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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

Tanya’s Farewell Party

September 3, 2020 by Melanie

Hello families! We hope you are enjoying these last weeks of summer.

We have a staffing announcement to make: our long-time Program Manager, Tanya Jean-Baptiste, is moving on from Creating Together to take on new opportunities. In the 15 years that Tanya has been a staff member at Creating Together, she has led countless circle times, supported hundreds of families and been a positive part of so many children’s early lives.

Please join us on Saturday 5th September between 10-10:30am for a Virtual Farewell Party for Tanya. Drop in via Zoom at any time between 10am and 10:30am to say goodbye to Tanya and wish her well. See our Event page for the link to join.

Please message us if you have trouble joining.

The link to join via Zoom is in our Event page.
Meeting ID: 711 6746 7261
Password: FAREWELL

Filed Under: Announcements, Special Activities

Enjoying the Benefits of the Arts from Home

August 25, 2020 by Melanie

Toronto is known for being a mecca of art and culture, and many arts and culture buffs (young and old alike) can’t wait for the theatres and museums to open again! That said, you’d be happy to know that the City of Toronto website offers an extensive list of free arts activities for all ages to enjoy in the comfort of your home.

That’s right – even with COVID, you can absolutely get your art on. Check it out for yourself in the link below, for a full table of activities to choose from for ALL ages:

https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-protect-yourself-others/covid-19-reduce-virus-spread/covid-19-stay-play-learn-at-home/

From weekly virtual art classes and theatrical performances to interactive maps of street art from across the city, there are pages and pages to choose from!

Developmental Benefits of Arts and Culture

Apart from the apparent fun that’s ready to be had when exploring art and culture, there are so many developmental benefits of art for children as well:

Motor Skills: According to the National Institutes of Health, developmental milestones around age three should include drawing a circle and beginning to use safety scissors. Did you know that many preschool programs emphasize the use of scissors because it develops the dexterity children will need for writing?

Language Development: Making art gives children opportunities to learn words for colors, shapes and actions. As they get older, children use more and more descriptive words to discuss their creation or how they feel about them.

Decision Making: Over the process of creating art, children need to carry out a number of decisions and choices, and this skill can help them in other areas of life. The act of exploring, thinking, and experimenting can’t be underestimated!

Visual Learning: Children are very visual, taking in information and cues from pictures or objects and learning from what they see are the building blocks for reading, drawing, and sculpting!

“Parents need to be aware that children learn a lot more from graphic sources now than in the past. Children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on it.”

Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University.

Cultural Awareness: Especially in cities like Toronto and neighbourhoods like Parkdale, we live in a very diverse community. When looking at a piece of art or cultural piece, try to have a conversation with them to help them see the choice or point of view an artist is portraying.

Academic Performance: In an article by the Art and Music Centre a student involved in the arts is:

  • 4x more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.
  • 4x more likely to participate in a math or science fair.
  • 3x more likely to win an award for school attendance.
  • 3x more likely to be elected to class office.

Did you know that lower income or socioeconomic students experience even greater benefits from the arts? It’s true: Low income students highly engaged in the arts are more than twice as likely to graduate compared to their peers with no arts education, and have a 5x lower dropout rate!

Arts and Crafts with Creating Together live on Facebook!

Don’t forget to join us on facebook for some great online arts and crafts activities with Creating Together staff!

https://www.facebook.com/CreatingTogetherParkdale/

So what are you waiting for? Get creating!

Filed Under: Family Playtime, Special Activities, Tips and Tools Tagged With: Art, Culture and Diversity

Fun with Sea Animals

August 14, 2020 by Melanie

Each week, Creating Together has a learning theme, to structure the activities and fun we have with children and their families. This week’s theme is sea animals.

Fun Facts About Oceans

Here are some fun facts from itsybitsyfun.com:

  • Around 97% of all water is in the oceans and they cover around 71% of Earth’s surface.
  • Pacific Ocean is the biggest one.
  • You can find mountains and volcanoes on the bottom of oceans.
  • The deepest point in the ocean is the Mariana Trench.
  • Oceanic evaporation is the source of most rainfall.
  • Ocean temperatures determine climate.
  • Earth is the only known planet that has oceans (as far as we know for now).
  • The biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale.
  • We have explored less than 5% of the ocean (to date).

Get your free Printable PDF with Ocean Facts here.

Fun Facts About Sea Animals

  • At 188 decibels, the call of a blue whale is the loudest sound made by any animal on the planet.
  • An electric eel produces enough electricity to light up 10 lightbulbs!
  • With more than 270 species, turtles live almost everywhere in the world except the Antarctica.
  • Sharks don’t have any bones in their entire body!
  • The Killer Whale (Orca) is actually a species of dolphin, not a whale.

Sea Animals Activity with Neetu

Neetu would like to invite you to make a shark and a turtle with construction paper! – It’s easy and fun!

Materials:

Shark – 1 blue sheet, half white sheet, 2 googly eyes, scissor, marker, and glue stick.
Turtle – 1 green sheet, half orange and yellow sheet, 2 googly eyes, scissor, marker, and glue stick.

Craft (Shark and Turtle with Neetu

Hi famlies, as for this week's theme is sea animals. Let's make a shark and a turtle with construction paper together its easy and fun.Materials: for the shark-1 blue sheet, half white sheet, 2 googly eyes, scissor, marker, glue stick.For the turtle- 1 green sheet, half orange and yellow sheet, 2 googly eyes, scissor, marker, glue stick.

Posted by Creating Together Parkdale on Friday, August 14, 2020

Story Time With Tanya

Enjoy this fun book “Over the Meadow” with Tanya!

I hope you enjoyed our story ( Over The Meadows) with Tanya

Hi Families, I hope you enjoyed our Story ( Over The Meadows) with Tanya, and finding the different sea creatures in the puzzles.

Posted by Creating Together Parkdale on Friday, August 14, 2020

Filed Under: Family Playtime, Special Activities

Enjoying Summer in Nature

June 24, 2020 by Melanie

Happy Summer Solstice everybody! Back in Spring we wrote about the importance of getting out in nature during COVID-19:

Free play in natural environments increases attentions spans, creative thought, and the desire to learn through exploration (1). It helps their motor, sensory, social and cognitive development – and is great for their general health and well-being (2).

(1) https://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=39558
(2) https://www.learningpotential.gov.au/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play

Well, this week we celebrated the longest day of the year on the summer solstice, and it’s a great time to enjoy all that the sunshine has to offer us. Get out and enjoy the beautiful bounty of the season while shaking off those solitude blah’s, with these fun activities.

First we’d like to kick things off with a fun nature walk with Tanya (here’s a hint – make sure you gather some flowers and small bits from your walk for your nature craft coming up next with Neetu!):

Nature walk (exploring) with Tanya

Posted by Creating Together Parkdale on Monday, June 29, 2020

And when you return, from your walk, here’s a fun “Flower Painting and Nature Bracelet” craft you can enjoy with Neetu! The materials you will need include:

  • Flowers,
  • Paints,
  • Paper,
  • Double Tape, and
  • Clear Tape.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=553455038660914

Have a very wonderful summer everybody! We’ll see you soon!

Filed Under: Special Activities Tagged With: nature discovery, Nature Play

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About Us

Our Programs

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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[...]
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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[...]
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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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12947 6248 RR0001
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