The Berry Patch

The BP yard sale was a great success but now we are left with a great deal of books, puzzles, craft materials, construction machine toys, stuffed animals, and other toys. They are all free at the Berry Patch and will be out of the lawn until tomorrow. Feel free to stop by and take what you please!

The yard sale is on! Lots of sales off 85th today. We'll be here until 2.

The Berry Patch is now officially closed! Veronica and Nicolie would like to take a moment to thank all of the Berry Patch families and kiddos for allowing us to be a part of your lives. Thank you to those who helped us along the way and gave us support and love through this tremendous experience. We will remember the Berry Patch fondly for life and hope we are not alone in our sentiments!

Today is the first day that baby friend Zivah has been with us for the whole day. The kids adore her, and she's been trying to belly scoot her way over to them as they play. At art, the crew drew pictures of favorite memories from BP. One tear-jerker: "I drew 'Team A' because I wish that [we] were all here to play together." Awww!

It's our last three days together! We headed to the Loyal Heights playground to practice the monkey bars. Afterward, we worked on the BP version of yearbooks--candid shots of friends from the last few months of school. The kids chatted and exchanged photos why pasting some inside a booklet. One guy made sure that his book had a prominent photo of himself inside the cover!

We're wrapping up our second to last week of operation with a trip to Green Lake! We took the bus to the playground and set the Berry Patchers free! They made several new friends while conquering obstacles like "the big slide" or the caterpillar ladder. Next we found a cozy picnic bench and enjoyed a quick lunch together before heading back to school!

Today our emphasis on the night sky had us crafting these star garlands (starlands?) The Berry Patchers used colored masking tape to align these stars (yes- the stars are aligned) and completed the project by adhering a second piece of tape to the other side.

The crew had a blast at the International Fountain today--a fitting place to end Seattle week. The powerful jets of water are intimidating, and take some getting used to. A few kids were brave enough to try the metal before being sprayed. We had our lunch next to the much more subdued wading pool, and most everyone liked it better than being in the roaring streams of the fountain. They will likely ask you for a play date there in the near future.

Today is all about the Space Needle! We are enjoying a read of "Wheedle on the Needle" and making these huge paper likenesses of our city's iconic structure. Look closely and observe the individual decks, windows, and FAA-approved antennae.

Welcome to Seattle week. We'll be checking out the kids' favorite sights across the city. So far, they have mentioned Salmon Bay Park, Trader Joe's, the car shop (?), and the zoo. We have a trek down to the international fountain on Thursday. The kids made a picture map of a few attractions. There was a lot of cooperation; "What is this? Where does this go?" The group explored the local park as cats as well!

We're here! Tables 18 and 19 near the south end of the beach!

Tell everyone you know! The Berry Patch will be having a yard sale on Saturday, August 23rd from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. All items will be priced to sell, no haggling necessary! There will be toys, musical instruments, outdoor equipment, and art and sensory play packs, among other things. We hope to see you there!