Bookclub for Kids at momstown Mississauga

Last week momstown Mississauga moms and kids gathered for our Tales for Tots program at Chapters. This monthly event is our bookclub for kids, sponsored by Scholastic Canada. momstown members meet at a variety of venues around the city for literacy themed programming for kids and new this January we are also now holding a literacy program just for babies. You can read more about it here. 

January's Book Club for Kids Book

The book this month was My Friend Henry by Philippe Beha. The story follows a little boy in search of his friend Henry throughout their neighbourhood, always missing him by a few minutes. In the end there is a fantastic surprise as the two are reunited. 

Crafting + Stories = Fun! 

After our stories and a few songs, the kids did some snowflake circle painting. Complete details for the craft can be found on our national site, check here. Once we were done, we did a draw for the book, so generously provided by Scholastic. 

Consider joining us next month for our bookclub for kids - sign up for your free 4 week trial membership and start getting out of the house and having some fun! Membership is $45/yr for the whole family and includes 20+ events each month. There is something for everyone! Register today. 

Top Toboggan Hills for Families & Kids in Mississauga

Here's the top spot to find the best family friendly Toboggan Hills in Mississauga. Our family are all huge fans of toboggans, sleds, crazy carpets, GT Racers and snow tubes. Our momstown Mississauga moms and kids love to slide in the snow. Here's our list from our own experience and our momstown Mama's recommendations for the top Toboggan Hills in Mississauga.

1.  "Kentucky Hill"  - Also known as Birchwood Park Toboggan Hill in South Mississauga
Click for a Google Map

To South Mississaugans this is known as Kentucky hill because it used to be beside the KFC in Clarkson! This is a huge hill so expect a workout! The slope is steep but there are hay bales to prevent sleds from going into the trees. Parking is available

2. Brookmede Park

There is Parking available at the Brookmede school. The slope is short and steep providing thrills with less effort!  Click here for a Google Map

3. Erindale Park

This is a great park in the heart of Mississauga. The hill is long and not as steep as Birchwood Park so more suitable for the toddler crowd. There is tons of free parking and wash rooms are available on site.
Click here for a Google Map

4. Green Glade Sr. Public School 

This is a steep hill located adjacent to the Rattray Marsh. There is parking available at the school and the hill is located behind the building.
Click here for a Google Map

All ready for some sledding fun! 

Do you have a hill that you or your family loves? Share it here on our Blog or on our Facebook Fan Page! 

New Baby Literacy Program at momstown Mississauga

This month we are starting our first in a monthly series of Mom and Baby reading programs at momstown Mississauga. Scholastic Canada is providing us with a new book each month to read to our Babies which will help us integrate one of our key momstown Pillars (literacy) more fully into our Baby Basics Program.  At the end of the program the book is raffled off to one lucky family. 

Moms at Baby Basics meet weekly at momstown Mississauga events for fun programs, and events to connect with each other. The events feature a mix of fun crafts, listening to speakers, our new reading program and of course singing with the babies!  

As with all momstown Mississauga programs there is opportunity to connect and chat with the other parents afterwards. We offer a free 4 week trial membership so sign up today and start having fun with your babies and kids! At only $45/family per year including 20+ events per month, that's an incredible value! 

This month one of our smallest babies (11 weeks) was the lucky winner of  I Love You! momstown Mississauga families had a great time today at our first Books for Babies as our class outline included fingerplays, songs, stories and of course parachute time. 

Consider joining us next month! 

Alphabet Play for Preschoolers - S is for Silly

momstown Mississauga moms and kids met last week for our signature momstown program  -Alphabet Play  at The Fun Side. Our morning started off with a circle time, where we sang a few songs, and talked about the Letter S.  

Silly Snakes! 

Our theme this January is That's Silly at momstown so the Letter S for Silly was a perfect compliment to that!  We had our bucket of items that start with S - from Spiderman to socks, to snowflakes - the kids discovered there are a lot of things that start with S. We read a silly book all about Smelly things (what else is sillier than smelly stinky rhymes) and then it was time to craft our silly snakes. 

Circle Time Songs & Discoveries

After a story about SMELLY things and one about snowflakes, some silly snowman songs and some finger-plays we retired to the back party room of The Fun Side to do our S is for Silly Snakes craft.  

S is for Silly Snakes - Fun preschooler Craft

 As with all of our programming there was time for free play after the 'crafty-singing'  action. The kids let loose in the Fun Side's Toddler room where they played on the kid friendly toddler equipment. We meet 20x  per month for fun, educational & social programs like this! Sign up today to take advantage of our free 4 week offer, and start getting out of the house with your baby (& toddlers) and have some fun! 

Fun for All! 

Little Scientists - Mississauga Kids Discovering Science & Nature

momstown Mississauga moms and kids met this month to make Birdseed Cookies at our Little Scientists program.  Little Scientists is a monthly program where we discover science principals and learn about how things work.

