All Aboard for Play!
Many years ago, a young visitor pointed out that the engine we have representing the story of The Little Engine That Could was actually the engine that broke down, not the little engine that could. The Little Engine That Could was blue, he said, not red, and had a wide smokestack, not a crooked one.
His comment inspired us to include a new train in our master facility plan. In 2011, a donor made a $10,000 lead gift for the train. In 2012, plans were drawn and budgets were created. In 2013, we raised the rest of the funds needed to build the new train and construction began in July.
A crew of artists fabricated the train in an off-site studio. Meanwhile, the crew at Fairytale Town prepared our site to receive it. The ground was excavated and a concrete pad was poured. The existing red train was brightened up with fresh paint.
The new blue engine, coal car and caboose were transported to Fairytale Town on July 19 and put in place. Once secured, another construction crew came in to pour playground surfacing around the play set. This crew was artistic also – they made the surfacing look like train tracks on the section where the train sits. Once the playground surfacing cured, the Fairytale Town and artist crews returned to add the finishing touches.
I wish I knew how to get in touch with the child who inspired us to add the new train. I think he would be surprised to know that hundreds of people have been involved in making our The Little Engine That Could play set more true to the story. Thousands more will become involved when we open the new set in mid-August and they are able to play imagine themselves in the story.
I hope that somewhere, a young man recognizes that his childhood comment was taken seriously, and is thinking happily to himself: I thought they could, I thought they could, I thought they could.
Meet Ginger Elizabeth Hahn
We are fortunate to have acclaimed chocolatier Ginger Elizabeth Hahn of Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates serving as the Honorary Chair for the Mad Hatter Meets Mad Men fundraiser on Thursday, May 16. Ginger is a formally trained chocolatier and pastry chef who has been studying and working professionally with chocolate for over 10 years. She studied pastry at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where she graduated top of her class. In 2008, Ginger and her husband Tom launched their retail store in Midtown Sacramento. In 2010, Ginger was named one of the Top Ten Chocolatiers in North America by Dessert Professional Magazine.
Before the fundraiser this Thursday, we wanted to introduce Ginger and ask her about a few of her favorite things and the special cocktail she created just for the event.
What’s your favorite: Alice in Wonderland, Mad Men, or both? Why?
Mad Men, because it is the only show I watch on cable and I love the characters and the costumes.
If you could be any character from Alice in Wonderland or Mad Men, who would you be? Why?
The white queen in the Alice and Wonderland book because she is crazy, and I feel a little crazy sometimes with the business and my two young sons.
Have you been to Fairytale Town? If so, what is your favorite feature?
Not yet, but my kids are dying to go see the animals.
What will you be showcasing at the Mad Hatter Meets Mad Men event on May 16?
A chilled drink with a little chocolate, a little tea and a little booze! It’s an Earl Grey Chocolate Chambord cocktail.
Thank you Ginger!
Play for Good Health
Play is a key component in the healthy development of young children. For the first time in many years, Fairytale Town was home to a health and wellness festival, thanks to the generosity of our health care partner, Sutter Children’s Center.
Our organizations worked together over several months to determine the activities that would be valuable to our audience, and the partners we could bring in to offer information and guidance to children and families – in a playful way. Height and weight checks, dental screenings, and information on exercise, nutrition, diabetes, autism, education opportunities, day care, child abuse prevention and health insurance are samples of the topics the festival covered.
The “smoothie bike”
The Sutter Children’s Center Wellness Festival was held on Saturday, April 13. Children learned about nutrition and healthy eating by making a fruit smoothie while riding a bicycle and planting vegetable seeds in medical gloves to take home to start a garden. They learned about the importance of physical exercise while dancing on stage, navigating through an obstacle course, and getting training on how to run properly. While watching a live theater performance of plays written by youth, younger children learned about productive ways to spend leisure time. They learned about the importance of taking care of their bodies while getting height and weight checks and dental screenings by medical professionals.
More than 25 community organizations worked with us on the wellness festival, in addition to Sutter Children’s Center, and nearly 5,000 people attended the one-day program. We received such positive responses from both our audience and partners that we are looking to do it again next spring.
It was a good day of healthy play and learning at Fairytale Town. All who participated were inspired to continue playing – not just for fun, but for our health and well-being too!
