Creative Entertainment Ideas for Babysitters

The more regularly you babysit, the harder it can get to come up with creative entertainment ideas for the kids. Even hide and seek, Twister, painting, and watching videos can get boring for both the kids and the babysitter.

To be the kids' favourite babysitter, you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve for both rainy days and warm summer days when going outside is an option.

Presents for Mum and Dad

All kids can be creative if given the opportunity and the materials. You don't need to spend much money on props for this type of activity. Chances are the kids will already have most of what is needed at home. If not, just pop into your local stationery or arts and crafts store to purchase some basics: craft glue, coloured paper, stickers, glitter etc.

What really motivates kids to get creative is if you aim to please mum and dad when they get home. Impromptu gifts are a lovely surprise, and will also give you babysitter brownie points.

Easy projects include photo collages, paintings, cards, paper mache and dried pasta art.

New Skills

All of us boast a talent of some sort whether it's an obvious one like singing or acting, or a more hidden one like writing poetry or gardening. Use your talent to entertain the kids.

If you're a keen musician, either perform for the kids or learn some songs together. You could also create your own band. Build instruments out of household items such as bins, pots, brooms and alike. You can present the end result to mum and dad when they get home.

Gardening is a great thing to get the kids involved with, weather and parents permitting. Ask whether it would be OK to pot around with the kids, teaching them a bit about how to do weeding and how regularly to water the plants.

Science Experiments

Every child loves a bit of experimenting. It's a great way to get them more interested in how the world works, as well as studying harder for the science-based subjects at school.

Science experiments don't have to be complicated, and certainly don't have to be dangerous. In some cases, all you need is a few common household items to demonstrate such phenomena as gravity, magnetism and more.

For example, a popular experiment is to create a fruit battery. This does, however, require a few extra bits and bobs, but if you can get your hands on them, the kids will have a great time, and will learn about electricity.

You're Invited!

We've all been invited to someone's home for a dinner party, cocktails or other type of occasion. Aside from all of the planning and work involved on the part of the party-giver, there are certain things which we should observe to not only show our respect and appreciation for their inviting us, but also to demonstrate that we are good guests- worthy of the invite and being invited again in the future.

Generally an invitation is made either by phone or by mail. An invitation by mail will generally have the familiar RSVP with a date. RSVP is an abbreviation for responde s'il vous plait which is French for "please respond". We must be certain to honor that date and give either our regrets or acceptance no later than that date. In fact, it is proper to respond to an RSVP immediately if we know for certain whether we can or cannot attend. We shouldn't wait until the last minute. The host or hostess will need to be sure to prepare for the number of guests who will be attending.

When the date of the occasion arrives, it is not polite to come too early as the host/hostess will most likely be preparing and will not be ready to entertain us. Instead, we should arrive on time or within the first fifteen minutes of the time stated in the invitation.

We will not want to arrive empty handed, either. When invited to someone's home, be sure to arrive with a small gift or something which can be shared with the other guests. A nice gift to bring could be a bottle of wine or, perhaps, a box of fine chocolates for the lady of the home. If we are going to dinner at a good friend's home, we may choose to bring a dessert or side dish. Either way, it need not be anything large or ostentatious. It merely is a show of gratitude and appreciation to our host or hostess for the work and preparation of the evening.

As the evening draws to a close, our hosts will most certainly be tired. Rather than being the last person to leave and possibly keeping the hosts up late, take note of their demeanor. If they appear tired or show signs of looking at the clock, take that as a hint and begin to say your goodbyes. Our hosts will greatly appreciate our not keeping them up all hours of the night. As much as they may enjoy our company- which is why they invited us in the first place- they will enjoy it even more of we leave at an appropriate time. Beside, when one guest gets ready to leave, that will usually start the others to do likewise.

The day after, be sure to either call or write a Thank You note to the hosts to thank them for the lovely time. A great deal of work goes into entertaining people. The preparation starts long before the actual day. Decisions must be made as to the menu, the decor, the drinks and the dessert. A host will usually spend the night before and the entire day of the dinner preparing every aspect of the evening so that their guests feel welcomed and comfortable. Therefore, the part we each play as guests has a great deal to do with the good time had by all. After all, we would hope to expect the same from others when we entertain friends at our home.

