December 2020 - The Zoo Factory

Posted on December 29, 2020 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

How to Help Your Kid Set a New Year’s Resolution

The New Year is almost upon us, and you know what that means—it’s time to set for your kids to set their New Year’s resolutions! However, setting a New Year’s resolution and keeping a New Year’s resolution are two different stories. We all have those moments where we told ourselves we’d start working out on January 1^st, and by February 1^st, our treadmills have collected dust.

So, how can you help your kids to be more successful with their resolutions? Here are a few tips:

Be specific

Research has shown that the more specific your goals are, the more likely you are to achieve them. If your child wants to be more active, simply stating their goal as “exercise more” won’t cut it. Instead, encourage your child to be specific about their goals. For example, instead of saying “exercise more,” they could say, “I will play soccer every other day for 30 minutes.”

Break a big goal up into smaller chunks

Big goals, while ambitious, can be intimidating. Even if your child wants to play soccer every other day for 30 minutes, going from playing no soccer to a lot is difficult. Start small and work your way up. So, you can have the over-arching resolution be to play soccer every other day for 30 minutes, have your child start January by playing soccer once a week, and working their way up each month.

Set a reward

Your kids will feel motivated to complete their resolutions on January 1^st, but they’ll feel much different on February 1^st. To stay motivated, set a reward for meeting their New Year’s resolution. If you’re breaking your big goal up into smaller chunks, have a small reward for each stage and then a big reward for the end of the year.

At The Zoo Factory, we hope everyone manages to create and stick to their New Year’s resolution in 2021! And what better reward for a year of hard work than a lovable, stuffable animal? Take a look through our inventory to get started!

Posted on December 14, 2020December 10, 2020 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

How to Set Up a Holiday Budget (And Stick to It)

The holiday season may be a bit different this year, but there are some things you can always count on. Specifically, buying lots of presents for your kids and family members in the last few weeks of the year. While we love getting the perfect gifts for the people we love, our bank accounts say otherwise.

With a holiday budget, you can get those perfect gifts without breaking the bank. Here’s how to get started:

Project your income

To understand how many gifts you can buy, you first need to know how much money you’ll have on-hand. Calculate your total net income (your income after taxes) until the last possible date you can buy presents. Then, subtract all of your necessary expenses. This should include your rent or mortgage payment, food expenses, utilities, gas, and other monthly necessities. The amount you have left is the amount you can spend on your gifts.

Make a list and check it twice

Next, it’s time to make a list. Start by listing out everyone you’re buying a present for. Then, take a look at the projected income you calculated earlier to see how much you can spend on each person. The amount you spend on an individual will depend on your relationship with that individual. For example, you’ll likely spend less money on your mother-in-law than you would on your kids.

Look out for sales, coupons, and rebates

The holiday season is full of sales, so use this to your advantage! Keep an eye on your potential present to see if the price drops anytime during the holiday season. Additionally, be sure to check other sites and stores to see if they have lower prices. You can use one of the many Chrome extensions that automatically search for sales and coupons to make this process easier.

Keep track of your expenses

As you start buying presents, keep track of how much you’re spending. Take the list you created earlier and subtract the expense from the total budgeted amount you have for each individual. For example, if you’re setting aside $50 for your husband, and then you buy a gift for him that costs $25, subtract the 25 from the 50. You can save the extra 25 for another gift, you can spend that extra on someone else, or you can save it for later.

Are you looking for the perfect holiday present for your kids or loved ones? Then take a look at some of our stuffable animals here at The Zoo Factory!

Posted on December 7, 2020December 3, 2020 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

4 Easy Tips for Keeping Your Playroom Clean and Organized

Let’s face it. A playroom can get really messy. Toys will be strewn about the floor, and all of those shelves and baskets you bought for organization will remain empty. However, there are ways to keep your playroom clean and organized. Here are a few tips to get started:

Donate old toys

The first step in reducing mess is reducing how many items can create a mess. If there are toys that your child doesn’t play with anymore, donate them to local organizations to free up space in your playroom. Just make sure that your child agrees to donate their old toys. If they’re having trouble giving some away, talk it over and emphasize that the toys are going to a good home.

Put sentimental toys in long-term storage

There will be some toys that you and your child simply don’t want to give away, even if they don’t play with them anymore. After all, many of us still have our childhood stuffed animals tucked away somewhere. For these toys, consider placing them in long-term storage to keep them safe but out of the way. You can store them in air-tight bins, or you could display them in a freestanding case.

Encourage your child to clean up

It’s much easier to keep your playroom clean if you’re not the only one cleaning it. Encourage your child to clean up after themselves every time they take out their toys. You can do this by turning cleaning into a game. Set a timer and see if they can clean up the room before the timer goes off. If they do, offer a reward. This can be anything from a piece of candy to their choice of a movie.

Make it easy to clean

If it’s not easy to clean up your playroom, then neither you nor your child will clean it. Instead, you need a quick and simple system that works for both of you. Set up baskets around the room so that all you have to do is pick up the toys and drop them in. We recommend using multiple baskets, one for each type of toy, so that things stay organized.

Do you have your own tricks for cleaning up your child’s playroom? Then leave a comment below or contact us today!