See Parrots on Vacation or Field Trip: Visit Parrot Mountain Tennessee

Fun Things to do in Pigeon Forge with Kids

Are you looking for something different and fun to do with kids on vacation? Parrot Mountain in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee won't disappoint. It's an intimate little parrot zoo on top of a mountain across from Dollywood! So, if you want to see parrots on your vacation or school field trip, visit Parrot Mountain Tennessee! We've got a few tips for your trip.

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Parrot Mountain is tucked away in the woods on top of a mountain in Pigeon Forge. As you drive down the road, you may think you're on the wrong path, but take a turn and suddenly you're driving up a steep incline that is an adventure in itself! There is also overflow parking down below.

It's a quaint little place. Not interested in walking? No worries, you can have a guided tour by golf cart. However, I recommend that you walk. You can spend more time chatting with each bird. You can run through this zoo in less than an hour, but you'll miss out on lots of wonderful things.

Some may think the ticket price is a little pricey, but you've never experienced anything like this. It is worth it. Parrots surround the parking lot and greet you as you walk up the path. Be sure to say Hello!

The Cockatoos are adorable! They dance, they chant, they sing, and if you walk away they get sad. If you get too close, they'll try to hop on your shoulder for a visit. You'll want to stay and chat with them forever, but when you continue on the path, you'll see a variety of tropical birds and so much more.

It's a parrot petting zoo in Tennessee!

When you purchase tickets they ask if you'd like to feed the birds. Yes, yes, you do! It's a once in a lifetime experience. Do not miss it! There's a Lorikeet cage and a Parrot area for feeding. The Lorikeets are a little unsettling. As soon as you go in with food, they swarm you. Feeding Lorikeets can be done at many zoos and amusement parks, so you can skip this added fee if you want. Do not skip feeding the parrots in the parrot petting zoo!

I mean, come on; how awesome is this? In the parrot feeding area, the birds were a little sluggish. Not everyone wants to eat, their bellies are full! You can talk to the birds, sing to the birds, cuddle with the birds, and even let the birds perch on your shoulders. We didn't want to leave this area!

Conure Kisses.

Baby Conure kisses are precious! Tucked away behind some trees, you'll find a nursery. Many of the baby birds are for sale, others will end up out in the gardens. All of them are adorable. I just can't even...

Parrot Mountain and Gardens Tips

• We ate before we went. Don't do that. Pack a lunch, they have a picnic area right in the middle of the park.
• If you forget to pack a lunch, they have a grill inside the gift shop. It smells delicious!
• Wear comfortable shoes that won't slip on the steep paths. Paths are covered in asphalt.
• You can become a bird sponsor!
• Relax, don't rush it. Spend a few hours here.

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School Lunch Bag Ideas

Fun Ideas for a Cool School Lunch Bag

Pack a lunch for school everyday? What to pack in the school lunch bag is tricky. Will they eat it? Do they need something for bartering? Is a fancy lunch box necessary? Sometimes, like field trip days or summer camp days, you need to pack a sack lunch rather than a lunch box. We're sharing fun ideas for the coolest sack lunch ever. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*

Fun School Lunch Bag Ideas with Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers.

We headed to Walmart for a great value on pack-able lunch items. All good school lunches deserve Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers! These are always are go to snack for after school snacks. Their back-to-school bins are full of things you'll need from school supplies to fun snacks to hand sanitizers. So, we grabbed some Wet Ones® Individual packs too. They make it easy for kids to clean their hands after messy food, and they kill 99.9% of germs.

Shopping at Walmart for our lunch items.

As a fun surprise, we like to draw games on the lunch bags. This week, we played Fish Tac Toe and Jumping Jellyfish with our Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers (Cheddar and Pretzel). You can also play with the multi-color crackers, you only need two different colors and a friend. To play Jumping Jellyfish download the free printable instructions, and pop them in your child's lunch bag with their favorite lunch item and Wet Ones® Individuals.

Lunch Bag Ideas: Draw Fish Tac Toe or Jumping Jellyfish on your child's lunch bag.

Print out these instructions for how to play Jumping Jellyfish, and place them in the lunch bag with a fun note.

Go here for the free printable instructions for the game.

We found this fun idea to print images or notes on your lunch bag at Cottage Hill. They even share a fun way to make an egg basket.

Print images or notes on school lunch bags.

You might also like these Peanut-free school lunch ideas or Creative Lunch Ideas for kids.

Quick Breakfast on the way to School:
If you are in need of Fast Food before school, but don't have the time or money to make a run to a restaurant- make your own! If you are running late or heading on a road trip, pack a fast breakfast.

