momstown Milton's Little Scientists Learning About Birds

Last month our momstown Milton Little Scientists spent some time learning about birds with webbed feet!

We started by watching a short video that was shot underwater, documenting the feeding of a large group of ducks and ducklings.  All of the kids enjoyed watching the cute duck feet paddling in the water and had no problem identifying that the ducks used their web feet for swimming.

We talked about bird feet, and how every different bird has feet that are designed just for that bird.  Feet with toes that grasp a branch, feet with claws that catch prey, and feet that have toes that are connected by webbed skin - perfect for swimming.

The kids had a blast playing a game called "Does it Swim?".  Each child was given a card that had printing on both sides - one side was "YES, it swims", and the other was "NOT a swimmer".  We spent a moment identifying the YES and NOT, and then went through a series of pictures of birds.  The Little Scientists had to hold up their card to identify if the bird they were looking at could swim or not.  We had many birds to look at, including a Canada Goose, a Finch, Pigeon, and an Albatross among others.  The kids had fun guessing and shouting out their answers.  

The group moved to the table for our "experiment".  We had fun with two spatulas that simulated a duck's feet moving through the water.

 We also ran our fingers through the water, then did the same thing with a plastic baggy covering our fingers.  The kids could see that more water was moved with our simulated webbed feet.

 

Once our experiment was over, our Little Scientists moved to the back yard for some fun playing and snacking with their curious friends!

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.

momstown Milton Jr Chefs Create Nut Free Back to School Granola Bars!

We had a great time playing in the kitchen this month at momstown Milton Junior Chef!  Our little culinary enthusiasts mixed, measured and poured as they created delicious and healthy granola bars! With our monthly momstown theme being birds this month, we also highlighted nutritious and delicious seeds in this recipe.

With the start of the school year quickly approaching, what better time to learn a new recipe that will be a healthier take on the packaged granola bar?  The recipe is nut free, quick and easy to prepare, and customisable to your kids' tastes.

This is the recipe we used: 

Ingredients

2 cups oats

1/2 cup sugar
 

1/2 tsp. salt
 

1/4 tsp. cinnamon or other spices as desired (cardamom, nutmeg, etc.)
 

*2 1/2 cups additions: dried fruits, seeds, nuts, flax meal, bran cereal, chocolate chips ... the combinations are endless!
 

1/3 cup peanut or other nut butter  (SUBSTITUTE 1/3c mashed banana or apple sauce)
 

6 Tbsp. olive oil ­ canola oil, other oils, and melted butter will work here as well
 

1/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or Agave syrup
 

1 egg white
 

1 Tbsp. water

Instructions:
 

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Depending on desired thickness, line a square (8x8 or 9x9) or rectangular (9x13) baking dish with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper with non­stick cooking spray, oil, or butter.
 

2. Process 1/3 cup of the oats in a blender or food processor until finely ground.
 

3. If necessary, chop up dried fruit and nuts. Raisin­ size pieces are fine, but dried apricots should be chopped.
 

4. Stir together all dry ingredients (oats, ground oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, fruits/nuts/seeds).
 

5. Whisk together wet ingredients ­ oil, honey, egg white, peanut butter/banana, and water.
 

6. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, then spread in the pan. Press firmly into the corners and edges so the top is even.
 

7. Bake for around 30 minutes, until the top starts to brown. Thicker bars will likely take longer, so you'll need to watch them, depending on how much batter you've spread in what size pan. The edges will become deep golden and they may feel underdone in the center, but that's okay. They'll firm quite nicely as they cool.
 

8. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack completely before removing from pan.

*(we used 3/4c choc chips, 1/4c each of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax meal, shredded coconut, 1/2c raisins)

The original recipe had peanut butter, but we substituted that with mashed banana.  I have since substituted with apple sauce and it is a yummy alternative.  I tried about 5 different recipes and this one is my favorite.  It could also be made gluten free if you use gluten free oats (and ensure your add-ins are also GF).

We started with the dry ingredients.  The kids took turns measuring a whole lot of yummy things into our big mixing bowl.  Oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and all of the delicious fixings that we chose for our bars: chocolate chips, raisins, flax meal, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and shredded coconut.

