Jan 26, 2010

Princess birthday party


Let your little princess’s birthday party be unforgettable! Make it something special with these ideas.

To begin with send the princess party invitations in a royal fairytale style on parchment paper, rolled up and tied with a ribbon. To emphasize the excitement of this party arrange home-delivery of the invitations by someone dressed in the costume of a courtier.
Be sure to local and online stores to acquire a lovely dress, shoes, a tiara and magic wand for your princess.

Princess party ideas



To have your palace unique-decorated resort to true help of special party supply stores. You can help your party quests to identify your palace by decorating the ceiling and front door with colorful balloons. You can also arrange vividly colored balloons in a shape of an archway so that your quests could walk under.

Princess birthday party games



Sure no kids’ birthday party can do without games. Princess birthday party is that. You can play Pin the Tiara on the Princess. Find the poster with the picture of a princess and fix it to the wall Take a piece of card and cut out small tiaras with each kid’s name. Then everybody has a chance to pin his tiara on the princes. It’s not easy because you cannot see. You have a scarf over your eyes. The person who put his tiara nearest to the right place is the winner.

Besides you can play musical games such as musical chair or a version of it. Choose some lively music and have the players dance about. As soon as the music stops, the guests freeze in their places. Those who fail to stand motionless are out. The game lasts until there is only one person left.

One more game is “Royal Messenger”. Have quests sitting in a circle and whispering a message for the King to the neighbor on his right until the message gets to the last kid. That kid repeats it out loud. You may have fun on hearing it.

You could provide the guests with dress-up things: kid make-up, jewelry, mirrors and so on. You could also let the kids take them home as a party favour. You could provide sweet food such as jelly beans in pink, red and purple, fruit slices with caramel dip and berries with chocolate dip, biscuits as well as various juices, fizzy drinks and milk shakes.

Your little princess will be sure have the most enchanted Birthday Party, one’s ever had.



Jan 15, 2010

Wooden Toys


The wooden toys have been played with since time immemorial. They have been whittled into various shapes ever since the invention of the knife and in those early times the wooden toy industry emerged. Fibrous cellulous toys were sturdy and durable and kids loved to play with them.

Then manufactures started to make toys out of steel and plastic. That took place for a few decades and meant lower price but lower quality as well. Therefore to create toys the next generation can play with the manufactures have gone back to such material as wood, durable and long-lasting. And now you can find wooden doll houses, cars, trucks and planes again.

The popularity of plastic toys results from lower cost of raw materials and shipping as they have lower weight. But it should be remembered that many of the new materials contain harmful chemicals. Playing with such plastic toys and being exposed to these chemicals may cause health problems.

On the contrary wooden blocks and wooden toys having been played with for centuries can do no harm except the occasional splinter. This can easily be eliminated with proper sanding. Another drawback associates with lead based paints that now has been solved by substituting them for leaf free paints.
Moreover every year we learn about new dangers, plastic used for food containers and toys present. The main danger with plastic toys for kids is that they may chew them. Keep your kids safe and let them play with wooden blocks having been around for ages.

Jan 10, 2010

Disney princesses





Did you love watching Disney movies about princess when you were little girl? There can hardly be anyone who would answer “no”. Little girls are fond of stories telling us how future beautiful princesses have to overcome various difficulties to marry a prince and live happily in a palace. But we should bare in mind that the origin of these tales are far not so enchanting. And the life of princess from the original tales written by the brothers Grimm wasn’t always wonderful. So let’s try to compare Disney’s and Grimm’s version to decide which is better.

Grimm’s traditional German fairy tales are very interesting stories and at the same times they represent historical literature. But in spite of that they can hardly be considered appropriate for children as they contain a lot of cruel scenes. For example the evil Queen from the tale of Snow White wanted to eat Snow White’s heart which actually turned out the heart of an animal. Having poisoned Snow White she was made to wear heated iron shoes and dance until her death.



Another terrifying moment we can observe in the story of Cinderella where the step sister chopped off parts of their feet trying to put on the golden slipper which was not their size.

Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty differs from Disney’s one in a way that she married a prince, had 2 children and while her husband was at war his evil mother orders to cook princess and her children and serve them to her. But she failed to realize her plan and died in a tub of vipers.

Thus, Disney princess movies differ greatly from the origin fairy tales they are based on. The most remarkable thing about the Disney’s versions is that they are very entertaining and parents watch them with their kids not to show that evil doings must be punished but just to be entertained. So from the point of view of writing stories more appropriate for children it can be said that Disney’s versions are better. Someone may argue that they are sugar-coated versions of the original fairy-tales. But on the other hand fairy tales acquire a lot of versions first passed orally and eventually written down. The Disney films are just that and these versions can be shown to kids without frightening them.
So taking into consideration everything said above, it’s up to you to decide which version you’ll let your children read or watch.