We grabbed a lunch bag and filled it with individual Wet Ones, a banana, fruit snacks, juice pack, and a pancake on a stick (you can also use corn dogs). The corn dog or walking pancake microwaves in less than a minute. Wrap it it a paper towel, and toss it in the lunch bag. The kids can enjoy "breakfast" on the way to school.


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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones® + Pepperidge Farm® . The opinions and text are all mine.

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

50 Things to do for St. Patrick's Day

50 Saint Patrick's Day Activities for Kids and Seniors

Are you in charge of the Saint Patrick's Day festivities? Maybe you plan group activities for a church group, after-school program, nursing home, or a retirement home. If you are planning things to do for a St. Patrick's Day event, you've come to the right place. Whether you need nifty refreshments or fun food to make with the group, we've got a recipe. Play Leprechaun games, make a rainbow craft, or decorate with shamrocks- no matter what you choose be sure to make it fun with these 50 fun things to do. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

50 Things to do for St. Patrick's Day.

Tips for Busy Families on the Go

Is your busy family always on the go? You need tips to make life easier!

We keep busy with lots of academic activities, but we also love to hike, swim, and play outdoors. As homeschoolers, we are involved in a special playgroup that enjoys playtime in local parks, roller skating, jump centers, and educational field trips. It seems, like many other busy families, we are always on the go and looking for tips to make life easier and less hectic.

Enjoying learning about different species of fish.

Also, as busy homeschoolers, we search for special activities for physical education and fitness that can be a valuable educational experience. We are always coming up with new ways to learn while having fun. We especially love outdoor activities, but that can lead to cuts, scrapes, and allergies.

Dolphin and Manatee hunting in a kayak with Grandpa on the Manatee River.

When you head out for a hike or to go exploring the Manatee River in a kayak, it is important to always have a first aid kit, extra clothes, water bottles, bug spray, and we take allergy meds and Epipens too! Active families need to function like a team and be ready for just about anything. Now, we can take Puracyn® Plus along too. Puracyn® Plus is the first step in first aid. It helps clean wounds and is less irritating than peroxide or alcohol and more effective than soap and water. I find it amazing that it is safe for the eyes, ears, and mouth too! 

Puracyn® Plus is a convenient alternative to the otherwise messy job of cleansing the wound area, can be applied on the spot and on-the-go, and it won’t cause cell damage the way hydrogen peroxide can. It is the perfect addition to your first aid kits saving you the need for several different products.

We needed our Puracyn® Plus during Spring Break. Mayhem was excited about kayaking with Grandpa on the Manatee River. When she ran to the kayak, her clothes got stuck and toppled over a giant, concrete pelican! Then, when she hopped into the kayak, the tear from the pelican incident caught onto something in the kayak and scraped her leg. The pants are beyond repair, but her leg recovered nicely with a little help from Puracyn® Plus.

Getting some swimming in after a long road trip.

Now through March 27th, enter the Play to Win with #TeamPuracynPlus Giveaway on the Puracyn® Plus Facebook page for the chance to be one of three randomly selected winners to receive a Puracyn® Plus Sports Emergency Kit, including a $50 gift card to a sporting goods store of your choice and Puracyn® Plus product. Join us on Pinterest too.

Enter to win a Puracyn® Plus Sports Emergency Kit.

New Puracyn® Plus Duo-Care™ Wound and Skin Cleanser is the next generation first step in first aid for cleansing, debriding and hydrating wounds, and is formulated with a pH balanced, hypochlorous solution, designed to improve the most essential part of the wound treatment process – preparation of the wound bed. If you have diabetes, Puracyn® Plus Foot Wash and Skin Cleanser is essential in helping to make foot care part of your daily self-care routine. To learn more about the brand visit www.puracynplus.com
“This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. All opinions, text, and experiences are my own.”
To learn more about the Puracyn® Plus, LIKE the brand on Facebook and follow the brand on Pinterest. This is a product-sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Puracyn® Plus Duo-Care™ Wound and Skin Cleanser. The opinions and text are all mine.


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Split Rearseat Cover for Car

Messy Kids? Ready for a big Chaotic Confession? We've got one super messy child dubbed, Mayhem. We needed car covers for the backseat for the past year. So, when Versa Via asked if we'd like to do a review, we jumped at the chance. The Versa Via split rearseat cover for car worked like magic, alas for our car, it was too late. Maybe, it isn't too late for your car? Keep scrolling for our car seat cover giveaway. Enjoy!

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links.

