Reverse your bad luck with some seriously sweet ways to spend this superstitious day

On Friday the 13th there’s no reason to get superstitious about bad luck: try doing some seriously fun things in numbers of 13. We can’t promise you good luck, but we can guarantee a baker’s dozen of smiles. Read on for our ideas.

1. Stand on one foot for 13 seconds. Too easy? Transition to the other foot for 13 without falling. Still need a bigger challenge, raise your hands up and down 13 times.

2. Write a poem with only 13 words.

3. Get out the jump rope and hop 13 times in a row without messing up. If you’re out of practice, this can be trickier than it sounds.

4. Make a baker’s dozen! Make a dozen cookies + one for the baker to test.

5. Create a drawing that has all of these 13 different things:  a bunny, a superhero, a magical creature, a forest, a tiny house, a castle, a flower bed, a skyscraper, a truck, a river, a kid, a boat, a bridge. (Or pick your own list of 13 things!)

6. Sound out 13 animal sounds (for example, a dog’s bark, a cat’s meow, a lion’s roar, etc.)

7. Get out a deck of cards and sort them into the four suites. Count each stack (hint: there are 13 in each).

8. Tell your kiddo 13 things you love about them (and ask them the same about you or another family member).

9. Name 13 things that start with the letter T.

10. Find a word that has 12 other rhyming words. (Hint: “fry” works!)

11. Do 13 jumping jacks.

12. Make a dish with 13 ingredients (pizza works well for this, and yes you can count the yeast and flour).

13. Give out 13 kisses for Friday the 13th. This should be an easy one.

 

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Oh, Sandy Claws! You won’t believe your eyes. Home Depot is selling a 9-foot Oogie Boogie with Lock, Stock & Barrel Halloween Inflatable!

Fans of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas will clamor over this festive decor that perfectly incorporates into the spooky season.

photo: Home Depot

Mean green Oogie Boogie stands tall in any fun Halloween scene. Bright white LED lights illuminate the creepy creature and his minions in this inflatable that is versatile for both indoor and outdoor use.

He inflates in seconds and comes with tethers and stakes so he stays put. The Oogie Boogie Halloween Inflatable retails for $179 at Home Depot.

—Karly Wood

 

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Who doesn’t love an animated film about a sweet and cuddly creature that’s also packed with music? Thanks to Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, Vivo checks all the boxes.

Featuring our fave musical guru Lin-Manuel Miranda, Vivo tells the story of a kinkajou on a mission to deliver a special message. Oh yeah, but what’s a kinkajou?

Now that we know all about the rainforest “honey bear,” we’re even more excited to watch the musical adventure. Along with Miranda, Vivo also shares the voices of newcomer Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldaña, Michael Rooker, Gloria Estefan, Nicole Byer and more.

Vivo will debut only on Netflix this Fri., Aug. 6.

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Courtesy of Netflix

 

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Pillsbury is going paleo—paleolithic that is! The delish dessert-maker recently announced the debut of a brand-new, dinosaur-themed ready-to-bake cookie dough.

The new DINO Cutout Sugar Cookie Dough is the first time Pillsbury has branched out into the prehistoric world. This means if your kiddos clamor for dino-everything, now you won’t have to buy pricey cookie cutters in their fave jurassic era-themed shapes.

photo courtesy of Pillsbury

With two precut shapes including Stegosaurus and Pterodactyl, these cookies are a blast from the past. That is, the prehistoric past. Not only do the cookies look like your fam’s fave dinos, the littles can decorate the plain sugar cookies and make a sweet Stegosaurus, a terrible Pterodactyl or their own creative creature!

These new cookies arrive in the refrigerated section of grocery retailers nationwide this month. Each pack includes 10 cut-out cookies and has a manufacturer’s suggested retailers price of two for $5.

—Erica Loop

 

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That’s how you know it’s Halloween! It’s time to get your little ones excited for all the fun there is to come. Disney Junior has a fun new music video featuring the theme song for Mickey’s Trick or Treats October programming event. 

The month-long event includes a series of interstitials hosted by Mickey, the debut of four brand-new Halloween music videos and premieres of some of your favorite Disney Junior shows — Puppy Dog Pals, T.O.T.S. and Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures.

  • Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures “The Mystery of Hot Dog Lake!/Phantom Wing” premieres Fri., Oct. 2 at 8:30 a.m. ET. Pete thinks he sees a legendary creature known as the ‘Scronchasaur’ in Hot Dog Hills Lake. Legendary musician Alice Cooper returns as the voice of Alistair Coop De Ville.
  • T.O.T.S. “A Spooky Delivery” premieres Oct. 2 at 9:00 a.m. ET. Pip and Freddy try to help JP get into the Halloween spirit. 
  • Puppy Dog Pals “221B Barker Street” premieres Oct. 2 at 9:30 a.m. ET. When treats go missing from the Puppy Playcare Halloween party, Bingo and Rolly set off on a mission to solve the mystery.

Starting Oct. 2 the DisneyNOW app will have a Halloween-themed suite of games including pumpkin carving and a haunted house matching game.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Disney

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Whether it’s your un-birthday or just after school, it’s always a good time for tea. Celebrate Mad Hatter Day any day and gather round your lovies, machines, snakes and dolls. All are welcome at an ad-hoc tea party fit for a king (or a tractor). Read on for some easy inspiration.

tea party alice

You will need:

A table, or you can make it a picnic tea party on the floor.

A tablecloth.

Tea cups, preferably assorted and mismatched.

A tea pot.

Snacks. We like fresh fruit and few treats for after school, but you can honestly serve anything.

Attendees. (Let your child select the attendees.)

A hat.

Step One: Gather your items. Remember, the key here is to use what you have. If your child has a tea set, great, but coffee cups work just as well. No tea? Use water. Somehow, it tastes more spectacular out of a tea cup.

henrik tea party alice
Step Two: Have your child help decorate the table. Since your trying to invoke the Mad Hatter’s tea party, a little colorful chaos is okay.

tea party alice
Step Three: Bring the attendees in. Remember, this needn’t be limited to dolls and stuffed animals. Our Editor’s son brought along a front-end loader, a K’Nex creature, snakes and monster trucks as well as stuffed animals.

tea party treats
Step Four: Bring on the tea and cookies! If there’s room at the table you might even be able to join them. You can read the Mad Tea Party scene from the book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, at this link, out loud while they enjoy their tea.

tea party Henrik

Step Five: Don your hat and enjoy!

Does your child love tea parties? Tell us about a memorable one in the comments below! 

—Amber Guetebier

Baskin-Robbins has teamed up with actor and author Taye Diggs to bring the magical world of the brand’s new Creature Creations lineup to life with the release of a children’s e-book titled The Festival of Creatures, available for free online. Written by Diggs and inspired by the whimsical Creature Creations characters, the story takes young readers on a wildly imaginative journey to an enchanted ice cream land, complete with sprinkle-studded paths and milkshake shores. On their way, the three lovable Creatures learn about the importance of kindness and acceptance, no matter how different they think they may be.

Taye Diggs

“Giving or receiving kindness can help boost your happiness, and this story showcases that we all have that power inside of us,” said Diggs. “I’m incredibly passionate about this story, which has given me an opportunity to spark positivity in all who read it and tell a tale that’s all about celebrating our differences. The Creatures and their personalities provide the perfect avenue to tell that story in a way that everyone can enjoy.”

Readers will meet three whimsical Creatures, the Unicorn, Mermaid and Monster, and learn about their colorful personalities as they journey through a mythical realm in search of the ultimate ice cream celebration. Even tough they all come from different lands the unlikely trio learn they are stronger together and become the best of friends. 

Baskin-Robbins

“Taye brought each of the Creatures’ personalities to life in this story, and he showcases the power we each have to be accepting of our differences and confident in our uniqueness. We hope this e-book provides families everywhere with a fun way to teach kindness and acceptance,” said Shannon Blakely, Vice President of Marketing at Baskin-Robbins.

Families can continue their own Creature adventure at home with new DIY Creature Creations Kits inspired by the ice cream lineup released in July. Complete with everything you need to make the Unicorn, Mermaid, or Monster, these kits offer the perfect family activity on the heels of story time or as an afternoon adventure. Each kit includes all the ingredients to make five complete Creature Creations, including two quarts of Baskin-Robbins ice cream, colorful sprinkles, five Creature-inspired cups and five white chocolate toppers. Customize your DIY kit with our Variety offering, which lets you choose any combination of the three different Creatures depending on which you want to create! Each kit also comes with Creature-inspired crowns. 

