Brainstorm time: what popular band encourages kids to reach high, think big, work hard, have fun, AND just announced their first ever concert tour? 
Why, it’s the Imagination Movers of course!
That’s right, the Disney Channel superstars announced their “Live From The Idea Warehouse Tour” which kicks of October 10 in Shreveport, La., and winds up December 13 in Spokane, Wash.
We had a blast at the Movers’ mini-concert at Sirius Studios earlier this summer, so I’d love to check out the high energy with even more families at one of these shows! This concert series will no doubt be a huge hit, so if your kids love the Imagination Movers, it’ll be worth seeing them live! Tickets go on sale on August 15, so be sure to check and see if there will be a show near you!
Category: goodies
Peace, Love and (Build-A-Bear) Hugs
This past weekend, the kid and I found ourselves on Fifth Avenue getting cozy with a bunch of bears. That’s right, bears!
The kid and I attended the “Let’s Talk About Love” Meet and Greet with Jamia Nash at the biggest Build-a-Bear Workshop in the world, which is right on Fifth Avenue in NYC. Like I knew it would, the mere sight of the Build-A-Bear storefront elicited so much excitement from my almost-2 year old. Before we even entered the store, he was signing, more, more, more!
At the event, we briefly met with other NYC/NJ mom bloggers, and said hello to the guest of honor, Jamia Nash. If you’re a huge Young and the Restless fan like me, you might know Jamia as Ana, Tyra’s daughter. If your family is a Jack’s Big Music Show fan, you might know Jamia as the spunky songstress who sang the “Bongo Bird song” when she was about eight years old. It was a pleasure to meet the super sweet Jamia, who was so nice to the kid, even though he really doesn’t “get it” yet. Extremely articulate and well-spoken, Jamia told me a little bit about her experience in singing the Bongo Bird song. If you’d like to hear Jamia’s “Let’s Talk About Love” song, it’s available to download on the site.
Jamia a seasoned performer at only 12 years old, fittingly, was tapped to be a part of Build-A-Bear Workshop’s Love. Hugs. Peace Movement, which encourages kids to give back and be kind. At times like this, we can use all the love, hugs and peace we can get!
In line with the Love. Hugs. Peace, Build-A-Bear Workshop has introduced the Peace & Hugs Bear, which is intended to represent all three elements of the Movement. Like other Build-A-Bear animals, the fuzzy blue bear with peace signs can be stuffed and personalized. There’s even Love. Hugs. Peace bear-sized tees and rhinestone tanks available, which Build-A-Bear Workshop is donating $.25 to Save the Children from the sales.
Build-A-Bear kindly gave us some giftcards to create our own bear. The kid absolutely went nuts in the lower level of this gigantic Build-A-Bear Workshop. The lower level, which has several areas for exclusive parties, in addition to a few bear-stuffing stations, was like heaven for my adventurous toddler. And because the kid is obsessed with stuffed animals and baseball (specifically the NY Mets), naturally, we created a classic bear with a Mets uniform! Coincidentally, Saturday was Build-A-Bear Day at Citifield, the Mets’ new stadium, where Jamia also performed the Star Spangled Banner to kick the game off.
In the end, though frazzled by chasing a very curious toddler around, I enjoyed the bear-making process just as much! From choosing the bear, chasing the kid, to picking his outfit, chasing the kid again, to having him stuffed, to watching the kid pick his heart and finally creating his birth certificate, our experience at the NYC Build-A-Bear Workshop though hectic, was so much fun. I can certainly see why tourists flock to the Fifth Avenue location.
Our bear, lovingly named Buddy, is the kid’s brand new BFF, many thanks to our awesome friends at Build-A-Bear Workshop. And this is just how awesome they are: just in time for theirAugust promotion, Build-A-Bear Workshop generously gave us a $25 giftcard for one lucky NKT reader!
Win it Describe Build-A-Bear’s newest bear and please comment below.
For extra entries, share this post and/or tell me one (or all) of the songs (mentioned above) that Jamia is singing, or has sung.
So the winner can take advantage of Build-A-Bear’s $29.99 August promotion, this giveaway will end August 13! Good luck!
There’s a party in my kid’s meal!
Like many of you, we just can’t get enough of Lance and the gang. So much so, I should rename this blog the Next YGG Thing!
Starting today, Jack in the Box will be offering a super fun Jack’s Kid’s Meal featuring one of five Yo Gabba Gabba finger puppets. Kids 3 and older can collect all of their favorite YGG characters including, Brobee, the little green one; Foofa, the pink flower bubble; Muno, the red Cyclops; Toodee, the blue cat-dragon; and Plex, the yellow robot. In addition to the Kid’s Meal toys, kids can visit www.jackskidstoys.com to receive free Yo Gabba Gabba downloads and discounts on YGG merchandise at Ty’s Toy Box. AWESOME, no?
<sigh> if only we had a Jack in the Box here in NJ/NYC!
My Alligator…
Many thanks to the “Teach my Alligator Manners” segment on the Disney Channel, the kid has become obsessed with alligators. The fondness of manners? That’s coming. But I’m definitely loving the frequent usage of “pweeease” these days.
But back to alligators…since he can’t get enough of the segment, he’s also learning to recognize the parallels between the shows he loves and his toybox. And thus, we have a newly found appreciation for the Dancing Alligator from PlanToys.
