After three great years, we're ready to branch out. We've already announced our new location in Wellesley, and after some unforeseen delays with this project, our new store is finally under construction. If all goes well, Magic Beans Wellesley will open in the beginning of November.

But wait, there's more. We are also delighted to announce another new location at the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham. Magic Beans Hingham is scheduled to open in the middle of October.

We are just tickled pink to be putting down roots in both of these great communities. Mark your calendars for our grand opening celebration, tentatively scheduled for November 16-18 at both locations. This will be a fantastic weekend filled with giveaways, special deals, and personal appearances by some of our favorite vendors.

In the meantime, if you have friends who live in Hingham or Wellesley, please forward this message on to them so they can sign up for BeansTALK and get all the details as soon as they're announced.

Our buying team has just returned from Las Vegas where we spent four days perusing over a million square feet of exhibition space. Over 800 different vendors were showing tens of thousands of products, and we found some fantastic things. We chronicled our adventures on our blog, spillingthebeans.net, and we will keep you informed as these new items arrive on our shelves.

With all the toy recalls this past month, we've been trying hard to absorb the information and keep a level head. Just like you, we're very concerned that the toys we give our kids are safe. The presence of lead paint in toys is very alarming, but the media frenzy surrounding all the recalls has put tremendous pressure on toy manufacturers to reevaluate their quality control and testing procedures.

Just as there are many different approaches to parenting, we've seen a wide spectrum of reactions to the toy recalls among our customers. Our job is to support parents – all parents – as best we can. We will continue to carry toys manufactured in China by reputable suppliers, but we are also working hard to clearly identify the products we sell that are made in the US and Europe. Look for some new signage in the store, and feel free to ask one of our Toy Whizzes for recommendations.

We got some nice feedback on our DIY bubble recipe from last month's edition of BeansTALK, so we thought we'd make this a regular feature. We'll include recipes for playthings, and also for delectable edibles that you can make with your kids. We welcome your submissions, too, so if you have a great recipe, send it in and it might just appear in our next issue.

This month's DIY is playdough. It is admittedly more convenient (and not terribly expensive) to buy playdough, but every once in a while, it's a fun project to make your own. Plus, it's completely natural, edible (but not very tasty) and safe for very young kids (do note that this recipe requires cooking, and children should always be closely supervised in the kitchen, especially around an open flame).

1 cup flour
½ cup salt
1 cup water (with food coloring added as desired)
1 ½ tablespoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix together all the ingredients in a saucepan, and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until the dough thickens and forms a ball. Remove from the pot and knead the dough on a countertop or wooden board for just a few minutes until it is smooth. Store in an airtight container.

When tinting the mixture with food coloring, be aware that the color will intensify as the dough cooks.

As the weather gets cooler, kids need some indoor space to run around and blow off steam. We love seeing our small friends hanging out in our playscape, but we are also very excited that MyGym is opening this month in Boston, just over the Brookline border. There are two open house weekends scheduled, Septemer 14-16 and 21-23 (10-5 on both Fridays and Saturdays and 10-3 on Sundays). Classes during the last week of September are free, and then paid classes begin October 1.

Join and enroll before the end of September and save 50% off your lifetime family membership. To view the fall schedule, click here.