It’s terrifyingly cute! The next limited edition Disney x JuJuBe line is inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas will be available Thurs., Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. PT. The spooky print is featured on JuJuBe’s diaper bags, backpacks, totes, pacifier pods and much more.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Lineup:
BFF mini BFF Bundle
Be Cool
Be Dapper
Be Light Plus
Be Packed
Be Quick
Be Right Back
Be Set
Changing Pad
Messenger Strap
Midi Plus Backpack
Paci Pod
Super Be Plus
Zealous Backpack
Find all your favorite characters like Jack Skellington, Sally, and Oogie Boogie shining in spectral silver on an inky black background as dark as Halloween night. Each character floats in frightful frames surrounded by other ghostly residents of Halloween from Scary Teddy to Lock, Shock and Barrel. You won’t find any tricks inside, just the treat of iconic Giant Snake mysteriously slithering on purple lining.
Jack and Sally meet again as their outlined heads form matte black zipper pulls that ghoulishly adorn the double-zippered bags and individually on the other select bags. The Nightmare Before Christmas print is sure to be every Disney fan’s dream come true.
Grab your wands! JuJuBe will release its latest Harry Potter collaboration, Lumos Maxima, on Thurs., Sept. 3, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. PT. The dazzling, celestial print is featured on JuJuBe’s diaper bags, backpacks, totes, organizing cubes and much more.
The overlapping blues and blacks in the starry midnight sky give an illusion of never-ending depth. No matter where the Sorting Hat places you will be able to pick out iconic representations from each house as they decorate the heavens.
See if you can spot the courageous lion, loyal badger, ambitious snake and clever raven gleaming in light blue undertones. Discover each house relic, the sword, cup, locket and diadem, shining brightly. Glimpse inside to find soft grey lining with house mascots encircled and interspersed among the stars. A dazzling raised, silver logo plate with deep blue background coordinates perfectly. Satin silver zipper pulls depicting Hogwarts Castle, as well as the Sorting Hat will leave you spellbound.
The Natural History Museum is one of our favorite places to tour with the whole family with its amazing dinosaur exhibits, rare gemstones and hall of mammals (just to scratch the surface). So to sweeten the deal and add yet another reason to visit, come check out the LA Nature Fest the weekend of March 14 and 15 where you and your tiny tree huggers can get up close and personal with our natural world in a variety of unique ways. From slime and raptors to crafts and scientists, there are many reasons to make this a must-do event. Keep reading for more highlights of hands-on fun from this festival!
Naturally, a Nature Fest wouldn't be complete without interactive animal encounters. This weekend, the Natural History Museum will have plenty of opportunities for your wildlings to get up close and personal with all sorts o'critters. Hit up the "Rat Chat" in the morning and watch rat handlers feed and train the furry fellas before heading over to the Nature Gardens for live animal presentations. Here animal keepers will bring out a variety of animals ranging from reptiles to opossums (to even owls) and tell stories about how they care for them (there might even be touching allowed depending on the animal!). Lastly, be sure to stop by the Pavilion in the afternoon to watch a real live snake eat a (not-so-alive) snack at the snake feeding demonstrations.
With many schools gearing up for Science Fairs in the next couple of months or so, now would be a great time for your little lab rats to get some face-to-face time with a real live scientist or nature experts. Luckily, the L.A. Nature Fest will have plenty of both on hand who are excited and ready to answer all questions thrown their way! Bring older kiddos by The Earth in Her Hands panel at 11 a.m. at the Pavillion stage where female botanist experts will tell stories of inspirational women working to protect the world of plants.
Celebrate nature through art with a variety of activities scattered throughout the festival that will delight those wee ones who like hands-on crafting. Keep an eye out for the STEM-based team from Boundless Brilliance who will be on hand helping kids create their own leaf ornaments along with an earth-inspired coloring project. Or from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. each day naturalists of all ages can make block printed cards with stamp designs representing California native plants with help from the group at Self Help Graphics.
Exposing your mini experimenters to slime in a controlled environment where they can learn all about the sticky substance and it's not all over your house? Yes please! Here at the L.A. Nature Fest, the fine folks at Nickelodeon (along with Natural History Museum scientists) will be presenting the scientific side of slime and all of its ooey gooey wonders. And as if that weren't enough (cuz' we know how crazy kids go for this stuff), Nickelodeon will even give everyone a chance to enter their virtual slime booth. Win/win!
There will be over 35 different exhibitor booths representing local organizations such as The Aquarium of the Pacific, Face Painting, Turtle and Tortoise Society, and Friends of Griffith Park (to name a few). Stop by the Tree People booth for, well, a free tree while supplies last or create a seed ball to take home of California wildflowers for your garden.
For those who have a strong affinity for aviary animals, be sure not to miss the raptor flight demonstrations taking place during L.A. Nature Fest. These apex predators and their handlers will certainly put on quite the show in the Nature Gardens across from the cafe leaving everyone to gaze upon these stunning birds with rapt attention.
