As we noted in the June 2015 issue of the Royer’s Kids Club newsletter, Buds, it’s important to keep reading and learning even during summer vacation. Here’s an expanded version of a list of books that families can read aloud together that we touched on in Buds:
“Mr. Popper’s Penguins” by Richard and Florence Atwater
The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by dreams of the Polar regions.
“The End of the Beginning” by Avi
Avon the snail and Edward, a take-charge ant, set off together on a journey to an undetermined destination in search of unspecified adventures.
“The Penderwicks” by Jeanne Birdsall
While vacationing with their father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.
“A Bear Called Paddington” by Michael Bond
A very small bear found by Mr. and Mrs. Brown at Paddington Station becomes a member of the family.
“The Mouse and the Motorcycle” by Beverly Cleary
A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling.
“My Father’s Dragon” by Ruth Stiles Gannett
A young boy runs away from home to rescue an abused baby dragon held captive to serve as a free 24-hour, seven-days-a-week ferry for the lazy wild animals living on Wild Island.
“The Year of Billy Miller” by Kevin Henkes
Seven-year-old Billy Miller starts second grade with a bump on his head and a lot of worries, but by the end of the year he has developed good relationships with his teacher, his little sister, and his parents and has learned many important lessons.
“Toys Go Out” by Emily Jenkins
Lumphy is a stuffed buffalo. StingRay is a stuffed stingray. And Plastic… well, Plastic isn’t quite sure what she is. They all belong to the Little Girl who lives on the high bed with the fluffy pillows. A very nice person to belong to.
“Pippi Longstocking” by Astrid Lindgren
Annalina’s diary entries reflect her feelings and experiences as she goes from being afraid to go to kindergarten to loving it during her first month of school.
“Gooney Bird Greene” by Lois Lowry
A most unusual new student who loves to be the center of attention entertains her teacher and fellow second graders by telling absolutely true stories about herself, including how she got her name.
“Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle” by Betty MacDonald
From her upside-down house, the eccentric Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle issues to parents her marvelous cures for such common children’s diseases as Won’t-Put-Away-Toys-itis, Answerbackism, and Fighter-Quarrelitis.
“The World of Winnie-the-Pooh” by A.A. Milne
The world of Pooh is a world of enchantment. It is a world where Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga and the others share unforgettable adventures with Christopher Robin.
Author: Neal
Royer’s Kids Club birthday card design contest runs now through July 17
We’re looking for budding artists to enter our annual birthday card design contest.
The winning design will adorn the Royer’s Kids Club birthday card, which will be emailed to all kids club members on their birthdays. (You can see last year’s winning card to the left.)
The artist will receive free flowers on his or her birthday.
The contest is open to children ages 5 to 12. The deadline to enter is July 17.
The entry form may be downloaded at www.royers.com/kidsclub and dropped off at the nearest Royer’s.
Royer’s Kids Club event June 20 to kick off annual ‘Stems Hunger’ food drive
Royer’s Flowers & Gifts’ annual food drive – Royer’s Stems Hunger – will take place June 20-27 to benefit the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
Royer’s Kids Club will help out with a special event on June 20 for children ages 5 to 12. They are asked to donate a non-perishable food item as the price of admission and to bring an empty food can to fill with flowers and take home.
Participants also will have an opportunity to enter the kids club’s birthday card design contest and to create a Father’s Day card.
Time slots are available at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. at each of Royer’s 16 stores in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.
Registration is required by calling your nearest Royer’s store.
Royer’s Stems Hunger benefits the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
Royer’s food drive back for fifth year, June 20-27
Royer’s Stems Hunger, our annual food drive, will return June 20-27 to benefit the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
Customers who donate a non-perishable food item during the event will receive a free carnation, up to six flowers per family per visit.
The food drive will be the theme of our June 20 Royer’s Kids Club event; more details to come on that in the days ahead.
Our friends at Drayer Physical Therapy Institute will be helping us again this year, collecting food at the company’s outpatient physical therapy centers in Camp Hill, Carlisle, Colonial Park, Enola, Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg.
M is for Mother’s Day and a morning on abc27
Having completed three live segments and starting her fourth, abc27’s Karissa Shatzer knew a lot more about Mother’s Day flower options than when she began.
What she didn’t know was which one(s) she liked best.
“Well, after this, it might be even harder to choose because there’s so much here,” she told viewers.
