CPSC gives tips for toy shopping, safe play
With the holidays quickly approaching, and the biggest shopping day of the year this Friday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission releases its “top tips for a safer holiday toy shopping and playing experience.”
1. Always choose age-appropriate toys for children. Keep toys appropriate for older children away from younger siblings.
2. Include safety gear whenever shopping for sports-related gifts or ride-on toys including bicycles, skates and scooters. Helmets and other safety gear should be worn properly and be sized to fit.
3. Be aware of your child’s surroundings during play. Young children should avoid playing with ride-on toys near streets and traffic, pools or ponds. They should avoid playing in indoor areas near hazards such as kitchens, bathrooms or rooms with corded window blinds.
4. Once gifts are opened, immediately discard plastic wrappings or other packaging from toys.
5. Battery-charging should be supervised by adults. Chargers and adapters can pose a thermal burn hazard to young children.
6. For children younger than 3, avoid toys with small parts and small balls. For Children younger than 6, avoid toys with small magnets. Keep all young children away from broken balloons. Keep deflated balloons away from children 8 and younger. Balloons are a choking hazard.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Barnes & Noble starts FREE Kids’ Club
Barnes & Noble has something new, fun and FREE! (We like free, right?) The new Kids’ Club encourages children to read more by offering them rewards and discounts to parents.
- Just for signing up, you get 30% off the list price on any one kids’ book or toy.
- For every $100 you spend on kids’ stuff online and in stores, you get a $5 reward.
- Get a free cupcake (yum!) from the B&N cafe AND a free Tikatok create-a-book project for your children’s birthdays.
- Receive a monthly newsletter featuring even more savings.
To join, just visit any Barnes & Noble or go to bn.com/kidsclub. 
Happy reading!
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Still need plans for Halloween week?
If you’re a sort-of country dweller like me, you don’t really have a good reliable neighborhood to trick-or-treat in this year. So how do you make the most of Halloween when you can’t do the traditional door-to-door candy quest? Here are some really great (and I’ve been to most of these) activities in the metro you can do with your kids this week to get in the spooky spirit:
Haunt the Zoo: We go every year. You can’t beat the Oklahoma City Zoo for Halloween. You won’t see animals, but you will see folks standing along a pumpkin-lined path handing out some yummy treats. Neat displays are set up along the way, perfect for pictures. Haunt the Zoo is 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. starting tonight and ending Sunday. Tickets are only necessary for the kids, and they’re $7 each. Click here for more information.
Storybook Forest: Spring Creek Park at Edmond’s Arcadia Lake turns into a book of fairytales as kids can walk through a forest of stories. Characters and scenes from children’s favorite books are brought to life, along with treats, hayrides, carnival games and a campfire for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Storybook Forest is open 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily through Sunday. Admission is $5 per child during the week, $7 on the weekend. Adults are free. Click here for more information.
Halloween Train Ride at the Oklahoma Railway Museum is a real train ride for kids wearing their costumes. Departure times Saturday are 10 and 11 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for age 15 and older, $5 for ages 3 to 14, and kids younger than 3 are free. Click here for more information.
Haunt the Harn at the Harn Homestead. Includes trick-or-treating, hayrides and more. Event is Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for nonmembers, free for members. Click here for more information.
The Metropolitan Library System also has a list of free events this week:
- Bethany Library: 10 to 10:45 a.m. on Thursday is ”Halloween Fun for Little Ones” for ages 3 to 6. From 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, it’s hosting “Spooky Spook Halloween” for grades 1 to 5.
- Capitol Hill Library: From 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday is “Halloween @ the Haunted Hill” for all ages.
- Downtown Library: From 1:30 to 5:40 p.m. Sunday is the “Classic Horror Film Marathon” for all ages.
- Ralph Ellison Library: “Pumpkin Carving for Teens” is 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday. The library’s fall festival is noon to 4 p.m. Saturday for all ages.
- Warr Acres Library: “Dress Up Party for Preschoolers” is tonight from 6:30 to 7:30. Kids should be in costume.
Be sure to check wimgo.com for more Halloween event listings and have a great, safe week!
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Keep your little goblins safe this Halloween
Like most good parents, I’m sure you already know all about keeping your trick-or-treaters safe on the big night.
But a few reminders could never hurt.
Here’s some tips from Safe Kids USA (which includes Safe Kids Oklahoma):
- Encourage children not to trick-or-treat alone. They should go in groups or with a trusted adult.
- Place reflective tape on their costumes or on their treat bags so they are visible to drivers.
- Examine all candy thoroughly. Check for any signs of tampering.
- All children should have their own flashlight so they can see and be seen.
- Emphasize to your children the importance of looking both ways when crossing a street. Tell them to use crosswalks, if possible.
- Be sure costumes fit well, to prevent trips and falls.
- Let children know they are NEVER to enter a person’s home unless they are with a trusted adult.
