Children visiting one museum in the US will have the chance to check out some special bean bags.

The Chicago Daily Herald notes that the Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda, Illinois, is hosting an exhibition highlighting the illustrations that featured in the Little Golden Books series of children’s literature.

With the collection celebrating its 65th anniversary, a number of interactive stations at the cultural institution give children the chance to watch films, draw on walls with chalk and sit on large bean bags.

And such children’s bean bags have been specially decorated to look like trees.

Katherine Hamilton-Smith, director of cultural resources, states: “One of the things that we try to do is make it user-friendly for all ages.”

Meanwhile, the Arizona City Independent recently noted that the city’s library uses bean bags and other props for its Storytime Monday event – a weekly storytelling session held for toddlers.

A mum-to-be has revealed how she received a massage while sat on a bean bag chair as part of a luxurious spa break in Yorkshire.

The Daily Mail’s Anna Melville-James notes that a visit to the Titanic Spa near Huddersfield saw her take part in “a weekend of ante-natal pampering”.

As part of the indulgent short break, she reveals that she had an Elemis Mother-to-Be Massage, which saw her receive a massage in the candlelight while sat on a bean bag.

She adds that the treatment was so soothing that she “ended up in the foetal position myself by the end”.

Ms Melville-James adds that a high number of hotel spas offer treatments to pregnant mums, with several now having ‘babymoon packages’.

However, would-be mums are advised to first contact their doctor or the spa resort to find out which treatments will be suitable given their condition. The writer indicates that steam rooms, body wraps and reflexology is likely to be a no-no.

But Ms Melville-James is not the first pregnant lady to highlight the role bean bags can play for those about to give birth.

Kelly Hagan of the Bismarck Tribune recently noted that attendants of a birthing class sat on bean bags to help visualise the process of giving birth to a child.

Film fanatics in Dubai have the chance to chill on bean bags and watch blockbusters underneath the stars.

Time Out Dubai notes that as part of the weekly Movies Under the Stars event held at the Wafi Rooftop, moviegoers will be able to watch a double-bill of films, while cosied up on beanbag sofas.

And as they watch the action they have the chance to tuck into pizzas, nachos and burgers.

With the event – which is held each Sunday – deemed to be a “firm favourite” among the publication’s staff, the films displayed are shown in themes, with this week’s ‘Robot Night’ showing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Terminator Salvation back-to-back.

Perhaps best of all, the event is free, so taking it easy and watching some films on bean bag chairs will not cost people a penny.

However, this is not the first time that movies and bean bags have come together.

A film festival in New Plymouth, New Zealand recently screed a number of documentaries and features related to surfing, the Taranaki Daily News reported, giving people the chance to watch the action on a bean bag chair or a zebra-striped couch.

A school librarian in New York state has revealed the steps she is taking to encourage children to read.

Speaking to Ballston Spa Life, Gail King of St Mary’s School notes the efforts she had made to transform the library into somewhere young people can do their schoolwork as well as relax and have fun.

“I want to make lifelong readers,” Ms King states, adding that she regularly hosts storytelling events.

And it seems that bean bag chairs have a key role to play in this as the publication notes that “with an inviting space, youngsters also delve into leisure reading as easily as they can plunk into one of the coveted bean bag chairs“.

Principal Michele Lezon adds that the library is one of the best that she’s ever seen, as it contains both classic books as well as publications relevant to children’s current interests.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Inquirer recently noted that ahead of their library’s planned refurbishment, pupils at the Potter-Thomas Elementary School are keen for such a building to feature children’s bean bags.

Those visiting one hotel in the Philippines recently had the chance to chill out on bean bag chairs as part of a promotions event for Lightwater.

Business Insight Malaya notes that the Boracay Plaza resort hosted a ‘hydration lounge’ giving people the opportunity to sample the water which has been produced with electrolytes such as calcium, magnesium and potassium to help maintain nutrients in the body.

The lounge was filled with bean bags and pillows allowing for visitors to “enjoy the feel-good beach sounds playing in the background”.

