For years, I’ve been a subscriber to the American magazine Family Fun. It’s been my reliable partner in crime throughout my kids’ childhood and it might become yours too during the coming Family Day, the Valentine’s Day fuss or the March Break.
In Family Fun, I’ve found a mom’s advice on how to visit an art museum with my young son (turning the visit into a fun “I spy” game to look for specific items on the paintings). I’ve learned how to create a super card game that caught a slice of our daily life (teaching my kids about the different things one needs to know to run a house).
I’ve had a blast at the expense of my kids by using fabulous tips for April’s Fool pranks (I normally buy milk bags but for the occasion, I put a milk pint on the table, in which I surreptitiously added blue food coloring. The look on my then 8-years-old son when he poured the milk into his bowl was totally worth the trouble!).
When I was involved with the School Council, we would often choose the theme for the school parties according to the best craft activities I found while browsing through my Family Fun copies.
Years ago, prior to the internet, the magazine’s main appeal already lied in the fact that they’d been able to get hundreds of creative parents to submit their great ideas to them. Now we can all access this amazing resource online for free.
Their crafts section is the best. You can search by age, type or even by material but the Holiday & Seasonal category is such a time saver. You won’t find a Family Day section in there since it’s an American website but Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, April Fool’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day will all come handy in the coming months.
Just to get an idea of the spread of crafts they offer, check the bottle-cap tambourines in the Recyclable Crafts category under Crafts by Material, or the newspaper fashion show (if I still were a member of the School Council, I’d use that idea to complement a Literacy day event for the students!). As soon as we get some snow, even just a little, I think we should try their Beach Bum Snowman. It would definitely cheer up the whole neighbourhood.
Most pages are followed by a Show & Tell section where you get to see pictures of craft ideas submitted by families just like us. Very often, parents also submit photos of one of the Family Fun crafts they tried for themselves. I should send them my daughter’s picture of the bubble bather costume suggestion we used during our school’s Crazy Bubbles end-of-the-year party.
The crafts are just the tip of the iceberg. Their Playtime section offers hundreds of games suggestions for all occasions and contexts. Their Parties menu allows to search by theme or age and includes Themed Cupcakes and Party Printables categories. They even have a how-to video section for cakes and cupcakes for the bakery-challenged among us.
Tips • Crafts offered online are not there forever. You can subscribe to their magazine online (or through the magazine sales of your school if they have one of those fundraisers). Check their website at www.familyfun.com.
In her personal yet practical 480-page guidebook, author Nathalie Prezeau describes hundreds of outings in and around the GTA she tested with her family and friends over the past twelve years. The 4th edition is out! It includes a new chapter on things to do with the kids around the 69 subway stations in Toronto, as well as exciting city walks to play the tourist in Toronto. Available in the Travel Section of GTA bookstores as well as Mastermind Educational Toys stores and currently at Costco. Visit www.torontofunplaces.com to learn more.
Children often want to be part of holiday preparations. Their participation can actually be helpful and build excitement for celebrations with family and friends.
Here are some quick activities that can involve children in getting ready for holiday meals …
a) Place Cards - Give children a list of names and have them decorate place cards to set on the table.
b) Welcome Sign - Ask children to make a welcome sign to invite guests inside.
c) Decorations - Let children make decorations to stick to the windows.
d) Song/Skit - Ask children prepare a holiday song or skit to present at your festivities.
As the December break approaches, find lots of holiday events for families at www.KidsAroundCanada.com/events. New events are added regularly, so check back often.
Also check the holiday schedule at your local library for special children’s programming.
Today I visited a pumpkin patch with my family. It is an annual tradition that we all enjoy.
Here’s why …
- It connects us with the ground. The children are able to see where the vegetables they see on the kitchen table come from.
- Pumpkin patches often offer other fun activities for children to keep them coming back, such as rides, corn mazes, playgrounds, tractor rides and more (call for details).
- The great outdoors and fresh air always feel great.
March Break can be a challenge for parents looking to keep their children busy and happy.
KidsAroundCanada.com presents lots of options from March Break camps, to fun March Break events in and around Toronto and the GTA in our Events Calendar.
Browse today and ease your planning. Visit back often for regular additions to both sections.
We are proud to be helping to support Earth Hour at KidsAroundCanada.com.
Earth Hour presents a wonderful opportunity to remind our children about the importance of energy conservation and to understand our ability to make a difference both as individuals and as a collective group.
Earth Hour’s aim is to reach more than one billion people in 1000 cities around the world in 2009. Earth Hour is inviting communities, business and governments to switch off lights for one hour at 8:30pm on Saturday March 28, sending a powerful global message that we care enough about climate change to take action.
Learn more about Earth Hour in Canada and around the world at www.EarthHour.org.
Maple syrup season has almost arrived, offering families the chance to step back into history and enjoy an age-old production tradition. In March and early April, conservation and nature centres are offering families the opportunity to learn how the maple sap is extracted from the trees and turned into syrup, often with delicious samples.
The maple syrup industry is well developed in Canada, with approximately 2200 sugar bushes in operation, sustainingover 1,000,000 taps. Maple syrup operations are limited to Eastern Deciduous Forests in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, due to the necessary cold winters and extended spring season.1
’Participating’ in the production process makes for a great family outing because:
• The learning process is a lesson in history and science.
• The outing helps develop an appreciation of nature.
• You can enjoy the fresh Spring air.
• Maple candy is often available for sale.
Visit our Calendar for maple syrup events, and have a sweet month. 1Ministry of Forestry.
WRITTEN BY
Their crafts section is the best. You can search by age, type or even by material but the Holiday & Seasonal category is such a time saver. You won’t find a Family Day section in there since it’s an American website but Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, April Fool’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day will all come handy in the coming months.
Most pages are followed by a Show & Tell section where you get to see pictures of craft ideas submitted by families just like us. Very often, parents also submit photos of one of the Family Fun crafts they tried for themselves. I should send them my daughter’s picture of the bubble bather costume suggestion we used during our school’s Crazy Bubbles end-of-the-year party.
We are proud to be helping to support 