Shatzer interviewed Barry Spengler, Royer’s vice president of operations, at our Camp Hill store on May 4, 2015.
Among the options Barry offered:
- Silk arrangements, which are good for people who suffer from allergies;
- Cut-flower arrangement, already made, for $15 to $30;
- Dendrobium orchids, which are popular for proms, too;
- Rose bunch, which Mom can design and arrange;
- Gerbera daisies.
“That’s a really popular flower,” Barry said. “We sell an awful lot of Gerbera daisies.”
You can see more suggestions by watching the entire segment:
Mother’s Day: making of our Traditions Basket
It takes a variety of flowers and many hands to create our Traditions Basket.
In fact, Royer’s team members working in our central design department in Lebanon handcrafted hundreds of the baskets in the days leading up to Mother’s Day.
The baskets comprise Baker Fern, pink mini carnations, red carnations, daisy pompons (lavender, yellow and white), alstroemeria, gypsophilia (baby’s breath), and a bow.
You can follow the design process in the slideshow below; to order a Traditions Basket, click here.
Administrative professionals loyal, social media savvy: survey
When bosses want to tweet, they only need to turn to their administrative assistants for help.
Some 84.3 percent of administrative professionals are social media savvy and are generally more tech-savvy than their bosses, according to Staples’ fourth annual survey tied to Administrative Professionals Day on April 22.
Among other survey highlights:
- Admins also rated higher than bosses when it comes to creative problem solving, sense of humor, being a team player, and likelihood of being described as a friend.
- Nearly 46 percent of admins have been with their companies for six or more years.
- When admins were asked who they would most enjoy as their boss, historical figures topped the list in the United States. Movie stars were preferred by their Canadian counterparts.
Meanwhile, nearly eight out of 10 survey participants said their company does a good job of making administrative assistants feel appreciated. April 22 provides another opportunity.
Royer’s Kids Club spring reading list
Every November, Royer’s holds a weeklong children’s-book drive to benefit area public libraries. To encourage the reading habit, we include a reading list in each quarterly issue of our Royer’s Kids Club newsletter, Buds.
Many baby animals arrive in spring, which is the focus of our latest reading list, courtesy of Heather Smith, youth services librarian at ELANCO Library in Lancaster County:
“Little White Rabbit” by Kevin Henkes
This story about a bunny exploring a garden in the springtime is a perfect read-aloud.
“Smick!” by Doreen Cronin
Can a big dog be friends with a little chick? Find out in the newest book by the author of “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type.”
“Animal Babies” by Harry McNaught
Readers will learn the names of 20 different baby animals in this beautifully illustrated classic.
“Deep in the Swamp” by Donna M. Bateman
This counting book features animal families that live in the Okefenokee Swamp.
“I Hatched!” by Jill Esbaum
A baby killdeer chick pecks its way out of its shell and discovers a wondrous world.
“Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White
Older children will love reading about a baby pig who starts out as the runt of the litter but grows up to become friends with a savvy spider.
The Royer’s Kids Club is free to children ages 5 to 12. Membership benefits include a membership card, Web site activities, giveaways, contests, member-only events and the Buds newsletter. Click here to register.
Fox 43: spring and Easter flowers
It was another egg-cellent visit to Fox 43 Morning News for Barry Spengler, our vice president of operations. He joined host Amy Lutz to discuss spring and Easter flowers and plants.
“Winter’s kind of getting out of the way,” Barry said, “and let’s get some spring.”
Among the highlights:
- With hyacinth and tulips, the plants sometimes are immature when you get them. Just give them three to five days to develop. “Don’t be afraid of them,” Barry said, “… you’ll see them open up in the home. So just be patient.”
- Unlike in the fall, a mum this time of year is not a hardy mum. “So enjoy it inside, you can put it on your porch for the summer,” Barry said. “But don’t put it in the ground, it will die for next year.”
- Easter lilies and calla lilies offer a nice fragrance and can be planted outside but should be kept in a protected area, such as near your home.
- With bulb plants, once their blooms are “shot,” let the foliage die back into the bulb. This will provide nutrients that will strengthen the bulb. “Over the summer, you can just let that dry in the pot, plant it in the fall, and you’ll see them next year,” Barry said.
Here’s the entire segment:
Signs of the season
Spring and Easter are on full display in our stores, as evidenced by these photos from our Hershey location.