Make Your Next Party A Success - Plan A Movie Night!

Planning a birthday party can be stressful. There are tons of little details to remember. There's the list of children to invite, food, party favors, and of course... entertainment. If you're tired of doing the same thing year after year, break out of the norm by planning a movie night. But, in order to make it special, I'm not talking about watching a movie on your home television. Renting a giant inflatable movie screen is like bringing the movie theater to your own back yard. In order to make this party a success, you will need to follow these instructions:

Decide what type of movie you would like to watch. It's actually a lot of fun to record your own home movie. Have the kids put something together. Make sure to leave room for bloopers at the end of the movie. Of course if you're not the crafty, techie type that can make their own movie easily, you may just want to rent a family favorite. Rent a giant inflatable movie screen. Remember the long lost days of drive-in movie theaters? Renting a giant movie screen gives the feel of watching a movie in a drive-in theater while relaxing in the comfort of your own yard! Set up chairs and blankets in the yard. Purchase some big boxes of candy at the local dollar store to give your guests the feeling of actually going to a theater. Rent a popcorn machine for added entertainment! Many companies offer packages in which you can rent a popcorn machine for not much more than the rental of the movie screen itself. If you're going to enjoy a movie night, you might as well do it right. Renting a popcorn machine will help you do just that! Please silence all cell phones. Just like in the movie theater, nobody likes to be distracted during a movie. Make sure to respect other's desire to enjoy the film. That's it. All the planning is over. Now you can just sit down, relax, and enjoy the show with your fellow guests! Still have some left over popcorn and candy? Use the left over popcorn and candy to give to your guests as a party favor. They'll love leaving with something, and you'll love getting rid of all the left over junk food!

There are party rental companies all over the country that rent everything you will need to make your party a huge success. Now that you have all the tools necessary to make your next party a success, what are you waiting for? Start planning!

Everything You Need to Know to Plan and Create the Perfect Tea Party for That Special Occasion

Many countries have tea parties all around the world. There are many types: Of course, everyone knows about the English. But, did you know that the French, Russian, Japanese, and Asians also have them. Did you know that some people have Victorian ones, and celebrate even Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter with them.

So, why a tea party? It's a special way to create a party for someone that could possibly be a memory for life. It shows that special someone that you care and want to help them celebrate that special occasion. Whatever the occasion, a high tea is definitely the way to make an outstanding party that people will talk about for years.

One of the main things you will need is good food. The menu will need sandwiches, scones or cookies, tea bread with jam and devonshire cream, other kinds of fillings, and mini desserts. The final ingredient to the menu is 2 varieties of tea, along with a third decaffineated tea. You will also need lemon wedges, milk, and sugar cubes, because no tea party is complete without these. I especially like decorated sugar cubes. You will need to plan to have on hand for each guest at least 6 sandwiches, 1 scone, 5 small desserts, and 4 cups of tea.

To decide on what types of sandwiches and desserts you want, you can check out the internet to get ideas to plan your menu. Your menu will need to be printed out and put in an antique picture frame to display at the party and also placed in your invitation to the guests.

You will need to do your some research on your personal food choices for the tea party, but there are some really great videos you can find that will be helpful. In my research, I found one on Howcast that actually had a nine step guide, but it can be shortened some. Here are the basic steps:

Send out invitations to invite guests to come between 3-5 in the afternoon. You can have them R.S.V.P so you will know how many to expect. Use a tablecloth and table linens, silverware, teacups, saucers, and dessert plates to set the table (enough for each guest). Tea, most people use loose leaf tea, but I have used tea bags of various assortments even though I have been told it is a no-no. Have your menu out in a frame so that your guests know what is available. Put sandwiches and other foods on serving trays. You will need hot water to make the tea. If you choose loose leaf tea, you can have a teapot for each kind. But, make sure that you have tea strainers for your guests to catch the tea leaves. Enjoy and relax.

As you can see, it really is quite easy to have the perfect tea party for that special someone.

Swing Sets, What to Look For and Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe

Kids love swings, they are one of the most popular pieces of playground equipment you can find for your child. In reality it is just a seat suspended from a horizontal beam but it's also so much more.

