Everyone wants less clutter

How can you have less clutter AND more play options?

Easy! Donate your extra toys to a Toy Library and borrow them back a few at a time.

 If 100 families did this each family would have access to a thousand toys for their children while 

their houses would only have a few selected toys to play with at any one time. As soon as your 

children are "over" the toys they picked they can visit the Toy Library and choose something new 

to play with. And because the toys are ownership neutral your children are more likely to share. 

Join the clutter free club!

Visit the Toy Library of Central Florida

toylibraryofcentralflorida.org

dawn.tlcf@gmail.com

407-592-7575

2517 East Semoran Blvd

Apopka FL 32703

Sponsored Post 

The Amaya Papaya Play Zone @ the Zora Festival of the Arts and Humanities

Amaya Papaya is sponsoring the PLAY ZONE for children 0-4 years old at the Zora Festival of the Arts and Humanities in Eatonville, FL, on Friday January 27, 2012 - Sunday January 29, 2012. The Zora Festival honors the life and achievements of Zora Neal Hurston, renowned 20th century writer, folklorist and anthologist. The Zora Festival is entering its 23nd year and the expected three-day attendance is 75,000 attendees. About forty percent of the visitors to the festival will come from outside the Orlando metro area.

This past January, Amaya Papaya - Play Lounge was honored to be one of the Zora Festival’s collaborative sponsors. As a sponsor, we provided the festival with it’s first Play Zone especially designed for kids 0-4 years old. We had the opportunity to meet a multitude children and families, serve our community by giving back and have tons of fun!! The Amaya Papaya- Play Zone was such a huge success that we have been asked to come back again next year!

I would like to invite you and your company to join Amaya Papaya for this awesome event by sponsoring an activity or an interactive booth for children and their families to play and explore. Your partnership would be an added bonus to the event and would provide great exposure for your business as well. The Amaya Papaya Play Zone will be located in the Hungerford Prepartory School gymnasium on Kennedy Blvd. The Amaya Papaya Play zone will be especially designed for kids 0-4 years old. The PLAY Zone will be divided into different stations for children to explore and play with their parents assistance.

I am requesting the assistance of local vendors and volunteers in the community to come out and be a part of this special event by volunteering your time at the various stations or for you to do a workshop, performance or interactive showcase at your own table provided by your business.
Examples of activities would be:
music performances(interactive musical performances with the kids)
entertainment (character greetings, magic shows, provide music, circle time leaders etc.)
craft/game tables
story time readers
mini workshops (computer, crafts, etiquette, etc.)

This festival is a great opportunity for your business or organization to give back to the community and market yourself as a community partner of an established event that has been happening in our backyard for 22 years! Your businesses is projected to be seen by 75,000 people over the 3 day event. You will have access to an audience of educated professionals who have an earned income of $50,000 or more; who are family-oriented and who are brand-loyal to ZORA! Festival sponsors.

If you would like to be a part of this opportunity by either volunteering at one of our play areas or by sponsoring your own play area/table please contact Yolonda at Amaya Papaya!


Thank you for your support of the Amaya Papaya Play Zone and the Zora Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA! Festival)


Sincerely,

Yolonda Tyler
President - Amaya Papaya
Amaya Papaya - Play Zone

On the Move

Daily Specials

Mellow Mondays - Wear an Amaya Papaya t-shirt or purchase and Amaya Papaya t-shirt and get in for 1/2 off!

Terrific Tuesdays - Happy Hour 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. all kids get in for 1/2 off!

Wiggly Wednesdays - Wear an Amaya Papaya t-shirt or purchase and Amaya Papaya t-shirt and get in for 1/2 off!

After School Thursdays - Treat the kids to a visit at Amaya Papaya for a job well done. All kids 1-5 get in for $7.99 between 3 p.m.- 6 p.m.

Fun Family Fridays - Pay regular price for the first child and each additional child in the same family gets in 1/2 off!


