A taste of the Bay Area

We’re doing a big ol’ Bat Mitzvah this weekend, and as is common for events of this size, we have a good number of folks traveling a long distance to attend. One of the things we like to do in these situations is to welcome guests with a really nice basket or box of cheer! For me, I always think it’s fun to make this welcome gift on theme; if it’s a sporty theme we may put all the gifts in a cute gym bag, or a backpack for an outdoors/camping theme, or a picnic basket or wine bag for a summery theme. I also like to make sure that whatever we put inside the bag or basket are functional and portable. The last thing you want to do is load your guests up with stuff that will fill up their suitcases!

Foodstuffs are a great treat for arriving guests. Often the trip has been long, and they are tired and just want a shower, a rest, and a snack. It’s also a great way to introduce your guests to your hosts’ favorite tastes. I know one wedding couple who are doing fancy peanut butter and Ghiradelli chocolates because they love that combination (and it’s a step up from a Reese’s cup!).

For this particular Bat Mitzvah, we thought we’d give the guests a “taste of the Bay Area” by including things that were discovered, created, or manufactured here in the San Francisco area. It was a really interesting process, finding out what’s made in our own backyard! If you want to try this in your own neck of the woods, you might want to start at your local farmer’s market, but for me, all I had to do was go to the Ferry Building downtown! Man! They have everything! They even have this great little store that has an entire shelf of gluten-free goodies, which was perfect for this event since one of our guests has Celiac disease.

I thought I’d share some of the fabulous nibbles we presented our guests:

Hint water: This was created by a Marin County woman and her husband, who just so happen to be clients of mine! It’s a really tasty water that has the most unique sensation in the mouth. The water is “infused” with taste. I have no idea how they do it, but it’s all natural, and it’s really cool.

Sourdough bread: Either from Acme Bakery (where there is always a line) or Boudin (which is fun because they make cute little shapes like fish, teddy bears, and alligators).

Pop Chips: These are a recent creation, and now, thanks to these welcome baskets, I am addicted. Made right here in good old SF, they are a hip little company with a great message of health and snacking.

Mrs. Fields Cookies: What else can one say but mmmmm... soft cookies. I am a total cookie snob and I really don’t like dry, hard, crumbly cookies. Mrs. Fields - who hails from Palo Alto - has figured out a way to keep them soft and chewy... Did I already say mmmmm...?

Clif Bars: Not only are these great because they are energy boosters and your guests can pop them in their purses and backpacks for any little adventures they might have, but they are made right over the bridge in Emeryville. How cool is that?

Pistachios or almonds: I always pass amazing groves of trees on my way up north to visit my parents in Sonora, California. It’s pretty cool how they grow and harvest nuts; well worth a trip to one of the local farms in those areas.

Chocolate: Unfortunately, I’m allergic to chocolate, so I won’t go “mmmmmm" here, but I know there are a lot of folks who do love chocolate. For us in the Bay Area, we’ve got so many local chocolatiers: Ghirardelli (of course), See’s, and Scharffen Berger (for dark chocolate), just to name a few.

Jelly Belly: Produced in Fairfield, California, about an hour north of San Francisco, these little sweeties are so much fun because of all the flavors. If your guests have time, it’s also an amazing place to go for a day. You can tour the factory and just spend the day in their Willy Wonka-esque world. You can even hug Mr. Jelly Belly - like my sister Freda!

Annie’s Bunnies: Annie’s is a Berkeley-based company that makes healthy mac & cheese, but also really tasty, organic versions of Goldfish crackers, but in bunny shapes.

Cowgirl Creamery cheese: These guys are the bomb. Based out of Point Reyes, they’ve got this wonderful shop set up in the Ferry Building. The great thing is they’ve got tons of cheeses that don’t need refrigeration, like their dried jack cheese, so they work great in a gift bag.

Kettle corn: This was a Farmer’s Market find! The fellow makes kettle corn on the spot at all the Oakland Farmer’s Markets... Let’s all take a big deep breath, smell the aroma, and say... yum!

Now, you don’t have to go over the top with a welcome basket like this, but finding a few little items that will make your guests feel at home and comfy is always nice.

The problem with these baskets is I think I’ve gained 10 pounds since we started making them. I mean, you know... you’ve got to make sure everything’s tasty for your guests, right?

