Summer day camp options – Staunton, Augusta County, Harrisonburg, Lexington area, 2013

Posted on May 11, 2013 | Leave a comment

We get a LOT of questions about day camps this time of year! So, I thought I’d compile a handy list of the options we know about in our local area (Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County, Harrisonburg, and Lexington VA). We even polled our 3,500 Facebook fans to find out about their favorites!

This is a work in progress and it isn’t a comprehensive list, so please leave us a comment if you know of an option we’ve forgotten!

Art Camps:
Larkin Arts in Harrisonburg
Summer Studio at the Staunton Augusta Art Center in Staunton
Fine Arts in Rockbridge in Lexington
Summer Art Enrichment at the P. Buckley Moss Foundation in Waynesboro

Horse Camps:
Redmont Farm in Staunton

History Camps:
Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton

Science Camps:
Explore More Museum in Harrisonburg
Camp Invention in Staunton and Verona

Sports Camps:
National Junior Tennis League Summer Tennis Camp in Staunton and Waynesboro
Valley Dance Theatre Dance Camps in Staunton

Other Camps:
Learning Can Be Fun at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave
Camp Stu at Stuart Hall School in Staunton
Midsummer Day Camp at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton
Camp Staunton with Staunton Recreation Parks
K.I.D.S. Camps with Augusta County Parks and Recreation
St. Paul’s Little People Summer Camp in Staunton
Waynesboro YMCA Summer Day Camp in Waynesboro
Camp Adrenaline at various locations in Augusta County

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The perfect travel toy for toddlers and preschoolers

Posted on April 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

We found it! The ideal travel toy for toddlers and preschoolers. It can be hard, we know — you need something quiet, portable, no-mess and very, very engaging. Well — this is it. Water Wow from Melissa and Doug. Check out the video to see how it works:

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Spring is here in downtown Staunton!

Spring is here in downtown Staunton!

Our Parks & Rec’s horticulture team does an amazing job in Staunton – their plantings and landscaping complement the historic architecture beautifully, and it’s just a pleasure to see the town come to life with flowers every spring and summer.

Here’s a view of Pufferbellies through a tulip and pansy bed across the street.

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Posted on April 17, 2013 in Uncategorized

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Bridge Day 2013 in Downtown Staunton

Posted on April 12, 2013 | Leave a comment

Do you know the story of the Sears Hill Bridge?

For decades, this pedestrian bridge connected the Sears Hill neighborhood to downtown Staunton. On one side is Woodrow Park (also known as Wilson Park) and on the other side, down the stairs, is the historic train station.

In 2010, the bridge was deemed unsafe, and had to be removed.

The city rallied. Neighbors, friends and local businesses raised over $100,000. The bridge was repaired and reinstalled and now, it’s ready to reconnect the residents of Sears Hill to their downtown. It’s a great story, and one that underscores Staunton’s dedication to preservation.
But more than that, it symbolizes something bigger about Staunton. All across the country, communities are trying to recreate what Staunton already has — an authentic downtown with stores, restaurants,  City Hall and a post office, surrounded by neighborhoods within easy walking distance.

Aren’t we lucky to live in such a wonderful place?

And this Saturday, April 13, all of Staunton is joining together to celebrate the first annual Bridge Day. There’ll be a dedication ceremony, live music, and entertainment all around downtown. We can’t wait, and we hope to see you there.

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Aquarelle watercolor kits have stolen our hearts

Posted on February 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

If you follow this blog, or know us at all, you’ll know that we are mildly obsessed with liquid watercolors. OK. Not mildly. Majorly obsessed.

Now we have a new love — liquid watercolor KITS from Ravensburger called Aquarelle. Each kit has one or more watercolor “canvases” that are pre-treated with thin wax resist lines — as you paint, the wax keeps the watercolor where you want it, and defines the subject of the painting. It’s SO FUN, and great for learning about color mixing.

Here’s a dolphin painting Susan F is working on — all done except the fish.

