DIY Schleich Horse Club Play Tray - A Simple Craft to Expand on the Creative Play!

 This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Schleich .  The opinions and text are all mine.

This DIY Schleich Horse Club Play Tray is such a simple craft to do with the kids to expand on the creative play with your Schleich Horse Club figurines! These easy Horse Club play trays come together in under an hour and with about $6 worth of simple supplies (you may even already have some of the items already on-hand.) Make a simple scene inside of your DIY Horse Club play tray like ours, or make it more detailed. You can also make more than one scene in more than one tray! As a mom I love how easy it is to store these DIY Play Trays when they're not in-use, too!

Hi friends, how have you been? I hope you're all enjoying all of the uninterrupted time with the kids in the sunshine this summer! Did you catch my post yesterday on the new Schleich Horse Club figurines, app, and MORE?! If not, CLICK HERE to learn more about all of the new Horse Club themed fun available now, from Schleich (PLUS enter to WIN a Horse Club prize pack!). This DIY Schleich Horse Club play tray is inspired by all of the fun new additions to the line. It's a fun way to add to the creative play with all of your new Horse Club Figurines (and play sets!) and a great way to keep the kids entertained during the last few weeks of summer!

Read on for the full supply list and our easy how-to, to make your own DIY Schleich Horse Club Play Tray with the kids!

Check Out The New Schleich Horse Club App, Figurines, And MORE! + Prize Pack Giveaway!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Schleich .  The opinions and text are all mine.

Have you heard the news? Schleich released an expansive new line of Horse Club products and a brand new app this month! Among the new Schleich Horse Club products are figurine sets of Hannah and Cayenne, Sofia and Blossom, Lisa and Storm, and Sarah and Mystery. Schleich also released a beautifully detailed "Large Horse Stable with House and Stable earlier this year; Schleich's largest-ever playset to date. Horse Club fans can also now "ride along like never before" via the new interactive Horse Club adventure app. This fun new app allows horse fans to explore and adventure as the line's main characters and their horses, both at home and on-the-go.

The new Horse Club products and app seamlessly marries hands-on creative play and virtual creative play, perfectly. My youngest daughter is just absolutely LOVING it all, as am I! At home, she can enjoy hands-on play, and when we're out and about she can still create and explore the Horse Club world, via the app. The Horse Club Horse Adventure app allows Players to create their own rider / character and their own horses. This encourages young girls to get just as creative as they'd like with their creations! They can also care for and train their horses for competitions; encouraging compassion and responsibility for caring for an animal/others. Girls also have the opportunity to  take off on exciting missions, and to complete tasks throughout; collect horseshoes along the way and unlock other activities/features in the app!

Read on for more on the new Schleich Horse Club app, figurines, and MORE + enter to win BIG a Schleich Horse Club prize pack!

All You Can Play Summer Fun at Chuck E. Cheese's + A BOGO Deal Don't Want To Miss!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Chuck E. Cheese's .  The opinions and text are all mine.

School's out! I don't know who's more excited, the kids or me?! To celebrate the official first week of summer vacation, we took a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's today for fun and food. With four kids in tow, I was more than ready to take advantage of their BOGO large pizza deal going on throughout the month of June. Simply buy one large pizza and get one large pizza free - all month long! What parent wouldn't love that deal?

Chuck E. Cheese's is the perfect place to let the kids expel their energy and play, especially on those long hot summer days and when it's raining. We've been visiting Chuck E. Cheese's since my older two kids were little. We would walk to the Atlantic Center Mall in Brooklyn and play for hours; such good memories! Now, my younger children are enjoying all of the fun that they have to offer too.

Read on for more on Chuck E. Cheese's "all you can play" play pass starting at just $10!

Slime Supplies Gift Cake - Party Gift Idea For Kids & Tweens

Slime, Slime and more SLIME! The DIY slime trend is still going strong, my friends. If you have young kids or tweens in the house, you know what I mean! Kids absolutely love slime! Looking for the perfect gift for a kid / tween? Gift them with one of these Slime Supplies Gift Cakes, stacked 3 tiers high with all of the essentials to make their own slime recipes( glue, glitter glue, slime charms / mix-ins, food coloring, glitter, baking soda, contact lens solution or a bottle of "Magic Slime solution," mixing bowls, measuring cups/spools, a spatula, write out a few slime recipes on gift tags, or grab an entire book of slime recipes etc; this slime supplies gift cake is sure to be a hit!  All-in this Slime Supplies Gift Cake only cost about $20 to assemble. The glue was .25c a bottle, the glitter came in 4 packs for $1 ea., the baking soda was .50c a box, the cake rounds were $1 and all of the other items rang in at $1 or less - which makes this a fairly frugal / budget-friendly party gift too!

