What Parents can do to Find a Safe Sitter!

Here's a great article from Adrienne Kallweit from Seeking Sitters.  Enjoy!

What Parents can do to Find a Safe Sitter:

It is always important to do your homework when seeking a qualified childcare working to bring into your home. Whether you are looking for a one-night out or a part-time or full-time regular sitter, you should spend the time to take the necessary steps to screen a sitter and find the best match and safest option for your family. Here are some steps that you can use when looking for an in-home childcare professional:

1) Assess your need: research the appropriate pay based on your need. i.e., number of children and experience
2) Obtain qualified applicants: You will want to advertise for sitters in a multitude of locations to get a large pool of qualified candidates to choose from.
3) In Person interview: Find several candidates to conduct interviews in-person and have your applicant sign a background screening waiver so that you can conduct a screening on the applicant.
4) Level of desire: be sure that when conducting your interviews you are identifying that the sitter has a strong level of desire to work with kids and it is a passion.
4) Past Employer Check: Verify reliability through the three most recent employers
5) Verify References: Check at least three childcare related references as you want to make sure the applicant has the experience level that you need for your family.
6) CPR and First Aid: When any childcare professional is working in your home, you should verify that they have CPR and First Aid training. This can be obtained by the local red cross and will help your sitter have the skills necessary in any type of accident in the home.
7) Perform a thorough background screening. I feel this is your most important step as this will give you a behind the scenes understanding into the worker's character and how she will react in certain situations. Make sure to find a reputable background screening company that screens eachapplicant's personal character history, address history, criminal and civil records as well as credit history records.
8) Selection Process: When when you have narrowed down your candidates follow up and find out if the schedule you desire works for their availability and decide on a payment schedule
9) Set clear expectations: Once you have selected your childcare worker, you want to set very clear expectations for the sitter to make sure she has an understanding of what you expect in the home.
10) In-home monitoring: If you choose to have an in-home camera, let the sitter know it is there and use it to your advantage by getting the most productivity out of your childcare professional. You can even utilize a two-way camera that will allow you to say "Hi" during the day to your little ones.
11) Update your Lists: Always remember that there is nothing morepermanent than change and that it is more likely that you will have numerous childcare workers in your home because peoples schedules and needs change. Be comforted in the fact that your children have you as a consistent in their life and that the transition into new childcare professionals can be a welcomed change if you approach it with a great attitude.

It is important to always have a safe and smooth sitting experience when having a childcare worker in your home. This is what we strive for atSeekingSitters, to help families with the above steps as they may be overwhelming for some parents looking for someone to care for their little ones.

http://www.seekingsitters.com/blog/blog.html

Birthday Party Ideas for 8 year olds

I performed at Ameen's birthday party in Wellesley, MA today.  It was a Star Wars Jedi Knight Training party, and it went very well.  But parties for this age, especially when they're all boys, can be a little wild.  Here's a few tips on how to make it a success:

1. Get rid of that energy: 8 year old boys are old enough to need an organized activity, but young enough that they still have a ton of energy.  We use parachute games for this purpose.  I spend about 5 minutes getting the children to expend that energy into the parachute.  When you plan your first activity, try to exhaust the kids.  Seriously, try to exhaust them.  It will pay dividends quickly.
2. Be Strict:  When I arrive at a birthday party with older children, I don't smile for the first 20 minutes.  I'm not a mean person, I swear.  But this is the age where you really have to earn the kids respect.  My sense of humor is very dry, so even when I make jokes, I don't smile.  I do this to gain the attention and respect of the children.  Once we're all working together as a team, then we can really have some fun!
3. Repetition: When instructing the children, repeat what you need done, 5, 6 or even 7 times.  Its a bit of a pain, but these guys at this age have a "pack" mentality, and you need to be able to overcome it.  Don't lose your cool.  Remain calm and keep refocusing the group.

8 year olds can be a tough bunch, but you can manage them.  Just remember who's boss and the end goal: that everyone has fun!