Hosting at home - restricted areas

We just did a really fun little spy party the other day at a client’s home, and something came up which I think is important to point out for anyone throwing a party in their home. That issue is the “no man’s lands” of the party, meaning areas where you don’t want guests entering.

Some folks get worried about the notion of closing off areas, thinking it might be considered rude, but I actually encourage it. Unless the only bathroom in your house is located in the master bedroom, then there really is no reason for anyone to go in there.

My solution? Making little signs that fit the theme. These signs seem less forceful, and actually add an element of creativity and fun.

For the party in question, I printed up little signs with one of those "radiation logos" on the top and had it say: “Restricted Area - Security Level MD (Mom & Dad) necessary to enter!" We simply placed that on all the doors leading to areas we wanted untouched. It was a relief to the birthday boy, as he was concerned that kids would get into his room and play with his toys. Instead, it gave us a solid parameter in which to hold the party, and the guests were completely fine with that and followed the rules beautifully (some even asked how they could attain MD status).

Here are some themed "no entry" signs to try!

For a "jungle" party, try roping off areas with imitation vines, or make little signs that say things like:

“It’s a jungle in here, please do not enter!”

“No wild animals beyond this point!”

“Wildlife sanctuary, please do not enter"

For a "construction" party (or spy, SCI, policeman, fireman, or the like) use caution tape to close off areas.

Signage could say:

“This room is under construction, please do not enter!”

“Foreman’s quarters only!”

“Crime scene - do not contaminate by entering!”

For a beauty, fashion, spa, movie, theatre, or other glamorous party, you could use feather boas and signs that say:

“No pampering beyond this point”

“Changing rooms are located on the lower level”

“Backstage - no entry”

“VIPs (Very Important Parents) only!”

For a race car theme, you could cross a pair of checkered flags on the door to make an “X” and have little signs that say:

“No Pit Stops”

“No Parking”

Pirate parties are pretty easy; put a big skull and crossbones on the door and have a sign that says

“Captain’s Quarters”

“All ye who enter shall walk the plank!”

“Enter not, or the crocodile will get ya!”

Remember, it’s your home, and so you set the rules. Just be clear about what those rules are and stick to them. You can’t have your child racing off with his two best friends to his room -- it’s no guests, or all guests...

If worst comes to worst, just put a little sign up that says:
“The hosts have just one simple request -
This room be off limits to party guests!”

That gets the point across -- and it rhymes!

Getting things done with a "to-do board"...

The thing about party planning (and really, life in general) is there are a lot of details. It’s really easy to forget something or let something slide until it’s too late. This often happens with supply orders that need to be made in time to receive them for an event... I’ve had more than my share of “OH NO... we didn’t order the fluffy slippers and wind-up clacking teeth, and we need them by Friday!” moments. And yes... I have Fed Ex and UPS on speed dial.

To try and alleviate some of this panic and stress, I created what I call my “to-do board.” It’s a simple, visual way to keep my responsibilities lined up. All I did was take a rectangular piece of cardboard and write: TO DO, IN PROGRESS, and ALMOST DONE on the three usable sides of the board (nothing of course goes on the bottom, since that’s where the board is propped up). I have a Ziplock baggie filled with old wooden clothes pins, and 3 colors of spike tape (but you could use any kind of tape - I like spike tape because it’s bright, colorful, and ½ inch thick, which is perfect for marking clothes pins). Each color represents a chore: yellow for phone calls, lime green for party proposals, and orange for orders.

As work comes in, I simply write the name of the client on the appropriate color of tape, and clip
it to the board.

I think part of the reason that I really like this technique is that it lets me see very quickly how much I have to do, and at what stage I’m at with each task. I think this would work really well with kids and homework. I know I personally get great satisfaction of removing a clip from the board. It feels really good to “clear the board,” as they say.

Unfortunately, the board never seems to empty all the way... but I guess that’s a good thing in many ways... it means we’re busy!

Cowboys and Aliens

As anyone who saw this past summer’s lineup of blockbuster films knows, one of the big hits was this crazy film called “Cowboys & Aliens.” It’s an interesting concept for a movie, and as it turns out, an awesome concept for a company picnic.

I had a chance to put it into practice a few weeks ago, and the party was a blast.

