Cupcakes Galore!

We have a new neighborhood bakery in the Marina near our San Francisco location! SusieCakes is located at 2109 Chestnut street and we are thrilled to have them near us because we always get people asking us where a good place is to get birthday cakes for their kids and now we have a place to send them. Their pre-made cakes and cupcakes are the old fashioned kind that everyone loves, but they can also do custom cakes to suit any birthday theme. They also have delicious cookies and can make any shape or theme you want for those as well. They even make mini cupcakes when you just need a little fix to quell your cupcake craving.

Their cakes are buttery and dense and their flavorful frostings are piled high and topped with delicious sprinkles. Want to try one? Then come into our San Francisco store to receive a voucher for a free treat of your choice, including cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, 7-layer bars, snickerdoodle cookies, or iced molasses cookies! They are good until the end of the month, one per person, while supplies last.

Speech Therapy 101

Exciting news at our San Francisco Store! One of our neighbors from not too far up on Union street is Kim Scott, M.S., CCC-SLP, a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist. She runs Speech Therapy 101, a business dedicated to not only the development of children's speech but to the education of parents on how to take their child's speech development into their own hands.

The thing we love the most about Kim and her business is that she focuses on prevention of speech disorders. Instead of waiting for the time when treatment is needed, she uses music, signing, books, and play therapy to make sure each child hits their developmental milestones on time. It is wonderful that she encourages parents to be as active as possible in their child's speech development, allowing them to come for a session or open workshop whether or not their children have speech disorders.

We are partnering with Kim, who often sends her clients down to our store to pick up a few special toys that she likes to use in her play therapy, to make it easier for parents to locate useful toys and understand how to use them to develop a child's speech responses. Keep an eye out on our shelves for informative placards authored by her to indicate these toys.

Even if you are not yet a client of Kim's, we are sure you will find these new little labels very helpful and informative. If you would like to get more active in your child's speech development, the cards flag the toys to use and give you exercises and key words to teach. And if you are interested in more instruction in the matter, be sure to contact Kim at Speech Therapy 101 for a free consultation.

Balloon Animal Fridays!

Every Friday at our San Francisco Location is now Balloon Animal Day! Come in any time during the day and get free balloon animals for the kids (and for you too)! We can make dogs (including French poodles and dachshunds), giraffes, mice, flying mice, dinosaurs, bunnies, flowers, and many more!

Calico Critter Day Raffle

Just a little update!

When you come in on Saturday May 8th for Calico Critter Day and spend at least $20 on Calico Critter items you will be entered in a raffle to win a Deluxe Townhome or a Deluxe Village House! See the previous post for more details!

Calico Critter Day!

We are having a very special, super-fun event at our Corte Madera and San Francisco stores on Saturday, May 8th. Come in and meet a real-life Calico Critter, get your picture taken, and get free gifts!

Mrs. Fisher Cat herself has come all the way from Cloverleaf Corners to meet and greet the kids from 10:30 a.m. till noon at the Corte Madera Store, and from 1:oo p.m. till 2:30 at our San Francisco store. Bring your kids and we will take your picture with her and post it to our Flickr account later in the week so you can download a high-resolution image for free. And of course, feel free to bring your cameras as well.

As an added but of fun we will be giving away Calico Critter coloring pages, and if you buy any Calico Critter item you will receive a free gift!*

*While supplies last. Photo courtesy of Child's Play Portland.

Insect Lore Update...

Remember the Insect Lore products we talked about in this post? Well, on Thursday we will have one of the live butterfly kits on display in our San Francisco Store, complete with caterpillars just ready to turn into butterflies! Come in and see them transform through the weekend, and maybe take some home for the kids!

Aquaplay!

We just got in this amazing new toy called the Aquaplay water canal system. In the past, we have carried a variety of sand and water tables that are great for teaching children about cause and effect, as well as simple physics like gravity, surface tension, and early fluid dynamics. But this new set has just blown us away with what the kids can do. They are able to explore the movements of realistic waterways in a small scale environment. The sets come in varying sizes and include tons of different ways to interact with the water, such as levies, wave makers, and pumps, as well as plenty of boats and accessories. But it gets better: the Aquaplay is also a customizable building toy. Much in the fashion of classic wooden railway sets like Thomas trains, kids can start with a small set and add pieces to construct one-of-a-kind waterways. Check out this great video to see the Aquaplay in action, and come by our stores to check them out!