activities – Page 2 – The Next Kid Thing

Pumpkin Carving with PBS Kids

October 23, 2013October 23, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Halloween time is one of my absolute favorite times of year. Cool, brisk air allowing for sweatshirt and jeans, and of course, harvest time coupled with costumes—what’s not to love?

It’s the art of going to the pumpkin patch, painstakingly choosing the most perfect pumpkin and then, planning and carving our pumpkin to depict something we love, that embodies the kind of family Halloween fun that never gets old.

As crafty and artsy as we are, though, pumpkin carving is almost like a science. Unlike when we were kids, there are now specialized, kid-friendly tools and premade stencils to make this craft much easier.

Even better, many of our favorite kid websites provide these free stencils and other Halloween ideas. Last year, we created a Jack Skellington pumpkin via Disney’s website.

And of course, leave it to our friends at PBS Kids to share a plethora of fun character stencils to make this year’s pumpkins that much cooler. Whether you’re a fan of Peg + Cat, Daniel Tiger, the Wild Kratts or our good buddy Curious George, PBS Kids likely has a stencil fit for your pumpkin. Head to PBS Kids to grab a stencil for your family’s pumpkin!

Today, along with a few of our blogging friends, Jack was invited to join GMA Live for a fun segment just on this topic: pumpkin carving and Halloween fun inspired by PBS Kids. It’s always a treat when Jack gets to make an appearance on tv, so it’s quite fitting that it’s PBS Kids, one of our most beloved kid properties.

And speaking of Halloween fun: “CURIOUS GEORGE: A Halloween Boo Fest” airs Monday, October 28. It is the first ever CURIOUS GEORGE Halloween special.
Throughout the week of October 28, PBS KIDS will feature Halloween programming from other family favorites as well, including new episodes from THOMAS & FRIENDS and its newest series, PEG + CAT, and encore presentations of many other series (check local listings). PBS KIDS will also repeat CURIOUS GEORGE: A Halloween Boo Fest on Halloween.
Kids can also explore a pumpkin patch with George with a new Halloween game on PBSKIDS.org/curiousgeorge.
“CURIOUS GEORGE: A Halloween Boo Fest” is also available on DVD.

Reading Enrichment with Play-Doh and Star Wars

September 9, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With school back in session, I wanted to share one of the many activities that we’ve been doing to sharpen and enhance Biggie’s reading skills.

Because of his late September birthday, we redshirted our five year old and thus, I’ve been vigilant about bridging the transition to Kindergarten. I have much to say about redshirting and transitional kindergarten in general, but I’ll save that for another day. Today, it’s all about Play-Doh and Star Wars.

Reading enrichment comes in many forms, but for one rainy afternoon, we paired Play-Doh and Star Wars to engage in a hands-on reading activity that just happened to focus on Biggie’s favorite characters. I let J flip through one of his favorite books right now, which is a DK Readers Level One book called Who Saved the Galaxy? by Catherine Saunders. Since he’s not quite reading fluidly on his own, I love the fact that this book has characters he loves and can decipher words with graphic help. Not to mention, it’s a well known tactic that familiar characters engage beginning readers. In our case, my beginning reader is most interested in things like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, space and Star Wars.

For this project, we used Play-Doh’s new Ultimate Rainbow Pack. The wide range of colors makes this activity fun since the novelty of new colors and variety keeps J interested in the task at hand. Once he picked his colors, he used various cutters to cut out letters for characters like Luke Skywalker.

We moved on to other characters and even picked colors that matched the characters color scheme; yellow and brown complemented C 3P0 quite perfectly!

To change it up, we decided to roll letters, which also works on those fine motor skills, and is important for proper writing utensil handling. By rolling the letters, I found that it was a great way to better understand letter formation since he had to manipulate pieces to form the letters.

Our most favorite part of this project was making a model of R2D2. This project was a fun way to work together to create something we both like! To work further on those fine motor skills, I let J cut out the tiny buttons that make up R2D2’s robotic exterior. I helped J to make the formation of R2D2 himself, but allowed him to make the final touches of all the pieces.

By pairing Play-Doh and Star Wars, not only were we able to keep occupied and have fun on a rainy afternoon, but we made Play-Doh educational by twisting it into a reading activity. Play-Doh isn’t the cleanest activity, so I’d suggest using Glad Press and Seal for easy clean up. To make Play-Doh an educational activity on our own, just grab your favorite book, pull words and play away. The more accessories, colors and words, the better!

I’m so sure teachers do activities like this in school, but for us at home, it’s a great way to sharpen reading skills and express creativity by bringing our favorite characters to life via Play-Doh and Vine!

