My favorite holiday line in the store this year is a whimsical line of hand blown glass ornaments from Italy. Sofferia de carlini is a small family owned business that has been making these ornaments since 1947. Each ornament is hand painted as well. I picked up a few in New York years ago and have wanted them for the store ever since. We were finally able to get the line for the store this year. My favorites are the storybook characters...Peter Pan, Dorothy, the tin man, lion and of course scarecrow. Little Red Riding Hood and Alice in Wonderland are also fun.

Every year when I pull Aladdin and his lamp or Little Miss Muffet out of my ornament box, it brings a smile to my face. They were gifts for my children over the years and one day in the not so distant future, I know they will come to claim them. I look forward to seeing these ornaments move on as part of a family tradition to their homes.

Visit the store today and look for other ideas to help create new family traditions. Elf on the Shelf has been a hit with kids and parents. The clever story by Carol Aebersold tells of the elves that Santa sends out as scouts to see who is naughty and who is nice.

Don't forget we always have complimentary gift wrap....there is just a bit of wait this time of year. You can do you other shopping while we get them tree ready for you.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Read to me....

Every Monday at 11:00 am Debbie is doing one of her favorite things...reading to children. Larry Gets Lost in Seattle by John Skewes is always a good choice, but there are many other books to choose from at Kid's Club. Take a trip to University Village, get a cup of coffee, do a little holiday shopping and relax while Debbie reads to the kids. It is a good way to start the week.

Neighborhood Toy Store Day!

Kids Club will be participating in the first annual ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailing Association) Neighborhood Toy Store Day on Saturday November 13th!

What would be better than one fun filled toy store day? Two fantastically fun days! We will be be having tasty snacks, raffle prizes every 30 minutes, in-store product demos, friendly staff to offer gift suggestions for anyone on your list, and free gift wrapping!

Also, recieve 10% OFF your whole purchase on Saturday November 13th and Sunday November 14th

-AND-

We will be donating 10% of our sales for the weekend to the University Village giving tree to help make it a Merry Christmas for every child in our community!

Here are a few of our favorite toys that were also choosen by

ASTRA as the Best Toys for Kids 2010:

Golden Retriever Puppy Puppet

by Folkmantis

Ages 3+

Encourage creative play with this life-like 17" puppet. She is soft and cuddly with a workable mouth and big brown puppy eyes, perfect for your little ones next puppet show.

Bake and Decorate Cupcake Set

by Melissa & Doug

Ages 3+

This fun set of 4 cupcakes is essential to any great tea party. Set includes: Baking tray, 4 wooden cupcakes, wipe-off cupcake tops, cupcake sleeves, candles, dry-erase 'icing' markers, and an oven mit.

Sticky Mosaics Heart Box
by The Orb Factory

Ages 5+

Decorate this cute heart shaped trinket box with sticker by number, sparkly mosaic tiles. Finish off the inside with included felt lining for a safe place to keep all of your jewelry.

Sustainable Earth Lab

by Thames & Cosmos

Ages 10+

Calling all scientific minds! Conduct 40 hands on experiements to learn about energy conservation, climate change, waste and water management, and renewable energy.

Magformers Carnival Set

by Rainbow Products

Ages 6+

Build 3D carnival rides with this fun new set of Magformers. Combine with other Magformers sets to build an entire theme park!

Block Set

by Green Toys

Ages 6 months+

These toys may have started in your recycling bin! Made in the USA from 100% recycled milk jugs, free of BPA and Phthalates, and PVC! Set includes 18 bright colored blocks that are easy for little hands to stack and build!

To learn more about ASTRA Best Toys for Kids 2010 or Neighborhood Toy Store Day visit:

http://www.astratoy.org/

Adopt-a-Ghost!

Adopt-a-Ghost!

To help prevent Spina Bifida

and help those affected by it!

October is Spina Bifida Awareness month

Join us this month to help prevent the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States and enhance the lives of those living with or affected by Spina Bifida.

We were compelled to participate in the Adopt-a-Ghost fundraiser by one little customer. He was so spunky and full of life, we simply could not say no. He comes in to the store to check how we are doing every week or so. Last year he and his mom were amazed that we were able to raise nearly $1,500, but this year we would like to reach a goal of $2,000!

I want to thank everyone that made a donation to fund the on-going programs at SBA which support families living with the effects of Spina Bifida and to help raise awareness of ways to reduce the risk of Spina Bifida in newborns.

Please consider making a $1 donation with your next purchase at Kids Club or Sole Food during the month of October and help us reach our goal to raise $2,000 for the Spina Bifida Association of Washington State.

For more info or to donate online please visit:

Spina Bifida Association of America

http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/

Spina Bifida Association of Washington State

http://www.sbaws.org/

Crafts for Little Hands

I often have parents ask for art kits and crafting supplies for children over the age of 4, but what about the preschoolers? Are they left out because they are too little?

Obviously there are some concerns when crafting with little ones - an 18 month old can't use scissors, while you aren't looking a 2 year old might decided that paint looks an awful lot like a smoothie, and small squares of paper and glue might make a toddler cry from frustration before they make a beautiful mosaic.

Luckily, Alex has a line of art products created specifically with little ones in mind called 'Little Hands.'

Alex 'Little Hands,' products are great because they take into consideration a toddlers' not-so-nimble hands and are created to be large, grippable, durable, and fun. They make great basic supplies for simple everyday projects, like the 'Farm Finger Crayons,' 'Stamp & Farm,' and 'Chunky Glue Sticks.' The finger crayons are one of my personal favorites because they are easy for for little ones to hold in the palm of their hand like a door knob rather than in pencil fashion like other jumbo crayons.

