How to eat sand the right way!

Yesterday momstown Oakville's Junior Chef's gathered at Coronation Park to make edible sea and sand.  A big thank you to Miss Sherri from Circle Time Parties for leading the kids through this activity.

So how do you make sand and sea taste good?

You'll need a small, clear plastic cup to create your scene.  First you take some chocolate cake (or chocolate cookies) and crumble it up to make the bottom of the sea. Then you add the 'sea' (blue jello) and some fish of course!  We also added some cut up fruit such as strawberries and grapes to mimic other things you may find in the sea.

Next comes the sand.  The kids had a great time smashing graham crackers to make their sand.

Once the 'beach' was ready, we finished off our creative snack by adding some animal crackers on top and an umbrella to keep them protected from the sun!

All of our Junior Chef's did a really great job and had lots of fun!  Our Junior Chef program runs once a month. Next month we will be doing something birthday themed since we are so excited to be celebrating our 5th birthday with a big party on August 14th.  


Do you think your little ones would like to be Junior Chef's?  Join us for a 4 week FREE trial to learn more about our Junior Chef program and all the other 40+ events and programs we run each month.

It's going to be one heck of a party!

momstown Oakville is so happy to be working with so many wonderful sponsors for our August 14th Birthday Party.

For More Information About Our Premier Sponsors, Visit Their Website

AAR Automotive Repair

CAA Oakville

Cupid's Cupcakes

Fitness On The Go

Little Rascals Indoor Playground

Par-T-Perfect

SupperWorks

Loot Bags filled with goodies for the first 100 families!

Cheers! To A Big Glass Of Water! Tips For Keeping Kids Hydrated

Keeping kids hydrated and healthy during these hot summer days is so important. While we are so busy jumping in pools, lakes and running through splash pads, it's often easy to forget to stop the kids for a quick drink of water and a break to rehydrate. Keeping kids (and mom) hydrated during these busy and hot summer months is key to keeping the family healthy.

Children can become dehydrated easily.  Some of the early signs to watch for are irritability and fatigue.  Late stages of dehydration can result in symptoms like heat cramps, exhaustion and heat stroke.  It's important to keep kids hydrated starting first thing in the morning (and throughout the day) to avoid any of these symptoms.

The best thing to prevent dehydration is water!  So, always have water on hand for your kids.  During the hot summer months kids should be drinking water at least 6 times a day.  For active kids who are running around outside, and sweating, try for small sips of water every 15-20 minutes. 

Momstown meals also has some great refreshing snack ideas to offer a tasty alternative to water!  Try these Fruity Frozen Yogurt snacks as a great way to stay cool.

Have fun and stay safe this summer!

How to make cloud dough

Our momstown Oakville Little Scientists got together today to make Cloud Dough.  This is a great sensory activity that allows the kids to mix the dough up themselves.  I would definitely recommend that this be made outdoors only as it is pretty messy, but that's half the fun, right?

Each of our Little Scientists had the following to make their Cloud Dough:

3.5 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup baby oil
A variety of sparkles

And of course we had Huggies Simply Clean wipes to help with the mess!

The kids got right to work measuring the flour.

Then stirred it up after they added the baby oil...

And the final touch, adding sparkles!

Playing with this dough actually makes your hands very soft, thanks to the baby oil.  But to get the excess dough off we relied on Huggies Simply Clean wipes to clean hands.

Cloud Dough has a really nice consistency, very smooth and fun to play with.  The kids made shapes and mountains and balls with the dough and it even packs up nicely into a container to be used again another time.

Interested in getting your little one to explore some science?  Sign up for a FREE 4 week trial with momstown Oakville to join in on our Little Scientist program as well as the 40+ other events we offer each month.

And did you hear we are turning 5 in August?  You're invited to our birthday party!  This event is free and open to the public, circle August 14th on your calendar, we'll see you there!

How to throw a great birthday party

momstown is turning 5 in August and we are ready to celebrate!  We invite you to come and celebrate with momstown Oakville on Tuesday, August 14 at Coronation Park from 10:00am to 1:00pm.  This event is FREE and open to the public so come one, come all!

Let us know you're coming,  RSVP on our momstown Oakville Facebook Fan Page - a great way to keep up with all of the latest and greatest announcements leading up to the main event!

So, how do we throw a great birthday party?

Invite some special guests. Clifford the Big Red Dog is coming!!

Have lots of fun things to do.

Circle Time with Circle Time Parties
Bouncy Castle and Balloon Animals from Par-T-Perfect
Disney tattoo's with CAA Oakville
Fitness demonstrations from Fitness on the Go and PowerYoga
Obstacle Course from Monkeynastix
Picasso in the Park painting station sponsored by Little Rascals Indoor Playground
An area for young ones to play with some Fisher Price toys
A reading corner with the Oakville Parent Child Centre
Coffee and Lemonade station provided by Starbucks
A fun interactive station sponsored by AAR Automotive Repair
Snack Station provided by ConAgra Foods

Have loot bags.

The first 100 families will receive a loot bag filled with giveaways and coupons.  Loot bags include Orville Redenbacher popcorn, a Simply Bar, an underarm treatment from Chi-Chi Laser Studios, IronKids and Adult Essentials Vitamins, Starbucks coupons and lots more!

Don't forget the presents!

There will be draw prizes from Britax, Melitta, Whole Foods, North Ridge Family Chiropractic, Thyme Maternity, Scholastic, Lews Lenses, Precious Moments Babeez and lots more!  See the complete list of all the amazing things we are giving away click here.

Have celebratory treats!

I can't imagine anything better to help us celebrate than Cupid's Cupcakes!

