Buying a plain canvas bag and decorating it with Halloween stencils and colors makes for a pretty fun Halloween craft, too, either at home or for a classroom Halloween party.

Highlights hidden pictures are always a hit with my kids in the preschool and elementary school years.

This recipe is awesome - it actually is super fast to make (unlike many meals that make the claim but inevitably take me twice as long as the author says!), and is super tasty, too. I'd say it legitimately took 15 minutes to make the beef, and if you start your rice right away, you'll have dinner on the table in well under 30 minutes. I popped a bag of frozen broccoli in the microwave and we had a tasty, balanced meal everyone in the family really liked. Going into our regular rotation, for sure.

These are fun but a definite choke hazard. I throw them away as soon as my kids bring them home.

We all absolutely loved this movie! We had just listened to the audio book, which was also fabulous but told a totally different story! So, be warned that the movie and the book do not really track each other, but the essential elements and characters are the same, and both are wonderful in their own right.

This place can be a lot, as it’s huge and has lots of separate sections which make it hard to keep an eye on kids unless you are following them around. But, it’s also lots of fun. My kids all enjoy it, from the 5 to the 16 year old, and it is a popular birthday party destination, too. They offer a sweet summer special that’s worth considering, for unlimited entry for 90 days.

The Cerritos location is a big favorite for elementary school age parties around us! We love the sensory friendly early morning hours - so much calmer and less stimulating than the madness that is a trampoline park otherwise!

My 8 and 5 year old boys love coming here. Lots of variety of activities, and everything seems clean and well-maintained. Staff is very friendly.

The Trader Joe’s by us always has such a nice assortment of mini succulents.

Super cute but best for tweens and up, as there are occasional sexual references.

This movie is phenomenal. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after watching it. Probably best to watch with older kids and teens who can appreciate it.

My kids went through stages when they were toddlers/preschoolers where Peppa was all they ever wanted to watch. It's a cute show, and while I wouldn't ever pick it over Bluey or my PBS kids favorites, I was happy to have the kids watch it.

You can't go wrong with playdoh as a favor for young kids - they always love it, and use it.

PEZ dispensers are also great because you can often find them to fit your party theme. Though I love how cute they are, they don't tend to last too long in our house, as my kids don't like the candy enough to ever want refills! Someone should make a cute mini dispenser for Skittles...

The first two movies did a wonderful job capturing the spirit of the books, and the third movie was probably the best of them all. The fourth movie was awful, and the rest just ok. As super fans of the books, we were probably a bit too critical of the movies, though of course we've watched them multiple times anyway! Definitely read the books first, though, so you don't spoil the fun, magic and surprises that are MUCH better in the books than the movies.

Our family loved these books SO much, but were a bit disappointed by the movies. There was still lots to love about them (most of the casting was phenomenal and the story itself is great), but they couldn't really capture Katniss's internal journey that made the books so incredible. We also didn't love Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. We found we liked the movies a lot more when we watched them years after first reading the books - the gaps didn't feel quite so stark then!

I would love for my kids to bring home socks in a goody bag. We've bought Happy Socks as gifts and I was really impressed by the quality (better than most patterned socks), and the excellent sales that make the prices totally reasonable.

We've both given and received these dinosaur eggs as a party favor - they are really cool! The kids especially enjoy the excavation, and then - bonus! - they have a mini dinosaur to play with once they finish. We've also gotten a wild animals set, which was perfect for an animal-themed birthday party.

If you liked the first Sonic, you'll like this one, too! Jim Carrey is a great villain (with a fun redemption arc!), and I'm there for anything with James Marsden. The kids were happy just to see Sonic and friends being their super selves.