Canadians love to get something for nothing:
44 percent of us have “curb-mined” goods on garbage day. Here are seven things that won’t cost you a buck this summer.
1. Take a break from animated flicks and go to theauteurs.com/stellaartois, where you can watch nine Cannes Film Festival selections. We recommend the Golden Palm-winning and Oscar-nominated Dancer in the Dark (Denmark, 2000).
2. Snag a P&G sample pack at brandsampler.ca. Past packs have included samples of mouthwash, toothpaste, shampoo and razors. The sizes are perfect for travel.
3. Have a Lego maniac at home? Sign him up for his own Lego Club magazine subscription at lego.com. He’ll get great building tips and ideas and be the first to know about new sets.
4. Score a free visit to one of Canada’s 200+ national historic sites, parks and marine conservation areas on Parks Day (July 17). Find one in your area at pc.gc.ca.
5. Welcoming a new pet into your family? Register at purina.ca for a MyPuppy or MyKitten kit, which includes a care guide, ID tag, health chart and coupon for a free bag of puppy or kitten chow.
6. Add a history lesson to your Canada Day celebrations with a poster detailing our nation’s prime ministers from cpac.
7. Hockey in summer? Yup, the Stanley Cup play-offs don’t wrap up until mid-June. Catch the Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts any time of day at cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hockeynightincanada/yahoo.
Imagine a stroll through the park with the on Sunday afternoon. Now imagine dragons popping out from behind trees, fairies floating through the branches and creatures emerging from the rocks beneath your feet.
No, you’re not hallucinating from a lack of sleep: you’re playing The Hidden Park, and augmented reality game for the iPhone.
The Hidden Park turns major parks around the globe into mystical puzzles. You can even use your own local park as a backdrop!
The game begins with a call from a mystical creature who needs help saving the local park from destruction: he needs to prove that it’s teeming with magical wildlife. Your family is tasked with getting photographic evidence of their existence. As you weave your way through the park, following the magical GPS-enabled map, you must solve puzzles and unravel clues to find all of the hidden creatures. Snap a shot of your kids at the designated spots, and creatures appear in the photos.
Toronto’s High Park is currently the only park in Canada already programmed, but as mentioned, parents can set up the game to work in any park in your area.
The Hidden Park is available through the iPhone app store and is $3.99.
Bring along a few snacks and drinks, borrow a friend with an iPhone if you don’t have one, and you’ve got a magical fun-filled long-weekend afternoon for only a few bucks!
Back to School Breakfast Inspiration Board via Tiny Prints
Need a wonderful way to get your little one excited about starting school? We love this adorable Neighbourhood Breakfast Block Party plan put together by the lovely folks at Tiny Prints.
But even if you don’t live on a closely-knit cul-de-sac, this fête would be just as much fun, and maybe even more doable, with just your nearest and dearest, be it friends or family.
With a pretty autumnal colour story of marigolds and oranges, all you really need is some yummy bottled juices or smoothies, festive straws, casual flowers and an owl or two here and there.
And for an easy recipe that suits the look, check out these portable breakfast ideas. We’re especially fond of the mouse!
So by this point, you’ve already scoured the house from top to bottom in search of any salvageable school supplies to put off yet another trip to the mall. What you likely turned up was a few mouldy lunch bags and three dozen chewed-down pencils.
It’s probably best to ditch the lunch bags and start fresh, but here’s an idea for those stray pencils: turn them into art! Check out even more by this amazing artist!
Our children spend 90 percent of their time indoors. Here’s how to keep them busy outside—all you need is a patch of green. A flat piece of grass works best. Once it bends, it is no longer usable.
1. Position the blade at the top of your two thumbs and between the bases of each thumb. Thumbs should be bent slightly. Make sure it is tight.
2. Blow gently between your thumbs. You should hear a high-pitched sound.
With a little practice and patience, your child will be whistling with the wind.
By Judy Rose, director of the Early Childhood Education program at St. Lawrence College in Cornwall, Ont.
Looking for other ways to keep them entertained in the great outdoors? Try these outdoor activity cards.
