What's Cool For Tweens in September: MsTwixt's Calendar

• Sept 4 Tavi Gevinson's "Rookie" magazine launches
• Sept 8 Fashion's Night Out
• Sept 11 Grandparents Day
• Sept 8-15 New York Fashion Week (#NYFW)! (full schedule here)
• Sept 11 NYFW: Victoria Beckham at 10am, Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. & Harajuku Lovers at 2:30pm
• Sept 12 NYFW: Rachel Zoe at 3pm, Betsey Johnson at 6pm, Abbey Dawn by Avril Lavigne at 6pm
• Sept 13 NYFW: J.Crew at 930am
• Sept 13 Missoni for Target collection available (a must-have for tween scarves, mittens)
• Sept 13 International Chocolate Day
• Sept 14 NYFW: Gap at 5pm
• Sept 17 Sprint For A Cure Kids' 100-Yard Dash by FourSeasons
• Sept 18 "Fred the Movie" airs on Nick
• Sept 20 Material Girl's 1st Birthday Party at Macy's in NYC
• Sept 21 New American Girl dolls welcome party at American Girl DC, "Fete for Cecile and Marie-Grace"
• Sept 22 National White Chocolate Day
• Sept 23 "Dolphin Tale" opens
• Sept 24-25 National Book Festival on the National Mall
• Sept 24-25 Life is Good Music Festival
• Sept 30 "Jessie" Disney Channel premiere

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Getting Ready For the Final Harry Potter Movie

It's no surprise that we are HUGE Harry Potter fans (even traveling to Boston to take in the Harry Potter Exhibition), and we've had our movie tickets for tonight's midnight show for months. To help us pass the time in line (and yes, our tweens will be in costume), we made our own Skiving Snackboxes. In the books, Skiving Snackboxes were an invention of the older Weasley twins to help students get out of class for medical reasons. Our version is designed to do the opposite - to treat our tweens as they wait for the film. Here's how we tackled this project:

We found these wonderful "cardboard satchels" at Paper-Source for $6.00 - they even have straps!  Then we lined the interiors with glittery purple paper (brilliant purple seems wizard-like, right?):

 

We're using colorful cupcake liner papers to hold little bags on goodies inside including Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (jelly beans), Puking Pastilles (chocolate nonpareils), licorice wands, crystallized pineapple (Professor Slughorn's favorite), lemon drops, Droobles Blowing Gum (gumballs), Peppermint Humbugs (York Peppermint Patties), Ton-Tongue Toffees (toffees), Fizzing Whizbees (Pop Rocks), and Chocolate Frogs.

The tweens made custom decals for the boxes like this one:

Then we envisioned what a Skiving Snackbox would look like in the Muggle World and went to town with some paint pens and glitter:

And here it is filled:

 Now we're off to join the throngs of other Harry Potter fans in the movie queue. Even though we'll be in line for hours, there's a carnival-like atmosphere amongst the crowd. It's always fun to see other kids' costumes and to play (Wizard) Chess and broomstick Quidditch while we wait. 

We'd love to learn what you're doing too - what are your tweens doing for the last Harry Potter movie?

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What's Cool For Tweens in June: MsTwixt's Calendar

