Simplicity in a Toy Library

Parenting from a place of simplicity is a wonderful philosophy in which to root ourselves and our family. Implementing simplicity into a life that at times feels anything but is a big goal.  To reach our big goals it is best to start with the smallest of steps. Enter the toy library.

What parent of young children doesn’t look around their home from time to time and think their children’s toys and books have taken over? A toy library is a simple organization system that can minimize those mountains of unused and unappreciated toys and books. 

Here are some toy library strategies and tips to get you started:

1) The best place to keep a toy library is in a large bin on a shelf in an out of the way place (closet, basement, garage, etc). It needs to be large enough that it can hold toys and books you have identified as currently unloved and/or neglected by your children. 

2) Types of toys the library will hold will be things such as a gift from grandparents, or a book you feel your child will come back to in time, or maybe a toy that isn’t age appropriate yet.  

3) Toy library items should be those that can quietly disappear without being missed, but are items that you aren’t quite ready to place in the donation pile.

Now, the identification of appropriate toys for the toy library requires a bit of focused attention from us parents. At my house I keep an eye out for what toys are currently fascinating my two children and which ones are collecting dust. Which story books are in rotation at bedtime and which ones are lost under the bed. At the end of each month I rotate those forgotten toys and books into the toy library. 

Attention and practice has honed my skill for identifying toys and books that won’t be missed, so be patient with yourself as you start out.  I feel I’ve been successful when I identify and store away items without my little ones wondering where they went. 

The other huge benefit of the toy library is you get to decide when those out of sight toys re-emerge back into your child’s life. I have pulled toys and books from my children’s library for:

-    long plane rides and car trips;
-    extended waits in doctor’s waiting rooms; and
-    when I need them to play independently so I can get things done. 

Toy library items are usually greeted like beloved old friends when they reappear. The trick to remember is once those library toys re-emerge, another toy that you have identified as falling out of favor with your child goes away. And so the cycle continues. 

Too many toys have potential to cause overwhelm in young children, and too many toy choices may result in them not learning to value what they own. A toy library can move you toward not only stimulating play spaces for your children, but inch you closer to the value of simplicity. A winning combination !

Julianne is the mother of a toddler and a preschooler, a Masters educated Social Worker, and a Certified Positive Parent Educator. Read more about her work at www.parentingcalmlivingconnected.ca 

STEM Activities for Young Girls

I did my undergraduate degree in environmental science and geography. I don't remember our class being dominated by men, but the job market is a different story. When it comes to positions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), women are underrepresented. 

In my final year I was asked to participate in a special science program for high school girls; they came to visit the university for a day, and took part in a variety of activities. I took them on a tour of the local woodland, and we chatted about invasive species. Later, they heard from successful female scientists and mathematicians. It was a lot of fun, and I saw how enthusiastic the girls were about what they were seeing and doing.

Fast forward many years, and I now have two girls of my own. I see how easy it is to fall into the "princess trap." Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to play with dolls and dress up "bootiful" (as my 3 year old puts it), but there are other things we can do with our girls to foster their interest in STEM.

I'm lucky that my husband is a maker, and has my 7 year-old in his shop all the time hammering and drilling. But for parents like me (give me a good book instead of a hammer!) we sometimes need a few ideas to get motivated.

So, I was really excited while volunteering with my daughter's Brownies pack recently because we spent the whole evening doing STEM activities in celebration of The International Day of the Girl. Below are several easy activities you can do at home with your girls. Better yet, gather some of their friends and make it a fun afternoon!

Psychedelic Milk

Materials:

- shallow bowls
- milk
- liquid dish soap
- food colouring
- Q-tips

Instructions:

Pour a small amount of milk into the bowls. Take several different jars of food colouring, and squeeze a couple of drops into the centre of the milk (make sure to keep the drops close together) Dip one end of the Q-tip into the liquid soap, and gently touch the centre of the bowl. Watch the colours swirl and move. To read more about the science behind this, check out this great website.

*note: the first time we tried this, the girls started mixing the drops of food colouring into the milk. This meant they didn't get to see the cool swirls of colour, so make sure to instruct them NOT to mix!

Marble Run

So easy and fun! Materials needed:

- empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls
- empty kleenex boxes
- duck tape
- marbles

If you have enough girls, divide them into two groups and make it a contest. Depending on their ages, you may need to help them think about how they will design the marble run so that the marble actually rolls. But I was surprised to see how ingenious our 7 and 8 year-olds were, and our marble ran!!

Dropping acid

Haha, nope, this one is not about drugs. It's all about acids and "bases" - which are opposites. Mix 'em together and you can get a colourful surprise! Materials needed:

- homemade red cabbage juice (blend 4 red cabbage leaves in your blender with some water; strain. If you don't have a blender, boil the leaves for about 30 minutes and strain.)
- clear glasses
- water
- several bases (try lemon juice, Coke, cleaning products, tap water, pickle brine, baking soda)

Make your red cabbage juice, and make sure it cools to room temperature. This liquid becomes your pH indicator. Now mix in your "bases" (test substances) in equal parts to the cabbage water, and record what happens. Warm colours (red or yellow) indicate that the substance is acidic. Cool colours (green, blue, purple) indicate a basic substance. If the cabbage juice doesn't change colours at all, then the test substance is neutral. Read more about the science behind this experiment.

