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.

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)

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.

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…

 

 

 

 

This year’s flu season has been a rough one, as emergency rooms across Canada became overcrowded with sick patients beginning in January of this year. In a Globe and Mail article in January, Dr. Issac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at University Health Network in Toronto, said the predominant strain that is circulating is a “severe one. It’s also possible the flu vaccine may have limited effectiveness against it”. (Globe and Mail, January 2018)

By late February, CTV confirmed his suspicions, with hospitals needing to turn people away requiring surgeries, due to “unprecedented” overcrowding from flu patients in intensive care.

Flu overwhelms GTA hospitals

While we are past the official peak of the influenza epidemic, Creating Together brought in Rachael from Toronto Public Health to share some information and tips for dealing with Cold and Flu.

Specifically, Rachael discussed with parents and caregivers what the difference is between Cold and Flu, how to protect your child from the flu, and what to do if your child gets the flu.

Rachael sparked discussion with parents and caregivers, and made herself available for questions. It was so informative and helpful, so we included her main talking points on each of these topics below.

On behalf of all of the parents, caregivers, and children in our community, thank you!