Play Symposium: March 29, 9 am-1pm

In cooperation with the Rudolph Steiner School and the Alliance for Childhood, Gretchen's House would like to invite parents and community members to participate in an educational symposium on the importance of play. This event focuses on the fact that open-ended, free play is disappearing from our children's lives. We'll show the PBS documentary, "Where Do The Children Play?", followed by a panel and discussion on the barriers to open-ended play. After lunch, we'll conduct a variety of active workshops for adults and adults with kids.

Read more information by clicking this link: Play Symposium Details

You may register by completing this form and mailing it to the Rudolph Steiner school at the address on the form. Please note that we cannot guarantee childcare or lunch for people who register the day of the event. More detailed menu information will be available following registration.

Further reading/listening on the importance of play:

• Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills: an NPR piece by Alex Spiegel
• Taking Play Seriously: an article in the New York Times Magazine by Robin Marantz Henig (you may need to register to read this one)

We hope to see you there!

-- Admin

Summer Camp Registration

For over 22 years, Gretchen's House SCamp has provided 5-11 year-olds with opportunities to explore a variety of interests and activities, at their home base and in the local community. Simming, crafts, games, and group projects are just a few of the fun, stimulating activities that Summer Campers do every week.

We are currently accepting registrations for school-age Summer Camp (SCamp) at four of our Ann Arbor locations: Mt. Vernon, Traver, Oak Valley, and Dhu Varren. Families who register before May 2, 2008, receive a discount on tuition. For more information, download the complete brochure and enrollment materials here. Returning SCamp-ers can download the enrollment paperwork here.

--Admin

Children's Chairs for Sale

We have changed out some of our furnishings and are offering used children's chairs for sale to parents and other care providers. These chairs are mostly manufactured by Community Playthings and retail for $50-70 new; we are asking only $5 per chair. They are sturdy wood, easy to clean and refinish, if desired. Most are stackable for compact storage.

The 10-inch tall chair is pictured above, more pictures are below. We haven't figured out how to caption photos on this blog, but the descriptions are as follows, in order top to bottom: 6.5" chair, 5" chair, stool, 12.5" chair, and booster chair.

Please contact Administrative Assistant Shauna Dillard if you are interested or need more information.

-- Admin

PAG Meeeting Location Change

The Parent Advisory Group meeting on March 4th will be at GH-Mt. Pleasant, not W.I.S.D. as listed below. Please make a note of it.