Add in balloons, a beautiful location by the lake, some amazing sponsors such as Today's Parent, CBC Kids, ConAgra, Canadian Red Cross, Scholastic Canada, Supperworks, ChiChi Laser Studios, Tiny Hearts 3D Ultrasound and Simply Green Baby, 400 of our closest friends and we think its the recipe for a great birthday party!

Stay tuned for more updates!  See you on August 14th!

Take a look at our video from last year's party.

It's a month long celebration across Canada with parties taking place in 17 locations!

Picasso at the Park: Gettin' Messy with Mud!

momstown Oakville met at coronation park this morning, for some farm animal fun in the mud!  Our outdoor crafts allow the kids to get messier than indoor crafts.

Everyone brought along a bucket and shovel to make their own mud!  We had pigs that needed to be "painted" and covered in mud!

The kids LOVED mixing their mud - some were right up to their elbows in dirt.  This is also a great sensory experience for the littlest ones.

Momstown Oakville is planning lots of great outdoor messy crafts for the summer!  If you're looking to join us, register for a FREE 4 week trial membership.

momstown Oakville: Recipes for perfect bubbles

With the weather getting warmer and more time being spent outside, I feel like I have to dust off my outdoor play repertoire and get prepared for summer.  The opportunities for things to do outside on a beautiful summer sunny day are endless, and I love that!  It's always nice to add a few new outdoor toys each year, but there are always some tried and true ones as well.  What kid can ever say no to bubbles??

Making your own bubble solution is easy.  The secret ingredient seems to be glycerin which can be found at most pharmacies, but corn syrup or sugar will also produce a great result.

Here are a few recipes to get you started.

Corn Syrup Bubbles
11 Cups Water
4 Cups Ajax dish soap (anti-bacterial works best)
1 Cup corn syrup

Glycerin Bubbles
2/3 cup Joy dishwashing soap
1 gallon water
2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerin (available in pharmacies or chemical supply houses)

Sugar Bubbles
1/2 cup of dishwashing liquid (Dawn or Joy)
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of sugar
*you can add a few drops of food colouring to this recipe, but then the bubble solutions should be used outdoors only.

Whether you blow bubbles the old fashion way or have a fancy bubble machine, bubbles are one outdoor activity that amuses kids (and parents!) of all ages.

Hey Oakville Moms...Did you know?

Sometimes it's hard to explain to Oakville moms what an amazing resource momstown is.  Not because its weird or complicated or exclusive, but just because there is so much more to us than people think!  After speaking to some friends the other day, I was inspired to write the top 10 things you probably don't know about momstown.  Feel free to comment on this post and tell me what your score was...how many of these things did you already know?

Counting down (just like Dave Letterman!)...

10.  momstown is a National company with chapters in 20 different cities across the country and still growing at a rapid pace!

9.  Not only does each chapter have their own blog, but momstown.ca has four amazing blogs that are constantly updated with valuable information for you and your family.

• momstown Arts & Crafts
• momstown Meals
• momstown Minds
• momstown Moments

8.  momstown has amazing contests every month, both from the main website and at the local chapter level.  Just this month alone you can enter to win a Imaginext Mega T-Rex from Fisher Price, a gardener's dream gift basket, a healthy happy baby package, a Men's care package from Dove, an Earth Day prize pack and a $100 Indigo gift card.

7.  momstown is going to be 5 years old in August! Stay tuned for details about our birthday party!

6. momstown founder, Ann-Marie Burton, is a Wilfrid Laurier University Alumnus.  I know, I know, this isn't really a momstown fact, but I am a Golden Hawk alumnus too so I thought I'd just throw it in here.

5. momstown has a teacher developed curriculum that is woven into our programs and events.  We have 6 program pillars that guide our programming.  We have a focus on early education and early literacy.

4. momstown was recently part of an independent research study by the University of Waterloo.  Their findings were overwhelmingly positive and specifically point out how momstown's unique model of online and in person support was key in helping the mental health of mothers.

3. We provide a wealth of information every month to our newsletter subscribers, the open rate of our newsletter is on average 20% higher than industry average.  We have good stuff to share, we promise!

2. Although there is a $45 annual fee to join a momstown chapter, once most people discover what is offered through momstown, they can't believe that it is ONLY $45 a year. 

And #1....drum roll please....

1.  All chapters offer a FREE trial period so you can try before you buy.

Whether your are soon to be a new mom, a mom with a new baby, or have a toddler, preschooler and/or a baby  in tow, we have got programs and support for you.  Come and join us for a free trial and see why momstown is more than moms just getting together.

I look forward to seeing you at one of our programs or events soon! 

momstown Valentines

Love is in the Air! Our momstown kids got crafty at our monthly playgroup hosted in the Little Gym party room last week! This event is free for all momstown members and a great way to get you know your "neighbourhood" moms. Join us next month on March 9!


For more Valentine Crafts visit the momstown arts and crafts blog for lots of crafty idea to do at home!

Spring Fling Party!

We had a great time at the Spring Fling portrait party hosted at StudioTime (http://www.studiotime.ca/) in downtown Oakville. The kids started with crafts and playdough and then moved on to the dance studio with Francesca. It was all smiles when the parachute came out, and even more smiles when we finished off with butterfly cupcakes! This was all captured on Kelly Clancy's amazing photos (http://www.kellyclancyphoto.com/). It was great to see some new faces and new members. Only one thing, you guys have to eat more cupcakes next time, I brought too many home (and I ate them myself!).


For more flower craft ideas for your next home playgroup:
Paper Plate Flowers
Footprint Flowers