Friday, September 14, 2012

Enter...If You Dare


Halloween has always been my absolute favorite holiday. I love fall, the changing colors of the leaves, the crispness of the air, the cozy sweaters and scarves, everything! To top it off, fall includes a day in which you get to dress up as anything you want and collect bucketfuls of candy. How could it get any better?


Well guess what ladies and gentleman, Halloween is here (and it’s early!) We have just received our Halloween goodies at Kids Club; everything from decorations to costumes. I personally have already purchased a pen that looks like the finger of a zombie, little spider earrings, and a zombie who’s brains pop out when squeezed!





Our costumes are pretty awesome too! We have a huge selection this year; everything from Spiderman to Cinderella, Dorothy to Woody, and everything in between.




This year at the store, we have decided to be the Avengers! So far we have Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Nick Fury. Last year we did Alice and Wonderland so it’ll be fun to mix it up and be superheroes!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

A Night At The Toy Store

Once a month the staff gets together and has a night of fun in the empty store. Sometimes we do crafts sometimes we play outside, but usually we have game night. Last Sunday we played three games; Munchkin, Speedeebee, and Skateboard Madness.


Munchkin is a game near and dear to my heart. It is a game of conquest and destruction for ages 10 and up (my friends and I play it regularly so it’s great for twenty-somethings too!).


Basically, you are in a dungeon, and you need to open doors and fight whatever is lurking behind them. Every time you defeat a monster, you go up a level (everyone begins at level one) and the first person to reach level ten wins!


The game is full of humor, which makes it all the more fun. Instead of battling your average dragons you fight wannabe vampires and potted plants, its fantastic!


Munchkin, ages 10+, 2-6 players with the basic set, but boosters and expansions are available and it’s great with big groups!



The second game we played is called Speedeebee which is a great word game from the makers of Spot it. The game is composed of cards with directions and 4 different colored dice with letters. The youngest person starts the game by drawing a card and choosing a prompt.


The prompts say something like name a word that contains the red letter but none of the others or name a word that uses the green letter twice, etc. The youngest person then rolls the dice as the card instructs. Then it’s a race between all the players to name a word that fits the prompt.



The first person to shout out a perfect word gets the card and is the next person to read. At the end of the game the person with the most cards wins.

Ages 8+ , 2-6 players, great for working on spelling and vocabulary.


Finally we played Skateboard Madness which is a totally radical game that plays like a skateboard themed monopoly.


Instead of buying property you lay down tricks and answer trivia in hopes to get sponsors and pros to support you, the person who can roll the most points with the help of the sponsors’ dice wins.


Ages is 6+, however we would recommend this game for older kids, maybe 8+; the set up is a little time consuming. Its great for kids and parents who love skateboarding.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A Weekend Outside

Yard sales have always been a favorite summer pastime of mine;
something about the tables filled
with trinkets and treasure always seems to bring the sun out.
When I first started working at Kids Club, I was pleased to learn that
University Village not only has a market style summertime
shopping experience, the items are also ON SALE!
What a better way to spend the day than in the
sun finding those items you’ve yearned for all year at half the price.
Don’t miss our side walk sale,
it only runs for four days with a discount increase each day at Kids Club.
Side walk sale starts
Thursday June 14 and runs until Sunday June 17.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Do-it-yourself: Jumbo Angry Birds Game!




Can't get enough Angry Birds?

Try this fun and easy do-it-yourself Jumbo Angry Birds game at home!



Here is what you need:

1 Set of Melissa & Doug Cardboard Bricks

3  Plush Pigs

5 Plush Angry Birds




Stack up your jumbo bricks however you would like. Make em' tall, make em' small! You don't have to just use bricks, you could also use some plastic cups from home, or Duplo Legos, or... anything un-breakable really! Once you have a nice stack, add your pigs. Grab a few birds, stand back, take aim, AND THROW!

[Direct Hit!]

[Pigs Down!]




[Win! Whoo Hoo!]


We have all your favorite Angry Birds plush in-stock now at Kids Club, but it won't last long! Declare your LOVE of Angry Birds to the world with a backpack clip!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Sticky Mosaics + Music = FUN!




This year the University Village Sounds of Summer Concert Series might well be the biggest and best yet! 

Last week's activity at the Kids Club table was Orb Factory Sticky Mosaic play day kit -- and it was a BIG hit! The pictures were all a mystery, with no way to really tell what it was before you got started. Each bag was packed with a cardboard picture, sticky mosaic tiles, and a color chart. The kids had lots of fun following the chart and filling in the numbers. Most followed the color chart, some made up their own unique designs (see photo below).






Many kids had never heard of or tried Sticky Mosaics before, and now they LOVE them! Many parents asked about their availability in the store. Let me tell you -- we do have them in-stock now! And yes, they make FANTASTIC travel activities! These pages keep kids focused and quiet for at least 30 mins if not more like an hour! Our table was elbow to elbow all night long with kids working on their pictures.




Awesome seahorse!



Completed clown fish (aka Nemo)



Thursday, July 21, 2011

Employee of the month: Kelly!


[one of her favorite gifts to suggest: Shrinky Dinks Fairy Garden]

July Employee of the Month: Kelly!

Kelly has been at Kids Club since May 2010


Here is what Kelly's co-workers had to say about her:

'Kelly is a very positive person. She is a ray of sunshine!'

'She is always ready to do a project and learn something new.'

'She is fantastic with children and at helping customers make really good gift selections.'

'She is a team player!'

Fun fact about Kelly: She is an anthropology major at UW and she has really been enjoying digging bones out of dirt in her labs.

GREAT JOB KELLY!


Wednesday, July 6, 2011

You can bring your pooch to Kids Club!

It's true! Kids Club is a dog-friendly store, and so are most of  the stores in U Village. Feel free to bring your dog(s) along with you on your next shopping trip. We love when doggies visit us! We even keep treats under the counter for any pup that's allowed to have some. 

Got Tricks?
If your dog knows any tricks, let us see them! One of our favorite pups, a standard poodle knows how to 'bow to your sensei'. My dog Brutus has been seen dancing in the store on his hind legs quite often, once while wearing a tutu!

A while back, a cute pair of dachshunds strolled on into the store in the basket of an UPPAbaby Vista stroller, giving us yet another reason why we love this stroller; It can carry 3 kids at once, and 2 small pups!


If you find yourself walking around the Village with your dog and you aren't sure which shops are okay to bring him/  or her into, look for this decal in the window:


DOG EVENT COMING UP!

In a few short months, on Sept. 25, it will be time for the annual U Village FidoFest! Stay posted by liking us on facebook! Register for the Seattle Humane Society's walk HERE 

Walk for the Animals - 9 to 11 am
FidoFest at U Village - 11 to 4 pm

Come on over the Kids Club table to make a free and fun doggie craft!
(Brutus will be there!)

Don't forget to visit Katie M. Simmons in front of Sole Food for amazing dog portraits. She will be donating a portion of the sales to the Seattle Humane Society! Please visit the events page of her website HERE to see photos from FidoFest 2010.



Introducing the dogs of Kids Club:

[Amy's dog]

[Mindy's dogs]

[Kathleen's dog]