The WindSeeker is Canada Wonderland's next big thing!
Earlier this week we caught wind of the new ride being built for Canada’s Wonderland, the sprawling amusement park north of Toronto. And despite the fact that the park itself has developed a kind of shabby, lowest-common-denominator quality to it, and retains very little of the “magic” we remember from visits as kids (that charming mountain music has made way for Top 40 and a funnel cake now costs more than $10, and that doesn’t even include toppings!), the rides are still pretty great, and we’re excited for a new one.
It’s called the WindSeeker, and is essentially a giant (and we mean GIANT) set of swings that soars 30 storeys over the park. That’s 70 feet higher than the massive rollercoaster the Behemoth, which was opened a couple of years ago to rave reviews (it’s Canada’s biggest).
The Behemoth is terrifying in a thrilling kind of way, but what about WindSeeker? How tall is too tall? How scary is too much? Will you be riding? Would you let your kids? Eeeeek!
In Germany, kids call it gummitwist, in Britain they call it elastics, and in the U.S. it’s known as Chinese jump rope. But we Canadians just call it like it is: Jumpsies! Get your kids busy making an elastic rope and, once they start playing, you’ll have earned yourself enough time for a magazine and maybe a spritzer.
Making the Jumpsie
Collect 40 (3 mm) rubber bands. 1 Open the first to form a circle. 2 Insert a second band through the centre about a third of the way. Slip the remaining part of the band around the side of the first rubber band and back through the centre of itself. Pull tightly to link. Continue joining the bands until a long chain is formed.
Playing Jumpsie
Have two players stand opposite each other, holding the jumpsie taut at the ankles. A third player must jump over it without touching. If she clears it, increase the height to knee, hip, waist, armpit, shoulder and sky (hands up in the air). (If there is only one holder, tie the other end of the rope to a post or tree.) When the jumper fails to clear the rope, or touches it, the game starts over again.
Need a refresher? Check out this video (and take note, you probably shouldn’t wear a dress while attempting jumpsie rope!)
Once back-to-school starts, it’s almost all about the holidays, and we couldn’t wait to give you a peek at our very second annual Family Tested Day at Ontario Place.
Thousands of you came out to review this year’s trendiest toys, and it was a fun-filled sunny day. Thank you for coming to see us and being a part of our Family Testing!
Stay tuned for our November issue’s Annual Toy Guide to see which toys came out on top, and watch the video below to get insider picks from some of the CF edit team. And if you haven’t signed up yet to be a Family Tester yet, here’s how.
Blossom Bright Sprinkler available at Mastermind Toys, $24
Are your kids looking for a way to beat the heat? (Without huddling in air conditioned buildings?)
Reach out for some cool-aid provided by this charming Blossom Bright Sprinkler (Mastermind Toys, $24).
This whimsical sprinkler is what happens when you marry the talents of children’s author and illustrator David Kirk, and celebrated toy gurus Melissa & Doug. It is all part of a new line of toys that encourage outdoor play (we’re all for that!)
So go ahead, hook up the garden hose and enjoy a rain show in reverse. You can even join them… if you dare.
For more fun finds, check out our 2010 toy guides for all ages and stages.
We love a fun and easy craft that the whole family can enjoy. So when we found this clever idea to paint your own sneakers we just had to share. Save this craft for a rainy day when you’re looking for something fun to do inside.
Materials
• Various sheets of newspaper
• Clean canvas sneakers (like Keds)
• Fabric or acrylic craft paint
• Artist paint brushes
• Fabric paint pens
• CF hint: try using stamps, stencils and sponges to give your sneakers that extra touch of creativity
To get started, cover your work space with newspaper. Remove the laces from your shoes (you can die or decorate them separately), and out to the side. Using the fabric paints, paint pens and anything else you have to decorate your sneakers.
Let the paint dry for at least 24 hours before layering on various colours. And make sure the entire surface of the shoe is dry before sporting your new kicks.
And if rain boots are more your style check out this super cute way to make any rainy day a little bit brighter.
