Crayola Glitter Dots Celebration at The Magic Workshop

Last month, we had a one-of-a-kind experience celebrating Crayola Glitter Dots at JMP Creative’s “The Magic Workshop” in Irvine, California! We spent a a magical day playing with Crayola Glitter Dots, and took a VIP tour of their insanely cool toy inventor’s workshop.

Check out our photo recap below!

Thank you Crayola Glitter Dots for inviting us to create with you at the JMP Creative Magic Workshop! All opinions are my own.

About Crayola Glitter Dots

These sparkly, squishy dots create 3D effects on all kinds of surfaces. Check out our Glitter Craft Kits, Sparkly Supply Sets, and more items for fun ways to make glitter art and DIY glitter crafts. Squish and spread the Glitters Dots, and let the dazzling designs sparkle.

There were so many adorable photo ops. JMP Creative’s The Magic Workshop is an amazing wonderland for toy inventing and content creators!

Why creating is so important

Creating art may boost young children’s ability to analyze and problem-solve. Fostering creativity increases your child’s confidence. You’re also helping him develop mentally, socially, and emotionally.

Kids can increase their artistic skills while enhancing cognitive development when participating in art creation. They learn colors, values, shapes, and drawing while practicing critical thinking skills (this is so important). Let your kids find out what happens when they mix colors together. Not to mention, art is a lot of fun!

We had a blast playing, creating, and taking fun pictures with Crayola!

Thank you Crayola for a fun filled magical day! We can’t wait to create more!

DIY: Make your own Percy Jackson & The Olympians Board Game

Disclosure: Thank you Disney Book Group for sponsoring this post.

My son is taking the Percy Jackson summer reading challenge and he just finished reading the first book, “The Lightning Thief.” He is hooked on this adventurous series, and can’t wait to go on to the next book!

I’m challenging my son to finish the Percy Jackson series before summer’s end, and I encourage you to do the same with your kids!

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Andrew has only been on summer break for a week, and I am trying my best to keep him occupied. We decided it would be fun to make our very own Percy Jackson and the Olympians board game together. I also thought that it would be a great idea to incorporate trivia questions to help him with comprehension.

Summer reading is critical for students to retain the skills learned in the previous school year. Children who don’t read are at risk of falling behind their classmates. Parents can avoid this by making sure kids take time to read. One great way to get your kids excited about reading is to create a game based on the books they’re planning to tackle this summer!

I have attached some printables and trivia questions to this post to help you and your child create a Percy Jackson & the Olympians game like ours!

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Here is a list of things you will need to get started:

  • Blank board game or large poster board
  • Colored construction paper & glitter
  • Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
  • Stickers or computer image printouts
  • Glue stick
  • Dice and/or spinner

Instructions for making your game board:

Create a Percy Jackson & the Olympians “world.” Use your images, stickers, paint and glitter to make the board colorful and unique. Cut 1.5 x 1.5 inch squares, and create a path with a game beginning and end. There is no right or wrong when creating your own game board. The point is to be creative and have fun!

We found this blank board game containing game pieces, blank cards, blank spinner & dice online!

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We took out paint and glitter, and printed images relating to the Percy Jackson series like lightning bolts and ocean waves. Feel free to use any of the printables I have attached here when making your own game.

Percy-Jackson PrintablesDownload

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Throughout our path of squares that lead from start to finish, we added directions like “Back 2 Spaces”, “Draw an adventure card,” or “Take a spin!” 

Instructions for making your spinner:

If you land on “Take a spin!”, you spin the wheel to determine what to do. Divide your spinner into 4 – 6 sections, which you can differentiate by color. 

Then we wrote in various game options like:

  • Go forward 1 space
  • Go back 2 spaces
  • Go to the “Underworld” and lose a turn
  • Take an adventure card!

Andrew also added a rock, paper, scissors option to our spinner!

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If you don’t have a spinner, you can still play! Just fill in each of the white squares with directions similar to what would go on the spinner so that on every turn you land on something.

Instructions for making your “Adventure Cards”:

I used Quizlet Online to create my own flashcards of Percy Jackson & the Olympians trivia!  Here are some trivia questions to get you started. Print them here. Click here for quiz cards on the characters from Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

When it’s your turn, and the square or spinner tells you to take an adventure card, you must answer a trivia question in order to move forward in the game. (If you get it right on the first try, move forward 3 squares! If you get it right on the second try, move forward 1 square. If you miss the question after 3 tries, go back two squares.)

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Print Instructions: Use the print option shown above.

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GAME RULES: Here are the instructions to the game we created. Feel free to use them or modify as you like!

