momstown Mississauga Tales for Tots Read Clifford at Chapters!

We read Clifford at the Circus this month at our Tales for Tots program. The kids had a lot of fun reading about Emily Elizabeth & her Big Red Dog visiting the Circus and helping out! Clifford always seems to have a nose for trouble, and a way of saving the day!

Our theme for July was circus. We made fun crafts at the Tales for Tots program involving clowns. The kids had a great time using glue and getting messy. We had a lot of creativity going on and sensory experience as well using a wide variety of materials. Yarn hair, googly eyes, pipe cleaner mouths plus of course crayons for those extra details. 

Creativity, Crafting and Clowns! 
To see step by step directions for the clown craft visit  this link. 










At the end of the program one lucky family won the raffle to take home the book! Congrats to our lucky family for winning such a great book. Each month Scholastic Canada gives us a new book to give away to one lucky family - just for attending our event! 

The lucky winners!

We were especially happy this month to have a Clifford book since he will be visiting us in person at our Birthday Party - coming up in just a little over 2 weeks! If you want to find out the details visit our blog for full information. Come join us at our party it's free and open to the public, you can RSVP on our Facebook page and be kept up to date on all the exciting details!!

momstown Mississauga Field Trip to Kids CBC Days

What an adventure! I have attended the Kids CBC days twice now and it’s a great event. My kids were old enough this year to be really excited about meeting the Characters and seeing all the entertainers from TV. This morning we watched a little Kids CBC and it was fun to see how excited they were about having seen the Personalities and Characters live yesterday!

The GO train ride was a highlight. Sure we could have taken the family van, and arrived in air-conditioned comfort however the excitement of the ride on the train added to the experience! From the conductor who chatted with the kids to the excitement of sitting on the stairs (there were no seats on the commuter train) the green beast was the way to go! We even walked the whole way (3 four year olds – pretty impressive)! 

Still smiling on the way home! 

Upon arrival at the CBC building we were surprised to see a Kangaroo! He was on a leash, in a shady spot hanging out with a lemur, a zebra and a pony! They were part of a demonstration by the Bowmanville Zoo for the show Are We There Yet? Animal Adventure. Did you know that a kangaroo can sit on its tail, and can protect itself with its fore feet and back-feet at the same time?

There were so many activities lined up, it was a challenge to choose what to do first. From getting a picture taken with a character to getting your face painted there was no shortage of fun. Of course my favorite activity was Super Why "W is for Watermelon" brought to you by momstown.ca. We made W crafts and decorated them like watermelons. It was fun for the kids to take a break from the action and get crafty while sneaking in a little learning. 

The live show was awesome and featured Super Why, The Cat in the Hat, Huckle, Bo on the Go, Mamma Yamma and of course Sid and Patty! My kids were puzzling over why Nick and Sally from Cat in the Hat weren't there until my son remarked that their Mom probably hadn’t wanted them to go in the Thingamajigger all the way into Toronto. The traffic is too bad. Can’t fault his logic!  

Didn’t have a chance to check out Kids CBC days? You can still try one of our Alphabet crafts at our next Alphabet Play event. Sign up today for your free 4 week trial and keep up to date on fantastic activities to do with your family!

Getting Ready for a Family Camping Trip

This summer we had such busy schedules in our family we couldn't commit to taking a week off to rent a cottage or plan a summer get away. With two grandparents downsizing to condos,  a family reunion (which we ended up missing), a new business start-up, job relocations and our home's never ending renovations our family was just too busy to add anything else!

Yummiest hot dogs ever! 

We decided the thing to do was book a couple of long weekend camping trips with some good friends. This proved much harder than anticipated as the Provincial Parks in Ontario book up so fast! Forget trying to get an electrical site or a spot close to the beach, we were lucky to be able to book one close to our friends at all! That was in February when we started our planning for the July trip! Did you know you need to book your ON Parks camp sites 5 months in advance?! We were shocked, however we persevered through the booking process and scored some great spots. 

Anyway now that the camping trip is approaching its time to get ready. I have made a start on packing, and I thought I would share my top tips for remembering everything. From tent to sleeping bag to watershoes there is a lot to pack for a family.

What's works for me is to make themed lists based on a daily routine. Sounds crazy but this ensures you think about all the things your family does in an average day and then accounts for all the tools and supplies required!

So I have made a meal list, sleeping list, beach list, campsite set-up list, clothing list, toiletries list, first-aid list and so on! This is an easy way to think about what is required. After all, how much fun is your bike if you forget the helmet? 


