How to Have an Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party: Part 2

If your child is a Spider-Man fan, you're in luck! This week's series features everything you need to throw an amazing DIY Spider-Man birthday party.

Yesterday we featured the invitations and thank you cards. Today is a closer look at preparing for the day of the party: the decorations and the party attire.

Decorations

We set up a tent in the backyard and decorated with a Spider-Man banner, red and blue balloons, and the contents of a Spider-Man decorating kit.

The tables were covered in red and blue plastic tablecloths from Dollar Tree.

Since the party was in the backyard, we created signs* to lead everyone around back.

We had lots of foam sheets in our craft bins, plus some garden stakes in the garage. We printed the signs* on white card stock, trimmed and attached them to foam sheets along with some Spider-Man stickers. Then we attached the garden stake to the back with packaging tape and tied a red or blue balloon to each stake.

Attire

As the host family, it is mandatory to be dressed in super-hero shirts. Capes are optional. This is a great time to get a second use out of old Halloween costumes! No costumes on hand? No problem. We have had luck in both Old Navy and Target to find super-hero t-shirts. The birthday boy wore Spider-Main (of course!), ROCpoppa wore Captain America, and ROCmomma wore Wonder Woman. Little brother asserted his independence and chose a Toy Story shirt instead. Oh well; we tried.

* FREE PRINTABLES: Here are the printables I created for this party in PowerPoint for Mac. Here is another pdf version, in case you have trouble opening the PowerPoint version. Please note that I do not own these images, nor do I have permission to sell them. These are FREE and are for your personal use and convenience only.

Have fun decorating and finding your favorite super-hero on a t-shirt! Be sure to check out the rest of the How to Have an Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party series:

Part 1 - Invitations & Thank You cards

Part 3 - Goodie Bags & Party Food

Part 4 - Games & Activities

As always, thanks for reading!

How to Have an Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party: Part 1

At the end of my son's sixth birthday party, one of the ROCpoppas commented, "This was great! No one has birthday parties like this anymore."

It's true; lately most kids' birthday parties seem to be at a venue, rather than at home. And I get it: someone else does the set up and clean up, the activities are already planned, and sometimes the goody bags are even done for you. How can you pass up all that?

But if you enjoy working with your child to pick the theme and throwing a personalized party, but you don't enjoy all the planning, I can help. Here are ROCmomma's tips and tricks for a truly Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party!

Invitations

The Easy Method: 
Type the party information* four times on one page (postcard or quarter-card style) and print on card stock. Cut each sheet into quarters and let your kid decorate the other side with Spider-Man stickers.

The More-Time-On-Your-Hands Method:
Purchase red, black, and blue card stock, spider-web themed scrapbook paper (Halloween section), white gel pen. Print party information* on card stock, print Spider-Man faces* on red card stock, cut out Spider-Man faces and fill in eyes with white gel pen. Cut all pieces and assemble invitations with your adhesive of choice.

For each card:

• blue card stock: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
• spider web scrapbook paper: 4" x 5 1/4"
• red card stock: 4 1/4" x 1/2"
• black card stock: 4 1/4" x 1/4"
• Spider-man face* (printed on red card stock; cut out with scissors; fill in eyes with white gel pen)
• party information* (printed 4 per page on card stock; cut page into quarters; trim as necessary)
• adhesive of choice (such as glue stick, double-sided tape, adhesive runner, etc.)

I gave the birthday boy all the cut pieces and some glue sticks, and he assembled the cards.

1. Center and glue the spider web paper onto the blue card stock.
2. Center and glue a red strip across the card.
3. Center and glue a black strip over the red strip.
4. Center and glue a Spider-Man face on top of the strips.
5. Turn the card over.
6. Center and glue the party information onto the back.

While we were at it, we made the thank you cards at the same time.

For each card:

• white card stock: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
• red card stock: 4" x 5 1/4"
• spider web scrapbook paper: 1 1/2" x 5 1/4", torn along one long edge
• Spider-Man comic strip image*, printed multiples per page, and torn to fit: 1 1/4" x 4 3/4"
• your favorite "thank you" stamp
• black ink pad
• adhesive of choice (such as glue stick, double-sided tape, adhesive runner, etc.)

To assemble:

1. Fold the white card stock in half, to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"; set aside.
2. Ink your "thank you" stamp with black ink and stamp along the right side (long edge) of the red card stock.
3. Center and glue the stamped red card stock onto the front of the folded white card.
4. Align the spider web paper strip along the left edge of the red card stock, and adhere.
5. Center and glue the comic-strip image onto the spider web paper.