Birthday Party Ideas for 8 year olds

I performed at Ameen's birthday party in Wellesley, MA today.  It was a Star Wars Jedi Knight Training party, and it went very well.  But parties for this age, especially when they're all boys, can be a little wild.  Here's a few tips on how to make it a success:

1. Get rid of that energy: 8 year old boys are old enough to need an organized activity, but young enough that they still have a ton of energy.  We use parachute games for this purpose.  I spend about 5 minutes getting the children to expend that energy into the parachute.  When you plan your first activity, try to exhaust the kids.  Seriously, try to exhaust them.  It will pay dividends quickly.
2. Be Strict:  When I arrive at a birthday party with older children, I don't smile for the first 20 minutes.  I'm not a mean person, I swear.  But this is the age where you really have to earn the kids respect.  My sense of humor is very dry, so even when I make jokes, I don't smile.  I do this to gain the attention and respect of the children.  Once we're all working together as a team, then we can really have some fun!
3. Repetition: When instructing the children, repeat what you need done, 5, 6 or even 7 times.  Its a bit of a pain, but these guys at this age have a "pack" mentality, and you need to be able to overcome it.  Don't lose your cool.  Remain calm and keep refocusing the group.

8 year olds can be a tough bunch, but you can manage them.  Just remember who's boss and the end goal: that everyone has fun!

Birthday Party Ideas for 8 year olds

I performed at Ameen's birthday party in Wellesley, MA today.  It was a Star Wars Jedi Knight Training party, and it went very well.  But parties for this age, especially when they're all boys, can be a little wild.  Here's a few tips on how to make it a success:

1. Get rid of that energy: 8 year old boys are old enough to need an organized activity, but young enough that they still have a ton of energy.  We use parachute games for this purpose.  I spend about 5 minutes getting the children to expend that energy into the parachute.  When you plan your first activity, try to exhaust the kids.  Seriously, try to exhaust them.  It will pay dividends quickly.
2. Be Strict:  When I arrive at a birthday party with older children, I don't smile for the first 20 minutes.  I'm not a mean person, I swear.  But this is the age where you really have to earn the kids respect.  My sense of humor is very dry, so even when I make jokes, I don't smile.  I do this to gain the attention and respect of the children.  Once we're all working together as a team, then we can really have some fun!
3. Repetition: When instructing the children, repeat what you need done, 5, 6 or even 7 times.  Its a bit of a pain, but these guys at this age have a "pack" mentality, and you need to be able to overcome it.  Don't lose your cool.  Remain calm and keep refocusing the group.

8 year olds can be a tough bunch, but you can manage them.  Just remember who's boss and the end goal: that everyone has fun!

Star Wars Jedi Knight Training

Have you ever seen what a Jungle Jim's Birthday Party is like?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WcY0qt3qek

Check it out today!

Flatbread Pizza Somerville

Hey Everyone,

I twist balloons at Sacco's Flatbread Pizza in Davis Square in Somerville every Monday night from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.  Its a great time for families in the Somerville, Cambridge, Arlington area.  Last night, I made Ryan, one of the staffers there.  Take a look:

If you're looking for great food, great balloon artistry and fun for the whole family, come to Sacco's Flatbread on Monday night from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.  You can learn more about Jungle Jim at http://www.JungleJimBoston.com

Jim Manning 

Jungle Jim's

617-223-1700

Three easy ways to keep the kids entertained during Hurricane Irene or other natural disasters

Seeing how crazy everything's been here on the East Coast over the last 3 days got me to thinking: How do you keep the kids entertained and not going stir crazy during wacky weather.  Here's three suggestions:

1. Make a Game of It: Explain to the children that you have a mission: Operation Protect-the-House.  How quickly can you assemble the batteries?  Who can carry the water fastest?  Practice your evacuation plan.  
2. Multiple Activities - Take a few minutes and plan many activities.  Have your little ones occupied, but as soon as they get bored, move onto the next one.  Alternate fast moving activities (hockey in the play room) to board games in the living room.
3. Involve the Children: Have the kids help you plan your meals.  Let them know what the weather is and how it impacts you.  Use the opportunity to teach children about the weather phenomenon.

Best of luck!

Have you seen Jungle Jim climb inside of a balloon?

Publish Post

Birthday Party Entertainment Boston - Fun Birthday Party Ideas - Tip #1

So I'm trying to do more with the knowledge I've gained about birthday parties over these last 7 years.  I've started doing more on my YouTube channel.  This is the first in my series of 10 on how to have an amazingly successful birthday party for your child.  Enjoy!

Mess to Success

Sometimes people ask why I do what I do.  Here's why:

Spark & Hustle

Just got back from Spark & Hustle, an awesome conference led by Tory Johnson, owner of Women for Hire.  I learned so much from this conference, especially I can have it all, I just can't do it all myself.

