Family Resource Centre

Black History Month at Creating Together

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Across the country, February is the month that Canadians honour and celebrate the lagacy of Black Canadians, with Black History Month.

With a different theme selected each year. For 2019, the theme of the Government of Canada’s Black History Month campaign is “Black Canadian Youth: Boundless, Rooted and Proud.”

Source: 2011 Census / National Household Survey Copyright 2014 City of Toronto.

At Creating Together, we have seen many of the children of Parkdale become the youth we see in our neighborhood today. Did you know that in Toronto and our own community, black-identified individuals represent our second highest visible minority group? (City of Toronto, 2011

Rita Cox Collection, Parkdale Public Library

Also, here in our own community, the Parkdale branch of the Toronto Public Library holds the Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection, recognized as one of the most significant Black and Caribbean heritage collections in Canada. The collection features over 16,000 print and audiovisual materials for adults, children, and teens about the Black and Caribbean historical and cultural experience.

At Creating Together, we celebrate the month with a Black History Snack.  Children come together with their parents and caregivers to prepare, cook and enjoy the snack, and a wonderful time is had by all! We hope you can join us this year!

See you there!

Breaking Through with Dramatic Play

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The world of pretend can take on many forms for a child, and is certainly something to be encouraged.

Research have shown a number of clear benefits of children’s engagement in pretend games, from two and one half to six or seven years of age (Jenkins & Astington, 2000; Leslie, 1987; Singer & Singer, 1990; Singer & Singer, 2005).

If you missed the Information Session on January 10th on “The Benefits of Play” with Creating Together staff, then you won’t want to miss the one coming up at the end of the month, on January 30th from 1:30-2pm. These sessions will not only review the benefits of Dramatic Play, but also show parents and caregivers the positive indicators to look for and encourage, and some tips and tools to do that. Our Dramatic Play station will never be the same!

Here are a few of the benefits which you’ll learn more about:

  • Relief from emotional tension
  • Children feel powerful
  • Use of social interaction skills
  • Language development
  • Use of symbols
  • Sort out fantasy and reality

For example, did you know that “when children re-enact frightening experiences, they tend to put themselves in a position of power? They may choose to play the mommy or daddy, the most powerful people in their lives. In dramatic play, the child can control the events, and wishes come true.” (taken from one of the handouts for participants of the information session).

Would you like to learn more?

See you on January 30th at 1:30!

 

References

Jenkins, J.M., & Astington, J.W. (2000). Theory of mind and social behavior: Casual models tested in a longitudinal study. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 46, 203-220.

Leslie, A.M. (1987). Pretense and representation: The origins of “theory of mind.” Psychological Review, 94, 412-426.

Singer, D. G. & Singer, J. L. (1990).  The house of make believe:  Children’s play and the developing imagination.  Cambridge, MA:  Harvard University Press.

Singer, D.G.& Singer, J.L. (2005). Imagination and play in the electronic age. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Summer Outdoor Art Activity #4: DIY Sidewalk Foam Paint

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Here’s an outdoor art activity, courtesy of The Tiptoe Fairy, which uses ingredients you’ll probably already have around the house, and rest assured – it is easy to clean up with wipes and water!

Supplies:

  • Two 4 oz. bottles of WASHABLE school glue
  • 1 cup white flour
  • 4-5 cups plain white shaving foam
  • food coloring drops
  • 1 gallon plastic zipper bag
  • sandwich-sized plastic zipper bags – 1 per food coloring
  • scissors
  • Optional: plastic squirt bottles (such as used for tie dyeing)

Courtesy of “The Tiptoe Fairy”

Let’s Make Some Foam!

