Little Scientists: Rainstorms

May has been all about things that are wet at momstown Edmonton. So, at Little Scientists, we decided it would be fun to make our own rainstorms! Science can be so much fun, and this experiment was no exception. The kids loved it, and we ended up having to do it multiple times just so they could see it again. My son loved it so much, he insisted that we show Daddy later that night!

This experiment is SO easy. All it takes is some shaving cream, a clear glass, water, and some food colouring. That's it! Fill the glass about half full with water then add your shaving cream on the top. Make sure that you've shaken the shaving cream can well prior to putting it on though, or it will take a lot more food colouring to work. Slowly, drip the food colouring on top of the shaving cream and then wait for the magic to happen! We explained to our little scientists how it rains while we waited. We talked about how the water evaporates and goes into the clouds. Then, when the clouds get too heavy, it starts to rain. The kids were amazed to see the colour seep through the shaving cream and drip into the water. It was such a great way to teach how it rains! Check out the video to see!

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Edmonton Job Listing - Advertising Sales

Now Hiring ... Advertising Sales Representative

momstown is the leading event and media company that connects and supports moms across Canada. 

momstown.ca provides a unique blend of early education programming and mama support, delivered both online and in-person in Edmonton & Sherwood Park and St. Albert - click here to learn more about what we offer to local families all for $45 per year!

momstown Edmonton offers experiential and online advertising opportunities to companies that are interested in marketing to local families. 

 Are you looking for a way to channel your professional energy while having the flexibility of choosing your own hours and working from home? Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit but still want to spend time with your family and be compensated for it? Then joining momstown.ca could be the answer for you!

   

Job Description – Advertising Sales Representative

momstown Edmonton & Area is currently seeking a self-motivated, energetic and enthusiastic individual for a rolling 6 month contract position as an Advertising Sales Representative. In this self-directed role you will sell online advertising and sponsorship opportunities for your local momstown site. This role requires approximately 10 hours per week and is paid in commission. We’re currently looking for Advertising Sales Rep to cover Edmonton and surrounding communities including: Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Leduc & Stony Plain.

Responsibilities:

 Sales

• Responsible for selling online advertising and sponsorship opportunities
• Generate sales leads, cold calls, develop client relationships

Administrative 

•  Maintain client log
• Collect ad artwork from clients by deadline for submission
• Complete monthly ad tracking/booking sheet
• Track monthly sales and invoice momstown for monthly commission .

  

Qualifications:

• Strong computer skills and internet savvy (must own a computer with hi-speed access)
• Passion, enthusiasm for life & challenges
• Sales background an asset
• Outgoing, dynamic leader who is creative, organized, highly self-motivated
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please submit your resume and cover letter to info.edmonton@momstown.ca before June 15th 2013  

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www.facebook.com/momstownedmonton

Dora is coming to Canada! She will help find the Missing Teddy Bear!

It’s Dora the Explorer! We are so very excited to welcome the adventurous little heroine starring in Dora the Explorer Live! Search for the City of Lost Toys! to Canada.

Visit www.DoraLiveCanada.com for a list of tour dates and ticket information.

The folks at Koba Entertainment want to do something special for you, our momstown readers. Use the exclusive code below to buy tickets in advance for a show nearest you! This code will be active between June 4 at 11AM EST and June 6 at 11PM EST. 

General on sale begins June 7 at 11AM EST.

Presale Code: EXPLORES

Alphabet Play: The Letter M

At momstown Edmonton, our mamas and kids always have fun at Alphabet Play! We just love focusing on the alphabet and exposing all of our kids to the sounds and shapes of the letters. This month, we learned all about the letter M. We finished up our learning with a fun "M" craft that not only gave us letter practice, but some great fine motor skill practice too.


Materials:
-construction paper
-pencil
-crayons
-macaroni
-mini marshmallows
-glue

Instructions:
1. Using the pencil, draw the outlines of both an upper and lower case M.
2. Have the children draw the shape of the m on the inside of yours.
3. Glue mini marshmallows in one m, and macaroni in the other!
4. Eat any leftover marshmallows!


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Canada Day Handprint or Footprint T shirt and Onesie

Do you attend a party on Canada Day?  Every July 1st, our kids get new tshirts to wear to our annual fireworks event.  We usually hit the mall and find a store that has the best prices on a shirt for this ONE day each year.... seems crazy to buy a shirt for one day, right?

So, this year, we decided to make them instead! We gathered at Cafe O'Play for the kids to burn some energy and make these t shirts! They wash great and turned out so cute! 

Materials:

plain white tshirt or baby onesie (found at craft stores or discount stores)

red fabric paint

Directions:

1.  Paint your hands with red paint.  Painting baby's feet might be the easiest!

2.  Put a piece of cardboard side the shirt, between the front and the back so that paint doesn't transfer. 

3.  Put the handprint in the centre of the shirt.

4.  Create the Canadian Flag by painting red rectangles on either side of the print.

5.  Let it dry, then wear it to your own Canada Day festivities or create your own July 1st party with these fun crafts and decoration for kids of all ages.