Easy to install rear seat cover for car.

So, the Car Covers for Backseat were a necessity for us. We've had the car for almost 2 years now, so it is practically a new car, right? Not so much. Here goes... You might want to avert your eyes.

We desperately needed a Split Rearseat Cover for our Car.

What is that stuff? Well, there's some purple putty, blue candy, maple syrup, ketchup, chocolate milk, Florida sand, and maybe even some duck or chicken poo remnants. Yes, that's a big confession.

One day, after some Nerds (the candy) entered into the backseat, the seatbelt clicker broke. We tried to vacuum them out, but it was too late. RIP seatbelt.

Messy backseats. This fabric is unforgiving.

Another confession, we did attempt to clean the seat before installing the VersaVia Car Cover. We spent $5 sweeping it out and sprayed lots of vinegar and peroxide on it, but it was to no avail.

A bit of good news, we found lots of change and a few Nintendo DS games! Bad news, we even clogged the industrial vac at the carwash.

Mommy refused to sit in the backseat, so did Jake. Daddy would sit on a towel or chair pad. Sigh.

Then, our Split Rearseat Cover for Car arrived. It sat in the front entry for a week. We knew prepping the car was going to take some time. We also worried that the rear seat cover would be difficult to install. Wrong!

This installs in under 5 minutes. Super easy. It adjusts to the size of your seat, and it stays in position even when Mayhem is climbing around back there. If only, we had one BEFORE the mess.

Since we've installed it, The Littlest Pet Shop tiny bits don't fall between the fold or get stuck in the seat belt clicker...




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5 Gadgets for Dad: Father's Day Gift Ideas

5 Father's Day Gift Ideas: Gadgets for Dad

These 5 gadget gift ideas for Dad for Father's Day are the perfect, unique gadgets for Dad under $25.00. Does your Dad buy everything he needs? Not all Dad's wear neckties or have a mustache! It is difficult to come up with a unique, inexpensive idea the kids can give Dad for Father's Day. We found a few things that might make Dad smile. Enjoy!

Looking for Gifts for Teen Boys

Thoughtful Gifts for Teenage Boys this Christmas

Choosing perfect Christmas gifts for teenage boys is difficult – they're not an easy group to please. Perhaps they might not tell you what they'd like, or they might seem disinterested in everything except gaming and sports items. That’s why we've compiled a list of unique and thoughtful gift ideas for teen boys which are sure to bring a smile to their face on the big day. We’ve picked a couple of ideas below, but if you need further gift inspiration, you'll also want to check out this list of ideas for a 13 year old .

This post contains affiliate links.

Christmas Gift List for Teen Boys

• Being a Teenage Boy Book

First on our list of thoughtful gifts for teen boys is this book for teenage boys aimed at 11–14 year old boys. Though the book is only 50 pages, it gives teen boys tons of important life skills and messages that they should know. Including things such as respecting girls and women, that it’s okay to fail sometimes, and the importance of having a strong work ethic. This is a great book to show teen boys you're thinking about them and want to help develop them into fine young men.

• Gamer Socks

Socks might not top the list as the most exciting Christmas gifts for teenagers, but these gamer socks are sure to appeal to those who love playing video games! They have a non-slip design on the sole, making them ideal for hard flooring. The socks are made from cotton and polyester and are comfortable and soft. The moisture-wicking technology is designed to repel odor, so your teen’s feet will always smell fresh! Gamer socks fit sizes from 6 –12, so gamer socks for teens are ideal for most teen gamers.

• To My Son Dog Tag

Jewelry is a nice choice when it comes to unique Christmas gifts for teenagers. This dog tag necklace shows teens how much they means to you. It’s made from stainless steel to ensure it's long lasting and won’t rust and it will remain shiny and new for years to come. Versions are available from grandma, grandpa or dad, so you can customize the gift depending on your relation to the teen boy. The rear of the tag is left blank so you can take it to be engraved with the recipient’s name or another special message to make this a really personal gift idea for your boy. Find more personalized gifts for kids.

• 97 Things to Do Before You Finish High School Book 

Books are a thoughtful gift idea for teens. This thoughtful Book gives boys ideas of fun things they should do some day but won’t learn about in school! It shows them how to do all sorts of fun things such as planning a road trip, making a time capsule, or more practical skills such as doing laundry. The book acts as a kind of bucket list of things that teen boys should do before finishing high school. Teens will find it packed full of fun and exciting ideas to try.

