Parent Club is a friendly site for busy families. Family travel, food, activities, organization, parenting, reviews and more.
#TravelTuesday
Put all your kid travel activities in a resealable bag! This way each child is responsible for their own belongings. Packs easily in a bag. Easy to store under a car seat or in the pocket in front of you in an airplane.
Kids Travel Activity Bag
This one was for our trip to California…in it I put: gum (for the airplane), colors-to-go, ipod, head phones, and dsi.
If you need ideas for snacks for travel – click on my Healthy Snacks for Kids and Travel post.
Forecast for new cool game trends: Battleship!
With the upcoming BATTLESHIP: The Battle For Earth Begins At Sea movie set to release in a few weeks…watch for all new Battleship activities.
Hasbro has the The classic “board game”, a delux edition and KRE-O sets in the stores now.
Based on the official trailer (above) I call this action movie for older kids and tweens.
News!: I’m now a special contributor to CityLine.ca.
This month I’m sharing an easy family activity…Get Mom In The Picture This Mother’s Day!
Is Mom the family paparazzi? Is there any photographic evidence, at all, that she was present at the school recitals, birthday parties or family vacations? Forever behind the camera and never in front? Get Mom in the picture for Mother’s Day!
This is an easy, inexpensive family activity you can do at home. Break out the digital camera, group yourself together and set the self-timer (why didn’t we think of this before?!). Or give your smartphone to your spouse, friend or neighbour and have them snap some family pictures.
Family pictures don’t have to be the traditional ‘parents-sit-on-chairs-kids-stand-at-the-sides-now-everyone-SMILE’ pictures. Unconventional family photos can be great keepsakes. Consider these untraditional family photo-ops:
The beauty of taking your own digital family pictures is that is it low-cost (you can always delete the fuzzy ones).
Switch Up!
Give the kids an activity (to keep them busy while Mom relaxes on Mother’s Day!) with a MOM, I LOVE YOU mat.
You will need:
Have the kids arrange and glue their favourite pictures of Mom on construction paper. Using markers, have them write a special note to Mom (I love you, World’s Greatest Mom, Happy Mother’s Day…whatever they like). Be sure the child writes his/her name on the artwork!
Using scissors, cut contact paper (it comes in a roll) to the size of the construction paper. Peel the paper backing off of the contact paper revealing the adhesive. Line the contact paper up with the art-laden construction paper and lay it down, flattening the contact paper to eliminate any bubbles.
Mom can take the MOM, I LOVE YOU mat to the office and pin it to her corkboard. She could use it at home as her kitchen table place mat. It’s so light and flat, she could even pack it in her overnight bag on her next trip!
Moms are the family memory keepers. This Mother’s Day…make something memorable for her to keep.
Caroline Fernandez shares family friendly activities and tips on her site Parent Club.
These homemade granola bars are easy, full of fibre and ready in under 10 minutes! Get the kids in on the activity by having them measure, pour and stir. Great for after-school snacks (and even crumbled on yogurt for breakfast!).
Stir 2 cups of rolled oats with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp ground flax seed, 1/4 cup wheat bran, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
In another bowl whisk, 1 egg, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla. Stir into oat mixture.
Line a 9 in square glass baking plate (or a glass pie plate will do!) with parchment paper. Pat oatmeal mixture, into an even layer, into plate.
Microwave, uncovered, on high, 6 minutes. Cool before cutting.
Recipe adapted from an old Chatelaine recipe
Let your kids paint with food and unleash their inner Picasso (or Dali or Kahlo – not Van Gogh though…he played with sharp objects…very bad role model).
Firm vegetables and fruit make great art-makers.
Think…
Use as a paint brush or stamp. These veggies are easy for little fingers to hold.
NOTE: Do not eat or cook with used-paint-laden-vegtables/fruit. Discard in organic garbage.
An easy, kid-friendly, ”recipe” to make homemade paint for your next arts and crafts project. BONUS: it dries puffy giving your artwork a 3D effect!