When: Sat., Mar. 14 and Sun., Mar. 15; 9:30a.m.-5p.m. Where: Natural History Museum 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 213-763-3466 Online:nhm.org Cost: Included with general admission ($14 for adults; $6 for kids ages 3-12)
When it comes to unplugging in the modern world every parent knows it can be a challenge. But whether it’s a simple meal together or a round of hide and seek, there are plenty of ways to reconnect with the fam with nary a device in hand. Read on for our favorites.
12. Go for a 5-minute “spot walk” around the block: Tell each member of the family to try and “spot” something they want to remember without saying what it is. Once you get home, let each person say what they observed.
13. Draw your family tree. It can be a simple tree with hearts on the branches, going back just one or two generations or you can go all Ancestry.com and get detailed.
15. Head to the playground for a fitness break! See how many times you can go up and down the slide in one minute. Now see how many pumps (or pushes) it takes to swing taller than a parent’s height. Take turns doing pull-ups on the bars, sync your push ups on the bench and then race a lap around the park. Here are even more playground workout ideas.
Even if you don’t have a pool, you can still have a splashing good time in your backyard. Lawn sprinklers have really stepped up their game since the metal kinds we grew up with. From huge corgis to giant giraffes, there is definitely a sprinkler out there that will have your little ones excited for summer.
BigMouth Inc. Corgi Inflatable Yard Summer Sprinkler
Amazon
This adorable corgi sprinkler measures over 5 feet tall. All you have to do is inflate it and connect it to a regular-sized garden hose. It deflates in minutes so you can easily put this up for the kids to play with every day.
BigMouth Inc. Dinosaur Inflatable Yard Summer Sprinkler
Amazon
This inflatable dinosaur stands over 6 feet tall. It is easy to set up, just connect to any regular sized garden hose, inflate it and turn the water on.
BigMouth Inc. Monster Inflatable Yard Summer Sprinkler
Amazon
This adorable monster stands over 7 feet tall and he sprays water from his mouth! Connects to all regular sized garden hoses, just inflate it and turn the water on.
BigMouth Inc. Giant Purple Ape Inflatable Kids Yard Sprinkler
Amazon
This fun purple ape yard sprinkler stands over 6 feet tall and is easy to use! Simply connect it to any regular-sized garden hose, inflate, and cool off.
BigMouth Inc. Snake Inflatable Kids Yard Sprinkler
Amazon
This snake sprinkler is over 3 feet tall and perfect for keeping the kids cool in the summertime heat. Easy to inflate and deflate, this sprinkler will provide hours of fun.
Something magical is about to hit your dinner table! Fans of the Wizarding World rejoice, because Target has a Harry Potter-themed porcelain dishware set!
Not only does the big red bullseye retailer have one Potter-inspired set, but the store actually sells several different options (all made by the brand Seven20).
Slytherin 16-Piece Dinnerware Set
Harry Potter enthusiasts can eat their dinners off these snake-themed house of Slytherin ($78.99) plates—plus bowl and mugs too!
Ravenclaw 16-Piece Dinnerware Set
With 16 porcelain pieces, this magical set features Ravenclaw's eagle mascot and house colors ($78.99).
Gryffindor 16-Piece Dinnerware Set
If Gryffindor is your fam's fave, this 16-piece dinnerware set is the perfect pick ($78.99).
House Hufflepuff 16-Piece Dinnerware Set
One of four stylish sets, this pick ($78.99) features s Hufflepuff design.
Harry Potter Marauder Map
This 16-piece set ($199.99) includes four dinner plates, four salad plates, four bowls and four mugs and features the film franchise's Marauder's Map design.
Your kids know all about lions, tigers and bears, but now they can get up close and personal with bakus, tengus and megu-chans! These fascinating creatures are currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art exhibit––and they’re sure to wow your whole family. After all, it’s not every day you see a half-human/half-crow that’s excellent at martial arts, or an elephant, lion, ox tribrid that eats nightmares! Read on to plan this extraordinary museum outing.
An Enchanting Exhibit
LACMA’s Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art exhibit features real and imaginary animals through sculpture, painting, lacquer-work, ceramics, metalwork, cloisonné, and woodblock prints. Kids will learn about mythical beasts including dragons and phoenixes and they’ll also spy dogs, horses, oxen, lions, cats, fish, insects and more, featured in compelling masterpieces that demonstrate Japan’s reverence for nature.
Follow the Family Guide for the Greatest Experience
Immerse yourselves in exploring Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art via an engaging and informational family guide that highlights six artworks and includes fun activities. For instance, kids can find out what their pet or favorite stuffed animal’s nickname would be according to artist Yayoi Kusama after learning about her vibrant, polka-dotted dog sculpture. They can also draw a picture of a baku, a mythical creature that eats nightmares, that’s featured on a pair of pillows in the exhibit. The guide suggests kids cut out and take home their new baku to place under their pillow to ward off bad dreams––prompting them to relish their museum experience long past the confines of the exhibit.
