Ideas for the 'Kid's Table' & the 'Adult Table' during Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we will have 9 little ones at the Thanksgiving gathering.  What are two things that can help make Thanksgiving a little easier on the moms with littles?  Snacks and activities.

I found this cute snack idea from Handmade in the Heartland that can also be used as a 'teachable moment' during the wait for the big feast.  They are the perfect little snack and can be quickly thrown together for your Thanksgiving feast.  I made several for the Princess and C-man's classes today and the kids LOVED them.  The ziploc bags aren't as cute as cellophane bags but I think the ability to reseal the snack outweighs the 'cute' factor.  That, and, yes, I was out of cellophane bags and it was 9:30 p.m. 

You can download the FREE printable HERE. 

C-Man at the 3rd Grade Thanksgiving Feast

The activities planned to keep the kids somewhat busy are a coloring page, a list of what they are thankful for, and a word search.  I found these at I Should Be Mopping the Floor and you can download the coloring sheet HERE, the word search HERE, and the Thankful List HERE.

I am most excited about this new addition to Thanksgiving.  (fingers crossed that everyone plays along.)  During dinner, we will have ‘Turkey Talk’ questions such as ‘What makes you laugh the hardest?’, ‘What is the hardest decision you have ever made?’, ‘What is your most beloved possession?’, ‘What is your favorite Bible verse and why?’, ‘What was your favorite childhood book?’, ‘What kind of student were you?’, ‘If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?’, ‘What are five things you wouldn’t want to live without?’, ‘What is the bravest thing you have ever done?’ and many more.  You can download a printable list Here on Scribd. 

I really hope that everyone enjoys it and hope we might even learn something new about one another.  My grandparents would be so proud!  I can almost see my 'Dear' smiling with pride about the family gathering.

After dinner, our family annually plays our Pictionary Relay Race.  You can read more about this really FUN tradition with a free printable word page to get you started Here. 



Safe Travels everyone!
Hope

Disney - Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom - Tips & Tricks for your new gamers for the fun interactive game

This post was planned for much later but bestie ‘A’ is headed to Disney for the holiday and in need of some info for her littles who are dying to play Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom.  C-man has undoubtedly been sharing how much he has loved the game with ‘A’s’ girls and even gave them all of our extra spell cards to get them started.  

About the Game - 

If you have a child age 7 or older (especially if they are gamers like my C-man), they will love the new Interactive game ‘Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom’ at the Magic Kingdom that was rolled out in spring of 2012.  The game allows kids of all ages to become an apprentice sorcerer and help the wizard, Merlin, protect the Magic Kingdom from Hades, the god of the Underworld, and his gang of villains.  Hades wants to take over the Magic Kingdom and has recruited Disney villains to help him.  Your job as an apprentice sorcerer is to help Merlin by battling the villains.  

The game is free with your park admission ticket and you can register to play at the Firehouse located just before you enter Main Street on the left or just behind Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square.  I suggest you register at the Firehouse for your first time to play the game so that you can see the portals on Main Street.  After that first time of play, the Liberty Square location usually has a shorter line.  

The Map to find portals

The Map for Frontierland and Adventureland

The map for Main Street U.S.A. and Fantasyland

How does it work?  

Each person in your party can use their admission ticket to register and obtain a pack of sorcerer spell cards.  If you have a member of your party who really wants to play, I would suggest that your entire party go with their admission tickets to obtain the card packs, even if they don’t play.  The more card packs that you obtain, the more fun your player will have using different spell cards.  It is important to know that you can’t just take 10 admission tickets with two people and get 10 card packs.  Each person obtaining a card pack must be present to obtain said pack and you can each obtain new card packs each day you attend the Magic Kingdom.  

I know having your entire party do this sounds very inconvenient, but I believe the inconvenience is worth the time for a few reasons.  Last fall and this spring, C-man absolutely LOVED playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.  It made his trip even more magical and he would tell you that it was his favorite part of both trips.  Also, he and his sisters have enjoyed pouring over the cards and devising plans for card combinations for our upcoming trip.  (Hours y’all.)  

What do you put all of those cards in without ruining them?  (Those Florida rainstorms usually pop up out of nowhere.) There are a few options.  On our fall break trip, Honey treated C-man to a Disney Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom book that can be found in the Emporium and other shops around the MK.  I will warn that the these books are pricey.  In order to save a little money before the trip, I picked up a trading card book at Target that works just as well protecting the spell cards.  After C-man upgraded, the girls were thrilled to receive his leftover book.  

