Family Playtime Archives | Creating Together Parkdale

October is Family History Month

October 12, 2021 by Melanie

“By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family.”
Orrin Hatch

Since 2001, October has been observed as “Family History Month” – an opportunity for individuals to improve their genealogy skills, find out about new resources and meet others who share your passion for the past! It’s also a great time for families to sit down together and honour the stories that enrich their family tree.

Most children will learn to appreciate their family history if you turn it into a detective game. Start your children or grandchildren on a lifelong journey of discovery by introducing them to geneology. Take a look below for some wonderful projects to do with your children this month.

6 Activities to Help you Celebrate your Family History

1. Go through old photos

It’s so important to share stories of our older generations – see if you know (or can find out) who is in the pictures, where they were taken, and what story is there to be shared. Sit down with some photos and your little one and see what stories you can share with them about the family!

2. Make a Family Tree

Here’s a fun Tigger Movie to watch with your youngster, and a range of templates for for creating your family tree, from trees including extended and adopted families, to blended and same-sex families: Family Tree Templates.

3. Visit cemeteries

If you know where family members are buried, visit their memorials. Take rubbings of their tombstones. See if you can find the oldest one. Did they have any neat things on their epitaphs? If your ancestors aren’t buried near you, check out the website FindAGrave.com – where you can see or request tombstones from other graveyards. You can even help other people by taking pictures of requested cemeteries near you.

5. Create a family cookbook

Contact your parents, grandparents, and others from the family – ask them to send you a few of their favourite family recipes, with a story about each dish, where or who it was handed down from, why it is a family favourite, and when it was traditionally eaten (Christmas, family reunions, etc.)….and try out some of the recipes with your little one!

6. Find out what your family surname means

The roots of your family name can be a great family activity. And, we would encourage you to take a look at the maiden names of the women in your family as well! Here’s a link to get you started: https://www.surnamedb.com/

Enjoy the Process!

Back to the Books for International Literacy Day!

September 6, 2021 by Melanie

As many of our little ones head back to school, it’s also the annual celebration International Literacy Day on Sept 8 – a celebration

Since 1967, International Literacy Day (ILD) celebrations have taken place annually around the world to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society. Despite progress made, literacy challenges persist with at least 773 million young people and adults lacking basic literacy skills today.
UNESCO

What is Literacy?

We often think of literacy as the ability to read and write, however what this means across cultures varies greatly.

For example, “reading” includes understanding complex visual and digital media as well as printed material. An elderly person who can read the newspaper might have a difficult time navigating their email or reading a map online. When we look at literacy, how do we engage with the written word in everyday life? How do we keep up with current events and communicate effectively?

Literacy Begins Before a Child Can Read

Until the last 30 years, children were seen as non-readers until they entered school. Now, children’s attempts to read and write before they reach school age are seen as important steps in developing reading and writing abilities. And, according to research by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, children who are successful readers have usually engaged in many early language and literacy activities before starting school. In fact, hearing and engaging with books read aloud to them is one of the most important activities for infants, toddlers, and pre-school children.

Encourage Reading and Discuss Texts

Encourage young learners to immerse themselves in reading as often as possible, and using a broad variety of genres (newspapers, novels, comics, magazines, films, reference material, and websites). Follow up the reading or viewing of a text with a discussion of what it made learners think and feel.

Gamify It!

Make reading and writing fun, be it with scavenger hunts, rhyming contests, comic creation…get creative and have fun! Here are some fun game ideas for early learners: https://www.3plearning.com/blog/6-activities-that-put-the-fun-into-phonics-for-early-learners/

We are here to help.

Even in a time of crisis, Creating Together has found ways to help families maintain a literacy routine with our online programming. Take advantage of our online storytimes and build literacy into your family routine with some family favourites:

1pm Story Time Mon/Wed/Fri and 7pm Bedtime Story Mon-Fri on our Facebook Page
Did you know that a child’s knowledge of songs and rhymes at age 3 is predictor of his/her ability to read by age 6? Why not come and take advantage of the opportunities and support available to you at Creating Together?Join us for Circle Time (daily at 10am on Zoom or Facebook – see below)
Tip: give children a choice in which book they’d like to read, choose books that are age appropriate, and read in ways that are also age appropriate. Take a look at this great tip sheet: Milestones of Early Literacy Development.

Happy Reading!

Welcome Back!

September 5, 2021 by Melanie

We are excited to be opening up again this Tuesday, and look forward to seeing your familiar faces (and hopefully some new ones!).

After a much needed break, Creating Together programs open again September 7th. We know that many of our youngsters will be heading to school, and wish them all the best in their adventures!

We will continue to offer Virtual Programming (starting Tuesday), and will gradually be reopening the in-person program again (but not quite yet – stay tuned).

