call before you head to one of these, as I haven’t verified the info.

I should note that I’ve never participated in one of these events before. I got the scoop on the Molen event from Nicole at the Sumner office, but you’re welcome to double check before you head out. If you know of another, do share!

I’d also love to hear your thoughts if your kiddos have participated in one of these. Were they glad to get the cash, or sad to lose their stash?  Do you have another strategy for dealing with the sweet stuff? Feel free to share that, too!

Honestly? My kids tend to come home and pig out for a couple days, and then it’s done. We do try to do some serious brushing!

What’s really spooky is thinking about how much money orthodontists must make. I’ve got two who are going to need braces……BOO!

New here? I write just about family events and activities for the South Puget Sound. I’d love to have you come back again. You can also use one of those cute ‘ola buttons in the top right to subscribe to my feed or reader or join us on the SFM Facebook page. It’s a great place to get quick ideas from parents near you!

Happy Halloween, friends! Looking for trick or treating spots or carnivals around the South Sound?

I’ve got a list right here.

Later today, I’ll have some more scoop for you on area candy buy back programs-just in case you get more than you can handle! Tomorrow, I’ll have your usual list of weekday fun.

If you’re new here-welcome! I write just about activities in the South Sound, and I try to keep them affordable. You’ll find something new here every day, and you’ll never have to wade through a list of stuff meant for our neighbors in Seattle. I hope you’ll come back again. You might also like to subscribe using one of those cute little buttons in the top right, or come hang out at the SFM Facebook page. We have a lot of fun there.

I’m lucky enough to be part of a small collaborative group of hyperlocal bloggers. The hyper part means we all write about very specific regions-it’s not a personality thing-at least I don’t think so.

I don’t typically share a lot from their sites, because I assume you don’t really want to read about things going on in Illinois or Florida, but we decided to do a little bit of idea swapping for Halloween! I think you’ll agree with me that there is some serious cuteness going on here!

First up, check out these mummified lanterns. I know this looks very Martha, but it’s basically, “bandages,” applied with a two-step paste. You can get all the directions over at Chambanamoms.com, where Laura Weisskopf Bleill and Amy Hatch write for moms in the Champaign-Urbana area of Illinois. This craft and the pic are from their contributor, Sarah Dexter.  Seriously, we’re making these today.

Or how about these ghosts? The “Secret ingredients,” will cost you about a buck. If you have little ones who like to get messy (and you can tolerate it), you’ll love this. This one is courtesy of  Annie Tandy who writes Kids List Activities for Little Kids in the La Grange, Hinsdale, and Western Springs area of Illinois. Check out her site for the directions for this easy craft.

Finally, here’s a bite size caramel apple! If you’ve ever watched your kids try to eat a whole caramel apple, you’ll agree with me that this is genius. Pure genius. Want to make your own? You’ll find easy, peasy directions over at Kids on the Grand where Melody writes for families near the Grand Rapids area. If you have family or friends in any of these areas, I hope you’ll hook them up with these great resources.

If you enjoyed these, don’t forget to check out Tuesday’s guest post on Paper Strip Pumpkins from Erin of Simply Frugal Mom.

Got Halloween fatigue? Scroll one down to read about new exhibits at the Foss Waterway Seaport, or take advantage of the sunshine to check out the new Playground on the Sound.

If you haven’t been to the museum at the Foss Waterway Seaport lately, I’ve got two big reasons for you to go.

First, you need to find your coats. The museum is in old warehouse space, and it’s on the waterfront, which means the main part is only a little warmer than outside.

I still don’t want you to wait until spring, though. Why not? First, because if you go now you can see the skeleton of the Arroyo whale. The body of the whale washed ashore a year ago last spring, and a team led by Russ Higley of Highline has been cleaning and assembling it-no small task. As you might imagine, the skeleton is behind protective fencing, but just seeing the whole thing stretched out is plenty amazing. My 8 year old is getting harder and harder to impress, but he gave it a big, “Whoah! Awesome!” You can sort of see it in the terrible picture I took below. My camera battery died right after we got here. Surprise, surprise.

