Must Have's for Kids Starting Kindergarten

September is rearing its ugly head which means the first day of school for a lot of our little ones’s.  Many parents don’t know where to begin when it comes to getting our kids ready for their first day of kindergarten.  We posed the question to our “experienced” moms and came up with a great list to get you started!

1)  Full size backpack – whether it is a Princess, Spiderman or Roots bag, it needs to be big enough to carry a full sized library book, lunch box and change of clothes.

2) Lunch box – Most schools are litter less now so make sure the pack you choose can hold a thermos drink, and enough containers for 1 or 2 snacks along with a meal depending if your child is in half or full day school. Some of the places our mamas were checking out included: Fenigo Go Green lunchboxes and PlanetBox - Rover for kids that require a large variety.

3) Change of clothes – Even the most well behaved, potty trained child can have an accident or have a splashing good time at the sensory tables that may require a change. Always keep a spare pair of underwear, pants, top and socks in their bag just in case.

4) Labels – Most kids like the same things so it is very possible there will be duplicate bags, shoes, etc in the class.  Label all your child’s items to be sure they come home with their own items.  It is also a good idea to label their clothes, especially if they go to a uniform school.  All the clothing is the same so it easy to go home with the wrong cardigan or vest. momstown mamas love the customized Mabel's labels and enjoy the discount as well!

5)Indoor shoes – Most schools require your child to have a pair of shoes only to be worn in class.  They will allow you to keep them in your child’s cubby, which is another good reason for labeling.

6)  Kleenex – Our little one’s are not known to ask anyone for Kleenex when their nose is runny but if you keep a small package in their backpack, they MAY be more likely to use a tissue instead of their sleeves.

7)  Medic Alert bracelets – If your child has an allergy (or other medical condition), consider getting them a medic alert bracelet.  Even though the child’s files state if they have an allergy or medical condition, why not have something readily available if there should happen to be a supply teacher or volunteer with them when a symptom appears.

Are there any other items you can think of? 

I know our mommies and daddies would appreciate any advice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Blog was written by Angela Hickman - mother of 2, momstown Milton member and blogger - Mommy TimeOut.

Having Fun with Cereal at Baby Sensory!

The babies of momstown Milton had a crunchy good time playing with cereal at this week's Baby Sensory group!  Baby Sensory is a great chance for little ones to explore with all of their senses.  

 

The babies absolutely loved this activity. As soon as the bins were put on the floor, they immediately started to crawl over to take a peek at what was inside. Without any hesitation, their little hands reached and began scooping. They enjoyed squishing it with their hands, and some couldn't resist having a little nibble. You can add different textures by using a variety of dry cereals - krispies,  wheat puffs, flakes, cheerios all make for a great tactile experience.   

Set up was easy and effortless as was the clean up! We used a plastic table cloth on the kitchen floor and see through bins with a bit of depth to it in order to contain most of the contents. Fold the table cloth up at all four cornors to contain the cereal and have a broom and dust pan close by- so worth the effort!

 

 

All of the kids loved digging in and dumping the cereal.  The chance to play with their food on such a grand scale was so much fun for them, and so fun for the moms to watch!

 

As usual, the Baby Sensory group is a great source of easy, inexpensive ways to help our kids learn through play.  This activity is so simple, yet such a big hit with little ones.  Be sure to check out our Sensory groups that happen every week at momstown Milton!

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

 

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here 

 

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and

 mother of two amazing girls.

Join us at the Telling Tales Festival - September 15, 2013

Mark the Date: Sunday, September 15th, 2013 

for the Telling Tales Festival! 

 As you pass through the Westfield Heritage Village "Gates of Time", you will be delighted to discover a world that existed before the internet and video/computer games… Here life can be simple, and stories come alive! Storytellers will hold crowds spellbound in the Native Village.

Preschoolers especially will find a world of things to do in our Large Meadow: Musicians, puppet shows, “learning through play”, crafts and much more. Plan to visit the Telling Tales Giant Book Swap and Shop Tent, a place to bring your slightly worn children's books, donate them to literacy and, if you choose, purchase second hand titles for just loonies and toonies.

Find out more information here: www.TellingTales.org 

PLUS! don't forget to like them on Facebook to participate in contests happening from now until the Festival!

Kid friendly -Healthy Pasta Salad

Our momstown Milton Junior Chefs had a great time at our program this month! Everyone had a hand in making a delicious and healthy pasta salad.  This easy recipe was a hit with the little chefs and several mamas took home extras!

The pasta was cooked in advance.  I chose farfalle (bow tie) pasta, but any small shape would work.  We started by making the dressing for the salad.  The kids took turns pouring and measuring the ingredients into a small bowl, then took turns whisking.  

When it was time to cut ingredients, the chefs broke into teams of two and shared cutting boards.  Everyone got to cut up cucumber and tomato, and helped to add it all together in a bowl.  We have some future chefs in this group, who had great skills considering they were using butter knives!  The onion and parsley were chopped by an adult. 

All of the ingredients including the sliced and pitted black olives were added to the bowl of cooked pasta.  It looked beautiful!  

 

Our junior chefs then had fun crumbling feta and tuna into the salad. 

 
Once the dressing was poured on, it was time to STIR!  Everyone had a chance to stir the salad and mix up the delicious tastes.  We all had a chance to scoop out salad into our own bowls and then it was time to enjoy!

