Olympic themed crafts and activities for kids

The Winter Olympics are set to start on February 9th, which means our newsfeeds and televisions will once again be filled with stories of elite athletes from all over the world competing in everything from figure skating, curling, skiing, and more!

We love watching the Olympics in our house. I find the Olympics bring with it a natural excitement and a strong sense of national pride. It’s also a great opportunity to teach kids about sports and activities they may not otherwise be familiar with, such as bobsledding and luge.

If you watch the Olympics in your house, the following activities and craft ideas make help you make them even more fun:

1)    Make your own Olympic medals

Making Olympic medals is an easy and fun activity for kids of all ages. A few years ago, I helped a local Sparks group make these medals. We used a simple salt dough recipe to create ours, similar to this one from Living Well Mom: Salt Dough Olympic Medals. However, instead of stars, we used a smaller circular lid and had the kids create their own Olympic rings (they used marker to colour them in once they were out of the oven and completely cooled).

2)    Make your own Olympic torch

If you plan on watching the opening or closing ceremony with your kids then they need an Olympic torch! Making a torch is simple. The only supplies you need are brown construction paper as well as red, orange and yellow tissue paper (for the flames). You will also need scissors and glue (or tape). Momstown.ca shares an easy torch craft here.

3)    Visit CBC Kids Olympics online

CBC has created a fantastic Olympic website for kids that includes everything from a Mascot colouring book, quizzes, facts to instructions on how to make your own table-top curling rink. They also have a section that teaches kids all about Korean food and other interesting things about the 2018 Olympic games. It’s a must-visit website during the Olympics.

4)    Make Olympic bracelets

My daughter loves this Origami Olympic Bracelets craft – and it’s so easy! You can make them the colours of the Olympic rings or show your national pride and make them the colours of the Canadian flag!

5)    Host an Olympic-themed celebration or mini-Olympics

Now that you have all these fun Olympic-themed activities, why not host a super fan Olympic-themed get together for kids!? They can make their own torches, make Olympic inspired bracelets, participate in a torch relay, play table-top curling, compete in age-appropriate Olympic trivia (anything from what do hockey players wear on their feet during a game to what is the name of Canada’s torchbearers) and cheer on their favourite athlete competing that day.

There are many ways to celebrate the Olympics - and our athletes! Go Canada Go!

How do you get into the Olympic spirit? Share your ideas by leaving a comment.

When I just can't anymore...

There are days when I feel, as a parent, I can’t get a single thing right.

I can’t get my kids to school on a regular basis (and I so desperately wanted to help them have a better school experience than I did.)

I can’t stop other kids from being mean to my kids.

I can’t separate my own childhood experiences from theirs when they talk about being excluded, teased, or feeling unhappy and overwhelmed at school.

I can’t try to get one kid to feel more empathy for me and tell them how sad I am without making another super empathetic kid who happened to overhear spend the day worrying about how upset I am.

I can’t let one kid stay home from school because they’re having a really hard time and I don’t want to push them to breaking, without another kid realizing that mimicking very similar behaviour can get them the same results. And I don’t know how to have different consequences for different kids (that are blatantly unfair differences to me… ) even though in some cases I think it’s probably necessary.

I can’t feel good about not having juice in the house for the kids because the doctor thinks I’m letting them have too much milk.

I can't manage to keep screen time limited as all the experts recommend.

I can’t find the energy to do more fun things with the kids on a regular basis because I’m so emotionally tapped out by the hard stuff.

I can’t stick to my intentions to be the “because I said so” parent because there are so many other factors to consider with regards to their mental health (and mine.)

The irony is that I know there are other people out there who see the photos I post on Facebook of our cottage vacations and other trips we take and think “wow – how does she do it all?!” Meanwhile I know they’re taking their kids to weekly activities and helping them with their homework on a daily basis and I can’t even fathom managing that.

My kids are getting older so I can’t go into the nitty of what’s going on or how I’m dealing with it , but I felt compelled to share.

If you ever feel this way, you aren’t alone.

If you feel like you can’t do it alone, that’s totally normal. I can’t do it alone – I’m pulling in every resource I can figure out how. Assessments and doctors and parenting coaches, and the school resource teacher and social worker and my friends and my extended family. Without a support network I would be completely broken by now and knowing that it’s OK to need and ask for (and sometimes pay for) help has been key.

Asking for help is strong. Admitting things aren’t easy is strong. Finding people to lean on makes us all stronger.