Discover Your Japanese Zodiac Animal
Look for the zodiac animal chart on the wall in the first gallery with your family. You can use your birth years to discover each of your Japanese Zodiac animals and then record them in the chart included in the family guide. Who in your group will be a monkey, a snake, a rabbit or a dragon? You’ll soon find out!
LACMA hosts Andell Family Sundays highlighting the Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art, exhibit. Gather your clan and bond at this educational event that will give you all something to talk about. From gallery tours and artist-led workshops where kids can make their own mythical and supernatural animal-inspired creations, this is a great way to spend an afternoon.
Andell Family Sundays featuring this exhibit are Nov 3, 10, 17 & 24, 2019 from 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Mark your calendar to visit LACMA on Nov. 17 to celebrate the Nebuta Festival, a famous festival in Japan, right here in Los Angeles. You’ll behold an enormous paper lantern float depicting the Japanese folk hero Kintoki by Nebuta Master Hiroo Takenami, and be treated to performances by taiko drummers, flute and hand cymbal players, and dancers.
Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art is on display now through Dec. 8, 2019 in LACMA’s Resnick Pavilion. Get tickets today! Bonus: L.A. County youth 17 and under are always free.
What better character to operate on than the creepy, crawly bug-stuffed Oogie Boogie? That’s exactly what you’ll do with this terrifyingly fun game of Nightmare Before Christmas Operation.
Designed like the original Operation game, players draw a card to determine what they need to operate on and how much it will earn them. Instead of funny bones and butterflies in the stomach, however, you’ll be working on ailments like Lock Jaw, Snake Bite and Bat Got Your Tongue on the patient known as Mister Oogie Boogie.
This special collector’s edition of the game by USAOPOLY is designed for players six years and up and will make for the perfect game night for Nightmare Before Christmas fans.
You can score the spooky version of this classic game on Amazon for $44.
Mister Oogie Boogie is hosting a Halloween bash fit for a Pumpkin King and the hottest party accessory is a light-up Oogie Boogie Sipper Cup.
What better way to sip on snake and spider stew than in a giant cup in the shape of Oogie Boogie himself? Disney fans are taking to Instagram to share their favorite find at California Adventure’s Oogie Boogie Bash.
The cup, which is equipped with a straw, also has a light-up feature enabled with a button on the back that lets you keep sipping in style well after dark.
The Oogie Boogie Sipper Cup is for sale now at Disney’s California Adventure for $20, but if you’re hoping to score one you should act fast. Last year the popular Oogie Boogie popcorn bucket was flying off shelves faster than you can say Lock, Stock and Barrel.
With a limitless imagination and endless enthusiasm, there is no better author than a small child. Put their natural storytelling skills to paper with these three easy ways to write a story together today. Scroll down to get scribing.
1. Story Jar Fill a jar up with small pieces of paper and big ideas. You can list three things, as in: dragon, fireplace, child, or put a starter sentence, i.e., “This is the story of how I lost my hat.” Have each person in the family create a short story from their draw. Parents, you might want to write it down for future reference (awwww).
2. Mad Libs You can write your own version of these for the kiddos to fill out or print out our fairy-tale themed ones (find them here). Younger kids may need reminding what a noun, adjective and verb are (teachable moment!) but older kids can fill in the blanks on their own. Print more than one and have everyone do theirs at once, then have a storytelling session after to share your creations.
3. Shared Tales All you need for this one is a pen and a piece of paper. Each person will write one sentence in sequence. You can limit it to a specific number of pages (like 2 or 3) if you want to make sure it doesn’t become the neverending story. Simply kick off this creative session with a sentence such as “Once upon a time there was a” and unleash their imagination. Pass the paper around and have every family member write their one sentence, or if your kids aren’t writing yet just have them tell you and you can be the scribe. You can designate number of sentences per person to keep it fair and square with multiples. This one is great in a group and at family gatherings, because it becomes even funnier if you don’t see every sentence as it builds.
Alternate: Do the above but fold the paper each time so that each person can only see the sentence before them.
4. Reinvent an Old Favorite Take a classic that the kid’s love and have memorized down off the shelf and read the first page (or paragraph if it’s a chapter book). Instead of finishing the story as it is written, invent a new plot or ending to the tale.
5. Section It Out Take your time creating a story in stages. Start by choosing a setting: where will the story take place? What does it look like there? Have the kids write 2-3 sentences minimum about their setting. Now work on your character or characters: who is you main character? What are they (boy, girl, robot, dog). Who else is in the book? What do they wear, eat, smell like? Now tackle plot! What will happen in the story? You’ll want an intro, some kind of conflict (i.e. a problem to solve—what will Bear do when he finds out he is out of jam?) and then resolution (Bear’s buddy Snake shows up with marmalade! They dance the night away in The Happy Woods!). You can even work on these one day at a time.
6. Dictionary Draft Using a dictionary (a real one, the kind that looks like a book!) to randomly select 3-5 words that each kid has to work into their story. Let siblings choose the words for each other. This one has the added bonus of getting learn new words.
