momstown Edmonton gets a JumpStart on Learning!

This August momstown Edmonton partnered with JumpStart Learning for our first ever Kinder Prep Series! It was a fantastic way to get children ages 3-5 back into the swing of the school year!

JumpStart Learning Centre provides children with a positive learning environment that prepares them for their first few years of schooling. We combine the most current research with real world experience to provide an enriched educational experience for your child. By the end of your child's Jr. Kindergarten year, he or she will be more successful developmentally and academically. Your child will have learned all of the skills necessary to succeed in Kindergarten including, but not limited to:

Developmental

• Working Independently
• Working with Others
• Following Directions
• Problem Solving Skills
• Understanding classroom rules and routines

Academic

• Recognizing Alphabet letters and sounds
• Recognizing numbers to 10 and/or beyond
• Recognizing and writing his/her name
• Reading and writing short vowel words and high frequency sight words

Now accepting applications for the 2013-2014 school year!

September 30th 2013 - June 26 2014

Register Here:

http://jumpstartlearning.webs.com/register

Thank you for celebrating momstown's 6th Birthday at West Edmonton Mall!

In 2013, momstown.ca is celebrating our 6th year connecting and supporting local moms. We host a huge party every year to celebrate momstown members and the communities that we support! Check out the video recap of the incredible festivities across Canada!

Thank you to our platinum sponsors for making this event possible!

Mascots provided by The Toy Hutch & Scholastic Canada! 

This day wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible volunteers! From the bottom of our hearts -

Thank You!

What's a Birthday Party without cake! Thank you to Yummy Island Cakes & Sweet Stuff Cakes for providing delicious treats for all our attendees!

Preschool Options in Edmonton

Picking a preschool is so overwhelming! Unfortunately there's no magic website or listing that shows every preschool in your area.  There are so many different types so you'll have to poke around all over.  There are City run preschools, preschools inside grade schools, private run preschools, YMCA preschool, Montessori preschool, Waldorf (they call it nursery school), Reggio schools and community league preschools (and probably more!)

Here is a listing of websites to make your search a little easier! 

• You'll find a listing of any government accredited preschool here
• YMCA Website has a listing of the preschool programs available
• Community League Preschools  -  Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues
• Preschools within the Edmonton Catholic School District including 100 Voices - click here
• Preschool within the Edmonton Public School District - click here
• Montessori has a website with a listing here 
• Waldorf School Listings here  
• Full Day Playschool Programs: Playday Program & South Side Mother's Day Out

Things to look for and questions to ask:

• How many days per week are you looking for? (Montessori believes in routine so it's everyday.)
• What is the child/teacher ratio?
• Is it a parent run cooperative? What are the parental involvement requirements? (some require you to do fundraisers, bingo's, monthly parent duty days, etc.)
• Why is the teaching philosophy? Some are "learn through play" some are more "school like".
• How long of a class is it?  Some are two hours and it will vary all the way up to four hours. 
• Is the teacher an accredited teacher?
• Is the school licensed and accredited?
• How much does it cost?
• Does the school provide lunch/snacks?  Is it the kind of nutrition you want?
• Do you want faith based curriculum?
• What is their disciplinary approach?
• Safety Certification for Teachers? CPR, etc.
• Is it a 3 yr/4 yr old split class? 
• How much free time is there compared to structured learning? 

It's a lot to think about.  Once you find the one that fits your family lifestyle you'll know! You might have early conclusions about what you want but keep an open mind and you might be surprised.

Thank you to our Guest Blogger & momstown member Alicia!

Picassos in the Park: Footprint Birds

This month for Picassos in the Park, momstown Edmonton visited both the Ellerslie Crossing Splash Park and the Elmwood Spray Deck. Both days, we braved a little rain as we painted, laughed, and had fun! For our bird theme, we just had to do a craft that involved feathers and paint! We turned a simple footprint (and hand print in a few cases) into a bird with a few easy steps. But we didn't stop when our birds were complete! No, the kids took their painted feet and did some more painting with them! Luckily for us, we were at a splash park so after painting the kids could go and wash off their feet by playing!

 
Want to create this with your own child? All you need is some construction paper, paint, glitter, glue, googly eyes, orange craft foam (paper would work too), and feathers.
 





