Barilla Pasta Gets Momstown Oakville Kids In The Kitchen

momstown Oakville moms and kids had a great morning this week at our Junior Chef program sponsored by Barilla Canada.  The group made up a delicious meal to go along with the Barilla PLUS®  pasta we were trying out that included salads and cheese biscuits - all made by our Junior Chefs!

We had several stations set up, a salad station,  a cheese biscuit station and a craft station where each child got to make a pasta necklace (what a great fine motor activity this is!).  These were in addition to our little ones getting a chance to stir our main course, spaghetti and meatballs.  

For our spaghetti, we used the new Barilla PLUS® pasta.  Each 85g serving provides 6 grams of fibre and 14 grams of high quality protein that comes from ingredients such as chickpeas, lentils and egg whites, just like those found in the Mediterranean diet and considered heart healthy choices.  Let's just say that our Oakville mamas were thrilled to learn about how much protein and fiber they could get into their little ones just by serving a kid favourite meal like spaghetti.  Barilla PLUS® is available in four different varieties including penne, rotini, spaghetti and spaghettini.  Every mom who attended the event went home with a box of Barilla PLUS® spaghetti!

momstown Oakville Junior Chefs get right into cooking!  It is so great to see them taking an interest in the food, in helping out and working together to follow a recipe (with some help of course!)

After all the hard work was done, we took our lunch outside and had a picnic.  The verdict?  The kids were proud of the work they had done and gobbled it all up showing no signs of knowing how much awesome nutrients they were getting.  Barilla has got some great summer pasta recipes too like pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil or rotini with fresh plum tomatoes and chevre cheese or you can visit their website for even more great meal ideas.  

Special thanks to Danielle Wilson Photography for taking such great pictures!  Check out the rest of the pictures from the event on our Facebook page.

momstown Oakville has a Junior Chef event every month which is included in your yearly membership of just $45/year.  To become a momstown Oakville member, click here.

Science for Preschoolers With Magnets

In April the momstown Oakville Little Scientist program for toddlers and preschoolers explored our theme of the month (Little Explorers) using magnets.  First we investigated a whole tray of objects and tested out whether each one stuck to our magnet wands or not.  Our scientists sorted them into two piles - magnetic (which we discovered were all made of metal) and non-magnetic (made of things like cloth or rock or elastic or plastic).

Then we made some caterpillars dance!  Using glass jars with little bits of pipe cleaners, we waved our magnet wands around the jars, the pipe cleaner bits or "caterpillars" moved around the jar. momstown Oakville kids even did some magnetic painting!  Each child got a paper plate filled with a blob of yellow, blue and red paint.  We placed a paper clip on our plate, and then used our magnet under the plate to move the paper clip around, through the paint and all over the plate.  The colours all mixed and we made green, orange and purple and our plates looked like beautiful works of art!

Finally we played with 5 different magnetic toys - a magnetic bar and ball set which we used to build towers and shapes, a magnetic person with magnetic clothes that we could change, a fishing puzzle with a magnetic fishing rod and magnetic fish pieces, magnetic vehicles that we zoomed all over a metal baking tray, and plastic fish that we turned magnetic by using a paper clip which we could "fish" for using our magnet wand.

What a fantastic time experimenting with magnets!  Little Scientists is just one of our Top 10 momstown programs.  Sign up for your free momstown Oakville trial today and learn more about our 40+ monthly events, message board, member discounts and more!

Oakville Toddlers and Preschoolers Enjoy Being Junior Chefs with momstown Oakville

momstown Oakville moms and kids had a great time being little explorers this morning at our monthly Junior Chef program.  Each child created a little piece of  edible backyard, right in their own plastic cups, and could explore all the different layers, just like the layers we might find if we dug down deep in the ground outside.  The best part was once we were finished building our layers, we got to take a spoon and go exploring and looking for treasure in our cups!

First we put chocolate covered graham cookies in a bag, got a hard plastic cup that we used as our "smashing cups" and we smashed the cookies until they were all in little crumbs.  We poured these into our cups and they became our first layer of "dirt".  Next we put in a few scoops of vanilla pudding, followed by a few spoonfuls of cinnamon pops cereal, which were round and looked like rocks.  Then we put a sugar ice cream cone into our baggies and smashed those into crumbs with our smashing cups, and poured them into our cups.  They became a layer of jagged sand.  As an added surprise each child got a "treasure" added to their cup, which we then covered up with 'mud' (chocolate pudding).