  • Up to 4 players (participants must be familiar with the book series to play)
  • 1st player throws the dice. If the dice lands on an odd number, move forward 1 space. If it lands on an even number, move forward 2 spaces. Player must follow the instruction of the square they land on (i.e. “Take a Spin!” or “Back 2 Spaces”. If they “Take a Spin!” they must also follow the instruction of what the arrow lands on. 
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A family that reads together, stays together! 

We had so much fun as a family playing our Percy Jackson & the Olympians board game.

More About the Series

Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Read the 5-book series that has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 500 weeks!

Learn about Greek Mythology as the Percy Jackson series offers readers a fresh and exciting way to learn about the Olympians, the Titans, the Minotaur, and more while enjoying a fast-paced, highly entertaining adventure!

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Pageant Of The Masters 2018: Under The Sun July 7th- September 1st

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I was ten years old when I attended my very first Pageant of the Masters show in Laguna Beach. I can still remember my heart fluttering as the intricate paintings with the use of real human beings were showcased in front of me. I was blown away, and I couldn’t believe how little girls like me were part of something so breathtaking.

Last week, I got a special behind the scenes tour of this year’s LIVE art show. After getting a glimpse, I was overwhelmed with the nostalgia. Once again I could hear the delightful music, feel my hair stand on end, and my heart palpitate.

The Festival of Arts Fine Art Show will celebrate its 86th year July 5 through September 1, 2018 in Laguna Beach, California.

If you have never experienced this sensational show, you MUST. It’s was a unique concept created by Lolita Perine, and was once criticized heavily by speculators. After the first “living art” expose, it drew attention almost instantaneously. In 1934 Roy Ropp took over the production and renamed it “Pageant of the Masters.” He is known as the father of the production, and died in 1974.

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 The Festival has been rated one of the top festivals in the nation and each year hosts 140 of Orange County’s most talented artists. Recent accolades include Orange County Register’s Best Place to Buy Original Art, Art Fair Calendar’s Top Five Art Fairs in the West and Top 5 Art Festival in the nation voted by USA Today readers. Live music, hands-on art activities, exhibitions of local student artwork and a wide variety of special events round out one of Southern California’s favorite outdoor summer festivals. The Festival of Arts is sponsored in part by Southern California Acura Dealers, Fidelity Investments, KOST Radio 103.5, Pavilions and the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel.

This year’s show is going to be sensational!

Thank you Pageant of the Masters for inviting me to get a sneak peak of Under the Sun. All opinions are my own.

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2018 Theme

Under the Sun

In the early years of the 20th century, a new generation of impressionists and plein air painters set up their easels outdoors and reveled in the natural beauty to be found as far as the eye could see. In the 2018 Pageant of the Masters, “Under the Sun,” theatrical magic, live music and light-hearted storytelling will honor Laguna’s own and other artistic pioneers from around the world who left their studios in search of new inspiration.

There’ll also be no shortage of fun and surprises as the Pageant acknowledges two local milestones: the 85th anniversary of “living pictures” at the Festival of Arts and the 100th anniversary of Laguna Art Museum.

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The incredible show is a huge collaboration of artists, actors, volunteers and set designers. Pageant-Masters-Laguna

The Pageant’s makeup artists must recreate the creations show above.

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This is an example of the almost finished look.

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It’s mind blowing to see how this art show comes ALIVE!

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Artist Sharon Jackman showcased her gorgeous vases at the sneak peek.

In addition to the variety of artwork, the Festival of Arts offers a wide range of daily activities that the whole family can enjoy. The calendar includes nightly live music, guided art tours, art workshops and weekly series including Concerts on the Green (sponsored by Cambria Estates Vineyard and Winery) and Art, Jazz, Wine, and Chocolate (sponsored by Charles Schwab). Several special one-day events will return this year, including the very popular Festival Runway Fashion Show and Family Art Day (sponsored by San Diego County Credit Union).

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This “LIVE SHOW” is a MUST see!

DATES AND ADMISSION

JULY 7 – SEPTEMBER 1

Nightly at 8:30pm

Advance tickets $15 – $260

Dine At The Festival

The Laguna Beach Company Has Purchased  Tivoli Terrace and Creates New Dining Destination, Terra Laguna Beach on Festival of Arts Grounds

The Laguna Beach Company has purchased longstanding Laguna Beach restaurant Tivoli Terrace and through Laguna Creative Ventures is creating a new dining destination, Terra Laguna Beach, on the Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters (FOA/POM) grounds. Opening this summer with help from the creative direction of [seven-degrees], Terra will reinvent the dining experience on the festival grounds for the thousands of seasonal and year-round visitors, while keeping with the worldwide recognition, professional and artistic excellence that the FOA/POM is known for.