momstown Oakville's New Programs for Toddlers and Sensory Play

As momstown Oakville continues to grow and welcomes more and more Oakville moms and kids, we are pleased to be adding more fun programs for our members to participate in.  This past week we kicked off our new Toddler Time program (perfect for that 10 - 30  month age group) as well as a Sensory and Discovery event that we plan to have outside each month (yup, even in the winter!).  Both new programs will be offered each month, sometimes on weekdays and sometimes on weekends.  Check our calendar to when these events are happening next!

Toddler Time

Circle Time

Our Oakville moms and toddlers gathered at Canlan Ice Sports to spend a hour being busy and burn off some of that toddler energy!  The event included:

• A toys table--shape sorters, block stacking, nesting blocks, magnetic alphabet, and pom pom colour sorting
• An art station where there were apple shapes for colouring, we used scribble cookies and chalk
• Sound station, toddlers tried to match sounds using their hearing sense
• A floor toys area we had vehicles and a playmat
• A sensory station that had shredded paper and hiding inside were pumpkins, apples and  leaves
• A gross motor area where there was a pretend vacuum,  tunnel and beachball

After play time, the event ended with circle time.  We sang songs that matched our theme of the month, 'apples', such as "1 little 2 little 3 little apples" and "Apples on the apple tree"

Sensory Discovery

Leaf Rubbings

This event was held outside on a weekend and we had moms, dads and kids of all ages join us.  Here's what kept the group busy:

• Marble painting: Take a plastic Rubbermaid box, add an apple cutout, a few marbles and drops of paint. Then shake the box to distribute the colour. The kids loved hearing the sound of the marbles rolling around and seeing the new colours made from the marble tracks.
• Make a Leaf Person: Each child could create their own leaf person using leaves of various sizes, twigs, googly eyes, and coloured sequins.
• Leaf Rubbings using scribble cookies.   Find out how to make your own scribble cookies here.
• Mystery box.  This was a shoe box wrapped in paper with a hole in the side just big enough to fit a child's arm. The kids had to guess what was inside only using their sense of touch. They loved trying to guess! Inside the box was a leaf, rock, mini pumpkin, apple, pinecone, and a flower. 

We invite you to join in on all the fun!  momstown Oakville membership is just $45 a year and includes all these great events and so much more.  Click here to purchase your one year membership which also includes a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine.  Oh, and did I mention that in addition to having lots of fun, you may just end up with a bunch of new friends too?  Hope to see you soon.

Tales for Tots: Exploring Apples With Oakville Moms & Kids

momstown Oakville's monthly Tales for Tots program welcomed lots of Oakville moms and kids this week at The Little Gym to explore our theme of the month - apples.  Our craft got the kids glueing and letting the creativity flow with the creation of their own tissue paper apple.

We used paper plates as the apple base. Red tissue squares to fill in the apple, green construction paper for leaves and brown card board for the stem- an easy, adorable apple craft for kids! After our apple crafting fun we sat down to read a wonderful story called Fox and Squirrel. The book is all about appreciating differences in others. Since September is also back to school month, this story was very fitting as there is so many new people at school to get to know and each of us are unique.  As always, we gave away a copy of our Scholastic Canada book to one lucky Oakville mom.  Congratulations to Melissa and her daughter Emily, they were the big winners this month.

Every month we give away a Scholastic Canada book at our Tales for Tots and our Rhyme, Rhythm and Read program.  Come and join us next time!  Click here to purchase your one year membership for just $45. Membership includes all of our programs, a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine and so much more!

Momstown Monet: Art Program for Oakville Kids Ages 3 And Up

Momstown Oakville moms and kids love to get crafty!  We have interest from all ages to participate in craft projects, but the momstown Monet program is designed to engage preschoolers and school agers who really enjoy crafting and love to create their own masterpieces.  These projects typically more steps than the crafts we do with our toddlers and early preschoolers.