For centerpieces, I took the basic concept of a mason jar filled with sunflowers and alien-ated
it! I found these adorable inflatable aliens at Rhode Island Novelty. They were tiny little guys made to hug a person’s arm, so they were perfect for the centerpieces. I wrapped the top of the mason jar with a bandana for a bit more cowboy flair, and then hooked the alien to the mason jar, so it looked like he was hugging the centerpiece. The effect was whimsical and fun, and everyone loved it. The kids went wild for them, and every single one went home with a guest.

To add to the fun, I set up a cowboy carnival, with an alien shoot-out: a game where kids use Nerf guns to knock over little balloon-headed aliens. There was also a rocket launching game - where kids shoot bop rockets through cut-out holes in the painted galaxy backdrop, and a lasso the cow game with a stuffed cow that I made from a bed sheet mounted on one of those “open house” signs. The kids won tickets to redeem at a little prize stand which featured 5-foot blow-up aliens and sheriff badges.

The big aliens also served as decor. I placed them all around the grove where the picnic was being held, peeking out behind trees, popping out of bushes, hiding in the outhouse... it was a hoot. Again, the kids went crazy for them!

For extra added fun, we had a craft station with ceramic cow-shaped banks for painting, hats for decorating, and used CDs for alien space ships. We also played old fashioned games like horse shoes, potato sack races, and water balloon contests. It’s amazing to see how those time-tested games that have been around for years and years still serve up the best entertainment.

As you can probably guess, this company is very laid-back and fun. They did all the catering themselves, and even made their own beer, so the feel for the event was playful and fun. I don’t know if I’d suggest this theme for a sophisticated dinner party... but for a picnic in the woods, it was just right!

Caterpillar puppets (Video)

We all know that caterpillars grow up to become beautiful butterflies, but we think caterpillars are quite cute on their own! With the help of our friend Mikayla, we show you how to make a caterpillar puppet just perfect for playtime or story time. All you need are a few pom-poms, googly eyes, felt, and bendy drinking straws to make a creepy-crawly for hours of fun.

We've got more DIY toys and crafts over on our YouTube page, and be sure to check out our Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up-to-date on our latest fun kids' crafts and activities!

Bar Mitzvah photo montage tips!

Having spent the last evening sorting through over 200 pictures with one of my Bat Mitzvah clients, I thought it was a good time to give some pointers about the beloved photo montage that accompanies many of these large events.

I have one word of warning to all who consider honoring this tradition at their next large event, be it a wedding, an anniversary, a family reunion, or in my case, a Bat Mitzvah... and that word is BREVITY!

I know you’ve got amazing photos that you want to share with everyone; who doesn’t love that first photo of mother and child, or the naked baby butt photo, or the obligatory messy face photo -- they are all really fun. But not 20 minutes of them. We really don’t need to see every Halloween costume or dance recital. We can do away with the multiple shots of milestones like reading a book or learning how to ride a bike -- one of each will do, thank you! When you think about the length of these things, think shorter rather than longer... I’m talking five minutes starts pushing the limits, or maybe seven minutes if you are really clever about your presentation.

I know I’m being harsh here, but trust me -- I’ve been through enough of these to know that guests start to get antsy around the four minute mark. They start whispering to their neighbors, then they start chatting with the table across from them, then they get up and hit the bar. And the poor kids and teens... with their capacity to absorb information in 10 seconds nowadays, they are ready to be done by the time you get to the pre-school shots, let alone the trips to Paris and Africa. So my word to the wise is this: if you are going to do a presentation, keep it short.

There is, however, a great way around this dilemma. A way that allows you to have as many fun photos as you want, and that is the video feed loop. This can be done on a large screen TV, computer, portable screen, or my new favorite, portable digital picture frames. This came from a client of mine, and I love it.

We bought four 10-inch digital frames, loaded them with all the photos that fit on a 4 gigabyte memory card, and placed them in strategic places around the room: one at the bar, one at the check in, one at the kid’s zone, and one at the coat check area. What was so great about this concept is that people stopped at their leisure to check out the photos, often engaging with folks they didn’t know in the process. Even better, they were actually discussing and commenting on the photos (as we all hope will occur through a photo montage) rather than being distracted away from them.