It has been over a month since we opened the doors to Amaya Papaya and I am very grateful for the community that has welcomed us with open arms. We have had over 1000 children visit the play lounge and I look forward to meeting even more children and there families in the near future. If you have not had the chance to come in to PLAY we are open Monday - Thursday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and on Friday from 11:30 a.m. -7 p.m. **We are open on Saturday's if we DO NOT have private parties or events booked.

****WE WILL BE OPEN THIS SATURDAY 9/19/09 FOR OPEN PLAY 1P.M. - 7 P.M*****

Not a Kids Gym

We have had many inquiries about the play lounge over the past month. With Amaya Papaya being a new concept in play places for the 5 and under crowd in central Florida we wanted to be sure that you could help us spread the word about OUR place and help the community understand just what going on here.

We are not a kids gym...we will leave that to the experts! We are a play lounge...simply put we are an OPEN PLAY indoor play space in which families can visit anytime during the day on there schedule without a reservation or membership. We are specifically for the little people 5 and under, which means you have no big kids running around and all of our toys are geared specifically for your infant, toddler and preschooler.
We have no video games or BIG play equipment that may be over stimulating for your child.

We do offer classes, however they are not those that you will find in your traditional enrichment class centers. We strive to offer classes that are unique and non-traditional. After much marketing, research, feedback and request(yes, we listen to YOU) we have decided to offer our classes on a drop in basis rather than committed scheduled classes until further notice. We have found that in a setting such as Amaya Papaya families need flexibility. Most of our classes will be offered on a drop in when you would like basis and will allow families to not feel the pressure of having to commit to a weekly session if they are not able to attend or need a break.

Our parties are fantastic, just ask our most recent party families. Our parties allow your little ones to have FUN in an unstructured environment. We can facilitate an activity if you wanted one... but we are sure that your party goers will be fully entertained during the entire party in our 7 themed play areas! Our parties range from doing it all your self, doing a little bit with our help or you simply doing nothing but showing up to party and letting us take care of all the details for you!


Grand Opening


Our grand opening was GREAT! We had over 300 people show up! It was so nice to be able to share Amaya Papaya with all of you. After months of preparation we finally got to have the PARTY that we had been dreaming of for 2 years! Amaya had a great time in her custom made tutu and headband. Thomas and I were amazed by all of the wonderful people that we met!

We would especially like to thank all of the LOCAL vendors that contributed to our giveaways and would like to congratulate the families that won prizes!

$25 Gift Certificate from Once Upon a Child
Laura W.

$25 Gift Certificate from Discovery Toys
Jodi R.

A Halloween Tutu made by Doodle and Goo:
Amy C.

Complimentary Session from Andrea Richburg Photography:
Jen M.

25% Off Gift Certificate from Andrea Richburg Photography:
Toshiko G.

50% Off Gift Certificate from Andrea Richburg
Melissa B.

Estate Planning Package from Murphy & Co.
Mandy P.

Complimentary Session Erick Hopkins:
Elizabeth O.

50% Off Portrait Session Erick Hopkins:
Lee-Ann H.

Free Amaya Papaya T-shirt:
Troy G.


Your Office Away from Home

Are you in search of a place where you can get some work done while your kids are entertained? Well look no further....Amaya Papaya is the perfect place for work from home parents, college students with young children or someone with a young child that simply wants to surf the web or read a book for a few moments. We have FREE wi-fi and plenty of toys to keep your child entertained while you work. Stop by your local coffee shop, bring the kids a snack and come prepared to get some work done. * ask for the wi-fi access code at the front desk.


Remember the importance of Play,

Yolonda,
Amaya's mom

What does that mean?

As we take time to reflect on the importance of Mothering I would like to share with you my inspiration for the Amaya Papaya name and logo. AMAYA PAPAYA is a TERM OF ENDEARMENT FOR MY DEAREST DAUGHTER (and best business partner ever) Amaya, whom just happens to be so Fabulous and we LOVE her.

