Halloween is almost here! While things are not quite back to normal regarding large gatherings and trick-or-treating, costumes and (especially one with masks!) are still a great way to have some fun with all your fall activities. Have a fun time dressing up around the house or wherever your Halloween and Fall adventures take you with these Portland, Oregon-themed costumes. Remember to practice social distancing but stay together as a pod, you never know what kind of donuts or lumberjacks you might find lurking around these October PDX streets!
The modern state of Oregon was in many ways built on sawmills, timber, and the logging industry. While the industry was perhaps rightly criticized for its clear cutting of old growth forests in the past, the myth of the lumberjack and our abundance of trees remains one of the enduring symbols of the state of Oregon. The lumberjack was the mythical cowboy-esque persona of this era and personified in years past by the likes of Paul Bunyan and today by people like Timber Joey, the Portland Timbers “Mascot” who saws off a ring of wood from a tree every time the Timbers score a goal. Conversely, if you’re against the very idea of this, consider going as a tree hugger. The spirit of protest and demonstration is still alive and well in Oregon.
This could possibly be the most Portland costume of all time, and it’s a classic that will never go out of style. Get the whole family in on it with individual cloud or raindrop costumes and then designate someone to carry or be a rainbow! You can buy costumes online or get crafty and creative. With a little cotton, colored paper and glue, you’ll have the cutest rainstorm in town.
Portland loves its Blazers and Timbers. Any real Timbers fan has enough gear to outfit the entire army, so put it to good use! You can make it interactive with pretend axe-chopping your way up and down the street. Or just get your brand new babe an adorable onesie and you’ll have all of the ghosts and ghouls gathered to get a peak.
Portland may be known for some of its hipster qualities. But there was a time when weirdoes and hippies filled our streets. Evoke the classic Portland hippie in the days of flower power, jam bands, and bell bottoms. Our local Good Will and classic vintage stores are packed with everything that you need. There is no shortage of vintage needs here in Portland! Online shops are also a COVID-safe go-to if you can’t pull some pieces out of the back of your own closet.
Portlanders love their donuts! There are plenty of donut outfits you can purchase online. You could even DIY this one at home with some felt. Go all VooDoo and stick real cereal to the costume! Or, if you’re more of a savory person, celebrate your love for Portland’s own Pine State Biscuits. Bonus points for some gravy and fried chicken on top.
Dress up as an ode to your favorite food cart–if your little one is in a stroller, you’ve got a rolling costume! DIY some local favorites like Khao Man Gai, The Grilled Cheese Bus, or others. Or, if you’re a foodie family who watched Top Chef Portland, dress up like your favorite Top chef judge or contestant.
Sasquatch
The mythical Sasquatch usually stays out of view, but this Halloween he just might make an appearance. After 2020, who knows what could happen! Get ready to greet him with your very own sasquatch costume to welcome him to the neighborhood. Or perhaps all the isolation has finally goteen to Sasquatch and he found himself trapped in the world’s only Sasquatch trap, located in Siskiyou National Forest.
Portlanders love their pizza. According to one author, Portland even has the best pizza in the country! Dress up like your favorite slice or restaurant and watch out for those who try to eat you!
Put A Bird On It
This might be the easiest idea for a Portland costume ever! Throw it back to 2011 with a Portlandia-inspired costume—just put a bird on it! Other ideas might include goths, street punks, butchers, and picklers!
Ready or not, Christmas shopping is right around the corner! Target has just released the annual Bullseye’s Top Toys list for your making-a-list inspiration. This year features the most exclusives ever, with new 22 toys and games you can only buy at the massively popular retailer.
You’ll find 50 top toys to choose from and Target has even broken it down into categories like “Inspiring New Stories” and “Inspiring Active Play” to make shopping easier. Top brands Disney, LEGO, FAO Schwarz and L.O.L. Surprise! all have exclusive Target offerings for the holiday season. Better yet, many are available to buy now!
Some of the exclusive Target products to look for:
Prices start at $19.99 and Red Card holders can get 5% off Top Toys purchases all through the holiday season. Need it fast? Take advantage of the same-day fulfillment options like Drive Up or Pick Up in store!
