Tips to make your summer vacation more fun and a MEGA #PlayLikeHasbro Summer Toy Giveaway!

Congrats to our winner Rhonda!

Like many Staten Island families, mine loves the Jersey shore. During summer, we usually spend a week at Ocean City, renting out an apartment, soaking up the sandy, litter-free beaches and, of course, enjoying the “boardwalk of gluttony”  a phrase my husband’s coined since we all tend to eat our way through it! But this summer, rather than packing up the car, kids and our two rescue dogs we are part of a growing number of families who are creating vacations right in their very own back yards.

I’m not going to tell you that I’m completely thrilled with this idea, as I tend to look forward to leaving my familiar surroundings and immersing myself in the sights and smells of a new place. However, with a bit of creative planning, I might be able to conjure up a vacation that will help my kids see our neighborhood in a new way. And, one of the biggest bonuses of all: I won’t have to worry about those loads of laundry I usually muddle through after a long vacation away from home! Keep reading for some of my favorite staycation plans and how you can win our MEGA #PlayLikeHasbro giveaway!

BACKYARD ADVENTURES

Through her book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Backyard Adventures,” author Nancy Worrell is on a mission to help families plan money-saving summertime backyard adventures. She believes that many of the things done on vacation, such as biking, crafts and walking tours, can just as easily be done at home. Here are some of Ms. Worrell’s easy-to-plan family adventures.

Camp in the back yard.

This is perfect for small children as it makes it much easier to deal with rain or nighttime noises when home is only a few steps away and, to give it a special twist, include an insect safari. Armed with insect books, a magnifying glass and small jars, kids can stake out a small area of their back yard and record the various insects in a notebook or even snap digital photos for other projects.

Create your own paper.

This is a perfect outdoor activity because it is wet and messy. You’ll need an outdoor table, lots of water, a blender and an inexpensive papermaking kit. You can use recycled paper produce cartons and cotton-based stationery paper. You can make your paper even more decorative with the addition of snippets of thread or a sprinkling of flower petals. The paper you make can be used for other projects such as greeting cards, ornaments or covering tiny trinket boxes.

Have a pet parade with your neighbors.

A bandanna or a bow tied around your pet’s neck is all you need to participate in a pet parade. After marching around the block or through the park, top it off with an ice-cream social. Just ask each participant to bring a quart of their favorite sprinkles, sauces and toppings and cones or cups to be shared.

Overall: If you’re spending less money and time on traveling, you’ll have more to spend on the actual adventure.

Investing in  toys and gadgets is another great way to enhance your child’s summer staycation and As we officially enter the first month of summer, Hasbro is thrilled to bring you action-packed toys based on your favorite summer movies, epic Super Soaker blasters, and more exciting products like the Play-Doh My Little Pony Cutie Mark Creators! Fans of the popular quiz show Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader can even get their hands on early samples of the new board game based on the show! And the best part- I’m giving SIX of these toys to one lucky winner so you too can #PlayLikeHasbro The giveaway includes:

Win Littlest Pet Shop Pet Pawsabilities Shep Shetland & Bitsy Mudinsky

Here’s a cute duo, a pet and his little pet friend! This collie (#3757) and piglet (#3758) come with colorful Deco Bits pieces for customization fun!

They’re the perfect addition to any pet collection! And now you can bring your characters to life in the LPS Your World app*. Once you’ve launched the app, simply hold your pet and scan the code to unlock it in your game! Now you can play activities, decorate your pet and design your world, your way win them at The Staten Island Family

Win Playskool Heroes Marvel Super Hero Adventures Helicarrier Vehicle with War Machine Figure

Your little Avenger can take his battles to the skies with this incredible Helicarrier 4-in-1 vehicle! It comes with a War Machine figure that’s sized just right for his little hands and fits in this mobile command center’s cockpit.

In launch mode it can fire the included Quinjet vehicle and its Hulk pilot into action, and it has room to carry up to 4 figures into battle! (Other figures sold separately.) Its turbines fold down and the top opens up, making this fortress an all-powerful mobile operations base for the powers of good. There’s so much to do, his adventures will never be over!

Win the Nerf Super Soaker Zombie Strike Dreadshot Blaster

Get ready for twice the zombie-soaking action with the Dreadshot blaster! This one-handed blaster’s 2 barrels let you launch a double stream of water at the zombies!

It can hold up to 24 ounces of water and the water tank lights up for nighttime missions. Unleash a double-barreled attack at unsuspecting zombies up to 30 feet away with the Dreadshot blaster!

Win The Twister Moves Skip-It

Keep track of your awesome moves with the Twister Moves Skip-It! Put the hoop on one leg and swing the Skip-It while you hop over it.

How many skips can you do without stopping? The built-in counter keeps track for you while you skip! Get your groove on and keep upping your score while you skip with the Twister Moves Skip-It!

Win a Jurassic World Chomping Velociraptor Head

The earth shakes with a menacing rumble. Hold your breath and whatever you do … don’t move. It’s a prehistoric fight for survival, and you control the action with Jurassic World toys! Jurassic World is the greatest destination on Earth, and the dinosaurs are safely contained … for now!

Now kids can Roam your territory as the cleverest of all dinosaurs: Velociraptor! With this chomping Velociraptor head, you can pretend to turn your hand into the ultimate predator! Imagine use your chomping Velociraptor head to snack on other Jurassic World dino figures, or vehicles Or combine with the Jurassic World Velociraptor Claws and go head-to-head for dino-versus-dino battles. Additional dino figures, vehicles, and Velociraptor Claws sold separately.

Win Marvel Avengers Hulk Gamma Grip Fists

Hulk smash – and you can too, with these awesome Gamma Grip Fists! Put one on each hand and then you’ll feel just like your favorite smashing superhero.

They grip, they grab – they smash! Hulk up for awesome superhero adventures with the Gamma Grip Fists! For a chance to win all six of these toys you MUST you must FOLLOW  The Staten Island Family on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so. For another entry you  can Follow MelissaSChapman on Instagram and leave a comment here that you did so! For Another entry you can  follow MelissaSChapman on Pinterest . For another entry you can subscribe to our YOU TUBE CHANNEL and leave a comment here that you did so.  For another chance to win you must follow @melissaSChapman on Twitter, TWEET this giveaway  and leave a comment here that you did so.  And for another Entry you can follow Melissa Chapman on Google +  and leave a comment here that you did so! GOOD LUCK giveaway ends June 22nd!

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