Theme Trip
  • Home
  • Travel Ideas!
  • In-A-Day Activities
  • Special Needs
  • Dog-Friendly
  • Family Fitness
  • 50 Cures for Boredom
  • Unique Restaurants
  • Unique Hotels
  • Travel With Me Abroad
  • Events around the World
  • Travel Tips!
  • Gallery
  • Reviews & Giveaways
  • Contact us/Author Bio
  • Writer's Blog

In-A-Day Activities

Our Activities offer creative ideas that you can do with your family or modify for a unique date idea.  When you add a little imagination to activities you create memories that last a lifetime.

A new In-a-day 
are posted a few times a year. Check back or enjoy browsing our extensive archives for other great ideas. 


 Like us on the Twitter link above so you don't miss a post!

Ready for vacation ideas? Check out our fun travel ideas.

Check out our Travel Ideas

Pajama Party Entertaining

8/28/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
   Pajama Parties are a fun and easy idea to entertain for all ages. No, I am not talking about a sleep-over pajama party, I am talking about a daytime pajama get-together. Keep it as simple as you like and serve breakfast food that everyone will enjoy. Waffle or pancake-making bars can become an activity as opposed to just having food laid out. Have bowls of yummy add-ins like Resees pieces, M & M's, fresh fruit, nuts, peanut butter, unique jellies, flavored syrups, and of course whipped cream. If you are thinking about making waffles, they now have a spray can waffle batter so everyone can make their own with a counter flip waffle iron.

  For kids this can be an afternoon party where your kids invite their friends over and watch cartoons in front of the TV or they can even decorate pillow covers to take home. Purchase puff paints or fabric painting kits that can be placed on the kitchen table, just make sure it is covered well. Teens will like this idea for an early evening party where they can tell ghost stories, play board games, and, if you have the ability, make S'mores.  An adult-only get-together can include a breakfast bar with some mimosas and socializing. For family reunions, include some fun games like Pictionary with a large drawing pad on an easel so everyone in the room can see. If you have the right number of boys and girls, then make it a gender challenge or else just split up the guests equally. 

  Each age range can have its own spin on a pajama party. A fun game for guest of all ages that requires little prior planning is the wink and murder game where each player pulls a slip of paper from a stocking cap and some papers are blank and one paper identifies the player as the killer. Throughout the party, the "killer" winks at his/her victims and they have to fake their death a few minutes later and far away from the actual killer. Guest can guess who they think the killer is before they are wink-killed. If they guess wrong, they have to fake their own death. (The player has to whisper the question "are you the killer?" into the person they suspect's ear for a yes or no reply. If it is yes, they are the winner, and if it is no, they must fake their own death). 



When we played this for our family reunion, my father-in-law turned out to be the killer and absolutely no one suspected him as he had a bit of difficulty getting around and is pretty quiet so he just waited for his victims to come say hello to him. One of my nieces even decided to up her game on her faked death by painting herself with horror makeup and fake blood. This game has been around for a while and has many different spins and names. I am not sure where it originated, but it is a brilliant activity that does not have to be planned.

  Looking for Pajama ideas?  We bought ours at  http://www.jumpinjammerz.com/   because they had camoflauge footed ones for the guys.  Of course, you can find cute pajamas anywhere.

0 Comments

Black and White Cartoon Day

8/21/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
  Good old-fashioned black and white cartoons can make a fun theme day. If you have never watched one, or else it has been a very long time since you have, they are very, very different from the cartoon humor they have out today. Most are slap-stick style comedy and the humor is dated. Many of these cartoons you will find yourself saying, "Did they just say that?".

  Host an old-fashioned cartoon get-together or make it a lazy morning activity. I have seen the black and white cartoons on sale for $.99 to $1.99 in a lot of retail chains. Have everyone wear black and white to get in the theme and serve black and white colored food snacks. Try turkey sandwiches on dark pumpernickel bread, white corn chips with black bean dip, and for desserts, break out the Oreos.

0 Comments

10 FREE Things on your Birthday

8/14/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
 Who doesn't like FREE?! If your birthday is coming up soon, there are some things that you can get that are free.

Some of them require that you sign up for their club.

Sephora- Get a free gift your birthday month:  Sign up for their rewards at


Starbucks: Get a free drink on your birthday if you sign up for their rewards program.

Toys R Us:  For the little members 10 years and younger, if you join their club, on their birthday they get a free announcement of their birthday in store, a birthday crown, and a balloon. They can also get a call from Geoffrey on their special day!


Red Robin:  Get a free burger on your birthday by joining their eClub.

Bashas: Kids receive a free birthday cake through age 10 if you sign up for their Birthday Club.

Kmart: Children get a free $5 gift card and a birthday gift pack if you sign them up for the birthday club.

Denny's: Get a Grand Slam breakfast on your birthday.

Disney: Receive a credit for a free Blu-ray movie on your birthday, if you sign up for the Disney Movie rewards program.  Does not include shipping and handling.

Dairy Queen: Get a free blizzard on your birthday if you sign up for their rewards coupon.

Birthdayfreebies.com:  Sign up and check out what is available in your zipcode for free on your birthday.

1 Comment

Fire Station Visit

8/7/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
When you ask a young boy (and some young girls) what they want to be when he/she grows up, a lot of times that answer will be "I want to be a firefighter".  That fascination might have a lot to do with the shiny red engines we see streaming past when we are in traffic. A trip to your local fire station is a great way to spark the "what do you want to be when you grow up" conversations. 
Just FYI, drop-in visits are not encouraged since this is a job that requires quick reaction by the emergency personnel; however, if you call in advance, they will let you know when the next open house or tours are. Most tours give kids (and their excited adults) a glimpse into what goes on behind the scene. The kids may get a chance to take an up-close look at all of the equipment they have on the fire truck and sometimes get to hop in the engine seat for pictures. Consider bringing a store-bought treat for the firefighters since they are on shift for 24 hours at a time and getting to a store can be difficult.


1 Comment

Teaching kids about saving money

8/2/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Balancing a checkbook has become a lost skill. Since the age of computers and smart phones, it is all too easy just to stuff a receipt in your pocket and then check online to confirm that the receipt went through correctly. The banks make it so easy that they even calculate your balance. 

While that is wonderful news for the adults who have already had the experience of having to balance a checkbook and, hopefully, are conscious of where they spend money, and even remember to figure in those checks written long ago that someone did not cash, the younger generation is depending on the internet to tell them how much money they spent, without any concern about where, when, and how they are spending it. When  you have to physically write down that you spent a whooping $5.99 at a coffee place for a gourmet drink with extra whipped cream five times a week, it might be a wake-up call for them to figure out that they just spent $29.95 a week. That's $119.80 a month!  Trust me, a lot of the teens really do spend that kind of money on coffee, yet they ask you for a few bucks for a concert ticket they have been dying to see because they are broke.  

If this project is done right, you could alter their future spending habits. If they have to face the truth everyday about who is getting their hard earned money and decide if what they are buying is worth the amount of money they are spending on it, at least they are making that choice with the proper information. They might actually consider what they could have bought or saved with that extra money.

So, TEACH them how to write and keep a bank balance. Do not let them check their balance online until they have written it down, and only to check for ones that cleared. At the end of every week, have them look over the things that they bought that may have not been worth what they spent. If they cannot have a checking account for what ever reason or you give them allowance in cash because they are too young, then get a play checking account and you become the banker. They withdraw money from you, but they have to write it down and balance the account.  Most kids have no idea how to even write a check! 

Consider this: Have you stood in line for morning coffee behind every teen holding up their debit card for a buck or two? (OK I know, there is no such thing as a buck or two coffee at the big chains, but you know what I am talking about).  They deal only in immediate gratification. While they might not think it is a big deal, you certainly will if this becomes a life-long pattern. Kids become very good at what they practice. Some of the teens are practicing impulsive spending very well. They will roll their eyes at you and tell you that they can see perfectly fine how much they spend on coffee and "Hey, it's my money", but two points of that argument are incorrect. First, most kids learn by seeing, writing, and then doing. Missing the physical writing skips a step in the learning process. Second, is it really their money? Or are they spending the money that you will have to make up for on other things? If they are not saving for a car, or college, or prom... Guess what? They come to you for the difference.

*Side note- This is not only a good activity for kids and teens. Sometimes adults need a back to basics as well. If you are spending more money than you want and are doing the check online thing like the kids, you too are missing the important write-it-down step and skipping out on the consequences of your purchases.

0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Adults
    Date Ideas
    Family
    Father Son
    Holidays
    Kids
    Ladies
    Teens

    Archives

    August 2018
    March 2017
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    RSS Feed

    Hypersmash.com
    BEFORE accessing ANY third-part links, please read our disclaimer on the front page of our website.   Thank you!
Proudly powered by Weebly