- Try to purchase flame-retardant costumes and keep away from open flames.
Have a very SAFE and HAPPY Halloween!
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Take some time to be 5 again
I recently had a birthday and you know how kids are … birthdays are the COOLEST thing since sliced bread. They don’t quite understand how adults just don’t count down the days to their next mid-30s birthday.
My 4-year-old son on Thursday morning greeted me with a “Happy Birthday, Mommy!!” and it really was the cutest thing. He even thought we were going to my “birthday party” and when he saw me pulling into the school parking lot instead, he let out the most heart-wrenching “Noooooo!” and the tears started flowing. I felt awful. What kind of mid-30s mother doesn’t throw a party for herself? So I promised him just that. A party.
So here I am, picking him up from school and ready to keep this promise. “Where should we have Mom’s party?” I should have expected his response. “Chuck E. Cheeeeeeese!!” Sigh. OK. We can do this. We invite his best friend and his friend’s mom and headed on down to see the big mouse.
To be honest, the next couple of hours were the most fun I’ve had in a while. Our “host” greeted me with a big sticker and a handful of free tokens. Score! Then we scarfed down a pizza and got ready to play some skee ball. It was great. Even Chuck E. came out to take a picture with me. I felt like I was a kid again. Which was appropriate, because if you ask my son how old I am, he’ll say “5″ with absolute certainty.
Take my advice … You’re never too old to be 5 again.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Weekend roundup
It may not be fair weekend yet (just another week to go!) but there are some fun things to fill up your weekend with the kiddos.
Septemberfest
- When: Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Where: Governor’s Mansion and Oklahoma History Center (Click here for map)
- What: A free, fun, family-friendly, and hands-on event. Visitors get free admission to the museum all day long. The governor and first lady will read stories to children. There also will be dancing, entertainment, puppet shows, inflatables, clowns, face painting and much, much more.
- For a full description and schedule of events, click here.
Pass it on Kids
- When: Sept. 10 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sept. 11 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Where: Church of the Harvest, located between 33rd and 15th streets off Western Avenue in Edmond.
- What: A consignment sale for fall and winter’s kids’ clothing. Half-price on select items on Sept. 11.
- For more information, go to www.passitonkids.com
34th annual Western Days
- When: Sept. 10-11
- Where: Downtown Mustang
- What: A festival including a carnival, rodeo, parade, magic show, music, car show and more.
- For more information, click here or call 376-2758.
103rd annual Cleveland County Free Fair
- When: Now through Sept. 11
- Where: Cleveland County Fairgrounds, E Robinson St., Norman
- What: A fair that has animals, a petting zoo, carnival rides, a midway, celebrity cow milking and much more.
- For more information, click here.
Oktoberfest
- When: Now through Sept. 11
- Where: Choctaw’s Creek Park
- What: German food and goods, live entertainment for all ages, dancing, crafts and activities for kids. Admission is $3 for age 12 and older. Kids younger than 12 are free.
- For more information, go to www.choctawfestival.org or call 390-8647.
If you know of any other great family-friendly events this weekend or coming up, please post them below or e-mail me.
Have a great weekend!
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Nature center plans Labor Day weekend fun
Looking for one more weekend of lake fun with the kids before summer is officially over? Then head down to the Discovery Cove Nature Center at Lake Thunderbird State Park. They have packed the long holiday weekend full of activities. Classes are:
Saturday, Sept. 4
9:00 a.m. - Bird Walk. Call 321-4633 or e-mail crowssecret@sbcglobal.net for details or to sign up.
11:00 a.m. -Birds of Lake Thunderbird. Enjoy a slide presentation of birds that live around the lake.
1:00 p.m. - Animal Clay Sculpture. Sculpt an animal out of clay. Ages 4 and older. $1.00 fee. Call or e-mail for a reservation.
2:30 p.m. -Oklahoma Reptiles: Snakes and Lizards. Learn about these reptile groups and meet the nature center’s “resident representatives.” All ages.
3:30 p.m. - Oklahoma Turtles. Meet seven kinds of turtles and watch some of them being fed.
Sunday, Sept. 5
1:00 p.m. - Aquatic Insects. Learn all about what these insects eat, how they breathe, and other facts, at this special presentation.
2:00 p.m. - Plaster Casts. Make plaster of Paris casts of animal footprints. Ages 2 and older. Fee is 50 cents. Casts require one hour to set. (This is my son’s personal favorite!)
3:00 p.m. - Aquatic Insects. Repeat of 1:00 p.m. program.
Monday, Sept. 6 (aka Bug Day)
10:00 a.m. - What did that? Kids can become nature detectives and look for clues that insects and small animals leave behind. Ages 5 and older.
11:00 a.m. - Oklahoma Insects. Learn about insects and see many of the kinds found in our state. Ages 4 and older.
1:00 p.m. - Bug Bookmarks. Decorate a one-of-a-kind bookmark. Fee is 50 cents. Ages 3 and older.
