Tag: parenting_101

The Westpark Board and City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux announced yesterday that Westpark Pool will not open this summer due to “unpredictable circumstances.” They explained that, after much discussion, the decision was made to not open the pool, which has been a summer staple for decades.

The other four pools in DDO will open and are accepting new memberships. Details on membership reimbursements have been sent out via email.

– JC

It’s that time of year again where we start preparing our kids for summer camp! So what are some camp essentials that you’ll need? Well, they’re right here:

A journal. You want your child to be able to capture and remember everything that happened in the summer of 2017. So get them a great journal that will encourage them to record every fun detail. You can find some great options through Chronicle Books. 

Stationery. If your child or teen is off to sleepaway camp, and you want them to feel connected to you, pack some stationery for them. I especially love these “Letters To My Mom” sets (they also have Letters To My Dad and Letters To My Future Self).

Water bottles. S’well carries a huge selection of water bottles in every colour and pattern you can imagine. 

You don’t want you child to lose any of their things while at camp, so you want to label everything, from clothes and hats to shoes and more. Loveable Labels carry a great assortment of personalized labels. 

Find an assortment of backpacks, lunch bags, laundry bags and more at Camp Connection General Store, where you’ll also discover outdoor gear, footwear and so much more.

Jack & Jill has so many fun products that are perfect for your little camper. Find a wide range of bags, toiletries, clothing, and more! It’s your one-stop shop for everything camp-related!

A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.

We like to keep busy over March Break and make memories, and it’s so easy to do when you live in such a fantastic city! Montreal and beyond has some great places to check out that will make this March Break one for the history books.

There’s…

Ecomuseum. 

The Ecomuseum is home to some of Quebec’s most beautiful wild animals in a natural and enchanting environment that is only 30 minutes from downtown Montreal. They have guided tours and the parking is free too. We loved spending time outside visiting owls, fox, wolves, coyotes, deer, and more. They also have indoor spaces for eating snacks or a meal, and their gift shop is wonderful.

Montreal Science Centre.

There’s always something fun happening here. Whether your little ones explore the huge, interactive playroom, your older ones try their hand at building something in their special lab room, or you take in an IMAX movie as a family, there’s something for everyone at this fantastic venue in Old Montreal.

Laval Rocket hockey game. 

Now this is how family sports events should be: reasonably priced tickets and parking, inexpensive concession stands, family-friendly games in-between periods, and fast, professional hockey at its best. Every family should experience at Laval Rocket game.

Espace pour la vie. The best part about this east-end area is that there are numerous museums to check out, each offering its own activities. There’s the Botanical Gardens, Biodome, the Insectarium, and the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. 

– Jennifer Cox

This is a March Break like no other: no family vacations, limited trips to indoor facilities, and way less socializing. However, this could also be a super unique week, with some simple, creative ideas for fun activities to make this a March Break for the memory books!

Movie night. Take it up a notch with a fort, snack bar, or by putting your bed mattress in the living room.

Cooking class. Nominate someone in your family to give everyone a cooking class.

Make-your-own night. Tacos, pizza or subs, chili or baked potato bar… the choices are endless.

Build a fort. Use coloured water to personalize it.

Paint night. Find a painting online and have everyone try and copy it.

Make a pinata using a balloon and papier-mache. Fill it with treats.

Work on a family canvas.

Take a virtual tour of a museum.

Build the tallest snowman you can.

Go dogsledding.

Go cross-country skiing.

Find an outdoor rink and go skating.

Make your own family movie.

LEGO challenge!

Plant seedlings.

Make an egg carton aquarium.

Host a family talent show – you’ll be amazed by what everyone comes up with.

Make homemade bread together. This is an easy recipe.

Have a theme day. Themes can help you find other things to do throughout the day in terms of crafts/projects, reading material, food, etc. Our favourites: outer space, focusing on a specific country, science, art, sports, etc.

Change up the seasons. Make it summer for the day: turn up the heat, have a picnic lunch, play with magic sand (4 parts flour to 1 part baby or olive oil), make paper fans, and drink tropical smoothies.

Make your own wave bottle with oil and water (remember those?)

Go with the classics: Go Fish!, Old Maid, Tic-tac-toe, Hangman, Cat’s Cradle, etc.

Make paper bag puppets and put on a show!

Play “Spy” and write secret messages in white crayon, which can be decoded (revealed) when you colour over it with marker.

Paint/draw what you see. Look out the window and create your art.

Make suncatchers. Pour school glue into a plastic lid from a yogurt or sour cream container. Add drops of food colouring and swirl with a toothpick. Let it dry, Remove it from the lid.

Play-doh time.

Make a poster collage of your favourite things.

Set up a mad science lab with coloured water, vinegar and baking soda.

Create a family time capsule.

Family board game night.

Have fondue.

Make baking soda art. Create paint by mixing a bit of baking soda, water and food colouring. Paint onto paper. Then, use an eyedropper to add drops of vinegar to the paint and watch the fizzing fun.

Transform a box into a robot.

Make a map and do a scavenger hunt.

