CELEBRATING DADS WITH THE CARE BEARS

Care Bears fans can show a dad in their life how much they care about him on Father Day with these fun gift ideas.  The best gifts don't have to be bought and here are a few ways to make a hand-made present that will touch dad's heart.  Celebrate #DadsWhoCare this Fathers Day!

Kids can show their Papa Bear how much they appreciate him with a printable Fathers Day card that lets them personalize it with their own comments and drawings.  School's out for most children before Fathers Day arrives so if they didn't make a class project for Dad this free printout is cheaper than a $10 store bought card that is also a much more personal sentiment which kids can easily do at home.



As a dad myself, I can also assure you that moms and kids can never go wrong in giving a guy a sweet treat for Fathers Day.  California Donuts have created awesome Care Bear donuts and they've kindly provided A Geek Daddy the info so you can do them yourselves.  Baking up a batch is sure to put a smile on dad's face.  Or if you're not a whiz in the kitchen you could also just buy some plain doughnuts and decorate them.

What you will need:

• 1 dozen donuts 

• 2 cartons of white frosting 

• 1-2 drops of blue, white, and black food coloring 

• 1 small bag of candy melts, any color 

• 2 quart zip-up plastic bags

Preparation:

• Crush 2 donuts and stuff into the remaining donut's holes 

• Place one carton of frosting into one bowl, and split the other carton into two bowls 

• Add 1-2 drops of blue food coloring into the larger bowl of frosting and whisk 

• Add 1-2 drops of black food coloring into one of the two smaller bowls and whisk 

• Leave the other small bowl of frosting white 

• Dip donuts in blue frosting or brush with a small spatula I

• Insert two candy melts for the ears 

• Paint the ears with the same frosting covering the bear  

• Let dry for 30 minutes 

• Place white and black frosting in separate small zip-up bags 

• Zip both bags shut and cut a small hole in the bottom corner of each 

• Squeeze a small amount of white frosting in a circular/oval shape to create the mouth 

• Squeeze a small amount of black frosting in a circular/oval shape to create the eyes 

• Dip the toothpick in the colored frosting bowl to draw the nose, mouth and eyebrows 

• If you don't want to literally duplicate  Grumpy Care Bear's appearance you can always reverse the smile for some added cheer

• Take a photo and share on social media using #MyCareBearsDonuts 

September 9th is National Care Bears Share Your Care Day

As a Care Bears brand ambassador, in honor of Friday, September 9th being #ShareYourCare Day, A Geek Daddy is encouraging our blog readers and social media followers to do a nice deed for someone else just to be kind.  Simple things like treating a friend to lunch or helping an elderly neighbor with some chores may not seem like much to you but could have a big impact on the beneficiary of your kindness.  With Share Your Care Day as an inspiration, try and do something nice for others throughout the month of September then share your good deeds with the Care Bears on social media using the hashtag #CareALotChallenge to encourage others to follow your example.

The Care Bears want their fans everywhere to do something nice for someone all month long via #CareALotChallenge,  It could be simple acts such as sharing a toy with a sibling or taking out the trash for dad.  Bigger inspirations could also involve acts of philanthropy like planting a tree, serving lunch at a homeless shelter or running a 5K for a charity. Care Bears hope to embolden the nation to be kind, think of others and #ShareYourCare every day.

The Care Bears brand is all about pos­i­tiv­ity, car­ing and shar­ing.  Every day throughout September, one shar­ing or car­ing chal­lenge will be posted by Care Bears on their Facebook and Twitter pages with the #Care­ALotChal­lenge hash­tag. Chal­lenges include acts like shar­ing a high-five or a hug and much more. With the #Care­ALotChal­lenge, you can add a lit­tle extra happy to the world! It’s to show appre­ci­a­tion for the peo­ple you Care-a-Lot about! Print this calendar to track your #CareALotChallenge moments and watch online for ideas and ways to #ShareYourCare, including doing something special on Share Your Care Day!