Another great benefit of this idea, is that you can give the preloaded frames as present to the only folks who really care about them anyway: yourself, Grandma, and Aunt Bessie.

Straw shooters (a.k.a. "I stand corrected!")

I’ve been holding a mini summer camp all week long, and I’ve got this great group of 8-year-old boys with whom I’m working. These are fantastic, bright, and funny boys, who love being creative. Although I always have a very solid lesson plan in place, I’ve learned that it’s always good to have flexibility in the programing, because you never know what is going to capture your campers’ attention, and when it does, you need to be able to jump full force into that area, and explore it to its fullest.

The other day we were making “spy gear” and we all decided it would be fun to make “straw shooters.” Straw shooters are simple: you just need two straws (one slightly thinner than the other) and some tape. You tape the end of the larger straw shut to form an airtight seal, then trim it so it’s slightly shorter than the skinny straw. Load the taped straw onto the skinnier straw, hold it up to your mouth, and blow. The effect is really great -- that puppy will shoot with serious accuracy and distance.

Now here’s where the great part about running a camp comes in. We’d set up a target range, and after having them raise their right hands and solemnly swear not to aim their shooters at anything but inanimate objects, the boys went to town testing various techniques for the ammo. Some tried cutting them shorter, some weighted the back end with a bit of tape to make them fly straighter, and some just tried to see how many straws they could shove into their mouth at one time and still shoot accurately. One boy, however, decided to think entirely outside the box, however, and discovered that by making the larger straw the shooter, and the skinny straw the rocket, that the shooter actually flew twice as far, and had much more accuracy. This was a thrilling discovery, and led to an actual set of shooting trials to see which design was better.

The new and improved version

The best part of this whole “mission” was watching the process of discovery and questioning.
Because the basic design is so simple, it allowed for some serious self examination. The kids could do everything by themselves, and this allowed them to work unfettered by the necessary hands of adults, and thus led ultimately to a better design...

So now, so you can come up with an even better version of your own, here are the basic steps for making a straw shooter.

You’ll need:

2 straws (one slightly thinner than the other)

Duct tape (or any kind of tape)

Instructions:

1. Pinch one end of the skinnier straw and tape shut with duct tape. You can trim any excess tape away, but don’t snip the straw underneath. Make sure to form an airtight seal.

2. Trim about 1 inch from the opposite end of the taped straw.

3. Load the skinny straw into the larger straw. (Or, as in the picture above, you can try out the original method with the larger straw going over the smaller straw.)

4. Shoot by blowing into the larger straw.

If you are so inclined, you can create a shooting range by making a target out of felt and then adding a tiny tab of Velcro (the loop side, not the fuzzy side) to the end of you shooter.

When discussing the notion of making the targets, one of my young inventors piped up: “If you don’t have felt, you could just take a wooly sweater and stuff it with a pillow, and prop it up in a chair!”

Kids are cool, aren’t they?

An easy kitchen catapult

I love working with boys. They totally crack me up!

People in my biz are always saying how they dislike working with groups of boys: “They’re rowdy, they don’t listen, they make a mess, they break things...” Sure, all those things are true, but they are also engaging, funny, clever, fearless, and often willing to go along on any adventure. You just have to capture their attention and then you’re in...

The other day I had a picnic with a lot of boys, boys who took one look at the craft table and turned up their noses -- until I mentioned the notion of making catapults. Then they were all over that table like white on rice.

The greatest thing about making these simple catapults is that once you get the basic idea down you can explore and try out a million variations. Some work better than others, which is a fun way to introduce the educational process of trial and error, while still keeping things light-hearted and fun.

To make your basic catapult, all you need are four items and some glue:

1 wine cork
1 popsicle stick
1 bottle cap
1 bead, puff ball, rolled up spit ball -basically anything that can be used as ammo

How to assemble your catapult:

1. Take your popsicle stick and place a drop of glue right in the middle, then attach it to the middle of the rounded side of the cork to make a basic teeter-totter. (Don’t glue it to the ends of the cork, or you will end up with a helicopter -- which is an entirely different craft!)



2. Glue the bottle cap to one of the ends of the popsicle stick to make an ammo holder.

3. Let dry until everything is solid, then load your bottle cap with ammo.



4. Tip the ammo-end down so it touches the table (or floor, or ground, or whatever surface).

5. With your finger or hand, quickly bring down the ammo-less side of the stick. Your ammo will fly out with a pretty intense force!

