Growing Up Online: How to identify cellphone addiction
By Carolyn Jabs How much time did your kids spend with their cellphones yesterday? When was the last time you checked yours? If contemplating these questions makes you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Cellphones dominate our lives in part because they are
Garage Sale
We had a garage sale this past Saturday, our first ever. It came about through a combination of factors. First, with our lice outbreak a couple of weeks ago, we got in the cleaning mode and realized that there were a
Science says make time for play
By Malia Jacobson When Meag Diamond began touring potential preschools for her toddler son, Keats, she saw a number of beautifully laid-out spaces filled with immaculate worktables, inviting book nooks and inspiring art stations. What she didn’t see was unstructured, unhurried
Homework: Prepare for academic success at home
By Laura Lyles Reagan, MS Back to school preparations go beyond school clothes purchases and new backpacks filled with pencils and spiral notebooks. Creating and supporting the habits of life-long learning is the best investment you can make in your child’s
Fidget Spinners: Helpful or harmful
Fidget spinners have soared in popularity over the past few months. You can find them in convenience stores, classrooms and all corners of the Internet. The three-pronged gadgets centre on a ball bearing mechanism that allows them to whir in
Nanny Sharing
By Martha Scully Childcare can be expensive; many daycares across the country charge hefty fees that pose a challenge to families. While nannies can often offer the same care services for less, many families may not require a full time care provider.
Lice!
I’ve never had to deal with lice before. I’ve been doing this parenting thing in various ways for a decade and a half – never had lice. I grew up in a house of five boys who were not shy
Seven Ways To Be More Attractive During Cuffing Season
Hint: It’s Not About Your Looks By Laura Doyle Cuffing season is upon us--that period when crisp, cold mornings signal that the long, cold months of winter are ahead, and something deep within tells us to partner up and stay that way--at
Skateboard Birthday
My middle son turned 10 this week, so I took him and a pack of his friends to the new skate park in Rockwood, a village not far from our home city. I’m not a birthday party lover, not the way
Too much stuff
My kids were given some toys by a friend the other day. Actually, the word “some” is a bit of an understatement. They were given three large tupperware totes of Halo Mega Bloks figures, vehicles, and sundry building pieces. We’re
Doing it the old fashioned way
I took my kids to an early settler farmhouse museum yesterday. We’ve been to these sorts of things before, and they’re always fun, but there was an especially good guide at this one who really got the kids into the
Archery
I was tasked to help one of the leaders at camp this week, supervising the older kids, between 9- and 13-years old. She’s a lovely woman, with experience as a social worker, a school teacher, and a Sunday school teacher.
It’s hip to be in Goderich’s square
By Stephanie Redmond It’s touted as “the prettiest town in Canada” and Goderich is indeed, really pretty. Take a short, few hours drive from the GTA, along beautiful country roads and you’ll find yourself in this historic down. Settled in 1827 on
Tips for families on the move
By Sara Marchessault Did you ever move when you were a kid? Not leaving your family home to go to college, but the move that happens when you have no choice or control. When you leave the life you knew behind
Cooking with the kids
By Catarina Muia Picky eaters. Everyone knows at least one person who doesn’t even need to open the menu at a restaurant because they know they’re getting those chicken fingers for the zillionth time. How does a person become this way
Tapping into the gifts of nature this summer
By Ben Klasky Spending time in nature is good for our families. We know this intuitively as well as from a growing body of scientific research. Time spent being active outdoors has been demonstrated to decrease stress and depression, while also increasing concentration,
Book Shelf
By Jane Muller The Lost Picnic By B. B. Cronin Be sure to enjoy a picnic with your family this summer but be careful to secure the lid of the picnic basket. As the title of this story implies, for this family, the
Cool Stuff
By Christine Davis The World of Eric Carle backpack and lunchbag Inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this colourful backpack and matching lunchbag is specially designed for children who are 38 to 42 inches tall. The backpack features a large, durable zipper, two
Lose less learning with epic new app
By Christine Davis ‘Tis the season for summer slide, “the regress in learning children have because they’re not engaged or challenged academically,” says educator Renee Cunningham. According to studies, students can lose up to two months of learning if they don’t
Heatstroke prevention tips for parents
With August upon us and the heat of the summer in full swing, it’s a good time to reflect on the dangers of heatstroke’s for young children. Since 1998, 721 children have died of heatstroke after being left in a