• Mom & Son Journal

Finally, last on our list of thoughtful Christmas gift ideas is this journal book for boys. This book gift idea is a precious mother and son journal that's great for homeschoolers. The mother son journal is filled with questions which require brief answers, either by filling in the blank or using multiple choice answers. With its mix of fun and more serious questions, it's a great way for teens to bond with mom. It’s ideal for promoting discussion when conversation dries up, yet is intended to be lighthearted and fun. The book is perfect for young teens or preteens who aren’t always talkative or open and is a great way to bring them out of their shell. Older teens may find it it silly or embarrassing, so know the teen your shopping for before choosing this option.

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Jealous Quote: People Aren't Jealous of Hard Work

Don't Hide Accomplishments: People Aren't Jealous of Hard Work Quote

Here at Kids Creative Chaos, I've had some sort of blog since about 2006. If you count those old 'homepages' on Microsoft, well then, I'm a dinosaur! In 2011, I started thinking of blogging as an opportunity. By 2012, I had enough experience to have two posts go viral. Back then, I said it just happened- I had no idea how. But, that's not true. It was just easier to let people think that. So, I wanted to share this quote about jealousy. "You'll always find people who are jealous of your accomplishments. Know what people aren't jealous of? Hard work!"

Diabetic Who Doesn't Take Care of Themselves: Family Focus

Living with a Ticking Time Bomb: A Bad Diabetic

Do you live with a diabetic? I mean a bad diabetic. You know what I mean, they have diabetes. They must take Glucophage or Insulin or both. They should test blood sugar levels several times a day. They must test blood sugar levels once per day, but instead, they do nothing. Well, that is not exactly true. They eat sweets, skip meals, and do far too much on a workday. Do you know the type? If so, read on about our personal struggle of living with a bad diabetic. What can you do?

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

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Best Things to Do in LA with Kids

What are the Best Things to Do in LA with Kids?

The City of Angels is best known for being a glamorous and glitzy destination where the world’s rich and famous live and work. It’s not necessarily advertised as family-friendly, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. LA has a vast range of attractions and activities which will delight both kids and adults of all ages. From entertainment and adventure to education and relaxation, this Los Angeles has everything a family could want from a vacation. If you are heading to LA with kids this year, check out this helpful guide for the best things to do in LA with kids.  

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

List of Best Things to do in Los Angeles with Kids:

Universal Studios Hollywood

A family vacation in LA has to include a visit to the Universal Studios theme park and working studio in Hollywood. There are incredible rides with special effects from some of the world’s best-loved movie franchises, including the Harry Potter series, Transformers, Jurassic Park, Shrek, The Mummy and Despicable Me. 

LEGOLAND California

Your kids can see their favorite LEGO toys and characters in real life at California’s LEGOLAND theme park. The 50 rides and attractions are aimed at children, but adults will love the Miniland USA, which is a LEGO re-creation of 7 areas in the USA. There are many things to do including screenings of exclusive LEGO movies and a special area devoted to the hugely popular LEGO Ninjago. 

Watch an LA Rams Football Game 

If your kids like a bit of excitement at a sports game, then make sure you plan in some time to see the LA Rams play American Football at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Join in the chants and the electric atmosphere with good food and drink as you cheer the team to victory as a family. Find tickets for a game here at www.ticketsales.com.

Madame Tussaud’s Hollywood

You may see some Hollywood stars while you’re out and about in LA, but the next best thing to do is take a trip to Madame Tussaud’s in Hollywood. Take pictures with realistic waxwork figures  Hollywood actors and characters from movies and comics including the Marvel superheroes. 

California Science Center & IMAX Theater

For a bit of learning as well as fun thing to do with the family, head to the California Science Center and IMAX Theater. Kids can learn about the most fascinating aspects of our world and science with exhibits which tie education to popular movies and other pop culture. It’s a hands-on experience with plenty of demonstrations, 7-story IMAX Theater and the opportunity to see and stand inside the Space Shuttle Endeavor. 

K1 Speed Indoor Karting

The K1 Speed Indoor Karting track gives you the chance to race your family in safe, zero-emissions electric karts. Let your competitive sides shine through with an hour or 2 of racing followed by some tasty snacks and drinks at the Pit Café. 

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

From eels and fish to sharks and octopi, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is home to over 100 species of sea creatures. As one of the best things to do in LA, it offers its visitors an interactive experience including being able to touch sea stars, urchins, anemones and much more. 

Los Angeles Zoo

If you’re a family of animal lovers, you can’t miss the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens. There are over 1,000 animals from all over the world, and the gardens have over 7,000 plant species. This is a big family favorite, and it can take a whole day to get the most from your visit to LA Zoo.

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