I have to say that our daughter is a princess-fairy-ballerina-tutu kind of girl. She loves all things pink, sparkly, frilly, and shi shi frou frou! This said, she also loves playing in dirt, playing with insects and worms, and playing with cars, trucks, and tractors. It's quite interesting how she can be a princess in a tutu with rain boots and racing her Hot Wheels. I love … [Read more...]
Foraging for Edible Wilds with Kids
My Dad once told me that "you will never go hungry in the wild if you know what to look for". Learning what plants in the forest are edible is something that is not only fun, but so important for kids and adults alike. Over the Victoria Day long weekend, we took friends of ours and their kids on a nature walk on our property to look for edible wilds. We have a lot of wild … [Read more...]
Why Baking with Kids is Important
One of the things that Little One enjoys most is being my little sous chef in the kitchen. From a very early age, I had her helping me while I prepared our meals. When she was an infant, I'd bring her outside with me while I worked in our vegetable garden. As she got older, she has began to play a role in growing, cultivating, and harvesting our fruits and vegetables on our … [Read more...]
Turn off the Lights ~ Earth Hour 2014
There is strength in numbers. I remember when we were kids and my brothers and I would get into squabbles, my Dad would take a bamboo skewer and say, "This is what it is like to be ONE person". He would then take a handful of bamboo skewers and bunch them all together and try to snap them in half. It could not be done -- well, at least not easily. "This is what it's like … [Read more...]
Valentine’s Day with @lunchbox_love #LBLmoms #LBLvalentine
I remember when I was a kid, my Mom had me cut hearts out of red construction paper and made me painstakingly write a note to each of my classmates. I remember Mom folding the paper in half, perfectly matching up the sides and drawing half a heart. She then made me cut along the half heart design she drew and that was the template for all the cards. Yes. I had to do all … [Read more...]
5 Fun Reading Activities for Family Literacy Day
Growing up, my brothers and I always had our bedtime stories. Mom would climb into bed with us and read us a story or two before tucking us in for the night. Every single night. As an ESL teacher, I've always been an advocate for equipping students with reading techniques. As a mom of a kindergarten student, I'm an advocate for making reading fun and exciting. Family … [Read more...]
Family, Fun & Feasting with the King #TorontoCastle #MedievalTimes #Giveaway
The age of kings, queens, kingdoms, and honour For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the Medieval Period. My Little One has expressed an interest in this time period, but without digging out my Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages or dusting off my history books (Yes, Little One showing an interest in this is very exciting for me), … [Read more...]
Teaching Little One Christmas Lessons: Wishes of Joy #SearsMom
As a child, I was always mesmerized by the Christmas trees in movies and shopping malls. They were so magical, majestic and opulent! Huge, towering trees decorated with sparkly lights and shimmery ornaments always made the spirit of Christmas alive in my eyes. There's just something about that symbol of Christmas that I've always loved. Christmas Lessons & Wishes of … [Read more...]
Making Me Feel Human Again: Kindness Canada #BeKind
I have to admit that there are moments in life when I am amazed at the goodness of others. With so much hate and negativity in the world, every now and then, a spark of humanity and kindness is ignited. Though this is a good thing, it also makes me sad. Why? Kindness should be practiced more often. That's why. Have people become lazy with showing kindness? In the past, … [Read more...]
Sofia The First: Ready To Be A Princess #Disney {DVD Review}
I have to say that I haven't always been up to date on all the latest princess happenings! Having a little girl has kept me in touch with all things princess though. I don't know how, by my 4 year old seems to know all the latest when it comes to her favourite Disney princesses. A few months ago, we were excited to learn about Sofia the First! I cannot tell you how excited … [Read more...]
@LittlePassports Teaches Kids About Travel & Culture { @PTPA Award Winner } Giveaway
Growing up, my parents taught us that travel and exposure to the world around us and different cultures were very important. They encouraged exploration and whetted our curiosity by taking us on trips to my Dad's homeland of Trinidad and Tobago and to other points of interest. Long road trips from Montreal to Florida or camping trips in New Brunswick or Gatineau were things … [Read more...]
#WordlessWednesday ~ Why We Love Teachers
Perhaps this isn't such a "wordless" Wednesday kind of post, but this video was shared by +Natalie Rea on Twitter last night, and I just had to share it.1. I'm a West Island girl and can't resist sharing posts related to people or things from my old 'hood.2. I think we need to remember all the many reasons why teachers are so important in our children's lives.WARNING: Break out … [Read more...]
Make Your Own Crystals! Great Kids’ Science Experiment!
At our home, we love science experiments! I'm not talking about making penicillin/growing mold by leaving food in the fridge for too long (although I'm embarrassed to say that may or may not have happened in this house before)! I'm talking about learning about why things are the way they are or how to create or manipulate matter. We love hands on experiments!Kids learn by … [Read more...]
Text it, Bump it, Share it with Text Bands! #HallmarkPressPause
When one hears the name "Hallmark", the first thing that likely comes to mind is greeting cards. Hallmark has made its name as a trusted company that specializes in all your greeting card needs, but it's not just cards that Hallmark has! I won't lie. Whenever I'm at the mall, I sneak into the Hallmark store! I can spend a very long time in there, so I'm lucky my little one … [Read more...]
NaBloPoMo Day 21: SLIMED!
What to do with a bunch of toddlers on a play date?We make SLIME! That's what!My friend found this amazing recipe online. What a great way to teach toddlers and preschoolers by doing a science experiment!You need:* white glue* Borax* water* food colouring (optional)There are two components to the slime recipe. You have a glue, water, and food colouring part and a water and … [Read more...]