Announcing Our Preschool Art Class with Cassandra Monson

Three Class Series March 5, 12, 19

10:30-11:30

Ages 3-6

We have an amazing new preschool art class! This 3-class series begins March 5 and is the perfect cure for cabin fever. Artist Cassandra Monson has taught three of our kids in several different class and they love her! Cassandra makes art fun, nourishes kids' inner creativity, and teaches concepts to help kids express themselves even after class is over.

This session will explore famous artists. Create Matisse inspired collages, VanGogh sunflower paintings and Warhol printmaking. We will have so much fun! Parents are invited to participate or relax and observe.

Our Son Riley's love of drawing is due in part to Cassandra's classes.

 

The True Cost of Cloth Diapers - Featuring Veronica Jacobson of BabyLove

Check out this wonderful video by BabyLove's Veronica Jacobson, filmed right here at Peapods. Cloth diapers really are cheaper than disposables! (And better for babies and the planet, too!)




Thanks to BabyLove for creating this great video!

Announcing Classes & Events in the Brand New Peapods Community Room!

Big changes are underway at Peapods! We've reconfigured our back room with its beautiful cork floors as a community room! This space will be available for movement classes, childbirth education, baby yoga, parenting and green living classes, craft workshops, portrait sessions, meetings, and special events. We've already booked an exciting collection of events taught by some of the Twin Cities best educators beginning as soon as March 1.

Here's our initial offerings. Stay tuned for more!

Baby Handprint Event
March 1, 2014, 11am-1pm
Create your own baby hand or foot prints with the artists from SweatPea Imprints! SweatPea will fire the clay and create a beautiful keepsake you'll cherish for years to come. A fun family-friendly event. See our event listing for all the details.

Babywearing 101 Class
March 1, 2014 2pm - 3:30pm
Join Babywearing Educator Kelly Lillibridge for a comprehensive introduction to ring slings, soft structured carriers, wraps and mei tais. This a perfect introduction to babywearing for new parents and pregnant mothers. See our class listing for all the details.

YOXO Unlimited Build Event
March 15, 2014, 11am 3pm
Dig into a huge bin of locally-made YOXO parts and see what you can create! Create animals, cars, rocket ships, flowers, or, of course, a giant robot. YOXO creator Jeff Freeland-Nelson will be on hand with ideas and sneak peeks at new YOXO products in development. Bulk YOXO parts will be for sale by weight. See event listing for details.

Ensemble Music Together Classes
Monday or Tuesday Mornings Beginning March 31, with a free demo class March 24th.
Music Together Classes taught by Ensemble Music at Peapods! These 8 week baby classes (8 months and younger) and 10 week mixed age classes (birth-K) are renowned for getting kids excited about music! See our class listings for details. Registration will begin in early March.


Pregnancy 101 Class by BabyLove
April 3, 2014 6:30pm - 9pm
Join Lamaze childbirth educator Veronica Jacobson from BabyLove for evidence based information on early pregnancy discomforts and remedies; healthy pregnancy myths versus realities; differences between OBs, Midwives, and Family Med Doctors; and birth place options. See class listing for details.


Parenting Mojo: Transforming Challenging Behavior
April 17, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Tina Feigal, the Director of Family Engagement at Anu Family Services/Center for the Challenging Child, will teach you how to overcome arguments, tantrums, problems with peers, difficult mornings, and challenging transitions through powerful parenting techniques. See class listing for details.


We'll be announcing more classes and events in the near future. Of course, our free Cloth Diaper Class continues, too!

We're excited about our new Community Room because it gives us an opportunity to expand our mission and share some of the resources that have helped our family over the years. Please share these classes with friends or family who may be interested, too! 

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More new items for 2014:

Cook N Serve Kitchen from Hape	Mudpuppy Shadow Puppets	New Beco Baby Carrier Styles
New Spring Robeez	Best Bugs Magnetic Maze by Hape	Not Too Young For Peace Onesie, Made USA

Our January Newsletter: Fun Cold Weather Ideas + New Toys for 2014

Sounds like Polar Vortex will be following up their hit singles Sunday Very Cold Sunday and Monday Monday (Can't Warm that Day) with a new hit called Late January Freeze Out.

Now, we like this fab fad from Canada just as much as anyone else, but we're looking forward days that top forty in Fahrenheit instead of Kelvin. In the meantime, here's a few ideas to burn some kid energy when the atmosphere is lacking kinetic energy:

Bubbles! If you haven't tried it yet, blowing bubbles on a really cold day is pretty cool, especially if you use Pustifix bubbles. Made in Germany, Pustifix soap bubbles last much longer than other brands and have a unique rainbow glow. In subzero temperatures, they'll freeze immediately and drift away as little frozen spheres that crumble instead of pop. Check out these great pics of frozen bubbles for inspiration.

Puppets! Now is the time to stage a puppet show! Climb behind the couch with a few of our Folkmanis puppets and make up some stories. If you need a better theater than the back of a couch, try a locally-made BEKA puppet theater.

Fish! But wait, we're not done with the couch yet! Grab one of our magnetic fishing poles and have your child cast the line over the back of the couch, where you can attach various prizes to be reeled in (preferably while sitting on a heating vent). Our magnetic fish would be one possible catch, of course, but you can also use any other metal object the magnet will stick to. Try paper clips, buttons, a nail, a bottle cap, etc. It's an easy way to make a 3-5 year old laugh.

Carnival! Bundle up and venture outside, too, for goodness sake. Here's a rundown of all the best events for little kids at this year's St. Paul Winter Carnival, compiled by the wonderful St. Paul by Tricycle Blog.

