Playgroup with a Purpose

Ni Hao!!

2010-05-17T20:17:00.008-04:00

We had a wonderful time at our PlayGroup this month. We collected items for Cathy and Sarah to take on their upcoming mission trip to New Day Foster Home in China. Cathy and Sarah taught us a lot of fun stuff about China and we were all very excited to help them prepare for their trip. Don't forget to follow their blog as their trip comes closer and we can "watch" them in China.

We started the PlayGroup with some academics. Cathy showed us where China was on a globe and we used our fingers to see how far away it is from the US. We also used our fingers to point out all the different places we come from (US, China, Ethiopia, Russia). We looked at pictures of the Great Wall - forever to be known as the "Great Big Wall of China."

Sarah has been taking Chinese lessons for her upcoming trip and she taught us how to say a few words. Then she and her brother Michael taught us a greeting song which we sang and danced together.

Michael showed us how to use chopsticks (even the adults paid attention for this!) and we had fun trying to pick up our marshmallows with the chopsticks.

Daniel is concentrating so hard to get that marshmallow.

Lydia was also practicing hard.

Mari developed a different approach.

Then we played a game with Chinese spoons and balls.

Lydia was very careful about carrying her ball on her spoon.

Then we decorated Chinese lanterns to take home with us.

At last it was snack time - Chinese donuts, chow mein haystacks, and fruit. YUM!

I know that Cathy and Sarah are so excited about their trip. I'm so glad they let us share in some of their joy.

Items we collected for the New Day Foster Home.

We had SO much fun!!!

Hooray for New Day!!

2010-04-10T22:39:00.005-04:00

This may be the most exciting PlayGroup yet! We are so excited to announce that ~~one~~ two of our own PlayGroup members are……..

Are you ready?……..

GOING TO CHINA!!!!!!

Did you just get excited shivers, too?

It’s true! Lydia’s mom Cathy and her older sister Sarah are going to work in the New Day Foster Home in China in June! Lydia is adopted from China and her family is very passionate about her home country; they have been sponsoring children in New Day since before Lydia came home! And for those of you that remember Operation Giggles (our PlayGroup from October), we also sponsored Christmas gifts for 2 little boys at New Day. We are so excited that Cathy and Sarah are getting the opportunity to go work with the fabulous people there.

Of course, we want to show our support and send these two PlayGroupers to China with more than they can carry! Our next PlayGroup will be a Chinese extravaganza! Below you will find details of when, where, and what is needed. I’m providing the whole list of suggested stuff - anything is welcome although we would like to focus on medical stuff and the needed crib sheets as the preschool stuff is being collected by Lydia’s school. But of course, there is no limit on that stuff - so go with your heart on what you would like to give.

When: Saturday, May 8th 10am-12pm
Where: Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, Waynesboro (behind Lowes)
Chinese snacks, Chinese crafts, Chinese music

Items needed:

Medical Supplies
Singulair 4mg
Azmacort inhalers
Aquaphor
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Non-latex powder-free gloves sizes small and medium
Paper tape
Usana Children's Multivitamin
Tussin CF
Children's Fluoride Rinse
medicine cups
Alcohol wipes
Q-Tips
Benadryl Anti-Itch Cream
Atrovent nebulizers
Liquid Senokot
Kuric Cream (Ketoconazole 2% Cream)
Children's Fiber
Hand Sanitizer
Cefaclor Suspension
Zithromax Suspension
Aquaplast Splinting Material
3cc Syringes
Pulmicort Nebulizers
Infant Liquid Vitamins with Iron
Hydrocortisone Cream
Neonatal nipples
Nuk Brush
Rubbing Alcohol

When donating medicine, please check the expiration date to ensure we have at least one year before it expires.

Preschool Supplies
DVDS featuring children's songs and finger-plays
Educational DVDs about people or jobs
Construction paper
Double stick tape
Flannelgraf stories
Puzzles or games for 2-3 year olds, especially those that help develop motor and other skills
Simple story books with big pictures that are good at catching our little ones’ attention!
We do not need crayolas. We have plenty right now, and we’ve even passed them out to many other orphanages and projects!
Bulletin Board Sets
Incubator & egg turner

General Supplies:
Solid Color Crib Sheets
Purple - 12 sets
Blue - 12 sets
Yellow - 6 sets
Green - 6 sets
Pink - 6 sets
Baby Food

We hope you can join us! For questions, just click on the "contact us" link on the sidebar, leave a comment, or drop us a line on FB.