Aquarelle dolphin kit by Ravensburger

Aquarelle dolphin kit by Ravensburger

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Valentine’s Day art for kids: watercolor conversation hearts

Posted on February 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

One of my favorite-ever finds on Pinterest is this watercolor name-art project by dandee. We modified it at a Crafternoon last year by creating crayon-resist watercolor name art, and now we’re doing it again with a Valentine’s Day twist!

Watercolor Conversation Hearts

Watercolor Conversation Hearts

Watercolor Conversation Hearts are easy to create, and so much fun. Kids as young as three will really enjoy the process. You can free-hand the heart cutting and the letter outlines, but I’m not artistic like that. If you’re not, either, here’s what to do:

Download an outline font. I used Bubble Letters. Then, download a free heart-outline clip art. (There are a lot out there if y0u do a Google image search for “free heart clip art.”) I put it together in InDesign, two hearts per page, and printed them out on watercolor paper or paint paper (I love this paint pad by Strathmore!). You can make them larger or smaller, but if they’re TOO small it will be harder to color in the letter outlines.

I had a great time choosing my candy-heart sayings. Some ideas: Text Me, UR Cute, Smile, Hi There, Luv You, etc. Go wild!

Note: my paper was 9″x12″ and my printer wouldn’t accept it, so I had to trim it to 8.5″x11″ before I could print my hearts. There’s always something slowing me down.

Printed and cut out, ready to color

Hearts printed and cut out, ready to color

Whether you free-hand them or print them, once you have your hearts cut out you’re ready for the really fun part!

Use oil pastels or regular wax crayons (don’t use the plasticy “erasable” ones — regular ol’ Crayola work great) to color in your outlined letters, and add decorations if you like. Oil pastels usually give brighter results, but if you have preschoolers doing this Valentine’s Day art project, you might prefer to go with crayons.

Crayons

Our crayons

After you’re finished coloring, it’s time to paint! You can use pan watercolors, but I prefer Watercolor Magic liquid watercolors by Sargent Art. The colors are vibrant and beautiful, and they are very washable.

Watercolor Magic liquid watercolor

Watercolor Magic liquid watercolor

Paint allll over your hearts. The watercolor won’t stick to the oil pastel or crayon! This kind of resist is so magical and pretty and such a fun process. If you want your hearts to dry quickly, you can blot off the excess watercolor with a paper towel.

Then you’re done! You have a beautiful, one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day art project. Hang up your hearts or give them to your sweetie.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

watercolor conversation heart

Smile!

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BabyHawk mei tai giveaway

Posted on February 6, 2013 | 73 Comments

The entry period is over, and we have a winner!

There were 73 comments at 12 noon Eastern time (74 originally but I deleted one duplicate entry) and the winner is … #11, Amanda, who said, “It’s beautiful and you never know if another baby may come!”

Amanda, be on the lookout for an email from me. Thanks for playing, everybody!

random dot org mei tai winner

Attention, babywearers! Just for fun, we’ve giving away a brand-new, standard-sized  BabyHawk mei tai. The center-panel fabric is Yuka (a black and white print) and the straps are Cherry (deep red). The mei tai reverses to solid Cherry. It’s gorgeous and sells in our store for $89.99.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us why you’d like to win. The contest will close on Monday, February 11, at 12 noon Eastern Time and we’ll pick a random winner then. Make sure your email address is correct when you leave your comment, because that’s how we’ll contact the winner!

This photo shows the actual mei tai that the winner will receive:

Babyhawk Mei Tai

This photo shows a BabyHawk mei tai in action (not the same carrier the winner will receive):

Don’t know about mei tais? They are some of the most versatile baby carriers out there! Front carries, hip carries, back carries, high-back carries — you can do them all. The BabyHawk is suitable for babies from newborn up to 40 pounds.

One entry per person. Entrants must be residents of the US, at least 18 years of age, and not employed by or related to an employee of Pufferbellies Toys and Books. Prize can be picked up at our store in Staunton, VA, or we’ll ship it anywhere in the US.

Good luck!

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