How to make your own Footprint Bird:

1. Paint the bottom of your child's foot. On a piece of construction paper, place the foot and press down to create a footprint. Sprinkle glitter on the wet paint.
2. Let dry for a minute or two. Once it's dry-ish, cut around the footprint.
3. Rotate the footprint 180 degrees so that the toes are at the bottom. Glue the footprint onto construction paper.
4. Glue 3 on feathers for the wings and tail. Add on googly eyes.
5. Cut triangle from the orange foam and glue it on for the beak. All done!

Junior Chef: Rice Krispies Treat Bird Nests

Once again, The Pan Tree were fabulous hosts for momstown Edmonton's Junior Chefs. It's great to be able to show the kids what a professional kitchen looks like!  Since our theme this month is birds, we decided to make cute Rice Krispies Treat Bird Nests. They were a big hit! It was also the first time I've made Rice Krispies Treats in the microwave--I'm never going back to the stove top method! The kids loved seeing the marshmallows as they puffed up in the microwave. Many of our chefs had a hard time resisting those delicious marshmallows too! And the finished product? Well, let's just say that there weren't any extras to take home. Want to make them with your own kids? Here's how:

Rice Krispies Treat Bird Nests
(slightly adapted from here)

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• Smarties (or mini eggs if you can find them) 

 Directions:
1. In microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth.
2. Add Rice Krispies Cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Coat your hands in butter. Form small balls first. Make sure they are fairly compact.
4. Using your thumb, push down in the center of your balls to make a nest.
5. Melt your chocolate chips and use a spoon to spoon a little onto the center of each nest.
6. Place your Smarties into your nest. If you like coconut, you could add some coconut underneath the Smarties to make it more "nest like."
7. Enjoy!

Little Scientists: Recycled Bird Feeders

To wrap up our bird theme this month at momstown Edmonton, our Little Scientists decided to make Recycled Bird Feeders. It was a great activity to use up something we normally throw in the garbage--toilet paper tubes! We had to find an alternative to the readily used peanut butter/bird seed combo as we have a mama with a nut allergy. Luckily, someone suggested using vegetable shortening instead! It worked great. A lot of commercially prepared bird seed also has peanuts in it, so we made sure to check the ingredients of that as well. It's important to keep our mamas and kids safe! After making our Bird Feeders, the kids got some free play time. It's so much fun to see the friendships that are forming between all of the kids!

This is an easy science activity to do with your kids. Just spread vegetable shortening on your empty toilet paper tube. Make sure to spread it nice and thickly. Then, roll it in your bird seed. Try to get the bird seed to fully cover the tube. Once you're done, tie a piece of yarn or string through the tube so you can hang it from a branch. We were amazed at how heavy the tube became with all that shortening and bird seed on it!

Interested in our programs? Want to find out with the fuss is all about? Check us out!

Tales for Tots: Grumpy Bird

Have you ever woken up on the wrong side of the bed, in an awful mood? At momstown Edmonton, we have many kids who do just that! We decided to combat that and read a book called "Grumpy Bird" by Jeremy Tankard for our monthly Tales for Tots event. The story was a fun way to talk about bad moods! The illustrations were bright and captivating, and the characters were cute. The kids loved it! 

For our craft, we stuck with our birds theme for the month and made paper bag bird puppets. With a few simple supplies, we had hilarious bird puppets. The kids loved making their birds "talk." It was so much fun to see them play with their creations!

Did you know that all of our events are included with your membership? That's over 30 events on a monthly basis all for only $45 a year! Sign up here!

Music and Movement: Birds

We love to sing and dance at momstown Edmonton, which is why our Music and Movement events are always so popular. This month we dedicated our Music and Movement event to our theme of Birds. It was a big hit! We learned a few new songs, and sang some classic ones as well. It's always so much fun to hear the little voices sing along! Want to teach your kids? Two of the songs we learned are below!

Little Bird

Little bird, little bird,
Fly around,
Up to the sky,
Down to the ground.
Little bird, little bird,
Flap your wings.
Open your beak
And sweetly sing.
Little bird, little bird,
Fly to your nest.
Now it is time
To take a rest.

