Gymboree Fun!

A fun tip from my friend Jenny!

This summer Gymboree Play & Music, not the clothing store but the gym facility, is hosting "Finding Hope Fridays" a special play time for members and non-members. The last Friday of each month they will open their doors from 4-8pm for $5 a child with all money going directly to the charities listed below. This is a great opportunity to get in a little play time with your children, under age 5, and give back to some great charities. See you at the gym!

Finding Hope Friday's Dates

May 28th National Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

June 25th Leg Up Farm

July 30th Big Brother Big sister

August 27th Family-Child Resources

Sept. 24th Children's Home of York

Fairie Festival!

If you are looking for something fun and different to do this weekend think about heading down to Glen Rock to check out the 19th annual Fairie Festival at Spoutwood Farms. Katie and I have gone to the F.F. the past two years we have always had a lot of fun, there are tons of things to do and children and adults are encouraged to dress the part, yes Mom's, break out those wings!

April 30th gates open at noon, May 1st and 2nd they are open at 10:00am. Admission is $15 for people over 12, $5 for those between 2-12 and free for the under 2 crowd. You can get a 3-day pass for $30, or you can volunteer, upon arrival, for a 2-hour job assignment and upon completion you will be refunded your admission fee!

Check out Spoutwood Farms website, http://www.spoutwood.org/fairie-festival for more information on this great event. As an added bonus the weather is supposed to be fabulous this weekend so being outside and celebrating nature might just be the thing to do!

Creative York

I think the universe is trying to tell me something here, every day I'm finding new and exciting things that are happening here in York, new programs, new ideas, there is a Renaissance going on in York; right here, right now!

Today I received an email from YorkArts about a new arts and cultural website called "Creative York". Talk about being blown away, this site is FANTASTIC; click on "In this Issue" at the top of the page and then click on "download Creative York NOW!" and you will be taken to a 25 page web magazine listing all of the arts, crafts, theatre, music, dance, visual arts, aldult classes, shows and more currently taking place here in York. They list the camps and classes, everything you might need to know or want to find close to home. Brilliant!

There is also a link to donate to YorkArts and if you are like me, someone who is looking toward making a positive change in our town, this might be a worthwhile cause to stand behind. Obviously I'm not soliciting for money here, but just keep them in the back of your minds if you have a present to buy and you're looking for something different.

Here is the link: http://www.creativeyork.com/index.html . Find some classes for your little ones and maybe even for yourself, great things are happening here Mom's, I hope you are all as happy about it as I am!

DreamWrights~Summer Camps

While writing the post below about DreamWrights I came across their summer camp schedule and wanted to pass it along ASAP. Again, if you need to take a moment to familiarize yourself with the fantastic programs at DreamWrights, please do so here: www.dreamwrights.org . I have a cousin who was very active in DreamWrights Theatre from a very young age and is still working in the theatre while attending Temple University, they took a once shy child and helped him blossom into a very well spoken, outgoing and fun-loving adult. I cannot speak highly enough about the wonderful work they do within the York community, I have been to many plays and all were wonderful, exciting and well attended.

Enough of my praise, find out all that they have to offer for yourself! They have camps available for children as young as 4 and even musical theatre camp available for the musician in your home. The camps are a little expensive, over $100 a week, but they are competitive for similar camps around the area. Keep in mind scholarships are available, but the deadline for applying for said scholarships is May 6th. Check out the camp schedule here http://www.dreamwrights.org/summer-camps-workshops.php and enjoy!

DreamWrights~The Wizard of Oz

If you have never heard of DreamWrights Youth and Family Theatre here in York, you may want to spend some time on their website exploring their numerous programs. (www.dreamwrights.org )For the purpose of this post I am going to be writing about their current play "The Wizard of Oz", but I will blog about DreamWrights later!

DreamWrights theatre is currently putting on "The Wizard of Oz", there are still ticket left for the regular shows but what I wanted to pass along was information on their Playlet & Breakfast

May 1st at 9:00am. The Playlet is designed to introduce the 3-6 year-olds to live theatre. While at DreamWrights your children will be able to have some breakfast, do a craft, watch some of the play and have the opportunity to walk on stage and meet the characters from the show! Tickets are $10 and it sounds like a fantastic deal to me.

DreamWrights has the schedules for the other Playlet's they run, but this is the last one until October, so take advantage if this sounds like something your child might enjoy! Click here for more information and to register online: http://www.dreamwrights.org/wizard-oz.php . Also, keep in mind that DreamWrights is a great organization and kids come from all over the area for a chance to be in their plays, in fact over 235 people auditioned for "The Wizard of Oz", so be prepared to be impressed!

The "Baby and Kids Expo"

A well organized, fun and free event every spring is the "Baby and Kids Expo" brought to you by Memorial Hospital at the York Expo Center, AKA Fairgrounds, on May 8th, 2010 from 9am-4pm. Like I said before it's FREE and geared towards families with young children and those that have one on the way. The full schedule is available on the event website: http://www.mhyork.org/Community-Wellness/Baby-Kids-Expo.aspx but keep in mind that the main event, in my mind, the Diaper Derby does require pre-registration, which you can also do right online.

Some of the things you can look forward to are art and activities with the Gymboree crew, meeting Elmo and Dora the Explorer (bring your camera for this one!), story time, a dance presentation from Greater York Dance, a magic show, bounce houses, face painting and so much more that I could go on for at least another paragraph! This is a wonderful,annual, community event that has grown into a full fledged day of fun, seriously look at the line-up on the website, we might be there all day! Mark your calendars and get ready for some FREE family fun!

Keep An Eye Out!