The Drama of Play
Boxtales Theatre Company
Dramatic play takes center stage at Fairytale Town’s Children’s Theater Festival and Puppet Festival. Theater is a great tool to inspire both imaginative and physical play in children – and adults as well. Theater is a highly collaborative and inclusive way to play. Writers, directors, actors, set designers, costumers, sound engineers, and backstage crew are all needed to put on a show – which gives everyone a chance to be involved.
Rumpelstiltskin Puppet Show
Fairytale Town’s Children’s Theater and Puppet Festival are a great way to introduce children to the magic of theater. The shows are fun, interactive and engaging. It is easy and affordable to attend. Each show is offered twice a day and you can purchase tickets at the door or at the front gate the day you attend. Tickets to the shows are only $2 in addition to park admission (and only $1 for members).
Voice of the Wood
The companies featured during our Festivals offer a variety of stories and theater styles. Fairytales, folk tales and original plays are brought to life with mask, movement, acting, puppetry, costumes, sound effects, lighting and sets. After the shows, it is wonderful to hear children and adults discuss character and plot, and to see them act out their own stories as they play throughout the park.
The shows at Fairytale Town are great fun, but there is a serious side of the performing arts. Children who are involved in the arts have higher academic performance, lower drop-out rates, and greater community involvement. Like play, the performing arts foster critical thinking, communication skills, innovation and collaboration.
So add some drama to your life – come out to Fairytale Town and see a play… and play on!
Speaking of Playful Celebrations…
To celebrate the last day of our winter hours when we are closed to the public for three days a week, a few of us headed out west to visit a couple of sister organizations, Children’s Fairyland in Oakland an the Berkeley Adventure Playground.
A flute fairy at Fairyland!
The proscenium side of the stage
We were all impressed with their new theater facility. The stage could open up on one side for a lawn seating amphitheater, and on the other side for more traditional proscenium-style seating. We were jealous of the walk-in refrigerator and freezer in their cafe. And we loved their new Jack and Jill Hill! A small hill covered in turf, children spend hours rolling or sliding down it on large pieces of cardboard. The simple things are often the most fun!
Entry way to adventure play!
After lunch, we headed further west to the Berkeley Marina where we got a brief history and in-depth tour of the Berkeley Adventure Playground. It was the first time anyone (besides me) had experienced an adventure playground, and all were amazed. It is such a surprise to enter an adventure playground because things are higgledy-piggledy rather than neat, organized and padded. It is a magical environment nonetheless – because it’s an environment that kids create themselves. Established for older children ages 7 and up, it offers a safe environment for kid to explore and take risks. Hammers and nails can be checked out to build huts. Paint is available to paint the huts – or anything else they might find, and a garden area is available for those who want to dig in the dirt. A rope swing around a may pole, and a dirt hill with old tubing for rolling down it are there for the more daring.
Zipping alongside the bay
And – best of all – there’s a zip line to play on!
We arrived back at Fairytale Town at the end of the day both tired and inspired by our adventure. A full day of play was just what we needed to get geared up for spring!
Seuss-ational Fun!
None can deny that Dr. Seuss played with words. His rhymes and nonsense words made his stories original and fun. We were happy we could open our spring season with a celebration of his birthday on March 2.
Lots of party guests arrived! At the end of the day 2650 people came through the gates.
I think the first thing they noticed was the Truffula Trees. Our talented staff created brilliant truffula-top covers for the light poles around the park. It was fun to hear guests ooh and aah as a favorite storybook setting was transported into real life – if only for a day.
Once inside, kids could make ‘Cat in the Hat’ hats, create rhyme books and plant Truffula seeds (dandelions) to take home and watch grow. Through these playful activities they developed the eye/hand coordination so important for reading, learned about individual letter sounds, and connected the dots between seeds and trees.
Many guests congregated by the Mother Goose Stage where they could hear local dignitaries and celebrities read Seuss stories all day long. It’s not very often a child gets read to by their local councilmember or television anchor! Through this activity children and their family members were able to make important connections to their community.
It was a good day of play. And it all started with a few simple words!
Photos by Dina Heidrich
Renovating A Forest
Not everyone can say they are refurbishing a forest.
But that’s what we’ve been working on at Fairytale Town. After a two-month renovation, Sherwood Forest re-opened last weekend.
The new play set has activities for children ages 2 and up including slides, climbing apparatuses, a talk tube and a telescope. Sherwood also has a refreshed birthday party area as well as new hand-made chairs, animal sculptures and landscaping.