Sunshine Plates

This month our momstown Oakville Monet group made sunshine plates to hang in the garden to help the flowers and vegetables grow! We used paper plates which we filled with yellow paint to make the sun, yellow and orange construction paper triangles for the sun rays , dried pasta to jazz it up and pipe cleaners to be able to hang up our sunshine makers.  Everyone had a blast making there own special sunny sun creation!

Come and join us next time - sign up here to view our calendar and see what events are coming up that your kids would love!

Tropical Fun At Momstown Oakville's Art & Play Sponsored By Tropicana Tropics

momstown Oakville didn't get on a plane but it sure felt like we were in the Tropics this morning!  The weather today was smokin' hot and it just happened to fit perfectly with our special Art & Play: Picassos in the Park sponsored by Tropicana Tropics. We had a great big group of Oakville moms and kids join us at Coronation park to make homemade leis, paint with fruit and cool down with some delicious Tropicana Tropics juice.

Juice Bar All Ready To Go!

As always, the kids got right into the painting (many little ones left with green or blue hands)!  Painting with tropical fruit (papaya, pineapple, limes and oranges) was a great sensory experience as well as a chance to do some exploration using different materials and seeing the results.  Everyone also got a chance to make their own lei to get into the tropical spirit.

Getting Crafty!

It wasn't long before we all felt the need to be refreshed and broke into the juice! We had Tropicana Tropics Orange, Peach, Mango and Orange, Strawberry, Banana on hand to try. Tropics is made with 100% juice and puree blend and contains no added sugar and each 250 ml glass of Tropics juice blend provides you with two full servings of fruit. Not to mention it was extremely refreshing on this hot, hot day! I tried the Orange, Strawberry, Banana first and really liked it. I thought it would be my favourite of the two but then I tried the Orange, Peach, Mango flavour and was surprised by how much I liked that one too!  momstown Oakville was happy to be able to give several moms a coupons for a container of Tropicana Tropics so that they could enjoy the juice at home.

Cheers!

Thanks to everyone who joined us in the Tropics this morning.  After all the crafting and refuelling with Tropicana Tropics, the splash pad was the next stop for most kids before packing up and heading home. If you'd like a chance to try all four varieties of Tropicana Tropics and get all the fixins' to host your own Tropical party, click here!  momstown Oakville still has more Picasso in the Park events taking place this summer so if you would like to join us, sign up here.  

July Tales for Tots - momstown Oakville's Parented Early Literacy Program

The hot, hot and more hot weather this month really fit our momstown theme at Tales for Tots this month: The Desert! momstown Oakville moms and kids packed the party room at The Little Gym to get crafty and enjoy our book of the month from Scholastic Canada.   

A very common sight in the desert is, of course, the cactus so we decided to make our own version minus the prickles! We used pre cut cactus shapes cut out of green construction paper, pink and white tissue paper for the flowers, stickers to jazz it up, google eyes so that our cactus friend could see and finally markers to create a big smile! As with every Tales for Tots program run by momstown,  Oakville kids had plenty of free play and to end our morning we read a very special story that celebrated the hot sunny days of summer called "Let It Rain" sponsored by our friends at Scholastic Canada.

Every month one lucky little one takes home a copy of the book we read and this month Cooper was our proud winner and could not wait to read it again with mom- congratulations Cooper!

Momstown's theme for August is birds!  Join us as we explore all things related to our feathered friends.  Sign up for your free momstown Oakville trial today - click here.

Free Prenatal Event In Oakville for Moms To Be

Calling all pregnant women in Oakville!  momstown Oakville is pleased to be hosting a free mom to be event - check out all the details below!  Come out and meet other expecting mamas, have fun and learn about some of our great community resources.  Enjoy cupcakes from Cupid's Gourmet Bakery and refreshments.

Win Awesome Prizes Such As:

Cord blood and peristem collection kit valued at $120

$50 Gift Card from Oakville Place

Sleep Support Package from Good Night Sleep Site

Baby Bath and Body Products from Fisher Price

One year momstown Oakville membership

RSVP to info.oakville@momstown.ca

March Break Family Activities for Oakville Moms

March Break is a great opportunity to spend some quality together time with your family.  There is lots of options for Oakville moms and their families to have some fun in the Halton Region or the Greater Toronto Area.  Whether you are looking for outdoor fun or a new adventure, these options have something for all Oakville families to consider.  And of course, momstown Oakville has plenty going on this week too!