 

 

This pasta salad was heartily enjoyed by all, including the mamas!  We all agreed that it is an easy recipe that would be great for a potluck.  The recipe made a really big bowl of salad, so feel free to half the recipe if you don’t need so much! Here's the recipe:

Greek Pasta Salad with Tuna

1 pound pasta of your choice

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar

1/3cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cucumber, seeded and coarsely chopped

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

1/4cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped

1/4cup finely chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

1 6 ouncecan  solid white tuna in water, drained and broken into chunks

1/4cup crumbled feta cheese

 

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and rinse, add small amount of olive oil so that it doesn’t stick together;

Meanwhile, pour the vinegar into a large bowl and whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Stir in the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and olives. Add the pasta and parsley and toss; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tuna. Top with the feta.

Thank you to all of our wonderful chefs who took part in our momstown Milton Junior Chef program this week.  As usual we had a great time in the kitchen.  

Did you know that we run a Jr. Chef program every month? It's all included in your $45/year annual momstown membership!

Sign up here: http://milton.momstown.ca/user/register  to join in on the fun and be a part of our Milton Community Group!

momstown Milton kids created an army of Dispicable Me Minion puppets

Our momstown Milton kids created an army of Dispicable Me minion Puppets at the recent Family Drive In Movie night hosted by Milton Hyundai! Every year the dealership hosts a customer appreciation evening for their clients and reaches out to community groups such as momstown Milton to enjoy an evening of being spoiled. Popcorn, ice cream and drinks were well received and appreciated by our little minions.

 

While we waited for the sun to set  we kept the kids busy by creating themed puppets that we could wave during the screening. Here's what you need to do to make your very own.


Supplies:

Yellow foam sheet
Blue fabric
Black markers
popsicle sticks
googly eyes
glue


Assembling:

1. cut yellow foam sheet into an oval

2. cut fabric to fit half the oval

3. cut out two small rectangles on each side of the half oval -voila you have created overalls!

4. glue on 1 or 2 googly eyes

5. use marker to draw on a band across the eyes, create hair and a mouth

6. attach popsicle stick to the back to make it into a hand held puppet


The kids loved their creations and the great thing was that each one was unique in its own way. They all sat in a row when the movie began and you could see the army of minions dancing throughout the movie.

Thank you Milton Hyundai for having us. Our families had a blast! Can't wait to see what movie we screen next year.

Art in the Park - Easy Snake crafts for kids of all ages!

Each month we get together with Miss Maribeth from Scribble n Splatter for our momstown  Art and Play Program. For the summer months we decided to move it outdoors and do Art in the Park. When doing crafts outdoors, you really need to keep it simple. Keeping the supplies to a minimum is key for easy transporting and less of a chance of forgetting anything. You also need to take the elements into consideration - especially the wind! We planned on making snakes to go with our desert theme.

Infant: Footprint Snake

What you need:

Paint - green, brown, or yellow
Paint brushes
googly eyes
red construction paper

What to do:

1. Apply paint to infants foot and stamp on paper multiple times toe to heel
2. glue googly eye to the head
3. cut out a long thin rectangle and cut a triangle slit in it to make a tongue

Toddler / Preschooler Slinky Snake

 

 

What you need:

 

egg carton cut into individual sections

paint

string

scissors

red construction paper

googly eyes

 

What to do:

 

1.paint the egg carton sections with paint - the more colours the better

2. let it dry - great time to let the kids go play on the park

3. thread the cartons through a piece of string - tie knot at the start and end so that they don't fall off

4. add googly eyes and cut out a tongue with the red construction paper

 

 

 

The kids enjoyed running around the park dragging their snakes along slithering through the grass. It was a fun event that even helped some mamas get over their fear of snakes! Join us next month when we discover birds for our Art and Play session!

 

 

 

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

 

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here 

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

 



 

Fisher Price will be Sponsoring our Little People Toys Play Area at our momstown Milton Birthday Party!

We are so excited to have Fisher Price sending in Little People toys for the Fisher Price Play Area at our momstown Milton Birthday Party!

Moms and tots will get the opportunity to try them out and at the end of the party we'll raffle each of them off.

 Here's a glimpse of what we have in store:







Little People Wheelies Stand 'n' Play Rampway

You can enjoy these great toys plus a few extra surprises that are on the way! In order to win these prizes you will need to register at the door. Register ahead of time to earn an extra ballot!

 

Details can be found here: momstown Birthday Party.

 

Can't wait to see you there.

momstown Milton Mom of the Month - Cassandra Watson - August 2013

Name: Cassandra Watson
Born In: Oakville Ontario

Children’s name and age: Brynn 4, Bryce 5 months

Childhood Ambition: To be a famous singer

Fondest Memory:  Hearing my daughter say “Mama” for the first time

Wildest Dream:  To rent out an entire cruise ship and invite all of my family, friends, and friends of friends 

Proudest Moment: Giving birth to my son at home

Biggest Challenge: Working in Special Education

Perfect Day: My perfect day is staying home swimming in the pool with my family and then going out for dinner with the girls.

First Job:  Fish n Chip restaurant

Indulgence:  Dairy Queen Blizzards

Last Big Purchase: A hard top gazebo for my backyard oasis

Favorite Movie or Favourite Sport?  Dirty Dancing 

How long have you been a member of momstown Milton? Since 2009

Describe your experience as a momstown member? I love being a momstown member.  Not only is it great to have activities to do with my kids, but I feel like I have a group of women to lean on. momstown Milton never disappoints!  The activities for the children are so much fun and the events are so well organized.  The members are so generous and friendly.  It’s great to be part of such an awesome group.

We would love to have you join us and become part of our momstown Milton family!

Register here for your 6 week FREE trial.