January Bookshelf
Where’s Baby? By Anne Hunter Mama and Papa Fox can’t find Baby so Papa heads out on a search. While kids learn concepts like up, under and around as Papa explores the forests and asks its creatures if they’ve seen baby, they
Make play a priority this school year
Between attending classes and homework the school year is a busy time for kids. One thing that may fall off the priority list is how to keep kids active when there is limited free time. As a parent or guardian, it’s
November Bookshelf
The Shortest Day By Susan Cooper, illustrator Carson Ellis Two award-winners have come together to create a seasonal treasure by presenting a poem that welcomes the winter solstice with illustrations that capture the magic of the returning light. From early hunter-gatherers
Celebrating Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a hard one for me to talk about with my kids. First of all, neither they nor I have any direct connection with war. It’s something we see on the news, but not something we’ve ever had to
Halloween evolved
Halloween has definitely evolved in our house over the years. It used to be that we made a pretty big deal of it. We’d carve pumpkins for everyone, then roast the seeds. We’d make some sort of homemade treat to hand
Playing with the adults
One of the coolest things about my kids getting bigger is that they can come and join me in my activities rather than always needing me to come and join them in what they’re doing. For example, everyone in our family
Art that is all about the making
By Meri Cherry As a working mom, I wanted some way to connect with my girls in the limited time we had together. With Process Art, I found my answer. In simple terms, Process Art is art that’s all about the
Making a List
One of the things I’ve written about in this space before (and that I also talk about with parents all the time), is not just scheduling every minute of your kids’ summer, but allowing them unstructured time to hang out
Learning Hospitality
Most weekends during the summer, if we’re in town, we invite a few friends over for a barbecue at our house. Things are usually pretty low key – we pick up a few drinks, throw some sausages on the grill,
Learning to be a better parent
One of the curious side effects of fostering and adopting is that you usually end up with a whole lot more parenting instruction than if you have biological children. Whereas it’s possible to get pregnant on a whim (or even
Wedding Season and the mini-guests
It’s getting into the season where your weekend calendar will be filling up with weddings. And for parents some of these events welcome your littles to attend as mini-guests or to play an important role in the big day. The
Fueling creativity
By Luke Hill Everyone needs to be creative. I’m not saying that everyone has the capacity to make great art or write great poetry or play great music. Some people definitely have more aptitude for these things than others, and there’s
TV host and mother does double duty
By Christine Davis Top Chef Canada host and co-founder and executive chef of DEX restaurant in New York City, Eden Grinshpan, is a native Torontonian who’s come home to shoot three separate seasons of what she describes as the most “prestigious
On the Bookshelf
By Jane Muller Let’s Play Hockey By Ginger Swift, illustrator Kathryn Selbert Board books and especially lift-a-flap board books are indispensable additions to the diaper bag where they are on hand to amuse a toddler when the need arises. This sweet little book
Barbie can be anything and so can you
By Christine Davis For 60 years, Barbie has been breaking barriers, taking on more than 200 different careers since her inception in 1959. The latest addition to that vast collection is Canadian figure skating sweetheart Tessa Virtue. “It’s crazy!” Virtue says of seeing
Don’t miss Thomas & Friends at the Toronto Zoo
There’s two, there’s four, there’s six, there’s eight and tomorrow is your last day to meet Thomas and Friends, including Sir Tophamm Hatt at the Toronto Zoo. Head to the Tidmouth Shed, AKA the Special Events Centre where plenty of Thomas
Soulpepper presents Rose, a new original musical for all ages
By Sarah Wilson Imagine a story that begins with the words ‘Once upon a time’ and then goes places you never expected. Or a classic hero’s journey that’s unlike any you’ve ever seen before. Or imagine a musical in which a trio
Roll out the movies on Family Day
There are so many ways to enjoy Family Day on Monday, Feb. 18. If watching a family-friendly movie is on the agenda, here’s a list of some of the best movies both old and new. • Hugo – This 2011
Affording the cost of your kid’s sports
Kids like to play and that’s a good thing. Playing promotes health and fitness and being part of a sports team of any kind is not only a terrific way to make friends, it’s also a lot of fun. But
Totally awesome tie-dye
The following is an excerpt from Suzanne McNeill’s book “Totally Awesome Tie-Dye: Fun-To-Make Fabric Dyeing Projects For All Ages”. Follow her techniques to create your own. Introduction: Tie-Dye is an adventure At its heart, tie-dye is a simple craft: it’s about adding