HRM Parent Blog

It's almost the end of January - and I'm sure I could dig up some sort of statistic to share with you about how many New Year's Resolutions are broken by now...but really, who needs that extra stress?   I mean seriously, it's hard enough to keep up with the day-to-day of life as a parent, let alone trying to layer on the pressure of getting more sleep, saving money and working out. No wonder they get broken! 

Life is too short and family time is too precious.  So why not take advantage of the fact that it's still January to change your resolution and join us in the 12 month "Time Well Spent Family Challenge" challenge?  It's one activity per month that will hopefully be a little more manageable, less stressful and give you a great excuse to get the family together. 

Are you up for it?

January - Visit a library: In celebration of National Literacy Day on January 27th, how about planning a family trip to any one of the great public libraries in HRM?  While you're there be sure to browse their huge selection of books, stop for a play in the children's area, check out their events calendar and more.  Before you leave, don't forget to take a few minutes to get your kids their own library card! 

February - From the Heart: We could easily suggest that you just do a valentine's day craft and call it a month, but why not dial it up a little more.  This month, it's all about doing a simple act of kindness that come straight from the heart.  Get the family to help shovel an elder neighbour's driveway, volunteer to canvas for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, bake cookies for someone who may need a little lift or leave anonymous valentine's in mailboxes around your neighbourhood with a happy message inside.  Just be sure to spread some love this month.

March - Go Green: Here's a fun combo to celebrate St. Patrick's Day as well as National Nutrition Month.  At least once a week for the month of March, challenge your family to try a new green vegetable that you haven't tried before. It's not as boring as it sounds when you throw in a little fun.  Have everyone take their first bite together or have the kids do a blind taste test and and let them guess what green veggie it could be. Heck you can even make up a song about it to make it more exciting. Don't worry, if green peas are even a stretch for you, we'll enlist Wendy, our Bringing Balance blogger to help share some of her favourite green veggie recipes when the time comes.  Who knows, by the end of the month you may have some new green vegetables to love!

April - Darkness Calls:  This one is easy.  April 22nd is Earth Day so do your part by participating in Earth Hour.  Shut down the iPads, turn off the TV and light some candles and enjoy a full hour of family time.  We'll be sharing some tips and tricks for making sure there's something for everyone to do and who knows, you may end up keeping the lights off well beyond the hour.

May - Family Tree:  Don't stop with just celebrating mom this month, and take some time to create a simple family tree.  This is especially meaningful if you have family members that live far away. Our kids are always fascinated to hear stories about their great-grandparents and often get confused about relatives that they don't see often, so including pictures will make it even more special. Here's a great book that can help with the process.

June - Stay Safe: It's National Safety Month, so how about using it as a great time to cover some important safety awareness topics with the family.  Do your kids know their telephone number or about calling 911?  Can they recognize the symbols for poison or dangerous products? Have you ever planned a home fire drill?  We'll be sure to share lots of great resources when the time comes, but slot it in the calendar to get your family in the safety zone this month.

July - Picnic Time: Yup, simple as that.  Pack the picnic basket, throw some juice boxes in the cooler, grab a blanket and head to the nearest park for a good old fashioned family picnic.

August - Reach for the Stars:  We can't wait for this one...it's another easy one that you'll be glad you did. Pick a good clear night and head out to the backyard for an evening under the stars.  Forget the lawn chairs, cover an area with blankets and line the family up.  Then spend 30 minutes just watching the stars.   See who can find the big dipper first or maybe spot a shooting star.  While you're there, maybe spark up a chat about what each person would wish for or what he or she would do if they could go to the moon.    

September - Back to the Books: Ok, we know this is hands down one of the busiest months of the year for any families with school aged kids.  Getting back into the swing of things with routines, activities and homework doesn't leave much time for anything else.  So we'll keep it simple. Read.  Just read.  Even if it's just a few minutes before bedtime, try and share at least one book (or chapter) a night with your child.  Even older kids, who are reading chapter books, will still get so much from having you read to them for a change. Plus it's some guaranteed cuddle time, how could you not accept this challenge?

October - Give Thanks:  This should be fun.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving pick a day of the month where the family will be together for most of the day (if possible) and play the thank-you game.  It's pretty simple, anytime anyone says or does something nice for another person, they have to say "thank you".  If you remember to say thank you, you get a sticker.  If you forget and someone catches you, you lose a sticker. At the end of the day, whoever has the most stickers is crowned the most thankful!  A little friendly competition will be fun and the lesson in manners doesn't hurt either.

November - Remembering:  This month's challenge is all about honoring our soldiers, past and present, and taking the time to ensure your kids are aware of the sacrifices they have made.  Make plans to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony in your area or visit one of the many forts, museums or monuments around HRM.  Read "In Flander's Fields" poem to your kids or even have your older children write a note to a soldier serving overseas or a local veteran. It won't take much time, but is bound to have a lasting impression.

December - Movie Night:  It's the last month of the year and what a better way to celebrate completing our challenge than with a family movie night.  Plus it'll be a nice get-away from the rush of the holidays. All you need is a big bowl of popcorn, some blankets to keep you cozy on the couch and a great family movie to make your challenge complete.  Who knows, maybe having more "movie nights" will become your resolution for 2013!

It may not roar in with the fury that our New England neighbours are weathering, but our winter is just around the corner. Follow along, and you can catch and keep the first snowflakes of the year. It’s a great way for your family to explore science outdoors, and to see some beautiful natural shapes and patterns.

