Will you be strolling the streets of NYC this weekend looking for something to do? Head on over to Westfield World Trade Center on August 26th-27th, for a weekend full of flavor and fun with The Creative Kitchen!
The Creative Kitchen Kids Food Festival is a celebration to educate families about making balanced food choices to help create wholesome lifelong eating habits for both kids and parents. The weekend-long event offers a host of family-friendly activities including food demonstrations, live entertainment, food sampling, the Balanced Plate Scavenger Hunt, giveaways, and more! The event is free and open to the public for General Admission.
And for those enthusiastic eaters and little epicures alike, you can attend hands-on cooking classes at the James Beard Foundation Future Pavilion, where renowned chefs pass on their recipes, skills, and love for all things culinary to a new generation of learners!
Visit the website, on the Kids Food Festival Facebook page, and on Twitter at @KidsFoodFestFun to stay up-to-date on all things about the event.
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Consultant, Taylor Bell
Tag Archives: Kids
Eating Bogies, Not the Worst Thing
How many times have you pushed your child’s hand away from his or her nose when they go to stick their finger up it? It’s become a daily habit of moms everywhere, but what if we told you that you can waste the energy pushing their hand away on something else?
You heard it here folks, scientists conclude that eating bogies is good for teeth and overall health!
What everyone thought to be a gross and bad habit for their child, is now a habit that Harvard scientists say is ‘a rich reservoir of good bacteria.’ Furthermore, the study suggests that snot could defend against respiratory infections, stomach ulcers, and even HIV.
To read more about the study and quotes from the scientists, click here. And in the meantime, stay tuned for the latest trending hashtag, #eatingbogies.
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Consultant, Taylor Bell
A Country Birthday in a City Apartment
My son’s first birthday party got the label of “Brooks’ Barnyard Bonanza!”
Based on his expressions it looked like he had a great time, but he’s only one, so it’s a little hard to tell. What I know for sure is that I had fun planning it, and the day off wasn’t too bad either.
My goals were to enjoy the moment and not get stressed, to not spend a lot of money, and to keep it focused on the type of birthdays I had growing up back home in Ohio.
My first task was to think of a theme. Farm and country got my vote.
Second, compile an invite list and create a design for the invitation. I outsourced adding all the e-mails to the evite I designed. Both of these were free!
Third, what to eat? I wanted to keep with the tradition of the birthday parties I remember, so I made my mom’s sloppy joes. Only one person at the party knew what a sloppy joe was (maybe these are a Midwest thing), but once people tried them they ended up being a crowd favorite. I also got an easy recipe for potato salad, which I would have bought, but no one sold it nearby. The potato salad took under 45 minutes and it turned out awesome!
Next, the cake. My husband wanted to help, so I gave this to him, but somehow I ended up executing on the matter. He ordered a cake from a grocery store on Long Island for $35, and let me tell you people, it was the most delicious cake I ever had. I ended up buying decorative icing to draw a cow and a barn on it, because my husband didn’t want to ask. It all worked out.
Forth, what to drink? My husband helped with this, too. I made the list and he bought beer, champagne, and orange juice.
Fifth (my favorite), the decorations. I am the product of two teachers and the oldest of five girls, so I grew up crafty. I made a homemade cow out of our dinner table by ordering a cow table cloth from Amazon, drawing a cow head, cutting out hooves for the table legs, and making a tail out of belts. Then, I cut out a barn along with some sun and clouds to make a farm on our family room wall. I bought a dozen cowboy hats to be placed on the back of chairs and around the apartment. The final thing was a ‘Yee Haw’ sign on the wall.
The attire for the party of course involved wearing flannels and jeans. My son also had a farmer bib to eat his cake.
I think the entire party cost me $300.00, which in NYC is about the cost for a custom cake.
If you need help with your next party let me know!
Written by our Founder & CEO, Lindsay Bell
Treat Your Head Right with Headspace
Happy. Healthy. Enjoyable.
These are three words that describe the teachings of Headspace to help motivate everyone to live their best life.
Headspace was launched in 2010 by two passionate head health individuals, Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson. Their mission – to get people everywhere to look after their health of the mind by sitting to meditate for a few minutes a day, everyday.
Headspace quickly grew from their events company when attendees wanted to take the techniques they’d learned home with them. Since then, Headspace has worked to make such techniques available through events, books, and a comprehensive online resource and mobile app service. Headspace is now used in over 190 countries, with the books translated into 12 different languages.
In June 2016, Headspace released their newest product, Headspace for Kids. This program was created to teach children the basics of meditation and mindfulness in a fun and engaging way, for both kids and parents to enjoy together. Headspace for Kids is offered for three age groups 1) Five and under, 2) Six to eight, and 3) Nine to 12.
For complete information about Headspace, visit their website.
Image provided by headspace.com.
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell
Upper East Side Activities for Kids
Snow, rain, and cold, are all weather elements New Yorkers have to face. Rather than cocooning yourself at home and turning to the same ol’ activities, try out something new!
There are great indoor activities offered all around NYC, and we want to share some of our favorites to do in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Try out one of these fun places, and fear those dreary NYC days no more!
1. The Craft Studio (1657 3rd Ave.)
Try out their events including crafts, camps and classes, seasonal workshops, unique toy, gift, and party supply shop, and after school programs.