And as they sat on bean bag chairs there was also the chance to win an iPod Nano, as guests were invited to become a fan of Lightwater via social networking website site Facebook.

But Boracay Plaza has not been the first facility to feature bean bags. The Eastern Daily Press recently noted that Victim Support Norfolk redeveloped its Great Yarmouth centre to create a young persons’ zone that comes with bean bag sofas to help victims of crime relax and talk about the problems they are facing.

A worn-down school library could be set to receive bean bags, if children have their way about things.

The library at Potter-Thomas Elementary School in Philadelphia is about to be given a makeover – for free no less – from the Heart of America Foundation and Target, and the Philadelphia Inquirer reveals pupils are keen to have some comfortable seating.

As the children sketched out their dream libraries, the publication notes they envisage their refurbished reading area having bean bag chairs, plasma TVs and rows of books.

“Books are important because when you get bigger, you need to know stuff,” eight-year-old Kayla Diaz claims.

In addition to children’s bean bags, there is also demand for the library to have computers and even a trampoline.

As Target will incorporate the children’s plans into their designs it could well be possible that by the autumn they will be able to sit on a bean bag sofa and read.

Last week, the Gotham Gazette revealed that the common room of the Global Technology Preparatory school in New York has a number of bean bags to allow children to relax before the start of lessons.

The pleasures of sitting on a bean bag and reading have been highlighted by one Canadian journalist.

Writing for the Western Wheel, John Barlow reveals that one of his favourite things to do while growing up in Regina was to take a walk to the public library to read.

From here he would “wiggle into a cosy bean bag chair and snuggle in for the afternoon like a bear readying for hibernation”.

“It was an uninterrupted opportunity to wander off into wild adventures,” Mr Barlow claims, stating that Tintin and the Hardy Boys were among the books he pored over.

And while the memories of sitting on a bean bag sofa and spending hours reading “have stayed with me into adulthood”, he adds that he is keen to share such experiences with his own children, praising the public library in Okotoks as being “incredible”.

Last month, WeAreCentralPA.com reported that the refurbished Claysburg Area Public Library in Pennsylvania is inviting parents to “curl up” on a number of new bean bags with their kids and read.

A group of computer game journalists have taken to bean bag chairs to try out a new game.

JD Cohen of TotalPlayStation.com reveals that developer THQ invited several writers to Las Vegas to test out UFC Undisputed 2010 – the latest simulation game from mixed martial arts (MMA) company Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Over the course of the six hours of gameplay, the journalists may well have found the bean bags to be a comfortable way to take things easy and indulge in a little button-bashing.

However, Mr Cohen points out they had to first put in some physical effort before they were able to play on the game.

With the press event taking place in Las Vegas, THQ had chosen to give those in attendance a crash course in MMA techniques, under the advice of several trainers and fighters including Shawn Tompkins and Carlos Condit.

“For a group of guys that aren’t generally the most physically active people around, it was impressive how good a job they did getting everyone involved,” Mr Cohen states, adding that after the training was over the journalists were “sore”.

But this is not the first time that a link between bean bag sofas and computer games has been made. Technology writer Michael Kwan of Mobile Magazine recently claimed there is “nothing more” he enjoys then spending a couple of hours on a bean bag playing on his computer.

The man behind Google’s ‘doodles’ has revealed how he gets inspiration from on bean bag chairs.

Such illustrations are displayed on the search engine’s home page to mark significant events and anniversaries – from example St George’s Day and this year’s Winter Olympics – and chief artist Michael Lopez points out that he and his team are encouraged to work away from the office as much as possible in order to get inspiration.

And when the creative spark hits, they sketch their ideas on any surface that a pen can write on, whether these are bean bags, napkins or walls.

“We go to different places and have art outings to loosen up and draw. Many of our doodles start out as free-form and we get ideas from all over,” he claims.

Google is just one of several corporations that feature bean bag seating in their office. The I Wish I Worked There! A Look Inside the Most Creative Spaces in Business book notes that Sony and Innocent Drinks also have bean bag sofas.