Feathered Friends

Five feathered birds sitting on the door;
One flew away and then there were four.
Four feathered birds singing in the tree,
One flew away and then there were three.
Three feathered birds looking at you,
One flew away and then there were two.
Two feathered birds sitting in the sun,
One flew away and then there was one.
One feathered bird looking like a hero,
He flew away and now there are zero!

Streetcars and Swim trunks

Once again this year, momstown Edmonton headed to the Alberta Legislature grounds for some splashing fun. We started out our journey by jumping on the streetcar on Whyte Ave. This year, we rode on one that was originally from Australia! The kids loved it, and even my husband got in on the fun by wearing the conductor's hat! It amazes me how the street cars are soley maintained by volunteers and donations. There's more information here: http://www.edmonton-radial-railway.ab.ca/highlevelbridge/.

Once we got to the Alberta Legislature grounds, we wasted no time getting bathing suits on and jumping in the water. The kids had a blast on a pretty warm day! We just love being able to head out to a free outdoor splash pool. A little lunch, a little more playing, and soon everyone was just tired enough to head home!

Want to join us for our next field trip? Sign up here!

Beaners Edmonton: Princess & Pirate Party

A big group of momstown Edmonton kids were treated to a princess & pirate party courtesy of Beaners in Windermere! These kids got the cutest hair do's from the wonderful stylists at Beaners from beautiful bead braids to spikey coloured pirate hair! Here are a few photos of our sweet little princesses and pirates! 

 After they were all dressed up,  they had a great time hunting for gold coins and collecting a prize from the wonderful owners!  Then came tons of fun in the ball pit, a favourite stop for any little one coming to Beaners for a haircut! Did you know Beaners hosts birthday parties for boys and girls just like this one! Book yours at one of the 5 locations in Edmonton & surrounding areas! 

Picasso's in the Park Sponsored by Tropicana Tropics!

This week momstown Edmonton moms, kids and babies met up at Rundle Park for our fun Picassos In The Park activity. This month the event was sponsored by Tropicana Tropics so we created a themed event that would help our momstown families get a taste of the tropics in the middle of their day.

We had nearly 30 moms in attendance throughout the morning. It was a chilly morning in Edmonton so a tropical experience was very welcome! We set up a juice bar with some tropical fruit for the children to try. We brought 3 delicious flavors of the Tropicana Tropics juices including:

Tropicana Tropics is made from 100% juice and puree blends and contain no additional sugar. Our kids quite enjoyed this juice and the moms enjoyed letting them have it!

The kids had so much fun serving and then enjoying their juice! The juice stand was a bit hit with these little ones!

We finished the morning up by making some lei's grass skirts, then had fun with the parachute! We're so glad all these families braved this cold July morning and enjoyed our Tropics Picasso's in the Park event! 

Music and Movement

Singing and dancing is always a hit at momstown Edmonton, so it's no wonder that we have all ages join us for our Music and Movement events. They are so popular, we have to have 2 separate events!  Big thanks go out to our two location sponsors Dominelli Music and Family Fitness World! We love being able to host this event twice and seeing all the kids sing and dance! 

We had a great time this month singing, dancing, and popping bubbles. This month we sang quite a few classics, but we also learned a new song! They were all a hit both with the older kids and the babies! We finished off our singing with a bit of dancing. It's always fun to see kids making up their own dance moves! Check out the song we learned below!

One Green Jellybean

One green jelly bean, down in my belly bean
Giving me tummy ache, what am I going to take?
All my friends are telling me they got a remedy: Don’t eat the green ones and jump up and down.

Two green jelly beans, down in my belly bean,
Giving me tummy ache, what am I going to take?
All my friends are telling me they got a remedy: Don’t eat the green ones and jump up and down, rub your tummy.

Three green jelly beans, down in my belly bean,
Giving me tummy ache, what am I going to take?
All my friends are telling me they got a remedy: Don’t eat the green ones and jump up and down, rub your tummy, pat your head.

Alphabet Play: S is for Sand

We love the alphabet at momstown Edmonton, and we also love the playground--especially in the summer! For a very cool and windy Alphabet Play this month, we focused on the letter S. Our theme happens to be "The Desert," and what do you find in the desert that you also usually find at the playground? Sand! We did a fun letter craft this month using sand at one of our favourite playground finds. It was really easy and fun to do! The kids painted an S shape using glue on a piece of construction paper then sprinkled sand on the glue. To finish it off, the kids glued down stars around their S. We made sure to practice saying "ssss" as we talked about the letter!

