Thursday, March 14, 2013

Arts, Crafts & Playtime? Yes, Please!


Motherhood is a glorious, joyful experience filled with love and kindness and a lot of tantrums … both from child and mom. The only people who ever say that raising little people is easy never had any. And the only thing harder than raising kids is entertaining them especially when they are little and home all .. day .. long.

How many of you moms out there were nodding along just now?? Well, last weekend I found a little gem that you are going to love. No really.

At 52 South Main Street in Nazareth, moms (and dads too) will find the entrance to Jelly Bean Town, USA. Your children will be so entertained upon entertaining that you will actually be able to – gasp – enjoy playing with them while not arguing or bartering or pitching tantrums! You won’t find jelly beans though, so read on for the scoop.

Jelly Bean Town USA is the vision of its owner, Tara Carson. It is, at its core, an arts and crafts center; but it is nestled inside a kid-friendly ‘town’ complete with a library, mail stop, dress-up center, grocery store, tool station and train table. A town whose every colorful detail is perfect and exact; thanks largely to its co-owner, Tara’s husband (vision-realizer & architect) John Carson.

You will see a bookshelf full of Dr. Seuss, a map listing capital cities, tables covered in art paper and supplies, several Purell stations, a water cooler, a coat rack and a clean bathroom. Your child will see the clouds on the ceiling, the jelly beans on the walls, the princess hat and knight mask, the balloons, the Legos, the trains, the huge chalkboard, and the stickers, oh and the STICKERS!! Together, you and your child will spend an afternoon laughing and creating and forgetting why you hate Barney and naps respectively.

And it is not just for the ultra-mini set. I brought along my Rooks (or little Castles), who are 11 and a half (so important to a girl) and 9. I knew my daughter would love the crafts. I was surprised to see how much fun my son had banging around in Tool Time and playing with the trains.

Jelly Bean Town, USA received 2 Thumbs Up from the Rooks. What better endorsement could you need?


Details:
Open Play Times are only $5 per child no matter how long you stay. (Seriously!!)
Monday 9:30a – 2p
Tuesday 11a – 5p
Wednesday 9:30a – 3p
Friday 9:30a – 2p

Every Sunday from 1 – 3p is a themed craft and playtime. Again, only $5.
There are also several one-day and one-week camp sessions during the summer.

Best Detail:
2 words – Birthday. Party.
Oh yeah. Tara loves birthdays and has several themes from which you can choose such as Princess Royalty or Diggin’ for Dinos. She is also open to any ideas you or your birthday bean may have. Ready to break out of the boring birthday bash grind? Of course you are. So call Tara.

 

Cool Details:
Jelly Bean Town, USA offers art classes after school for the young, budding-Picasso set. There are also special Crafting Sessions for adults several times a month. In the future, look for after-work art classes for adults too!

Tara, who studied art in school and is a graphic designer, really does see art everywhere. Her ultimate vision is to help old and young alike experience it for themselves too.


Helpful Details:
Need to fulfill an art credit for your home-schooled kids? Want to earn an art-centric merit badge for your troop? Yep, Tara does that too. Shoot her a call or email to make special arrangements for your class or troop.


Quirky Detail:
Jelly Bean Town USA’s mascot, Shelly Jelly Bean, can come to your parade or event. Guess how you find out more? Yep, call or email Tara.


Necessary Details:
52 South Main Street, Nazareth, PA 18064
610.248.0549
Cash, Visa, MasterCard and Discover accepted.

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