Starlight Pottery at 7070 Hodgson Memorial Drive offers tons of kid-friendly, as well as mom-friendly, activities.

First, Starlight Pottery has teamed with Amanda Reed’s Tippy Toes Pottery, famous throughout our area for personalizing pottery – using your child’s footprints, hand prints or finger prints to create a whimsical painting on mugs, plates and more.  The Tippy Toes line is on display at Starlight Pottery and parent’s can bring their children to get handprints and footprints. Amanda will turn them in to the beautiful works of art that she’s known for.

Moms can still book Tippy Toes Parties and receive discounts on pottery. They can even host their event at Starlight Pottery‘s studio.

Starlight Pottery offers Kids Night Out 6-8 PM Sat. Sept. 25. It’s for ages 5 and up. Children will make a Halloween plate. Cost is $25 and that includes pottery painting, pizza, drinks, and games. Yes, this is a drop off event . Parents can use this time for a childfree dinner out. Think date night. 

Starlight Pottery also offers Ladies Night Out 6-8 PM Thurs., Sept. 30. Ladies can get a group of friends together, reserve a table, and bring food and drink to have a fun evening out. It’s a great time to start making gifts. No additional fees, just the price of the pottery that you choose to paint.

Starlight Pottery will do on-site storytimes for preK and Kindergarten classes. Price is $10-$12 per child. Startlight will come to a classroom to read a story and the children paint a piece of pottery related to the story. Or class can come to Starlight Pottery studio for a Storytime Field Trip.

SouthernMamas readers receive a Startlight Pottery discount through Dec. 31 , 2010: Book a birthday party with 8 or more guests and the birthday child paints free (Up to a $15 value).

For more info or to make reservations for a Tippy Toes party, Kids Night Out, or Ladies Night Out , call 912.303.9599.

Starlight Pottery’s paint-your-own-pottery studio is in mid-town Savannah. The studio is in the Eisenhower Shopping Plaza at the intersection of Eisenhower and Hodgson Memorial Drive. Starlight Pottery is a great place to host your next birthday party, bridal shower, baby shower, youth group, ladies group, etc. Become a fan on Facebook and receive special announcements and offers.

Live Oak Public Libraries storytimes are a wonderful FREE way to expose your child to storybooks read aloud by a librarian as well as songs and fingerplays. Plus, attending storytimes regularly helps your child to become accustomed to visiting the library. Here’s the breakdown of regular storytimes at Live Oak Public Libraries. For branch locations, click here.

Bull Street Library, 652-3630
Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 3 and 4
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 0 to 2

Forest City Library, 238-0614
Tuesdays at 11 a.m. for ages 3 to 4

Hinesville Library, 368-4003
Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 3 and up
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 0 to 2

Islands Library, 897-6233
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 0 to 5

Oglethorpe Mall Library, 925-5432
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 0 to 4

Pooler Library, 748-0471
Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 3 to 4

Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 1 to 2

Port City Library, 964-8013
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 3 to 4

Rincon Library, 826-2222
Wednesdays at 10:15 for ages 1 to 2 years
Wednesdays at 11 a.m. for ages 2 to 4 years

Southwest Chatham Library, 925-8305
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 0 to 2.
Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 0 to 4
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 3 to 5

Springfield Library, 754-3003
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 2 to 4 years

Thunderbolt Library, 354-5864
Tuesdays at 11 a.m. for ages 0 to 5

Tybee Library, 786-7733
Tuesdays at 11 a.m. for ages 0 to 5

Laura Numeroff, award-winning author of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and “If You Give a Pig a Pancake,” is among the many talented guests in this year’s lineup at the 2009 Savannah Children’s Book Festival.

The festival – one of the best local kids’ events – is set for 10 AM-4 PM Sat., Nov. 14 at Forsyth Park in Savannah. This beloved event celebrates the joy of reading, the power of the written word and the magic of storytelling with children’s book authors and illustrators from around the country.

The festival will also include dozens of Low Country authors, arts and crafts, food vendors, a variety of entertainment, costumed characters, and much more. The Savannah Children’s Book Festival is presented by Live Oak Public Libraries and the City of Savannah.

Rain location for the event is the Savannah Civic Center.

For more information, call 912-652-3689 or click here.