Today is a hard day, but as one of my great supporters always reminds me, we can do hard things (originally said by Brene Brown I’m told). I’m keeping on keeping on, and grateful for the opportunity to keep doing so. If things are hard for you today, (or tomorrow, or next week) - reach out to someone. People truly want to help.

Making New Year's Resolutions with Kids

We're twelve days into the new year - how are your resolutions going? I actually didn't do any formal resolutions this year. Some years I've chosen a "word" (or more than one word) that will help to define my path for the year, but this year I'm just going with the flow.

What I have taken time to do is sit down with my family and map out some resolutions for all of us. I thought I'd share some ideas related to kids' resolutions, and the ways we can support our kids and guide them through the process.

Let your child guide YOU

Sure, you're there to point out resolutions that may not be realistic or attainable. But if your child is old enough (7+ is probably a good age) then they can ultimately decide their own resolutions with a little bit of input from you.

Don't make any resolutions you know you can't keep

Keep things down to earth and simple. For instance, if you are a family that allows a healthy amount of screen time, resolving to cut out all screen time with your child will probably fail. Instead, why not chat about "no screen weeks" and schedule several over the entire year?

Making family resolutions

Your child may express a desire for an individual resolution, but it's also fun to do resolutions as an entire family. Sit down to a family meeting, and map out your life - what seems to be working? What's not working? What kind of resolutions may help to solve the problems you are facing?

For example, mornings are always tough here in our house, as I'm alone with both my kids. We've made a resolution to help each other out more - my girls are pitching in with lunches at nighttime, and I'm setting aside time in the morning to have 5-10 minutes of snuggles before we all face the day.

Avoid resolutions that have to do with food

You may have your own healthy resolutions that you want to make, and that's great. It's super important that we chat with our children about healthy food choices and what nourishes our body. But avoid making any restrictive types of food resolutions with your child - this is especially important for girls ages 8-12 years. Those pre-pubescent years are a tricky time for girls (and boys) and dieting or cutting out certain foods (a.k.a "junk food") may be setting your child up for some challenges.

If you're really keen on working with food and resolutions, consider something fun. For example, make a resolution that the whole family has to try ONE new food each week. Make a list of possibilities and have your child visit the grocery store with you to purchase the new food. Or make a resolution that you will have a super fancy homemade dessert one day each week - cook or bake together in the kitchen and teach your child that ALL foods have a place in our lives!

Use a visual representation for your resolutions

Grab all those old magazines, and have your kids make a collage  - ask them to cut out images that really speak to them and help them think about the things they want to accomplish. 

Follow-up on your goals

As with our own personal resolutions, it's good to continue to check in on your kids' or family's resolutions and:

1) see what we have accomplished; and/or

2) where we need to keep working

Regular family meetings a great way to check-in. You could do this weekly, monthly or even quarterly! Having a meeting that coincides with the changing of the seasons is also a great way to create meaningful ritual in your family life.

Does your child have any resolutions? Share what has worked for them in the comments!

The New Canada Science and Technology Museum

After three years the Canada Science and Technology Museum reopened its doors in November offering new exhibits and an updated look. If you’re wondering what you can expect from the newly built museum and how to make the most out of your visit there, here’s what we noticed on our recent visit:

What’s familiar

The Crazy Kitchen

The Crazy Kitchen is back and looks just like it did prior to the museum having to shut its doors. It’s located toward the back of the museum and still has a computer screen where you can watch visitors challenged by the entertaining illusion that is the Crazy Kitchen. The kids still love it as much as they always did too!

The Trains

The steam locomotives are back in the museum’s new “Steam: A World in Motion” gallery. Visitors can still walk through them and sit in one of them. The sheer massive sizes of the locomotives will make young children stare in awe, and will be difficult to keep the older kids from climbing on.

The layout

If you recall how the original museum was laid out, the new Canada Science and Technology Museum is laid out in a similar manner with the admission desk at the very front, bathrooms to the left and the gift shop to the right – with a wide open entrance to the museum exhibits. There is also a café, but there is ample seating around the museum, which makes snack time with little ones easy.

