Volunteer

The Children’s Playhouse is greatly indebted to all the volunteers who have contributed to the museum since the beginning and who continue to make it a safe, fun, and creative place to be! Volunteering at The Children’s Playhouse meets the requirements of many service learning classes and we attract interns from a variety of fields including child development, sociology, art, and education.  

Upcoming Volunteer Needs at The Children’s Playhouse

The Children’s Playhouse, a nonprofit children’s museum located about a 15 minute walk from campus, has the following upcoming needs for volunteers. Directions to The Playhouse are included at the end of this message.

If you can help with the special projects below, please contact Kathy Parham at 828-263-0011. Please provide a cell phone number where we can reach you. If you are interested in Playhouse operations, please come in and fill out a volunteer application and sign up for times.

Scroll down to find out how you can help with the following projects:

  • Volunteer Babysitting (great group opportunity)
  • Special events: Art in the Park and Playhouse Pumpkin Party and Sale
  • Playground Prep and Gardening (good for groups or individuals)
  • Create Your Own Workshop for Kids (great for aspiring teachers)
  • Playhouse operations (greatest choice of days and times)

Volunteer Babysitting
Parents Night Out, 5:15-8:45 pm on Fridays September 16th, October 7th, October 21st , November 11th and December 2nd .  Five to eight volunteers are needed to watch kids at The Children’s Playhouse while their parents enjoy a few hours out. The Playhouse will provide a supervisor and guidelines for volunteers.

Playhouse Board Meetings. We also need 2-3 volunteer babysitters to watch board members’ children from 5:30-7:30 on the 4th Tuesday of the month: September 27 and October 25th.

Special Events
Art in the Park parking
8:3-noon and noon-3 pm, Saturdays, September 10 and October 1st
2-3 volunteers are needed to help park cars once a month in the First Citizen’s Bank parking lot in Blowing Rock to raise money for The Children’s Playhouse.

Playhouse Pumpkin Party and Consignment Sale
Volunteers will be needed Monday October 17th-Saturday October 22 to sort rummage, organize, and staff the sale.  We are also looking for volunteers to help plan and run Halloween-themed activities for kids during the sale on Saturday, October 22. Held at the National Guard Armory which located on Hunting Hills Road (off of State Farm Road, Boone). Contact Kathy.

Playground Prep and Gardening
We are looking for volunteers to help weed our flower beds, trim grass, and plant bulbs and bushes. We provide tools and plants. Times are flexible.

Playhouse Programs
Do you have an interest in teaching or special talent to share? Work with board member Molly Russell to develop a workshop for kids at The Playhouse. The Playhouse will assist with supplies and guidance on lesson plans and scheduling, you plan the workshop, market it, and teach it! We are especially interested in music, art, and science programs for the following audiences: parents and caregivers, parents and toddlers, preschoolers (3-5 years), 4-6 year olds, and 6-8 year olds. Contact Molly Russell at mmaddenb@yahoo.com or 828-406-5334.

Playhouse Operations
If you are interested in helping with the day-to-day operations of The Playhouse, you don’t need to call or email -- just stop by The Children’s Playhouse, fill out an application and sign up for times that fit your schedule. Volunteers interact with families, sanitize toys, and prepare art projects. We appreciate the help of 1-2 volunteers whenever we are open (9:30-5:30 Tuesday-Friday, and 9:30-3:30 Saturday). First time volunteers are asked to schedule their first shift within these hours in order receive training from our director: 9:30-2:30 Tuesday, Thursday, and Fridays, and 9:30-12:30 Wednesdays.

Directions to The Children’s Playhouse

We are about a fifteen minute walk from campus.  From Earth Fare, for example, you just head East on King Street away from downtown, through the light at Hardin (by Green Mother Goods) and then up the hill. We are the last left into a driveway that you can make before the light for the 105 Extension. It is just after A.J.'s Service Station. It will look like just a little gray house on King Street, but if you turn into the driveway, we are the third building at the back of the lot. There is also a map on our website.

[ download volunteer application (pdf) ]

Volunteers are needed to:

  • plan, set up, and maintain art projects,
  • play with children, offer support to parents and caregivers,
  • sew and repair costumes,
  • run reports from our database and prepare mailings,
  • build new exhibits and renovate space,
  • perform music and teach art,
  • sanitize toys and keep the play spaces clean, safe, and attractive.