Being the only guy at an all women's conference was an eye-opener.  It was a very positive experience.  Most people I met were impressed that I came.  My sister, Patty Lennon insisted I go, and you always do what your big sister says ;-)

I met these fantastic mom-preneurs, including Adrienne and Shannon.

Adrienne runs www.SeekingSitters.com, with a local chapter based out of Shrewsbury, MA.

Shannon is the founder of JBF - Just Between Friends Consignment Events.

Check them out!

Don't sit down!

OK, loyal readers, this doesn't have that much to do with family entertainment, but I'm always a big advocate of kids playing outside.  I don't love it when I see a number of children sitting with their Nintendo DS's on a beautiful day. Here's why you should ban children from the couch between sun up and sun down:


http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/sitting-kills/


Get out and walk!

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

1-888-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com

Difficult children at your party? Here's how you can handle it.

I performed at a birthday party last weekend.  Made awesome balloon sculptures.  Led the kids in Jedi training.  Everybody laughed.  Everybody had a good time.  Well, almost everybody.  There was a young man at this party.  I'm going to call him Theo.  Theo was what many would describe as a bad kid.  Wouldn't follow directions.  Kept messing up my equipment.  Picked a fight with 2 other kids.  Tried to throw water on the birthday boy.  This was all in the first 10 minutes.


Now before your shackles go up and you think: bad kid, let me tell you: he's not.  And believe you me, this is the child I used to dread seeing at a birthday party I was performing at.  And of course, since I focused my energies that way, that was what I manifested.


Theo is not a bad kid.  Theo simply needs attention.  And now when I see a Theo at a birthday party, I don't get upset.  I don't worry.  Because I know Theo is going to be an integral part of this birthday party's success.  


What do you do as a responsible adult with a "Bad Kid?"  Here's my advice:

1. Focus on what they want.  I don't mean hand them the power tools.  What do they really want?  Attention.  One book that really influenced me when I was younger was "How to Win Friends and Influence People."  Here's a quote: "The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it."  They want attention.  Give it to them in a positive way.  One thing I like to do is to put the difficult child in charge of an important task, like making sure all the children sit criss-cross, applesauce, or letting me know when everyone needs a water break
2. Stand next to the child.  Another thing I do at parties is to make sure I am standing right near the child who is misbehaving.  I'll ignore minor comments, but I will make sure they know I'm watching them; I'm only two feet away, so they know it!  And again, they're getting the attention they want.
3. Limited choices.  If things get bad with a particular child, and sometimes they do, give them two choices:  Do you want to participate, or do you want to take a break.  Most often they want to participate, so its ok to let them know that this is the behavior expected at the birthday party.  

I hope this helps.  Most of the children I've met at birthday parties are willing to cooperate.  They just need a little guidance on how.  Best of luck!

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

1-888-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com

Team Jungle!

So, who makes up the Jungle Jim's team? Is it just Jungle Jim? Definitely not! We're growing everyday.  Today let's talk about Carolyn Berg.



Carolyn is a virtual assistant. People often ask me "is she a real person?" I am happy to answer that yes, the DNA results were conclusive, and virtual assistants are real.


So a virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is an entrepreneur who provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from a home office. Because virtual assistants are independent contractors rather than employees, clients are not responsible for any employee-related taxes, insurance or benefits. Clients also avoid the logistical problem of providing extra office space, equipment or supplies.⁴  Thanks, Wikipedia!


<sup>Carolyn and I have been working together since 2007. I was very reluctant to hand over the reins of customer relations, but Carolyn was the man, er, VA for the job. Carolyn does a terrific job with all of our awesome clients, and I am very appreciative of the work she does.  


Not that there haven't been benefits to Carolyn working with a New England entertainer as well.  She has learned the intricacies of the Massachusetts highway system, including the 5 different names for each.  She now knows if a New Englander asks if we can perform in a "pa-hk," they are not referring to hockey.  Lastly, she now knows not to accept clam chowdah as payment for events.  


If call our 1-888-33-JUNGLE number, Carolyn will be the one to get back to you. Email us and she responds. She maintains the carrier pigeon flock, and all other forms of communication.  


So I'm a big fan of Carolyn and her team, and I wanted to give them a public shout out. If you happen to know of a small business owner who needs some administrative help, her contact information is below, and feel free to use me as a reference. Carolyn rocks!!!


