From now till a week into January, hundreds of thousands of college football fans will be in the stands or glued to their television screens every Saturday (and some Thursdays, and Sundays, and so on.) College sports are so unique - cities and towns that may not have a pro sports club have hometown teams to love. Our Nittany Lions open the season tomorrow against the Penguins of Youngstown State, and while tailgating and parties mean a lot of adult-centered fun, tons of kids and families enjoy the festivities, like the family-centric Blue-White scrimmage game in the spring. Of course, not ... Read More >

We thought it would be fun to share some of our childhood memories with readers of the blog. When you click over to the “contributors” sidebar on the right, you can read about how Dave Schramm idolized Bob Saget and would cry out for his protection in times of distress. Or read about how Kristin Bushong was such a brilliant entrepreneur that she got the only investor in her business to buy back the entire inventory. You can read about my dear little sister or the time that Kim Emigh ironically stole from a TOY STORE ... Read More >

Today, Susan Heim returns for another Try the Toy guest post. For more from Susan, check out her review of the Monster Trucks Custom Shop Kit, her blogger of the week interview with us, or see this post on her blog. Thanks to the wonderful people at Growing Tree Toys, my twin boys were given the opportunity to try out one of their fun and fantastic toys: a Mini Hockey Goal, Stick & Ball Set made by Franklin Sports. This official licensed product for the NHL comes with a mini hockey goal, two mini hockey sticks, and two soft mini hockey ... Read More >

Thanks to the internet, we can share and find information faster and more efficiently than we ever thought possible. People with common interests from all over the world can collaborate and find new solutions and ideas. One of many subjects that has really benefited from being connected globally is homeschooling! An awesome resource for parents that homeschool or for anyone that wants creative, budget-friendly, and most importantly, engaging and educational ideas for young children is the blog by The Activity Mom! Nicole made an appearance before as our Blogger of the Week and we're happy to revisit her blog and share ... Read More >

Our home state of Pennsylvania is largely farmland, with agriculture being the number one industry here. Farms are spotlighted several times in August in our area alone, starting with the Central PA Local Foods Week and Farm Tour; a week of special events followed by a day of intimate tours of area farms. The state's largest outdoor agricultural show, Ag Progress Days, is held yearly mid-month. Then, starting tomorrow is the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair (or "Grange Fair") includes livestock contests, animal shows, exhibits, and the wildly-popular on-site camping. We celebrate fun on the farm year round at our ... Read More >

It's a good time to connect with Growing Tree Toys! We have two special promotions running on Facebook and Twitter. On Twitter, we are helping savor the last bit of summer with our Toys of Summer Giveaway! This unbelievably fun package of sunny favorites includes a Sand and Water Table, Beach Towel Set, Sidewalk Chalk Set and a lot more! Tweet your way to at least two entries per day through August 31 - see all the details and enter now! We recently launched our new-look Facebook page and a highlight is an offer for $10 off your next order for simply ... Read More >