For tricks on how to get a perfect handprint click here!

Day 1: Help Find Koba's Missing Teddy Bear

Welcome to momstown Edmonton!  If you’re searching for letter tiles, you’ll have to keep looking.

Please return to the Koba Entertainment’s Facebook page to continue your search through the blogs!

Western Canada is very excited about welcoming Koba Entertainment’s mysterious guest to our region and we think you will be just as excited as us. Make sure to visit Koba Entertainment’s Facebook page for instructions on tomorrow’s clue.

Tales for Tots: Split Splat

momstown Edmonton loves Scholastic! Once again, Scholastic provided us with a fantastic book for our Tales for Tots program. We read "Split, Splat" by Amy Gibson and the kids were fascinated! What a great book to read aloud! The pictures were colorful and fun, and the story was awesome! In the words of one of our momstown mamas, it was a great, big onomatopoeia! It was so much fun to read aloud, and the kids loved seeing the little girl and her dog playing in the rain. 

After story time, we did a fun rain-themed craft. We glued some umbrella shapes onto a piece of blue paper. Then, we added some pipe cleaners for the handles, and some cotton balls for the clouds. The best part of all was adding some fingerprint raindrops using colourful ink pads! The kids LOVED the fingerprinting! 

Want to join us next month for some fun from Scholastic? Sign up for a free trial!

 

Edmonton Moms gets their Game On with Mattel!

momstown Edmonton got their Game on with Mattel this month! Our mamas were so excited to try out some new games along with some old favourites! We had fun playing 2 versions of Apples to Apples! It's a great game that really get a party started! After a few rounds one mom said, 

"That's it, I'm definitely buying Apples to Apples!" 

Next up was Blokus and Mad Gab! These are two very  fun games! One about strategy and the other a word game!

The thing I love most about game nights is all of the laughter. At momstown events during the day we all get to know each other with the kids but it is so nice to get out of the house with those same moms one on one to act silly and laugh!

Do you like to play games? Mattel has a new App - Gameology. There are 4 types of players Strategicorn, Socialies, Activius or Wittian. Sign into the Facebook app with your account and find out what type of player you are!

Don't forget to check out the Mattel Game On facebook page to keep up with the latest and greatest AND be sure to enter our contest giveaway to win a Mattell Game On Prize Pack to add to your game collection! Can't wait to experience another thrilling moms night out filled with laughter and cheers and getting to know more of my fellow momstown members next month when we do it all again.

Art and Play: Wet, Wet, Wet

From the rain to the ocean, this month momstown Edmonton has been talking about all things wet! At Art and Play, we started off our time together by reading a book about a rainy day (One Rainy Day by M. Christina Butler). The kids thought it was pretty cool the different ways the characters used the umbrella! After reading, we sang some songs about the rain—the classic “Eensy, Weensy Spider” and a new one called “Umbrellas Go Up.” It's always fun to see the kids doing the actions to songs as we sing! Check out the lyrics below to the new one we learned!

Umbrellas Go Up

Umbrellas go up, umbrellas go down

When rain clouds are dark, all over the town.
One raindrop and two
Two raindrops and three
My up and down umbrella, is up over me.
Four raindrops and five
Six raindrops and seven
Raindrops are tumbling, down from the heaven.
Drip, drip, drip, drip! I am dry as can be
My up and down umbrella, is up over me!
(With each "up" throw your arms over your head and jump up.  With each "down" bring your arms down to your sides)  

After our circle time, it was time for some crayon resist painting! Our little artists first drew a rainy day scene with crayons on their paper. We encouraged them to press hard as they were drawing. After the drawings were finished, they took some blue watercolor paint (just watered down tempera paint) and painted over top of their drawings. They were all amazed at how the paint reacted with the crayon, especially the white crayon!

Of course, no Art and Play is complete without some play time, so we brought out the parachute. The parachute is always a hit! All of the kids just love playing with it, and it's always so much fun to see them get so excited about it! When we were done with the parachute, the kids begged to play “What Time is it Mr Wolf?” and “Red Light. Green Light.”

 

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How To Get A Perfect Baby Handprint

Here at momstown Edmonton we are experts at creating beautiful keepsakes crafts at our Baby Basics Program.  Handprint crafts are adorable and moms love to capture those tiny fingers!

The issue with handprints is babies just love holding their tiny (and curiously strong) fists closed as soon a drop of paint touches them! We all tried to pry those little fingers open and sometimes it's just ends up as blob of paint that doesn't even come close to resembling a handprint.

We've got some tips for getting those little handprints perfect every time:

1) Use a wipeable surface - Eventually you will get that hand print even if it's not perfect! Plates are great for that! You can attempt the hand print over and over until you get one that comes close to resembling a hand. 

2)Wait till baby is sleeping -  Babies are pretty heavy sleepers and getting that handprint while they sleep is a great option!

