Creative Play Place

Dragon Festival

creativeplayplace — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:14:02 +0000

Saturday, June 23, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Gorman Park – Saint Peter, MN

Dragons are in all cultural and stories throughout time. 2012 is the Chinese year of the dragon. Join us for dragon art projects, stories and the highlight of the evening, a performance by a Chinese dance group performing a real Chinese Dragon dance. This event is co-sponsored by the St. Peter Public Library.

An Afternoon in the Park and the 4th Annual Duck Race

creativeplayplace — Sun, 20 May 2012 16:49:15 +0000

Sunday, June 3, 2012 @ 2-6:30 p.m.
The Mill Pond – Saint Peter, MN

Kick off summer with an afternoon of family fun!!! Games, projects, and entertainment! We’ll have kid-friendly music and fun kids’ exhibits! Watch the rubber duck race too! (Admission $1 per person. Race tickets available at the park. Lots of prizes.)

Please note: this event was postponed from May 20 due to inclement weather

Play Together, Grow Together

creativeplayplace — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Last year’s fall opening was a busy and joyous day! The Jon and Marie Winsby family arrived enthusiastically after so many summer days away from the Creative Play Place. In the blink of an eye, everyone threw off their shoes and headed in to play. Like many others that day, at some point two-year-old Olivia with her blond curls was drawn to the tactile table full of flour; her four-year-old brother Bobby couldn’t resist either. The children laughed and talked with their parents as they enjoyed measuring and dumping the flour over and over, enjoying the soft feeling of the flour on their hands. As they were leaving, Jon – carrying a delightfully exhausted Olivia – turned to me to say thanks with a big smile and flour smeared from his chin to his ears. Every family left that day looking the same way – faces, hands, and clothes covered in flour – with the biggest smiles you can imagine. The Creative Play Place gives families the opportunity to get messy and play together. We help strengthen families by bringing them closer together.

Family Improv Night with Walrus Improv Comedy

creativeplayplace — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:58:02 +0000

Saturday, May 5 @ 1-4 p.m.
Saint Peter Community Center

The first in our long line of summer events is coming up! This should be one of the best! Come join the acclaimed Walrus Improv Comedy troupe for a family improv workshop followed by a family-friendly improv comedy performance! Ages4+

It will be held in front of the Saint Peter Community Center if the weather holds out! If not, it will be in the community center gym at 1:30 p.m.

Suggested Donation $1 per person

Parents Need Support Too

creativeplayplace — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:19:18 +0000

It was a Friday night, and just not your normal Friday night, it was the evening of the Creative Play Place Halloween Party! I was coming into the Play Place with my two kids when we bumped into 5-year-old Charlie and his mom, Linda. Charlie (apparently a huge Halloween fan) had been anticipating this night for weeks. He’d been planning his costume and all the details, eagerly awaiting the Halloween party. He couldn’t wait to play with his friends, wear his cherished Star Wars storm trooper costume, dance to the fun music, eat the tasty treats, and of course, decorate pumpkins. Charlie’s mom, Linda, was excited for Charlie and happy to be able to spend a special evening together with him, but I could see that the nine-months-pregnant working mom was also feeling exhausted after a hectic week of work, hoping she could muster up enough energy to make sure Charlie had a fun night at the party.

Once inside the Play Place, the night took off. Charlie was having a blast dancing to the music and giggling with his friends over their crazy dance moves. After dancing, Charlie decided to grab a snack and head over to the table to decorate his pumpkin. Linda decided to join Charlie as they both worked together decorating the pumpkin. After an hour of decorating, the pumpkin was complete and both Linda and Charlie were happy with how it turned out. They gave each other a high five and then Charlie was off to participate in another activity. Too soon, it was time to go home, Charlie wasn’t at all ready to leave despite the fact that party was coming to an end. Linda called Charlie to come to the door to get his shoes on, but he didn’t want to leave. Eventually he came over to the door but was very upset and on the verge of a meltdown. Linda, trying to be patient but completely wiped out from a busy week, was clearly at her wit’s end. Catherine, a Creative Play Place board member quickly stepped in. She was able to calm Charlie down with her sweet, comforting voice. She offered him a glow stick as a distraction, so that Linda could put his shoes on and gather their crafts. I could see the relief and gratitude on Linda’s face. Catherine’s kindness, quick reaction, and comfort to Charlie made for a better end to the evening.

