Special Activities Archives | Creating Together Parkdale

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

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!

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.

For more interesting facts about ocean life: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/habitats/ocean/

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

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!

Online Story Time

June 17, 2020 by Melanie

Literacy is key to our programming at Creating Together, for all of our families. And even when programs are closed due to COVID, we are here continuing to help reading be fun, for all of you.

Did you know that early literacy begins before a child can read? 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.

So join us from home for live storytime with our staff – and enjoy the reads below with your little one at your next reading time!

Happy Reading!

Why I Love My Mommy (illustrated by Daniel Howarth)

This charming book features children telling, in their own words, endearing things about their mothers, with gentle illustrations of familiar animals. Perfect for that special day for mom, be it Mother’s Day, her birthday, or just to lift her spirits.

For more books to celebrate mothers and fathers days (Father’s Day is around the corner!), check out: https://myfamilystuff.ca/mothers-day-fathers-day-books-harpercollins/

Story Time ( Why I Love My Mommy) with Tanya
Posted by Creating Together Parkdale on Tuesday, June 9, 2020

If you Give a Mouse a Cookie (by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond)

Help kids understand the importance of personal responsibility with this fun story about an energetic young mouse who follows a young boy making a string of requests…eventually tiring out the boy!

LEARNING TIP: Teaching our children that every action causes a reaction, is essential in parenting. Understanding cause and effect helps children see that our behaviors and actions has an effect on ourselves, others, and our environment. Use this book to continue this important lesson in personal responsibility.

"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"-Laura Numeroff
Story time
Posted by Creating Together Parkdale on Friday, June 5, 2020

Twinky the Dinky Dog (by Kate Klimo, illustrated by Michael Fleming)

This story is perfect for children who love dogs, and who are ready to begin the exciting and fun journey of reading on their own. Twinky is a mix of determination, practice, and bravery – and shows the town that he is most certainly, not dinky at all!

Story Time (Twinky The Dinky Dog) with Neetu
Posted by Creating Together Parkdale on Thursday, June 4, 2020

Hush Little Polar Bear (by Jeff Mack)

Jeff Mack has illustrated many books, but this one is the first that he both wrote and illustrated! Hush Little Polar Bear takes a girl and her stuffed polar bear on a beautiful trip through a variety of places before they return to her bedroom. A recommended bedtime read!

Story Time (Hush Little Polar Bear) with Tanya
Posted by Creating Together Parkdale on Tuesday, June 2, 2020