Jan 7, 2010

Internet and Kids



It is interesting to note that there is something amazingly unique about today's children. Young children nowadays are growing up in an environment where internet use is the rule, not the exception. How young is too young to allow your child to use the internet? This is a very good question that I know most parents are asking themselves. If you, as a parent, are asking that also, you will see that the answer is most likely a matter of the parent's personal preference. There are parents who expose their children to computers and the internet at a very young age, while there are others who wait until their children need to do so for school.

Some elementary schools teach children as young as first grade how to use a computer, and many parents, especially first time parents, are not aware of this. Computers and internet access are becoming increasingly available in schools, and more young children are getting exposed to computers in their classrooms. These young children may not learn how to browse the internet yet, but they do often learn the basics. And these include learning how to type, how to turn a computer on and off, how to use a computer mouse, and so on.

Many parents allow their toddlers and preschoolers to play educational games on the computer. Parents usually get the software for these games online, rather than go to media stores. Fortunately, most websites do not display harmful advertisements on their web page that your child could accidentally click on.

Elementary school children usually use a computer and the internet to play games, though towards the fifth or sixth grade, they may start to utilize the internet to do get their school projects done. This is when you as a parent should start to keep track of your child's internet use. Your child may not use social networking websites, join internet chat rooms, or visit pornographic websites at this age, it doesn't automatically mean they can't innocently come across them. Some so-called child-friendly websites are not careful enough to filter advertisements that may show content offensive to very young children.

If you have a child in junior high school, then you need to be very vigilant at all times when they go online because they are the ones who need the most monitoring online. Kids this age are a social bunch of curious and excitement seeking individuals and though they may appear to use the internet for their school projects, you cannot prevent them from communicating with their friends and even making new ones online. All teenagers are exposed to the same internet dangers but most of them are not aware of the real danger that festers around social networking websites like MySpace and internet chat rooms.

Now, let's go back to the original question. How young is too young to allow your child to use the internet? Do you feel your child is ready to use a computer and the internet? As previously stated, only you, the parent, can decide if and when you think your child is ready enough to use the internet. That said, it is important that you use your best judgment when you allow your young child to go online and do not forget to set up rules for your child to observe. Always have someone older to watch over your child as they use the internet. They should never be allowed to browse websites online all by themselves because you never know what types of websites they could accidentally click on and visit.

Talking about internet safety rules, make it certain that your child knows exactly what your views are with regards to social networking websites and internet chat rooms. If you do not feel comfortable about your child using social networking websites, you should tell your child why. If you do allow it, you should establish clear rules. These rules should include asking your child to make their social networking profiles not publicly viewable, never to communicate directly with strangers online, even to those who appear to be super friendly, not to exchange personal details online, and not to post pictures or videos on any websites online.

Your child's passport to use the internet lies within your hands. Just be sure to implement clear-cut rules so that you can prevent exposing your child to internet dangers. Even children as young as toddlers and preschoolers should be able to follow these rules that you have set up, such as playing games only on websites you deem safe and kid-friendly.

While there is no hard and fast rule as to how young is too young for your child to use the internet, you should use your best judgment in making a decision for your child.

By Suzi Carr.
Suzi Carr is a wahm who writes about her interests and shares them with others who wish to read what she has written. Take a look at her sites about baby shower cards and also African American baby shower invitations for yourself or some near and dear to you.

Jan 4, 2010

How to buy a dollhouse



Choosing the right dollhouse for your little princess is a very big problem. The wide selection let you be nervous, because you don’t know how to pick the best. You have to consider some important details before you buy a dollhouse that make you baby happy.

The first thing is the safety of your child. Many dollhouses include very small pieces so you should take size into consideration. Our little explorers love to eat what they see and they do not notice the details. So if your daughter is a toddler the larger the dolls and furniture, the better. A few larger dolls and minimal furniture – and hours of happy playing are guarantee.

But if your child is older, she will prefer attention to detail. Older girls prefer large dollhouses with many rooms. The rooms are smaller in size but have more dolls and furniture. Your little houseowner will be kept busy for hours taking in every detail.

You have to remember that a cheap, plastic house is short-lived. When your child gets older, you might consider buying a more elegant dollhouse with porcelain or glass items and dolls. It will be more for show and collecting than heavy use, but such dollhouse might keep its beauty for years.