Welcome to Playgroup! Our focus is on children (infant to preschool) and their caretakers living in the Great Northwest community. Our goal is to build social skills in our children while giving adults time to connect with their neighbors.

A typical playgroup consists of 5-10 families meeting once a week at a family's home or out around San Antonio. We visit local parks, the zoo, and Ingram Park Mall play area, and love to explore new kid-friendly places. The host family provides snacks. Everything in Playgroups is voluntary, so we tailor expectations according to our members.

Fun and friendship are number one, so we play by these universal rules: no sick children, give the host a call if you can’t make it, share and play fair, and have fun!

Scroll down for Resources & Links on our page:

View our playgroup Welcome Letter here, along with a note about playgroup common sense. (These documents require Adobe Reader. You can download it for free from Adobe.)

Making our LIST and checking it TWICE...

The whole family is invited to join us for our annual Christmas Social, Friday December 5 beginning at 6 pm at Silver Creek Lodge. Email Michelle if you did not get an Evite with details on what to bring! In addition to great food and some fun crafts, Santa will make an appearance and hand out gifts. Don't forget your cameras for this family photo opportunity.

Reservations and money are due to Michelle or Lynne by November 12!

2008 Halloween Party

We had a GREAT time at our Halloween party. Our cool moms decorated the EV Hall in a spooky assortment of cats, bats, and spiderwebs, and we had tons of delicious vittles to munch. We played Pass the Pumpkin (Hot Potato) and bobbed for apples! There were lambs, a turtle, a ladybug, cats, and several princesses in attendance. What a sight! Thanks to all who came and made this party one to remember.

Come join us! Wednesdays at 9:30 or10:30am...

We're still welcoming new families to our group. A couple moms prefer an earlier play time, so we now have TWO groups - one meets at 9:30 (Leader - Pam) and the other at 10:30 (Leader - Lynne). Both groups have children 0-2 years old, and the later group has a bunch of 3-4s also.

The second Wednesday of each month we'll visit Pinnacle Cheer for Tumble Time, 10am-noon. This will be our monthly, count-on-it play date. Your first visit is free, and subsequent visits are only $3/child (walking age +up) for two hours of wear-'em-out fun. It doesn't get any better than that!

Directory information (for active members only) is now available. Please ask Lynne if you need a Directory. Send an email to gnwplaygroup@gmail.com or call the Lodge at 681-2983 if you would like to join us and need more information. Please leave your name & phone number.

MOMS NIGHT OUT: Please comment on the discussion board about our next Night Out.

- - - - - - - - -

What's Going On, San Antonio?!?

Steven Stoli's explores the holiday with A Little Pilgrim's Thanksgiving through November 22. They also have Saturday shows! You can view the entire season lineup here. For showtimes and ticket prices please call the Box Office @ 210-408-0116, email them, or check their website.

The : Have you gone on the hunt for hiding frogs in the new TOADally Exhibit??! In addition to Zoo School and Tiny Tot classes, there's also Enchanted Evening Tours and Brunch with Santa. Visit www.sazoo-aq.org for more information and to register (some programs are free, most are discounted for zoo members).

You can buy fresh produce every Thursday at the Farmer's Market from 8am - 1pm in the parking lot. Little Sprouts, an interactive toddler class, is held the second Monday of the month and is free with admission. Visit their website for more information.

- - - - - - - - -

Kids Eat FREE!

We've found the following San Antonio eateries have specials for our families. Please note that almost all require purchase of an adult entree, and in some cases other restrictions apply. Click on the restaurant name for its website... and enjoy!

If you find another great place to eat a family meal for less, please EMAIL us so we can share the joy :)

Click here to access the easy-to-read online magazine, or pick up your FREE copy at HEB, Wal-Mart, and other retail locations the beginning of every month. Each issue includes coupons, articles, and directories of San Antonio family events & places.

- - - - - - - - -

Craft Corner

Search for a Craft

Have some supplies, but not sure what to do with them? Try Penn State University's Better Kid Care website! Along with documents for 101 Snack Ideas and How to Keep Kids Busy, there is a searchable Activities Database. Perfect for those rainy days when you can't figure out what to do.

- - - - - - - - -

<< If you have a WEBLINK, craft or rhyme to share, send it to gnwplaygroup@gmail.com ! >>

AACE (Friday School) - Alamo Area Christian Educators

Haven Home Educators - Jamie Miranda @ 210-733-1757 or mypinkkoala@aol.com

Home Education San Antonio - email contact@homeedsa.com

SAHERO - San Antonio Home Education Resources and Opportunities, Michelle Kretzschmar @ 210-587-2407

Smoothing the Way - NW group, Jeri Buchanan @ 210-699-8406 or jeffandjeri@sbcglobal.net

Guilt-Free Homeschooling - information & commentary from an 11-year veteran of homeschooling

• Great Northwest Branch (Timberwilde Dr, 684-5251)
• Maverik Branch (8700 Mystic Park, 680-9346)

Barnes & Noble - Bandera @1604 (521-2737 for info) - Tuesdays preschool at 11 am, Saturdays all ages at 11 am
San Antonio Children's Museum (305 E Houston St., 212-4453) - Wednesdays, Reading Adventures with Miss Tiffany at 10:30 am, free with museum admission
The Red Balloon (5009 Broadway, 826-5087) - Fridays at 10:30 am for all ages

The Witte Museum - Free admission on Tuesdays from 3-8 pm - daily interactive programs and exhibits, including HEBuddy's Clubhouse (357-1900)

San Antonio Zoo - Find $1 off admission coupons in Our Kids magazine; Buggy Babies playgroup (free, birth-2 yrs) and Tiny Tots classes ($15, ages 2-5) offered, along with Zoo School, a Mother's Day Out program for ages 3- 5. Call 734-7184 ext. 1501 or visit the website for details & registration.

Botanical Gardens - Check their calendar for special events, some with free admission (207-3250)

McNay Art Museum - View their calendar for free family-oriented interactive programs (824-5368)

San Antonio Children's Museum - View their calendar for daily activities for all ages (212-4453)