Full disclosure: we were provided with a sample of Play-Doh, but we used our own creativity for this fun project. As always, all opinions are my own.

The First Lady and an All Star Lineup will Headline Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day 2013

August 23, 2013August 23, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s the end of the summer and one of my favorite events is upon us. The 18th Annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day will take place Saturday, August 24 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. The popular fun festival for both children and adults features games, tennis events and the hottest musical acts. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day is always a fun way to kick off the 2013 US Open, which runs from August 26 – September 9.

This year’s talent line-up includes:
· Ariana Grande, who had the breakout single for Republic Records, “The Way” featuring Mac Miller
· Fifth Harmony, girl group finalist in the most recent season of X Factor
· Austin Mahone, rising star who is dubbed as the “Next Justin Bieber” and named as the “Ultimate Breakout Star – Biggest Viral Artist” at the Radio Disney Music Awards
· Coco Jones, who was a finalist on Disney Channel’s “Next Big Thing” and whose video, “Holla at the DJ,” has surpassed 2.2 million YouTube views
· Lawson, breakout boy band who racked up 4 top ten hits in their native U.K.
· Cazzette, Swedish DJ duo who is a constant at EDM festivals, making them the only group to have ever play the Ultra Music Festival’s headline stage three times in two years and whose most famous song is “Beam Me Up”
· World No. 1 Novak Djokovic
· Reigning US Open champion Serena Williams
· Greatest tennis player of all-time Roger Federer
· World No. 1 Wheelchair Tennis Champion David Wagner

And as if that lineup wasn’t impressive enough, the First Lady, Michelle Obama will be onhand for the festivities. The First Lady, who has been a champion of leading healthy lifestyles and encouraging kids to Just Move, is expected to emphasize her message at the athletic event that attracts hundreds of thousands of families from near and far.

Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day will be televised on Sunday, August 25 from noon -1:30pm. In the meantime, feel free to check out my photos from last year’s event! Our family will be onhand to hopefully catch a glimpse of the above stars and to tweet/Instagram live. Follow along at #AAKidsDay

Welcoming the Season with Spring-inspired Crafts

April 5, 2013April 5, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Spring is well underway, and it’s finally starting to get warmer here in NJ. I just noticed my tulips and peonies are starting to emerge. It’s been a long, cold winter, so we’re all excited to see the landscape and outdoor color scheme transition from gray to lush, green and bold.

With that in mind, my boy and I have been crafting every chance we get during Spring Break. When we weren’t out playing or visiting family, we’ve been busy cutting, ModPodging and thinking of spring-inspired crafts. So, I thought I’d share a few that we found and enjoyed, much thanks to Pinterest.

First of all, a few weeks ago I scored a crafter’s delight at our local TJ Maxx. I scooped up a few containers of Mod Podge, a variety of baker’s twine and a cool date stamper—all for under $20. Not bad, considering a large container of Mod Podge can run you close to $10. I’ve had my large container of Mod Podge for 5 years, and I craft with the kid a lot! So, be on the look out at TJ Maxx and HomeGoods for crafting supplies.

Biggie has been inspired by the timely activities they do at school. So, to build on this conversation at home, I let him go to town with construction paper, crayons and scissors. From that, he created these imaginative spring objects. I especially love the bee and tree—they’re crazy-looking, but so fun.

The tree he created, we actually spotted on Pinterest. The craft originally found on

CrazyMommy’s site was intended to be a flower with hand cutouts as the petals. J made it a tree and made his handprints into the leaves. It originally had 4 handprints, but it looks like we lost one along the way. I love the way he decorated the trunk; I had a hand with the heart

This morning, we did a spring-colored decoupaged jar this morning, which I’ll share the results later.

And here’s our current work in progress:

As this guy dries, we’re off to enjoy this amazing day at the zoo!

Rollin’ with The TODAY Show and FamilyFun Magazine

March 29, 2013March 29, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Like my morning cup of coffee, I always start my day with The Today Show. Day in, day out, I rely on Matt, Savannah, Natalie and Al to get me going. And then, there’s Kathie Lee and Hoda. While the baby naps, these two hilarious ladies keep me company as I work at home.

Their segments are often lighter and sometimes wine-driven, but every now and then, there’s a topical subject for me, specifically something kid-related. In the past, Biggie has made appearances on the fourth hour to help KLG and Hoda with kid-friendly segments. Yesterday, in fact, marked J’s third trip to the show to help with another timely FamilyFun Magazine segment.