Ready to make your own slime supplies gift cake? Read on for the full supply list and our easy how-to.

Up-Cycled Stained Glass Lantern Kids Craft

Friends, our up-cycled stained glass lantern craft for kids is absolutely perfect for summer! This simple stained glass kids craft only requires a handful of simple supplies (some of which you most likely already have on hand) about an hour of time and a little creativity, of course! The best part of this stained glass lantern craft is that kids can create their very own stained glass design. Whether you prefer a pretty butterfly or lady bug or fun patterns, the creative direction of the pattern is entirely up to the maker.

My oldest daughter went with a butterfly design and a pattern design when making her up-cycled stained glass lanterns, and we just love how they turned out! Once complete, we simply set a battery operated tea light in each up-cycled lantern. We chose tea lights that have a timer function too, so they will come on at the same time every evening throughout the summer.  They give off such a soft and pleasant glow at night; perfect for summer!

Ready to craft your own up-cycled stained glass lantern with the kids? Read on for the full supply list and easy step-by-step instructions.

5 Tips For Families Traveling To National Parks This Summer

Emmy award winning travel show Rock the Park taps into America's love affair with our national parks. Jack Steward and Colton Smith are on a mission to explore every national park in this country and in the process, go off the beaten path coming face to face with nature and some of the most awe-inspiring places on earth. The series inspires all generations to hit the road and find adventure in one of America's awesome national parks. 

From majestic geysers in Yellowstone to molten volcanoes in Hawaii to the tallest living trees in the world in Sequoia National Park, wherever they travel, there's always plenty of adventure!

With summer vacation just around the corner, Jack and Colton recently shared some fantastic tips with us for families planning a national park trip, and the best ways to explore the parks with little ones.

Detective Pikachu Mini Canvas Craft

This Detective Pikachu mini canvas craft is so fun for the kids to make, and it yields some super cute DIY POKÉMON Detective Pikachu room decor! Have you had a chance to see POKÉMON Detective Pikachu in the movie theater with the kids yet?! It's currently the #1 movie in the world! Our older kids went to see it on opening night and absolutely LOVED it! After seeing the movie, my oldest daughter wanted to craft some DIY Detective Pikachu room decor, so we came up with this fun detective Pikachu Mini Canvas craft. It's so simple to put together, and easy enough that the kids can paint it on their own. For younger kids that aren't confident with free-hand painting, you can simply print out our free Detective Pikachu mini canvas template below, and use it as a guide. This Detective Pikachu kids craft only requires a handful of simple supplies and costs around $5 to make. Though we used a mini 4"x4" canvas, you can easily make a larger Detective Pikachu canvas if you prefer. Make a mini canvas or a great big canvas; the choice is yours!

Ready to make your own Detective Pikachu mini canvas craft with the kids? Read on for the full supply list, step-by-step instructions and MORE on POKÉMON Detective Pikachu (currently playing in theaters, nationwide!)

Embroidery Hoop Suncatcher Craft

This embroidery hoop suncatcher craft is so easy and fun for kids. We just love how beautifully these embroidery hoop suncatchers catch the light, when complete; they look like stained glass.  Aren't they pretty?! This is also a craft that everyone can have fun with; young and old! Younger kids can make simple suncatchers using simple shapes and patterns, while older kids, tweens and teens can easily get more creative and detailed with their suncatcher designs. With the sunny warmer weather upon us and summer nearly here, this embroidery hoop suncatcher craft is the perfect activity to kick off a new season of fun, sunshine and creativity with the kids!  These embroidery hoop suncatcher's would also make wonderful little handmade gifts.

Ready to make your own embroidery hoop suncatcher with the kids? Read on for the full supply list and step-by-step instructions, below.