Finally, we put some green food colouring into shredded coconut and then sprinkled that on top of our cups to look like grass.  We got our spoons and started tasting our yummy creations, and as we ate through the layers, we discovered our treasure - a round, shiny bouncy ball that we got to play with outside once we had enjoyed eating our cups full of yumminess! After being creative in the kitchen, our group spent some time exploring the outside as well - sliding, digging, raking, bouncing and jumping!

Would your junior chef love getting messy in the kitchen?  Register with momstown Oakville today and join us next month!

momstown Oakville's April Tales for Tots Program with Scholastic Canada

April brought a new location and new theme for momstown Oakville's monthly Tales for Tots program! The Little Gym in Oakville has moved (now located at 2172 Wyecroft Rd., Unit 23) but it's new spot was equally welcoming and Oakville moms and kids had a great time.

The theme for April is Little Explorers, which was very fitting given that we were exploring a new location. What better way to explore with than making your very own compass! We used paper plates, pipe cleaners, markers and sparkle glue to make the most creative compasses possible. Kids even learned how to remember directions - North, South, East and West - by learning a catchy saying that goes "Never Eat Shredded Wheat.  They are ready to go exploring outside!

We followed our compass making with plenty of play and ended our fun with a wonderful story provided by Scholastic Canada called "Lucky Ducklings".  The story is a tale of little ducklings exploring new habitats and getting into trouble, however with help were all saved and ready for the next adventure.

As always, one lucky mama went home with a copy of our book of the month.  Interested in joining us for Tales for Tots or one of our other great programs?  Your $45 a year membership includes all of our monthly programs and a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent Magazine!  Join us today!

Silly Putty Recipe - Make Your Own At Home!

momstown Oakville's February Little Scientist program had Oakville moms and kids making silly putty! Everyone really enjoyed playing, squishing, bouncing, stretching and shaping it once it was made. 

Silly Putty Recipe

Bowl #1

-1 cup of white Elmer's glue (the 225ml bottle)

-3/4 cup warm water. 

Mix well, then add some food colouring.  About 8-9 drops should do it. If you want darker colours, you could use more.

Bowl #2

-1/2 cup warm water

-2 teaspoons of Borax (Borax is a laundry powder booster, and it can be found at the grocery store in the cleaning products aisle) 

DIY - Silly Putty

Once both bowls are well mixed, carefully pour bowl #1 into bowl #2. This is where the fun begins! You can see the coloured glue mixture forming a ball in the water mixture. You can start mixing with a spoon, and then it's way more fun to use your hands for mixing. You need to really squish it and get all of the glue bubbles out. 

momstown Oakville moms and kids all had fun taking turns pouring and mixing all of the ingredients, and then rolling up their sleeves and getting hands right in the bowl. The mixture started off very watery, but the kids kept mixing and stretching and squeezing and squishing with their hands and worked the liquid into the putty and soon it was dry enough to take out of the bowl. The mixture was broken up into chunks and each child had a big blob to play with. 

The group made shapes, like green eggs and ham, or a big lollipop, or swing, or snake. We also made balls and and bounced them on the table. When the putty was left in a blob on the table, it started to lose its shape. It felt much more slippery and smooth and cool than playdough. Everyone went home with a bag of silly putty to continue to play with at home.

Interested in joining momstown Oakville for our mom and tot or mom and baby programs?  Click here!

Only $45 a YEAR??

Since I became the momstown Oakville owner, I have been out in the community talking with new moms and moms with toddlers and preschoolers, other community resources and local businesses.  I love telling everyone what we are about and what we have to offer.  You know what the most common response I get is?  "I can't believe that it's only $45 a year - it's a steal! Momstown could charge so much more than that".  And they are right on both of those thoughts.  We probably could charge more, but momstown wants ALL moms to have access to support and activities that focus on the whole child, so the membership fee is an inclusive amount.

So what makes a momstown Oakville membership a steal at $45 a year?

• 40-50 programs on the calendar each and every month
• Events are geared towards 0-6 years old and there are evening events for just moms
• We have a Baby Basics program which focuses on helping new moms become aware of resources in the community and learn about important topics such as sleep, dental care, early literacy and more
• We have a 24/7 message board that is alive with hot topics, conversation and resources and recommendations
• The unique blend of online and in person support offered by momstown has been scientifically proven to be a positive influence on a mother's mental health.
• We give our members the opportunity to try out brand name products such as Crocs, Melitta, Fisher Price and Little Tykes
• Our members get exclusive discounts to local and National businesses
• Our events are built around our six program pillars which focus on early literacy and education
• We are partners with CBC Kids and Scholastic Canada which bring further benefits to our members

There is no other resource for Moms that provides all that momstown has to offer.  And what we hear almost daily is true, at only $45 a year, it's really not a question of why should you should join, but when should you join!

