Simple-y cute.

I have been hard at work researching (what else is new??) green products on the market today. I have been in contact with some fabulous new companies, and am very excited to be able to share their products with our members, but more on that later! Right now, I need to point you in the direction of these incredibly cute shoes, because, quite frankly, they are the cutest green booties I have seen...especially considering they are made with recycled plastics, organic cotton, wool felt and hemp!

And here is a video from the reputable green shoe company, Simple, that tells their story and how they came to be.

playgroup pics!

Here are some pics one of our members sent us (thanks again, Rita!!) some of which are going to be used in the local ParentGuide publication in an upcoming article!!

NEW IDEAS!

Where did the month of October go??? We have been as busy as can be, working hard to get the word out that we exist, and evolving the program to meet the needs of our local families too! We are constantly brainstorming to improve what we have, and have come up with several great ideas in the process...

We have decided to open our doors to local moms groups, that normally meet at parks and playgrounds during the warmer months, giving them the opportunity to hold a playdate at our facility. We are looking forward to hosting the Holistic Moms Network for a playdate in November, who, according to their coordinator, have had one of the biggest responses for this particular playdate!

We have also been tossing around the idea of a partial membership, where families have the opportunity to sign up for 3 sessions at a time, giving more flexibility to the busy schedules we all have nowadays!

Finally, we have been thinking about evolving the schedule to include a Tuesday as well, as it seems as though there is a demand out there for parents whose children attending preschools and other programs on Mon/Wed/Fri. We will be checking the availability of the 4-H for this idea, and will make a decision in time for the next program in November.

I have some wonderful pictures to post sent from one of our members recently, which I will get to later this this evening or tomorrow, right after I finish up the article that the NJ's Parentguide has requested from us for their upcoming edition! YEA!!

Enjoy your weekend!
Allison

Thank you!

We just broke *1000 hits to our website*, and wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you for your interest in our program!

While we are on the subject, our families also deserve a BIG THANK YOU! for being so supportive and understanding throughout this new adventure with us. It has been a long journey to get to this point, and we are looking forward to a bright future that lies ahead.

Exciting stuff!

We have received a lot of good news recently that we are excited to report! First, we have several new members that have joined us as a result of the Open House on this past week. A big warm welcome to Brandon, Sofia, Andie, Isabella, Jamie, and more!

Given our limited funds and commitment to being earth conscious, it has proven challenging to advertise - newspaper ads are expensive, and we refuse to litter the streets with plastic signs! The few marketing materials we have invested in are our two recycled wooden sandwich board signs, and postcards/business cards that are made from recycled paper and veggie based, low VOC inks. Luckily for us, the media is intrigued by our innovative new concept in children's programs!! The EB Sentinel was kind enough to come down to our Open House this past Monday and will be featuring us in this week's edition. So keep an eye out for us on Wednesday.

In more exciting news, we were featured in an article published by The Daily Green, a publication owned by Hearst Media (as in Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, etc.) on September 11, 2008. Here is a link to our article: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/green-education-88091101?src=rss

And finally, awhile back, I had posted about being issued an individual award by Middlesex County for going green. I am proud to announce that Middlesex County has recognized the efforts of our business as an green company, as we were issued with an award this week.

Open House News

We have a lot of exciting news to report! First, we have touched base with Andrew Santo's The Crayon Bin, and we will be working together along with the non-profit organization, Color A Smile, to give local children the opportunity to recycle their crayons, as well as participate in a coloring activity that will be donated to nursing homes, meals on wheels programs, and individuals all across the country in need of a smile. Love that!

In other news, the local newspaper, the East Brunswick Sentinel, has taken us up on our invite to attend the Open House. We are thrilled at the opportunity to share our innovative new program with the local community through photos and a news story!

We have a variety of other exciting news, but we are waiting on confirmation before making any major announcements. It is all kinds of exciting around here, and we are very much looking forward to our big day!!

Featuring our vendors...

I would like to take moment to say THANK YOU to all of the generosity we have been the recipients of, in our quest to put together the greenest playgroup program possible!

For providing us with samples of his cardboard rivets, they are a simple, and genius invention!

We LOVE their toys, their ethics, and their generosity! Thank you so much for providing our playgroup with samples of your high quality dining set, garden set and castle building kit!

We can't say enough about TickleMe plants. Parents and children both love them, they are super easy to grow, and peak the interest in the mysteries of nature in even the most uninterested of folks!

As the mom of a son constantly in character, I LOVE this concept. Non violent super hero costumes and capes, encouraging creativity and imagination - something today's preconceived commercial heroes lack in providing our children.

My Very Own House

Another fantastic product - a cardboard house complete with bold lines for coloring in, yet no sharp edges for children to injure themselves on.

cardboardesign

Cardboardesigns was one of the first companies to jump on board with our concept and generous enough to send us a sample of their amazing play designs. Cathy gave us the encouragement that we were really on to something here!

ImagiPLAY™ - Toys With Integrity™

ImagiPLAY also provided us with a variety of samples of their beautifully crafted toys and puzzles, and are looking forward to receiving another shipment in September - thank you!!!

Thank you ALL so much for your support, we look forward to sharing your products with our playgroups, as we know they will love them as much as we do!