 

We moved on to our wet ingredients and added them to a separate bowl: olive oil, mashed banana, honey, an egg white, and water.  Everyone took turns whisking.

The wet mixture was poured into our dry ingredients and mixed.

The granola bar recipe was then poured into a parchment lined 9X13 baking pan, pressed down firmly and evenly, and baked at 350 for 30 minutes.  The key to making the granola bars stick together is letting them cool completely in the pan.  

Everyone got to try a bar, and they were a hit.

Note: Recipe adapted from Honest Cooking http://honestcooking.com/homemade­chewy­granola­bars­recipe/

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.

Help Your Child Succeed In The Classroom

Have Your Child’s Eyes Examined By An Optometrist! 

Wondering what you can do to help your child succeed in the classroom this school year?  Success starts with GOOD VISION!  Take your child to have their eyes examined by an Optometrist.  Did you know that 80% of learning is visual?  If a child cannot see properly, they will not learn properly.  Vision problems affect literacy, and a child’s ability to copy, print, read, and track objects.  It also affects their ability to participate in play, the development of good hand-eye coordination and their self-esteem. 

 

1 in every 6 children has a vision problem significant enough to impair their ability to learn.  Many parents mistakenly believe that “their child sees fine”.  Even if you think your child sees well, you should ALWAYS take them to have their eyes examined regularly to be sure they are healthy and working well together.  Only an Optometrist can tell you for sure!    

 

Here are 2 common and preventable conditions that Dr. Phil sees in children:

Amblyopia ("lazy eye") is poor vision in an eye that may appear to be normal.  Parents may think their child sees well but in fact their eyes are not working equally.  Two common causes are crossed eyes and a difference in vision between the two eyes. If untreated, amblyopia can cause irreversible visual loss in the affected eye.  Amblyopia is best treated during the preschool years.

Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes; they may turn in, out, up, or down. If the same eye is chronically misaligned, amblyopia may also develop in that eye. With early detection, vision can be restored by patching the properly aligned eye temporarily, which forces the misaligned one to work. Surgery or specially designed glasses may also help the eyes to align.

Milton Optometry recommends that children have a comprehensive eye exam every year.  Early identification of a problem is the key to successfully correcting a child’s vision.  We welcome infants, toddlers and children of all ages to our family-friendly office!  Phone 905-636-9500 to reserve an appointment for your family.

 

 

 

momstown Milton will be on the Judge's Panel for the Milton Fall Fair - Baby Contest!

Join us at the Milton Fall Fair for the annual Baby Contest on Sunday September 29th. Registration opens at 10am. Judging begins at 11am sharp!

 

 

 momstown Milton is happy to announce that we will be on the judge's panel this year.

Contest is open to all little cuties from 0 -18months - boys and girls.

Here is what we will be looking for:

Girls:

0-6 months                                7-12 months                            13-18 months

Longest eye lashes                    Least teeth                               Best baby jive 

smallest feet                              Most like parent                      Most teeth

Most hair                                   Best party hat                          Least hair   

Dressed for a party                    Dressed for a party                 Dressed for a party

 

Boys:

0-6 months                                7-12 months                            13-18 months

Longest eye lashes                    Least teeth                               Most hair 

Biggest feet                               Most like parent                      Most teeth   

Least hair                                   Best party hat                         Best high five

Dressed for a party                    Dressed for party                    Dressed for a party

Please preregister here in the appropriate category for your child.
 
Prizes will be awarded from 1st place to 5th place AND there will be an additional prize for the overall winner in each category.

Good luck to everyone!

Fall Mom to Mom Sale in Milton- October 2013 - Presented by momstown Milton

 

 

Looking for a great deal? momstown Milton is famous for our mom to mom sales! You'll be falling all over the Great Deals on gently used baby & children's clothing (sizes newborn - 6T), toys, baby equipment, maternity clothes, shoes and TONS of other goodies. Lots of brand names, tags still on the items and like-new quality.

