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If you are a parent, grandparent or caregiver of kids, especially those 0-12, you need to know about Macaroni Kid for Johnson County!  This locally owned company is part of the national Macaroni Kid media brand with over 350 e-publications nationwide.  The concept is simple.  We provide a hyper-local e-publication of everything to do with kids in and around your neighborhood.   Every inexpensive and free child activity and family event in Johnson County, KS is listed for no charge.  Theater, music, arts and other cultural and live events which require advanced ticket purchase are also listed.

You can subscribe on line or in person by visiting one of our many community friends.  We would love for you to visit and support these local businesses! We will reward one lucky new subscriber who visits one of these locations to sign up with a $125 gift card to her/his favorite grocery store.

Monkey Bizness – “Where kids monkey around.” Offering open play, birthday parties, and special events. Located inside the Great Mall of the Great Plains,20080 W. 151st St, Olathe, KS 66061.

Debbie Howard’s Gym – “We want to teach the kids how to believe in themselves.” Offering gymnastics classes, open gyms, birthday and sports parties, and gym rentals. Located at 655 North Somerset Terrace, Olathe, KS 66062.

Stephanie’s Wonderland – “Every little girl should have a tutu or pettiskirt and be a princess for a day.” Find their amazing products at 115 N. Parker St, Olathe, KS 66061 (Wed-Sat), online, and also inside Mommy Shop (see below).

Mommy Shop – “Get the basics, stay unique.” 60+ vendors in one location offering unique items for maternity, gifts, infant, and children. Catering to moms with free gift wrapping, a play area for the little ones, and frequent in-store events.  Located at 14870 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66223.

Little Monkey Bizness – “Where little kids monkey around.” Offering open play, birthday parties and special events for crawling babies on up and a separate dining area with a full menu of snacks and beverages. Located at 12219 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Shawnee, KS 66216

Ceramics & Coffee House @ Paint, Glaze & Fire – Offering drop in ceramic painting, glass fusion, birthday parties, girls night out, special events, paint/story time, camps and a full service coffee bar and free Wi-Fi. Located at 12683 Metcalf Ave, at the south end of Metcalf 127 Shopping Center, Overland Park, KS 66213.

If you have a Johnson County, KS business and are interested in hosting our subscription box, please contact Gail at info@gailsscoop.com

By Joanie Whitman

As this festive time of year approaches, it is important to consider new safety concerns that may arise. Although holiday decorations and a trimmed tree may be part of your holiday traditions, they can pose a risk to young children. By taking a few precautionary measures you will be able to rest easy knowing your child will be enjoying this holiday season and creating specials memories along the way.

• Securely attach breakable ornaments high on the tree out of the reach of children while only using paper or large plastic ornaments on lower portion of tree
• Candles should be kept out of the reach of children at all times
• Since poinsettias are not poisonous choose them over mistletoe (mistletoe berries are)
• Pass on the table cloth and runners. Young children pull on them sending hot food and tableware flying
• Unstable Christmas trees pose tip-over risk. Securely position your tree in stand and attach to the wall using durable twine and cord cleats for extra safety.
• Wait till Christmas Eve to put presents under the tree. Torn wrapping paper and ribbons can pose a choking hazard
• Keep small objects, such as hard candy or nuts in candy dishes, where younger children can’t get them.
• When visiting family survey the house for safety concerns. Look for open stairs, uncovered outlets, unlocked medications and household cleaners within reach.

Physical harm such as choking on decorations or playing with the outlet where Christmas lights are plugged in are not the only concerns. Surprisingly, toxic chemicals like lead in PVC trees and lights also play a big role in creating an unsafe environment too.

Choosing a Safe Christmas Tree:
Most artificial trees are made from PVC plastic.  Not only is PVC loaded with toxic chemicals, its production also results in emission of dioxin and ethylene dichloride.  And to top it off, lead is often used as a stabilizer in PVC to make artificial trees more resistant to light and weathering.  Lead has been linked to kidney, liver, neurological and reproductive system damage.  Some Christmas trees are even required to carry warning labels because they shed lead-laden dust, exposing children to the toxic chemical.  Many artificial trees are also treated with flame retardants.  But that’s necessary for our safety, right?  Well not always – even the treated trees can still catch fire.
Real trees make the perfect substitute for a PVC tree.  Worried about allergies?  Go with fir and spruce varieties which do not contain irritating resins.  Fresh trees are a natural, renewable, reusable, recyclable source, and just think – you’re supporting US farmers and local businesses when you buy live Christmas trees.