Odd Todd and Even Steven

I love this math activity, that teaches kids all about odd and even numbers. This website includes free printables! 

We have been introducing the concept of odd and even to our kids with this handy trick for settling disputes. Now when the kids are having a disagreement I say "odd or even!" and that settles it. There are still tears, but at least the blame is no longer on me.

Ottawa Halloween Activities

There is more to Halloween than just trick or treating and Ottawa has a lot of Halloween activities for ghosts and goblins of all ages! Whether you are looking for a family-friendly Halloween Party, Halloween themed date night fun, or an indoor place to bring the kids’ trick or treating the day of, here are some Halloween activities taking place in Ottawa this month:

The Haunted Walk – Halloween Season
When: Nightly until November 5th
Where: Various locations in Ottawa

Great for older children and adults, The Haunted Walks are best known for their tours and stories of ghosts and haunted places and Halloween is the perfect time to experience one of these walks! For more information: http://hauntedwalk.com/ottawa-tours/ 

A Barnyard Hallowe’en:
When: October 29th to 30th from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
Admission: Included with Museum admission

Tour the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum as a family in your favourite Halloween costume and then participate in making some ghoulish treats, a creepy craft and enjoy some Halloween themed storytelling and games. There will be a costume parade and scavenger hunt for the kids and for an additional fee they can decorate their own pumpkin to bring home. For complete details visit: http://cafmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/whats-on/event-a-barnyard-halloween.php

Saunders Farm – Haunting Season
When: Saturdays and Sundays between now and October 30th
Where: Saunders Farm, Munster, ON
Admission: General Day Admission is $18.58 + HST (kids 2 and under are free); General night admission: $31.86 +HST

Scarier at night and as a not-as-scary experience during the day, Saunders Farm offers families the ultimate in Halloween thrills and chills! New this year is The Carnival, which includes a antique Ferris wheel and carousel.

The Day Haunting Season is fine for kids as the more scarier attractions are closed and the jumping pillows and main play area is open. There is also a pumpkin patch hay ride available for young visitors.

The Fright Fest (Night) at Saunders Farm is good for children ages 12 and up or is ideal for a scary date night! For more information visit: http://saundersfarm.com/

Incident at the Bunker: A Zombie Adventure
When: October 29, 30 and November 5th
Where: Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum, Carp
Admission: General admission: $21.75 + HST

If you have children aged 12 years and older, this 60 to 75 minute Halloween-themed tour is sure to be memorable! After 20 years a terrifying secret has been revealed and guests will be led on an interactive adventure to see what it’s all about. This unique underground experience is in conjunction with Haunted Walks. For more information: http://diefenbunker.ca/incident-at-the-bunker-a-zombie-adventure/

Great Pumpkin Ball
When: October 29th 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Where: St. Brigid's Haunted Castle

A great adult-only Halloween party in support of the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing - National Capital Region, St. Jude Children's Hospital and the Ottawa Food Bank. For more information: http://greatpumpkinball.com/

Trick or Treat with the Mayor
When: October 29th
Where: Ottawa City Hall
Admission: A nonperishable food donation for the Ottawa Food Bank’s Baby Basics Program

This will be the Mayor’s 10th annual Halloween party and is a lot of fun for children. There are always costumed characters walking around greeting guests, as well as free pumpkin decorating, games and other fun activities. For more information: http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/mayor-and-city-councillors/mayor-jim-watson/trick-or-treat-mayor

Halloween at Rideau Hall
When: October 31st from 5 to 8 p.m.
Where: Rideau Hall Visitor Centre
Admission: Free

On Halloween, Rideau Hall’s visitor centre will be transformed into a haunted dollhouse where toys gather to seek revenge – and of course there will be goodies there too. A fun way to celebrate Halloween! For more information: http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=14806

Nature Nocturne: Scales and Tails
When: October 28th from 8 p.m. to midnight
Where: Canadian Museum of Nature
Admission: $25

The Halloween edition of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Nature Nocturne always makes for a fun date night. This kid-free event is full of music, dancing, and activities. This is a great opportunity to visit the museum in your favourite Halloween costume and without the kids. For more information:  http://nature.ca/en/plan-your-visit/what-see-do/whats/nature-nocturne-october-28

Watson’s Mill Children’s Halloween Party
When: October 29th, 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: Watson’s Mill, Manotick
Admission: Free

A children’s Halloween Party with fun Halloween games and crafts. A great way to see this historic mill and celebrate Halloween! For more information: http://watsonsmill.com/events-2016/

Trick or Treat in a mall! 

Carlingwood Mall
When: Saturday October 29th (Free trick or treating for the kids from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at participating stores.). Also: Meet and get a picture with Peppa Pig ($10 per family).* You must purchase your ticket in advance - tickets available from Sunrise Records for sittings from 11-11:50 a.m., 12-12:50 p.m., 1-1:50 p.m. and 2-2:50 p.m.