Other guests at the festival include:
David Biedrzycki, “Ace Lacewing”
Bruce Degen, “The Magic School Bus”
Dr. Jean Feldman, “A Survival Guide for Preschool Teachers”
Patrick Jones, “Chasing Taillights”
Doc Neal, “What’s in a Doctor’s Bag?”
Kyle Puttkammer, “Galaxy Man”
Charles R. Smith Jr., “Dance with Me”
Mike Thaler, “Teacher from the Black Lagoon”
John and Danita Thomas, “The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions”
Michael P. White, “The Library Dragon”
Mrs. Rosa, host of “PBS Kids”

There’s a special storytime 10-11 AM Wed. June 3 @ the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, 601 W. Harris St

For ages 2-5. The theme: Fun in the Sun. Children will make ocean bottles & hear stories about summertime fun. Register at 912.651.6823 (note a different number than what was included in our weekly newsletter) or email childrensevents@chsgeorgia.org.

The Roundhouse Railroad Museum has a special once-a-month story and craft time in the Kidz Zone in the museum’s baggage car.

For more storytimes happening in the local area this summer, visit our new storytime page which lists a variety of storytime locations. .

A reminder about a new storytime in town.

It’s @ The Roundhouse Railroad Museum @ 601 W. Harris St. in downtown Savannah, starting Wednesday, Feb. 11 10 – 11 am. In the Kids Zone Baggage Car. For ages 2-5.

The theme for that week is “Will You Be My Valentine?” Cost : $4 per child, plus adult admission.

Reservations are required. Call 912.651.6823 or email childrensevents@chsgeorgia.org.

The event kicks off  a special once-a-month story and craft time @ The Roundhouse Railroad Museum. Click here upcoming storytime themes and dates.

 Thanks to savvy SouthernMamas reader Lia Hyatt for sharing this tip: Oatland Island Wildlife Center will not cancel their regular Toddler Tuesdays story, craft and animal visitor program after all. The good news was announced @ this past week’s Toddler Tuesday.

Last month, organizers had said  there are no plans to continue the popular program this year because of budget cuts. The wildlife center receives funds from money-strapped Savannah-Chatham County Public School System.

We’re thrilled the program is expected to start up again mid-January. Click here for upcoming updates on when it will start.

What a great reason to become a member of Oatland Island, especially now that membership rates have been lowered. It now costs $35 for a family of six, compared to the previous price of $60. Click here for membership info and here for rates.

Registration begins Wednesday (Sept. 24) for for the Baby Programs @ the Hilton Head Branch Library.

Beth Green, dubbed the “Music Lady,” will present the programs for babies ages newborn to 6 months @ 11 am on Sat. Oct. 11, 25 and Nov. 1. The fourth program will be @ 12:30 pm Sat., Nov 8.

Please bring a blanket for your little one. Each class explores parental-musical bonding, baby sign, certified infant massage techniques choreographed to music, and musical stimulus and response activities. Each class will be different.

Register for each session in person, by phone @ 843.342.9200 or by emailing jmorgan@bcgov.net.

Hilton Head Branch Library also offers a regular Do-Drop-In storytime @ 10 am every Saturday in the library’s indoor amphitheater. For children of all ages.

Stories, songs, silliness, take-home ideas and more. Residents and visitors are welcome.

The popular Toddler Tuesdays craft, storytime and animal program @ Oatland Island Wildlife Center is about to get better.

Starting Tues. Sept. 16, Toddler Tuesdays will feature more age appropriate activities on alternating weeks.

• Each month, the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month will be more appropriate for 6 month-2 year olds.

• The 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month will be more appropriate for 3-4 year olds.

• On the rare 5th weeks of each month, the program will be appropriate for all ages

Of course, all toddler ages from 6 months-4 years are welcome to attend any of the programs! Toddler Tuesdays is from 10:30-11:15 am every Tuesday. It’s free with regular admission to Oatland Island Wildlife Center.

Dates, ages and topics are also posted on Oatland’s Web site. Click here.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again.

If you haven’t taken your toddler to the 10:30 am Thursday story time @ Bull Street Library with librarian Sha Dishong, then your child (and you) are missing out on a beloved part of growing up (and raising children) in our area.

Story time @ Bull Street for 0-2 year-olds (there’s also story and craft time 10:30 am Wednesdays for 3-4 year-olds) unfolds inside a cottage playhouse that looks like it’s right out of a Golden Book.

Sha is a pro at getting and keeping kids’ attention, even toddlers, with energetic choruses of “Hurry Up, Hurry Up, Drive that Fire Truck,” “Little Red Wagon” and standards like “Wheels on the Bus.”

You can read all about Sha and her job as children’s librarian in this recent Savannah Morning News article (photo by John Carrington, SMN). The woman obviously has found her calling: helping children share her love for books. Congrats Sha and thank you!

To find out about other story times in our area, click here.