March Break Ideas for Oakville Families

1. It's Maple Syrup Time at the Halton Conservation Area
Choose from two locations to enjoy some tasty pancakes and about how maple syrup is made

2. Bronte Creek Maple Syrup Festival

3. Royal Botanical Gardens Dinosaur Exhibit
Live Animal Shows Daily During March Break!

4. Go Skating!  Click here for public skating locations and times in Oakville during March Break

5. Head to the Ontario Science Centre.  They have a whole floor dedicated to kids (best for kids 15 months up to 6 years).  Click here for their March schedule

6. The Toronto Zoo is having daily promotions throughout March Break

7. Visit ROM for their Passport Around The World exhibit

8. Visit the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory for their BugFeast: Sweet Treats! exhibit.  That's right, it's time to eat some tasty insects!

9. Hit the local slopes!  Glen Eden offers rentals and lessons and has tubing Friday through Sundays.

10. Get Busy Indoors -  Crack open that board game you haven’t had time to play together yet, plan a puzzlepalooza afternoon, get baking and try a new muffin recipe or pull out the craft supplies and cut, glue and draw until little hearts are content.

11. Think Green! - Plan a St Patrick's Party together! Decorate the house green, bake some Irish soda bread and Guinness stew, create shamrock craft decor and invite the neighbours over for some board games and green kool-aid!

12.  Hang out at your local library!  There are always things to do but the Oakville Public Library has also got some special March Break programs going on.

13.  Take the kids to a performance at the Oakville Centre for Performing Arts!  Tales from the Garden is a show for kids 5-10 years and there are 4 performance times over March Break.

And if you find yourself itching to take just a bit more of a getaway, there is no better place for a family to have some winter fun than at Fern Resort in Orillia.  Here are 10 reasons why your family will love it!

Whatever you choose to do, have a great time creating some family memories and enjoy a break.

momstown Oakville's Baby Basics Toy Zone - Sponsored by Fisher Price

momstown Oakville moms are looking forward to our March 8th Baby Basics Infant programs which is sponsored by Fisher Price!  Oakville moms and babies meet every Monday at Ellephysio to socialize, unwind and seek support and find out about resources in the Oakville community.  There is no other Oakville mom's group where you can try out, and potentially WIN, toys from Fisher Price. That's right, we're raffling them off at the end and 4 lucky participants will be going home with a brand new toy!

Please join us, there's still time, sign up for your free 4 week trial membership and you can come too.

Here are the fun toys we'll be playing with:

My Little Snugabunny™ Cradle ’n Swing

Ocean Wonders™ Aquarium

Laugh & Learn™ Say Please™ Tea Set

Laugh & Learn™ Click 'n Learn Remote

momstown Oakville is a community that provides fun and friendship for Oakville moms. If you would like to get connected, check us out! A membership is only $45/year - you even get to try us for 4 weeks FREE!! Register here.

Remember with every full year momstown membership purchased in 2013 you will receive a BONUS 1 year subscription to Today's Parent magazine.

momstown Oakville's Tales for Tots Program: My Friend Henry

momstown Oakville had our first Tales for Tots program of 2013 this week! Oakville moms, babies and kids started the new year off right by creating a craft aligned with our 'That's Silly' theme for this month and then enjoyed our Scholastic Canada sponsored book of the month entitled "My Friend Henry".

So...what is white, wintery but down right silly? Why clown snowmen, of course! We used all kinds of materials such as colourful construction paper, sticker shapes and letters and all kinds of sparkle glue to make the silliest snowmen clowns possible!

Silly Clown Snowman

After craft time there was plenty of silly fun among the babies, toddler and kids within the Canlan Room at Canlan Ice Sports. We ended our morning by reading our story mentioned above, sponsored by Scholastic Canada. As always, one lucky mama and her family won a copy of our book of the month.

