How Do You Show Your #DisneySide?

Disclosure: I was provided with free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration with Disney Parks and Mom Select. The Sensability Gym in Hopedale, MA graciously offered their facility for our use. Any opinions presented here are my own.

Though we haven’t been to Disney as a family yet, when I thought about how we could show our DisneySide, as the ToyQueen, certainly my mind immediately wanted to organize an outing with fun Disney themed games and toys. In addition I wanted the party to be in a safe setting where children of all ages and abilities could play together, while Mom’s had something planned to celebrate the end of a long, exhausting school vacation week.

Coming up on the heels of my annual Toy Fair trip, I decided to look into a venue where the party could be hosted outside of our living room. I was so lucky that the Senseability Gym in Hopedale, MA was able to accommodate our gathering.

The Senseability Gym is a parent-led center for children of all abilities. It’s a phenomenal, community location where parents can meet without concern for their child’s differences especially if they have Autism or other disabilities. So while parents of children with disabilities can relax a bit knowing they are in the company of others who understand, the Senseability Gym also doubles as an awesome kid-friendly play space with a ball pit, indoor swings, slides, and ride-on toys.

So Gavin and I packed up our supplies in the Sienna and headed to the Senseability Gym. Once everyone arrived the kids participated in some free play, then we had some Disney themed cupcakes, Princess and Cars gummy snacks and Jake and the Neverland Pirates – Pirates Booty. After that, the children played some more to burn off all the sugar, and during that time I used the free Disney Memories app to take pictures of children with Disney characters, that I later emailed to the parents.

When I was researching the party I started looking at making my own Disney games from some ideas that were included in our celebration kit. Then I realized I had an arsenal of fun Disney themed games and activities already in our cabinet from Wonder Forge.

Though I didn’t have intentions of sitting and playing group games with the children, the main reason why Wonder Forge games are perfect is that they include toys and hands-on activities that are fun, even without a game format. Following instructions on cards kids can put together princess inspired cupcakes, decorate a tiara/bracelet/ring with small jewels, and use their matching and memory skills to go on a pirate inspired treasure hunt! Our celebration wouldn’t have been complete without some Play-doh to use with our Disney themed cookie cutters.

I swear I blinked and we were headed home, but I’m pretty sure the kids had a blast in the process. Given that Gavin is an only child it’s fun to see how he behaves with other children and I was surprised to see what a thoughtful host he was, making sure the kids had their stickers, drinks, and things important to him like “food for the road.” The Senseability Gym was an amazing host and it was a lot of fun to see the kids happily engaging in Disney themed activities together.

Though there were times when I was overwhelmed planning a party location, supplies and dates, there’s a magic about Disney, and you don’t even need to be in the park to feel and experience it.

The themes, games, and beloved characters all seem to have a way of bringing people together to celebrate life, love and laughter. I understand why people get hooked on seeing that magic through their children’s twinkling eyes, it’s contagious and inspiring.

Hope you enjoy some fun pictures from the party: