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All Things Nutritious: National Nutrition Month

March 15, 2021 by Melanie

What is National Nutrition Month?

For over 30 years, Nutrition Month has been the most visible public awareness campaign for dieticians, reaching millions of Canadians. It began in the late 1970’s as a “Nutrition Week” with a small group of community dieticians. Local dieticians across several provinces then began planning events and activities in their workplaces, shopping malls, libraries and with the media. In 1981, The Canadian Dietetic Association (now Dieticians of Canada) and all the provincial dietetic associations jointly sponsored the first National Nutrition Week. The primary purpose of the Campaign was to increase public awareness about the importance of healthy eating by identifying dieticians as the most credible source of food and nutrition information.  By the end of the decade, the campaign was expanded to a month. (https://www.dietitians.ca/)
 

Finding Your Healthy in 2021

Each year, a Nutrition Month theme is selected by Dietitians of Canada based on a scan of the environment and with input from members. Themes have varied from the 1994 campaign “Nourishing our Children’s Future” to “Get the real deal on your meal” in 2012 to “Unlock the potential of food” in 2018.

Nutrition Month 2021 will centre on the idea that healthy eating looks different for everyone.

Dieticians will push back against simplified notions of ‘a healthy meal’ and ‘rules’ and share examples of how culture, food traditions, health conditions and personal circumstances influence what healthy eating can look like.

Dieticians of Canada

Culture and Food

Our traditional knowledge and cultural practices are interwoven with how we experience food in our communities. Toronto is often referred to as ‘the most multicultural city in the world, with around half of its population born outside the country, 200 ethnic groups and over 140 languages spoken.

It comes as no surprise that Creating Together has revolved much of it’s programming around the food and culture of the families we serve. Traditionally, we would come together for a potluck or to share a feast in celebration of a religious observance (eg., Diwali, Losar), celebration (eg., International Women’s Day), or cultural acknowledgement (eg., Black History Month).

9 Ways to Get Involved

This year we celebrate Nutrition month through our virtual and remote programming – and here are some things to try out with your family:

New Food Challenge – Each week, commit to trying out a new fruit and vegetable!

Organize a Food Drive – Organize a food donation campaign for a local food pantry or shelter such as the Parkdale Community Food Bank.

Receive – Creating Together has a food program – if you are in need of food, please contact our staff, or stop by personally Monday-Friday before 2pm.

Commit – Plan to eat more meals together as a family during National Nutrition Month.

Cooking Class – Get some friends together and take turns – each week, one hosts an online cooking class with your favourite traditional recipes.

Watch this Video – Take a look at this video with Leah, about “Hope Garden”

Spark Conversation – Get your friends and family members to share their favourite nutritious cultural dishes, the memories they have about those dishes, and what makes the meal nutritious.

Support Food Share – Food Share is doing amazing things to bring healthy food to children. Check out Food Share’s programs, order a healthy food box as a learning program with your family, or take a look at this video they made: Recipe for Change:

Learn – Get familiar with the revised Canada Food Guide, and have a discussion about it with your family! Picky Eater? No problem! Take a look at these tips for pick eaters.

Additional Resources

  • Translated Versions of the Guide
  • Use of Food Guide Content in Labelling and Advertising
  • My Food Guide
  • Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide – A Resource for Educators and Communicators
  • Copyright Guidelines for Non-Commercial and Commercial Reproduction of Canada’s Food Guide
  • Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide – First Nations, Inuit and Métis

Filed Under: Family Playtime, Healthy Eating, Special Activities

Creative Ways to Celebrate the Season

December 9, 2020 by Melanie

Torontonian favorites, such as Nuit Blanche, Calvaclade of Lights, and ice-skating at Ontario Place or Nathan Philips Square, have been cancelled due to the Toronto-wide lock-down, and families are looking for creative ways to celebrate the season.

Rethinking Traditions

Certainly, re-thinking your family traditions does not mean you will be without those sacred traditions this year – however you may need to think a bit differently about them. We all do. In fact, continuity of traditions are so important for children (and adults!). At the same time, those age-old traditions may just need to be approached from a different angle.