FamilyFun’s Deputy Editor Mary Giles shared several Easter activities and games to keep the kids entertained while mom and dad gorge on Honey Baked Ham and wine. Wait…

The activities overviewed on the segment included glitter, feathers, jelly beans and egg rolling with “Chinese sticks,” as J calls them. I will definitely list which activities were highlighted after the segment airs, but in the meantime, for fun, I thought I’d share J’s outfit that he picked out.

What Did he Wear

If you know me, then you must know I have a sickness that involves buying cool clothes for my boys. Way too many clothes. The outfit we agreed upon for his Today Show appearance was comprised of some fun pieces that I bought at a few of my favorite stores: a mix of big box, discount and boutique stores. Here’s J’s best Zoolander montage:

I knew I wanted him to look playful, yet somewhat dressy since it was for an Easter segment. I’m so glad we settled on the very Springy yellow button down and accessorized with a striped bowtie to assuage his current accessory obsession. Can 5-year olds have signature pieces?

1. PD&C yellow button-down

In a sea of black and gray t-shirts found at my local TJ Maxx’s boys’ section, I spotted this super cool Paper Denim and Cloth shirt. It was hard to miss this soft yellow and textured cotton shirt. I almost put it back, but I’m so glad I ended up picking this one up. It’s actually one of my favorite shirts of his right now. The details on this shirt have an Americana/Cowboy vibe without being too Woody from Toy Story. The color yellow is a total departure for us. The shirt included in this Polyvore set obviously isn’t the same one, but I grabbed it as a visual. I can’t find much information on PD&C, but I did read that this line just recently relaunched. At $15 at TJ Maxx, you can’t beat this boutique-worthy and very versatile PD&C cotton shirt.

2. Levi’s Slim Fit Jeans

I’m one of those parents who puts my kids in skinny jeans and don’t think twice. As long as it’s comfortable, durable and looks good on them, I’m all for it. I found this specific pair of Levi’s at a new favorite boutique in Nolita in the City. First turned on to Piccolini from my friend Brianne of Stroller in the City, I stumbled upon the store myself while taking my niece around downtown NYC during a recent visit. There’s so much to love about this great shop, but beyond baby friendly baubles and onesies, Piccolini also sells must-have staples like this find.
The wash on these jeans are quite different than what we usually buy, but I’m definitely digging the brownish-orangish tint. I have a feeling we’ll get a lot of use out of these jeans this Spring. (p.s. Brianne has a coupon on her blog for Piccolini!)

Today Show: Easter segment by jenrab on Polyvore

3. The Children’s Place bowtie

When one of the producers told me that style guru and Today Show Style Editor, Bobbie Thomas, loved J’s bowtie, I sort of gushed, not because I dressed him, but because the bowtie is all him. He looked sort of geeky-cool with his contrasting bowtie, but it definitely suits his quirky style. This Children’s Place bowtie is all of $5 right now. If you haven’t picked up the kids’ Easter outfits yet, be sure to take advantage of their ongoing sale, including many of their Spring styles. The gingham tie isn’t the same exact style that Jack picked out, but it’s quite similar.

4. Old Skool two-toned Vans

My children have more shoes than I do, and that’s not just because they’re growing out of their shoes almost daily, but also because boys have some super cool shoes (see: shopping problem above.) We get new Vans almost every Spring, mainly because they’re inexpensive but they’re also practical for street-wear in the Spring and Summer months. Growing up at the beach, I remember always wearing Vans with shorts, except back then, we did the checkered slip-ons. But these Old Skools are a perfect complement for the warmer weather that is finally arriving! I loved the contrast of this bright green and navy style, and would actually love the checkered pair for myself.

It was another fun day visiting Studio 1A to roll some eggs with KLG and Hoda. What made it even more special was that J got to bring along his friend, and so they experienced something so fun together. A special thanks to FamilyFun Magazine and to my friends at 360 for inviting us to “roll” out.

Classroom Fun: Oh, The Places You’ll Go and Oceanhouse Media Dr. Seuss Apps

March 8, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

As Read Across America week winds down, I thought I’d share about my fun afternoon with J’s class today.

Dr. Seuss reminded us that Life’s a Great Balancing Act (Just never forget to be dexterous and deft). Which is why I chose to read Oh, The Places You Go! in class today. In my trajectory as a writer and parent, I want to believe that it was his suggestions and wise words that have pointed me in this direction. (More on this later…)

Even though Oh, The Places You’ll Go! can be verbose for young five year olds, the class very much understood Dr. Seuss’ ideas and emphasis on imagination.
After reading to the class, we continued the conversation about Dr. Seuss with What’s in the Cat’s Hat, a hands-on game game from my friends at Wonder Forge.