  1. In a gallon-size plastic zipper bag add 1 cup of flour.
  2. Pour both bottles of washable school glue on top of the flour. Make sure it’s washable for easy clean up!
  3. Spray about 4-5 cups of shaving foam into the bag.  At first I attempted to measure it in a measuring cup, but it was ridiculous trying to get it out of the measuring cup.  So, after the first cup, I just eyeballed it.
  4. Close the bag and knead it for a few minutes until everything is totally mixed.
  5. Snip one corner of the big bag and squirt into sandwich-sized plastic zipper bags to divide it up per color. I went with four neon food coloring bottles, so I divided it up into 4 smaller bags. One each of blue, purple, pink, and green.
  6. Add 10 drops of one food coloring to each bag.
  7. Knead each smaller bag until color is throughout all the bag.
  8. Snip off the edge and squirt it into plastic squirt bottles. Or you can be frugal and just paint with the zipper bags.  If you keep it in the bags, just snip off a tiny corner, so it doens’t come out too heavy.

Improve Your Child’s Health with 60 Minutes / Day

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Canadian children are lacking the exercise needed for brain health, according to the latest finding of the ParticipACTION report, released last month. The report gives Canadian kids a D+ grade for their overall level of physical activity.

Interestingly, the numbers drop from 62% of children between 3-4 years of age getting the recommended physical activity levels, to only 35 per cent of children from the ages of 5 to 17. Both groups are also getting more screen time than is recommended.

It’s hard to believe, but just 60 minutes/day of physical activity helps children:

  • develop cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, and bone density
  • maintain a healthy body weight
  • increased creativity
  • reduce the risk of chronic disease and health problems
  • lessen the likelihood of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use
  • feel better every day, through improved mental health and well-being

And even harder to believe is that children who aren’t active enough are at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other cardiovascular illnesses.

5 years ago, a study across Canada showed us that only 1 in 10 children in Canada met the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Knowing what this meant for their health, across the country people have been working to make physical activity a regular part of daily Canadian living.

Let’s Make a Difference

Here are a few tips to help teach children the importance of daily physical activity:

  • Let us Help! At Creating Together, we apply the City of Toronto’s Rainbow Fun Guide in our programming – a physical activity and healthy eating program for children 3-6 years old.  Through this program, children build on skills like listening, singing, movement and participation, while developing their fine and gross motor skills.  Keep your eye out in our calendar for the busy body exercise cards, parachute play, play in the park, and scarf dancing.
  • Encourage – gently encourage them to walk or ride their bikes
  • Schedule – be sure there is active time scheduled each day
  • Mix it up – intersperse periods of moderate activity (e.g., walking or biking) with periods of more vigorous activity (e.g., running or or tag)
  • Register – check with the Fun Guide, local schools and community centres for affordable programs (e.g., swimming, soccer, gymnastics)
  • Unstructured Activity – For children who shy away from competition, build in physical activities that are informal and unstructured (e.g., tag)
  • Mimicry – children under the age of six are constantly learning by copying what they see and hear, so set a positive example by being physically active as a family.
  • Praise – remember to praise your children for being active. Confidence is the key to success!
  • Share – reinforce positive health messages with other parents and caregivers, with information about physical activity, healthy eating and self-esteem.

 

 

Other Resources:

Celebrating Our 42nd Year!

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On March 29th, Creating Together celebrated it’s 42nd Anniversary – and we had a lot to celebrate! Last year alone, we had 8,549 visits from children at Creating Together, and nearly 630 of those were for the first time.

Over 2 dozen children came to the celebration with their parents and caregivers, to enjoy circle time, an egg hunt, and a feast. During the festivities, we asked some of the parents and caregivers what they liked about Creating Together.

Thank you so much for celebrating with us, and for your kind words and inspiring stories!

Here’s what some of you had to say…

 

 

 

 

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.
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Hours

MON 9:00am - 2:30pm
TUE 9:00am - 2:30pm
WED 9:00am - 2:30pm
THU 9:00am - 2:30pm
FRI 9:00am - 1:30pm
SAT 10am - 2:00pm (twice monthly)
SUN Closed

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Creating Together
1342 Queen Street West
Phone: (416) 537-1004
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