2. My Gym: Lincoln Center (22 W 66th St.)
They offer structured, age-appropriate, weekly classes that incorporate music, dance, relays, games, special rides, gymnastics, sports and more! Fun bonus, you can try a class for free!
3. The MET (1000 5th Ave.)
#MetKids is a digital feature made for, with, and by kids! Discover fun facts about works of art, hop in their time machine, watch behind-the-scenes videos, and get ideas for your own creative projects. Look, learn, and create together during fun, interactive programs for kids of all ages.
Another great tip is to check out KidPass – a monthly membership that gets your child into thousands of the best kids activities in the city near you. Some of the activities include arts and crafts classes, indoor playspaces, sports, music lessons, museums, and more!
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell
Holiday Camps for Kids
Looking for some fun activities for the lil’ ones this winter break? Kidz Central Station is offering some great classes to keep them active and your hands free!
From December 19th-30th, you can check out these classes:
1. Holiday Camp Snowflakes
Age: 3-4 years
Time: Weekdays 9am-Noon or 12:30pm-3:30pm
Cost: $15-$75
2. Holiday Camp Full Day (Peppermints)
Age: 4-5 years
Time: Weekdays 9am-3pm
Cost: $15-$125
3. Holiday Camp Full Day (Gingerbreads)
Age: 5-8 years
Time: Weekdays 9am-3pm
Cost: $15-$125
4. Holiday Cookie Wars
Age: 4-8 years or 9-13 years
Time: Weekdays 9am-Noon or 1pm-4pm
Cost: $100+
For the full list of semester holiday classes and additional event details, click here!
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell
Choking Hazards for Kids
In a recent article published by Lucie’s List, they talk about the most common choking hazards amongst children. Now that you are up to date with the CPR procedures from our last blog (read here), we wanted to highlight some of the items to look out for in the case you need to perform CPR.
Choking is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children, especially those aged three years or younger. More than 60% of childhood deaths due to choking occur in the first year of life.
Of 17,500 incidences of non-fatal choking here are the items kids most often choke on:
Food: 41%
Candy and gum: 19%
Other non-foods: 17%
Coins: 13%
Unknown: 10%
In the breakdown of these categories, here are some specific items to pay special caution to:
1. Balloons (other) – latex balloons were associated with 29% of deaths overall, making it the most dangerous hazard for kids. TIP: Use the Mylar balloons instead (the shiny foil ones).
2. Hot dogs (food) – about 17% of choking deaths are form hot dogs alone. TIP: Cut hot dogs length-wise before serving.
3. Grapes, carrots, and bananas (food) – the pediatrician of the article writer said that bananas are the number one choking hazard based on his personal experience. TIP: Never give your child a whole item; cut them into halves or quarters.
4. Water bottle tops (other) – bottle tops are everywhere and often ignored. TIP: Make sure the tops are always tightly sealed and/or out of the reach of children.
5. Coins – these aren’t high on the “deadly stuff” list, but coins are around everywhere especially on the ground (a kid’s favorite place to be). Pennies and nickels are the highest risk. TIP: Shiny coins often attract kids. To be safe, don’t let them play with them. Plus, they are dirty and germ-infested. Yuck!
For additional items to look out for, read the full article here.
Kidz Central Station’s Plaza Hotel Event
Take in the sights of the Plaza Hotel during Kidz Central Station’s event this Veteran’s Day (November 11), from 5-7:30pm.
Make it a family early evening on the town and enjoy activities including face painting, a magician show, dj glow stick dance party, photo booth, and much more!
In honor of Veteran’s Day a portion of proceeds will be donated to the Bob Woodruff Foundation to help disabled veterans.
Don’t miss out! Join Kidz Central Station and their partners for this amazing fall event! To register, click here.
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell
What an Upset Kid Is Trying to Say
Tantrums and kids are two things parents wish never went together. Unfortunately, parents can only put off the inevitable for so long, and are in the position to help their child through something that upsets them.
A Bell Family mom that uses approaches from this article says, “I see this to be effective in certain situations, but in others I feel like the child has too much control, therefore running the show and their parents in circles.”
Read the full article titled, “What an Upset Kid Is Really Trying to Say” from Goop, and let us know your thoughts!
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell
Wee Ones Club to the Rescue
Have an infant and already worrying about being cooped up in your apartment all winter log?
If you live near Midtown East, sign up for a trial at Wee Ones, and hop into their Turtles and Tadpoles class!
It’s a quaint, clean space with what seems like very happy teachers. My son and I went on a trial pass and it was a great experience! My son is 5 months and was the youngest baby in the room. The class is for 4 to 14-month-olds, which is quite a large span. The class started with introductions followed by “tumbling” time; one baby at a time participated, while the others sat and watched. After this, there were sing-alongs, a short playtime, a puppet show of sorts, and a very colorful parachute ending.
This is their youngest class offering designed to introduce and develop skills for children who are not yet walking. Curriculum is carefully designed to explore all developmental domains of our youngest members and includes music, gentle movement, basic sign language, tumbling, parachute, and bubbles. Class structure supports language, social emotional, physical and cognitive development.
The trial was $15, and you can sign up for a semester class which comes out to approimately $50 per class at 50 minutes per session.
I found the class on Kid Central Station. It was easy to find and easy to book!
Written by our Founder & CEO, Lindsay Bell