Tag Archives: holidays

Halloween Tailgating Events

Posted on by
Reply

Haven’t caught the fall spirit yet this year?  Have to much stuff to do already?  Kids can’t stop talking about the big day?  This post includes all kinds of Halloween tailgating events to get you and your family psyched for the big day!  Fun things to do and entertain through the upcoming weeks!

This Halloween series of posts will include:

  • Halloween WoW – Holiday special, this website of the week is a real treat!
  • Halloween Tailgating – Tailgating events to get you psyched for game day!  Get Halloween to “go green” and find friend and family fun!
  • Trick or Treating – Check out my ideas to breathe new life into an age old tradition!  Great ideas for individuals, families, neighbors, and friends.

Go Green!!  …and not from candy…

Go green, win big!! ChicoBag and Green Halloween’s® 2nd ANNUAL TRICK-OR-TREAT BAG DESIGN CONTEST – “Children ages 1-13 are encouraged to enter the contest by submitting an original drawing best depicting the spirit of a Green Halloween.”

Who: Ghosts and Goblins ages 1-13

What: An original design depicting the “spirit” of a Green Halloween

When: Images due October 24, 2009 by 5:00 PM Pacific Time. (Winner will be notified no later than 11/5/09.)

Ghouly Girls and Bootiful Boys Boys can create the 2010 Green Halloween ChicoBag™ and win a bag of green goodies!

Monster Mashup – Oriental Trading Company came up with a great website to easily make mashup video with up to 5 of your closet friends with an awesome Halloween backdrop!  I made one with my daughter of her and her friends and she almost died laughing! Easily share with your friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Check out the one I did of San Antonio Social Media super stars @ColleenPence, @Nanpalmero, @1337wine, @ashleypalmero, and @anaflores!

Bonus:  Upload your pictures or use existing pictures from Facebook!  Using FacebookConnect, you can select from your existing photo albums or use friends!  It was super simple to do!  Don’t forget you can also resize the area around the face to select – for optimal mashup potential!

Halloween Tailgating

There are a lot of fun events going on before Halloween even gets here!  Don’t wait until the end of the month; check your newspaper for local events!

1 – Bass Pro Shop! You heard me right!  I have been more and more impressed with the activities offered here!  Oct. 24/25 and Oct. 30/31, get there early and stay for different crafts and activities offered throughout the day and store!  Make a leather craft, rope a bronco, partake in kid costume parades, paint a craft pumpkin, roast marshmallows, and lots of other GREAT events!

2 – Lakeshore Learning Store! Enjoy making a different Halloween themed craft each Saturday during the month of October.  Crafts include silly scarecrows, countdown calendars, and other things to drive you batty while your child has a lot of fun!  All locations from 11am-3pm.

3 – Pumpkin Patches! This was one of my favorite October traditions!  Find a local pumpkin patch, maybe as cool as this one – South Texas Maize!  Right outside of San Antonio, TX…it even has a corn maze (one kid friendly and one more difficult!)  Help you kids select their own pumpkins, snack on fall snacks, take a hayride, and automatically have the picture backdrop for Halloween pictures.

I’ll also continue to update this post as I find more family friendly events as well!  Check back for that and my next post on alternatives to trick or treating or ways to spice it up!

Website of the Week | Trick or Treat for UNICEF

Posted on by
1

Create an unforgettable Halloween for the entire family!  I have scoured the internet to consolidate the best fun activities that not only encourage a good, safe time but help the community, environment, and result in much more than just cavities.

My Halloween Series includes:

  • Halloween WoW – Holiday special, this website of the week is a real treat!
  • Halloween Countdown – What to do while you’re waiting!  Get Halloween to “go green” and find friend and family fun!
  • Trick or Treating – Check out my ideas to breathe new life into an age old tradition!  Great ideas for individuals, families, neighbors, and friends!

I’ve always enjoyed Halloween – it’s a fun holiday regardless of your age.  This year though, instead of waiting for the true meaning of Christmas to roll around, use Halloween as an opportunity to show your kids that they shouldn’t just look forward to the sweet stuff at the end of the month but they can ALSO offer a lot of treats too!

Website of the Week (WoW): UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund)

A global organization that saves kids’ lives in over 150 countries by providing clean water, nutrition, medicines, education and aid in emergencies.  They’re also offering awesome ways to raise awareness and contributions!

UNICEF’s Media Savvy

  • Follow @unicefusa’s tweets on Twitter.  (Not on Twitter yet?  Twitter 101 from basics to advanced users here!)
  • Become a Fan on Facebook!
  • Join their cause – By clicking on the “Join Cause” button, you can track how much money you’re raising, see how others are doing, and join the discussions online!

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

Encourage your child to help other kids, all over the world, survive and get the basic essentials they need to live better, fuller lives!  Bring around your orange box to collect money in while trick or treating.  Check out their PDF of FAQ here.

  • Practice What you Preach – Does your child get a little gun shy?  Don’t wait until opening night to find out what lines your kid’s going to deliver?  UNICEF even has an online game to help kids practice what they’re going to say.

***Parents check out these resources to help understand and explain the importance of giving back, now and throughout the year!

Available anytime between now and Halloween.  Don’t feel like waiting? Download the materials to make your own collection canister here.

***P&G will double HGTV TV viewers’s tax-deductible donations made online between October 18th and October 31st!

Halloween Party Toolkit

Includes EVERYTHING you need to throw a fun, successful, and informative fundraising party!

  • Invitations
  • “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” Door Sign
  • Stickers, Window Cling, and Door Hanger
  • Text-or-Treat Mobile Giving Cards – hand out during the party for your guests to contribute at their convience.
  • UNICEF DVD – Download the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF DVD, to show your guests how their contributions will be used.

Whether you’re throwing a party for a lot of people or just your family, take advantage of this awesome offer!

Create Your Own Website

Your child, their school, your organization, or just you can create your very own online fundraising Mecca!  In a few easy steps, save the lives a children across the world by:

  • Creating a monetary goal
  • Personalizing your website – easy to update and use!  (Can even create personalized URLs.)
  • Send out to friends and families…encourage everyone to participate!

UNICEF Download Center

Don’t have enough stuff yet?!  With enough activities to entertain you and your children for hours, take advantage of all the FREE resources available!  Download the fundraising kit, ultimate resource kit, or check out the entire sub-site dedicated for teachers!

TeachUNICEF

TeachUNICEF is a resource for U.S. educators.  TeachUNICEF education materials have been designed to help educators bring a global understanding of the needs of children and families around the world into the classroom.

Delivering the Goods

UNICEF makes it easy to turn in donations by phone, online, mail, or even your local Coinstar center!  Turn in all the coins you collect instantly and send off your receipt.

And you don’t have to have kids for a lot of my suggestions – grab a group of your friends, your co-workers, and celebrate the end of harvest time with the season of sharing!