A note on safety:
These little guys actually pack a lot of punch, so make sure never to aim the catapults at any living thing. Never put your (or anyone else’s) face directly over the catapult. And never use anything sharp as ammo. Beads are great ammo, but they can hurt, and need to be picked up after battle since animals, small children, and vacuums can easily inhale them, causing damage to lungs and rotors...

As with any toy, you need to play with these responsibly and with supervision. The great thing about them though is that you can make them out of anything (an emery board and spool of thread, a soda bottle and a ruler, a TP tube and a plastic knife... the combinations are endless, you just need something stiff and long, and something tubular) and the results are very cool.

As to the boys at the picnic? We ended up setting up a shooting range complete with targets and obstacles. I’d say it kept them busy for a solid half hour before it slowly morphed into creating entire armies to run the catapults... but that’s another story entirely...

Truck troubles!

You know how there are times when you get so busy you just think, “There’s no way I’m going get everything I need done accomplished -- there’s just no way!” And then something happens on top of all that stuff that just makes you shake your head and say, “Oh well, guess it’s just one of those days!”

Well, that happened to me last Friday.

Right now I’ve got a crazy schedule: I’m running a summer camp, there are three Bar/Bat Mitzvahs in a period of less than twelve days, a library craft appearance, and three corporate events. Plus, I have relatives in town! My normal 4 a.m. wake up time has been pushed back to 2 a.m., and still I can’t get everything done!

So what’s the “Oh well!” moment? You may ask?

The handle to my driver’s side door snapped off, which makes it impossible to enter the driver’s side.

For the last four days I’ve been either climbing over the passenger seat like a window-seated, peanut-bladdered passenger on a United Airlines Flight, or (my sister’s personal favorite) entering through the driver’s side window, flopping around as if I’m a bloated sea lion.

My sister is helping me run the summer camp, so of course she had to photograph every moment of the painstaking van-entering process... Sigh.

I do hope you enjoy my poorly-executed Dukes of Hazard entry technique... I’ve yet to get my foot caught in the seat belt, so I haven’t toppled head long out of the truck yet... But I have gotten some very strange looks from my vendors and clients. I’ve just been telling everyone it’s part of my new exercise regime...

Toy technology

Okay, maybe it’s time for me to admit that the only reason why anyone works with kids is for... THE TOYS!

I’m being a bit facetious here, but OMG -- have you seen some of the really fun stuff that is out there nowadays? There is some amazing stuff for kids (as well as the adults who live vicariously through them)!

Case in point, something my assistant Simone passed on to me the other day: a full-sized, helium-filled, radio-controlled shark! They’re called AirSwimmers, and you’ve got to see them -- they’re amazing. They’re super-realistic looking and works on the same principle as a blimp. When Simone sent me the link, my immediate response was, “I need one.” Not, “I want one” -- I need one! I mean, how cool would it be to have a six-foot shark lazily swimming around my warehouse all day? It would definitely give the UPS man something to think about when he walks in!

I just get blown away by the level of creativity that continues to come out, and the ease with which the internet allows us to share it with one another. Truly, it’s an amazing time to be alive! I mean, I know that people have always been making advancements, and so that whatever time period one lived through was probably a fascinating time to live, but I am forever being struck by the possibilities of our world.

I can just imagine using this shark at an event (albeit one with at least 10-foot ceilings). How cool would it be to set up a sort of aerodynamic obstacle course, with dangling hoops, crepe paper kelp forests hanging from balloons, and airborne schools of fish. I can just imagine the kids navigating the sharks around the room -- how fun would that be? Evidently there is even a Nemo-style fish too! You know what that means! Fish Olympics!

If you want to check out the shark in action, go to YouTube (another astounding advancement; I can see the world’s fattest cat trying to climb a staircase and fail, and then watch the State of the Union address.) It’s pretty cool to watch it move!

I know, it’s just a toy, and after a while it will lose its novelty and entertainment value. I also know that we should be using this creative energy towards something that aids our planet... but I’ve been thoroughly entertained and excited by this moveable shark since I discovered its existence...

Now I just need an over-the-top underwater party to come in... Anyone want to do a marine-themed Bar Mitzvah?