Our Fall 2013 mom to mom sale is being held locally in the heart of Downtown Milton so that we can get the entire community involved. We offer tables at a great rate to moms who need to declutter their homes, promote local businesses and mompreneurs through our goody bags and most importantly provide a GREAT Milton based event to our moms who are always searching for a fabulous deal!

Sales takes place at:

Wee Ones Childcare Academy

Saturday October 12 from 8:30am - 11:30am

 409 Main Street, Milton ON

FREE Entry for momstown Milton members - MUST show your membership card.

$2 for non-member

Goody Bags for the first 100 people!

This is a CASH ONLY event.
No strollers please


For more details to reserve a spot as a seller or to participate in our swag bags please contact: info.milton@momstown.ca


Click Here: To keep up to date on sponsors and items being sold
 

You could win a My Little Pony Equestria Girls 2-pack of dolls with accessories PLUS the Equestria Girls movie on DVD

Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer dolls will be true friends for all your Equestria Girls adventures! Twilight Sparkle’s smart style matches her flair for finding every answer, but Sunset Shimmer's striking sense of fashion steals a lot of attention. Which one will win the "magical" Fall Formal Princess crown? That's up to you!

My Little Pony Equestria Girls movie on DVD August 6th at major retailers across Canada.

Keep checking the My Little Pony Equestria Girls website for upcoming information and fun activities.

 

To enter the contest CLICK HERE!

 

 

By entering this Contest, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accept the terms and conditions below. No purchase necessary. Contest closes September 30th, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec), who are of legal age. Limit one submitted entry per person/email address. Odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received online by the contest closing date.  One winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by October 10th, 2013.  Winner will not be able to select specific doll characters. 

 

 © 2013 Hasbro. MY LITTLE PONY Equestria Girls is a registered trade-marks of Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Healthy snack tips for school

Feeding our kids healthy foods gives them the essential vitamins and minerals they need to grow and develop over the years.  But how do you keep it interesting? 

Here are some ideas to give your kids a healthy snack that they will enjoy when they are in school.


1)  Cut sandwiches into little shapes to make them fun.  We like to use cookie cutters so every day there is a new shape to eat.  We also cut cheeses into little shapes.  Kids will think there food is fun and forget how healthy it is.



2) Give your kids a few options to choose from when making their snacks.  If they are part of the decision process, they are more likely to eat all their food.

3)  Remember the 4 food groups and try to send snacks that contain all of them.

So now what types of food should you send?  (Remember it is important to send food items that are nut free.)  Pack them in fun colorful containers to gain your child’s interest and keeping snacks litter less at the same time.

1)      Jello – Who doesn’t love jello?  Make it healthy by adding fruit into the mix. 

2)      Smoothies – Blend up some fruit/veggies and yogurt and put it in a thermos for a healthy drink.

3)      Yogurts are a great way to get your dairy servings

4)      Cheese and crackers

5)      Skewer fruit and cheese pieces for a fruit kabob (add some yogurt or hummus so they can dip it)

6)      Nut free trail mix – throw in some dried fruit and your childs favorite dry cereal




These are all easy snacks that don't take much time to prepare.  Looking for some great recipe ideas to change it up as well?  Click here for some fun and easy ideas.

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

Hundreds of Milton Families partied at our momstown.ca 6th birthday celebration!

This month all of our momstown chapters have been hosting parties across Canada to celebrate our 6th birthday! Here in our Milton community our party has been the talk of the town for weeks amongst our mamas, partners and sponsors and you could feel the excitement mounting as the event day drew closer.

This years line up was DOUBLE ( look carefully at the first pic below - the line up winds down the path and extends all the way back to the old post office - second pic! WOWZERS! ) It was truly astounding to see the number of families that came out to celebrate with us! We gave out over 1200 wristbands at our registration desk and needless to say our 100 goody bags were gone in minutes!

The line up began at 9:22am with some pretty excited moms and tots!

Checking out all the cool swag!

are you ready to party - WOOT WOOT!

and they kept coming and coming and coming! 

 

How do you keep your guests smiling when the line up seems never ending? Have a power team of super friendly volunteers greet them with a smile AND serve them ice coffee or berry tea from the Hawthorne Café to keep cool! I don't believe I heard one complaint at all. 