You will need:
Directions:
Spread out newspaper to protect your work surface.
Measure the ingredients.
In the bowl, combine flour, water, salt. Mix well. Pour mixture in plastic paint pots.
Add a few drops of food colouring to each pot.
This paint will harden to be sure to use up all your paint, throw unused paint in the garbage (not down the sink), and clean the plastic pots for your next activity attack!
(TIP: if you don’t have paint brushes q-tips will work)
Growing sprouts is a great kids’ activity! It’s “planting”, growing, watching and learning all at the same time (also teaches patience!).
You will need:
Have the kids wet 2 squares of paper towel (not soaking wet – just moist) and place in bottom of dish. Sprinkle dry lentils on paper towel. Cover with another wet paper towel.
Set by a window and watch for the lentils to sprout (first signs of growth come in about 48 hours).
Keep the paper towel moistened throughout the growing process.
More fun: the kids can use kid-safe scissors to give their sprouts a haircut!
THE WHAT: Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Activity Puzzle
THE HOW: Colourful, big, chunky, puzzle pieces make matching fun for little fingers (also easier for Mom to find the missing pieces!).
THE DEVELPMENTAL MILESTONES:
helps build hand/eye coordination, eye tracking, and problem solving.
THE FUN: Touching, holding, grabbing (ok maybe some throwing) this activity pieces jingle, rattle squeak and more!
Earth Day is on April 22nd. A great opportunity to teach kids about Earth, environmentalism and what they can do (yes, they can do lots!).
Dr. Laura Stachel provides some great tips on how kids can live green everyday by reduce, resuse and recycle. Dr. Stachel suggests: use a reusable water bottle, recycle gently used toys to a family shelter, use old magazines as art supplies, and use both sides of paper when colouring.
My own suggestions for Earth Day Activities For Kids?…
Are you in a toxic relationship with your household cleaners? Ever looked at the ingredients label on your bottles?
Over the next month, the David Suzuki Foundation’s Queen of Green will tackle the key barriers that keep us in loyal, even if unhealthy, relationships with our favourite brands and expose many of the challenges we face in making safe, informed choices about the products we use.
Over at www.springbreakup.ca you’ll find easy shopping tips to help you better navigate the cleaners aisle. Learn which chemicals to avoid, and how these chemicals may be affecting your family?s health. Learn about amazing low-cost DIY recipes (personally, I think vinegar and water is a great natural household cleaner!).
I will be tweeting with @DavidSuzukiQoG about my own spring break up…you should too.
And if you are looking for “recipes” to make your own natural cleaning products – go to the library and look up Blush magazine Issue #3 Winter 2010 for my article “Breathe clean and easy: Natural cleansers for your home” By Caroline Fernandez (pg. 72). Here is an excerpt from that article..
NATURAL AIR FRESHENERS
How to make cake pops…Step 1 – Get a cake
Cake (homemade or store bought). I used a 9x13 homemade chocolate cake
1/2 tub of frosting
Step 3 – using your hands or a food processor blend the cake into a sand-like consistency. Add 1/2 tub of frosting and blend together.
Frosting and cake mixed
Step 4 – roll the cake and frosting mixture into balls (about the size of a Tim Bit) and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Pop them in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.
Step 5 – using lollipop sticks (available at Bulk Barn) and melted semi-sweet chips (aka chocolate chips) fasten the sticks into the cake balls. TIP: dip the stick in the melted chocolate and then stick into the ball – the chocolate will harden and fasten itself to the cake.
Step 6 – swirl the cake pops in chocolate. Many sites recommend using florist foam to stick the pops into to allow them to dry upright (leaving a perfectly rounded cake pop)…I…having no florist foam…simply put them back on the parchment lined cookie sheet to dry – so they weren’t perfectly rounded…neither am I quite frankly 
They taste like chocolate truffles and are addictive. And yes, I made them with the kids!