Baskin-Robbins

Available at participating locations nationwide, you can plan ahead for the next family story time by ordering your DIY Creature Creations Kit online at order.baskinrobbins.com or through the Baskin-Robbins mobile app. The Creatures, along with other Baskin-Robbins favorites, can also be enjoyed from home through “no contact” delivery via DoorDash.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Baskin-Robbins

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It’s still summer, but before you know it you’ll be swimming in jack o’ lanterns and pumpkin spice everything. This year you can check one Halloween to-do off your list easily, with Target’s Trunk-or-Treat collection that will make you the hit of the event with nothing more than a Target run.

While it can be tons of fun to DIY your Halloween decor after hours of poring over Pinterest, sometimes you just don’t have the time and energy and that’s where Target comes in. All you have to do is spring for one of these awesome trunk decor kits and you’re ready to hand out candy.

Frankenstein Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor

Target

Transform your car into a creepy creature. With this kit you can turn the trunk or hatch of your vehicle into a gaping mouth where only the most daring will take a Halloween treat

The Frankenstein Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor retails for $44.99.

Bat Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor

Target

Turn your car into a friendly bat. Transform your trunk into a huge candy dish filled with treats for your trunk-or-treaters. 

The Bat Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor retails for $55.99.

Mean Streak Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor

Target

What big eyes you have! Kids will be clamoring to grab a treat from your trunk. 

The Mean Streak Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor retails for $24.99.

Say Ahhh! Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor

Target

Open up and say, "Ahhhh!" This fun kit attach in minutes using magnets and suction cups to transform your car into a fun destination for the trunk-or-treaters. 

The Say Ahhh! Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor retails for $33.49. 

Bright Eyes Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor

Target

What big eyes you have! Mesmerize those little ghouls with a pair of bright green eyes. 

The Bright Eyes Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor retails for $29.99.

 

Freaky Fangs Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor

Target

What sharp teeth you have! Only the bravest trunk-or-treaters will grab a piece of candy from the trunk of your car. 

The Freaky Fangs Halloween Tricky Trunk Decor retails for $35.49.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Target 

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This talk show is out of this world. On Fri. Sept. 4, Disney+ will debut 10 episodes of its first original talk show Earth to Ned. The fresh take on the late-night format stars larger-than-life extraterrestrial creatures Ned and Cornelius as they interview some of the biggest stars in our galaxy.

This brand new talk show comes from The Jim Henson Company. Hosted by alien commander Ned and his lieutenant Cornelius, who call off the invasion of Earth after they fall in love with human culture. Broadcasting from the bridge of their spaceship, hidden deep underground, Ned and Cornelius interview Earth’s greatest resource, celebrities. With the help of the ship’s artificial intelligence, BETI, and the destructive CLODs (Cloned Living Organisms of Destruction), Ned must keep his show a secret from his home planet or suffer the wrath of his father, the Admiral of the Galactic Fleet. 

Each episode focuses on a topic or theme that is both equally unique to earthlings and fascinating to Ned, including comedy, sports, social media, and fashion. Ned beams in celebrity guests from across the known universe to put on the ultimate chat show, and the more he learns about our human culture, the more obsessed he becomes.

Guests include Bindi and Robert Irwin, NeNe Leakes, Joel McHale, Andy Richter, RuPaul, Jenny Slate, and Raven Symoné.

Ned, Cornelius, their Artificial Intelligence BETI, and army of CLODs are brought to life by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the team behind some of Hollywood’s most iconic characters.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Disney+

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Being stuck at home for going on five months definitely has us desperate for new ways to entertain the kids—beyond downloading Disney+ and just handing over the remote. Our Los Angeles Editor Shannan Rouss feels us. A full-time, working mom with a four year old, Shannan shares her top picks for games, toys and gears to get you through the pandemic.

As a mom to an only child, I’m also my son’s only playmate. Which means I’m always looking for toys, games and crafts that he can do on his own, so that maybe—just maybe—I might get a few minutes to respond to a work email or unload the dishwasher. Added bonus if they’re also educational. Read on to find for all my sanity-saving finds.

Play Make Create: A Process Art Book

via Amazon

At a certain point, even the most creative of moms is going to run out of art projects. Enter this book from the titular owner of kids art studio Meri Cherry in Encinco. Her book is my go-to when I'm stuck for a crafty activity. So far, we've borrowed her recipe for colored sand (hint: salt is involved), made clay beads, created a science station, painted over a tape collage and whipped up some ooey-gooey Oobleck. 

Browse Meri Cherry's Play Make Create: A Process Art Book.