The other new feature of note is part of the collection of the late Bill Sommers, who was an avid collector of anything related to the maritime Northwest. The exhibit features just part of his collection, but it’s very well done, with whistles and horns that kids can try out, a scavenger hunt, and a small, “Touch me,” section. Henry loved it.

The permanent exhibits in the museum are also interesting, though your kids will likely want to camp out in the Discovery Wharf area. It’s about half the size of the current Children’s Museum of Tacoma (maybe 3/4?) and features all kinds of hands-on exhibits for kids. The highlight is the Faith, a fishing boat that has been repurposed just for pint sized sailors.

I always suggest calling before you head to this one, as they do get occasional field trips that close down the Discovery Wharf. On our visit we were the only ones there, and the boys played and explored for a solid 90 minutes before anyone made a peep about leaving.

When you’re done, take a walk along the waterfront. Just keep your kiddos close to you; this would be a chilly time of year for a swim!

The museum doesn’t participate in any free programs, but the admission is quite reasonable-7.00 for adults and 4.00 for kids, or there is a family rate of 15.00. It’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. To get there, you head down Schuster parkway and then turn right to go down to the waterfront. It’s just past that Dock restaurant complex.

We interrupt all things Boo-related with a quick reminder about something Zoo-related!

November 12th is this year’s annual Career Day at the Point Defiance Zoo. It’s for students in 6th grade-high school. I know many of you have younger ones, but this would be a nice opportunity to pass on to parents of tweens and teens you know. The event is free and includes free zoo admission for the student, although those 16 and under must be accompanied by a paying adult. Activities run from 10-3 and students must check in at the window first, beginning at 9:30.

The zoo has other educational opportunities for all ages throughout the year, but they’ll run you a lot more.

I think this is a great idea for students contemplating animal or science related careers, and I’m sure there are kids out there who could use it to fulfill badge or school requirements.

Update: Erin has retired from blogging, and no longer runs Simply Frugal Mom.

Paper Strip Pumpkins

You will need:

Cardstock

Pipe Cleaner

Brads

You can use either 12 X 12 or 8 ½ X 11 paper for this project. I think cardstock works best for this project. Construction paper is too flimsy to hold the shape of the pumpkin.

Step 1:

Cut your paper into even strips (mine are 1 ½ inches wide)

Step 2:

Using a hole punch, punch a hole into both sides of each strip.

Step 3:

Put the brad through the holes on one side of the strips and close. Fan out the strips into a circle.

Step 4:

Fold each strip up and attach to the 2^nd brad. Alternate sides as you bring the strips up.

Step 5:

Bend the pipe cleaner around the brad and then close. Use a pen to create ringlets in your pipe cleaner.

And there you have it.

You can vary your pumpkins by using different sizes and colors of paper and by decorating the strips before you create your pumpkins. This project was obviously too advanced for my two year old, but he enjoyed coloring on the paper before I cut it into strips to create his pumpkin.

I’ve got some insider scoop on another unique, seasonal event coming this weekend. It’s Bonfires, Beaver Pelts and Bogeymen at Ft. Nisqually. This is a special evening of old-fashioned ghost stories told around a campfire. The events begin with gentler stories, and there is a cookie break before the more intense tales begin. A volunteer will come out and invite children to, “Go home if you think your grown-ups might be too scared.” How cute is that?

I spoke with storyteller, Jerry, and he assured me that while the stories are intended to be scary, they aren’t bloody or gory. He thinks 2nd grade and up is probably the target age. He also asked me to remind you to dress warmly as this is an outside event, and he said a seat cushion is a good idea, too!

New this year: For the first time, you can buy tickets online (they’re 3.00-5.00). There is usually quite a line-up to get in, so I can’t suggest this strongly enough. When you get there, you can skip the line.  Just head on up to the front, waving your receipt prominently so no one thinks you’re cutting! Jerry also warned me that parking is even scarcer this year, due to some landscaping changes, so even if you have your tickets in hand, I’d plan on arriving early to secure your spot. Otherwise, the next closest is probably at the dog park, but that’s going to mean an uphill walk on a sort of scary road in the dark. Seating starts at 6:30 and the stories begin at 7.

If you have other questions, just give the friendly folks at Ft.Nisqually a call at (253) 591-5339.

If you’ve been to this event before, I’d love to have you tell us about it!