As I reflected on Catherine’s help on the drive home, I could only smile feeling a sense of warmth from this community. Someone had reached out to them to help, to show kindness, and to give compassion to her situation. At a time where Linda needed someone, someone was there. A simple hand and a little teamwork went a long way. The Creative Play Place connects parents to other parents and supports them on their journey.

Daddy’s Girls

creativeplayplace — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:33:25 +0000

Dan is a stay at home dad with 3 little girls: Pam (first grade), Lisa (age 5), and Susie (age 2). Dan, Lisa and Susie come weekly to the Creative Play Place on Thursdays and for Fitness Fridays. Susie is about 3 feet high with short, wispy blond hair, a big smile and is usually found hiding behind daddy legs at first. Lisa has longer, straight blond hair and is also fairly quiet. Thursday morning is Stories, Songs and Movement time at the Creative Play Place and they are some of my regular participants. Susie’s face lights up and she does this cute little bouncy dance as we sing. Lisa always giggles and leans back, pointing enthusiastically at her friend Brandon when we sing, “I like You.” Dan says if he sings one of the songs at home, Susie stops him and in her soft, squeaky voice tells him, “That song is from the Creative Play Place.”

Their family lives in a small apartment, so they don’t have ton of room for lots of toys. The Creative Play Place gives them a place to do children’s work, to play. Whether they are cutting and gluing, climbing in the castle, singing or dressing Dan up with them in feather boas, Dan is always playing, helping and cheering them on. The Creative Play Place is a place for their family to come together to play.

Last spring, Dan told me that he has to go back to Afghanistan in the fall. He said he once argued that his kids are too young and was told that kids are resilient. His response was, “Yeah, but dads aren’t.” Next year, Lisa will start kindergarten, and Susie will come to the Creative Play Place with her childcare center. The Creative Play Place will take on a whole new meaning for her next year. It will be a place with familiar faces and routines and reminders of happy times shared with her daddy.

The Creative Play Place is an example of “third places,” places beyond home and school, where children connect to friends, other adults and their families. A place where children can work out their real lives through play. Play is the work of children and the Creative Play Place a special place for that to happen.

CPP Compelling Stories

creativeplayplace — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:42:31 +0000

This past year the Creative Play Place Board has been working on writing stories to capture what makes CPP valuable to the community. Over the coming months we will be posting these compelling stories. We hope that you will enjoy reading them; they are a great reminder of the impact the CPP has on the families in our area.

Wizard of Oz Interactive Movie Party

creativeplayplace — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:19:19 +0000

Music and, costumes, and prizes, OH MY! Tickets are now on sale for the Wizard of Oz Interactive Movie! Join us after the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at 4:30 p.m. Fun things for the whole family to do throughout the movie! Dress as your favorite character to enter the costume contest or just come watch the movie. It is an event you will remember forever!

Adult: $15 advanced sales, $16 at the door
Child (12 & Under): $10 advanced sales; $11 at the door
Adult/Child Combo: $22 advanced sales; $23 at the door
3 Kids Combo: $24 advanced sales; $25 at the door
Buy tickets online at www.twinriversarts.org or call 507-387-1008

Recommended for ages 3-adults. Children 12 & under must be accompanied by an adult. For more information about scholarship tickets for low income families or families with more than 3 children call 507-720-1779.

Play Together, Grow Together

creativeplayplace — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:17:30 +0000

We are FREE indoor play area for kids and parents to play together.

Mission
It is the mission of the Creative Play Place to foster the development of the whole child through play, movement and the arts to promote healthy lifestyles, enhance literacy, and strengthen the parent-child bond.

Description
Children learn through play: they play to learn social skills, play to prepare to read, play to learn about roles in society, play to learn about the arts, play to exercise. Because children learn through play, the Creative Play Place is designed to encourage children to explore movement and the arts through creative play. Children climb, slide and run to exercise their body, while playing in imaginative sets. Children learn theatrical arts through costuming, dramatic play and puppetry, visual arts through hands-on, process-oriented art experiences, music and dance through instrument experimentation and movement. Children learn social skills as they negotiate and share. The Creative Play Place provides parents with a variety of opportunities to play with their children to help them learn and grow. Come play with us!