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Playgroup Spotlight
JANUARY - MARCH 2022 PLAYGROUP
By: Rachel Griswold and Sara Drotman | October 5, 2022
What is special about your playgroup?
Where to start? Our group has grown dramatically over this year with our first Skype call consisting of roughly eight moms, to now over 80 in our WhatsApp group. Our group chat is something unique in and of itself, full of so much advice, commiserating, sharing, relating and laughing. I know many of us feel comforted knowing we have this amazing group of women to lean on.
Where do you meet and how often?
We meet weekly, and everywhere! Our group gets together frequently with walks and hikes around Marin, “stress-reducing, not inducing!” happy hours, and bigger quarterly events with themes (Babies’ 1/2 Birthdays, Pumpkin Patch).
How does your playgroup benefit the moms?
Our playgroup is truly a safe space to share, connect and relate. We have a solid mix of first- and second-time moms, so there’s never a shortage of relatability in our group chat or meet-ups.
How does it benefit the kids?
Perhaps the best thing we parents can do for our children is keep our own cups full. Our kids have certainly benefitted from the fresh air on our stroller walks and the early smiles and socialization with the other babies, but the most important benefit has absolutely been the support among the moms. We ask each other questions and seek validation in the WhatsApp group, stay sane by getting out of the house for coffee meet ups and celebrate each milestone with each other. For our playgroup the mom tribe is strong and the babies are absolutely benefitting!
What are some of your group activities?
This summer our playgroup had a half-birthday party for all the babies in Corte Madera Town Park. We had so much fun celebrating the 6-month milestone with many of our playgroup members and their families. It was such a success that we decided that having a big event each quarter would be a must for us! We are looking forward to our fall event—pumpkin picking—in a few weeks!
Our playgroup has a tradition of posting a favorite photo on the first of every month. As the babies get more mobile and creative, the photos are getting funnier and funnier. We’re particularly partial to the baby-pet bonding and baby led weaning photos!
I’m Anna Beckmann, the SMMC Director of Playgroups. I live in Tiburon with my husband, Eric, and our two sons, Jack and James. Leading all of SMMC playgroups is a really fun and fulfilling role. I have a 7-month old and have been getting so much out of my playgroup. Our playgroup has been very active and successful (as you can see from the photos above!) and we’ve already made some great friendships. Let me know if any of you would be interested in volunteering with our playgroups team, thanks so much!