For example, if you normally see family, perhaps you could arrange a get-together on Zoom. If you normally go to the theatre, consider the drive-in. If you go carolling, watch some carollers online and sing from home.

How can you continue your family traditions with a slightly different spin?

Some Suggestions

We’ve pulled together a few ideas to help you out this year – and don’t forget, we are always here to offer programming online for you all until our own holidays begin!

At any rate, we do hope you enjoy the season and consider the challenges we all face an opportunity to continue embodying the values of gratitude, generosity, compassion, and love with your friends and families.

Filed Under: Family Playtime Tagged With: Celebration, Holidays, online programming, traditions

Circle Time Online

November 24, 2020 by Melanie

Circle time is an amazing opportunity for us to come together, have fun, and learn, regardless of age. Children of all ages express themselves through music. While the infants sway or bounce, many preschoolers make up songs and sing to themselves as they play. 

Apart from being fun, circle time has so many benefits. Singing songs together exposes children to new songs, dances, and different materials. This improves their awareness of physical, sensory, and language experiences. Also, participating in songs helps to promote rhythm and coordination, which can help improve their fine and gross motor skills.

Locked In? No Problem!

Join Creating Together Early ON for the live circle time at 10:00 am! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we offer Circle Time on Zoom, and every Tuesday and Thursday on Facebook 🙂 The staff at Creating Together work hard to make sure each child gets the most out of the experience.

To access this live session, you will need a mobile or smart device – and joining is easy!

Zoom

For Zoom on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, all you have to do is open (click) on the zoom link, and follow the instructions that Zoom provides for downloading the app onto your device. Here’s the link to join us: 

zoom.us/j/7391226799

Facebook

For Facebook circle time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, just sign onto our Facebook page here and watch the session live with us! Here’s the link to join us on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/CreatingTogetherParkdale

More Opportunities to

Join us Online:

Filed Under: Family Playtime

Halloween Fun During COVID!

October 27, 2020 by Melanie

“social distancing during halloween” 🙂

According to the government of Ontario, given the high transmission of COVID-19 in Ottawa, Peel, Toronto and York Region, traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating is not recommended. But it doesn’t mean we can’t have a tonne of fun, right?! Here are some trick-or-treat alternatives to get ready for this year, and make sure your family keeps the spirit of halloween alive!

1. Virtual Halloween Costume Party

The government of Ontario recommended it, and guess what – we are offering one! Creating Together Early ON Centre is excited to invite you to our Virtual Halloween Costume Party next Friday October 30th 🙂 We CAN’T WAIT to see everyone’s costumes and hopefully you all will enjoy our Halloween songs and craft activities!

On Friday October 30th at 10am, click this link to join: zoom.us/j/7391226799

Feel like hosting your own? Indy With Kids offers some great how-to tips here:

https://indywithkids.com/halloween-zoom-party/

2. Organize a candy hunt

It is recommended that this be with the people living within your household, due to COVID-19. So here’s some tips to do in advance, to make sure all goes smoothly ~

  1. Get your costume ready! This would most certainly be better, of course, in costume 🙂
  2. Treat contatiner – make sure every child has something to gather their treasures in.
  3. Decide where to have the candy hunt. The sun sets around 6:15pm, so remember if it’s to be done outside, that the kiddos will need to have some flashlights / light sources 🙂
  4. Plan an after-hunt Halloween activity to do while your children eat their treats (eg., one of the other activities here)

3. Carving Pumpkins

Looking for ideas? Spruce Crafts offers some awesome tips here: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/pumpkin-carving-ideas-for-kids-4153104

4. Share Scary Stories

KOA offers some awesome scary campfire stories which will do the trick, here: https://koa.com/blog/kid-friendly-spooky-campfire-stories/

5. Decorating Front Lawns, and Driving by the city’s best!

Trick-or-treat 2020 might be cancelled, but that hasn’t stopped enthusiasts from doing up their front yarns with some haunting delights! Once your done your own lawn, go and do a drive-by on some of the greates lawns in the city: The Brenyon Way houses, 1 Krisbury Avenue, and 27 Glenlake Avenue are just some of the usual spooky staples to check out!

