Halloween Safety

Halloween is approaching and we will soon be seeing all the ghosts, goblins, witches roaming the streets. There are a few things to remember when taking your children out trick-or-treating. Some safety tips to remember:
1. Remind your children to NEVER go into a strangers home. Remember to always stay within sight of your children and have them always be looking for you.
2. Remind your children to ALWAYS look both ways before crossing the street. Halloween is very dangerous because many children are in dark costumes and it makes it difficult to be seen. And only cross at a crosswalk or at the corner.
3. Only trick-or-treat to houses with the light on.
4. Remember to say thank you after receiving your goodies.
5. Never trick-or-treat alone. Always have atleast 2 buddies with you. And for the younger children never go without a parent/guardian.
6. Always carry a flashlight.
7. Wait until you get home and check through the candy before eating it.
8. Always have fun!!!

Happy Halloween to ALL!

CPR Classes at Home

Do you ever wonder what you would do if you were at home alone with your children and there was a medical emergency that required you to perform CPR? The answer is simple call 9-1-1 and begin CPR, if necessary. Now what if you aren't CPR certified and have the knowledge to perform CPR? You would wait until 9-1-1 arrives. This could be the difference of life or death for your child. Don't wait become CPR certified today and learn life saving skills. Kidtastics knows it is very difficult for parent's to find the time to take the CPR ceritification classes, but what if Kidtastics brought the CPR class to you, in your own home? Kidtastics is now offering Mobile CPR Classes at your home. Gather your neighbors and schedule a CPR class now. Become prepared to prevent emergencies and save lives. Minimum number of participants 4, Maximum 6. Please call for futher details 480.994.KIDS (5437).

Kidtastics New Van

Kidtastics wants to let everyone know that we have a new van going from location to location. We currently just had our van wrapped, by Bluemedia. We want to thank all of the parents of the children who let us use their adorable pictures on the van. Please be on the lookout for the Kidtastics van to be driving through a neighborhood near you!

Kidtastics Supports Breast Cancer Awareness

This weekend one of Kidtastics partners, Heidi Neuman, participated in the Race for a Cure on Sunday in Phoenix. Heidi has been participating in the Race for a Cure for many years now with her mother Paulette Moynihan because Paulette has been cancer free for the past 7 years. This year Heidi's mother-in-law, Chris Neuman, also participated because she recently found out she had breast cancer. Chris is currently going through treatment and hopes to be cancer free soon. We wish Chris the best on her journey to be cancer free. Kidtastics would also like to say great job to Paulette and Betty Smith (grandmother of Kidtastics partner, Nicole Smith) who have stayed cancer free. Betty Smith has been cancer free for over 20 years. These women have shown a lot of strength and determination to beat the disease. Thank you to all who support "Breast Cancer Awareness."

Halloween Fun and Games

If you are planning a Halloween party for your little goblins and ghosts there are many fun games to keep them entertained. Kidtastics likes to incorporate different Halloween themed games and ideas into their classes the week before Halloween. A fun game that we like to do in many of our classes is to make a haunted house out of a parachute. Have children make a circle and grab the handles of the parachute. Lift the parachute and have children sit on the handles, so that the parachute makes a haunted house. One at a time each child can enter the haunted house and make a scary noise. After that child makes the noise, que the children on the outside to lift the parachute and yell "boo." Repeat until each child has had a turn. This is fun, lets children be imaginative, and takes little work.

If you have a party with older children and want another game we also like the "Grab the Ghost" game. Directions:

-Before the party, make ghosts by draping a piece of paper towel around a small ball, such as a Superball (or in a pinch, a wadded-up paper towel). Cinch the towel around the ball and secure with one end of a 2-foot length of yarn.
-Have guests draw a face on their ghosts with markers.
-At the start of the game, each player is given ten pennies. Choose one person to be the goblin. The other players lay their ghosts on the large paper circle and hold on to the yarn leash. The goblin holds the funnel, upside down, at least 2 feet above the circle.
-The goblin chooses two numbers on a die, announces them to the group, then rolls. If either of the chosen numbers appears, the players try to pull their ghosts out of the circle before the goblin can slam the funnel down over them. If a player is caught, he must give the goblin a penny. If the chosen numbers do not appear, but the players panic and yank their ghosts out of the circle anyway, it's another penny to the goblin. The goblin, for his part, is allowed to fake a funnel slam, but if he touches any ghost, he must shell out a penny to each player. After three rolls of the die, the next player takes over as goblin. Play is over when one player runs out of pennies. The player with the most coins wins.

More information on this game and more games can be found at:
http://familyfun.go.com/playtime/grab-the-ghost-707548/

Charity Event

Kidtastics is hosting a charity event with Scottsdale Adventure Boot Camp to help raise money for Phoenix Children's Hospital. Help us raise money for kids. Come participate in our "Parents & Kids Get Fit" day on September 11th.

We'd like to invite you to participate in a Parent and Child Group Fitness Event for charity. The event is being held on Saturday, September 11th, 2010, from 7:30am to 9:00am at Windgate Ranch in north Scottsdale. Parents can bring their children and both will receive an awesome hour of group exercise! While the parents participate in a one hour boot camp session, the kids will either swim or go inside for gymnastics, dancing, etc. The event is FREE, and any donations collected will be given to Phoenix Children's Hospital. It's a great way to show your kids that fitness is fun!!

If you don't have children, we'd still love to have you attend! Adults are welcome with or without children, so be sure to save the date!

You are welcome to forward this invitation to anyone who might be interested.

Click on the link below to see all the details and to RSVP. We hope to see you all there!
Click here for event details!

After School Activities for your Children

School has begun and you and your children are finally settling into the routine. Now comes the time to pick and choose which after school activities to put your child in. Today many schools offer multiple different programs for the children to choose from. They vary from art, dance, music, spanish, karate, gymnastics, cheerleading, and much more. There are certain things to consider when helping your child find the right one. "Children's interest and activities are as diverse as children themselves." Arizona Parenting, September 2010. By choosing the right program you can help build your child's self-esteem and by choosing the wrong activity can do the opposite. Below is a list of suggestions to remember when finding the right activity or program to suit your child.
- Watch your child play. Consider his/her temperment. Constant physical activity or quieter experiences?
-Strengths and weaknesses. Do they want to perfect those strengths or is there an area of weakness that needs to be improved on?
-Expose him/her to various activities and events. Follow what they like.
-Provide balance of group and individual activities.
-Consider commitment, cost, location before finalizing on an activity.

Kidtastics offers multiple activities throughout the Valley for your children to choose from. We welcome any child/skill level to try one of our classes for FREE. Check our list of classes at www.kidtastics.com!