2:00 p.m. - Aquatic Insects. See above for description.
3:30 p.m. - How many legs? Get to Know the Arthropods. Learn about other “bugs” besides insects. Ages 4 and older.
Discovery Cove Nature Center is located off State Highway 9, almost one mile down Clear Bay Avenue, almost to the boat ramp, across from Turkey Pass Campground For more information, call 321-4633 or e-mail crowssecret@sbcglobal.net.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Have storytime without leaving the couch
As some of you may already know, Barnes & Noble stores host free children’s storytimes on weekend mornings. (Click here to see a schedule for Oklahoma City stores.)
But did you know that they also offer the storytime experience online?
With Online Storytime, children can hear their favorite books read aloud by authors and even celebrities. This month, author Judith Viorst reads her story “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
Just go to http://www.barnesandnoble.com/storytime/index.asp to have storytime in the comfort of your own home.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Zoo plans fun programs for kids, families
Education programs abound at the Oklahoma City Zoo. And as a Zoo Friends member, I enjoy as much of these with my 4-year-old as I can. It’s a great perk for members and nonmembers alike so get ready for some fall fun with the kids!
Toddler and preschooler programs include a live animal presentation, craft, story time, songs and more. Classes are 10 to 11 a.m. and cost $12 for a child with adult Zoo Friends member, or $15 for child with adult nonmember. Additional fees apply for siblings.
Classes are:
Age 2: Mother Goose, Sept. 2 or 4
Age 3: R is for Rhino, Aug. 19 or 21
S is for Sea Lion, Sept. 16 or 18
Ages 4-5: Flying High, Aug. 28
Billy Goats Gruff, Sept. 25
School’s Out Safari Day Camps
If you would like somewhere fun and educational your child can enjoy during fall break or other fall days off from school, the zoo has you covered. Classes are for ages 4-12 and meet from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the zoo’s Education Building. Cost per day is $30 per child, siblings $20 each. Advance registration and payment are required, and spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Snacks will be provided, but children must bring their own lunch.
Dates are: Sept. 6, 7 and 24 and Oct. 21 and 22.
Family program
An upcoming family program is “Sink Your Teeth into Sharks!” and is Aug. 28 from 2 to 3 p.m. Your family can learn all about the world of sharks. Adults are free with paid child registration. Cost per child is $15 for zoo members, $18 for nonmembers. Program is for children ages 4-12.
Zoo art
Have any little artists in your family? Then come join local artist Lance Kelly and learn to draw animals. Basic drawing concepts are reviewed, followed by live sketching of zoo animals. Class meets in the education building and is $20 per class for one person, $5 for each additional family member. Classes are for ages 7 and older and meet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Class dates and animal topics are:
Sept. 25: Grizzly Bear
Oct. 23: Bison
Nov. 13, Turkey
For more information or to register for any of these programs, go to okczoo.recware.com or call 425-0218.
-Erica Smith
Family, friends make trip home so memorable
It’s been 4 years since I’ve been home. Why 4 years, you ask? Because this blogger doesn’t fly.
I know, I know. It’s the safest form of travel. You can spout off statistics all day long and I still won’t board a plane. Call me crazy. Especially when you hear that I drove, (yes, drove) to Connecticut, which is about 1600 miles from Oklahoma City … with a 4-year-old. Yep, that’s me, the crazy lady.
But to be honest, it was amazing. The drive was long, but my son was terrific on the drive up and back. Thank goodness for car DVD players! It took us about 2 1/2 days each way and we were able to stop at some fun spots along the way, such as the Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Mo., and the Ohio State Fair on the way back. The Great American Road Trip. That’s what we were on.
The best part, though, was going home. Seeing all my family, some dear friends, including a girl I’ve known since I was 5, and even Simba the family cat. It was a two-week whirlwind. Trips to museums, the beaches, and of course, New York City. My son was in heaven when he stepped foot into the largest Toys R Us – the one in Times Square. He got to meet his heroes, Iron Man and Spider-Man. It doesn’t get any better than that for a 4-year-old boy. And the train ride back to Connecticut to boot. He was in awe.
Seeing his Gwennie (his grandma) and grandpa, his Uncle Will and great-grandparents was such a treat. They spoil him and he knows it. Family friends were calling day and night, wanting to catch a visit with us. With some, we could fit it in, with others, we just couldn’t make it this trip.
Now, I’m back in Oklahoma and find myself missing home. I may sound like Dorothy, but there really is no place like home and no one like family and lifelong friends. I know I won’t be able to wait another 4 years to go back, airplane or not.
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- Dinner out with Uncle Will, Hannah, and Gwennie
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- Chatting it up with NYC’s finest
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- Gwennie and Hunter explore Times Square
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- Enjoying the beach with Gwennie
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- Meeting Iron Man and Spider-Man in New York
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- Enjoying the beach near my parents’ house
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
