We love Painted Grape. When I became the editor of Hulafrog (predecessor to Macaroni Kid) a few years ago, Painted Grape was one of the first local businesses to get on my radar. The owner reached out to me at that time and I instantly recognized the value of all the different kid-friendly offerings thay have for families in the area. So it's safe to say that I have had my eye on what has been going on at ALL their locations (Burlington, Mebane, Greensboro, and Hickory (soon!)) for the last few years.
This year I went to one of their Parent & Me Painting classes with my son - and he also attended a Birthday Party and a Kids Night Out event as well. In addition to those activities, Painted Grape also offers weekly Art Classes for kids, FREE weekly Pre-K Craft & Storytimes, help with PTA/PTO efforts, help with things like Fundraising and Girl & Boy Scout Merit Badges, and have Open Studio Hours at all locations so you have somewhere to head to when you feel inspired!
I wanted to share some of the memories my family has made at Painted Grape this year… in case it sounds like it might be fun for your family, too.
 Parent & Me - Winter Wolf Source: Samantha Earnhardt, Publisher, Macaroni KID Burlington-Hillsborough |
The very first kid-friendly events that I noticed were their Parent & Me Painting Classes, which are 2-hour blocks of time on a weekend afternoon where you sit down with an instructor and go through step-by-step how to create your personal masterpiece version of the day's seasonal theme.
My kids were pretty young when I started Macaroni KID, so it took a couple years for me to finally make it to a Parent & Me, but earlier this year I signed my son & I up for a Winter Wolf Parent & Me class. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life it can be rare that he & I get time for just us - without sister or dad or anyone else - and it was really nice to get to do something 1-on-1 together with my creative first-born soul. I chose the Winter Wolf class because he had always liked wolves and because, at the time, time he was a Wolf rank in Cub Scouts, so it just felt fitting.
I didn't know exactly what to expect when we walked in that night (other than, you know, an idea I was going to attempt to paint a wolf-looking animal alongside my kid), but I believed I was in for a good time. And sure enough, I was right. Our instructor was friendly and walked us through each step, demonstrating on an easel in the front of the room and describing how to execute different techniques. She also paused occasionally to make sure everyone was on the same step (more or less, anyway) as we created our visions of the day - although, of course, each person's interpretation and execution was different. My son definitely got a little frustrated at first that he could not get his painting to look exactly like the instructor's, but I just kept reminding him that each wolf was a unique creation. Plus, I looooove his extremely fluffy baby wolf and find it exceptionally cute - and it was not hard to convince him of that!
Adding just a little more fun to our experience was the fact that we got to share it with another mother & son. As it turned out, they lived in Virginia (!!) and have a tradition of driving a couple hours down to Painted Grape a few times a year for their own special bonding time. That's how much they enjoy it!
🎨 Parent & Me classes are currently offered at Burlington & Mebane locations on Saturdays (and will soon begin every-other-Sunday) from 4pm-6pm.
Keep an eye out for occasional Parent & Me Painting + Sugar Cookie Decorating events (!!) in conjunction with Sweet Girl Bakes NC.
 We had fun throughout the process, including sharing the experience with another mother & son! Source: Samantha Earnhardt, Publisher, Macaroni KID Burlington-Hillsborough & Painted Grape - Mebane |
I also knew from early on that Painted Grape offered Birthday Parties. I mean, really, that makes sense because what kid doesn't love to paint and what parent doesn't love for someone else to have to clean up the mess? Over the years I've seen countless kids smiling across Painted Grape's FB pages, celebrating their big days in creative ways.
Earlier this year my son actually got to attend a Pokémon-themed birthday party - which, of course, he was thrilled about - at the Mebane location. The birthday kid picked a painting project this time, but Painted Grape also offers Canvas, Ceramics, Tie Dye, and, most recently, have added Slime! Add-on options include Face painting, Glitter tattoos, and Cupcake-decorating palettes. How fun does decorating your own dessert with a sprinkles-filled cupcake palette sound?
Personally, I was always most impressed with the "only pay for the kids who show up" policy, because we party-planning parents know what a headache last-minute cancellations & no-shows can be.And that policy defnitely came in handy for the birthday party he attended. By all accounts it was a good time (as reported by the birthday boy & my son - I was with my other child that afternoon) and his Charmander Pokémon painting now proudly sits proudly above his closet door alongside the Winter Wolves!
 Birthday party painting fun! Source: Painted Grape - Mebane  |
My son came to really appreciate Painted Grape, too, this year when they announced a LEGO Kids Night Out event. Painted Grape occasionally hosts weekend evening drop-off events for kids where they are fed, entertained, and get creative for a few hours while parents can do.... whatever it is they can't do when the kids are around!
Anyway, my LEGO-enthusiast son was so excited for this event that it's all he could talk about most of the week. And while he often changes his mind last-minute about what he feels like doing that day, that was never even a thought in this case. I dropped him off for 3 hours on a Friday evening and picked him and his creation up a few hours later. He reported having a fun time, including finishing his early (he takes his LEGO seriously) and helping some other kids with theirs, too. They fed him pizza & a drink and watched him while he did his favorite thing in the world. Win-win! I can't wait until his 5-year-old sister is old enough to join as many of Painted Grape's events are for ages 6 & up.
 Nothing beats a LEGO event in my kid's eyes...Source: Painted Grape - Mebane  |
 Our paintings are proudly displayed above my son's closet. Source: Samantha Earnhardt, Publisher, Macaroni KID Burlington-Hillsborough |
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