If you’d still prefer to go with an artificial Christmas tree, be sure to choose one made from polyethylene (often labeled with “PE”) that hasn’t been treated with flame retardants.  If you find a PE tree you like and it has been treated, confirm with the manufacturer if the flame retardants non-halogenated, as they are considered much less toxic.

Locating Lead-safe Christmas Lights:
Toxic chemicals are also found in Christmas lights.  Most are made from PVC and lead is specifically chosen as the main stabilizer in the PVC casing used on the electrical wiring because of its flame retardant nature.  There are other substitutes like zinc and boron, but they are more expensive and not readily available.

The Ecology Center tested 68 Christmas light sets and found that 54% of the products contained more than 300 parts per million of lead in PVC encased cords and light-bulb sockets – a level higher than the CPSC’s standard for lead in children’s products.

Lead-safe lights can be found on rare occasions here in the U.S. and will be certified as RoHS compliant which monitors the levels of toxic chemicals allowed in electrical products.  Most RoHS compliant lights are also LED which is great, but more expensive. We found many options at Environmental Lights (look for their commercial strings that begin with the letter “C” or choose from their retail strings, icicle lights and nets).

Lead doesn’t like to stay bound in the PVC cord casing, so it sloughs off and ends up on hands and in little mouths. So if you’re unable to invest in RoHS lights this year, just be careful to keep Christmas lights out of reach of your little ones and use gloves while decorating your tree – especially if you’re pregnant. Also keeping dust around the tree cleaned up and off of presents will go a long way in protecting your family.

Have a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season!

Macaroni Kid comes to Johnson County, KS!

Gail’s Scoop…BE HEALTHY, SAVE MONEY, HAVE FUN in JoCo is thrilled to bring Macaroni Kid to the Johnson County, KS community.  Macaroni Kid is a free weekly e-newsletter and website that highlights all the great things for kids and their families to do in our community.

Gail’s Scoop…HAVE FUN has teamed up with the national family fun leader Macaroni Kid to produce the hyper-local Macaroni Kid e-publication centered in Overland Park.  “Macaroni Kid, which serves over 390 locations, has a great reputation for integrity and high quality and will be a great partnership for Gail’s Scoop.  We will serve the entire Johnson County area including Overland Park, Olathe, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Prairie Village, Gardner, Edgerton, De Soto, Merriam, Mission, Roeland Park and more.”

Parents, grandparents and nannies can sign up to receive the weekly e-newsletter by visiting our site at www.overlandpark.macaronikid.com

Ideas for articles and events can be sent to gailk@macaronikid.com.

Bring your kids to one or more of these free activities around town to make Dad or Grandpa a gift.

1. June 17th, 6 – 8 pm Make a Card at Michael’s.  Get there early to have the best selection of supplies.

2. June 18th 9 am – noon Make a Lil Toolbox at Home Depot. Make this cute little tool box at your local Home Depot store.  Purchase a new pocket tool and bundle it for the handy dad.

3. June 18th, 10 am – noon. Make a Key Chain at Michael’s.

4. June 18th 11 am – 1 pm  Create a Bobblehead at Jo-Ann Stores. Kids can color a pet bobblehead and make a customized gift tag for Dad.

5. June 18th 2 – 5 pm Make a Leather Keychain at Bass Pro Shops.

Do you want your kids to make a hand- crafted Mother’s Day gift for a special mom, but don’t have a clue where to start or are simply out of time?

Don’t stress out.  Gail’s Scoop is here to save you time and money! All you need to do is visit your local home retail stores for some great craft projects. These kids craft projects are either free or very inexpensive.

1. May 6th, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Make a Clay Pot Jewelry Holder at Michael’s. Purchase a small clay pot at your local Michael’s store and turn it into a jewelry holder.  Get there early to have the best selection of craft supplies to use for decorating your personal gift.

2. May 7th, 9:00 a.m. - noon Make a Tulip Planter at Home Depot. Make this adorable wooden planter at your local Home Depot store on Saturday morning. Pick up a few paint samples while you are there and go home and custom paint it in mom’s favorite colors.

3. May 7th, 10:00 a.m. – noon Make a Heart Flower Vase at Lowe’s. Make this cute wooden heart vase at your local Lowe’s store.  Stop by the market on the way home for a rose or mom’s favorite flower.  Print out a favorite photo and glue it to the front of the frame for a personal touch.

4. & 5. May 7th 11:00 a.m. – 1 p.m. Create a Garden Stake and Mother’s Day Card at Jo-Ann’s Stores.  Make two free gifts at one stop.  Kids can custom paint a small garden stake and create a Mother’s Day card.

Have a stress-free day!

Bargains and deals in honor of President’s Day 2011. Happy Shopping!