Our lucky winners!

Interested in joining us for our next Tales for Tots program?  Did you know we also give away a book for babies aged 0-12 once a month too?  Join momstown Oakville here or sign up for a free trial.  Purchase a one year momstown membership and get a subscription to Today's Parent magazine as an added bonus!

momstown Oakville moms and babies learn about introducing solid foods

momstown Oakville moms and babies meet weekly at ellephysio for our Baby Basics program.  The program is for moms with babies 0-12 months and each week there is either a speaker, a chance to do a craft with baby and there is always lots of time to connect and chat with other moms.  This week the topic was introducing solid foods to your baby.  Our guest speaker was Naturopath, Dr. Michelle Peris who talked about starting with pureed foods or using the baby led weaning method.

Below are some of the tips and information she shared with our group.  Be sure to visit Michelle's blog for great recipes for baby purees including Sneaky Green Apple Sauce!

FOOD INTRODUCTION

When? 4-6 months is your baby’s nutritional requirements change significantly.  Foods can be introduced as early as 4 months, although it may be best to wait until at least 6 months to ensure that they can digest food properly.

Does your baby watch while you eat? Your baby may be ready.  The ability to sit in a highchair and pick up food with their thumb and forefinger are also signs of readiness.  A good rule of thumb is that if they are reaching for it they are probably ready.

What to eat?
-Foods that are the least allergenic and easily digestible.
-It is advisable to begin with certain organic fruits and vegetables.
-Iron requirements substantially increases at the 6 month mark therefore selecting foods that provide adequate iron is of utmost importance. Iron fortified grains (ie. rice cereals) are not a great introductory food.
-With growing concerns of food sensitivities you need to know how to introduce foods in such a way to ensure that they can be identified and avoided to prevent further discomfort for your baby. Continue to nurse or formula feed your baby during this process.

General introduction instructions:
-Select one food at a time every four days. This way you can observe your baby to see if there is a sensitivity and you do not have to question which food it was that is causing problems.
-Peel the skins in the beginning as these are too fibrous and will be difficult for your baby to digest.
-Lightly steam your vegetables to soften and be sure to include the water used to make your puree or use breastmilk.
-Make your purees very smooth for initial introduction. The consistency can become more thick and chunky as your child matures, preparing them for solid food.
-Add herbs and spices to your purees such as dill, parsley, basil, cinnamon and cumin. This develops a diverse palate, making them more open to different foods as they grow. I would add herbs and spices after you have completed individual fruit & veggie introduction. This way if your baby has an adverse reaction you will be able to identify which ingredient your baby is sensitive to.

Tips from Dr. Michelle Peris
-Get your child involved in the process: let them feed themselves, hold the spoon, let them get dirty and allow them the time to required to feed themselves.
-Let them taste the foods as your prepare it: Sitting them in their highchair as you prepare the food helps them to see the process of making food. Letting them taste it throughout engages them in the process and helps them to establish a relationship with food from a very young age.
-Do not feed them when you are busy: sitting at the table enjoying the process will not only help them establish a healthy routine but also ensure proper digestion and reduce risk of adverse reactions
-As you go through the list of new foods you may find that some are more constipating than others. A gentle way to help your baby is to have your house stocked with prune juice to give them as needed.

Interested in meeting other new moms in Oakville and connecting? Join us for our weekly Baby Basics program. Sign up for a 4 week trial or purchase your membership here. Membership is just $45 for an entire year and includes all of our programs, our 24/7 message board, member discounts and more!

Winter Outdoor Activity Ideas for Kids

During the summer month, momstown Oakville moms and kids can be found enjoying our programs in parks and outdoor spaces all over Oakville.  Now that the weather has turned colder and we have mostly moved indoors, it takes a bit more creativity to keep active outside and get in some fresh air.  Here are some fun outdoor winter activities for kids that will make outdoor time as much fun as it can be when the temperature dips into below zero territory!


1. Make snow paint. Simply add food coloring to water or add water to some washable paint and put in a spray bottle, then go out and paint your yard!

