It’s been a really hot summer, so we’ve been spending a lot of time inside. Shane loves the iPad & we have a lot of educational games on it, but I still don’t want him plugged in all day. Costume Express gets that &is encouraging parents to let their kids use their imaginations by playing dress up!
I went onto the Costume Express website to order Shane a costume & I was a bit overwhelmed {in a good way} by the giant selection! I opened a bunch of tabs of costumes that I thought Shane would like & let him ultimately make the decision. He chose Jake from Jake & the Never Land Pirates, which I know he really loves so I know he won’t get bored with it immediately. While we waited for it to come in the mail I brainstormed how we could have a whole “Jake Day’!
The costume came on Friday &Shane was so excited he couldn’t wait to wear it. He wore it all around the house & wanted everyone to see how awesome he looked, even asking me to text pictures to his grandparents. A couple of days later, it was finally time for our Jake Day!
First, I made some yummy pirate ships out of blue jello & oranges! I actually got the idea from Disney Junior &it was even easier than I thought it would be. You can find the directions &download the printable flags here.
Then, we decorated a treasure chest! Shane already had this treasure chest but it was so boring. I went to Walmart to pick up some stuff to decorate it with- I got some glitter stars & a little box of self-adhesive gemstones. He had SO much fun doing this activity & was concentrating on it so hard! He let me do one side of the chest but he wanted to do the rest. The gems were easy for him to peel & apply on his own and he was so proud of the chest when he was done! This would be a really fun activity for a birthday party, too.
While we took the time to have a few hours dedicated to related activities to the costume, we really didn’t have to do that for him to have fun. Kids are so imaginative, and something as simple as putting on a costume can inspire hours of play. I remember having a lot of costumes as a kid. My best friend would come over & we’d play dress up as Dorothy & Ozma from Return to Oz and we’d “rescue” our toys {and each other, as I seemed to fall into quicksand a lot}.
While Shane’s just starting to get into costumes, he definitely loved being Jake &has already asked for a Super Why one for his birthday, a Sulley {from Monsters, Inc.} one for Halloween, and a Santa one for Christmas!
If you have a little one who’d enjoy a game of dress-up, be sure to check out Costume Express! They have a very large selection {you can view my online shopping trip here to get an idea of just how much they have} &even have some hard-to-find costumes. Last year, Shane decided to be Peter Pan for Halloween-just a few days before the big day- &I couldn’t find a costume anywhere. They had it &shipped it just in time for trick-or-treating! They also offer free shipping over $75 and 15% off with email sign up, so there are some great deals to be had!
What or who would your little one{s} like to dress up as?
Marina says
My little man would dress up like Mater if he had the chance and Dottie would be Merida I’m sure!
Pam says
What an awesome idea, Shell! This is so great to get your son involved in imaginative play. He looks adorable!
Andrea says
My boys are huge Minecraft fans so I’m sure they’d look for a costume to fit in with their Minecraft obsession. Shane is adorable!
Melanie Roberts says
Super cute pictures and outfit… we love Jake and the never-land pirates, this would be sooo much fun for a pirate party and of course my boys love minecraft, another party dress up that’s for sure… Off to see what else they have at Costume Express.
Beeb says
How adorable is your little pirate?! Love the activities you cam up with too!
Beeb says
*came up with, rather!
Daisy says
I need to copy this fun with my son. He loves Jake. This would be a blast for us to do over the weekend.
Brett says
he’s a cute jake!! my kids dress up all the time. and leave the house dressed up. superheroes, princesses, made up characters- it’s all good.
Sara Phillips says
My little guy would pick Jake, too. He is such a cool character and one we have fallen in love with!
Your Bucky Snacks are VERY cute!
Jennifer says
he is TOO super cute! Of course my girls are all about princesses
Tara says
Now that is adorable! He must have enjoyed his day!
Kaysi @ Keeping it Simple says
What a cute little pirate you have!! And the treasure chest is awesome.
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
You’re so right; those chests would be an awesome activity for a birthday party!!!! Also the blue jello snack is a total win!
Emily @FamilyNLifeLV says
He looks just like you! Love the treasure chests!
Lolo says
He looks so cute in his costume!! Looks like a fun day!
Jennifer Soltys says
That is the cutest!!! We love pirate themes. Our pool area is pirate-themed and it’s so fun!
LyndaS says
My little ones are too little to dress up (unless they are going to a costume party). Shane looks so cute as a pirate.
Kristyn says
what a super fun day! my daughter loves watching this show, maybe i should have a day like this with her 🙂 she would love it!
Donna says
He is just so cute! My son loves all things pirates, too. 🙂
Summer Davis says
Shane looks just like Jake! He’s a very handsome little pirate! I love your Jell-O and Orange pirate snacks, so cute! And I’m seriously thinking about doing the treasure chests at my son’s next birthday party. I have until March to forget the idea. 🙂
Costume Express totally rocks. And funny story: I dressed up like Tinkerbell for Hallween last year and days before Halloween, decided that my youngest was going to be Peter Pan. Costume Express got the costume to me super quick too!
Angela@AboutAMom says
Oh my gosh, this is just way too much fun. Super cute!
Stefanie says
Omg what a cute party. My daughter would dress up as a mermaid.
Jenn- The Rebel Chick says
He makes an adorable Jake. I wish my daughter was still young enough to dress up, I always loved dress up time.
Stefani says
What a cute little pirate and a cute little treasure box!
Marcie W. says
I love that you created an entire day around the costume. What an adorable idea! My kids are very into horror so I am sure they will select something scary for Halloween.
Jenn says
What an adorable pirate you have! Fierce, I meant. Yes, fierce. 😉
Sheri says
My son would love this. He’s a big Jake fan!
Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy.com says
Sounds like it was a BLAST!
Toni says
They have some super cute costumes over there.
HilLesha @To the Motherhood says
What a cute costume! I’m not sure what my LO wants to be this year.
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
My daughter loves to play dress up! Your son is an adorable Jake!