* FREE PRINTABLES: Here are the printables I created for this party in PowerPoint for Mac. Here is another pdf version, in case you have trouble opening the PowerPoint version. Please note that I do not own these images, nor do I have permission to sell them. These are FREE and are for your personal use and convenience only.

Have fun making your invitations and thank you cards! Be sure to check out the rest of the How to Have an Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party series:

Part 2 - Decorations & Attire

Part 3 - Goodie Bags & Party Food

Part 4 - Games & Activities

As always, thanks for reading!

Family Halloween Fest

If you have kids and live in the Rochester area, you must check out the Family Halloween Fest on Sunday, October 27.

The festivities take place from 2 - 5:00 p.m. in the St. John Fisher College Field House, 3690 East Avenue, Rochester, NY. Admission is free; simply bring one canned good per person to benefit the Pittsford Food Cupboard. There are hay rides outside, but the other activities are all indoors.

After turning in your canned goods, trick-or-treat down the corridor and into the gym for one amazing, spooktacular Halloween party.

Trick-or-treating down Sesame Street
(2012 theme)

There are carnival games to play,

 

sugar cookies to decorate,

                              
 




a coloring contest,

refreshments, entertainment, and a costume parade.

There's a giant spider in the gym!

Kids can even have their picture taken with local heroes.

This event has become one of my favorite ways to celebrate the Halloween season with my family. Each year, I am awe-struck by the talent and dedication of all the volunteers who work so hard to pull this event together. So, grab your costumes and your canned goods, and we'll see you at Family Halloween Fest on October 27th.

Be sure to Post a Comment and tell us the part your kids liked best. As always, thanks for reading.

And on This Farm They Had Some Pumpkins

You know how those Bloggy Moms seem to have it all together? They make the best crafts, yummiest treats, and post about holidays way in advance to help their readers? They post beautiful pictures of their joyful cherubs immediately after finishing seasonally appropriate activities with them.

Yeah, well, I am NOT one of those moms. Sure, I post about the good stuff. Behind the scenes? Chaos.  Finding time to write during the day is on par with a Zelda-level treasure hunt. Then, actually writing during the day merely reminds my boys that they were just about to ask to play a computer game. Writing at night interferes with my ROCpoppa paying the bills online... Wait. Who am I kidding? Writing at night interferes with cleaning up the kitchen, folding laundry, getting ready for the next day's chaos, and falling onto the couch to watch shows that have been on the DVR since August.

This is my long explanation for the fact that this article should have been written and posted two weeks ago. Many apologies, and here we go anyway...


It's that glorious time of year. We bundle up for the morning bus stop, and change into shorts when the bus returns the kids home. The leaves are gorgeous, bold colors, and perfect for piling up and jumping into the crunch. Pumpkin spice lattes flow like water. Yes, it's fall.

So it's time to pick your pumpkins.

If you live in the Rochester, NY area, you are lucky. Pumpkin patches are aplenty around here, and these farms have so much more than pumpkins:

Brown's Berry Patch, 14264 Roosevelt Highway (Route 18), Waterport, NY

October weekends 10 a.m - 5 p.m.; hay ride ($2 each) or walk to the pumpkin patch to pick your own.

Barnyard Buster Pass is $10/kids $8/adults includes Barnyard Adventure activities (reg. $5/$4 each), Corn Maze (reg. $5 each), and Barnyard Express (reg. $3 each). Additional fees for hay ride ($2 each), pony rides ($3 each), face painting ($3 each).

Giant slide in the Barnyard Adventure

Cobble Creek Farm, 5161 Ridge Road West, Spencerport, NY

October weekends 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; hayride to pick your own pumpkin.

Admission is $7 per person (children under 2 are free) and includes hayride, cider, donut, train ride, corn maze, pumpkin hollow, straw crawl, duck races, and more. 

Garden Factory, 2126 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY

October weekends 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; technically this is not a pumpkin patch but it is a great option in inclement weather since the fun is indoors.

Admission is free; tickets ($0.50 each) are required for rides, games, arts & crafts, and the Singing Pumpkin Light Show.

This is from their Winter Holiday Festival,
but gives an idea of the fun inside.

Gro-Moore Farms, 2811 E. Henrietta Road, Henrietta, NY

October weekends 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; weekdays 8 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Free daily activities include mazes, haunted house, fun house, and pumpkin slide. Additional weekend activities are pay-as-you-go or a $10 pass per child for: train ride, super slide, mini golf, wagon rides, duck races, trike track, straw crawl, spider web, one tattoo, and one pumpkin to paint.

