Today's Wilmington News Journal frontpage article:

3/15/2007 7:32:00 AM

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The Treehouse, something different in Wilmington for young children and their parents, will have open house hours Friday and Saturday. In the foreground left to right are operators Jennifer Spees and Tammy Reed. The kids in the photo left to right are Sophia Reed, Trey Reed, Jaxton Spees and Xander Spees. Unique space for kids opens Puppet theater, pirate boat swing will spark fun, creativity Wilmington residents Jennifer Spees and Tammy Reed will host a grand opening of The Treehouse, a unique play space designed especially for young children. The Treehouse will have open house hours from 10 a.m. to noon on both Fridays and Saturdays, as well as from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Fridays. The Treehouse is located at 35 N. South St. in downtown Wilmington. The Treehouse aims to provide a safe, creative, fun environment for children to explore, learn, interact and develop new skills. "We created The Treehouse with the intention of enriching the community by offering organized playgroups, yoga for kids, parent/infant sign language classes, and birthday parties," Spees said. Reed added, "We hope to offer children of Wilmington and the surrounding communities a place to play, use their imaginations, and cooperate with peers." Spees holds a master's degree in human development and family studies from Colorado State University, and a bachelor's in early childhood education from Miami University. She previously worked at various child development centers focusing on children ages birth to 6. She has two sons ages 4 and 1, and is pregnant with her third child. Reed holds a bachelor's degree in humanities from Antioch University McGregor in Yellow Springs. She is certified as a yoga instructor by Karma Kids Yoga. Reed has extensive experience working with children of all ages. She has three children, ages 7, 4 and 1. In the one-hour playgroups, children will experiment with art, media, music, creative and cooperative play with peers. Time will permit both free play and structured activities with a playgroup facilitator. The 45-minute Yoga For Kids class for 3- to 5-year-olds is designed to introduce a child to yoga through a series of fun, creative and sometimes silly activities. The 45-minute Infant Sign Language class for expectant moms to 2-year-olds is designed to help your infant or toddler communicate before they can use words. Studies show signing with an infant leads to better communication, and also enhances language skills, stimulates intellectual development and promotes prereading skills, according to Spees and Reed. Parking available behind Wilmington City Hall in public parking lot. For more information about The Treehouse, visit www.studio35.wordpress.com.