Ms Twixt's Calendar

• June is National Candy Month!
• June 3 NKOTB/Backstreet Boys concert at Verizon Center
• June 3 "X-Men First Class" movie opens
• June 3 "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure - What's What Edition" on Disney Channel
• June 4-5 DC Jazz Festival Family Days (Free at the Phillips Collection)
• June 5 Battle of the Bands, Elementary School division at the 930 Club
• June 5 The Annual Washington Post Hunt (founded by Dave Barry!)
• June 5 MTV Movie Awards at 9pm
• June 5 "So Random" series premiere on Disney Channel
• June 8 World Oceans Day (Wear Blue, Tell 2!)
• June 9 Glee concert at Verizon Center
• June 10 Go-Go's concert at Wolftrap (tickets only $25)
• June 10 Sasha Obama's 10th birthday!
• June 10 Judy Moody movie opens
• June 10 "My Babysitter's a Vampire" series premiere on Disney Channel
• June 11 Battle of the Bands, Middle School division at the 930 Club
• June 11 "iParty with Victorious" 90-minute show on Nickelodeon at 8pm
• June 15 Anniversary of the Pop Rocks patent (who knew?!)
• June 16 National Fudge Day
• June 17 American Girl Store Grand Opening Benefit for Children's Hospital
• June 17 "The Art of Getting By" movie opens (starring Emma Roberts!)
• June 17 "Mr. Popper's Penguins" movie opens
• June 17 "Green Lantern" movie opens
• June 17 "A.N.T. Farm" series premiere on Disney Channel at 830pm
• June 18 American Girl Store opens in Tyson's Corner, VA
• June 20 MsTwixt's birthday!
• June 29 "Transformers 3: Dark Side of the Moon" movie opens (filmed in D.C.!)

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The Best Easter Basket Gifts for Tweens: Gummi Bear Ear Phones

More treats to make your tween's Easter basket the best ever: these gummi bear ear phones look good enough to eat! They look like real gummi bears - and smell like real gummi bears - but they're candy for her ears.

These would be perfect for a tween's Easter basket (see our list from last year for more ideas) or tucked inside a golden egg.

From Sakar Industries, $9.99

More ideas for your gummi bear fan: giant gummi bears, a gummi bear night light, or a gummi bear chandelier.

Note: While we do prefer the over-the-ear style of headphone especially for everyday use by tweens, these gummi bear ones are perfect for tweens on-the-go because they're so lightweight and compact.

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What's Cool for Tweens in April: MsTwixt's Calendar

Ms Twixt's Calendar

• Apr 1 "Hop" the movie opens
• Apr 2 National Cherry Blossom Festival Fireworks at 830pm
• Apr 2 Kids Choice Awards on Nick at 8pm
• Apr 2 Hans Christian Andersen's birthday
• Apr 4 "Race to Nowhere" screening at National Cathedral in D.C.
• Apr 5 Harry Potter Exhibition opens at Discovery Theatre in NYC
• Apr 8 "Soul Surfer" movie opens (starring Anna Sophia Robb)
• Apr 8 "Born To Be Wild" nature documentary opens
• Apr 8 1st April Giveaway: "Coke or Pepsi?"
• Apr 9 National Cherry Blossom Parade in D.C.
• Apr 10 GW/Cherry Blossom Rowing Invitational on the Potomac
• Apr 12 Beverly Cleary's birthday
• Apr 12 National Licorice Day
• Apr 15 Anthony Horowitz book signing for "Scorpia Rising" at Politics & Prose
• Apr 15 "Lemonade Mouth" premieres on Disney Channel at 8pm
• Apr 15 2nd April Giveaway: "Coke or Pepsi?"
• Apr 16-17 PEEPS Weekend at Gaylord National Harbor
• Apr 17 Washington Post PEEPS Diorama Contest winners announced
• Apr 15 "Rio" the movie opens (featuring Anne Hathaway)
• Apr 15 Emma Watson's birthday
• Apr 20-22 Big Band JAM Jazz Festival - by kids, for kids
• Apr 22 Earth Day
• Apr 22 Tavi Gevinson's birthday
• Apr 22 National Jelly Bean Day
• Apr 23-24 PEEPS Weekend at Gaylord National Harbor
• Apr 25 White House Easter Egg Roll
• Apr 28 Greyson Chance & Cody Simpson in concert at Sixth & I Synagogue in D.C.
• Apr 29 "Prom" the movie opens
• Apr 30 Drew Seeley's birthday

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Reaching Out to Japan With Tweens: A Fun and Thoughtful Project

Our tweens' Girl Scout troops are making 1000 origami cranes to send to a sister Girl Scout troop in Japan as a show of support and friendship in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. The significance of the origami cranes comes from the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who was a victim of the Hiroshima atomic attack and suffered from leukemia as a result of the nuclear fallout. Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds 1000 cranes will be granted a wish by a crane such as long life or being cured of a disease. Sadako died when she was only 12 years old from the disease and folded 644 cranes before her death. Her classmates folded the remaining amount after she died as a sign of their love and support. There is a statue in Sadako's memory in Hiroshima, and the tradition of sending 1000 origami cranes is recognized today as a symbol of world peace and solidarity.