3)  Trace the hand - When push comes to shove and you need the handprint to turn out the first time (like T shirt, etc.) you've gotta cheat a little. Trace the baby's hand so you still get the size of their hand to capture the moment in time. Then dip the traced hand print in the paint and Voila! This is also a good idea if using something that typically stains the fingers like acrylic paint. 

If all else fails, resort to the feet.  Footprints are MUCH easier and just as cute! These are the cute Canada Day shirts we made at our Baby Basics program last year! To join us this Canada Day to make them again and for all the other great event momstown has to offer register here! 

Junior Chef: Chicken Tinga Tortilla Cups

This month momstown Edmonton's little chefs got to make some yummy Chicken Tinga Tortilla Cups! It was easy, delicious, healthy, and gave them full control over their lunch. The mamas loved it too! Here’s the recipe (slightly adapted from here):

Chicken Tinga Tortilla Cups

Ingredients:

6  whole wheat tortillas (6 inch)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken*

¾ cup red salsa

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 tomato, chopped

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 425°F. Crumple 6 sheets of foil to make 6 (3-inch) balls; place on baking sheet. Place 1 tortilla over each ball; spray with cooking spray. Bake 6 to 8 min. or until tortillas are golden brown. (Tortillas will drape over balls as they bake to form cups.) Combine chicken and salsa in microwaveable bowl; cover with waxed paper. Microwave on HIGH 2 min. or until heated through. (We put chicken breasts in the slow cooker in the morning, so when the kids were ready to cook the chicken was ready and hot, and just needed to be shredded.) Fill tortilla cups with chicken mixture; top with remaining ingredients.  Enjoy! Does your Junior Chef want to cook with us? Sign up for a free trial and come on out!

Marathon Mamas: A Team In Training Success Story

We began this journey because of an email from the Team in Training organization. The email was simple, want to sign up to raise money, get trained for free and compete in a half marathon?  Janine automatically thought it was a fantastic idea.  Still pregnant, I was skeptical and thought we were most likely wasting the organizers time by coming out and explaining the program.  How could 10 busy moms commit to raising $30,000 and train their very out of shape bodies (in the dead of winter) to run a 1/2 marathon in just 6 months, all while working, raising children, and running their own businesses. That is just complete insanity.  Somehow we managed to find 8 other mamas that are just as insane as us.  

These ladies poured their hearts into fundraising. Almost every weekend we had an event planned to help us raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Canada.  From Christmas Carnivals and bake sales, to scotch tastings and bottles drives.  Each and every one of these mamas worked tirelessly to reach our fundraising goal.  To date we have raised over $33,000.  We managed to reach our goal a month in advance and still have fundraising money coming in.  We could not have done it without the support of our amazing momstown community, generous Edmonton businesses and our incredible family and friends.  Every dollar we raise is a step closer to finding a cure and improving treatments for those affected by these deadly blood cancers. 

Training was so hard.  Here in Edmonton we had an especially long and cold winter season.  The very first 20 minute run felt like hours, heaving in and out trying to catch my breath in the cold winter air I swore this was the first and last time I'd be coming out to train.  But I came out again, and so did everyone else.  With each frigid winter run we grew stronger and more confident.  We met every Tuesday night and Saturday morning only moving indoors if the temperature was below -20 (without the windchill).  Every run was longer than the one before, hill training on Emily murphy hill was especially challenging.  It was not easy, each and every week I had to talk myself into going and putting my body through more pain. But knowing a group of mamas and trainers were expecting me helped motivate me to keep pushing forward. 

Then came the marathon.  Nerves were getting the best of us in the days before race.  The anticipation was hard to bear, our confidence was a roller coaster of "I can do this" to "I just want to bail".  We talked each other off the ledge more than a few times. Race day finally came after spending 2 gorgeous days in Vancouver. The race course was beautiful from Oceanside views, through Stanley Park to downtown Vancouver, we couldn't have asked for a more scenic route. 

The Team in Training organization provides participants with coaches to help you through the race, volunteers cheering on the sidelines and seeing a purple shirt in the crowd meant you were never alone. We pushed our bodies mile after mile in the beautiful BC heat, sweating, aching and shedding tears of joy and pain. We all drew strength remembering the heroes we were running for. They are our aunties, grandmas, fathers, mothers and friends; some who lost their battle with cancer and others are brave survivors. We truly were running for those who can't. 

One by one we crossed that finish line with tears with pride and relief.  We did it. We did the impossible. We pulled off the insane. 

I can't explain what it feels like to accomplish something of this magnitude. We were 10 in over 16,000 runners that day but our team was stronger than ever.  Without this team, our coaches and Team in Training I don't think any of us would have had the courage or made the time to do this.  I am incredibly proud and grateful to the 8 amazing mamas who joined us on this crazy journey.
Thank you for trusting us, thank you for braving the cold, and thank you for pouring your hearts into every moment.