Hello, there! Winter is just around the corner, and December is full of cozy and melodic programs and sweet and frosty collaborations that we're so excited to share with you!
Here's a glimpse of our exciting December schedule with Playful Acorns Pop-Up Play Cafe offerings, collaborative music and cookie decorating classes, and free community events. As an email subscriber, you are among the first to know about these programs. All events are geared toward caregivers and their kids (ages 0-5) unless otherwise noted. Please note that some event registration is through our partner websites (linked in the descriptions), and prices generally include 1 adult + 1 child (a portion of proceeds go to local nonprofits). We encourage you to share with your friends. Hope to see you soon!
December Giveaway!
Are you new to Playful Acorns? Welcome! You can read our story here and most recent posts here.
This morning’s snowfall has me in the holiday spirit, so it’s time for a giveaway! Book your spot before it disappears, too…
Here’s all you need to do to participate! Register for a class (or more than one for additional entries) in our Cozy Winter Cookies, Songs, and Stories series and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free pass to one of our upcoming Playful Acorns Pop-Up Play Cafe events*! All programs are for caregivers and kids (geared toward ages 0-5) and prices include one adult + one child unless otherwise noted.
Music and Stories in Mount Horeb
Join The Wonder Studio for a Kindermusik class ($16) from 9-10:15 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6th, at Icki Sticki in Mount Horeb! Order a drink and snack and connect with caregivers while your kids play, followed by the 45-minute music class with Angie Richter and storytime with local children’s book author Elizabeth Seeliger. Copies of the interactive book “Big Feelings” will be available for purchase. A StoryWalk® of the book is on display at Mount Horeb Public Library this week (weather permitting).
Learn more and register for 12/6 music class
Cookie Decorating in Middleton
Join Sweet Hive Bakery for a cozy and tasty morning of fun from 10-11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 8th at Willy Street Co-Op West, Middleton! Gretchen will lead a winter sugar cookie decorating class for you with your littles. Connect over hot coffee and cocoa and take home a dozen treats! Kids can play with toys and listen to stories during class, too. :)
Learn more and register for 12/8 cookie decorating class
Music and Stories in Madison
Join Music with Julie Mazer from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15th for music class at 1501 Gilbert Rd, Madison. At 9:30 a.m., enjoy free coffee and connect with caregivers while kids play. We’ll meet in Friendship Hall (inside Orchard Ridge UCC, an open and affirming church) for music at 9:45 a.m. and storytime at 10:15 a.m.
Learn more and register for 12/15 music class
Pop-Up Play Cafe Events
* Our 2024 Pop-Up Play Cafe schedule has not yet been released. Here are the options for 2023, both of which are held between 9-11 a.m.:
- December 4 (9-11 a.m. Monday): Pop-Up Play Cafe - Cross Plains featuring special guest Frost Organizing at 10 a.m., The Creekside Scoop ($10, RSVP)
- December 13 (9-11 a.m. Wednesday): Pop-Up Play Cafe - Verona (special guest announcement coming soon), Rocket Velocafe ($10, RSVP)
- December 18 (9-11 a.m. Monday): Pop-Up Play Cafe - Cross Plains (special guest announcement coming soon), The Creekside Scoop ($10, RSVP)
Learn more and register for Pop-Up Play Cafe events
Meet Mary Frost, a local professional organizer, who will share some tips to help you go from cluttered to clean. Learn more by reading this Q&A, and you can also meet Mary at Lioness Fitness tonight!
Join us for a giveaway opportunity from 4-7 p.m. tonight, Friday, Dec. 1st at the new Lioness Fitness location in Fitchburg! We'll be raffling off a free Pop-Up Play Cafe pass and children's picture books!
December Nonprofit Spotlight
A portion of proceeds from our December events will go toward the newly created nonprofit organization, called the CEDAR Center (Connected Equine Development and Rehabilitation Center) to increase access to animal-assisted therapy services. I first learned about CEDAR Center when I participated in the Mount Horeb Mental Health and Wellness Fall Festival fundraiser for the nonprofit in October 2023. Local author Elizabeth Seeliger, who collaborated with me to produce her "Big Feelings" book as a StoryWalk®, is CEDAR Center's board president (pictured above). You can learn more about the book she wrote with her daughter at pufferfishpublishing.com.
Learn more and donate to CEDAR Center
Local author Elizabeth Seeliger, who is CEDAR Center's board president, collaborated with me to produce an interactive StoryWalk® featuring the "Big Feelings" book that she wrote with her daughter. She will be our featured storyteller at our Dec. 6th music event, and the StoryWalk® will be set up at the Mount Horeb Public Library Dec. 4-8th.
Connecting with the Community: Cross Plains
Thank you to The Creekside Scoop, Rosemary Garfoot Public Library, Hike It Baby - Madison (We Are OutGrown), and the Ice Age Trail Alliance for a FREE fall collaborative event for kids and their caregivers to recognize the 43rd anniversary of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. We had fun creating and decorating binoculars out of toilet paper rolls, reading "The Hike" by Alison Farrell on a StoryWalk®, meeting Monty the Mammoth, and exploring the trail through nearby Zander Park in Cross Plains.
Resources for Families: Macaroni KID Madison
Macaroni KID Madison (formerly Hulafrog) is a website and free weekly newsletter published by a local parent that shares free/low cost events and activities in our area, along with information about businesses and other resources for kids, parents, and families. You can follow on Facebook or Instagram and see upcoming events. You can also share your events (it’s free!) and check out ideas for advertising, promotion or other partnerships for your organization or event. We enjoyed getting to know publisher Aaron Seligman and look forward to sharing more soon!
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
— Anne Bradstreet