No trip to the playground with momstown Edmonton is complete without playing! Before sending the kids off to the playground structures, we played with the sand a little more. Each kid was given a small plate of sand which they got to practice making letter shapes in. Using sand or salt  to "finger write" in is a great way to have kids practice fine motor skills and is a great precursor to practicing writing. Just make sure they don't lick their fingers in the process!


Would you like to join us? Check out our programming here!

A Superhero Party For Super Kids

E and A have birthdays five days apart, so when it came time to plan A's first and E's third birthday party we decided to combine them and have one party. Like many other little boys in our momstown Edmonton family, E is really into superheroes. When I asked him what kind of party he wanted, he enthusiastically pointed to the pictures of superhero parties. I didn't want to focus on any hero in particular, so we went with a general superhero theme. It worked great! We used bright colours to decorate with and made sure to add in fun superhero accents. I even made a banner from a comic book I found at Value Village. 

Lunch consisted of sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit, and vegetables. I found some really great printables to jazz up the food (find them here). They just added that special little extra! For dessert, we had hulk chocolate chip cookies (just green chocolate chip cookies!), rainbow cupcakes, and a superhero rainbow cake. I made a simple white cake recipe (from here), added gel food coloring, and voila! A little bit of icing and some careful work with toothpicks and I think it turned out pretty neat and, most importantly, tasty!
 
I am not a huge fan of loot bags (see our blog on alternatives!), so I made no sew superhero capes for all of our party guests to wear and then take home. It was really easy to do (instructions here), and they turned out great! It just took some spray adhesive, felt, and time. I also printed out some masks I found on etsy (find them here) that the kids loved. It was so cute to see all the kids running around as superheroes! Since we held the party out on an acreage (with a trampoline), we didn't worry about party games. The kids just ran and jumped around the whole time!

The finishing touch was the piñata. I made a simple balloon piñata and painted it black. Then, I added the classic comic book "bam," "splat," and "bang" bubbles. The kids loved hitting it! And they all carefully chose their "prizes" once it broke open. I may have made the mistake of putting chocolate in it though and it had sat in the hot sun...oopsie! 

All in all, my boys had a great birthday party. All our guests left tired and happy! And after they left, my two superheroes played together until they were too tired to move.

Little Scientists: Plant Pals

momstown Edmonton loves getting dirty at Little Scientists! It's just way too much fun to dig in the dirt and get our hands dirty. We also love watching things grow around here. It's amazing how exciting kids get when they see those first little hints of green as the seeds sprout and pop through the soil! 

This month we decided to make some Plant Pals for our Little Scientists to observe. It's really easy and the results are even cuter. My son has LOVED seeing the grass grow in his Plant Pal. Every day he gets more excited as the grass gets longer. He can't wait to give it a haircut when it gets long enough. Want to make it with your own kids? Read below!




What you'll need:
-plastic cup (you could also use a washed out yogurt container or something similar)
-nylon sock/pantyhose (an old one with a run in it would be perfect, all you need is the foot part!)
-soil
-grass seed
-water
-googly eyes

What to do:
1. Sprinkle a small handful of grass seed into the empty nylon. 
2. Fill it up with soil. 
3. Shake all the soil down to make a sort of ball. 
4. Tie a knot in the nylon. The knot goes on the bottom of your pal!
5. Glue on googly eyes. 
6. Fill the plastic cup with water.
7. Place the nylon "ball" on the cup with the nylon hanging down. Make sure that your plant pal is "soaking" up the water. You might need to help it along at first by "squishing" it into the water a little.
8. Watch and wait for the grass to grow! Make sure you're keeping the soil moist! When the grass grows long enough, you may even be able to give your Plant Pal a haircut!

Are you interested in what momstown Edmonton has to offer? Check out our programs here!

5 Awesome Alternatives to Birthday Loot Bags

I'm not a fan of birthday loot bags, actually that's an understatement. I loathe loot bags. That small plastic bag is my nemesis. They're always filled with candy and tiny toys. When I pick up my kid they're already on a sugar high from all the treats and cake, the last thing I want is more powdered sugar dumped down their throats! And those itty bitty toys are choking hazards for my other kids and always end up scattered around the house. 

