Make Your Home a Fun Hub with Fall Playdates

Megan Gates - There’s no doubt that playdates are beneficial to kids. No matter how old your children are, playdates encourage sharing, taking turns, and socializing with others. But when it’s time for you to host the playdate, it can be challenging to know what to do! While there’s no need to throw a party-like atmosphere, a little preparation can go a long way.

There are a few things you’ll want to handle prior to the playdate to ensure that you get started on a good note. First, make sure your child puts away any toys that he or she doesn’t want to share. You may also want to place a few activities within reach for the kids, such as those that encourage them to play together. Good examples include arts and crafts, puzzles and board games. And of course, make the playdate suitable for the ages of the children. If you’re inviting a toddler, 45 minutes is adequate. Even older kids can get overtired, so limit the playdate to 2 hours or less.

One of the best places for a playdate is outside! Not only do you minimize a messy house, but being outside always seems to make kids play better. Don’t think you need to arrange an outing at the park, either. Open up the sandbox, play a round of catch or drag out the soccer nets. This fall, it's fun to rake leaves and jump in the piles! Have fun treats on hand such as popsicles, frozen lemonade, apple cider, or fresh fruit slushies. You can even let the kids help make some of these fun treats.

While outdoor playdates are always a hit, the weather may not cooperate. And some kids simply don’t enjoy what the outdoor has to offer. As long as you don’t mind the mess, opt for an arts-and-crafts playdate. Take out the play-doh, fun cookie cutters, and plastic utensils. For added fun, bake the kids’ creations so that they harden. If you have an easel, let children paint with tempera paints. Or, simply set out coloring pages that can be printed online for free, along with crayons and markers.

You can also bake treats with the kids and take pictures to email to the other child’s parents. Have the ingredients for cookies or brownies measured out. Then let the kids mix the ingredients and wait for them to bake up. Just be sure that the child you're hosting doesn’t have any allergies you should know about. You can also let the kids pick their own ingredients such as white chocolate or milk chocolate chips, dried fruits, and different colored sprinkles. 

If you have an active playdate on your hands, encourage the kids to build a fort. Drag out blankets and pillows, as well as old boxes and containers. Let the kids use plastic dishes and pots and pans to “cook” with inside their fort. Or let the kids put on a dress-up show and provide them with fun clothes, shoes, and jewelry to inspire their imaginations. Take pictures, upload them to the computer, and you can all make a slideshow with music. 

To bring the playdate to a close, clean up the toys and set out a quiet activity such as books.

Megan Gates is an active blogger who provides written work to the blogosphere pertaining to New York Real Estate, Suffolk Rentals, home improvement and the latest architecture, design and fashion. Follow her on twitter @MEGatesDesign.

Alice in Wonderland Inspired: Spring Tea Parties

Most everyone is caught up in the eye-popping beauty of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the 3D spectacle that follows the fantasy adventures of Alice as she falls down a rabbit hole and winds up in an upside-down world where most anything can happen - including tea parties! In honor of spring coming, we thought it would be fun to gather your family and friends together for something light, fun, and entertaining. Throw a tea party and then take a caravan of cars over to the nearest multiplex to see Alice's tea party in the movie.

We were inspired by the Tim Burton movie, but also by the perfect tea party (and tabletop) accessories, HomArt's Tiered Twig Servers (see photos above and below). There's something magical about the branch-like Round 3-Tier or the Rectangle 2-Tier servers that will make them the hit of your tea party. They're great ways to pile up small tea sandwiches, sweetes, scones, and other tea party treats. They also make a great centerpiece for the table, a serving station for any dinner or dessert you want to serve buffet style - think "come and get it yourself!" - or a nifty way to display decor items when you're not using them for food. We'd put collections of seashells, beautiful stones, bird nests, pine cones, and other natural found objects; but use them for more formal displays of small flea market treasures.

Let's be frank. Most families won't throw a tea party, for themselves or for others. While it's fun to do something whimsical and different every now and then, most families will use one or both of the Tiered Twig Servers to serve regular, everyday meals. They're great for holding appetizers, dinner rolls and bread, hamburgers and hotdogs and all the fixings, and other sides and entrees.

 

The Round 3-Tier Server is 13 inches x 23 inches and comes with three round dishwasher-safe ceramic plates, great for serving food and cleaning up afterwards. The Rectangle 2-Tier Server is 19.5 x 9 x 14 inches and comes with two rectangular dishwasher-safe ceramic plates. Both servers have cast aluminum stands that mimic tree branches, adding to the fantasy feel of the pieces. Both stands fold flat for optimal shipping and storage when not in use.

But back to tea parties (go on; try it out!). We were inspired by "10 Tips for Tea Party Etiquette," from the web's Advice with Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee. They note the difference between two different types of tea parties.  Full tea usually consists of three courses, such as scones, tea sandwiches, and sweets. Light tea will have just scones and sweets along with the tea. (Think full tea as a light lunch substitute and light tea as something between meals.)

Here are some tea party etiquette tips:

1. Eating with fingers is A-OK. But use a fork if something has a running filling or is naturally a bit messy. The fun of any tea party, however, is that this is mostly a drinking tea and picking up food with your hands sort of occasion.

2. If you lay all the courses out on your table at the same time, eat them in this order: scones or muffins, then tiny sandwiches, and save the sweets for the end. Pretty much like a regular meal where you first begin with some bread, then the main course, and ending with dessert. We recommend using small side, salad, or dessert plates for each place setting rather than a full-sized dinner plate. The food is light and bite-sized, so you don't need to serve small portions on a football field!

3. For scones or muffins, break off a bite-size piece, then put a small amount of jam or butter on it. If Devonshire or clotted cream is available, a small amount can be dabbed on after the jam. This thick cream is for scones, not for the tea.

4. Take bites of the tiny sandwiches. Never stuff the whole thing in your mouth, even though it's small.

5. If you're using sugar in your tea, try not to dip the sugar tong or sugar spoon into your tea.

6. Stir sugar and/or milk with your teaspoon, then place the teaspoon on your saucer.

7. When drinking tea, hold the cup and saucer near your chest, then take the teacup off the saucer and bring it up to your mouth to drink.

8. If the tea is hot, leave your teacup on the table to cool. No blowing allowed!

9. Hold the teacup normally. Do not stick the pinky out when drinking tea. (Sorry, Johnny Depp, but you're pouring the tea incorrectly - see movie photo at top.)

10. Try to serve the tea from teapots, but if you are using tea bags, place a small dish at your guests' place setting so the drippy tea bag can be set aside when not used to steep the tea.

But let's put the emphasis on PARTY. If tea party rules aren't followed precisely, it's still going to be a fun time. And we highly recommend the whimsical HomArt Tiered Twig Servers to add a touch of fantasy to your tabletop.