I Spy....A Toy Store!

Another exciting activity that is part of working at the Fairhaven Toy Garden is constructing a variety of window displays. Since we have a corner location we have a lot of windows, which means plenty of space to create different scenes and images with any of our products. Recently, fellow employee, Ben and I built a display in one of our front windows. It consists of a little doll and the assortment of creatures and automobiles within her dream. Not only is this a magical sight to behold, but it has also been turned into a game! There is a chalkboard in the background with a list of different objects to discover. Find them all, come in and tell us and you receive a prize!

Reuies: Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bags

It's back-to-school time and the Fairhaven Toy Garden has all sorts of fun and nessessary items for your child's backpack. One of our new favorite products are Reusies. Made by a group of moms locally in Seattle, Washington, Reusies are a new green way to pack lunches. The fabric comes in many different, creative patterns and colors. It is 100% cotton with a leak resistant nylon liner that is PVC, lead, BPA and phthalate free. Reusies can be washed along side either your dishes or laundry. These great bags save hundreds of plastic bags from being thrown away and eliminate the contact of plastic and your favorite meal.

Product Review: Guac Ball

One of the employees' new favorite toys is the Official Guac Ball. This weighted beach ball comes in three different colors (pink, blue or the traditional green) all complete with a funny face. Simply "remove ball from bag and inflate with your face" and you have a new, crazy toy that will provide hours of endless silly entertainment. Play inside or out, with others or by yourself, the Guac Ball can go anywhere and do anything (almost). Used in many different science projects, the Guac Ball is not just fun, but educational and can help in the understanding of anything from physics to baseball. Tune in to our Facebook soon for a video.

Kid's Club: Part 2 - The Preparation

One of the on-going sections of the Kids' Club is the Kid of the Month. All of the members are entered in a drawing and each month, one is selected to be The Fairhaven Toy Garden Kid of the Month. The winning child's picture gets hung up on a bulletin board in our store for all to see. Now, we didn't want just a plain old, everyday board for all the special kids who are afforded this honor, so we decided to come up with something unique. Local artist and long-time Toy Gardener, Carol Hewitt helped me create the masterpiece that is now in our store. I found an old cork board that my parents had in storage and brought it in. Carol painted the wooden frame in our store colors. Together, we arranged and hot-glued on a collection of miniature toys and gadgets that Carol had been saving. The result was fantastic. Come visit our store to see the final product in person!

Kid's Club: Part 1 - The Festivities

Have you signed your kids up for the Fairhaven Toy Garden's Kids' Club?? It's pretty awesome. Once a month, we have an activity in the store where members can come in hang out with us and participate in a variety of activities. It's different each time and a whole lot of fun. The first one was held on Wednesday, June 23rd. The kids got to see first hand what it's like to be a Toy Gardener. They got a tour of the warehouse and the store, experiencing what goes on behind the scenes; ringing up sales, decorating the outside of the store with sidewalk chalk and checking out the beautiful view from our roof, just to name a few. Sign up in the store and come play with us!

Product Review: Baby Beads

As summer approaches (yes, even in Bellingham) a lot of people are taking vacations or going to visit family. The plane rides involved in these adventures can be long and very boring, especially for your little one. It has become increasingly difficult to find something simple, safe, and relatively quite to keep babies preoccupied on the trip. My new favorite thing to suggest for these inquiring parents is a set of Natural Classic Baby Beads by Manhattan Toy. The beads are made from rubberwood and furnished with a non-toxic, water based finish. They are soft to the touch and safe to go in their mouths.The elastic cord allows for the child to transform the beads into any desired shape or alignment. I personally am even more than mildly amused by them. And your fellow passengers won't be bothered by any noise. I was really impressed by the entertainment provides by something so simple.

Children's Parties at the Toy Garden

Over the past year, the Toy Garden has unoffically put on several birthday parties for children by the request of their parents. I had the opportunity to participate in one of these this last Saturday, June 5th. Avery and her entourage celebrated her 5th (golden) birthday in the store. As the guests arrived, they were sent on the hunt for the gnomes in teams. Once aquiring their captives, they were given a pocket kite as a price and got in line for face painting. Everyone wanted a princess necklace, except one girl who asked for a shark. We then traveled down to The Green and flew the kites. Next was story time at Village Books where the children relaxed on comfy pillows while I read Princess Hyacinth. The party concluded with cupcakes and presents at Katie's Cupcakes. We had a great time planning and putting on the party! If you are interested in having your child's party with us contact us at (360) 714-8552.