March PlayGroup - Footloose and Fancy Free

2010-03-13T20:55:00.004-05:00

Our March PlayGroup was an awesome success today! We collected new and gently used shoes for Soles4Souls. We had a great turnout on a miserable, rainy day but it didn't bother us! The kids raced to match up all the shoes with their mates so we could bundle them for donation. Then we moved onto our craft project for this month.

We drilled some holes in the soles of old shoes and then filled them with dirt and planted flowers in them. A great way to recycle some cute shoes. Rachel even planned to line Daniel's up on her porch steps to look like the shoes sitting there had sprouted flowers - how much fun will that be when they bloom?

We may be girly girls (except Daniel of course - don't let his beads fool you!) but dirt doesn't scare us!

Mari and Mommy working very hard together.
Lydia and L posing with their newly planted shoes.

Daniel and his shoe planter.

Madi and her flowering shoe.

Mari and Madi showing off their planters.

The whole gang - aren't they adorable? And my, how they've all grown up since last March!

We also passed out fliers and stickers for Toms Shoes "One Day Without Shoes" - will you go barefoot with us on April 8th? Visit the website to print out your own fliers and stickers and join an amazing movement to bring awareness to how much one pair of shoes can make a difference in someone's life - it can be the difference between having a job and being unemployed, the difference between being able to go to school or staying at home being uneducated, the difference between life in death in areas that are overwhelmed by simple illnesses/infections that can find their way in through bare, battered feet.

Join us and shoe off your toes!

Hopefully, there are 51 people in the world that will get a whole new set of opportunities opened to them thanks to this pile of shoes!

Working out the details of the next PlayGroup - don't have all the details yet but it will be a Moo-ving experience. Stay tuned for "Milk Money."

March PlayGroup - Footloose and Fancy Free!!

2010-02-26T21:32:00.004-05:00

It's time for another PlayGroup. Rachel found an awesome (and easy!) cause to support this month. It's called Soles4Souls.

This organization accepts new and gently worn shoes to distribute worldwide to people in need of footwear.

The definition of gently worn: a shoe that you would wear again, soles solid, shoes clean, laces (if applicable) included.
All shoe sizes, styles accepted.
You can specify what area you would like the shoes to go to.
You can even send shoes that do not have mates! Apparently they hope that these shoes will find their sole-mate (sorry, couldn't resist!) but in my mind, I think of all the people I met in Ethiopia that only needed one shoe.

PlayGroup Details

When: Saturday, March 13 10:00am-12:00pm

Where: Jill's House (leave me a comment or FB me for directions)

What to bring: Clean out your closets and bring new or gently worn shoes. Also bring an old shoe or two for our activity. $1-2 to help with shipping, if possible.

Activity: Shoe planters!

Snacks: Still in need of "shoe" snacks - be creative and bring us some toe-food

We will also be giving you info on another shoe-related cause that will help raise awareness. We will have the brochures/stickers for Tom's Shoes "One Day Without Shoes" which is scheduled for April 8th.

Hope to see all you there!!

January PlayGroup - Good Night!

2010-02-12T20:12:00.005-05:00

Pajama Party!!

Our cause was the Pajama Project (click to see post about our project).We donated 24 sets of Pjs and 34 new books! Special thanks to those who couldn’t make it but still contributed to our cause, both through donations and money for shipping.

Everyone was a good sport and wore their PJs!!
We ate lots of “bedtime” snacks - cookies and pop tarts!

Matching PJs were not a requirement but very cute!

We painted pillowcases as our craft project - so much fun to get messy in our PJs (or out of them, as some chose to do!).

Madison decided on a pink pillowcase.
Daniel went to work on his blue one.
Mari also picked blue and got messy with hers.

Yes, we do have meltdowns at PlayGroup, this one was contagious.

Then we curled up on pillows and blankets and read stories about bedtime!

Llama Llama Red Pajama and Five Little Monkeys, among others.

Even the adults enjoyed the theme to the party!

Our stack of books to send off!

Lots of warm, snuggly PJs!

Stay tuned for upcoming PlayGroups...we have lots of good ideas, just need to pick one and pick a date.

Are you ready to play with us?

Please scroll down to the next post to see feedback from our November Playgroup!

Ronald McDonald House Update

2010-02-12T20:07:00.002-05:00

We received a very pleasant card from the Ronald McDonald House in appreciation of our donations. Very nice to get some feedback for our efforts.

Click on the card to read.

GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT!

2009-12-29T09:54:00.004-05:00

One of the things I looked forward to the most before becoming a parent was passing on my love of reading to my child. I dreamed of snuggling on the couch, in the rocking chair, or in a little tiny bed, dressed in warm comfy PJs, reading book after book after book. It is one of the few glorious dreams of parenthood that have not been overwhelmed by the reality of daily parenting stresses. Mari and I read every night before bed, at least 3-4 books – she dressed in her one-piece fleece sleeper, me in old lounge pants and an oversize t-shirt.

