State College Events

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 just football starts up right now at colleges around the nation, but dozens of other fall sports! Best of all, tickets are generally inexpensive or admission is free for many college sporting events. It’s such a great way for kids to see sports in action and appreciate what is available locally!

So, whether your team’s stadium holds 1,000 or 100,000, it’s time to cheer!

Cute photo accessed from longislandtribe.com.

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 website, with several different farm toys!

For Babies & Toddlers: Let little ones learn about our farm animal friends with Baby Farm Friends Bowling and Farm Sound Blocks.

Farm Art: We carry some neat options for farm-inspired creations, like the Little Hands My Collage Farm Kit and the Ready2Learn Giant Farm Animal Stamps (Read a fun parent review of the stamps here!)

Playmobil Farm: Just like the school, Playmobil has a large set of buildings, people, animals and accessories in the Playmobil Farm!

Farmhouse Decor: For those that want to bring the fun of the farm indoors, the Guidecraft Little Farmhouse furniture is a must-see. Decorate a whole room with coordinating chairs, a table, a stepstool, and a toy box.

Schleich: The hand-painted, true-to-life Schleich Farm Animal Figures would love to call the Big Red Barn Set home!

Though the growing season may be winding down, our farm toys make the farm fun anytime!

This week in our hometown of State College, Penn State is hosting the National Autism Conference – a conference that provides “comprehensive, evidence-based information to assist educators, other professionals, and families in developing effective educational programming for all students with autism spectrum disorders.” For 5 days, family members, physicians, educators and more attend various educational sessions that cover a wide range of autism topics and research.

We often see attendees from the conference in our store, searching for great developmental toys that they can use in their homes, classrooms, and offices. We strive to have a wonderful mix of toys that can address the ages, interests, and needs of all children, and certainly providing toys for special needs children is no exception!

While we have a wide array of toys from traditional manufacturers that are wonderful for children with special needs, we have also added a new company to the mix for us that has a focus in toys for special needs – Fun and Function! Launched in 2005, Fun and Function has a goal to provide affordable special needs toys that are not only innovative, but cool and fun for children too! With a wide variety of products, from tagless and weighted clothing to specialized ride-ons and exercise balls, Fun and Function is a fantastic resource for families and therapists looking for special needs products.

The first item that we have brought in from Fun and Function is the Saddle Scooter – and look at how much fun it is! This bright red, U-shaped scooter is low to the ground for younger children or children with gravitational insecurities, is made from high density foam, and features rubber, caster swivel wheels to scoot all around. This multi-functional Saddle Scooter is just one of the many great products available from Fun and Function – and it is perfect for play or therapy!

In addition to the Saddle Scooter from Fun and Function, we are happy to offer a wonderful collection of educational toys that are great for special needs children, from toys that work on motor skills to toys that help with early learning and more. But, if you are looking for more products from Fun and Function than we have at the moment, you can visit their website for their full collection of special needs products. We are very happy to add this innovative company to our toy selection, and we hope to expand our offerings from them in the future – because more than anything, they are about helping children reach their fullest potential through play.

And, that’s why we love the Saddle Scooter and Fun and Function, and we hope you do too!

If you live near our store in downtown State College, be sure to stop by this summer for some crafty fun! When kids participate in Kidtivities™ at Growing Tree Toys, we provide supplies and personal attention so that each child can create an awesome project such as a plaster pet, green shopping bag, paper bag puppet, sticky mosaic and more!

To register for a Growing Tree Toys Kidtivity™, just call (814) 237-3655 or ask at our store, located on the corner of Beaver Avenue and South Allen Street in State College. The costs for any of the remaining Kidtivity™ sessions this summer run from free to 4 dollars per child! Click to view the full schedule while I highlight a few favorites!

Kids 3 years and up can get wild while creating Paper Bag Puppets next Wednesday, July 28! Kids decorate colorful paper bags with punch-out shapes and bright stickers to make fabulous animal puppets. And the best part? There’s absolutely no charge for this theatrical mid-day activity!

On Friday, July 30th, kids ages 6 and up can create their own environmentally friendly shopping bags! Every registered child will receive a 14.25” x 15.25” bag to stencil with an eco-conscious design. It’s the perfect Kidtivity™ for kids that want to show their love for the Earth and it only costs 4 dollars to register!

Don’t live local to State College? “Hosting” your own Kidtivities™ can be easy! If you have a group of children coming over, you can keep them occupied with a fun group craft that costs little to purchase, but provides an imaginative way to spend an afternoon. For example, the Paper Bag Puppets Kit from Alex features 5 paper bags, making it easy to entertain 5 children at one time – that comes out to about $2 a child! Then, have them put on a play with their puppets for even more entertainment!

Or, any of the First Sticky Mosaics are great for a younger child group activity. Each of these kits features 5 themed templates, making it a great way for 5 children to spend some time doing creative activities together, also at a cost of $2 per child if they each do one template. And the fun doesn’t stop there – we have many art kits that can easily be “split up” to provide a low cost activity for multiple children. Check out our Arts & Crafts for Kids to find your next group activity!

But, if you want to join us in store for summer fun, our Summer Kidtivities™ at Growing Tree Toys take place on certain Wednesdays and Fridays until August 4th. They fill up fast so be sure to register soon by calling (814) 237-3655 or stopping by the store! You can also, check out our Kidtivities schedule on Facebook—become a fan while you’re at it!

There’s no rest from “fests” here in State College! Fresh off of the celebration of the 4th is Arts Fest! Officially known as the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, thousands of alumni, families, and fans trek back to Happy Valley to meet up with the locals for summer fun.