I've made a decision to stop the loot bag madness. I'm tired of shopping for junk that I know will get thrown out and I'm just hoping that other mamas join in the revolution. I've got some ideas for great take homes from birthday parties that don't involved jawbreakers or plastic rings.

1) A Single Toy - Try to find something in season, my sons birthday is the beginning of June so we always give a pack of sand toys. Less than $3 a piece and it's something I know will get some use!

2) Books - Got a great theme? Give a book to match! My son's first birthday will be a Oh! The Place You'll Go theme. We plan on giving everyone a Dr. Seuss book to take home.

3) Gift Card - Why not give a gift card for an ice cream treat at Dairy Queen or something similar! That way the child can go take their gift card and have fun paying themselves.

4) Crafts - Something they made at the party that's worth keeping, or a great craft kit they can take home and make!

5) Themed take home - The last birthday I went to was a Superhero theme. The mom made cute felt capes for the kids to wear at the party and take home! We still have these they're a great way to remember the party!

If all else fails, a handmade thank you card is always appreciated. All these items can be under $5 and are great alternatives and I promise that tiny bag won't be missed at all. 

Tales for Tots: Let it Shine

We just love reading at momstown Edmonton, and thanks to Scholastic we always have a great time at our Tales for Tots event. This month, we read "Let it Shine" by Maryann Cocca-Leffler. We just love this series of books, and have previously read "Let it Fall," "Let it Snow," and "Let it Rain." It's so neat to see how they all flow together, and it's a fantastic way to teach about the seasons! Like the others, "Let it Shine" was a hit! After reading, we did some brainstorming about summer and our desert July theme, specifically some of the things you would find in the desert. The kids came up with sand, snakes, and cactus. These responses were perfect because our craft was little cacti made out of play dough! Want to make your own mini cacti? Check out the directions below!

What you need:
-green play dough
-paper plate
-toothpicks

What you do:
1. Using the green play dough, form 2-3 cacti and place them on the plate.
2. Stick the toothpicks in the dough randomly.
3. For a little extra fun, spread some glue around on the plate and sprinkle some sand to really make it look like the desert!

Play & Social at The Fun Dome!

Our moms had a great morning playing at The Fun Dome! With plenty of toys, 3 inflatable bouncers, mini golf and carnival style games our kids were kept very busy!  I loved that there was comfortable seating, friendly staff and you just can't beat free coffee! The Fun Dome also offers private bookings for Birthday Party's as well! Check out all the party package details here!

I've listed some frequently asked questions below so make sure to read through them for drop in rates, rules etc.! 

FAQ’s about drop-in:

How much does it cost?

$7 for the first child, and $3 for each additional child from the same (immediate) family. Accompanying parents and all those under 12 months are free.

What are the available forms of payment?

We accept cash, debit and credit card for all purchases.

What is the drop-in schedule?

At this time, we will be announcing all days available for drop-in. Please refer to this page for updated information.

Can we leave for lunch and then come back later?

Once you leave the fun dome, you will have to pay to re-enter. If you are getting hungry while at the Fun Dome and not quite ready to leave, there are snacks available for purchase, or you are permitted to bring some nut-free snacks with you.

What will be included?

The entire play area of the FUN DOME is included in your drop-in fee. This includes 18 hole mini golf, giant inflatable slide, jumping castle, carnival games, riding cars, and more!

Can we drop off our children?

No, direct supervision of your children is required at all times.

Can we bring food?

Yes, you may bring in snacks, as there will be some tables and seating to accommodate this. Please ensure that all food is nut-free ONLY in consideration of those with nut allergies. There will be snacks available for purchase as well. Please note that no microwaves are available for heating up your food.

What should we bring?

Socks, as we are a socks-only facility. (There will be some socks available for purchase if you forget.) Your items (including sippy cups) should also be labeled.

What ages is the Fun Dome intended for? 

The Fun Dome is ideal for those aged 12 years and under, though parents have also been known to have lots of fun playing our 18 hold mini golf and assisting their children on the inflatables.

Aside from the various forms of play, are there other activities at The Fun Dome?

We have a room designated for those looking to spend some time creating! We current have some different summer inspired crafts ready for the making and ample colouring sheets too.