Crafts! Now is the time to learn a new skill! Introduce you kids to simple knitting with our Knitting Tower by Camden Rose. This craft, also known as corking, is easy to learn and quickly creates an artful knitted tube. Or, try finger painting, potholder weaving, or paper making. Busy hands are warm hands!

Visit! Of course, we'd love you to stop by and spend some time with us. Play on our train tables and try out a few toys. Then grab some coffee or lunch at one of our wonderful neighbors or stop by the St. Anthony Park Library for some storytime. We'll keep the sidewalk shoveled for you!

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Brand new items for 2014:

Soul Flower Organic Baby Clothes Made in USA, Designed in MN	YOXO - Back in stock after a busy holiday season! Made in MN	The New Boba 4G Baby Carrier
Cooktop + Barbeque Play Set from Hape	Stack and Scare Monster Blocks from Uncle Goose Made in Michigan	Card Games by Peaceable Kingdom

Holiday Gift Guide Part Six: Toys for Babies

This year, we've created handy gift guides with toy suggestions for different age groups at various price points. Ask for one in store or browse our website for more gift ideas. 

Part 6: Toys for Babies

We have high standards for our baby toys. Quality and safety are of the highest importance. Any toy you give a baby is going to be constantly chewed on, dropped, and even thrown. But a toy should also stimulate a baby's senses through sight, sound, or texture (our favorites are great at all three). And, a toy should be easy to hold and to chew on.

Babies are changing month to month, though. As their abilities and interests develop, the toys they'll be interested in will, too.

0-6 months: For the first few months, toys are hardly needed as babies are just beginning to learn how to control their hand and focus their sight. Once they're able to grasp, however, a soft and easy to hold toy like Sophie the Giraffe, an Apple Park organic cloth toy, or a Kathe Kruse Towel Doll makes a perfect first toy.

At six months, babies love to lie on their back and play with toys hanging above them. A lambskin is perfect for this age of back play, as is a Skip Hop Activity Gym or a Haba Wooden Play Gym. Also consider choosing a teething toy at this age, such as our Kleynimals Stainless Steel Keys or our large selection of natural wood or silicone teethers.

Around nine or ten months, babies can sit up and play with toys in their laps. Larger grasping toy like the natural Skwish or the Haba Little Leaf House are perfect for this age.

At one years old, babies are just learning to crawl and walk. Toys that develop their hand/eye coordination are great at this age. Plan Toy's Punch and Drop, for example, is a longtime favorite. One year olds love how the balls play peek-a-boo. Our Uncle Goose Blocks, which are handmade in Michigan and available in many languages, are another excellent choice to teach stacking skills and colors. Later on, they're a great toy for teaching reading.

See more gift ideas on our website, or just stop into our store!

Holiday Gift Guide Part Five: Toys for 4-6 Year Olds

This year, we've created handy gift guides with toy suggestions for different age groups at various price points. Ask for one in store or browse our website for more gift ideas. 

Part 5: Toys for 4-6 Year Olds

At this age, kids are bombarded with media sales pitches at almost every turn. A high percentage of toys for 4-6 year olds that you'll find in big box stores feature licensed characters with their own video games and TV shows. Kids need to know that their imagination matters! Help them to unplug and create their own ideas.

Art kits like our wonderful selections from Faber-Castell are a great place to start. Sarah's Silk play cloths can be used for hundreds of purposes from a super hero cape to a homemade parachute toy. And our Dress-Up Mice or Bears sets make great travel toys that irresistibly promote storytelling. Likewise, our handmade Treehouse by The Original Tree Swing is a beautiful platform for open-ended play.

Big kids also need toys that'll help get the wiggles out on a cold or rainy afternoon. Our Yoga Garden Game is a perfect answer--players have to hold a Yoga pose until their turn comes again. It's also a great birthday party game.

Another longtime rainy day favorite is our Ping Pong Carapult. This will likely be our last holiday season with this toy because our toymaker in Oregon has retired. So, pick one up while they last!

Finally, games are great for this age, especially tactile games like Haba's Animal Upon Animal, Janod's Stacking Tower, our our hilarious Flying Pixies game. All three will make you and your kid laugh!

Whatever you choose, we recommend letting Batman and Barbie fend for themselves this Holiday Season. Let kids tell their own stories!

Holiday Gift Guide Part Four: Toys for Two Year Olds

This year, we've created handy gift guides with our best toy suggestions for different age groups at various price points. Ask for one in the store or browse our website for more gift ideas.

Part Four in this Series: Toys for 2 Year Olds

It's really fun to watch a two year old play with a toy. All of a sudden, it's like their imagination takes over and a whole new world of exploring opens up.

Be careful when choosing gifts for a two year old, though. Try not to choose toys designed for older kids. Let them explore simpler toys so that they'll still have plenty to grow into.
Two year olds like tactile toys that help them explore their new power of imagination, in particular toys that help them pretend to do adult tasks that they see their parents doing. Kitchen play sets from Green Toys Cutable Fruits and Veggies sets from Plan Toys are perfect examples. Our Wooden Shopping Cart Toy from Hape, and the Haba Play Tent are two other toys that will ignite a two year old's imagination

Two year olds also really like to create art! We love our BEKA Ultimate Easel for this age because it's low enough for a two year old and has the option to add leg extenders as your child grows.

Along with the easel, try some finger paints! We can't imagine a better set than than our Edible Finger Paints by Wee Can Too, which are made from food ingredients and fruit and vegetable dyes.

Finally, two year olds love to make noise! A sturdy drum, shaker, or xylophone is a perfect gift. (And not just for other people's children!)

Check our our complete list of Two Year Old Gifts on our website. Or, better yet, stop in to the store!