Our project began with a local librarian attending our troop meeting and showing the girls how to fold these beautiful animals out of colorful origami paper. Particularly for younger tweens, this took some doing, but all of the girls got the hang of it after a while. This is a complicated origami project to do as an introduction to origami, and it is a testament to the librarian's patience that all of the girls in the troop were able to successfully make their cranes. Each girl went home with origami paper, an instruction sheet, and an empty shoe box and will return to our next troop meeting with the shoe boxes full of origami cranes to mail to our sister troop in Japan.

To help sustain the girls' efforts, our tweens made candy sushi as a snack for the troop. This was a fun but sticky project involving Rice Krispy treats, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Swedish Fish.  You can find recipes for candy sushi fairly easily online, but here are our tips:

• Make a batch of Rice Krispy treats, but add a few more marshmallows than usual (you want a pliable rather than crisp treat).
• While one tween makes the Rice Krispy Treats, have another tween unwrap and unroll one package of Fruit Roll-Ups. Our local market was out of the green kind, so we used dark purple instead (we liked that the color scheme reminded us of Cherry Blossom season here in Washington). I've also seen tie-dye or rainbow ones used to great effect.
• Press a flat layer of Rice Krispy treats onto each Fruit Roll-Up roll leaving about a half-inch plain.
• Lay a double row of mini Swedish Fish length-wise down the cereal treats and then roll up the "sushi" roll ending and sealing with the plain half-inch. You could also use sour straws, gummy worms or fruit licorice instead of the Swedish Fish
• Use a sharp knife to slice the "sushi" into pieces. We served ours in cupcake liners.

We found that one batch of Rice Krispy Treats and one box of Fruit Roll-Ups made enough "sushi" for 15 hungry tweens as a mid-afternoon treat. (Orthodontists: beware!)

The troop has decided to host a bake sale to raise funds for the Red Cross to accompany these origami cranes, and I think our tweens will make another batch of candy sushi to sell at the fundraiser. We may try to make a more professional looking nigri-style sushi like these from not Martha for the bake sale.

Has your tween taken part in any efforts to help Japan after the earthquake? Please share what they're doing below!

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A Candy Diary!

If you and your tween had started a journal this year (or were considering it), this fun diary is just the thing to jump-start your efforts. Dylan's Candy Bar has partnered with craft kit company Alex Toys on a line of candy-inspired projects. This sweet diary craft caught our eye, and at $14, it would also make a terrific birthday gift for a tween.

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Just for Fun: The History of Sweetheart Candies

The Smithsonian Magazine wrote a very thorough history of sweetheart candies . . if you're in to that sort of thing (you know that we are).

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It's National Gumdrop Day!

In honor of National Gumdrop Day, we're sharing photos from the most amazing gumdrop topiaries we've seen. It's at our favorite candy store in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, Miette Confiserie. The biggest one is nearly 4-feet tall and both are beautifully finished with pearl-head pins and ribbons. We make smaller gumdrop trees at Christmas, but these take the cake!

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Valentine's Day Projects For Tweens

Tweens have outgrown the drug-store Valentine card kits, and they're a crafty bunch anyways. Here are some ideas for your tween to make for her class Valentines over the weekend:

Pencil hearts make a fabulous non-candy gift for a crowd. Instructions at alphamom.com

Here's a cute idea for a message in a bottle written with lemon juice invisible ink. Instructions from mini-eco.