Most importantly,

have fun, and stay safe!

Filed Under: Family Playtime, Uncategorized, What's On in Parkdale

Fun With Play Dough

October 13, 2020 by Melanie

Days are getting cooler, and it’s a perfect time to get cozy with some indoor activities and crafts – and one which we’ve noticed children just can’t get enough of, is homemade play dough! If you have a child who loves to bake and create, getting them involved in making it can also be a great activity in math, measuring, combining, mixing, and following instructions!

The Creating Together Play Dough Recipe:

You will need:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 Tbsp baking soda
  • ½ cup salt
  • 1 cup water
  • Food colouring
  • 3 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

  • Place the flour and baking soda in a bowl.
  • Combine salt, water and a few drops food colouring in another bowl and stir it well.
  • Pour the water and salt mixture in with the flour.
  • Knead with your hands until the desired texture is achieved. You might need to add a bit more salt or water.
  • Add vegetable oil and mix in well.

Tip: To keep the play dough from drying out, store it in an airtight container.

Once made, play dough can offer hours of fun and entertainment! In fact, in this blog by the artful parent, you’ll find 39 different fun activities that you can do with play dough: https://artfulparent.com/39-ideas-for-playing-with-playdough/

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Family Playtime, Science Activity, Tips and Tools

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About Us

Our Programs

Guidelines

Resources

Upcoming Events

Apr
19
Mon
9:00 am Family Play-Time
Family Play-Time
Apr 19 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Join us every day for developmentally appropriate activities: explore our toys and costumes, book corner and storytimes, sand and water tables, and craft stations.
9:30 am Literacy Monday
Literacy Monday
Apr 19 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Read and sing along with parents/caregivers and a staff member. This program is designed for one-on-one or small group storytelling, featuring developmentally appropriate books and CDs. Children also have a choice to listen to a[...]
10:45 am Rainbow Fun Physical Activity Pr...
Rainbow Fun Physical Activity Pr...
Apr 19 @ 10:45 am – 11:00 am
The Rainbow Fun Physical Activity Program was produced by the City of Toronto & The Grey Bruce Health Unit. We choose different physical activities for each session and adapt them as needed to suit the[...]
11:00 am Circle Time
Circle Time
Apr 19 @ 11:00 am – 11:30 am
Songs, rhymes and dancing for children and their caregivers to join in. Every Circle Time is slightly different – we feature scarf dancing, musical instruments and more each week.
1:00 pm Story Time
Story Time
Apr 19 @ 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Reading helps children become familiar with sounds, words, language and the value of books. This all builds your child’s early literacy skills, helping her go on to read successfully later in life. We gather and read[...]
1:30 pm Literacy Monday
Literacy Monday
Apr 19 @ 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Read and sing along with parents/caregivers and a staff member. This program is designed for one-on-one or small group storytelling, featuring developmentally appropriate books and CDs. Children also have a choice to listen to a[...]
View Calendar

Creating Together Parkdale Family Resource Centre

Our mission is to support the healthy social, cognitive, emotional and physical development of children 0 to 6 years and their families. We welcome children aged 0 to 6 years and their families/ caregivers to relax and connect with each other and with the greater communities through our many programs.
Learn more »

Upcoming Events

Apr
19
Mon
9:00 am Family Play-Time
Family Play-Time
Apr 19 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Join us every day for developmentally appropriate activities: explore our toys and costumes, book corner and storytimes, sand and water tables, and craft stations.
9:30 am Literacy Monday
Literacy Monday
Apr 19 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Read and sing along with parents/caregivers and a staff member. This program is designed for one-on-one or small group storytelling, featuring developmentally appropriate books and CDs. Children also have a choice to listen to a[...]
View Calendar

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Hours

MON 9:00am - 5:00pm
TUE 9:00am - 5:00pm
WED 9:00am - 5:00pm
THU 9:00am - 2:30pm
FRI 9:00am - 2:30pm
SAT 10am - 2:00pm (twice monthly)
SUN Closed

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Creating Together
1497 Queen St. West (at Sorauren Ave.) Phone: (416) 537-1004
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Charitable Registration Number:
12947 6248 RR0001
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