2. Blow bubbles!  Bubbles in the winter?  Why not?  Kids will love seeing what happens when they blow bubbles in below zero temperatures.  For a great homemade bubble recipe, click here.

3. Set up an obstacle course in the yard with jumps, tunnels and other challenges.

4. Forget mud pies, make snow pies! Borrow some pans from the kitchen. Use them to create cakes for a cold-weather feast.  Or make a snow castle using pails and shovels from your summer beach toys.

5. Pitching practice. Paint a bull's-eye target on a piece of cardboard or wood and give each colored ring a point value. Attach it to a tree or put it up against a wall and kids can try to hit the target with snowballs.  Keep score for a prize like extra marshmallows on a post game hot chocolate!

6.  Have a coloured ice cube scavenger hunt.  Add food colouring and water to your ice cube trays and then hide them around the yard for kids to find.  You can assign each child a colour.  To avoid wet glove you can give out big spoons or tongs to use to pick up the ice cubes.

7. Snow faces.  Use snow to make faces on large trees.  Pack the snow onto the tree to make eyes, a nose and mouth.  Make a funny face, a happy face, a sad face, a surprised face, etc.  I totally remember doing this as a kid!

And of course making a snowman, a snowfort, going sliding and going for a walk through the snow are always great too.

We'll be adding some of these fun activities to our winter calendar and we'd love to have you join us.  Click here to sign up for your 4 week trial.  Our members get all of our programs included in their membership as well as this special bonus!

Tips For Making Positive Changes In The New Year

I'm not going to lie.  I'm feeling a bit of pressure when it comes to my first blog post of 2013!  My brain is being flooded with ideas for new year's resolutions, 2013 bucket lists, getting organized check lists...and the truth is I haven't quite narrowed down any concrete lists just quite yet.  I am working on it though and so I offer up to you the same resources that I have been consulting and reading so that I can make my own top notch plan for 2013.

How to create a stress management plan

A website to help you create a bucket list

A Family inspired bucket list

9 Happiness Strategies

Live Like You Give A Damn

Setting Realistic Resolutions For The New Year

So for those of you who are like me and need to settle into 2013 first before making a self-improvement/to-do list/bucket list/grandiose plans and ideas list, I hope you find some of the information above helpful.  It's been 2 days of living in 2013 and I like the way it feels so far.  I think 2013 and I will get along just fine.

Oakville moms and kids keep busy with momstown Oakville's Art & Play

momstown Oakville's Art and Play program this month was all about ornaments! Our Oakville moms and kids made gingerbread men and women and had a whole lot of fun decorating with colourful stickers- perfect to hang on the Christmas tree and to give as presents too.

Then it was time for some play! momstown Oakville kids and babies had plenty of fun playing soccer and we finished the morning with parachute games which both mama's and tots really got into and had a blast. Thanks to the Oakville Soccer Club for helping us burn off some energy!Everyone did so much running around that it was then time for a well deserved nap. Or at least I think that's what all of our mamas were hoping!

Come out and join us next time - sign up here for your free 4 week trial!  Did you know that all the craft supplies for all of our programs is always included in your membership fee of just $45 a year?

Alphabet Play with Oakville Moms and Kids - J is for Jingle!

Every month momstown Oakville moms and kids of all ages get together for our Alphabet Play program.  This month we explored the letter 'J' which tied in very nicely with the holiday theme as 'J' is for jingle!

We used corks to paint red and green jingle bells onto a paper letter J.  We read Christmas stories, played with ABC games, built towers our of ABC blocks, and talked about what different things started with J.

 As an added bonus, our kids got to make their own jingle bells today, using a paper cup with two holes cut in the top.  We threaded shiny red ribbon through the holes and then tied on a jingle bell.  Our Alphabet Play program is hosted by West Oak Village, a long term care facility and the residents come down and enjoy the program too.  This time we made extra jingle bells and shared them with residents and then we had sing song of Christmas songs and shook our bells along to the beat.