This craft will take some time but is sure to be a big hit in the classroom - iPod Valentines made from Conversation Heart boxes. Instructions from FamilyFun.

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What's Cool for Tweens in February: MsTwixt's Calendar

Ms Twixt's Calendar

• Feb 1 "Mockingjay", final book in the "Hunger Games" series, released
• Feb 1 Meg Cabot (author of The Princess Diaries) birthday!
• Feb 3 Chinese New Year - Year of the Rabbit
• Feb 5 National Girls & Women in Sports Day
• Feb 6 Washington DC's Chinese New Year Parade
• Feb 6 Super Bowl Sunday
• Feb 9 National Pizza Pie Day!
• Feb 9 Emma Roberts birthday!
• Feb 10-17 New York Fashion Week
• Feb 11 Justin Bieber 3-D movie, "Never Say Never" opens
• Feb 11 Taylor Lautner's birthday!
• Feb 11 Gnomeo and Juliet 3-D movie opens
• Feb 12 Jennifer Stone's birthday!
• Feb 12 Judy Blume's birthday!
• Feb 13 - Grammy Awards (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry perform)
• Feb 15 Glee's theme this week is Justin Bieber
• Feb 15 National Gumdrop Day
• Feb 17 Meaghan Martin's birthday!
• Feb 18 "Tiger Mother" Amy Chua speaks at Politics & Prose
• Feb 18 "I Am Number Four" movie opens starring "Alex Rider's" Alex Pettyfer
• Feb 19 National Mint Chocolate Day
• Feb 26 Christine Carter, author of "Raising Happiness", leads parrent workshop in Bethesda, MD

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What's Cool for Tweens in January: MsTwixt's Calendar

Ms Twixt's Calendar

• Jan 1 Happy New Year!
• Jan 3 National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
• Jan 7 "Country Strong" movie opens (featuring Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester)
• Jan 8 Elvis' birthday!
• Jan 8 National English Toffee Day
• Jan 8 Noah Cyrus' 11th birthday!
• Jan 9 Last day for the ICE exhibit at the National Gaylord Hotel
• Jan 10 Tintin comics first published (back in 1929!)
• Jan 10 Sarah McLachlan at DAR Constitution Hall
• Jan 13 Emily Grace Reaves' 12th birthday!
• Jan 14 "The Green Hornet" 3-D movie opens
• Jan 21 Ming Lee Simmons' 11th birthday!
• Jan 25-29 No Name Calling Week
• Jan 26 National Peanut Brittle Day

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Sweet! Candy Scented Nail Polish

Perfect for tweens: Bubble Yum, Jolly Rancher, and Laffy Taffy nail polish. Bubble Yum is bubble gum scented and an opaque pink. Jolly Rancher is apple green scented and comes in a metallic green shade, and Laffy Taffy is a strawberry-scented opaque pink.

From FredFlare.com, $5/apiece.

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Tween New Year's Eve Countdown: PEEPS Fest!!

OMG! The 2nd Annual PEEPS Fest is happening on New Year's Eve in Bethlehem, PA! (Makes sense, given that the company that makes PEEPS is headquartered there.) We may need to make a New Year's Eve roadtrip with the tweens.

PEEPS Fest begins December 29, goes through New Year's Eve, and culminates in a PEEPS Chick Drop at midnight. The 3-day extravaganza includes a Peeps diorama contest, Peeps crafts, Peeps s'mores making, a local dessert contest, and a 5-K run (to burn off all that sugar!). Sounds like heaven for us marshmallow fans!

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Happy National Candy Cane Day! A Candy Cane Manicure

Today is National Candy Cane Day! Our tweens are are inside during today's snow storm in Washington and celebrating by doing candy cane manicures. We found this cool post by a French blogger with instructions (if you liked this, check out our candy corn manicure post from Halloween).

