Monthly Archives: August 2013

Are you dreading September and the start of school or ready to jump for joy? Maybe a little of both? Here at Circare, we’ve never really thought of ourselves as a “back to school” supplies kind of store. We don’t carry backpacks or notebooks or calculators. But tonight I came across an article by a toy company called “Putting the WOOHOO! in Back to School: 5 Ways to Make it Fun for Kids”. Reading it, it not only made sense to me, but it also occurred to me that Circare does indeed have some wonderful products that answer these needs. See what you think, here’s their list (abbreviated and adapted, but if you’re interested in the complete article, watch for the link at the end.)
1) “Quell your child’s apprehension. Talk to your kids, find out if they have any fears or apprehension about starting the school year, especially if this is their first year.” The “Worry Woo” books at Circare are perfect if you have a little worrier at home: it’s lesson? DON’T FEED THE WORRY BUG!
2) “Familiarize your child with their new school. Take your child for a visit to the school, walk around, arrange a play date with other students or neighbor friends” Sorry, can’t help you with this one but it’s a great idea.
3) “Outfit your child with school supplies that makes them feel prepared and excited. Have your child involved in picking out their school supplies. Allow them to pick out something special and that they are excited about – but don’t allow them to use it before schools starts.” One “special” supply to really make a kid feel prepared (especially the little older ones) are Circare’s 7 year pens. With their jumbo ink cartridges that will literally write for miles, they’ll always be ready to take notes! And they’re cool designs, too.

4) “DON’T FORGET to add a couple notes from mom and dad occasionally in the backpack, just to let them know that you are thinking about them.” This is my favorite and do I have the perfect tool for this. Lunchbox Mail are boxes of 30 different messages of encouragement, each in a pop open card with space to write a quick note of your own as well. And finally,
5) “Don’t forget about family time. Life becomes hectic as soon as fall hits. Through the busy schedules of activities, music lessons and sleepovers, set aside one night a week JUST FOR YOUR FAMILY for game night.” Try Spot It. or Suspend. Or our newest games Flash or Nada. Family game nights rock!

Oh, and I remember I promised: if you want to read the full article I plagiarized, here’s the link: http://www.yourneighborhoodtoystore.org/play-grow.asp?i=139

We’ve been doing this Summertime Fun Campaign for most of the summer now and I love the response you’ve been giving us! Every week we get people coming into the store for our ‘Weekly Wow’s”, replying to our e-mails, posting on Facebook and entering our drawings for goody bags of summertime fun. THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! You are definitely making our summer more fun!

Here’s something new. In cleaning off my worktable recently, I cam across a bag of “solar beads”. These are rather plain looking white plastic beads, nothing too special– until you expose them to sunlight! Instantaneously, they change color before your very eyes, turning pinks and purples and blues. Go indoors or into the shade and they fade back to white. So here’s the deal. We’re stringing a couple of these beads on ribbons and giving them away to kids in the store (while supplies last, but we have quite a few). Or if you have kids at home, grandkids, etc., ask us about them. Kid’s love them- they’re magic!

Just one more way Circare can help make your Summertime Fun!