Alphabet Play is a popular program and kids of all ages have a great time!  Join us next time as we explore the letter 'K'.  Sign up for your free 4 week trial or purchase your momstown Oakville membership here.  A membership also makes a great holiday gift!  Contact us to learn more about gift certificates.

Perfect Mother's Day in Oakville

Perfectly fitting that Mother Nature would bring us beautiful weather like this for Mother's Day. A bright, sunny day to enjoy family time and remind us how lucky we are.

My family headed to Coronation Park today to spend time at the lake, scramble on the path and hightail it to the playground.


There were lots of Oakville families out today and even the Canadian geese were celebrating Mother's Day with fuzzy little goslings!


Very shortly, momstown Oakville will be back at Coronation Park for splash pad playdates, messy Picasso's in the Park & Baby Book Club picnics. Can't wait for more nice weather!!

Hope all our momstown mamas had a fabulous sloppy kiss and maybe a homemade gift inspired by momstown Mother's Day arts & crafts today!

momstown's Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Big giant thanks to our special momstown Easter helper, Stephanie, for organizing the 3rd annual Easter Egg Hunt for momstown Oakville with the Easter Bunny himself!



Together, the Easter team scattered plastic eggs all over the forest and field (even in the bushes! the older kids were thrilled!) for the kids to find. Each age group has a certain colour egg to look for to avoid any meltdowns or frustrations. At the end, the kids switched the eggs for goody bags to take home.


Thank-you Stephanie for bringing so much joy to our local families. Everyone has been raving about the fun moments they shared with their kids.


Our Oakville families had a fun time this season with momstown Crafty Kids making fuzzy bunnies and with our member Alexa winning tickets to the Centreville Eggstavaganza on Easter weekend.

Check out some of our momstown friends and their Easter celebrations:
momstown Milton: Indoor egg hunt at Kidz Korner
momstown Burlington: Raincheck Easter Party
momstown Hamilton: Dying Eggs, Eating & Playing

Win $5000 Family Vacation from Rice Krispies!

We know you like cereal - we ate a lot of it at our momstown Oakville Breakfast Club! You will love this creative contest (and chance to win a $5000 Family Vacation!!)

If you can imagine it, you can make it with Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal. Get creative with your kids and make a spring inspired treat using Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal and a sprinkle of imagination.

Submit a photo of your creation at www.ricekrispies.ca to enter the contest.

Don't worry if you're not a pro, they're looking for colourful, creative and fun treats that are perfect for making with a little helper.

There are lots of prizes including a Grand Prize of a $5,000 family getaway to the destination of your choice! The first 25 entries get a Rice Krispies prize pack.

Baby Signing Buddies

Nothing makes this mama happier than seeing friendships develop at momstown. This momstown Oakville group of moms and babies established an awesome weekly playgroup with a sign language focus (thank you Sarah for your expertise!!) and it's turned into a lovely group of friends.

That's what momstown is all about - finding other moms with common interests and connecting them together. Makes this momstown mama's heart happy to see it. :)

Want to join this playgroup or any of our other momstown Oakville events? Click here for a 2 week trial membership and join us for fun!. Coming up soon Field Trip to the Maple Syrup Festival, Mom's Poker Night, momstown Nursery Rhyme Party and much more!

Crock a Doodle Fun!

momstown Oakville mamas dropped into Crock a Doodle this morning for lots of painting fun!
















Our little painters made some great creations (and Christmas gifts!)
















Even the smallest of painters can make a great impression!
















We're hoping to have more Crock a Doodle playdates on the calendar for December! It's a great place to make some one of a kind Christmas gifts.

momstown Mom to Mom sale - don't miss it!

Gently used children's clothes, toys, books, baby equipment -- all in one spot and pre-sorted and pre-priced to make shopping easy & fun! Come early for the selection, come late for the best deals!

* 50% sale the last half hour!!
* Free Goody bags to first 200 shoppers!
* Cash ONLY. No strollers please (it is crowded and makes for an easier shop for all).
* $1/ entry fee unless you are a momstown member, members are free.

If you're interested in selling your child's items we have a few spots remaining - contact tammi.pozzobon@momstown.ca

Members, click here for full details!