––Sarah Shebek
Featured image courtesy of Daniel O’Donnell, Unsplash
You’ve made the big decision to add a pet to your family and now it’s time for another important choice: What kind of animal will you get? Once you’ve narrowed your choice down to cat or dog (or bird, or lizard!) you’ll also need to figure out which kind of pet best fits your family’s lifestyle. We’ve teamed up with Hill’s Pet and five moms to see how they decided on what kind of pet to add to their family:
As a mom to two tiny humans and two dogs, Nashville Wife Styles has her hands full! When it was time for her family to get another dog, she knew that a pug mix was the perfect loyal pup to join their fam.
The Jamie Lynn Show and her three little ones love to fill their weekends with activities and adventure, which is why they decided on a Goldendoodle. This energetic pup is always prepared to join them as they explore!
While Texas Forever Farmhouse is a fan of both cats and dogs, when it came to getting her own family pet she knew that a cat was the best fit, thanks to their independence and quiet presence.
The Gingy Pants had her pup Fin before they started growing their family with children, but she always knew she wanted her kids to grow up with a dog. Having an older pup who is a little bit calmer has been a perfect fit for her two little ones!
When Ann Marie Bailey’s family was spending more time at home last spring, they decided to add a pup to their family. With three kids, they wanted a dog that was full of energy, but as a family with sensitive skin they also knew a hypoallergenic dog was best for them.
The Halloween spirit is building! LEGO will release two new sets for the upcoming spooky season on August 1. You can buy a Spider & Haunted House and a Halloween Owl to have some fun and decorate with your family.
The first seasonal playset features a brick spider with poseable legs and a miniature haunted house with window and cracked brick stickers. Both feature strings so you can hang them with your other decorations. Kids seven and up can enjoy this one and it’s only $9.99.
Owl lovers will definitely want to snap up the second set, featuring a bird that rotates and can move its wings! It’s attached to a display base with pumpkins and autumn flowers. LEGO notes that this set is best for builders age eight and up and it’s retailing for $14.99.
If you need even more spooky sets, LEGO has you covered! Check out the online shop for a Frankenstein, Haunted House and more.
Are you a big time botanist? LEGO’s new set is for you!
A fresh addition to the LEGO Botanical Collection, the Bird of Paradise makes for the perfect relaxing activity plus a fabulous centerpiece. With repositional flowers and leaves, the building set is as close to a lifelike plant as you can get-no watering required.
Joining the collection alongside the LEGO Flower Bouquet and the LEGO Bonsai Tree, the Bird of Paradise measures 18 inches tall and sits in a five inch wide black flower pot. The set is geared for adults, or builders 18+ and contains 1173 pieces.
LEGO went above and beyond with this set that includes fun building elements like purple swords that make up the stamens. In the piece de resistance, the leaves even slightly sway when placed in a light breeze!
It’s hard to beat Sesame Street when it comes to classic kid’s entertainment. From Big Bird to Bert and Ernie, these characters are a reliable hit with the smallest members of the household.
Now there’s another way to learn and play, thanks to a partnership with toy companies Little Kids Inc and CreateOn! They’ve launched a number of new products just in time for summer fun.
Sesame Street Splash & Play Water Mat
Little Kids Inc.
The Sesame Street Splash & Play water mat looks perfect for beating the heat. It's designed for ages 18 months and up, with inflatable Elmo characters and a gentle water mist. For tactile play opportunities, the mat includes a push & play water pillow and floating foam characters. You can buy it for $24.99 on Amazon.`
The Monster at the End of This Story Magna-Tiles
CreateOn
Add a Sesame twist to standard Magna-tiles with three new sets! The Monster at the End of This Story set features lovable Grover and a structure set. The interactive toy shows kids Grover has nothing to be afraid of, with help from his friend Elmo. It's available now on Amazon for $39.95, for ages three and up.
Oscar's Garbage Truck Magna-Tiles
CreateOn
Learn eco-friendly tips with The Sesame Street Garbage truck, featuring Oscar and Elmo. Take the truck for a ride and find out ways to help planet earth. Kids can build Oscar's garbage can to put in trash, or set up a conservation scene. It's $49.95 on Amazon for ages three and up.
Hooper's Store Magna-Tiles
CreateOn
Finally, kids can take part in another favorite activity, shopping, with the Hooper's Store set. Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby are ready to shop and there's plenty of food to find in the store. Plus there's a lesson on the food pyramid as they build a shopping cart. This one's also $39.95 on Amazon for ages three and up.