Once you are registered, have your cards and sorcerer map, you will be sent to one of four areas in the Magic Kingdom for game play.  The four areas are Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Frontierland.  There are portals in each area with a Key Box that your player will place their key card on to start or continue their game.  Your player will hear a beginning story by Merlin where you will learn which Villain you are battling and then be led to other portals in the area to use spell cards to defeat the Villain.  There are 9 villains, including Hades, to defeat.  Once your player has defeated all 9 villains, your player can go to the Firehouse and obtain a new card set and ring the firehouse bell.  C-man really enjoyed ringing the bell and we were lucky that the cast member working at the time made a really big deal out of completion.  

A Key Card Box

C-Man is loving it

How do the spell cards work?

There are a few things to remember when using the spell cards -   

Make sure you gamer stands directly on the Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom gold crest.  The camera and computer are designed to read the spell cards with the player standing on the crest.  

Hold the card by the outer edges so that the reader can adequately read the card.  (Another reason the books are a good idea.)  

Hold Card on the outer edges if you don't have a book

• Don’t reuse the same spell card when battling the same villain.  The game makers designed this game well and the program is designed to weaken the strength of the card’s spell if it is used more than once against the same villain.  

• You can use more than one spell card at a time - Up to 6 at the same time from what I understand.  My kids loved seeing the different spell combinations.

• C-man says that cards from the same movie work well together.  (ex. - Eve & Wall-E; Tiana & Prince Naveen; Flynn Rider & Rapunzel; Princess Aurora & Prince Philip; etc.)

• There are 3 levels - Easy, Medium & Hard.  Your first time player will start at Easy.  When your player is only level 1, any spell will defeat any villain.  As your player reaches the ‘Medium’ or ‘Hard’ levels, defeating villains is more difficult and time consuming.  (C-man has worked up to the ‘Hard’ level and even beat ‘Hard’ last trip.  

• There are 70 different spell cards that can be collected. The card packs that they give you when your register for play include a key card and 5 spell cards.  You can collect up to 60 spell cards in mix of cards given at registration or if you complete the game.  The last 10 cards can be purchased in packs sold at the Emporium and are very rare cards known as 'Thunder' cards.  Each pack contains only 1 'Thunder' card. 

• The more your use a spell card against different villains, the stronger the spell card becomes.  

• If your gamer reaches the 'Medium' or 'Hard' level have them listen carefully to the storyline.  The villain will usually mention something in the storyline that reveals their weakness and give a clue as to what type of spell will work best to defeat that villain.  (i.e. - Warrior, Hero, Princess, Fairy, Toy, Machine, Animal, Monster, Mystic.)

How long does it take to complete the game?  

It depends on if you play continuously or take breaks for rides and character greetings, but it usually takes about 4 plus hours. In May, Honey and I switched off with the girls and C-man so that C-man could play.  Both of us will readily admit that we enjoyed the one on one time with C-man and I doubt C-man will ever forget getting caught in the rainstorm or my lost iPhone.  (I REALLY REALLY REALLY love the Find My Phone app!)

All 3 of my littles are very excited about spending some time at the Magic Kingdom playing sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom during our upcoming Christmas trip.  We usually have them wait until the 3rd day to play so that many of our ‘Must Dos‘ have been checked off the list before we take time out to play.  That said, it is a fun addition to the Magic Kingdom that our family has truly enjoyed.  

Hope

Disney - The Road to Disney and Waiting in Line Activities to Prevent the Whining

Some people think we are crazy for driving from Tennessee to Orlando every Disney trip, but that’s ok.  I like to be a little crazy sometimes and it helps A WHOLE LOT to cut costs down.  When the children were younger the drive to Disney was fine, but I can’t lie, the ride back home was just down-right painful.  I am not sure if it is because we have what Honey and I consider to be the ‘perfect driving plan’ now, if it is because we have all become accustomed to the drive, if it is because the children have gotten older and more self-sufficient, or if it’s a happy harmony of all of the above, but the ride gets easier every trip.  Seriously.  

Part of our ‘perfect driving plan’ involves packing the entire car the night before we leave so that it takes us little to no time to leave the next morning.  We all go to bed by 9 or 9:30 p.m. and I get up at, brace yourself, 3:15 so that we can leave by 4 a.m.  I am very lucky that I seem to have an ‘off switch’ and can go to sleep within minutes of laying down.  I am also a morning person who does just great with a little coffee.  I take the first three hour drive shift because Honey is not a big morning person.  Honey usually drives most of the rest of the way to Disney because he is just not a ‘passenger seat’ kind of guy.  

So how do the children do during the drive?  Well, normally they are sleeping angels the first 3-4 hours and then when it’s my turn to sleep they need snacks, movies, drinks, headphones, crayons that have fallen on the floor and more.  Thankfully, the Princess is also known as “Little Hope” and has now taken it upon herself to assist with all needs while Mama sleeps.  Praise The Lord for self-sufficiency!!  