Carolyn Berg
Cyber Office Solutions
carolyn@cyberofficesolutions.net
www.cyberofficesolutions.net
248-324-0802</sup>

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

1-888-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com

Shh! I've got a secret for you...

So I was talking to Bryce, one of my performers, yesterday and he shared with me a fun little bit he does with a group of children while performing.  Now I'm not going to give it away, since its his idea, and I wouldn't want to spoil it for any of you future birthday party clients.  But the premise of what he does is let the children in on a secret part of Jedi training that only true paduans know about.  And when he does this, the children get very excited.  Because they get to be part of something special and unusual!  

Children like to know things that others, especially adults, don't know.  As a family entertainer, I know that to get a laugh out of a group of children, I simply need to pretend that I don't know something that they don't.  For example, when the wand breaks, I don't notice.  The kids do.  AND they know I don't know, which makes it even funnier for them.  

So if you want to motivate a child, let them in on a secret.  Make them part of the "Tuesday Afternoon Cheese Sandwich Club." Involve them in the mission of the "Great Raking Job of 2011."  Make simple tasks or chores into an adventure, and you'll be amazed what they can be inspired to do.  You might even give them a great unexpected memory of childhood.  Good luck!

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

866-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at http://www.JungleJimBoston.com

Birthday Party Madness - the SIBLING FACTOR!!!

So I performed at a party last month where they were expecting 20 - 25 children, a little high for a birthday, but not too bad.

55.


55 children showed up.  I felt so bad for the mom.  She wasn't prepared for that many children.  She was upset.  I calmed her down and let her know we were still going to have a great party.  I shifted from the show I had planned to a more stage-style presentation, and we made simple balloons for all of the children at the end.  It was a little disappointing that we couldn't make fancier balloons (I normally make elaborate sculptures for all of the children), but the kids were all happy to receive a little gift.  In the end, the kids had a good time, but I couldn't pay as much attention to the birthday boy as I would've liked.


So you're wondering: Where did all of those kids come from?


Siblings.  Siblings are the hidden pitfall of many birthday parties for children between the ages of 3 - 10. Everyone brought an extra child or two, and I found out later one couple had been watching their nieces and nephews that weekend, so they brought ten children alone.


Its so tough; parents think to themselves, "What's the big deal? I'm only bringing one more child.  It'll be fine."  And I understand.  That caramel latte served up with 40 minutes of child-free silence is beckoning.  But you start to multiply that one sibling times ten, and its a hard situation for the host parents to handle.


The problem is, how do you say no, especially when there are 2 siblings close in age?  I admit, its tricky situation if you're hosting the party.  Let me share some tips.


Tips for Handling the Sibling Factor

1. Invitation Specific - When creating invitations, be very specific about "Siblings Welcome" or "No Siblings, Please."  I know this is hard, but I've performed at over 400 birthday parties, and the less successful ones have one thing in common: many more kids are present than were originally invited.  Its OK to have a special day for your little man or little lady without 10 or more additional children.  You don't have to be a babysitting service.
2. Entertainment - Is your entertainment flexible?  Many entertainers, including myself, charge more for more children.  We do this because its extra time, extra supplies, and though we really won't tell you this, a lot more energy.  It is hard to give your best performance when you are also a referee/disciplinarian.  If you are bringing in an entertainer, you'll want to make sure he or she can handle the extra children that may attend.  Most shows can be adjusted for the extra children, but the earlier notice the better.  You need to be aware that you may have to pay for more time, or end up with a lesser quality show.  If you're doing the entertaining yourself, are your activities easily able to accommodate a larger group?  Do you have some backup activities to handle unexpected guests?
3. Head them off at the pass - As the children arrive for the party, have you or your significant other greet them at the front door.  Let parents know what time they should pick up the individual child by name.  So for example "You can pick up Jack at 2:00 p.m."  This subtly lets the parent know that the party is intended just for Jack.  
4. Polite, but firm - And if it does seem like Jack's 5 brothers are going to be joining him, just let the parents know that the birthday activities are designed for the birthday boy/girl's invited guests, but that you have coloring books for other children in another room, if they would like to stay with their children and watch them.  This should get the message across without ruffling too many feathers.

So be strong!  You can have the birthday party your child deserves, and its OK to to just be responsible for entertaining them and their friends.  And if you have any questions, let me know!

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

866-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com