September is  quickly approaching. Browse exciting shopping, program ideas and savings, to ensure that your family is prepared for back-to-school time. 

Raspberry Kids
Sponsored Listing
Back to School is in the bag at Raspberry Kids!  We have hundreds of items to choose from including backpacks, lunch bags, reusables and a heap of litterless lunch gear for the entire family.  We’ve got some of the best brands in the business including Beatrix NY, Lunchskins, Lunchbots, Fluf, Dabbawalla, Itzy Ritzy, Goodbyn, So Young Mother and many, many more! 

Contact: www.raspberrykids.com, http://blog.raspberrykids.com, www.twitter.com/raspberrykids, Facebook.com/RaspberryKids, 888.950.KIDS (5437) toll free or 604.568.5674 locally. 

 

KinderBounce Gymnastics Fall 2011 Session
Sponsored Listing 
Register with a friend before September 5th and SAVE 25% off your fall registration (Quote promo code: GYMFIT2). KinderBounce offers gymnastics/trampoline and interactive parent & tot classes for 1.5 - 6 years old. Our gym has downsized equipment, trampolines, large parent viewing area, 6:1 student:teacher ratios. Major Intersection: Steeles & Dufferin

Contact: Ruthy Dunec (Program Director), 416-277-1626, ruthy@fitforlifegroup.com, www.kinderbouncegymnastics.com

  
Canadian National Exhibition
Sponsored Listing
LET’S GO TO THE EX, where there is tons to do and see for 1 low price! Aug 19 to Sept 5. Visit TheEX.com for details.
 
Contact: TheEX.com 

CREATIVE MOVEMENT AND ART AND/OR BALLET CLASSES
Sponsored Listing:
Specializing in toddlers, preschoolers and the young child, 2 ½ to 9 years old. Teaching the concepts of Dance and Ballet through age appropriate activities. Groups are small, allowing for more personal attention. Runner-up in the Best of Richmond 2011. “Quality Training in a Caring Environment”

 
Sportball Multi-Sport Programs
Sponsored Listing:
Sportball programs provide kids with fundamental skills through both individual and team instruction which builds self-esteem while improving gross motor development. Our Multi-Sport program focuses on the eight core Sportball sports in a fun, supportive environment. At Sportball we Play with Passion and Play for FUN!

Contact: 1.877.678.5437, registration@sportball.ca or www.sportball.ca.
 

Take 15% off Your Order at Stuck on You - Two Days Only
Sponsored Listing
Head back to school in style with Stuck on You and their gorgeous range of name and clothing labels, backpacks, pencil cases, lunchboxes, drink bottles and more! Use promo code KIDSCAN11 to receive 15% off your order, ends 14th August 2011. Not valid on value packs.
 
Contact: www.stuckonyou.biz, 1-866-904-9790, www.facebook.com/stuckonyouofficial, www.twitter.com/StuckonYouCa,  or facebook.com/stuckonyouofficial

Catering to Your Cooking Lifestyle
Sponsored Listing
With Back to School time comes a more hectic schedule and meal times are usually the most frantic!  As the owner of The Cook’s Companion, caterer, award winning author and mother of 2 young children, Nadine Hughes understands the demands on your time.  Contact her today to see how she can help you cater to your cooking lifestyle!

  
Back to School {Mini} Photo Session Event - By Thornhill Photographer Ricki Horowitz
Sponsored Listing
Bring those new hair cuts, backpacks & lunch boxes and join me in September to create “back to school” photos both you and your child will be proud of!! We will be visiting a Thornhill Woods Park for beautiful “natural” images. Preschool to high school only

Contact: www.rickihorowitz.com, 647-401-1742 or ricki@rickihorowitz.com

Day Ja View® THE RECURRING EVENTS CALENDAR 
Sponsored Listing:
Millions of people use wall calendars. Day Ja View makes it EASIER and FASTER. The calendar that practically writes itself.

(c) Kids Around Canada 2011

What do your kids bring home from school?

That new backpack full of requisite supplies (read: expensive) might be good for the 3Rs of school (reading, writing, and arithmetic) but they certainly are not good for the 3Rs we hear more about these days (reduce, reuse, and recycle).

Now that you’ve shopped (for only what your child needs rather than wants), short of safety pinning or duct-taping everything to them, how do you get them to bring home what matters and leave the unwanted at school? You’ll need a little luck on your side and these suggestions to ensure a happy 2009-2010 school year for our families and our planet.