What’s new

The new LED canopy entrance to the museum is eye-catching and is a great way to get ready for the museum’s many new science and technology exhibits. Parking is in the same location as it always was, but there is also a secondary parking lot up by the lighthouse (and the museum was busy enough on the day we were there that both lots were very full!) These are just a few of the highlights:

Zooom: Zooom is a hands-on area where children, ages 0-8, can create, imagine, test and play with technology. It’s an immersive space that is a popular spot for kids! They can put together puzzles, climb the rock wall, or build a race car and then test it out on different tracks. This is a great place to sit and let the kids explore and play once they've gotten tired (just my kids?) of the more traditional exhibits.

Wearable Tech: This area reminds me of just how much technology has changed, even in the three years since the museum was last opened. The Wearable Tech gallery displays innovative technologies for the body – and not just for human beings!

Sound by Design: This is an interactive experience that invites visitors to take a spin as DJ on an oversized turntable and dance to motion-activated sound. It’s a fun hands-on area visitors of any age will enjoy! There is also a Quiet Cube, which explores the sound of silence – a great place to visit on busy days at the museum ;)

Artifacts: Everywhere you look (up, down and all around) you will find historical artefacts. From bicycles to telephones, to printing presses and more; you may find yourself asking, “What is that?” more than once during your visit to the museum. You may also find yourself pointing out all the things in the museum your kids have never seen, but that you had when you were young. Thanks for dating us museum!

Video game special exhibit: This is one of the reasons we need to make it back to the museum SOON - it was so busy that the kids weren't able to play all the of the "old-timey" video games (the lines were SO long to try Space Invaders and the original Donkey Kong, and no amount of promises that they could play them at home would convince them they weren't worth waiting in line for ;) 

What’s gone

We noticed that the fibre optic tunnel with slides is gone, as is the space exhibit with the Canada Arm. The museum is more focused on science and technology now than it previously was – as evident by the large displays of how appliances, gadgets, and technology have changed, developed and improved over the years.

What you need to know

Admission is $17 per adult and $11 a child BUT it’s $43 for family admission – and that covers two adults and 4 kids – handy if you’re two friends visiting with your kids.

Parking is now $3 an hour or $8 for the day, but there is a flat rate $5 parking lot next to the lighthouse.

There is a coat room, which is handy for those bulky winter coats as well as a cafe and lounge area.

There are many new hands-on activities, interactive experiences and interesting facts at the new Canada Science and Technology Museum. The museum is a great place to educate kids on how far technology has come and how modern gadgets and technologies shape many aspects of our lives – including in the great outdoors! There is so much for visitors (of all ages) to see and do that you will need more than just a couple of hours to do it all!

We've definitely missed having this museum open and are excited to have it back - we're probably going to be buying a membership this year in fact.

Have you been to the newly reopened Canada Science and Technology Museum? If so, leave us a comment with your favourite exhibits and must-do activities!

Our favourite Netflix shows for kids (because it's too cold to go outside!)

There's something decadent about lying on the couch watching tv, snuggled up in a cozy blanket while it's freezing outside.

This holiday season it has been especially freezing here in Ottawa (thanks Polar Vortex!) and I've been happy to intersperse some Netflix between the lego building and all the socializing (seriously, the Holidays can be a bit overwhelming for an introvert, especially if you have a lot of family in town.)

So we've been especially thankful for Netflix and I thought I'd share some favourite shows from our household. But, because my kids are a bit older, I also asked our community to share some of their favourite shows.

I struggled to categorize these so know that my 8 year olds watch shows from all these categories so I'm just generalizing and guessing here ;) Happy watching!

Younger Kids (3-7 ish)

Paw Patrol

Bo on the Go

Justin Time

Storybots

Dinotrux

Masha and the Bear

Puffin Rock

Older kids (7-11ish)

Full House / Fuller House - ( Editor's note: my kids have watched ALL of the old show and love the new show just as much. There's a lot of nostalgia when they're watching this (though I can't handle more than an episode or two at a time ;) 

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Annie (the new one, though the classic movie is there too :) )

Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn

The Croods

Troll Hunters

Teen Titans Go

King Julien

Larva

Spirit

Skylanders Academy

 

Tweens (9/10-14ish)

Naruto

Cheer Squad

Project Mc2

Lost and Found Music Studios - (Editor's note: now that we're getting into these types of shows I find them harder to just tune out like the little kid shows and find myself watching these even though I also think they're a total waste of my time. Just a bit of a warning ;)

Victorious

Would you add any others to the list? Leave a comment and let us know!

disclosure: We are part of the Netflix Stream team and receive perks (like Netflix giveaways!), all opinions are our own.