We live for those moments; quiet, safe, emotionally-secure, warm, comfortable, HAPPY.

What would happen if your child didn’t have that security? What if your child did not have pajamas, all their own? What if they had no one to read to them? Or if they didn’t even have a book all their own?

It happens every night, all over the world. In foreign countries. In the United States. In your state. In your neighborhood!

Let’s help make someone’s bedtime dreams a reality!
Join us for a big middle-of-the-day PAJAMA PARTY!!!

Please join us for Sprout’s Great Tuck In!
Wear your PAJAMAS (parents too, if you want…I will be!)

When: Saturday, January 23
Time: 10:00am-12:00pm
Where: Jill’s House
Bring: New pajamas and/or new books
$1-2 to help with shipping (optional)

We will be reading bedtime stories, eating bedtime snacks, and doing night-time crafts.

November Playgroup

2009-11-26T07:51:00.007-05:00

November Playgroup was, once again, very light on attendance....that certainly doesn't diminish the amount of fun we had.

Our cause this month was the Ronald McDonald House, specifically the Charlottesville Chapter. Here is what we collected to help them get through cold/flu season and also they requested lots of "grab-n-go" type snacks. Thanks Rachel for delivering these for us!

Our craft project this month was to make McDonald's coloring books.

(Daniel picked out the right color for filling in those golden arches)We ate some french fries and other snacks and had a great time!

Daniel and Mari ~~fighting~~ playing with LuLu.

Stay tuned for our next Playgroup - set for January!!

November Playgroup - French Fry Favors!!!

2009-11-04T19:45:00.021-05:00

Does this make your mouth water??? Yum!!!

Then come to November's Playgroup with a Purpose

It's time for French Fry Favors

When: Sunday, November 22nd, 2:00-4:00pm
Where: Rachel's House
Bring: Snack, items for our cause

Ronald McDonald House - Charlottesville

Click on the logo above for RMH Charities or click the name for the C'ville RMH

Ronald McDonald Houses help families address their problems regarding healthcare; whether those problems involve how to stay near and support a hospitalized child, how to afford to stay together in another city while a child is undergoing treatment, or even getting basic medical and dental care in an underserved community.

Every RMH is fully stocked with toys and all the essentials of home for the children and families staying there to enjoy. Rather than having to "live" out a stressful time in their lives in a small, sterile hotel room (or worse, a hospital room), families can stay in a home-like atmosphere close to the hospital, have full bathroom facilities, meals, movies, games, books, play areas....truly a home away from home.

We want to help make sure they have everything they need. Below are a list of items that are always needed and welcomed as well as specific needs that the Charlottesville RMH needs now.

___________________________________________________

Needs NOW in Charlottesville:

Bottles of Juice (not boxes or pouches) - trying to combat flu season
Snack type food like granola bars - grab-n-go snacks for families on the run
Another easy thing to do is collect the pop tabs off soda cans. Every little bit adds up. The pop tabs are a higher quality of metal and bring more $$ from recycling.

Everyday Needs:

Toys: (only new toys are accepted as the RMH serves so many families)

Board games
Stuffed animals and dolls
Books for all reading levels
Puzzles
Video Games (rated E)
Movies (rated G)
Balls and outdoor activities
Arts and Crafts items

Food:

Canned items
Non-perishable food items

Other Necessities:

Paper products (toilet paper, facial tissues, paper towels)
Trash bags
Aluminum foil, plastic wrap, sandwich bags
Laundry detergent and fabric softener
Bath and bedroom items (towels, shower curtains, sheets and pillow cases)
Personal care items (deoderant, dental floss, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner)
Gift cards - long distance phone cards, gas cards, grocery stores, department stores like Wal-Mart and Target
Greeting cards and stamps

I've highlighted several things in red that I, personally, think would be easy to provide and very welcome - especially since flu season has hit very early and very hard. Check out places like Sharp Shopper for juice and snack bars, use grocery coupons, check clearance and sale items, check out Costco, etc. Ask family members, friends, and coworkers to save their pop tabs for you.

Hope to see lots of people there!! To RSVP - leave a comment on here, email Rachel or Jill (on the right column), send us a message on Facebook, call us...whatever. We both have directions to Rachel's house, so you may ask either of us for those.

Yes...there will be fun activities for the kids to do (totally McDonalds themed)! And maybe even some french fries to eat!!