Polymer Clay Starter Kit

via Amazon

I got this pack of polymer clay to make beads (an idea from Meri Cherry's book), but my son ended up using it to just create his own free-form sculptures (or what he called playgrounds, mountains, forests, etc.). Polymer clay (known by brand names like FIMO and Sculpey) has great tactile appeal, is easy to cut, mold and manipulate, and hardens when it cooks. The kit comes with keychain and jewelry attachments, which we didn't end up using but are great for older kids.

Shop now for this Polymer Clay Starter Kit, $19.79.

Lego Creator Deep Sea Creatures

via Amazon

Legos are my babysitter when I just can't anymore. I think we're averaging around 2-3 new Lego sets a week. That might seem excessive, but we go for the under-$15 boxes and, like I said, they're basically childcare... because my son is Lego-obsessed and he pretty much does them on his own. (Happy dance!) There are lots of 3-in-1 options from Lego Creator, which means more bang for your buck. And deal alert: Lego Creator Deep Sea Creature, $12.79, is actually a 4-in-1 set, with downloadable instructions for a fourth sea creature online. 

Shop now for Lego Creator, from $9.84.

Magic Tree House Books 1-4

via Amazon

I was searching for a chapter book I could read with my 4 year old, something that both he and I might enjoy. Friends said he was too young for Harry Potter (confession: I've never read the books myself), and we tried A.A. Milne's House at Pooh Corner, which was sweet but a little slow. Thankfully, someone recommended Mary Pope's Magic Tree House books, and my son was instantly hooked on the time-traveling tales. Each book is about 70 pages long, but the font is large and there are hand-drawn illustrations peppered throughout, so we can finish one off in a single sitting. And just like that a half hour of our day has flown by.

Shop now for Magic Tree House, $11.30 (for Books 1-4). 

Liquid Chalk Markers

via Amazon

All those drive-by celebrations? These Liquid Chalk Markers are a must for decorating the car. They come in bright, vibrant colors and wipe off easily. My son has used them on our house windows too—though if the chalk gets on a wooden window frame, it takes some effort to clean up. Another fun and easy way to use them: Get out some black paper for kids to color on. Simple, but oh-so exciting for little ones. 

Shop now for the best Liquid Chalk Markers, $9.95.

Spooner Boards Freestyle

via Amazon

For some reason, my son is obsessed with surfing. I think he saw a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode about it. Or maybe it was Lilo & Stitch that sold him on the idea. Regardless, he's only 4, so we're not ready for surfing lessons (plus physical distancing and all). So instead, he "land surfs" on the Spooner Board Freestyle. It took him a few attempts to get the hang of it, but he's mastered a 180 spin and is working on his 360.  

Shop now for a Spooner Board Freestyle, $44.

Melissa & Doug See & Spell

via Amazon

I had seen these at my son's preschool, so when it came time to create our own version of at-home preschool, I purchased the set of spelling puzzles. It's a great way for him to practice letters, sounds and sight words. To make things more exciting, we'll sometimes set a timer and see how many he can complete is under a minute. Gotta keep things interesting!

Shop now for Melissa & Doug See & Spell, $17.99.

Hi-Ho Cherry-O

via Amazon

This game is an oldie but a goodie. I'm pretty sure it's the first board game my son has actually mastered, meaning he follows the rules and doesn't make up his own. Plus, it's great for working on counting skills. 

Shop now for Hi-Ho Cherry-O, $12.99.

Highlights Alphabet Puzzles

via Amazon

We signed up for the monthly Highlights subscription (Puzzle Buzz for kids ages 4-7) and it's filled with fun mazes, matching games and hidden pictures. It's such a treat for my son to get his own mail and tackle the puzzles, mostly by himself. To help balance out the insane amount of TV he's been watching (no shame... well, a little), I've been supplementing our subscription with even more Highlights activity books, like this Alphabet Puzzles one. 

Shop now for Highlights activity workbooks, from $4.79.

Crocodile Creek Day at the Museum Puzzle

via Amazon

This is just one of the many puzzles that has been added to our pandemic puzzle collection. The puzzle is challenging enough that a grownup may need to help at first, but once kiddos have done it a few times, they'll take pride in being able to complete it on their own. Made by Crocodile Creek, the puzzle's pieces are thick and sturdy, not likely to bend or fray like flimsier alternatives. Another favorite puzzle brand in our house is Mudpuppy—they make puzzles for all ages, including 500-1000 piece versions to do as a family. 

Shop now for Crocodile Creek Day at the Museum Puzzle, $16.99.

–Shannan Rouss

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