Zoom dance party with friends!

Make tie-dye pillowcases, shirts, towels or socks with permanent markers. Colour with markers and then use an eyedropper to apply rubbing alcohol, which will make the colours bleed and blend.

Colour a mug or plate with permanent marker and then bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.

Make your own crayons. Buy a silicone mold and put it all those broken bits of crayons. Bake at 300 for 5-10 minutes until melted.

Craft challenge: make something from recycled materials.

Make coffee filter planets. Colour coffee filters with markers and then spray with water. Let dry.

Play the classics: tag, hide-n-go-seek, what time is is Mr. Wolf?

Write your own storybook.

Make a paper plate mask.

Bundle up and star gaze.

Nerf gun battle.

Create a fun obstacle course.

The Montréal Science Centre launches Tiny Tot Tuesdays for families with children ages 2 to 5. The event is designed to offer families an opportunity to introduce their little ones to science and technology in a fun, interactive, and safe environment custom-made just for them. 

Tiny Tot Tuesdays will feature a remade screening experience at the IMAX®TELUS theatre with a shortened 26-minute runtime for the film Sea Lions 3D – Life by a Whisker (instead of its full 45-minute version) with reduced volume for these tiny-tot audiences. Parents can rest easy, and laughing and squealing are always welcome.

Designed and developed as a permanent exhibition for audiences ages 0 to 7, Mini Mondo is a fascinating and interactive space where children can set out and explore their environment. There are objects to handle and sounds and smells to explore across three different zones: the city, the forest, and the river. The exhibition space was also designed to be accessible and inclusive and includes a nursing room and a large family-sized washroom.

Then there’s the feature exhibition Dinosaurs Around the World where little ones are invited to explore Pangea and its ancient continents where they can meet 20 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs that move and roar. The area is filled with interactive activities where young visitors can play with paleontologist tools and unearth fossils, slide down the back of a sauropod and climb on the back of others, and even touch a real 67-million-year-old hadrosaur fossil with their own hands.

– Jennifer Cox

A little over a year after its launch, the Mini Mondo exhibition at the Montreal Science Centre has been awarded a prestigious prize from the SMQ, Québec’s provincial museum association, in recognition of its excellent museum practices.

The exhibition was recognized for its inclusivity and presentation in no less than six languages, and was purposely designed to introduce children ages 0 to 7 to eco-citizenship through a highly immersive approach. Its design features three zones: the forest, the river, and the city, and the exhibition space offers little ones a fascinating and interactive world where they can explore and discover their environment. Using a hands-on, free-play approach, the exhibition invites them to handle objects, hear sounds, and engage in activities designed to stimulate all their senses.

“This prestigious prize wonderfully recognizes the vision and the efforts of our team [who] set out to create an out-of-the-ordinary science-inspired exhibition that would raise the bar in terms of diversity, inclusion, and environmental consciousness,” said Isabel Dansereau, COO of Attractions (Québec) and Executive Director of the Old Port of Montréal Corporation, in a press release. “We are exceedingly proud to have added such an inclusive product to the Old Port of Montréal Corporation’s service offering.”

Mini Mondo is also the first exhibition that uses the diversity-sensitive Gender-based Analysis Plus process (GBA Plus), which also aims to develop inclusive spaces and experiences that reflect the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of all kinds of families. Through this approach, the Science Centre’s team performed a careful analysis of the different barriers that members of recent immigrant communities face in an effort to understand how the Montréal Science Centre’s spaces might be unknowingly contributing to them. “Working directly with these communities was extremely instructive,” said Cybèle Robichaud, Montréal Science Centre’s Director, in the same release. “Much like when improving accessibility, the adaptations we integrated into the exhibition design ultimately improve the visit experience for all our audiences. We are extremely proud of the process we underwent and the results that came from it.”

– Jennifer Cox

Fall weather is sweeping in and with the rainy days in the forecast we’ll be looking for indoor activities to keep our kids entertained. Here are six great board games by Funko Games that will appeal to young kids and parents alike.

Dr.Seuss Pattern Party (Ages 3+) – This is a great easy game to teach kids about patterns and shapes. Gameplay is relatively short, which is fantastic when playing with little kids who might not have enough patience to sit through longer games yet. Players each get their own spinners and have to make a pattern that matches the one on their chosen card. This is also a good game to introduce children to strategic gameplay. They will have to make decisions such as whether to focus on their patterns or use a turn to block an opponents pattern.

Dr.Seuss Thing One and Thing Two Where Are You (Ages 3+) – If you’re looking for a game with a little more flexibility and movement, then this is a perfect game for you. One player hides the Things squishy, then the other players ask question to get clues. If you turn over the “Go Look” tile it’s time to go look. This is a quick game but if your kids are anything like mine they’ll want to play over and over again. It’s a great way to work on their memory while also keeping them moving as they run from room to room looking for the Things.