Here’s what you will need: something nice and dark to catch snowflakes on (black construction paper is great), a small, soft paintbrush to sort them, microscope slides and cover slips and some superglue. As a warning, superglue (cyanoacrylate) will adhere to skin very quickly – acetone (contained in many nail polish removers) on a cotton swab should dissolve it, but exercise great caution if letting children use it.

    

First, make sure your materials are cold or you’ll melt your snowflakes! Catch some flakes on your paper or cardboard (dark colours improve contrast). Choose your favourites, pick them up with a paint brush and place them on your slide. Now simply put a drop or two of superglue onto your individual flakes, put on your cover slip (press gently) and leave in the freezer to harden for a week or two. You can then examine them under a magnifying glass or a microscope and discover their beauty in detail. And the best part - they won’t melt!

Snowflakes are formed high in clouds as water freezes together into tiny, intricate crystals. Every snowflake is unique, but they always have six points unless broken (they are “hexagonal”), which is due to the chemistry of water.

As the temperature starts to drop, it’s a great time to come spend some quality indoor time at Discovery Centre. Bring the family to take in a weekend Great Balls of Fire show, or have your children spend a day with us during PD or Winter Break Camps – we’re always ready to warm your toes, and more importantly, your brain!

For more great things to discover - visit the Discovery Centre on Barrington Street in Halifax, check out their website  or join them on facebook.    

What’s a party without cake?  Watch this video for step-by-step instructions for a really cute and easy school bus cake.

This is a really cool idea for a neighbourhood breakfast celebration to get everyone prepped for rising early again.

Such an inspiring party to celebrate the End of Summer.  The little apple and watermelon boats are adorable!

The name alone gives this party an A+, get your child’s classmates together before school for a meet and greet treat party.

This site has some fun ideas for invitations, cool décor, food and more.

This amazing back to school party gets top marks from us.  Seriously brilliant ideas! (be sure to check out subsequent blog posts for tutorials and detailed info on the party details)

Special thanks to Deirdre Evans for this great post on getting your kids out in the garden for a little late summer planting!

It’s time to think about Fall planting, and what better snack to plant with kids than sugar snap peas. Peas are an all time favourite in our house. Not only do my kids love picking and eating them straight off the vine, but they are one of the easiest seeds for children to handle because of their size.

To plant the peas, begin by having your kids poke a little hole in the loose soil with their finger or a stick, drop the pea seed straight in the ground and then water. They can plant the seeds 1 to 1-1/2 inches deep and one inch apart. With all of this rain, they should see the first little leaves appear within a week. Once the leaves appear have your child stick a branch in the soil about an inch away from the seed, the plant will climb up the branch as it grows.

Here in Halifax, seeds planted now will grow into the Fall, and hopefully bring you fresh peas by end of September.  The Farmer’s Almenac gives October 20th as the first frost date for Halifax, so this gives plenty of time for your peas to grow.

Short on space?  I’ll stick peas in planters on the balcony, at the ends of my raised beds and even as a border behind my flower beds. You can plant the peas along the edges of your garden and then use branches as a trellis that peas will climb.

You can likely still find pea seeds at Halifax Seed or even Canadian Tire.  My favourite spot though is Vesey’s in PEI as they have many different varieties, are local and will ship.   I really like their Sugar Snap Peas as they are very sweet with a great crunch.  

My children love picking and eating fresh from the garden. In fact, it’s a great way to give them a snack as I get dinner ready.  They will head out to the vegetable patch and search for hidden peas, it’s always a game to see who can find the big pods that have made it without being picked.

Deirdre Evans, is an HRM mom who is passionate about urban gardening and introducing kids to healthy foods through gardening projects.    For more information on urban gardening, recipes and ideas for backyard gardening with kids, visit her website .

Keeping the kids active during the summer is so important for their health and well-being, not to mention the fact that it’ll help them sleep better at night!  Just remember, it’s doesn’t always have to be structured or scheduled and can be as easy as a run around in the backyard.  Here’s 10 great ideas to keep the family moving this summer:

1. Make a splash – set up the sprinkler or head to the splash pad at the Westmount playground for some water play.  Guaranteed to keep the kids running around for hours.

2. Tennis anyone?  Even if your kids don’t know how to play – grab a spot at your local tennis court and have fun hitting the balls around.  Little kids can even get involved by running around to collect all the balls.

3. Hopscotch, Simon Says, Red Rover – bringing back any memories? Dust off some of the classics and get the whole family playing.

4. Walk the Dog.  Rover needs the exercise too so bring him, and the whole family to your nearest park for a walk that will keep everyone moving.

5. Run!  You can’t beat a family run, but it’s even more unique when it’s on the bridge!  Join in the 17th Annual MACPASS Miles Race across the bridge this weekend. The kids will be talking about it for weeks!

6. Gardening can be a family affair with little kids in charge of pulling up the weeds and older kids helping to mow. Even just having fun digging in the soil will keep them active. 

7. Hello Hula.  Warning – this one may cause uncontrollable laughter. Pick-up a few hula hoops and see who can keep it up the longest.   So fun.

8. Get your wheels on.  A bike, scooter, rollerblade or skateboard are all great ways to get out and get active.   Let everyone pick something different with the only rule that it has to be on wheels.

9. Hoop-la…not only does it help with their hand-eye coordination but shooting hoops is a great way to keep your kids’ heart rate up.

10. Playgrounds are always great for keeping kids active – but dial it up a notch and try to visit 3 in one day.  Then you can cross #37 off our Summer Challenge list!