When I was pregnant with Amaya I dreaded the thought of getting STRETCH MARKS!! It was not until 2 days before I gave birth that the first stretch mark appeared, from that moment on they spread like wild fire! I was devastated (or so I thought, vain I know).

Once Amaya was born my favorite song to sing to her was MY GIRL by the Temptations. The first line was so true..."I got SUNSHINE on a cloudy day".... Amaya was truly my SUNSHINE in the mist of anything that I was going through as a new mom.

When Amaya began to speak she would ask me about the boo boo's on my belly. I would tell her that they where not boo boo's at all. I began telling her that the stretch marks where SUN RAYS that I was blessed with when she was inside my belly.

As I began to think of a logo for Amaya Papaya I thought that nothing would be more fitting than the SUNSHINE to represent Amaya and every other child that a parent has been blessed with.

Ask Amaya....she will tell you how she put the SUNSHINE on mommy's belly!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

The evolution of a new movement

It has been such a humbling journey creating and preparing for the opening of Amaya Papaya. I am delighted about the community forming around me and know that we are creating a space that will benefit all of us. I would like to thank everyone that has signed up to be on our contact list, spread the word about Amaya Papaya or provided support in some way to this project thus far.

At this time we have secured a space in the Casselberry Collection Plaza on Highway17-92(near Publix). It is a 2300 square foot space that is sure to be filled with positive energy and love. We are working with a local bank and we are now in the waiting stage to access the funds to finance the project.

Unfortunately due to the situation with the banks nationally, we have been delayed in beginning the build out process. Rest assured we will begin soon! We are working with a builder who has created plans for the space (I will upload the plans soon). We also have a complete list of equipment and toys waiting to be ordered or stored away waiting to be placed in the space as soon as the build out is complete.

I have met and talked to some awesome people over the past year that want to provide workshops, classes, retail items and other exciting services and/or products at Amaya Papaya. The services and/or products planned promise to be informative, eclectic,entertaining, beneficial and uplifting.

If you would like more information or want to be a part of the Amaya Papaya movement in some way, please log onto the website, sign up to be on the contact list or email me for more information.

Peace and Harmony

Yolonda,
Amaya's Mom

What's going on with Amaya Papaya

Hello my fellow Amaya Papaya supporters,

I am sorry that we have been out of touch over the last month and a half. It has been such a busy month with the Holidays, Amaya's Birthday coming soon and planning for Amaya Papaya. I am currently searching for a new building for Amaya Papaya. Hopefully we will secure a building in the Casselberry area soon. I am working with a pair of brokers who thus far are doing a wonderful job at providing me with information about buildings in the area. We have been successful in narrowing down the search to 3 spaces that I like a lot. Hopefully this week we can begin the process of securing the lease and preparing to make plans to open Amaya Papaya. I am so grateful thus far that I have made connections with so many people throughout this process and hope to continue meeting new and exciting people that are as excited about Amaya Papaya as I am.


If you are interested or know someone who would be intersted in teaching a class or volunteering to read during storytime please leave a comment or email me so we can talk soon.


Please continue to spread the word about Amaya Papaya "where kids play and parents lounge".

Peace and Blessings
Yolonda

The Play Lounge

The “Play Lounge” will be the focus of the facility. Parents and their children will be welcomed into a shoe free environment that will allow children to learn, explore and have fun as they crawl, walk and run their way through our facility. Each play area will feature age appropriate toys that are safe and checked periodically to ensure no child safety recalls.

Themed play areas:

Market and Café- grocery store stocked with play food and shopping carts, toddler sized kitchen stocked with food, a table and house keeping items

Theatre-stage, dress up costumes, microphones and puppet theatre

Builders’ Square -large blocks

Library- Giant chalk Board, books, puzzles

Playground- wooden indoor play structure that includes a rock climbing wall, slide and ball pit

Discover zone- Running water table and sand box

Baby/Toddler Zone- Soft contained play structures and other age appropriate toys

Arts Studio- Tables and chairs, Daily craft projects, crayons, paper, ect