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Best Places to Be a Kid on Christmas

Did you see this? The University of Toronto has compiled a list of the top cities in the U.S. to be a kid on Christmas morning. The listing is based on four criteria:

1. the number of children under age 14
2. toy and game stores per capita
3. candy stores per capita
4. the probability of having snow on Christmas Day

Our tweens agree that these are great criteria. Did your town make the list?

Top 20 Best Places to be a Kid on Christmas
1. Logan, Utah
2. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
3. Fairbanks, Alaska
4. Billings, Montana
5. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah
6. Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan
7. St. George, Utah
8. Pocatello, Idaho
9. Denver, Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado
10. Anchorage, Alaska
11. Colorado Springs, Colorado
12. Rapid City, South Dakota
13. Salt Lake City, Utah
14. Appleton, Wisconsin
15. Flagstaff, Arizona
16. Reno-Sparks, Nevada
17. Provo-Orem, Utah
18. Bend, Oregon
19. Joplin, Montana
20. Spokane, Washington

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A Twist on Candy Rings - Perfect Stocking Stuffer for Tweens

From one of our favorite confectioners, PapaBubble in NYC, gorgeous candy rings for her stocking.

Too late for Christmas? Our tweens will be sporting theirs on New Years' Eve.

$20/each from PapaBubble

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The Sweetest Countdown for Tweens

Dylan's Candy Bar has created their first Advent calendar to help countdown the days until Christmas. If you and your tween celebrate Christmas - this is the coolest, ONLY age-appropriate Advent Calendar we've seen in years.

$10 from Dylan's Candy Bar

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National Candy Corn Day is October 31st

We love candy corn, and Halloween is, of course, National Candy Day. We stumbled upon this fun cookie recipe for Candy Corn Cookies - it is super easy and a great after-school project or Halloween-day project for tweens:

You'll need:
- one batch of sugar cookie dough (your favorite recipe or mix)
- orange paste food color (if you use the liquid drops, add a tad more flour to the dough)
- 2 squares (2 oz.) of semisweet chocolate melted.

1. Line a loaf pan with waxed paper, extending paper over sides of pan.
2. On work surface, place 3/4 cup dough. Knead about 4 slashes of orange food paste into dough until color is well incorporated. Press this orange dough evenly in bottom of loaf pan.
3. Divide remaining dough in half. Gently press one half of remaining dough (un-colored) into pan on top of orange dough. 
4. On work surface, knead chocolate into remaining dough until the dough is well mixed and looks like chocolate throughout. Press this chocolate cookie dough over the plain dough in pan, pressing gently to edge of pan. 
5. Refrigerate 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until firm.
6. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from pan. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into 5 wedges. On ungreased cookie sheet, place wedges 1 inch apart.
7. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are very light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container.

Photo and recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.

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Back by Popular Demand: 'Tis the Season: Candy Corn Mania

We originally ran this post last year, but we've had many requests to bring it back.

We love candy corn! Here's a smattering of what we found to celebrate this Halloween icon:

SEE: Possibly the World's Largest candy corn is at Disneyland's California Adventures Sunshine Plaza where the Mouse transformed the "California" sign as giant candy corn.




WEAR: How cute is this Candy Corn fairy costume for a tween? ($40 from Chasing-Fireflies.com; accessories not included)


MAKE: There are a million ways to use candy corn in baking; these cupcakes were cute and original (photo from iheartcuppycakes1 on Flickr)



GIVE: A sweet way gift for your tween that won't anger her orthodontist: a plush Cornelius Candy Corn from artist Dan Goodsell ($6.99 from myplasticheart.com)



CRAFT: Here's a free(!) pattern to download for your crafty tween to knit her own candy corn hat! Pattern courtesy of Material Whirled.



DRINK: A fun Halloween party beverage from Jones Soda Company: Candy Corn Soda. Be warned: this is SUPER sweet (good thing it comes in such small cans). These used to be available at Target, but no longer; try your local World Market instead. ($1.50 for 4 8-oz cans)


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