Of all the crafts, foods and festivities, our favorite feature is Children’s Day! On July 7, dozens of super kids display their artistic wares, and there is plenty of activities and entertainment geared towards the young ones. As we have for many years, here at Growing Tree Toys, we welcome children of all ages to make a fun free craft. (This photo is from last year’s visor-making!) It runs from 10am to 3pm, but if you’re planning on coming, let us recommend you come early!

Check out the Arts Fest blog for neat insight on this year’s activities, and check back next week for our own recap of the fun.

So, now we take a quick trip around the country for other neat family festivals that take pride in their hometowns, as well as take advantage of the warm summer and fall weather. The following is ordered by date and we hope it makes you consider where to head for your next family trip!

Redmond Derby Days (July 9-10, 2010) – Celebrating the 70th anniversary this year, Derby Days in Redmond, Washington has the longest running bike race.
Fun for kids: Carnival, Lego Building Tent, Airbrush Face Painting, Bubble Ponds, Inflatable Fun

Gilroy Garlic Festival (July 23-25, 2010) – My personal favorite; three tasty days in the Garlic Capital of the World.
Fun for kids: Build your own Terrarium, Wax Hands crafts, Mini-Rides, Caricatures

Maine Lobster Festival (August 4-8, 2010) – I’d be happy to be a taster for their cooking contest! The Lobster Crate Race is one of the main highlights.
Fun for kids: Diaper Derby, Lobster Eating Contest, Cod Fish Carry, Costume Parade

Hanover Harvest Festival (August 7, 2010) – This Minnesota festival has a bit of everything, including a new bicycle stunt show this year.
Fun for kids: Batting Cage, Turtle Races, Helicopter Visit, Petting Zoo

Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival (August 20-21, 2010) – 45 years ago, Reynoldsburg, Ohio was recognized as the birthplace of the commercial tomato, and has been celebrating since!
Fun for kids: Western Obstacle Course, Pig Races, Corn Hole Competition, Make-Your-Own Stuffed Animals

Alaska State Fair (Aug. 26 – Sept. 6, 2010) – I’m featuring the Alaska State Fair because they feature enormous (and world record holding) fruits and vegetables! How about a 127-lb. head of cabbage?
Fun for kids: Sealife Center Exhibit (sea lions, ducks, etc.), Moose Calling Contest

Beetlefest (September 11, 2010) – Frisco, Colorado combines fun and function with a festival about the mountain pine beetle and the problems the species causes in the mountains.
Fun for kids: Bug Petting Zoo, Lumberjack Show, Smokey the Bear Appearance

Cherokee Strip Days Celebration (September 17, 2010) – This year’s festival honors the Oklahoma town with a theme of “Celebrate Enid!” and always recognizes the 1893 Land Run.
Fun for kids: Basket Making, Music, Chuck Wagon Cooking

National Storytelling Festival (October 1-3, 2010) – Now this is neat: three straight days of acclaimed storytellers under festival tents and under the stars in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
Fun for kids: Stories! Some are not appropriate for all ages; see the website.

Marble Festival (October 2-3, 2010) – Tour the marble quarry and see marble sculptors, plus celebrate 30 years of the festival in Jasper, Georgia.
Fun for kids: Trackless Train, Petting Zoo, Obstacle Course, Free Arts & Crafts

Want to see more? Check out other family travel ideas we’ve recently posted on our blog!

With 4th of July 2010 on Sunday, the nation is really celebrating with a full three- or four-day weekend of patriotic spirit!

In our home of State College, PA, the (naturally) annual 4th Fest has occurred in some form since 1927, and is considered one of the largest all-volunteer Independence Day celebrations in the country. The full day and night includes the Firecracker 4K race, Spikes minor league baseball game, performances, unique displays, and hot air balloon rides. There are even free hot dogs (donations are appreciated) and a 14-foot American Flag cake! The highlight of the night, of course, is the enormous, volunteer-run fireworks display, choreographed with music you can hear at the event or tune in to on the radio.

Taking a look at ways other areas celebrate Independence Day:

At 10am on the 4th in Aptos, California, the bands, vehicles, and others line up for the World’s Shortest Parade! Yep, you read that right. You can get ready for all that walking with a pancake breakfast preceding the procession, followed by the Party in the Park with food, drinks, music and crafts.

Located near stunning Sedona, Arizona, the Verde Canyon Railroad welcomes riders year-round for neat, scenic trips. Their “Firecracker Express” excursion celebrates the red, white and blue with a barbecue and festive music. Thanks to the moderate Arizona temperatures, for this and other trips there are open-air cars for a unique experience.

Sagamore Hill on Long Island, New York, the home to President Teddy Roosevelt, celebrates with an old-fashioned affair. Free festivities on both the 4th and 5th include tours of Roosevelt’s home, old-fashioned kids games (like a three-legged race and an egg and spoon race!), cultural walks, and reenactments.

It doesn’t have to be the 4th of July though to catch fireworks at Niagara Falls. There are fireworks shows every Friday and Sunday from mid-May to Labor Day Weekend (plus Friday-only shows for another month.) In July and August you can also catch shows on Wednesdays. In addition, the Falls are illuminated with colored lights every night – what a visual masterpiece!

In Roswell, New Mexico (where else?) the 4th adds to the fun of the Roswell UFO Festival. On top of lectures and symposiums, there are tons of free movies, laser shows, costume contests, and an Alien BBQ (the competition is for brisket, chicken, chili, etc., but there is a contest for the best “How to Cook an Alien” recipe!)

Happy Fourth of July from Growing Tree Toys!!