Finished Birdseed Cookies

This month since it is the coldest part of winter we decided to feed our feathered friends and make Birdseed Cookies. We talked about what kinds of birds are around in the  winter in Ontario and our scientists coloured some bird pictures while we were waiting for the moms to melt the ingredients together on the stove. 

Messy Science Fun! 

Here's the recipe we used to make the Birdseed Cookies. Be aware of where you hang these cookies as the squirrels love to eat them too! 

Bird Seed Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons corn syrup 
• 1  packet plain gelatin
• 3/4 cup  flour
• 4 cups birdseed ( we used a mix based on the types of birds in our Mississauga backyards)

Other Things You'll Need

• String 
• Cookie sheet
• Spatula 
• Cookie cutters
• Waxed paper
• Cooling rack
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Spray inside the cookie cutters with non-stick cooking spray and place them on waxed paper on top of a cookie sheet. Set aside.
• In a large non-stick pan, bring water and corn syrup to a gentle boil. 
• Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin to dissolve
• Put flour into large mixing bowl, stir in hot liquid mixture until this forms a paste. Add hot water bit by bit to thin the mix into a thick batter consistency. 
• Quickly stir in bird seed and mix well until all the "glue" is evenly distributed among the seeds.
• While mixture is  warm fill  cookie cutters  with the birdseed, pressing firmly. It is important to press the mixture firmly to create a hard block of seed. I've found the simpler the pattern of the cookie cutter, the easier it is.  We used hearts. 
• After a minute or two gently shake the cookie cutters to release the shapes, and fill again. Recipe makes 8 - 10 depending on size of cookie cutter. 
• After a few minutes using a wooden skewer, gently make a hole in the cookie all the way through. 
• Once dry ( overnight ) cut out large pieces of twine to make hangers for the cookies, then hang them outdoors and watch for birds! 

Infant Massage at Baby Basics

This month momstown Mississauga moms and babies learned about infant massage from one of our own members who is a busy mom to an almost 2yr old and an RMT who works part time at a local Naturopath Clinic.   

Our RMT spoke to the  moms about the benefits of massage for babies, providing relief from gas pain and aiding in resolution of constipation as well as relaxation and parent-child bonding. The moms were shown the cues babies will give to show you what they enjoy and what signifies when they are done with the massage. 

Infant Massage

The moms of momstown Mississauga meet for Baby Basics classes weekly at Taima Zone where hear from local experts on Infant Development and local baby & child services (such as the massage therapy). We also our Baby Programming such as Sing, Rattle and Read or Books for Babies,  in addition to momstown's own Baby Picassos sessions that get our moms chatting and bonding over cute baby crafts!

Relaxed Babies after their massages

We offer a free 4 week membership to momstown Mississauga. Membership is only $45/year per family and includes all of our great programming and seasonal events. We meet over 20x monthly for fun events all over our city. Sign up here, and as a bonus for 2013 you will receive a 1 yr subscription to Today's Parent Magazine you can read all about this special promotion here.

Healthy Tilapia Recipe To Get the Kids Eating Fish!

This parmesan tilapia recipe is a great way to add more fish to your diet. If you have picky eaters at home this might be your answer to getting your kids to love (or even try) fish. 

At momstown Mississauga we focus on nutrition as one of the 6 Pillars of our Programming. We have a cooking with kids program each month called Junior Chef, where we prepare simple snacks and meals to get the kids into the kitchen, trying new foods and  getting excited about cooking.  

Here is a kid friendly recipe to try with your family to help you add more fish to your diet.

Yummy healthy dinner... 

Easy-Cheesy Tilapia
 
Serves 4 (adults)

Ingredients:
6-8 Tilapia Fillets

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
3 Tbs Mayonnaise (light)
3 Tbs Butter, softened * 
1-2 Tbs lemon juice to thin the mix. Fresh is best but the squeeze one is ok too!
1 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
Pinch of Parsley

non stick spray or olive oil for pan

Mix all ingredients in a  bowl with a whisk. Set aside.

Parmesan Topping 

Preheat oven to broil setting. Spray broiling pan with non-stick spray or brush pan with Olive Oil. Arrange the tilapia fillets on the pan.

Broil each side 2 - 3 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish. After the second side is broiled and the fish is white and has firmed up, remove pan from oven. 

Working quickly, spread 2 tsp of the mixture on each fillet, focusing on the centre.

Broil 2-3 more minutes or until the fish is fully cooked, the mixture has browned and spread over the fish. Serve immediately with rice and a side of green beans or steamed broccoli.  

* if you want to reduce the fat you can use cream cheese, even a flavoured brand though you should reduce/modify the spices if you choose a flavoured cream cheese)