Bitsy Birdie

Origami Mommy - Easy Origami for Kids

bitsybirdie — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:39:30 +0000

Check out this page, complete with animated instructions, for fun origami for kids -

http://www.origami-club.com/en/easy/index.html

Kids’ Valentine’s Day Cards

bitsybirdie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:59:46 +0000

Please enjoy the simple yet stylish Valentine’s Day cards below, designed without text to allow kids to put their own special spin on Valentine greetings. They are copyrighted, but moms, dads, and teachers are granted a special release for personal use for their own children and kids in their classes respectively. In other words, you can print them for your own kids to give to kids in their class at school on Valentine’s Day and that’s it. (No printing for someone else’s children, sending via email, or using any other way electronically, in print, or by any other means. If you would like licensing information for any additional use, just email info @ bitsybirdie.com or call 858-602-8485.)

For best results, print at photo quality on white card stock, let dry completely, then cut out and personalize/sign on back. To print, click on image below, wait until new screen appears with larger image, click once more for largest image, and then right click and select “Print Picture” from dropdown menu.

Stocking Stuffer Safety Tips

bitsybirdie — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:42:59 +0000

“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there,” the narrator reads as the excitement mounts in one of the best known Christmas stories, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore. Perhaps this sense of joyful anticipation is part of what makes stocking stuffers such a special piece of the Christmas tradition. As a child, I enjoyed the tiny treasures just as much as the bigger gifts. Inevitably they were small things I could carry with me — lip balms, earrings, or maybe a key chain. They were not expensive, but I loved them because they reminded me throughout the year of that special morning spent with family.

Today I love finding just the right things for my own little family for that Christmas morning tradition. I love to see their faces light up as they see the goodies come rolling out of their stockings. Shopping for stocking stuffers is lots of fun, but it also presents some pitfalls that are important to keep in mind.

They are typically small, inexpensive gifts. Unfortunately many of the toy recalls in recent years have included small, inexpensive items that at first glance might appear to make lovely stocking stuffers. However, of the most recent 100 toy recalls listed on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission web site on December 2, 2009, nineteen included toys sold for approximately one dollar. (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html) Thirteen of those nineteen recalls were due to violation of lead limit standards, four were due to choking hazards, two were due to aspiration and intestinal hazards caused by magnets, and one was due to an impalement hazard.

Of the nineteen recalls of one-dollar toys, seventeen clearly stated they were made in China. One stated the product was made in Hong Kong. (Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.) And one for a product distributed by, T & L Trading, a company that was refusing to cooperate with the CPSC to recall infants’ pacifiers due to a choking hazard, gave no information regarding where it was made. (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html)

When shopping for stocking stuffers with these recalls in mind, it is helpful to consider cost versus complexity as well as manufacturers’, distributors’, and countries’ past performance with regard to toy safety. Do not be afraid to look under labels that seem to conceal where a toy was made. Do not open packaging before buying, but do not hesitate to ask a sales person to do it for you if that is the only way to get the information you need to make a purchase decision.

I recommend choosing painted toys only from trusted manufacturers with high standards and excellent safety records and being extra cautious when purchasing toys containing magnets. Be sure any magnets are securely contained within the toy, follow age guidelines, and check the toy often for damage that could allow magnets to escape.

With these considerations in mind, you can fill all the stockings like that jolly old elf St. Nicholas himself.

Snowman Maze - Holiday Activity Page for Kids

bitsybirdie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:33:35 +0000

Please enjoy this Snowman Maze activity page from www.bitsybirdie.com. To print for play, right click on the image below and click “Print Picture.” For private personal use only. Not for print, publication, or reproduction, electronically, or by any other means. For licensing information contact shannon.sizemore (at) bitsybirdie.com. Copyright 2009 Shannon Sizemore.

“Merry Chris Moose, Baby!” Coloring Page

bitsybirdie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:28:30 +0000

Please enjoy this “Merry Chris Moose, Baby!” coloring page from www.bitsybirdie.com. To print for coloring, left click on the image. When new window with image opens, right click and select “Print Picture.” Next click on “Preferences,” and select “Manual Scaling” under “Page Layout.” Increase “Scaling” to 125%. Then click “OK.” Then click “Print.” For private personal use only. Not for print, publication, or reproduction, electronically, or by any other means. For licensing information contact shannon.sizemore (at) bitsybirdie.com. Copyright 2009 Shannon Sizemore.

Thanksgiving Activity Page - Turkey Maze

bitsybirdie — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:22:29 +0000

Please enjoy this Thanksgiving activity page from www.bitsybirdie.com. To print for play, left click on the image. When new window with image opens, right click and select “Print Picture.” Next click on “Preferences,” and select “Manual Scaling” under “Page Layout.” Increase “Scaling” to 125%. Then click “OK.” Then click “Print.” For private personal use only. Not for print, publication, or reproduction, electronically, or by any other means. For licensing information contact shannon.sizemore (at) bitsybirdie.com. Copyright 2009 Shannon Sizemore.

Halloween Cat Maze

bitsybirdie — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:05:14 +0000

Please enjoy this Halloween Cat Maze from www.bitsybirdie.com. To print for play, right click on the image and select “print picture.” For private personal use only. Not for print, publication, or reproduction, electronically, or by any other means. For licensing information contact shannon.sizemore (at) bitsybirdie.com. Copyright 2009 Shannon Sizemore.

Coloring Page

bitsybirdie — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:13:31 +0000

Please enjoy this Enchanted Woodland coloring page from www.bitsybirdie.com. To print for coloring, left click on the image. When a new page with the larger image appears, right click on the image and select “print target.” For private personal use only. Not for print, publication, or reproduction, electronically, or by any other means. For licensing information contact shannon.sizemore (at) bitsybirdie.com.

For a fun activity, ask kids what the butterfly on the toadstool really is. Then, have them draw other creatures on the woodland grass to keep her company.

New Article on Nesting.com

bitsybirdie — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:07:02 +0000

Check out the new article “Keeping Up with Toy Recalls” by Bitsy Birdie founder Shannon Sizemore at Nesting.com here - http://www.nesting.com/experts/article/55071/Keeping-Up-with-Toy-Recalls.html.

Elephant Coloring Page

bitsybirdie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:05:12 +0000

Please enjoy this Elephant coloring page from www.bitsybirdie.com. To print for coloring, right click and select “print target.” For private personal use only. Not for print, publication, or reproduction, electronically, or by any other means. For licensing information contact shannon.sizemore (at) bitsybirdie.com.

For a fun activity, ask kids why the elephant has a number five on his side. Then, have them illustrate their ideas on pages around the elephant.