PAJANIMALS CELEBRATE DAD AND SUMMERTIME IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS IN JUNE

New Pajanimals Party Products from BirthdayExpress.com Offer Tons of Outdoor Fun

Celebrate Father’s Day with a Special TV Message on Sprout® and FREE downloadable/printable Pajanimals’ Themed Card

"June signals the arrival of summer, bringing warm and sunshiny days, extended outdoor playtime and fun family vacation adventures.  June is also National Great Outdoors Month and National Camping Month, and, on Sunday, June 16, we celebrate Father’s Day while Saturday, June 22, is Great American Backyard Campout Day. So much to celebrate and do in June so get plenty of rest now as it promises to be a month filled with activities!

The Jim Henson Company has partnered with BirthdayExpress.com, the authority on kids’ party supplies and planning, to introduce a new line of Pajanimals-themed disposable party products, including tableware, personalized banners and wall décor, party favors, piñatas, cupcake wrappers and boxes, and even a t-shirt (costs vary).  The Pajanimals party products are now available at www.birthdayexpress.com!"

In a couple of weeks I will be sharing photos of my backyard Pajanimals bash, which will feature the new line Pajanimals themed disposable party products, including dinner plates, dessert plates, cups, napkins, a table cover, favor box and sticker sheet.  

Do you have plans for a fun family BBQ, Father's Day cookout or child's upcoming summer birthday?  If so, why not make it a Pajanimals Party?  Using just a bit of imagination and with the help of the Pajanimals, you’ll be able to create an exciting outdoor celebration for the entire family: 

Ø  Design a fun backyard scavenger hunt by placing the colorful party favors like the Pajanimals temporary tattoos, hats, noise-makers and stickers in secret locations throughout your backyard. 

Ø  Create an obstacle course using items already in your yard – army-crawl under the patio table, run through loops created with the garden hose, do a lap around the flower beds.

Ø  Let the kids decorate their own pre-baked cupcake for Dad and give a Pajanimals party t-shirt to the winning decorator.

Ø  Toddlers and preschoolers can try daytime camping by taking their nap outside.  Put a pop-up tent in the backyard along with sleeping bags or mats and blankets and pillows. The kids can crawl into the tent for a little rest in the great outdoors.

Ø  Visit the Sprout website and download instructions for making Apollo’s Moon & Stars snacks to enjoy in the great outdoors. So easy, and the kids will love ‘em!

Ø  Host an outdoor sleepover for kids and their dads, including setting up tents and sleeping bags in the backyard. 

Ø  After dark, hide prizes, like the Pajanimals favor box filled with the makings of s'mores, somewhere in your backyard.  Give kids flashlights to find the prizes. You can also hide one prize at a time and make it a competition by timing how long it takes each kid to find their favor box prize.  Help them along by saying "getting lighter" when they near the loot, and "getting darker" when they move away from the prize location.  

After you have had a day of fun, please feel free to share your Pajanimals-themed party photos on the Pajanimals Facebook page with other Pajanimals fans.

"Backyard campouts are a great way to introduce new sleeping arrangements to youngsters in preparation for vacation. Whether it’s a family camping adventure, hotel room or Grandma’s house, incorporating new sleep routines can be a challenge.  Kids usually do best when you keep them on their normal sleep schedules and routines.  It also helps if you can make the vacation sleep environment as similar to your child’s home as possible. Bring their favorite pillow, blanket, bedtime companion, nightlight, et cetera to recreate the home sleep environment when on vacation and know that normal sleep routines will return soon after the vacation ends.

The Pajanimals--Cowbella, Apollo, Sweetpea Sue and Squacky--have quickly become popular with children and parents alike!  Their television series airs nightly at 8 p.m. ET on 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout® during The Good Night Show programming block and also airs on NBC every Saturday morning as part of the NBC Kids programming block.  Pajanimals, co-produced by The Jim Henson Company, Sprout and Sixteen South Television, follows this adorable quartet as they take young viewers on exciting imaginary adventures. With music and new friends in every story, Pajanimals teaches the skills that preschoolers need to move through their days successfully, especially getting ready for and going to bed.

Pajanimals and Sprout® are also helping kids to make this Father’s Day extra special by letting kids send their Dad a special Father’s Day greeting which could be on TV.  Go to the Sprout website to help your little ones Send Dad a Father’s Day Message.  Then, on Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 16, join Chica and Mr. C from 9 a.m. to noon EST for a special Father's Day celebration featuring messages from Sproutlets.

After watching Sprout in the morning, you and your child can also watch how Squacky deals with Blankie in the Laundry, the Pajanimals episode for Saturday, June 15, airing at 8 p.m. EST.  After Squacky spills glue and glitter on his blankie just before bedtime, he can’t sleep because his blankie is being washed!  The Pajanimals travel to the Land of Hush where Bedtime Bunny helps Squacky to realize that all he wants at bedtime is something that reminds him of Mom and Dad, so Squacky goes to bed snuggling his dinosaur Pete. 

On Sunday, June 16, the Pajanimals’ episode airing at 8 p.m. EST deals with Missing Mom and Dad.  At bedtime, Sweet Pea Sue misses Mom and Dad and wishes she could sneak into their bed where it feels so “warm and safe.” The Pajanimals travel to The Night Sky where The Moon comforts Sweet Pea Sue and tells her that her parents are very close by and will always be there if she needs them."

The Jim Henson Company is also offering a FREE, downloadable, printable Pajanimal’s themed Father's Day Card!  I printed out a few of the cards last night, and this afternoon the girls had a blast coloring their favorite Pajanimals characters before I put a photo of them and Daddy in the frame.  While Savannah wishes she can give this special card to Daddy tonight, I told her that she would have to wait until Father's Day on June 16th to surprise him with it.  Let's see if we can hold out until them -- I don't think we will -- see is eager to show of both her and Arabella's colorful Father's Day cards, and I love how the photos make this an extra special keepsake that he will treasure for years to come.  You can tell in the photos that the girls are growing fast -- if only they could stay little forever! :-)

And, don't forget to follow the Pajanimals, Jim Henson Company, Sprout and Birthday Express's social media channels, to stay up-to-date on news, promotions and fun giveaways.

·      NEW dedicated Pajanimals’ Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Pajanimals

·      The Jim Henson Company on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hensoncompany

·      Henson Parents on Twitter: @hensonparents

·      Sprout on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sprout

·      Sprout on Twitter: @SproutTV

·      BirthdayExpress on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BirthdayExpress

·      BirthdayExpress Twitter: www.twitter.com/BirthdayExpress

·      BirthdayExpress YouTube:  www.youtube.com/celebrateexpress

·      Google+ :plus.google.com/+birthdayexpress

·      Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/birthdayexpress/

·      Instagram: @birthdayexpress