I also like to pack in themed boxes/bags/containers. I do a bin for the 'kitchen', packing the smaller items inside the larger in an effort to keep it all contained. Similarly I have bins for the campsite set up (including rope for a clothesline, extra tent pegs, tarp and so on).
Things like sleeping bags, clothes and pillows are packed in bags. The bins allow storage all year in our garage for the camping items and the next season all you have to do is pull out the box. The kids are each allowed one small bag for toys, but we try to keep it simple,  no electronics are allowed. The best toys when camping are usually the balls, beach toys and a few craft supplies to pass the time while dinner is cooking.


I will never forget the magic of our first family camping trip last summer. We were going to sleep, tired and dirty and happy from a fun filled day - I was reading a bedtime story by flashlight and along came this firefly... He flew in between our tent and the fly on the roof outside and started blinking. My children were enthralled watching this little creature flash and blink until they fell asleep - it took him forever to find his way outside again! 

Check out momstown.ca for more must haves for the family camping trip and remember to always pack your sense of humour when you are travelling with your kids! The unexpected will happen but it's how you react to it that they will remember for years to come!

momstown Mississauga's Movers and Shakers – Kindermusik

Today momstown mamas from across Peel Region came together for some songs and fellowship at a Kindermusik demonstration class. We were hosted by Alpha’s Discovery Club an indoor playground facility located in North  Mississauga.

We started off with some free play time to check out the centre. They have a huge facility with many fun activities,  bouncy castle, jungle themed play room, rock climbing, dress up area and so much more! The kids had a great time trying it all out – then it was time for singing! 

For our Kindermusik class we sat in a circle in their literacy room, and had a good time following along with Miss Susie. There were scarves, bubbles, bells, parachute time and of course lots of singing!  Miss Susie also read us a story and talked about child development with the grown-ups throughout the activities and songs we were singing during the class. 

Moving to the beats! 

Scarves

Storytime! 

Did you know that momstown offers music and movement classes every month? Music and Art are one of the foundations of our programming.  

momstown has six program pillars,  Art & Music, Nutrition, Fitness & Adventure,  Literacy, Science & Discovery and Play & Social.  We focus on developing the whole child as well as social time for moms! momstown is not just your average neighbourhood playgroup. We offer focused programmed in addition to lots of relaxed park get togethers and informal playdates.

If you would like to find out more about our program pillars you can watch this video to see how momstown is more! Sign up on our website today for a free 4 week trial membership and start having fun today! 

momstown Mississauga's Junior Chefs – Making Canadian Flag Snacks

The snack that we made with the kids today was a Canadian Flag – perfect theme for a sunny July morning's cooking class!

Canadian Flag Snack Recipe

The kids started off talking about July and Canada’s Birthday, then everyone got their tools all ready (after a hand wash of course). We started by taking Graham crackers and using a knife to spread cream cheese all over the crackers. There was lots of cream cheese licked during this process!  

Next step we added the strawberry Jam as the red flag sides. This was a messy and delicious step with lots more finger licking yumminess. Finally it was time to add the strawberries. The kid got to try this cool little slicer, easily transforming them into neat slices perfect for making our maple leaves for the centre of the flag.

Finally it was time for eating – after a quick picture “say cheese” the snacks were quickly demolished!

We held our Junior Chef Program at Kathy Stewart’s House. She has agreed to host our program for the next few months. Kathy is a mom to three kids, a Pampered Chef Consultant and is also studying to become a Nutritionist.  What a busy Mama! We are running a members only show for July – check our message board for details. Proceeds from the show will go back into our Junior Chef Program!

Kathy showed us moms the ingredients on the cream cheese package and compared it to a larger name brand explaining to us how simple choices at the grocery store can significantly cut down the amount of chemicals and preservatives that are in your child’s food.  

Kathy talking nutrition with the kids! 

Kathy also had some flash cards and talked to the kids about healthy eating – it was interesting to hear how much they know already. There were very eager answers when asked what foods are good for you, and what things are only for sometimes snacks! It’s so natural and easy to talk to your kids about healthy eating, especially from a young age.

Did you know there’s an app for shopping Non-GMO? One mom showed the rest of us about this neat app where you can load up your favorite brands and see what’s in them! Not sure what GMO means? Come to our next Junior Chef Program and Kathy will talk to us about any questions we might have about food. 

Do you cook regularly with your child? Allowing them to help in the kitchen is a great way to get them to try new foods. Feel free to share your family’s favourite recipes here,  on our message board or in our Junior Chef album on our Facebook Fan Page. 