You can also get in the spirit of the day by participating in the Care Bears #CareALotChallenge Twitter Party hosted by A Geek Daddy's friends the @BlogginMamas on September 8, 2016 to help kick off Share Your Care Day.  Dur­ing the Twit­ter Party there will be a chance to win one of the fol­low­ing prizes by answer­ing var­i­ous trivia ques­tions about the Care Bears. Win­ners will be selected at ran­dom from all eli­gi­ble entries.

Four (4) Care Bears Care Pack­ages (ARV $175, 1 per win­ner) Care Bears Care Pack­ages Include:

• Just Play — Jumbo Plush 
• Van­dor — Shop­ping Tote
• Just Play — 3 Blind Bags
• Ben­don — Art Set
• Montco Crafts — Pop Outz
• Lion­s­gate — Bearied Trea­sure DVD
• Good2­Grow — Juice and Care Bears Top­per
• Net­flix — 1 year sub­scrip­tion

Plus there will be a GRAND PRIZE consisting of One (1) Care Bears Care Pack­age and a $100 Gift Card (ARV $275).  To be eligible for the prizes you need to RSVP and participate in the party using  #CareALotChallenge.

So how are you going the #ShareYourCare on September 9th and throughout the month?

Dynamic Mom & Pop Duo Create HeroBoys Comics & Toys

In honor of National Share Your Care Day, A Geek Daddy wanted to share with our readers some information on a KICKSTARTER campaign by a dynamic mom & pop duo who are looking to make their vision of a super hero comic book and line of toys that is age appropriate for young children a reality.  Doesn't it seem like many of the comic books, movies, television shows and toys for our kids are just rehashing and recycling characters and stories from past generations?  Wouldn't it be nice to see some new original and fresh content that today's generation of kids can embrace and call its own with less violent themes and more of an emphasis on addressing life lessons and promoting values?  Do a good deed today and support this Kickstarter campaign that brings an action figure and comic book that celebrates children's sense of adventure, imaginations, and limitless potential to life.

Like many parents today, Crissi and Ed Boland struggled when they went shopping to find toys that their little boys both wanted to play with and that were useful with promoting the positive development of their young children in the years when they are so very impressionable.  So these entrepreneurial parents created the concept of the HeroBoys - a group of "ordinary" boys brought together to do good through super powers that have been bestowed upon them by a mysterious benefactor and mentor called The Gentleman.  The comic book will be a monthly serial which begins with the HeroBoys having to overcome the challenges facing a city that has been overcome by selfishness.  Each issue will feature a story that emphasizes positive messaging regarding life lessons and provide teachable moments for parents to discuss with their children. The Boland's also plan for a unique 18" plush/plastic combination action figure to go along with the comic books so that kids can play out the adventures of their favorite HeroBoys characters.

The HeroBoys character traits were designed from the Boland's parenting experiences dealing with their sons and the children they interact with at school and play.  From my own experiences as a parent, these HeroBoys really do seem to be relatable characters for the preschool and elementary school aged kids they are meant for. I also appreciate that these HeroBoys toys combine the comforting elements of plush doll with the articulation features of an action figure for children to play with.  From reading a preview of the first issue of the comic book it appeared to be well suited to be enjoyable for both early readers and young children who may need mom or dad to read it to them.

"We wanted these comics and toys to teach honesty, loyalty, humility, compassion, and diligence," Ed Boland communicated to A Geek Daddy.  "That concept may seem a little old-fashioned in today's culture that celebrates violence, narcissism, and a win-at-all-cost approach, but we think our kids could use a good, healthy dose of old-fashioned in their lives. With your support, we can bring a meaningful, thoughtful alternative into the unimaginative world of toys for boys."

Rewards for participating in the HeroBoys campaign range from a t-shirt/comic book combo for $25 to a Hero Starter Set which includes a one year monthly subscription to the comic book (print & digital editions), a t-shirt, matching cape & mask, and an 18" HeroBoy action figure.  Also note that the action figure pictured is a prototype and Ed told us that the final product will have a head sculpt that more accurately reflects the illustrated images of the HeroBoys from the comic book.  Hopefully if the initial launch of the comic book and toys is successful they'll be able to add some girl super heroes to the mix as well.

For more information, CLICK HERE to visit the HeroBoys Kickstarter campaign page.