And if those reasons aren't enough, we have a special offer for August and September in celebration of our 5th birthday!  Buy or renew a one year momstown membership and get a one year Today's Parent subscription as a bonus!

Here's what some of our members have to say:

"Joining momstown Oakville was the best decision I have made since becoming a mom. It was given me new friends, fun activities to do with my children, and provides a wonderful opportunity to share challenges and ideas with other moms. I also like that I that I can communicate with other moms on the momstown Oakville message board at all hours of the day. I have found it to be very informative, and it offers a great way for moms to support each other with some of the challenges that comes with raising children. I am very thankful for momstown Oakville and all the wonderful people who are in it with me." - Michelle

"I joined momstown Oakville looking for quality programming for my children. What I found was far greater - momstown fosters an atmosphere of warmth and inclusion which has created a group of friends for me and for my children to learn and grow with. I have no doubt that the experiences my children and I share with our momstown friends will stay with us for years to come. And we have a lot of fun doing it!" - Melissa

"Recently moving here for my husband's job without having any friends or family in the area, I am SO happy I heard about and joined momstown Oakville.  It was such an easy way to meet local moms, make some friends (for me and my baby), find out about all the kid programs around town, and at the same time feel like part of the community right away.  As a bonus, a lot of the activities center around developmental skills for the kids.  As a first time stay at home mom, the events we attend take a little pressure off of me to organize all these developmental activities for myself at home with the baby (fingerpainting, swimming, organized song and dance, crafts, etc. )...instead I just show up and have a great time with my kid and our new friends while someone else does the planning and set up.  It's awesome!  This is all in addition to wealth of info I'm exposed to with all the more experienced moms I get to interact with everyday.  I would recommend momstown to every mom!" - Jody

It's easy to join us.  Sign up for your free 4 week trial today.  You can also come to our 5th birthday party on August 14th and sign up for a trial membership at the event.

The Hunt!

We had beautiful weather for our Easter Egg hunt this morning and 60 eager little ones ready to find all the Easter bunny's hiding spots.  The park was covered in pink, white, green, purple, yellow, orange and blue eggs!  The older kids had fun rooting through the bushes to find their eggs.

Our hunters were of all ages, from a few weeks old to 9 years old - its a great event for the whole family.  We loved seeing all the Easter baskets and bunny ears!

After they collected their eggs, the hunters traded them in for a loot bag and a chance to win our Easter Raffle prize.  Congratulations to Laura, our raffle prize winner!

If you missed our Easter Egg Hunt this year, be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you learn about what other great events we have coming up.  We offer a FREE four week trial, so there is no reason not to join today and see why momstown is more than moms just getting together.

Alphabet Play - B is for bunny!

Yesterday we got together for our Alphabet Play program, this program is great for kids of all ages!  Even new moms can bring their wee babes to hear the stories we read and the songs we sing.  Focusing on the letter "B" we talked bunnies, balloons, birthdays and barnyard animals!  After bee and bunny rhymes and everyone’s favourite Sleeping Bunnies song it was time to become official bunnies. Everyone made their own set of bunny ears.

Thank you to Sherri from Circle Time Parties for helping us learn all about the letter "B"!

Alphabet Play happens monthly at momstown Oakville, and is one of the top ten programs developed out of our program pillars which defines the curriculum we deliver on a monthly basis.  We've got plenty to keep you busy whether your a new mom or a mom with toddlers or preschoolers - or all of those!  Join us for a free trial to see why momstown is more than moms just getting together.

Our little Easter bunnies are now ready for our Easter Egg Hunt!  "C" you next time!

Art & Play: Sensory Fun!

momstown educational curriculum changes monthly. We learn and play each month based on the theme! Our theme for March was "my senses"! This has been a great month for our kids, and learning about senses involves so many great activities! We had a great morning at Dazzle Art.


Today at art & play, we let the kids do some exploring and creating on their own with some great material that were fun for our sense of touch! We had foam, cotton balls, pom poms, glitter, pipe cleaners and glue. The kids had a great time touching all the items, rolling them around in their little fingers and playing with them before deciding how to add them to their art. It was amazing as a parent to watch the imagination flow. I loved asking them about their project when they were done. We had someone who created a park, an animal, and a rainbow! The kids enjoyed the freedom to think about and create anything they wanted, and we loved to let them be creative while learning at the same time!