This game is a classic guessing game, where the kids can utilize their senses by guessing what’s hidden IN the Cat’s hat. Each kid took a turn poking and shaking the hat, even reading off prompted questions from the cards. We heard silly guesses, but once the kids started getting their guesses right based on clues, the momentum of their deductive reasoning started to roll. I can’t say enough good things about Wonder Forge; this fantastic company has won numerous awards for their games and it’s no wonder why. Beyond What’s in the Cat’s Hat, Wonder Forge has various Dr. Seuss puzzles and games, including an app-centric game called Fun Machine.

Dr. Seuss apps from Oceanhouse Media

And speaking of apps, Dr. Seuss has an app—quite a few, actually. Oceanhouse Media has done a great job with bringing Dr. Seuss titles to iPhones, iPods and iPads. While I love my technology as much as the next geek, there’s nothing quite like a real book. Nevertheless, you can’t beat having access to a myriad of Dr. Seuss titles while on the go. Green Eggs and Ham while in the dentist waiting room? Why not. Fox in Socks while on a 2-hour road trip? Don’t mind if we do. The best part of these apps is that they’re interactive where you can record your voice while reading and even share those recordings. Oceanhouse Media has a number of Dr. Seuss classics in the $3-5 range, as well as a few free apps.

Dr. Seuss Camera

Another app that gets rave reviews from my favorite five year olds: The Dr. Seuss Camera, also from Oceanhouse Media. This app simply utilizes the iphone, ipod touch or ipad camera and frames the subject with several different Dr. Seuss characters and imagery. Point, shoot, edit and create, this app is endless Dr. Seuss fun and is free. This app is a great way to continue the Dr. Suess conversation and branch it out to digital media. In fact, we took pictures of J’s entire class and the kids had a blast picking and choosing which characters they wanted to be. Sally, by the way, was the class favorite—for boys, too! Go, Sally!

I loved talking to the kids about my job today. Since most of the kids aren’t reading quite yet, I didn’t bother telling them about NKT, other than the topics that I focus on. It was cute getting questions from parents asking me if I work FOR PBS. No, but I am a proud VIP.

Pinterest President’s Day Activities

February 18, 2013February 18, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Like many grade-schoolers, my Trans-Kindergartner has off today for Presidents’ Day. Today was one of the few days off that didn’t get taken away because of snow/Sandy make up days. With that said, we plan to do a few activities in honor of our Presidents.

Even though he’s come home telling me stories about our presidents every day for the past few weeks, I have to really wonder if my 5-year-old is actually absorbing the lessons he’s being taught. And because I’m big on enrichment activities at home to continue the conversations started at school, I love referring to PInterest. Like so many others, Pinterest is an invaluable resource for non-teacher parents. So, while many of you are pinning recipes and fabulous crafts, (I do that too), I’m usually pinning grade-appropriate lessons for my kids.

So here are just a few President’s Day activities that I have bookmarked for our day today.

This is a link to a collection of President’s Day activities. I like that it includes past presidents like Washington and Lincoln, but it also includes an activity featuring our current presidents. I haven’t seen too many of those, which, to me, makes it worth the $5.00 fee. Source: Teacher’s Notebook

Source: teachersnotebook.com via Jen on Pinterest

This is a fun-looking sight reading book, but this features Washington, making it timely for today’s holiday. The word, “he” looks like the main word, so it’s perfect for early readers. This activity book is $.90. Source: Teachers Pay Teachers via Maria Manore.

Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Jen on Pinterest

This will be the main activity for us while the baby naps later today. Biggie is all about these mini books because he gets to color, cut and construct. Best part? It’s free, well other than the ink and supplies. Thank you, Ready, Set Read for this wonderful, free resource!

Source: ready-set-read.com via Jen on Pinterest

Are we following each other on Pinterest? Find me at jenrab on Pinterest!

Dinosaur Train Submarine Adventure Debuts on PBS

February 18, 2013February 18, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Buddy and the Dinosaur Train gang are heading out on yet another educational adventure. This time, the dinosaurs will head out to sea on a new vessel, the Dinosaur Train Submarine, where they’ll learn about sea creatures from the Dinosaur Age. In their travels, the dinosaurs will see things they’ve never seen such as, Otto Ophthalmosaurus to Archelon turtles.

On February 18, PBS Kids will showcase The Jim Henson Company’s Dinosaur Train Submarine Adventure, which is an hour-long feature. To coincide with the hour-long adventure, Dinosaur Train will also feature new content online and on mobile devices. The special will also be available on DVD starting February 19 for $9.99.

