From the Desk of Aly B.
I recently asked some new parents how they felt about celebrating their baby’s first birthday. Some said they felt nostalgic for the very earliest days when the baby is just becoming aware of their surroundings. Some said they felt accomplished that they made it through the first year of the unknowns. But almost ALL of them said they were hopeful and excited for the next steps in the journey.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve already come full circle on our first year here at GROWING SOUND PLAY AND LEARN. I never imagined I would be at this place to begin with, and yet here we are. Just like welcoming a new baby to your family, this venture took months of planning, preparation and patience. We’ve learned so much, about so much! I am grateful for those who supported us, taught us, mentored us, bought from us, sold to us, and even just prayed for us or encouraged us. We still see a lot of life ahead as we grow and change. We feel a lot like babies transitioning to toddlerhood, that remarkable journey from awareness to self-regulation. This month we are celebrating first step accomplishments. We are celebrating learning curves. And we are celebrating growth with new products, new partnerships, and new event opportunities. We hope you’ll continue this journey with us.
Check out some of these first-year highlights:
- September-Gsplayandlearn.com launches on 9/10/23 via a licensing partnership with Growing Sound Music.
- October-Our Email list starts to grow when we begin to offer 8 award-winning songs to download for FREE from our music partner: David Kisor/Kisor Music LLC.
- November-Growing Sound Play and Learn participates in our first LIVE event Vendor Fair.
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- December-Testimonials from customers start filling our inbox. “We just got our first order, and we love everything!”
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- January-We add a Clearance page to the website so customers can find great SALE items.
- February-We introduce a bunch of new products to promote family engagement. Bingo games, Memory and Matching Games, Build A Story Cards and more.
- March-Growing Sound Play and Learn participates in the Cincinnati Montessori Society Conference with amazing educators shopping our table.
- April-We join in the fun of the Great North American Eclipse by introducing a variety of space-themed products (and watched the eclipse with our cool glasses too).
- May-We head to a full day of training in Louisville, KY with our marketplace partners: TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS and begin to add new resources to our TPT Digital Store.
- June-Our social media presence is growing, and we hit 200 followers on Instagram.
- July-We get to take a little vacation to visit with out-of-town family, but also share some great products for families taking road trips.
- August-It’s Back to School season already and we put emphasis on great products to help with foundational learning.
And now, as we move into our 2nd year, we are especially excited to announce our new brick and mortar retail space with Painted Tree Boutiques. Our beautiful space launched September 1 in the Greater Cincinnati location. We can’t wait to share with you how this space evolves! And just as I said in my blog one year ago…trust the magic of new beginnings.
Of course, if you ever want to drop us a note you can do so via email, or through our contact page. We welcome your feedback, comments, collaborations, and encouragement. info@gsplayandlearn.com