Chores; Setting and Rewarding Your Child's Responsibilities around the House

I grew up in a household where I had to do chores and it's a life lesson I really want to share with my kids. Helping around the house as well as having a positive attitude when you are asked to do something teaches responsibility. It's also part of creating a solid home environment where kids know what is expected of them and where they can learn the importance of working together with the rest of the family.

Now of course, the chores and expectations have to be age appropriate (for a great list of ideas, click here). With toddlers, you can get them to help pick up their toys or throw items of clothing into the hamper. As your kids get older, you can introduce other helpful household activities like putting food in the garbage, sweeping or helping plant things in the garden. Patience is a must. If the chore is something new, it is important to teach your kids how to do it - and you might need to show them a few times. From making their own beds to starting the dishwasher show the skills you want your children to learn. In the beginning their efforts might take a little longer and might not be enough to get the job done 100% (you might need to redo it later!) but they are still learning valuable lessons and hopefully having some fun at the same time. It's the effort that counts!

There are varying opinions out there on how to reward kids for helping out around the house. Some parents opt to award stars or stickers on a helper chart. Others go the more traditional allowance route - which doesn't always work for small kids who have no real understanding of the value of money. Money however can be a great motivator for older children who might want to save for a new bike or toy. In our house, we have adopted what I call the "Marble Jar" system. A good friend shared this idea with me, so now I wanted to share with all of you!  

Each of my twins has their own jar. They are rewarded for doing good; things such as sharing, being nice, doing what is asked the first time and helping in our daily lives, loading their dishes into the dishwasher, clearing the table, putting laundry in the basket unasked etc. I usually award one marble per good deed or specific chore.  Once the jar is full, they can cash in for a treat!  Something fun, like going for ice cream or a dollar store trip where they can pick out an item. It has been really a good way to motivate them to work together and teach them to appreciate how much work goes into our daily lives!

 Some days the kids are going to be less enthusiastic about doing chores than others (I think we all have those days even as adults). I have found when that happens, if I offer a choice of 'age appropriate' activities where they can help, it can make all the difference. Make a list of everything that might need to be done (or write them out individually on little cards) and let them pick one or two that they would like to do (either randomly without seeing what is on the cards, or taking turns choosing based on preference). If you have more than one child, you can get them to work together on a chore. This can help them learn more about teamwork and that being part of a team can get  things done faster! I wanted to add too that I do not ever take the marbles away. Removal of marbles is not used as a punishment -they are strictly to reinforce good behaviour and never feature in any accountabilities for mischief or misdeeds.

The pictures above show the counted out marbles - also a fun way to practise numeracy in a fun and relevant way! 

Do you have any fun things you do with your kids to reward good behaviour or being helpful around the house? What activities do your kids help with around your home? Feel free to share in the comments in this blog or on our  momstwown Mississauga Facebook page or on our message board. 

Beading Buds - Easy Summer Necklace Craft for Kids!

School is out, summer is finally here, and it's the perfect time to
spend some quality crafting time with your child.

Beading is a craft that has so may benefits for children, it improves
fine motor, visual perceptual, visual motor and cognitive skills,
helps with dressing skills (especially clothing fasteners, like
buttons and zippers), and improves pencil grasp and pencil control
during colouring and writing activities

Beading Buds  is sharing an easy beading tutorial with us.

Easy Summer Necklace Craft for Kids 

TOOLS:

Flat nose pliers


MATERIALS:

Tiger tail wire

2 crimp beads

Sterling silver plated toggle clasp

Bead board

30 beads


INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put the crimp bead on one end of the tiger tail, loop through one end
    of the toggle clasp and thread back through the crimp bead; squeeze
    the bead using the flat nose pliers.

2. Make a pattern on your bead board. Thread the beads onto your wire
    following the pattern that you just created.

3. Repeat step one at the other end of necklace to attach the other
    part of the toggle clasp to the tiger tail using the remaining crimp
    bead.

4. Trim the tiger tail at each end using a pair of scissors or cutting pliers.



If  your child loves beading, why not book a beading party for your own child’s next birthday?  Companies such as Beading Buds (a local company, based in Mississauga, and servicing the Greater Toronto Area) is the perfect party idea for ages five and up. 


  






Beading Buds brings thousands of beads to your home or a venue of your choice to teach your child and her friends how to make beautiful jewelry. The jewelry the children make becomes their loot bag, along with a beautiful keepsake organza bag.