LEGO has launched a fan-fave set! For the first time ever Sesame Street will appear in LEGO form in the new building kit, 123 Sesame Street.
The set was conceptualized and voted on through the LEGO Idea program, which gives fans the opportunity to submit their own ideas that can be brought to life with a LEGO master designer. Sesame Street 123 was a product of Sesame Street fan and LEGO enthusiast, Ivan Guerrero.
The new set brings together the details of the famed New York City neighborhood and includes Bert and Ernie’s apartment, Big Bird’s nest, Hooper’s Store and Oscar the Grouch’s trash can. The set comes with minifigures such as Cookie Monster, Elmo, Big Bird, Bert Ernie and of course, Oscar the Grouch.
The1,367-piece set measures 9” high, 13.5” wide and 8.2” deep and is for creators 18 years and older.
Sesame Street 123 retails for $119.99 and is available exclusively at LEGO retail stores and LEGO.com.
Birding, or birdwatching, is the type of thing that you don’t really notice if you’re not aware of it; if you are, you see it everywhere—either in the form of birds roosting and passing through, or people pointing cameras with really big lenses skyward. Believe it or not, NYC is a fantastic place for birding, and birdwatching is a great activity to do with kids. And now, on the cusp of the annual spring migration, is a superb time to start. Read on for our guide to birding with kids in NYC—where to do it, when to do it, and who can help!
The NYC Family Guide to Birding: Where to Start
Joshua Bright
Birding is an excellent way to pass the time since it can really be done from anywhere. The activity gained a lot of new fans over the past year, as people slowed down and looked outside for things to do. (It's also relatively affordable.)
NYC is home to over 200 species of birds that visit regularly, while more than 200 more species of varying levels of rarity have been spotted by birders over the years. With so many types of birds to discover, where do you even start?
We reached out to Lily Lasovick of the NYC Audubon Society for some words of wisdom for budding birders. Her first bit of advice? "Go birding as often as you can! The best way to improve your bird identification skills is through practice."
Take that first step by just heading outside and observing. You might be surprised at how many more birds you spot than the omnipresent sparrow and pigeon. In this author's Brooklyn neighborhood, for instance, it's not uncommon to see vibrant red (and a duller brown female) cardinals, hear the plaintive meowing call of the bluejay, or watch a mockingbird bomb-dive an unlucky cat who wandered too far into the bird's domain.
Another aspect of bird watching that can help you get started is to become a part of the community. According to Lasovick, "if you see another birder or a group of people birding, do not be afraid to go up to them and ask what they are looking at or what they have seen. Birders are friendly people and like to share their knowledge of birds. Learning from others is another great way to improve your birding skills."
Supplies List: What You'll Need for an Enhanced Birding Experience
Diane Helentjaris via Unsplash
To go bird watching, all you really need are your eyes and ears! You don't need any special equipment at all to enjoy birding. However, if you want to support your birding with some add-ons, consider these options:
Binoculars: To bring the tree-tops a little closer to you, a good pair of binoculars at a magnification of x8 or x10 can definitely be helpful. However, if you're birding with kids, binoculars may be more distracting than useful, says Audubon's Lasovick. "Binoculars are great, but definitely not necessary for birding, especially with young children. Young children tend to have difficulty using them and instead of looking or listening for birds, they get preoccupied or frustrated with the binoculars. Instead, I would focus on looking and listening to their surroundings using just their eyes and ears."
A field guide to Eastern North American or NYC Birds: To help you and your kids identify the birds you spot, you might want to pick up a field guide for the birds of your area. A good guide has colorful illustrations or photos of the birds and descriptions (or recordings!) of bird calls. Your field guide can take the form of a book like "The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America." Or, you can install an app like eBird or Merlin for a more portable and even social option. Lasovic notes that having a bird field guide "allows you to show [kids] close-up pictures of the birds they are seeing and provides an opportunity to discuss field marks."
Migration charts: Migration charts note when you're likely to find a certain type of bird. The NYC Audubon Society has an NYC bird migration chart that doubles as a checklist (more on this in a moment) and includes information from the time of year to how common or uncommon sightings are.
A checklist or "life list": Most birders keep a list of the birds they've seen, noting the type of bird they saw, as well as where and when they saw it. Checklists can help teach kids how to take good notes and look for patterns. Keeping a list is a great way to gamify the experience for kids — after all, who doesn't want to "catch 'em all"?