National Injury Prevention Day

July 6, 2021 by Melanie

The goal of National Injury Prevention Day is to raise awareness on the prevention of serious injuries on the road, at home, and at play, and to provide the necessary information to reduce injury and disability while enjoying full and vibrant lives. (BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit).

According to Statistics Canada, injury is the leading cause of death for Canadians aged one to 44, ahead of cancer and heart disease. Injury is the third leading cause of death overall in Canada, after cancer and heart disease. And, according to The Trauma Association of Canada, “virtually all of these injuries and deaths, and the resulting costs, could have been prevented” (Trauma Association of Canada).

How do we help children take healthy risks, while also keeping them safe?

Safety Tips at Home

Closing the door: Closing the door after you should be your number one safety measure to introduce at home. This will not only ensure that intruders cannot access the house and also the younger kids cannot find their way out.

Secure furniture to prevent tip-overs: Purchase furniture that has a wider base, heavier back panel, and/or interlocking drawers to prevent furniture from tipping over. You can also learn to anchor your furniture, at Anchorit.gov.

No Playing or Going into the Road: There is always motorist in a rush and may not even consider that they are driving where children play.

Safe sleep: Suffocation, often in a sleep environment, is the leading cause of injury-related death for children under the age of 1. Remember: babies sleep best alone, on their backs, and in a crib / bassinet that meets safety standards.

Teaching Which Rooms are Off Limits: In the early years you can use things like baby gates, but beyond a few years it is important they know which rooms are off limits (such as laundry, pantry where chemicals are stored, or tool room).

Recalls: On average, one or more children’s products are recalled each week. Manufacturers often don’t do enough to make sure everyone who has the product learns of the recall. To keep up to date on recalls and incident reports, check your products at https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/index-eng.php.

Helicopter vs Free Range Parenting

The term “helicopter parent” was first used in Dr. Haim Ginott’s 1969 book Parents & Teenagers by teens who said their parents would hover over them like a helicopter. It became popular enough to become a dictionary entry in 2011. Are you a helicopter parent? Take this Quiz! How did you rate? Check here for some great tips on how to balance helicopter and free range parenting techniques, or talk to the staff at Creating Together for some supportive suggestions.

Celebrating Fathers and Fatherly Figures

June 8, 2021 by Melanie

June 14 marks the beginning Canadian Men’s Health Week, ending with Father’s Day on June 20th. This is a time to bring awareness to health issues that affect men disproportionately and focus on getting boys and men to become aware of problems they may have or could develop, and gain the courage to do something about it.

Understanding Health Issues in Men

Let’s take a look at what we know about health for Canadian men. On average, Canadian men live four years less than Canadian women do. They’re also more likely to die from diabetes, heart disease and liver disease. Men are less likely than women to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviours to counteract stress. For example, more than half of Canadian men aren’t getting enough sleep, aren’t exercising enough and aren’t eating as healthy as they should. The suicide rate for Canadian men is also three times higher for men than for women, and divorced men are almost twice as likely to commit suicide as married men.

What Can We Do to Support Men’s Health?

Men’s Health is everybody’s issue – not just men. Encouraging healthy eating, stress reducing activities, positive relationships, exercise, and mental health support when needed are some key things we can all do to help them out. By supporting the men in our lives to do this, we are modelling for the younger generation what it looks like to be a healthy man – setting them up for greater and greater success in life.

Celebrating Father’s Day (and Fatherly Figures)

Being thankful for the fatherly figures in our lives is so important. Men’s Health Week is always the week prior to Father’s Day – a time of year where we honour our fathers and fatherly role models. To help mark this time, we invite you to consider how you’ll give gratitude to your father, or to the amazing man who guides you in your life. And, for the parents out there, we invite you to join us helping your child create a Father’s Day craft with Creating Together Staff, and also to enjoy some books with your child to help them honour this special relationship in their lives.

For your little one’s Father’s Day craft, gather the supplies listed below and tune into our Facebook page on June 18th (whenever you’re ready – it will be pre-recorded for you to enjoy at your leisure!) and get ready to make “Paper Plate Scratch Art” and a “Paper Shirt Card” for that special man in their world 🙂

Paper Plate Scratch Art

Supplies:

paper plate or construction paper,
crayons,
black or any dark colour paint,
toothpick to scratch

Paper Shirt Card

Supplies:

construction paper,
pom poms,
marker

Modelling and Teaching the Qualities of a Good Father and Husband

It is important for our children to have healthy father figures in their lives, and it’s also important that they be exposed to healthy father figures in stories as well. So often in cartoons and movies, the father figure is incompetent or non-existent. It’s through this modelling that we teach our children about the qualities of a good father, a good husband, a good friend. Check out this list of recommended books, and/or tune into our Facebook page to read along with us these Father’s Day Books:

My Dad by Debbie Bailey

My Daddy and Me by Amy E. Sklansky

Hooray for Daddies by Gayla Amral