The renovation actually began last year when the old play structure was starting to show signs of wear. (It isn’t easy being exposed to the sun, rain, wind and 230,000 annual visitors!) A task force was formed to head up the renovation project and designs were sought from four different playground designers. In the meantime, a search for funding was underway. A design was selected. Applications for building permits were submitted and construction plans were approved. The old set was demolished and the new one erected. Three inspections were made to ensure the structure was sound. Cash and in-kind donations were received and acknowledged. New chairs and fencing were built. Holes and trenches wee dug and new plants and irrigation were installed. A re-opening ceremony was held and the ribbon to the new Sherwood was cut.
Now the work is turned over to the children who visit us. It’s their job to play and imagine to their hearts content in the new Sherwood Forest. Judging from those who have played on it already, they are doing their job well – and happily!
Down Time is Productive Time
Beginning November 1, Fairytale Town shuts down for three days a week and operates Thursday through Sunday until March 1. We do this for a variety of reasons. The weather this time of year is often cold and wet, so not as many people visit. And after a busy spring, summer and early fall, the physical facility needs a little break from the daily wear and tear that thousands of little hands and feet make each day.
Of course, the people who make the physical plant clean and magical also need a break. Not a break to kick back and enjoy, but a break to do the kinds of projects that have to be done, but are easier done without worrying about thousands of little hands and feet. This is the time of year we dig ditches, freshen up paint, clean or reorganize offices and storage areas, and plan for the future – and do it during normal business hours and without roping off areas, locking up tools or wearing uniforms. Though it’s a very productive time of year for us, we call it our ‘down time.’
Children need down time also. During down time children play in quiet and unobtrusive ways. They may read, draw, write, shovel sand, water plants or just day dream. Quiet play is a productive time for children. It’s when they can let their hair down a bit, relax, think things through and ponder. While engaged in quiet play children gain understanding of themselves and the people and things around them.
During the hectic holiday season be sure to schedule some down time for yourself, your family and your children. It may be the most productive thing you do!
Greetings from the 2013 IAAPA Convention
Today’s post is by Doris Sanui, Fairytale Town’s Assistant General Manager. Doris is attending the International Attractions and Amusement Park Association Convention this week in Orlando, Florida.
I’m here this week in Orlando, Florida, home to many amusement parks, water parks and more! This year, Fairytale Town is proud to take part of the International Attractions and Amusement Park Association (IAAPA) Convention that takes place at the Orange County convention center. All types of parks, such as zoos, water parks, play parks and family fun centers, unite under one roof. As we shuttle in and out of the many education classes, we also have the opportunity to meet others from parks and share ideas. I’ve met people from all over the nation as well as other countries!
Besides all the presentations on topics like food, retail and customer service, I also attended a presentation featuring three CEO’s from three very successful companies. They each shared their knowledge and experiences with having a successful workplace. Here I’d like to quote one presenter’s teaching: “Always have fun, having fun!” I couldn’t agree more! Not only does this apply to work but in everything we do, and it’s such a perk to see that especially with all our families that visit Fairytale Town.
The other great part of this trip is the expo. Here, vendors and suppliers showcase their best products. Rides, play sets, zip lines, jungle gyms and more are all available for the testing.
Can’t wait to bring great ideas back home to Fairytale Town!
Scary Play
Not all play is fun. Some of it is scary.
I remember this each Halloween as the talented Fairytale Town staff begins to build sets and decorations for our annual Halloween program. This year’s theme was Grimm Fairy Tales. The team worked diligently to create over-sized cauldrons, papier-mâché wolves, witches lairs, and all sorts of other sets and props for the three-day Halloween extravaganza. This year, more than 5,000 people attended to take part in trick-or-treating, puppet shows, seasonal craft activities, photo souvenirs, and plain old Halloween fun.
Why do people enjoy scary play? Is it because it taps into our darker sides? Is it because we like the surprise behind a scare? Or is it because we feel exhilarated once we’ve survived a fright?
Other kinds of play can be scary too.
‘Risky play’ is often considered scary by parents and teachers, but a recent Play England study concludes that risky play is important for children. The study quotes a number of play providers who highlight the benefits to children of taking risks. ‘Risk-taking increases the resilience of children,’ said one. ‘It helps them make judgments,’ said another. ‘It lets them test their boundaries and learn about their potential as well as their fears and abilities.’ Some risky play the research says should be encouraged includes fire-building, den-making, water sports, paintballing and climbing trees.
So, once you’re done with the ‘scary play’ of Halloween, let your children engage in a little bit of risky play as well. One can gain a great deal of perspective from the top of a tree!