The wooden, clacking pull-along toy was one of the gifts we bought for him for his 1st birthday, but he’s just now finally “getting” it. No batteries involved, just kid power, this toy brings back the old school essence of pull-along toys that I remember from my own childhood. But be forewarned, the “dancing” part of this alligator also translates into “clacking.” So, if loud toys aren’t your thing, definitely check out other PlanToys. (I personally love watching our guy run around with his alligator trailing/dancing behind!) Our alligator has made many leaps and falls these past few weeks, proving that it’s both timeless and sustainable, as far as toddler toys go. The Dancing Alligator will be one of those toys that we’ll likely keep for our kid(s)’ kids!
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Safe Baby, safe baby 1,2,3…
Even though summer is in full swing and I’ve already raved about one of our favorite sunscreens, I thought I’d share another great sunscreen that I had the chance to try out.
Safe Baby, which is part of Skin by Monica Olsen line, is a paraben-free, waterproof sunscreen with SPF 50. Monica Olsen, a former model, but more importantly, a conscientious mama like many of us, was in search of natural baby products that she liked. Since she couldn’t find anything that she felt comfortable using on her new babe, she decided to create her own line.
Safe Baby contains organic flower extracts, vitamins and doesn’t use any harsh chemicals such as alcohol. Who’d want those nasty, harsh chemicals irritating baby’s skin anyway?
I love the way Safe Baby applies; it’s not too thick or overpowering, like other sunscreens I’ve tried in the past. The scent, at first, I thought was a bit too flowery for my taste, but it dissipated and became a subtle, sweet scent once applied. As a mama with a fair-skinned babe, I like that it’s SPF 50, too. Again, like most natural products, Safe Baby is a bit pricier than I’d like to pay. There are a few ingredients listed that I can’t pronounce, and perhaps because it’s newer, I couldn’t find these products in the Cosmetic Database yet. But after a day in the sun, Safe Baby worked wonderfully and didn’t leave everything greasy or stained.
Safe Baby is worth checking out. It’s a great alternative to the chemical laden sunscreens and good option for a more natural and safe sunscreen. If you’re in the NYC area, SKIN by Monica Olsen is available at Duane Reade. Safe Baby is also available at other stores, as well as online.
Want Safe Baby for yourself?
Tell me another product in the Skin by Monica Olsen line and comment below!
For extra entries, feel free to share this product via Twitter, Facebook or any other social networking site.
Back to business
So sorry everyone for the extended absence here on NKT. Last week was probably the busiest and craziest week for me since leaving my job last October. I’ve been out of town basically since last Wednesday, and I’m just finally catching up and getting back into the swing of things.
Wednesday and Thursday morning we were busy focusing on family events, and then Thursday evening-Saturday, I was busy with the events at BlogHer ’09 in Chicago. I came away with so many fun memories and learned a ton of great ideas and perspectives.
YoBaby Meals Review + Giveaway
Last month, I professed our love for Stonyfield Farms and I also mentioned YoBaby’s new packaging , as well as the introduction of YoBaby Meals. As a refresher, YoBaby Meals are a mix of yogurt, fruit and veggie purée–all in one 6 oz. cup. The YoBaby Meals come in three different flavors: Pear & Green Bean, Peach & Squash, Apple & Sweet Potato.
Funky Kidz Cd giveaway winner
Congrats to Stephanie for winning last week’s Music Monday cd giveaway! When you have a chance Steph, can you please email your address to jen [at] nextkidthing [dot] com.
Thank you to everyone for participating in the giveaways and for participating on the site. Becuase of you, I’m able to continue to have FREE giveaways. Well, free to you, but not always for me. As a general reminder, I ship most of these giveways out on my own, with very little resources. I’m just trying to share the great goodies that I get, so, please bear with me on the shipping timeframe. It could take as little as a few days, but as long as several weeks. Thanks so much for understanding!
Under the Sea with Jimi Rock
It’s no surprise, really, that online entertainment and education, especially the virtual world segment, has grown at an exponential pace over the last few years. In fact, according to research, over the course of 2008, an estimated 8 million teen and pre-teen kids in the U.S. visited virtual worlds on a regular basis.
One virtual world that I’ve become a fan of, after learning about it from the Go Green Expo this spring is, Jimi Rock Under the Sea Adventures. It brings a whole new perspective to education and exploration, with its emphasis on marine biology and environmentalism. Featuring a kid-friendly interface with vivid graphics, this virtual world has so many interesting and educational facets where school-aged kids can play games, take interactive quizzes, chat with friends create art and even learn about interesting new places and sea creatures.
Follow history on We Choose the Moon
History and humanity was forever changed on July 20, 1969: today marks the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. In honor of the anniversary of when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of Lunar Module 5 (known as Eagle) onto the moon’s surface, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum launched the interactive website, WeChooseTheMoon.org.
WeChooseTheMoon.org, which went live on July 16, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. and took off at 9:32 a.m. – exactly 40 years to the minute after the historic launch is recreating the Apollo 11’s lunar mission, using archival audio, video, photos and real-time transmissions on the site and via Twitter.
Twitter Feeds to Follow
Apollo 11 to Houston = AP11_Spacecraft
Houston to Apollo 11= AP11_Capcom
Eagle to Houston & Columbia = AP11_Eagle
In honor of the 40th anniversary, be sure to check out the cool interactive site that’s powered by AOL and commemorates that “giant leap for mankind.” It’s a great educational resource for big kids, especially since it incorporates history and current technology. I’ve been on it all morning, and the graphics are transmission feed is incredible!