In addition to basic art supplies, a wide range of craft kits are also available from Alex 'Little Hands.' A few of our best sellers include 'Paper Bag Puppets,' 'Paper Plate Bugs,' and 'Yum Yum Crafty Fun.' These kits are great because they include all necessary supplies to create a specific project and focus on necessary skills like gluing, stamping, and drawing. 'My Giant Busy Box,' is great to have around for rainy Seattle days! It includes lots of supplies to create 16 different fun projects like paper bag puppets, tissue art pictures, dough animals and more.

Those silly kids and their Silly Bandz!

You might remember collecting marbles, pogs, or pokemon cards...

Well, right now, Silly Bandz are the coolest collectible!

I have to be honest, I don't really get it, but I'm pretty sure that's only because I'm not a kid.

When I was in grade school, I collected pogs, and they don't make very much sense either.

Here's the scoop:

If you're a kid you MUST have Silly Bandz!

They are currency, they are cool factor, and they are a major fashion statement.

Now I know that lots of kids are wearing Silly Bandz all the way up to their elbows, but I believe that the most fashionable way to wear your Silly Bands is to wear a few of your favorites on your wrists like bracelets, and keep the rest on a Silly Bandz Caribinerz attached to your backpack. You could even keep separate Caribinerz of ones to save and ones to trade.

Keep your eyes peeled for super cool licensed Silly Bandz, like *NEW* Marvel Comics Silly Bandz just in at Kids Club today, Wednesday, August 25th! That's right, Spiderman, Ironman, Hulk and all the Superheros the kids like best! Barbie is on it's way soon, but we don't have them yet.

Kids on the west coast have a much easier time getting a hold of Silly Bandz (for now), but I hear the fad is at an all time high on the east coast. Stores will get shipments in and be sold out in a matter on hours! We haven't sold out of any that quickly, yet.

Stop by Kids Club and we can help you get geared up to go back to school in style with all of the coolest Silly Bandz!

Orbit G2, What's New?

Orbit customers spoke up and they listened!

They made a lot of changes to their stroller based on customer feedback.

Here are the highlights:

• Tilt! In addition to the great 360 degree turning feature you can now tilt the seat backwards and forwards. Go out on a walk with baby and tilt them up to see the world, when they fall asleep tilt them back to relax.

• No more flats! They swapped out the air filled tires for solid tires. To compensate for the rougher ride that usually goes along with solid tires they added 4 shock absorbers per tire!

• New cup holder! A better fit for water bottles and sippy cups with a surrounding tray that is great for keys or snacks.

• Snack happy! They came up with a new snack tray for the toddler seat. Snap on the included lid to keep snacks fresh and collapse the stroller without a mess.

• Cool off! Unzip the back panel to allow better ventilation on warm days.

• Better extension! New buttons on the stroller handles make it much easier to extend and compress. With four positions it is customizable for almost any height.
  
  

Spring showers, Corolle has you covered!

Spring Gift-with-Purchase from Corolle!

Get this cute pink children's umbrella with any Corolle purchase of $35 or more.

While supplies last!

Stop in and check out our selection of Corolle dolls and accessories!

Featured below are Emma and Paul!

These cuties make potty training a snap.

Emma and Paul drink water from their bottles and wet in the potty.

They are also great for any big brother or big sister to be!

Baby and KidZ BanZ!

Stay safe in the sun with Baby and KidZ BanZ

(and look cool too!)

The Ultimate in Children's Sun Protection!

Baby and KidZ BanZ won The Toy Man® Award of Excellence! In addition they were the first product in the award's history to receive blanket 5-star ratings in all areas!

Baby Banz were originally designed in Australia for one of the world's toughest UV environments. Clinically tested by one of the world's leading authorities on sunglasses, Baby Banz have passed the most stringent standards on sunglasses in the world. The Orignal wrap-around neoprene elastic strap keeps sunglasses in place.

Baby BanZ are for ages 0 to 2 years

KidZ BanZ are for ages 2 years to 5 years

Lots of colors to choose from!

Stop by to see our current selection at Kids Club!

Read More about The Toy Man® Award here:

http://www.thetoymanonline.com/product_review3.html?p=Baby%20Banz

Meet Oobr and Olli!

A Better Booster!

Clek booster seats are designed and engineered by a world-class automotive seat manufacturer and utilizes many of the same materials found in luxury vehicle seating, providing key safety, convenience, comfort and styling features.

Designed with an integrated rigid LATCH system to deliver both the safety of LATCH and the convenience of uncomplicated installation.

Available in Crypton® Super Fabrics to resist moisture, stains and bacteria.

We currently have Oobr in-stock in the following colors; Snowberry (pink), Dragonfly (green), Special Edition Paul Frank Skurvy and Special Edition Paul Frank Zoom Julius (featured above), .

And Olli in-stock in the following colors; Raspberry (pink), Tadpole (green),

and Jet (black).

Have a cough, sore throat...or even bad breath? US TOO!!

Introducing the coolest and cuddliest things since baby bunnies...GIANTmicrobes! A group of stuffed animals that look like tiny microbes — only a million times actual size! They're humorous, educational, and fun!

Each of the GIANTmicrobes comes with an image and information about the real microbe it represents. They make great learning tools, as well as amusing gifts for anyone with a sense of humor.

Give the gift of 'Athlete's Foot' to your little athlete...maybe 'Bad Breath' to your loved one, and who doesn't enjoy a 'Sore Throat'!?

Make sure to join us Sunday, March 7th for a fun filled Germ Day with GIANTmicrobes! Meet "Dr. Jeff" from 10 to 2pm for a fun hand washing activity, give-aways and cool germ facts...sounds like a germy filled day to me!

Hope for Haiti Balloons!

Here's how one little customer found a way to help Haiti! Excellent work and thank you for letting Kid's Club help out!