Birding 101: When, How, and Where to Birdwatch in NYC
Once you've familiarized yourself with your local birds, you can become more involved in your birding adventure and learn how to optimize the experience or even find specific birds. Become familiar with when, where, and how to bird-watch:
When to Birdwatch?
Consider these factors when choosing when to go out birding:
Time of day: Birds are most active in the early morning and late afternoon, so those are the best times of day to head out for a stroll.
Weather: No one likes being outside in terrible weather, not even birds. During very hot, very cold, and stormy days, birds tend to stick close to shelter. If it's a nice day for a leisurely walk, it's probably a nice day to bird-watch, too!
Time of year: While some birds live in NYC all year round, we do see many migrating birds arrive in the spring. Spring is also a good time to see young birds and nesting behaviors. Other birds, on the other hand, pass by during their fall migration and can be only briefly spotted in early or late fall. Having a migration chart will help you know what kinds of birds to look for in different seasons.
How to Birdwatch?
There are a few safety and etiquette rules you should be aware of when you begin bird watching, especially if you're birding with children. The NYC Parks birding guide recommends following their guide to safe birding:
Watch birds from a distance
Don't stress out the birds, even if it means you won't get the best photo op
Don't stray from park trails and paths, to avoid damaging the birds' habitat
It's illegal to take nests, eggs, and even feathers
Don't "adopt" birds, even if you think you're helping - often, baby birds found outside their nests are fledglings who aren't in any danger and their mother is nearby
Where to bird-watch?
While anywhere is a good place to find birds, there are a few noteworthy spots around NYC with some excellent birding opportunities. We'll go into them in more depth below!
Where to Birdwatch with Kids in NYC
Central Park Conservancy
Go local
"Do not underestimate what birds you can find in your local park," says Lasovic, especially during fall and spring migration!" Your local park or even just your neighborhood can be a treasure trove of fowl friends. Find links to birding resources at these parks below.
Visit NYC parks
Once you've gotten to know your local birds, you can expand your birding territory to the bigger NYC parks, all of which provide excellent opportunities to spot new birds. "Venturing to larger parks like Central Park, Van Cortlandt Park, and Prospect Park provide the opportunity to see a greater variety of birds," notes Lasovic. "I recommend doing this after becoming familiar with the more common birds such as House Sparrows, European Starlings, and American Robins."
If you just want to grow your checklist, you might want to head out to parks that are known to house many different types of birds. For example:
Central Park (Manhattan): NYC's iconic Central Park sees over 210 different birds every year, from wading birds like Blue Herons and Great Egrets in the park's ponds, to songbirds like warblers and different types of sparrows and finches in the ramble. The Central Park website has a guide to birding within the park, including a list of the most popular bird-watching spots.
Pelham Bay Park (Bronx): Pelham Bay Park is a popular destination for birds in mid-migration. It's also an excellent place to spot birds not as common in other parts of NYC, like Baltimore and Orchard Orioles. In the spring, the park is an excellent time to spot nesting Yellow Warblers and hear other types of warblers. You can even find a few types of owls in this park!
Great Kills Park (Staten Island): The mudflats, beaches, marshes, and woodlands of Great Kills Park make it a great place to find a variety of birds, from songbirds to raptors like Ospreys
Prospect Park (Brooklyn): Within the wooded areas of Prospect Park, you can spot smaller birds like warblers, vireos, and songbirds. Check out the many types of waterfowl, as well, from the common Mallard Duck and Mute Swan to the lesser-known Wood Duck, American Coot, and many more. Nearby Green-wood Cemetery is also a very popular spot for birders, with more than 185 species of migratory birds stopping over each year. Go on your own, or check out Green-wood's Birding in Peace walks.
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Center (Queens): This bird and wildlife sanctuary boasts over 12,600 acres of varied terrain, from beaches and marshes to freshwater and brackish water ponds. It's one of the largest bird habitats in the northeastern US! Stop by for a hike and to watch and listen to the many different types of birds that make their homes in the different biomes of the sanctuary. Be on the lookout for osprey nests and young ospreys in the spring!
You can find even more information about birding in NYC's biggest parks by consulting the NYC parks guide to birding, which lists some of the city's most popular parks and their birding attractions.