To learn more about other great sensory crafts you can do at home with your kids, check out momstown arts & crafts.
March is almost over, but we will have a whole new group of crafts and activities organized for April! To join us, register for a FREE 4 week trial.

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies?

Scholastic Canada provides momstown Oakville with a book to share each month. We read and enjoy the book at Tales for Tots, and one of our moms takes the book home to keep and enjoy with the family!


Our book this month was called "How Do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies?" This caught everyone's attention - as we had a room full of Dinosaur and Cookie enthusiasts! This book goes along with our momstown education curriculum for March "our senses". The book was a "scratch and sniff".
This was a first experience for our little ones, but they caught on quickly, and were enjoying the smells of cinnamon and lemon very quickly!


We have a raffle, and give the book away at the end - so one of our friends can enjoy the book over and over again at home! momstown Oakville reads and shares a book every month at Tales for Tots! If you are interested in joining us for our next event, register for a free 4 week trial! We have some great books from Scholastic Canada for the summer months!

music and movement with Suzy Sunshine!

Kids LOVE music!


And this momstown Oakville event with Suzy Sunshine is a popular one for kids of all ages.Hosted by Canlan Ice Sports, we had infants right up to pre-schoolers, and everyone was having fun!

Our kids get a chance to learn some rhythm, rhymes and a few new songs. We sing familiar ones too! Suzy Sunshine is so great at getting all the kids interacting, communicating, and joining in the fun.

We broke out the shakers and the scarves.
We even had story time (in song format!).


Hope to see another great group of moms out at our next event with Suzy Sunshine.



If you'd like to join momstown for our next great event, please register for a FREE 4 week trial. Suzy Sunshine also teaches music classes in her own studio. For information about her classes, please visit her website.

Junior Chef: Polar Bear Sandwiches!

Our kids were really excited for the Junior Chef program that Sherri from Circle Time Parties organized for momstown Oakville today!

Our menu included creating and eating your very own polar bear sandwich, as well as lots of fun and learning about our 5 senses. Of course no morning with Sherri is complete without an incredible circle time which includes dancing, singing, and learning!

Our kids got busy first with their sandwiches, creating their very own polar bear. The kids got to pick their own filling to make it taste just the way they wanted!


We also had some small cups with different drinks. The kids had a blast tasting the difference between bitter, sweet and sour!




Finally on the movement part of the morning! We had a big crowd today, and the room was shaking! We danced, sang, played with scarves and bubbles, and finally ended off a perfect morning with a story time.



Thank you Sherri from Circle Time Parties for hosting us! We always have such a great time.
Sherri hosts regular Junior Chef programs for momstown Oakville. If you are interested in joining us for some kitchen fun, register for a FREE 4 week trial!

Winter Days with Momstown Oakville!

I know I find Mondays to be a very long day sometimes. After the excitement of the weekend, and the help of having my husband home with me for 2 days, I never really look forward to Mondays....unless I have something fun planned! Getting together with so many other great moms, having our kids run, play and interact can change my Monday right around!

That's exactly what our moms did this week! We had a playgroup at Dazzle Art! Lots of room for the energetic kids to run. Also - momstown provided a great craft table for the little ones to create "snowflake snowmen". This was a momstown arts and crafts inspired project. For details about this craft or other "winter" themed crafts you can do at home with your little one, check out our arts and crafts blog.




I love watching the kids interact, and play together.


This event is never complete without Sherri's circle time and parachute songs! Thanks to Sherri from Circle Time Parties, our kids were jumping and dancing.


Momstown Oakville has this playgroup every month, plus lots of other great playgroups for kids ages newborn to 6 years old. If you are interested in joining us for an upcoming event, register for a free 4 week trial, or email Kelly for information.

Junior Chef: marshmallow snowmen and graham cracker houses

It was snowman and graham cracker fun this morning!

Before getting messy the kids colored snowmen which they later attached to shakers for a snowman pokey.

Then it was time for creating their masterpieces. With lots of treats and icing little houses and snowman came to life. The children also got to decorate their own bear cookies. The kids LOVED creating their houses, and decorating exactly the way they wanted. The creativity was so much fun to watch!

Using tambourines and shakers, Sherri from Circle Time Parties and the children danced and sang many of their favorite winter songs like Jingle Bells and Frosty the snowman. The children’s favorite part was singing a song that helped dress up Benjamin bear in his winter clothes. The day was complete with the classic 12 days of Christmas story.