(Big thank you again to Rachel for all your hardwork on this cause!!)

October Playgroup

2009-10-31T08:05:00.006-04:00

October's Playgroup was a blast.

Mari eagerly awaiting Playgroup to start.

Mari and Daniel playing with airplanes and helicopters.

Displaying the pumpkins that we forgot to paint (cause they were having so much fun playing). This is what Playgroup is all about!

Our project for October was Operation Giggle....a chance to give Christmas to children in the New Day Foster Home in China.

Check out the previous post for all the details on our sponsored children, Jesse and Terry.

Stay tuned for November Playgroup information!

"Meet the Giggles" - October 24th

2009-10-12T20:53:00.007-04:00

When: Saturday, October 24th 2-4pm

Where: Jill's House

What: Operation Giggle (see below)

Bring: A snack, item(s) for project, dress kids in old clothes for Christmas pumpkin painting

Operation Giggle is a project to send Christmas gifts to children in the New Day Foster home in China. Our Playgroup will be sponsoring two children for this project, Jesse and Terry.

Guidelines:

All gifts must fit into a 12x12x12 box and weigh less than 3 pounds (this is per sponsored child, so only 2 boxes to fill for our Playgroup). Gifts must be fun and NOT necessities. These are purely for the children's enjoyment. Things like inflatable balls, toys, books, stuffed animals are great. Battery-operated items are not suggested as batteries are too heavy to ship and too expensive for the foster home to replace. Gifts should not be wrapped but sealed cards are welcomed.

"Our" Children:

(click on the name or picture to be taken to their individual page)

Terry: Birthday - March 10, 2002

Jesse: Birthday - June 2007

If you have any questions, need directions, or want to RSVP - just put a comment here, or email, call, or FB either Jill or Rachel. Click the "Contact Me" in the box to the right to email one of us.

If you haven't read the last post about things to come and changes, click here for the previous post.

We're Back!!!!

2009-10-11T19:27:00.007-04:00

After a somewhat extended hiatus, we have returned!!

Rachel has been kind enough to step in and rekindle my excitement for the Playgroup, as well as doing a super job brainstorming and researching ideas. We had a brainstorming session to come up with projects, dates, and other ideas. Hopefully once we all get to know each other, we will start running out of months before we run out of projects.

New things to come:

We will be mixing up the days, times, and venues to give more people a chance to make the Playgroup. We don't want anyone to be excluded because of other obligations; we won't please everyone all of the time, but hopefully we can please everyone some of the time.
We will have projects lined up so that you when you leave the Playgroup, you will know when, where, and what the next Playgroup will be.
We will be mixing up our causes...international, domestic, children, adults, animals.
We are looking at options of having some older kids/tweens/teens help out with watching the younger kids so that we can really have some grownup time. (So if you know of some older kids...hint, hint, hint!)

Playgroup Rules:

Do not skip Playgroup because you can't afford it this month, you aren't passionate about the particular theme, or you haven't had time to contribute. This is about teaching our kids to care about their world. You can do that by just showing up and being part of the "village".
Bring a friend and their kids.
Bring an idea for future Playgroups.
Bring your camera. Our kids are cute!
How to "join": contact Jill or Rachel via email, phone, or facebook

___________________________________________________________

Okay...time for October Playgroup -

"Meet the Giggles"

When: Saturday, October 24 2-4 pm

Where: Jill's House

What: Operation Giggle (more about this in a day or two)

Bring: A fun snack and the item needed for our project (more about this soon, it will be little and inexpensive!)

Art: Pumpkin painting for Christmas (just smile and don't question)

March Meeting - Starfish Project Complete!

2009-03-28T13:50:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful time at our Playgroup today. We collected items for the Starfish Foster Home in China. To go with our "Starfish" theme, we did a "beach" craft project and ate starfishy snacks (Goldfish starfish, Nemo gummy snacks, "sandie" cookies).

Free ~~for all~~ play.

Making our "Beach in a Bottle" projects. The rice was a big hit as a sensory-rich activity.

Miss Lydia and her mom.

Daniel, Mari, Kaili, Madison

Daniel on Mari's Barbie Bike.

"Beach in a Bottle" - beads, seashells, pearls, charms, etc in a bottle of brown rice. Great "seek and find" activity, doubles as a noise maker...what fun!

Our donations for the Starfish Home.

Next month we will be doing Make A Wish. Details to follow soon!

March - Starfish Project

2009-03-02T12:13:00.006-05:00

The Legend of the Starfish Thrower

An older man was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy. Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned. The boy was walking slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed a beached starfish back into the ocean.The older man, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing, son. You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day? Surely, such an industrious and kindhearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time. Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?"