A swing set is really just a set of swings, often two but maybe more. They will often be made up of other playground equipment such as a slide, a seesaw. In some cases a cubby house may also be incorporated.

As a swing set contains more than one piece this allows more than one child to be using the equipment at the same time. Often in a residential environment a swing set may consist of a standard swing, which is suitable for children over the age of four and a toddler version. As the name implies this is considered suitable or children up to the age of 4.

A toddler swing is quite different to a standard swing and will generally allow the child to be more secure in the swing, which is a necessity at the toddler stage where children are less aware of the dangers of taking a tumble.

This involves in most cases a seat belt and the swing may appear more as a molded seat than a standard flat piece of timber of plastic.

Safety Tips

Safety should be your first concern when looking into purchasing playground equipment for your children. Look for a reputable brand and quality construction. A decent quality swing set will have reinforcement brackets and come with securing pegs to allow you to secure the item to the ground. A common problem with swing sets is a rocking movement that may occur when more than one child is using the it, especially if the children are swinging in unison. Using reinforcement pegs will stabilise the swing set and allow your children to swing without fear of the swing set tipping over.

The placement of your set should also be considered. Obviously you will need to avoid placing it in an area that may be in close proximity to trees or other playground equipment. You should be aware of the surface the swing set is placed upon. If possible a sand or loose bark base is ideal, however this isn't always practical so at the very least avoid hard surface such as concrete. Also remember to teach your children to be aware of children in their direct vicinity when swinging. A child that walks behind a swing when in motion can put themselves at risk of injury.

How To Create Beautiful Party Decorations

In our day to day life we come across various occasions that need to be celebrated right from birthdays, religious functions, weddings, anniversaries, success parties to product launches and various other occasions, the list is endless. To have a glamorous and memorable occasion, decoration plays a very important role, which leaves a lasting impact in the minds of the guests. We shall see further what all is needed to have a successful party.

Why Party Decoration?

Consider watching a movie in which the entire movie is shot in one room with the same background throughout the film, whereas the script demands the movie to be shot in jungle, on the street or the beach depending on the situation, this will not give viewers the feel, the sense of reality and hence they will lose interest in watching the film. In the same way if the place where you are celebrating an event is not suitably decorated, it won't bring the feel, the mood amongst the people attending it. Fancy lights, backgrounds, dress code, pinatas, etc. gives the occasion a cheerful boost. Everyone enjoys and takes interest and becomes more active

Ideas To Decorate

Once the location of your occasion is chosen the biggest and most important aspect that remains is the party decorations, we shall see in detail the requirements of this:

1. First and foremost is the theme of your occasion, all beautification will depend on the theme, whether it is a birthday party, a product launch or a wedding function, each occasion requires a different set-up to make it lively.

2. Backgrounds, banners and hangings: you can have numerous types of backgrounds, ranging from glittering/designer curtains, a scenic backdrop wallpaper or gossamer rolls which comes in colorful shades, patterns and fabric type of your choice. Besides this you may want to have tablecloth and other accessories similar to the theme. Plus you can get a big banner printed with the wordings of your choice.

3. Balloons: balloons give any occasion a beautiful look if the right color/shape balloons are chosen and placed aesthetically. You can get them in all colors, shapes like hearts; animals etc. and even get your custom design or name printed on them.

4. Candles and electrical lighting: if you plan to have less lighting around, then choosing candles is the best option, candles that give an aroma on burning would be fantastic, candles come in various shapes, colors and sizes. To have more lighting, you can go for serial lighting, which comes in different colors, and lighting on/off schemes, or in the form of lanterns, stars or any shape you can think of.

5. Flowers: one can go for fresh or artificial flowers to add grace to the occasion, beautiful roses, lilies etc can be used, based on the theme color you may choose flowers that suit your theme.

6. Standees and pinatas: you can have various pinatas hanging around or standees depicting the your product, or the person who's birthday is being celebrated.

7. Car decorations: last but not the least; don't forget to decorate the wedding car or the vehicle that will be ferrying your guests with some nice lighting, crossed ribbons, flowers, balloons etc.

Once you have taken care of the above you can go ahead, send invitations, book the caterer and have a gala time with your friends, relatives or acquaintances. Happy partying to all!