As water lovers, we loved learning about the amazing sea creatures from the Dinosaur Age. Being under the sea with the Dinosaur Gang was a fun change of pace and, not surprisingly, educational and eye-opening. Since it’s debuting today on PBS, if you’re home with the kids for President’s Day, make sure you tune in for this fun feature. Thank you to our friends at PBS Kids for sending along a screener and coloring pages!

Full disclosure: As a PBS Kids VIP, it’s an honor to share news about the various PBS Kids properties. I am not compensated as a VIP, and as always, opinions on NKT are my own.

Aquadoodle Draw ‘n Doodle is Educational, Mess-Free Fun

October 5, 2011October 5, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Like most preschool-aged kids, my guy has been practicing his letters and numbers. There’s so many great toys and tools that promote reading and writing-readiness, and Aquadoodle‘s mess-free mat is one that’s become a mainstay in our lesson enrichment stash.

This toy has been around for a few years, but it just recently found its way into our inbox. There’s so many reasons to like this educational toy, but I especially like the fact that it promotes kid-powered creativity and brain power. With just water and the included pen and mat, the Aquadoodle Draw ‘n’ Doodle Mat is both fun and educational, while remaining virtually mess-free. The kid loves the pen; it’s ergonomic shape for littler hands and cool water “ink” were quite the novelty for my 4 year old. He loved seeing the different colors appear within the various sections of the mat.

Not too many complaints with Aquadoodle, although, I will warn that the pen will leak water if you don’t twist it tightly. The water filling, too, can become a preschooler “I can do it myself” nightmare, as I’ve learned. No really, kid, you don’t need a refill after writing one letter!

Here’s a little video where I try to get the kid to draw an “A” on the Aquadoodle. Ten requests later, he finally complied. Sheesh!

In the $20 range, the pricepoint of the Aquadoodle classic Draw ‘n’ Doodle Mat is very reasonable and a great pick for toddler and preschooler birthday presents. In addition to the Aquadoodle Draw ‘n’ Doodle Mat, Aquadoodle has several products in their line, such as the Travel Doodle, Plush Doodle Pet and the Doodle Wall Mat.

You can find Aquadoodle products as retailers such as Target, Toys R Us and Amazon.

Full disclosure: I was provided with product samples for purposes of this review. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

Kleenex Field Trips and the American Museum of Natural History

August 18, 2011August 18, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Having NYC in our backyard is a treat, and one that we try to enjoy as often as we can. The city, and all of its robust offerings, never fails to entertain, but even better: it also educates.

Aptly enough, last week, I was invited by my friends at The Motherhood to take part in a field trip to one of our favorite NYC institutions, the American Museum of Natural History. Having explored the incredible exhibits on our own many times before, this field trip, sponsored by Kleenex, provided a unique behind the scenes experience for some of my blogging friends and our kids.

Our group gathered at the AMNH to not only check out some of the latest exhibits, but also to learn about Kleenex’s current promotion that underscores the importance of field trips. Field trips provide kids of all ages an opportunity to engage and absorb new educational experiences firsthand; it gives learning a totally different dimension, which is something that all kids should be able to enjoy. And judging by the many mouths left agape in amazement throughout our visit, I can testify that our kids, especially my inquisitive preschooler, totally enjoyed themselves at AMNH!

Our first stop of the day was at one of AMNH’s newest exhibits, Frogs: A Chorus of Colors. My guy practically screamed with excitement at every single case. He just couldn’t believe all the (live!) frogs and toads in different shapes and sizes. And since we were visiting right before the museum officially opened, we were told that the frogs’ behavior would be especially interesting. The highlight of the frog exhibit, besides the video kiosk that showed each different frog’s favorite foods, was witnessing some frogs actually being fed. Pretty cool!

Our next stop was the World’s Largest Dinosaurs exhibit, and yet, another exhibit that didn’t disappoint, especially the dinosaur aficionados in our group! The kid had a blast playing with the mechanism that reenact the motions of how a brontosaurus ate. But it was the fossil pit that was, perhaps, the biggest hit of all. With “gwobbles,” tools and bones to dig out, we could have been there all.day.long.

My niece will be visiting next week, so we’re hoping to take another trip to the American Museum of Natural History to discover even more!

Check it

Want to learn more about Kleenex’ Save the Fieldtrip Promotion? Head to Kleenex’s Facebook page where you can enter to win $5000 toward your school’s own field trip. In this day and age of cutbacks, I’m sure many teachers, parents and students could benefit from this awesome promo!
And since you’re already on the interwebs, check out their fancy on-the-go packs. I am in love with the Wallet Packs. Who knew tissues could be all stylish!

Full disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in this campaign. The field trip was sponsored by Kleenex. As always, opinions are my own.