The summer is quickly approaching, and we are pleased to help you get ready for a memorable season. Browse camp essentials, summer camps and vacation ideas, to make sure your family is prepared for a summer full of fun.
 
Lovable Labels
Sponsored Listing
Durable, Canadian-made labels, perfect for children’s belongings going to camp, school, and daycare.  Use our colorful and fun labels to ensure their items come home.  Labels for clothes, shoes, bags, and everything else!  Medical wristbands available for allergies/medical conditions.  Shop online 24/7.

Contact: www.greatlabels.ca,
LittleLadybug@sasktel.net, 306-547-2260

 
Summer Skin Care Au Naturale
Sponsored Listing
Looking for a safe, chemical-free sunscreen to pack for camp? A DEET-free insect repellent that works? Canada’s eco boutique Lavish & Lime has a great selection of the top natural brands. Use code KIDSCANADA and receive a FREE natural raspberry lip balm with your order. Only while supplies last!
 
Contact: www.lavishandlime.com,
customerservice@lavishandlime.com,
1-877-216-LIME (5463)

 
Shamrock Lodge Family Resort
Sponsored Listing:
Are you looking for that unique charming spot where the personal touch of the Bryant family makes your family feel special? Look no further than Shamrock Lodge; this little gem of the Muskoka’s is the perfect lakeside setting for a unique, all-inclusive family vacation!
 
Contact: www.shamrocklodge.com, 1-888-742-6742

 
Bayview Wildwood Resort
Sponsored Listing
Parents and Kids love this lakeside resort in all seasons!  Supervised children’s programs, entertainment, indoor and outdoor pools, water sports, recreation centre, nature trails, lakeside accommodation and superb dining.  City Parent Readers’ Selection Award Winner!

Contact: www.bayviewwildwood.com,
resv@bayviewwildwood.com, 1-800-461-0243
 
 
Enjoy Endless Summer Savings at The Breakers Palm Beach
Sponsored Listing:
Now more than ever, you deserve the most value from your vacation. June 1 through September 30, 2010, enjoy FREE amenities that vary by day of the week. Stay Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday nights and receive up to $400 daily in extra value.
 
Visit thebreakers.com or call 1-888-BREAKERS (273-2537) US & Canada.
 
 
Magical Castle Adventure at The Fairmont Banff Springs, July 16-18, 2010 (2 nights)
Sponsored Listing:
A family fun weekend not to miss that will leave your little ones feeling like castle royalty as they take part in a majestic medieval workshop followed by a castle scavenger hunt, horse drawn carriage parade and royal feast dinner with court musicians and entertainers. *Recommended for children aged 6-12 years *Parents are welcome to join in all  activities

Visit http://www.fairmont.com/banffsprings for more information or call 1-800-441-1414

Gibson House Museum Summer Day Camp
Sponsored Listing
At Gibson House Museum kids imagine the past, discover their creativity and most of all - have FUN! They explore 19th-century farm life, learn theatre games, make art projects, share in storytelling, cook in the historic kitchen, play old-fashioned games, and more! For ages 6 to 12.
 
Contact: www.toronto.ca/camps, gibsonhouse@toronto.ca, 416-395-7432     

 
Adventure Valley Day Camp Sport’s Camp
Sponsored Listing
Our Sports Camp is a challenging program with an emphasis on athletic skill and technique development, confidence building, sportsmanship and fun. Our Challengers will spend each day playing sports - badminton, ball hockey, baseball, basketball, climbing wall, frisbee, karate, soccer, swimming instruction, tennis, tetherball, volleyball, and more!

Contact: www.adventurevalleydaycamp.com, 905-731-CAMP (2267), info@adventurevalleydaycamp.com

 
Evolution Dance Studio Summer Camp
Sponsored Listing:
Evolution Dance Studio is offering half-day and full-day Summer Camp programs for July and August 2010. The children will dance, play, have fun listening to music, participate in art classes and enjoy movie timeouts. Ask about our Advanced Acro Dance Camp and Dance Intensive Camp as well.

Contact: www.evolutionstudio.ca, info@evolutionstudio.ca, 905-832-6738

 
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People Drama School
Sponsored Listing:
Summer classes for ages 4 to 18 help develop self-confidence and creativity while young people have fun and make friends by exploring drama, improv, film-making and more! Downtown Toronto. Fall/Winter/Spring classes available at three locations: North York, Etobicoke and Downtown Toronto. Celebrating 45 years of young people’s theatre!

Contact: www.lktyp.ca, dramaschool@lktyp.ca, 416-862-2222

As I wake up this morning to the sounds of the ocean waves lapping on the shore, and the rising sun peeping through the curtains, I am constantly aware of the beauty that surrounds me at The Breakers in Palm Beach. Before my little world wakes up, and we start getting washed and dressed with lots of little requests for the day (all desirable), I wanted to share the beauty of the resort hotel itself.

As you drive up, you are immediately impressed by the gardens alongside, which guide you to the door. Immediately and easily, your bags are taken and you are welcomed into the luxurious lobby. There is then lots of assistance to ensure that your check-in is completed with ease.

If you are delayed at all in getting to the front desk, it will be because you can’t take your own eyes off the magnificent ceilings and chandeliers, comparable to the finest castles of Europe (Versailles in Paris easily springs to mind). You quickly find that this stunning decor follows through the hotel, with ballrooms exceeding all fairy tales, and lovely terraces complimenting the beauty inside.

And yet as mentioned in my prior post, children are made to feel comfortable in this environment, as they are invited to choose a colourful Breakers bracelet to wear upon arrival upon the start.

Outside the hotel iteslf, parents and children everywhere are equally delighted by a beautiful beachfront with lots of sand castle potential, numerous pools, (including a kiddie and zero-entry pool), patio restaurants and gorgeous landscaping.

There are also lots of facilities for children and a delicious family restaurant (amongst others), but the story will have to wait to unfold, as I see and hear the first contented little yawns and stretches of the day.

I will just say that I already have the overwhelming sense that a family looking for a memorable beach getaway, and a couple looking for a romantic escape can both find it at The Breakers Resort. 

I am pleased for the opportunity to take you on a tour this coming week of a wonderful family resort option in West Palm Beach, Florida: The  Breakers.  I will be highlighting different features of the resort all week long, gathered from the special moments, smiles and unique experiences enjoyed by my own family.

There are two questions to ask to determine whether a resort is right for kids: do the kids like it, and does the resort like kids?  The answer to the first question is a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  The answer to the second is more complicated.  A hotel can profess to welcome children, even spend and build to accommodate them, without actually making them feel welcome.  It is the parents who feel this coldness first and nothing can ruin a trip faster than knowing you’re somewhere that wishes your kids weren’t with you.

The Breakers makes it clear from the moment you arrive that your kids are welcome and they do it with an ease and sincerety that cannot be faked.   Staff kneel down to talk to the kids.  They ask for their opinions.  They’re open to being charmed by them. 

Rooms are child-safe.  A swimming pool is ‘zero-entry’–you can wade slowly in over a pool bottom that starts at the pool’s edge.  Play areas are spotlessly clean and surfaces are smooth and rounded.

The Breakers provides a varied and stimulating play environment for children’s imaginations to run wild and their little bodies to blissfully exhaust themselves.

And the resort is set against an ocean backdrop of luxury and beauty rivalling some of the most exotic beach destinations in the world.

Visit each day for all the details.