Boo! (scaring the golf ball
into the hole)

Long Acre Farms, 1342 Eddy Road, Macedon, NY

October weekends 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; October weekdays 9 a.m. - dark

Free activities include giant tractor tires, wooden pirate ship and train, grass mazes, picnic table checkers, giant sudoku, Pumpkin Nursery Rhyme Land, and seasonal displays. The Back 40 activities are $5 per child and $2 per adult to join in (weekday prices): jumping pillow, hoop shoot, climbing wall, swings, giant slide, giant spiderweb, and more. Barnbuster tickets available on weekends include The Back 40, the Amazing Maize Maze, hay rides and cow train rides: $11 ages 5+, $7 ages 2-4, under 2 free.

Power's Farm Market, 161 Marsh Road, Pittsford, NY

October weekends 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; October weekdays 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Free daily activities include the giant teepees with amazing jack-o-lanterns displayed inside, a small petting zoo, and lots of photo opportunities. Purchase your tickets inside the market for the spooky hayride. 

               

Enter the teepee, if you dare...

...and check out amazing jack-o-lanterns!

Stokoe Farms, 656 South Road, Scottsville, NY
October weekends 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
General admission is $9.75 per person; children under 2 are free; includes all activities except pumpkin launcher ($1 for 3 pumpkins) and pumpkins (priced per pound). Activities include corn maze, bounce pillows, straw fort, giant slides, hayrides, train ride, farm animals, pedal cars, nature trail, duck races, trike track, and more. Lunch and snacks are available for purchase. 

Pumpkin launch!

Wickham Farms, 1821 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road, Penfield, NY
Open daily 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Daily activities include play set, farm animals, and jack-o-lantern display; fees apply for corn maze, jumping pillow, train ride, mini golf, and batting cages. Weekend activities include hayrides (fees apply). 

Photo opp at Wickham

With two more weekends to pick your pumpkins and enjoy the Halloween and fall festivities at these farms, now is the time to make plans to take advantage of all these activities. Be sure to Post a Comment and let us know which farm is your favorite for fall family fun! As always, thanks for reading.

Trick-or-Treat at ZooBoo

Do your kids like animals? Do they like trick-or-treating? Then you need to check out ZooBoo at the Seneca Park Zoo.

Grab your costumes and get ready for some fun at the zoo on October 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, or 27. They'll provide a ZooBoo trick-or-treating bag, as well as a "passport" for each trick-or-treater.

Costume? Check. Zoo Boo bag? Check.

Stop by the trick-or-treat stations to get your passport stamped and pick up your treats. The fifteen trick-or-treat stations are located in the zoo buildings, which makes it easy to enjoy the day even if the weather doesn't cooperate. The nice part about the treats here is that about half are trinkets, so it's not all candy. Plus, each trick-or-treater receives a gift as they exit the zoo. This can be an invaluable incentive to leave for those kids who are reluctant to do so. (Translation: If your kid pulls a tantrum and doesn't want to go home, bribe them with the gift at the end. Not that I've ever done that. No.)

Be on the lookout for some zoo mascots, too!

The animals get to enjoy some treats throughout the day, too. Be sure to check out the schedule that day to visit the animal exhibits and watch them have some fun.

ZooBoo is family friendly and appropriate for all ages. There is nothing scary here! Plus Seneca Park Zoo is stroller-friendly, features several restrooms each with diaper-changing tables. The concession stands will be open for lunch or snacks.

Non-members need to pay admission, but ZooBoo tickets are only needed for trick-or-treaters (both members and non-members need to purchase ZooBoo tickets for $8 for each trick-or-treating child). Pre-sale tickets for zoo members are $6 each and are not date-specific so they may be used on any ZooBoo day this month.

ZooBoo is a great way to extend the Halloween festivities beyond October 31st, have some family fun, and to get at least one extra use out of your kids' Halloween costumes! After you visit, be sure to Post a Comment to tell us your child(ren)'s favorite ZooBoo treat. As always, thanks for reading.

Holiday Hollow Halloween & Pirate Festival

Hooray for Fall! It's time for pumpkins, apple picking, and...pirates! Yes, pirates.

If you're looking for a fun new way to celebrate autumn with your family, look no further than Corfu, NY.

Captain Hook & Mr. Smee Show

Holiday Hollow is a Renaissance Fair-type of setting and is home to some truly entertaining performance art. When you enter this little village, you may be greeted by some of the actors, in character. Walk around the Halloween Shire at your own pace and stop by the shows, play some games, and take in the scenery. There are seven shows that rotate continuously throughout the day, and move to the heated indoor theater in case of inclement weather. From pirates to witches to ditzy gypsies, they have it all.