Here are some tips on how I have made it super easy to help this self-sufficiency process.  I have each child pack a back pack with all of their favorite toys and place said  backpack right beside or in front of them along with their pillow pets and blankets.  I also have the big tote of a mix of healthy snacks and snacks that they hardly ever have placed right in between all three children so they can reach what they need when they need it.  

We always buy 2-3 new movies that they haven’t seen before for the drive.  The ‘never seen before’ part is extremely important and helps hold their attention.  I pack every travel sized game that we own for the girls to play.  C-man is usually just fine solo in the back seat with his DS and book.  Honey actually asked this past trip about 4-5 hours into the drive, “We didn’t leave C-man at home did we?  We haven’t heard a peep out of him.”  We usually limit the video gaming time but the road to Disney is just not one of those times.  

The ride home?  Well, it’s still not fabulous, but it’s pleasant now.  I pack the car the evening before and we make sure that we leave by 7 a.m. at the very latest.  We have found waiting any longer is just asking to combat the swarm of people leaving on a Sunday.  

Waiting-in-Line Activities

I usually have several tricks in my bag to combat boredom while waiting in line.  My first line of defense is the Disney ABC game.  Here is how the game works - the first person has to name a Disney character whose name begins with the letter ‘A’.  Play then continues to the next person who has to name a Disney character whose name begins with the letter ‘B’ and so on until you reach the letter ‘Z’.  I suggest you save this game for those really, really long lines. 

My children also love Story Cubes.  Even the Baby like to get into the action on this one.  Because we have to move suddenly and quickly in line, I don’t really follow the rules suggested.  I have each child draw 3 cubes and then tell a story based on the 3 cubes they received.  After the 3 stories have been told, play continues with each child drawing 3 new cubes from the bag.  The stories can be pretty hilarious and my kids love to play.  You can find it at Amazon for less than $8.  

Story Cubes - Great for activity while waiting in line

I always carry crayons and Disney themed pocket sized activity books that you can find at the Dollar store or the $1 section of Target (Don’t y’all love that addition to Target?) in my backpack along with a pocket sized ‘Spot It’ game by Blue Orange.  You can find 'Spot it' at Amazon Here for less than $12.  

My kids love the game 'Spot It' - especially my girls

For our upcoming Christmas trip I purchased a darling Disney activity book from my friend, Amanda, over at DIxie Delights.  The digital personalized download for all 3 of my kiddos was just $5.  You can find them HERE at her Etsy Store.  

Dixie Delights Activity Book

I hope these ideas help make your next trip even more Magical.  

Hope

Thanksgiving Family Pictionary Relay Race - with Free Printable List of Word Ideas

Food isn't my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, the food is wonderful. Indulging in family dishes that you only have in a couple of times a year is fabulous. The thing I look forward to most at Thanksgiving is family time with my big, crazy family. Oh, and of course being on the winning team in the Pictionary Relay Race.

I don't remember when we started this wonderful Thanksgiving tradition but it is so much fun that, dare I say, it's better than the meal. Even the members of the family who aren't big game players love this one. It is a fast-paced, fun game that all ages can enjoy.

All you need to play is lots of paper, pens or pencils and two teams anxious to win the race ready to have lots of fun. At the end of the big meal we pass a bowl around with slips of paper with the two team names to fairly divide the teams. You can get creative with your team names or just 'Team 1'and 'Team 2'.

What you need to play this fabulous family game

Next, divide the two teams to two separate areas of the home. Each area should have a place to draw along with paper and pencils/pens. Seating is optional but highly recommended. We usually separate the two teams between the kitchen and the dining room. It is fun to be somewhat close in proximity to the other team so that you can know if the other team is also stumped on a certain word but not too close where the other team might hear if someone on your team gets over-zealous and yells out the answer.  Believe me, it happens.

You then need a volunteer to come up with 10 words for the teams to draw. I have some 'Thanksgiving' themed words attached HERE to help you get started. It is good to have a mix of easy and hard words. The person giving out the words should stand halfway between both teams and have a cover sheet to cover the words. Each team should designate their first artist. The chosen artists go to the person with the word list who gives each artist only the first word and then its a crazy, fun, and often hilarious race to see which team can correctly guess all 10 words first. How do you decide who does the drawing? Well, the person who correctly guesses the word is the next artist and runs to get the next word.

This is a list of word ideas.  This list is also attached above to print. 

Our family has had the best time playing this game. It is so much fun, can include all ages, is fast-paced, and the drawings are usually just hilarious. No one in my family will ever forget the year my grandmother drew 'dirt' with a straight line and dots that she kept pointing to certain that we could guess 'dirt' from her drawing. We have had some drawings of the oddest shapes of states or countries that look nothing remotely close to what is on a 'real' map and some drawings of the strangest looking animals you have ever seen.

 I know every family has different traditions but including this game added some extra fun and spice into our Thanksgiving gatherings. I hope y'all enjoy this one.

Hope