 

The day was jam packed with tons of  activity stations and demos which were chosen to give everyone (especially trial members and non members) a taste of what momstown Milton is all about. 

Each of the designated stations not only complimented the businesses that was sponsoring it, it also highlighted our educational curriculum and our 6 program pillars that are encorporated in all of our programs and events that we offer year round for just $45 a year! We are so much more then just a  convenient playgroup and I'm confident that we got that point across today at the party. 

Kids of all ages enjoyed making music with Harmony Is, creating messy masterpieces with veggies and fruits at the SupperWorks Picasso's Booth and decorating and building towers at our United Way Station.  

Our Early Literacy station hosted by Indigo was well received by our guests who were happy to have a shaded area where they could grab a book and snuggle under a tree for a relaxing break. The kids were absolutely thrilled to sit still and listen to a story being read about their favourite Scholastic Character - Clifford!

 

Every child has a sense of curiosity and we encourage it through our momstown Science and Discovery programs. Today the kids enjoyed our sensory tables from Wee Ones Childcare Academy, a bubble station provided by Haber & Associates, and a Speedway Ramp from Bullseye Child Safety. Learning though play and having fun was the goal of each of these activity centres.

Anyone who has a toddler/preschooler knows that active play is a must in their daily routine. We made sure there were several fitness stations - Monkeynastix Milton, Rugby Tots, Fire Power Kids and Little Kickers available for ALL of our age groups to burn off tons of energy. An extra large Bouncy Castle from Par-t-Perfect was a great addition to get this party jumping!

  

No matter what age you were, our Change it Up with Zumba and the Academy of Martial Arts demos had everyone up and moving!

We even had a Diaper Derby contest sponsored by Clothworks to encourage our little crawlers to get in on the action! This mama was all smiles about winning the silk sling for being the winner!

Our Play and Social  pillar which is the heart of momstown and how it all began was well represented with face painting from Oxford Learning and Bergsma Paint, playtime with Toys Trunk, a pampering station from our local Seacret rep Sylvia, a gigantic colouring mural from the Town of Milton, a Dora Colouring station from Koba Entertainment, A dress up station with In Step Active Wear, and of course lots of fun crafts provided by Milton Optometry, The Dance Class, & Lisa Roach from Century21.

Can't forget to mention the always busy Fisher Price Little People Play Zone that had four awesome toys for kids to play with. It was great seeing the little ones imaginations soar as they created different play scenarios. Four of our lucky attendees got to take one toy home with them at the end of the event!

 

We were also lucky enough to have a lot of local resources join us to make our party a smashing success. A big shout out to the Canadian Red Cross who set up an info both along with tattoos for the little ones, a great big red Fire Truck from the Milton Fire Hall, Officer  and an ambulance with all the bells and whistles. The Mason Chip Identification Program also offered their services at today's event. So many parents felt a little better prepared once they had the Free Id kit in hand to take home.

Can't have a party without cake, treats and presents! A big shout out to Longo's Milton for 3 very large slab cakes, Hillary's Cupcakes for providing mini cupcakes and cookies and Michelle Hawco for the popcorn!

The draw for the door prizes seemed never ending because there were so many from both local and National sponsors. Highlights included a stroller and a baby carrier from Britax, 2 tickets to see Dora Live from Koba Entertainment and a $200 GC from Milton Orthotic and Wellness Centre towards a new pair of shoes! Check out some of the winners below to see if you recognize anyone?



 

We made sure that no one goes away empty handed this year. We are offering EVERYONE  (new, old, and current) members / non members a gift of your very own! JOIN NOW  and all through 2013 to receive a BONUS YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO TODAY'S PARENT!

A Big Shout Out to everyone that came out  to support and celebrate with us and all of the wonderful volunteers that made this event possible! It was great catching up with the regulars and just as great getting to know all the new moms that dropped by to experience momstown Milton first hand. A special thank you to Laurie Goodman Photography  for capturing the event! You can see more of her wonderful pictures by visiting our Face Book Page for ALL of the pics from our special day. Don't forget to hit the "LIKE" button to keep up to date with our latest and greatest adventures..... Real moms connected!