Wacky Witch Show

The shows are family-friendly and might leave your kids laughing themselves silly. Plus there are some jokes just for you that will go right over their heads. The one show that may not be suitable for younger children is the Hunt for Jekyll and Hyde. The Mr. Hyde costume might be a little overwhelming for wee ones; our five-year-old loved it, but our three-year-old opted to skip out and get a cookie instead.

Holiday Hollow is located at 1410 Main Road (Route 5) in Corfu, NY. It is open during October weekends from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. although it's best to arrive by noon to see all the shows. Admission is $13 for ages 11 and up, $12 for ages 3-10, and free for children 2 and younger. Be sure to check out their web site and print the Show Times and Prices page to receive one dollar off each admission. There are additional charges for food, pumpkins, and games.

What else do you need to know? Most of the Halloween Shire at Holiday Hollow is stroller-friendly (The Hunt for Jekyll and Hyde is probably the only area that is not stroller-friendly). There are port-o-potties on site, however there are no diaper changing facilities.

There certainly are lots of Halloween and Fall festivities in the Rochester area this month, but the Holiday Hollow Halloween and Pirate Festival is one you don't want to miss. Be sure to Post a Comment after your visit and tell us your favorite show. As always, thanks for reading.

Who Likes to Dig for Fossils?

At one of my son's soccer games, I was talking with a fellow ROCmomma about how our kids love dinosaurs. She asked if I had ever taken them to Penn Dixie Dig Site because you can take home the fossils you find.

We HAD TO go. What are you doing next weekend? Because you HAVE TO GO, too.

There are no dinosaur fossils at the Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center, but you will find tons of marine fossils from 380 million years ago. That's older than any dinosaur!

  

During the one-hour ride to Penn Dixie, I was a little nervous that the boys might not find any fossils. I was worried that they might be disappointed, especially since I had hyped it up so much and we were driving so far. Rest assured, you can't help but find fossils there.

We found our first one within the first thirty seconds at the dig site:

Coral from the Devonian Era
(380 million years old)

And we filled our buckets in no time!

When you arrive at Penn Dixie, the parking is free and there are some port-a-potties - including a handicap accessible one - in the parking lot. Unfortunately, there are no diaper-changing facilities available.

There is a park-shelter-type entryway where staff are available to accept your admission fee and help you get started. You will receive a fossil identification card to help you figure out what types of fossils you've found. One of the guides even walked out to the dig area with us and showed us what we would be looking for at the site. She was extremely patient and answered all of my boys' questions in a way they could understand. (I learned a lot, too!)

We brought our own buckets and some small gardening shovels, but we actually didn't need to dig at all. It's just a matter of turning over the rocks to look for cone-shaped coral, black flecks of trilobites, the swirl of a gastropod (snail), ridges of a crinoid (sea lily), or the shell-shapes of pelecypods (clams) or brachiopods (lamp shells). Most of the shale is so soft, you can even break some of the rocks with your fingers to remove the fossils.

"I found one!"

"Look at this one!"

More fossils, more fossils,
and more fossils.

There are paved trails around the Penn Dixie site, so it is stroller-friendly as well as wagon-friendly. You'll find plenty of fossils on either side of the paved trails. If you're not tethered by a stroller, little explorers will have a great time wandering off the trails and into the great big piles of rocks at the dig site.

Future paleontologists will be fine with a bucket and gardening shovel. However, there were some serious fossil-lovers there with goggles, mallets, and chisels getting into some of the bigger shale pieces.

Covered picnic tables are available, if you bring lunch or a snack. While there are no vending options available on site, you'll find plenty of restaurants in the area after you leave Penn Dixie.

The best part of it all? You get to bring home all of the fossils you can carry!

When we got home, my six-year-old insisted he had to start working on the rocks. We set up a sturdy table in our sunroom, and he found his goggles and wooden hammer from his tool set.

Future paleontologist at work.

He has been having fun breaking the fossils out of the rocks. Then they go into a bucket of water to be washed with an old toothbrush. Once the fossils dry, we paint them with a solution of half Elmer's glue and half water to preserve them. We have been busy trying to pick out the best fossils to mount on the identification card in time for show and tell at school. He is really excited about that.

Penn Dixie is open during weekends May through October, and seven days a week during mid-June through Labor Day. They also host many special events throughout the year; check out their web site for upcoming events. Driving directions may be found on their web site; if using a GPS device, the address is 4050 North Street, Blasdell, NY 14219.

Please Post a Comment below and let us know about your fossil findings! As always, thanks for reading.