The boy looked up at that man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said,

"For this one, it makes a difference."

When: Saturday, March 28th, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Where: Jill's House
What: Starfish
Bring: Starfishy snack (or any snack or drink) and any items listed below

There will be a starfish project for the kids to do!!

We will be gathering items for the Starfish Foster Home in China. It is a home dedicated to providing care for infants/children with special medical needs; including caring for them before, during and after surgery. After these children have recovered or progressed to better health, they become eligible to find forever families. They have recently opened a foster home that specifically deals with cleft lip/palate. I have contacted the director, Amanda, to see what their current needs are and how to get them to her.

Check out their list of daily needs:
children's tylenol and motrin (generic acceptable)
Mucinex
ear wax removal drops
diaper cream
antibiotic ointment
Playtex bottle (drop-in style)
Also check Amanda's wish list on Amazon for more items needed

February - "Without a Purpose"

2009-02-07T19:27:00.007-05:00

Yes, we had no agenda for this meeting. That was fine though because, for most of the kids, it was the first time they had met each other (and the parents too!). I truly expected there to be a lot more tears and tantrums but it went really well. We had 7 kids and 5 adults. The kids played well together. No kool-aid spills, no boo-boos, no behavior problems beyond a couple toddler re-directions (ahem, that would be MY child). It was very nice.

A few pix, I didn't take very many cause we were sitting around chatting. I didn't do a very good job getting good pix of each kid but, since I forgot to ask their parent's permission about posting, it's probably better this way.

Everyone's favorite toy was the car track that Aaron brought to occupy himself. Aaron, you were so awesome to share with everyone.

Yes, we all squished into the small space around the table, leaving the family room/play area deserted...go figure!

Both Olivia and Aaron were good sports about being the oldest but they would really like some 4-6 year-olds to play with!

So, next month...we need an agenda. Please email me or leave a comment with suggestions (that means anyone, not just playgroup people...if you have an idea, let me know!). Also, if you want to let me know about naptimes...I know a few couldn't make it due to prime sleeping time. We won't be able to work it out to hit everyone's needs but we can certainly try, and we can switch it up month to month, as well. With the weather getting warmer, we can start thinking about some outside activities. Hope to see everyone next time and thanks for coming!

FEBRUARY Meeting

2009-01-12T12:30:00.003-05:00

Saturday, February 7th from 2-4pm

Jill's House (call or email me for directions)

Agenda for this month: Meet/Greet/Eat - come and meet everyone, brainstorm ideas that we want to do, set up March's meeting

Bring: your kids, your friends, something to eat and/or drink

November - Operation Christmas Child

2008-11-16T19:19:00.013-05:00

We held our first Playgroup yesterday. It was a lot of fun even though attendance was a little scarce. There were lots of previous obligations and then some illnesses, so it ended up just being me and Ali, and our kids of course. Luckily, Ali has 3 kids, so the house wasn't too quiet. Although, now that I think about the mess we had on the table, we probably would've had to work off the floor if more people had come.

Our next meeting will be in January (just too much going on in December). Ali had a great idea for a project and I'm working out some of the receipient details. As soon as I know that, I'll fill you in on details. Also, if anyone has a particular date in January that they can NOT do or one that they would especially like, email me or make a comment.

Our project: Operation Christmas Child

Ali, with her oldest, Aaron. Not even close to the mess that we had going.
The coloring crew. The kids were awesome (even though Mari ate a whole crayon).
Carson, Ali's youngest
Olivia...she was a little disappointed that there was no one her age to play with (take note all you moms with pre-Ks...Olivia wants someone to play with). She was fine though, alterating between coloring with Mari and helping with the shoeboxes.
The final stack (missing some from the ill ones).
So stay tuned for details of the next project. And be thinking about future ones. We want to do this monthly and my goal is to have more projects than we have time for. And invite your friends...the more the merrier and the more we can make a difference.

November - Launch Party!

2008-10-17T20:46:00.000-04:00

November is the first official meeting of Playgroup with a Purpose - Shenandoah Valley. Special thanks to Stacie for allowing me to steal her idea and to all the parents of the original Playgroup with a Purpose.

First playgroup: November 15th, 2:00-4:00pm at Jill's House

First project: Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

What to bring (besides your kids!):

kid-friendly snacks
a friend
shoeboxes (extra to share if you have them)
items for shoeboxes (extra goodies to share)
wrapping supplies (paper, scissors, tape)
don't forget the $7 donation that needs to accompany each box
IDEAS for next month's project

RSVP to Jill by phone, email, or leave a comment here.