Learn and Play at Emily’s

Emily’s Playhouse carries a big toy selection that emphasizes fun, educational, creative play.

Sitting on a pink Wahoo dog, three-year-old Tayla Vance hugs a Madame Alexander Playful Petals doll.

Cindy Rickard believes that play should be fun as well as educational and creative. For over seven years, her store, Emily’s Playhouse, located in Claremore’s Ne-Mar Shopping Center, has been providing brands geared toward the basics. “We carry ­puzzles, arts and crafts, and books that encourage children to use their minds,” says Cindy.

“We don’t carry high-tech toys,” she adds. “Our brands are unique, and we carry things you probably won’t find in your local department stores. We have a lot of educational toys to help with hand and eye coordination.” One of the top classic brands she offers is products by Melissa & Doug, known for their wooden toys. Emily’s Playhouse also ­carries some of the company’s arts and crafts merchandise as well as puzzles, food play, dollhouses, ­castles, hand puppets, puppet ­theatres and stuffed animals. “Our Melissa & Doug merchandise always sells well,” she says.

Other products designed for fun are those by Klutz. The how-to books come packaged with the tools of their trade (from juggling cubes to face paints to yo-yos), and are designed for doing, not just reading. “We have creative kits in the Chicken Socks line for ages four and up,” says Cindy, “while the 100% Klutz Certified kits are geared for ages eight and up.” With titles like “Hand Art,” “Super Scissors Book Art,” “Fabulous Flowers,” “Thumb Doodle Book,” “Cat’s Cradle” and “Invasion of the Bristle Bots,” parents are sure to find a creative project or activity book to inspire their youngster. “One activity book that has been ­popular is the ‘The Cootie Catcher Book,’” Cindy adds.

Finding a toy that will delight that special child at Christmas shouldn’t be a problem because Emily’s Playhouse has an assortment of other merchandise, including Thomas Wooden Train Sets, Wahoo inflatable animals, Webkinz stuffed animals, and games like Monster Bowling, Throw the Tail at the Donkey and Travel Bingo.

The specialty store also carries a large selection of children’s books, including books by New York Times bestselling authors Anna Dewdney, Loren Long and Jan Brett, one of the nation’s foremost author illustrators of children’s books. For the youngest girl, or those who love to collect dolls, Emily’s Playhouse has Middleton, a line of baby dolls, and Madame Alexander. “Madame Alexander dolls are collectibles,” says Cindy, “and have been around for a long time.”

For young girls or teens, Emily’s Playhouse offers an array of different jewelry lines guaranteed to put a smile on any face at Christmas time. Many of the lines are “make-it-yourself” jewelry, allowing the giver to personalize the gift. Brands include Charm It by High IntenCity, known as “the original, interchangeable and ­customizable, I just can’t stop smiling” brand.

Other jewelry designed to please, includes The Bead Shop’s Build a Better Bracelet, and MOGO’s magnet charms with a charm band. For proud moms and grandmothers, you can purchase Ganz’s My Kids Initial Charms for bracelets and ­necklaces. Emily’s Playhouse’s clothing lines cater to newborn through 6x for girls and newborn through 9 months for boys. Also on hand is a line of little girls’ Christmas apparel from the Mud Pie collections.  ­

Customization is available at the store because Cindy makes her own creative line of hair bows. “We can make custom bows to match any outfit,” says Cindy. “Just bring in the outfit to the store and we can make the hair bows to go with it.”

Cindy believes in personal care. “We help our customers individually and want them to enjoy our fun atmosphere,” she says. “We always try to be upbeat, and when parents come in ­nervous because they don’t want their kids to touch anything, we reassure them that it’s okay to play.” The store offers year-round 60-day layaway with 25 percent down and a payment every two weeks. “We will be open Christmas Eve until 7 p.m. or until the last customer leaves,” Cindy says.

For more information, contact

Emily’s Playhouse

www.emilysplayhouse.com

About Author Carol Beck-Round

After 30 years in public school education, Carol Round retired and moved from Grand Lake to Claremore, Oklahoma in 2005, where she writes a weekly faith-based column which runs in 14 Oklahoma newspapers as well as several national and international publications. Three volumes of her columns have been compiled into collections: A Matter of Faith, Faith Matters and by FAITH alone. She has also written Journaling with Jesus: How to Draw Closer to God and a companion workbook, The 40-Day Challenge. This past year she has written three children’s books, a series called Nana’s 3 Jars, to teach children about the value of giving, saving and spending money. All of Carol’s books are available through Amazon. In addition to writing her weekly column, authoring books and speaking to women’s groups, she writes for Value News. She also blogs regularly at www.carolaround.com. When she is not writing or speaking, she loves spending time with her three grandchildren, working in her flowerbeds, shooting photos, volunteering at her church or going on mission trips overseas, and hiking. She is also an avid reader and loves working crosswords and trying to solve Sudoku puzzles.