Bring Home - BACKPACKS
The most environmentally hazardous plastic, PVC (polyvinyl chloride a.k.a. vinyl), can be found in shoes, boots, supplies and every so often in backpacks. If you are in need of new backpacks, ensure they are PVC-free and manufactured responsibly – there are many options, but Ecogear Bags are great looking and you’ll avoid the dangers out there.

Bring Home - ART + WORKSHEETS
What do you do with all of that (fabulous?) art and hard work? Well, ummmm, throw it out? That’s awful (not because you don’t want it, because it doesn’t belong in landfills). Reuse it all by making notepaper or even cutting it up into cards and gift tags. And, of course, frame the really worthy pieces. For an added bonus, take pictures of the art you are going to reuse - an album of their creations will be theirs forever.

Bring Home – FRIENDS
Playdates! Well, these can be a little overwhelming…I find these days that my calendar is so busy because my kids after school social calendar is crammed! A successful playdate always involves a great snack, so please ensure that it’s a “safe� snack that’s peanut and nut free and also “healthy�. Here’s our guide to safe snacks that you should always have on hand. And, friends are important…don’t play video games, play outside and be active!

Bring Home – REUSABLES
Excellent, you are packing litterless lunches and drinks! As a result, you are keeping the weight of an average grade 2 kid out of landfills. Just make sure they are lead-free and all toxin-free and are labelled well! If you need ideas for containers and ways for creative lunch packing, download the lunch guide for free here. A great time for making sure everything gets returned home, aka making your kids responsible, is to pay them off! Give your kids a set amount of money each day they remember to bring their containers home. At the end of the school year, your children can use the money they’ve earned for something they want for themselves, or they can choose to donate the funds raised to a favourite charity.

Leave at School – SWINE FLU AND OTHER VIRUSES
You may be inclined to pack a jug full of anti-bacterial liquids and wipes with your kids but, the anti-bacterials which contain triclosan won’t do anyone much good. In fact, medical experts worry that the overuse of anti-bacterials are actually creating more problems rather than solving them.  Hot water with soap and proper handwashing is more effective – and if you need something on the go, try chem-free choices from your local health store – my favourite is Cleanwell - not available in Canada yet (but send them a quick email telling them that you want it here, power in numbers!)

Leave at School – LICE
It’s a big head-scratcher that we would use pesticides on our bodies to treat something when there is an alternative that is so much safer. If you are unfortunate enough to have to endure a lice outbreak, check out the Lice Bomb by Eco-Kid – and the rest of their preventative line - available across Canada now.

Leave at School – NECESSARY SUPPLIES
Buying hundreds of pencils over your child’s school career is expensive and you’re not the only one paying the price – all of those pencils had to come from a tree somewhere. Although some supplies are advertised as “wipe-cleanâ€�, they are unfortunately leaving an indelible mark on our planet. Shop wisely (perhaps you don’t need to buy everything new this year) but what you do put in your cart is important  so choose  stapleless staplers, tree-free or post-consumer-waste-made paper and pencils and ensure that all is PVC, pthalate and lead-free at the minimum. Check this list for back to school shopping in Toronto.

Bring Home AND Leave at School – YOUR INSPIRATION
Share your thoughts and pay it forward and you will make a difference – ideas from home should be taken to school and ideas from school should be brought home. Maybe it’s banning disposable bottles of water, implementing a strict litterless lunch policy, or cleaning without chemicals or maybe it’s about ensuring that all students learn about giving back to their communities. If only all of our kids could be part of Project Giveback, now in select schools– imagine what the next generation would be empowered to do.

As you and your family get ready to pack up and come and go each day, I wish you a good start to the school year, a great 2009-2010, and the highest marks on every report card for your children and our planet! That would be enough to earn us all A++!

Lisa Borden is an eco-advocate and mother of three, whose business is a direct reflection of her commitment to better, more responsible living. She is a dedicated workaholic, admitting that it takes a lot of time and effort to change the world, especially in her non-preachy, fun, engaging and inspiring ways. Lisa consults, writes, engages the media, runs private workshops, and enjoys speaking to large and small groups. Her full-service marketing firm, Borden Communications + Design Inc. is based in Toronto and takes great pride in being an ethical business providing exceptional ideas. You can meet Lisa here http://videobio.com/lborden sign up for Lisa’s rants and raves at www.bordencom.com or reach her directly at lisa@bordencom.com.

© Lisa Borden 2009

As school approaches, getting children involved in preparing their supplies can be an excellent way to build their excitement.

Let your child(ren) make their own labels for their books and binders. Offer a page of white office supply labels to decorate with their name. Their personalized name labels will definitely be one-of-a-kind!