Are you looking for a specific bird to add to your life list? Tweet @NYCParks with your question to get some guidance! The Audubon Society's checklists and resources can also be a big help here.
Bring the Birds To You!
Mimi O'Connor
Want to continue your birding adventure at home? You can bring the birds to you by setting up a standing or hanging bird feeder in your backyard, or setting up a clear feeder at your window. It might take the birds some time to find the new feeder, but once they do you'll be able to enjoy watching birds from your own home!
How to Make Bird Watching Educational and Fun for Kids
Birding can be very fun on its own, but you can make it even more fun — and educational! — for kids with the following tips:
Make each bird-watching trip into a quest! For example, you can play bird bingo or challenge your kids to find three different kinds of birds on your walk. The Cornell Ornithology website has these and many other ideas to check out.
Encourage your kids to keep an explorer's notebook where they can write about or draw the birds and nature you come across. For a more guided experience, Cornell has an explorer's guidebook you can purchase and follow along with.
Turn each walk into a learning experience with Cornell's K-12 resources, which includes downloadables and free lesson plans, along with additional teaching material for purchase.
For a more guided experience, NYC Parks hosts birding walks with the Urban Rangers throughout the year, guiding families to the best birding spots and teaching about the different types of birds you see along the way. You can also go birding in the Bronx at Wave Hill, where birdwatching outings are held in all seasons.
• Prospect Park is home to the Prospect Park Audubon Center, which in non-pandemic times hosts bird-related programming; the center has also loaned out Discovery packs with binoculars, a magnifying glass and journal for visitors to use.
Finally, you can keep up to date with what the local birdies are up to by following some active Twitter accounts for your borough, like @BirdsBrooklyn and @BirdBrklyn for Brooklyn dwellers.
Are you looking to bring a touch of spring to your breakfast table? Krispy Kreme can help you get into the spirit!
The donut brand just revealed the cutest lineup: Spring Minis. The adorable tiny treats are available for a limited time beginning Mar. 25 and include three versions returning from last year.
photo: Business Wire
Get ready to sink your teeth into the new Mini Blue Bird donut, a mini Original Glazed with bright blue icing and decorated like a bluebird. Also newly designed this year is the Mini Flower donut, am mini Original Glazed Doughnut dipped in yellow icing and yellow sanding sugar and decorated with a white icing flower.
Finally, you can’t pass up the Mini Bunny Bum donut, a mini Original Glazed dipped in green icing, topped with green sprinkles, a dollop of Kreme and two bunny feet sugar pieces.
You can get these donuts in 20-count boxes as part of your pick-up, drive-thru or delivery orders. To be sure your closest Krispy Kreme is making these adorable treats, check out their store locator online.
IKEA recently announced the winners of the brand’s latest Soft Toy Drawing Competition. Eleven-year-old Nick from St. Louis is the first American since 2017 to win one of the top honors in this creative contest!
The SAGOSKATT collection from Swedish retailer IKEA is a limited-edition collection of soft toys made for kids, by kids. Each year children from around the world are invited to submit their designs, featuring drawings of a would-be imaginatively awesome plush.
This year’s competition brought in more than 66,000 entries—with five chosen as the top winners. Each winner will have their drawing turned into an IRL IKEA toy! One hundred percent of the proceeds from the SAGOSKATT line are donated to local children’s right to play initiatives.
Along with 11-year-old Nick (who won for his “Bird” design), the other global winners were “Sandwich friends” designed by nine-year-old Audrey from Canada, “Cat” designed by eight-year-old Liepa from Lithuania, “Fried egg” designed by seven-year-old Zosia from Poland and “Mermaid dog” designed by nine-year-old Savva from Russia.
Jorge Omar Santoyo Henaine, Product Design Developer for Children’s IKEA, IKEA of Sweden, said in a press release, “I feel very lucky and grateful to be part of the team involved in the SAGOSKATT project. The whole concept of ’for children by children to help children’ is something that makes me extremely proud.”
Santoyo Henaine continued, “The endless creativity in kids is amazing. Each year we are impressed by the amount of unique, cool and fun creations we receive. We wish we could make all of them! When selecting the winners, we consider a lot of important criteria, for instance, how unique, colorful and expressive the drawing is, if it can be transformed into a soft toy for mass production and if we can secure the safety requirements for the future toy.”
Find the SAGOSKATT toy line in stores and on IKEA’s website.