Aeropostale – 50% off sale

Banana Republic – 25% off sale items. Use code “BRPRES25″

Crocs – extra 20% off with code “ALLYOU20″ and free shipping with “springfreeship”

Disney Store – free shipping with code “FREESHIP”

Express – B1G1 50% off

Frederick’s of Hollywood – 50% off clearance

Gap – 44 styles for up to 44% off

Home Depot – Buy 3, Get 1 free by Mail certain paints

Ice.com – 25% off

J. Jill – 25% off sale items

Kohl’s – with charge card get 20% off using code “PRESIDENT”

Lowe’s – save $5 on every $50 spent on paint projects

Macy’s – extra 25% off clearance online and huge sale

Nautica – 30% off with code “CHEIF30″

Off Broadway Shoes – $10 off a $39.90 purchase

Rack Room Shoes – 20% off a $60 purchase

Looking for some LOVEly deals for Valentine’s Day? Here is what we dug up.

1. A free cookie at Subway

2. Buy one entree, get one free at IHOP

3. Facebook Fans: Buy one get one at Auntie Anne’s.

4. Buy one get one at Caribou Coffee

5. Facebook Fans: Baja Fresh Buy One Get One Free

Can it really be two days before Super Bowl XLV?

The kids are finally back at school.  Three days home from the blizzard was fun, exhausting and somewhat stressful.  Now looking around I see the laundry piled up, the floor cluttered with snow boots, mittens, toys and more. And there is grit from one end of the house to the other.

Every year we make all sorts of finger foods and have a picnic in the living room in front of the TV for Super Bowl Sunday.  Surely our readers have some favorite Super Bowl party recipes to share.  Have a favorite recipe site or blog? Please share that too.

Good luck getting everything done on your list!

Tomorrow is Kansas Day. The 150th birthday of Kansas becoming the 34th state in the Union.

You don’t have to go to the capital to take part in the festivities. Get out and enjoy some fun kids activities in the Kansas City metro or celebrate at home with some cute craft ideas.

At the Historic Sites:

1/29 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm (Olathe) 1100 Kansas City Road. Dressed Kansas characters, activities on the farm and more. $6 adults, $4 kids 5-11, free for kids under 5. ($1 off for Olathe residents)

1/29 10-11:30 a.m.  Shawnee Indian Mission (Fairway)  3403 W. 53rd Street. Reenactment and birthday cake. $3 adults, $1 students, 5 and under free.

1/29 1-4 p.m. Grinter Place State Historic Site (Kansas City) 1420 South 78th Street. Wood stove cooking, treats and more. $3 adults, $1 students, 5 and under free.

At the Johnson County Libraries:

1/28 4:15-5:15 p.m. Storyteller JoHo at the Leawood Pioneer Library (Leawood) 4700 Town Center Drive

1/29 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Kansas Triva at the Springhill Library (Springhill) 109 S. Webster.

1/29 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. What Do You Know About Kansas at the Lackman Library (Lenexa) 15345 W. 87th Street Parkway

1/29 10:30-11:15 a.m. Prairie Traveler at the Shawnee Library. (Shawnee) 13811 Johnson Drive. Register. Geared for 1st-3rd graders with their families.

1/29 1-2 p.m. Prairie Traveler at the Blue Valley Library (Overland Park). 9000 W. 151st Street. Register. Geared for 1st-3rd graders with their families.

1/29 2-3 p.m. Author Andrea Warren at the Cedar Roe Library (Roeland Park). 5120 Cedar. Register.

Make Your Own Treats:

Cookie Inspiration at CookieDecorator.com

Happy Birthday Kansas Cake at LJWorld.com

Indoor Crafts:

Kansas games and activities from USD267

Sunflower crafts from Crafty Crow

Sunflower crafts for little ones from DTLK

Staying home for the long winter break?  Here are some ideas to keep the kids busy and keep your sanity.

Scheduled Activities:

12/20, 21, 22, & 24 10 a.m. Piccadilly Productions Puppet Show “The Gingerbread Boy” at the Lenexa Community Center.  $6. 13420 Oak Street.

12/20 6:30-8 p.m. Family Chess Night at Olathe Public Library Indian Creek Branch. 12990 S. Blackbob Road.

12/21 4-5:30 p.m. Free Family Movie “The Muppet Christmas Carol” at the Olathe Public Library. 201 E. Park St.

12/22 2-4:30 p.m. Guitar Hero Mini-Tournament at Johnson County Library Antioch Branch in Merriam. 8700 Shawnee Mission Parkway.  Ages 10+.  Register.

12/22 7 p.m. Bedtime Stories for a Winter’s Night at Olathe Public Library. Ages 3-5.  Wear jammies and cuddle up with your stuffed animal while listening to bedtime stories.