Hazeldean Mall
When: October 31st from 10 a.m. to 12 noon (free trick or treating throughout the mall)

Place D’Orleans
When: October 31st from 10 a.m. to 12 noon (free trick or treating at participating retailers, as well as artistic face painting)

Fall in love with Peekaboo Beans

Have you heard of Peekaboo Beans clothing for kids? I was first introduced to Peekaboo Beans when my daughter was around three years old. She received the Winter Dream Green Over Yonder pants and Let's Be Friends zip up sweater from the Fall 2012 collection as a gift and I was instantly impressed with the weight of the material and many washes later, I remained impressed – the colour held up and the material didn’t pill, thin or tear.

I continue to love the fun age-appropriate styles Peekaboo Beans offer kids. It was because of my love of Peekaboo Beans that I was excited when they offered to send me a few articles from their Fall 2016 collection for the purpose of a review.

But, instead of reading why I love Peekaboo Beans, I thought I would ask my daughter and my niece to share what they think about their new clothes from Peekaboo Beans:

My daughter, 8 years old

What do you like about your new clothes?

“I love the colour blue, so this shirt is perfect for me, and I love that Peekaboo Beans has thumbholes in most of their shirts and sweaters. Oh, I also love that they have pants that look like jeans, but they’re not jeans because these feel nice on and I don’t have to wear a belt.”

Peekaboo Beans Hip Hip Hooray Tee in Sterling and Jump 'n Jeggings 

Anything you don’t like?

"Nope. Well, there’s no horses on them" (my daughter loves horses).

PEEKABOO BEANS HIP HIP HOORAY TEE IN STERLING AND JUMP 'N JEGGINGS

My niece, 3 years old

My niece loves to dance and play on the floor with her younger sister. She also loves to run around parks, swing and slide, and sing her ABCs as loud as she can, and if there is a sandbox in the area, she with surely be in it.  She also loves to jump in puddles after a big rain.

My niece loved the pockets and the stretchy, comfy material. She also loved the logo!

Peekaboo Beans Whole Hearted Dress with Long Embrace Leggings in charcoal.

Her mom liked how the pants will grow with her and the unique design of the dress, but wishes the pants had a little more give for kids with larger legs.

Both girls had a lot of fun modelling their new clothes. My daughter knows she can expect Peekaboo Beans every season because I love them (and she does too).  I will be sad when she eventually outgrows them. Most Peekaboo Beans styles range from size 1 to Size 10 (there are also Baby Beans) and are available for both boys and girls.

Peekaboo Beans is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year! Ten years of quality fabric that stands up to kids who love to play! I love the fact that this is a Canadian company that truly believes in the products they create.  All clothing is free from carcinogenic dyes, heavy metals and chemicals that can be absorbed by skin. To shop the latest collection from Peekaboo beans visit their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Note: I received the Peekaboo beans featured in this post at no cost for the purpose of this review, but opinions are all my own (and the kids).

Pick Your Own Apples at Log Cabin Orchards

Nothing says fall like picking apples, and doing so is a long-standing tradition in my family. For as far back as I can remember, my mom, myself and now my daughter, take a weekday off from “real life” and go apple picking. We have picked apples from many Ottawa apple orchards and this year we found what we consider our new favourite spot – Log Cabin Orchard in Osgoode, Ontario.

Although this orchard is not as large as other Ottawa apple orchards, and there is no fancy corn maze, this 33-acre orchard has a lot of character. In addition to the orchard itself, there is a beautiful log cabin to be admired as well as a small petting zoo – with a few friendly pigs (this year there was also piglets), roosters, a donkey and a goat (there were also baby goats this year).  My daughter loved going right into the goats’ pen and feeding them, playing with them and then being followed around by them. It was the highlight of her day!

Once we were able to convince my daughter to actually pick apples instead of playing with her new animal friends, we easily picked a bushel of delicious McIntosh apples. They are the reddest and sweetest macs I have had in a long time. Apparently this year’s sudden onslaught of cool nights helped sweeten the crop.

Depending on the time of year, Log Cabin Orchard grows and offers McIntosh apples, Nova Mac apples, Lobo apples, Paula Red apples and Cortland apples – and around Thanksgiving weekend they also have the mildly-tart Liberty apples (which are great for making apple sauce)!

The staff of Log Cabin Orchard is extremely friendly. They even told my mom and I not to carry the big bushel of apples back to our car once we were done and to instead walk back to the cabin. The staff member picked up the bushel in his truck and brought it to our car.  The Maloney family owns Log Cabin Orchard and from the moment you pull up, you can see the pride in ownership. They warmly greet you and ask if you have visited before and if you have any questions.

Log Cabin Orchard also has a pumpkin patch, which makes it an ideal spot to get two main ingredients for very popular Thanksgiving pies ;) Just like the apples, you can either pick your own pumpkins or choose from the selection of pumpkins picked by their very own “professional pumpkin pickers.”

So, if you’re looking for a friendly family-run orchard that isn’t that far from the city, I encourage you to check out Log Cabin Orchards – it’s a great way to spend a fall day! Between the animals, the apples and the pumpkin patch, Log Cabin Orchards is a one-stop country farm for all things fall.