Disney Happiest Day Game (Ages 5+) – We haven’t been back to our happy place since January 2020, so when I saw a game set at my favourite Disney theme park I had to try it. Players race around the Magic Kingdom park visiting all the classic attractions and meeting characters in an attempt to collect as many cards before Tinker Bell reaches the top of the castle, turning day to night. We had a blast playing this game, while feeling nostalgic for our favourite park. The card questions were also fun to answer, such as “what’s the best thing to do while waiting in line” or “what’s your favourite land?” It was always interesting to hear my kids’ answers!

Disney’s Kingdomania (Ages 6+) – This game combines two of my children’s favourite things; it’s a board game and a mystery pack. Kingdomania is an expandable game that can be played solo or as a group. The premise is simple, keep the glitches out of the Nexus! Of course, with the luck or bad luck of a roll of a dice the game could go either way. I’d advise to take your time reading through the instructions while the kids play with their little figurines. Once you understand the gameplay it’s very simple and enjoyable. I love that it can be expanded with collectible characters. Kingdomania will be available as a game ball (1 player) and as a super pack (1-2 players) and they can all be combined. I suspect my children will find a game ball in their Christmas stockings this year!

A Goofy Movie Game (Ages 7+) – It’s a race across the country to make it to the Powerline concert in LA. Players want to be the first to the concert venue to score the best seats, but don’t forget to make memories along the way! This is a simple straight forward game that’s easy enough for the younger players and enjoyable for the older ones. When we tried this game out we each had different strategies going. Is it best to race to the venue to score the best seats, or is it better to collect as many memories as possible? You’ll have to play to find out.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Ages 9+) – I could not wait to get my hands on this game, it’s based on my favourite Magic Kingdom roller coaster after all, and it did not disappoint! We all played with a different strategy and ended up being bested by our youngest player. Players are tasked with growing their mining operations and investing in the town business. Of course, strategy can only go so far when the paths that the marbles take are completely at random. This game is a great combination of strategy and pure luck.

There’s always so much to see and do at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts that’s interesting and eye-opening for the whole family, young and old alike. Here are a few exhibitions to check out:

Nicolas Party

Scholastic Canada celebrates its 25th anniversary of their publishing partnership with iconic children’s author Robert Munsch in 2022. To mark the occasion, Scholastic has created Munsch Mayhem – a multi-faceted national salute to Canada’s favourite storyteller.

“After Robert Munsch’s interview with the CBC’s Shelagh Rogers last fall, in which he disclosed that he has been diagnosed with dementia, there was an incredible outpouring of support and love for him,” said Nancy Pearson, Scholastic Canada’s President of Marketing and Publishing, in a media release. “We wanted to create a moment for everyone to celebrate Robert and his books.”

The month-long events kicked off on Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 30th, with  more than 100 independent retailers offering a free commemorative tote bag with purchase of a Scholastic Munsch book.

Approximately 100 libraries, bookstores, and communities across the country are posting Munsch Walks in French and English, outdoor pathways which will have select Munsch books posted along the walkway for families to enjoy. For more information on the location of the Munsch Walks, click here.

Scholastic Canada is also partnering with Little Free Libraries with a donation of Robert Munsch books to more than 100 Little Free Libraries across Canada. 

A group of students from Centennial College’s Children’s Media program across created a video, “A Love Letter to Robert Munsch” as a class project. The video can be found here.

This fall, Scholastic Canada will publish Leaves¸ a Robert Munsch story set in his hometown of Guelph, Ontario, and illustrated by Munsch’s longtime collaborator, Michael Martchenko. “We have a large collection of stories Robert wrote while he was touring and being inspired by children he met,” said Diane Kerner, Munsch’s editor and Scholastic Canada’s Vice-President of Publishing, in the same release. “Fans can rest assured that Robert’s stories will continue to be published for years to come.”

– Jennifer Cox

Come celebrate National Scooter Day with Globber at Toys”R”Us Canada on May 19! Toys“R”Us carries a great selection of Globber Scooters for all ages to get the entire family outside and scootering around. 

Explore the neighborhood with your little tikes on the Globber Explorer 4in1 Trike offering 4 different settings to allow the trike to grow with your little one. Add a little fun to your children’s scooters with the Primo Foldable Light up Scooter offering a whole new twist on scooters. Don’t forget about safety, Globber offers a junior set of protective gear to ensure your children arrive safely to their destination. 

Globber Scooters and accessories are available now online at ToysRUs.ca and in-store at Toys“R”Us Canada. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you’re working on stories that may be a fit.

– Jennifer Cox

Add some illumination to your spring! Laval’s incredible lighting event Illumi has extended its spring season to May 22. With warmer temperatures, you can shed that coat and hat and still get out there to see hundreds of thousands of lights, special effects, and so much more. It’s the perfect family activity.

Attendees will delight in the more than 25 million dazzling lights, thousands of larger-than-life light-up structures including an amazing dinosaur display that houses 50 gigantic roaring dinosaurs, and 19 different and jaw-dropping universes. You can experience it all on foot by walking through the setups or by car.

Illumi is open every Friday and Saturday, and as well as the Sunday of the long weekend.

Tickets are still available here.

– Jennifer Cox