Family Resource Centre

Have Fun and Stay Safe this Halloween!

by

Trick or Treating is Back On!

Last year families had to find creative ways to celebrate the holidays, with trick-or-treating cancelled – and although Creating Together won’t be holding any Halloween events this year, trick-or-treating is back on for 2021 and we want to say to all of you ~ stay safe, have fun, and have a very happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Parade Returns!

Also, when you are finished with your pumpkins, don’t forget to bring them over to Sorauren Park for the 2021 Pumpkin Parade! After being cancelled previously by the City for not having a permit, Councillor Gord Perks has taken out the permit for the parade.

The city is asking for those who come to the parade to share in the community spirit and to also take a moment to help put their pumpkin in one of the bins provided at the park at the end of the night or first thing in the morning. Volunteers from Friends of Sorauren Park will also assist. With more than 1,500 pumpkins on display in recent years, the Parade is a neighbourhood and even regional highlight of the season!

Welcome Back!

by

We are excited to be opening up again this Tuesday, and look forward to seeing your familiar faces (and hopefully some new ones!).

After a much needed break, Creating Together programs open again September 7th. We know that many of our youngsters will be heading to school, and wish them all the best in their adventures!

We will continue to offer Virtual Programming (starting Tuesday), and will gradually be reopening the in-person program again (but not quite yet – stay tuned).

Welcoming Spring’s Rebirth

by

March 21st marks the first day of spring! And with this, families are starting to prepare for the traditional celebration of Easter. However, normally it is a time of opening our doors, reuniting with family members, enjoying community egg hunts, decorating eggs, and for many, a time of sacred prayer and family reflection. With COVID-19 still a very present reality, many of us are looking for creative ways to celebrate the holiday amidst social distancing protocols. Here at Creating Together, we cannot emphasize enough the value and role of traditions in increasing happiness, emotional wellness, and positive self-identity in children.

So – regardless of COVID-19, the themes of renewal, rebirth, and resilience remain. And it becomes more important than ever to uphold the family traditions you hold most dear. From one point of view, we could see this holiday as perfectly timed, to remind us all of the importance of these values and themes in our homes, our families, and our communities. Consider the values that are important to your family at this time of year, and try to find some ways to weave these into teachings for your family. Traditions of Gratitude, for example, fit in beautifully with this time of year.

And don’t forget to have some fun together! According to FamilyEducation.com the top 10 Easter activities for families include:

  • Egg and Spoon Race.
  • Jelly Bean Guessing Games.
  • Read Easter and Spring Children’s Books.
  • Plant Flowers.
  • Decorate an Easter Egg Tree.
  • Make Chocolate Fondue.
  • Create Easter Crafts.
  • Give a Gift Basket.

Described in further detail here, you could try a variation of many of these activities in the comfort of your home or yard. Women’s Day also describes some fun Easter activities you can enjoy while practicing social distancing.

At Creating Together, we are getting ready to set you up with some really great crafts, stories, and songs to help you and your little ones celebrate. Check out our virtual program schedule, and join us the week of March 29th-April 2nd!

Certainly during this time of unprecedented unrest and upheaval to the daily routine, holding true to traditions becomes a lifeline that all of our children need now more than ever. Never underestimate the power of tradition. We hope you’ll join us!

Get Outside with Parkdale FitPlay!

by

Getting children outside to enjoy time for free play in natural environments increases attentions spans, creative thought, and the desire to learn through exploration (https://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=39558). It also helps their motor, sensory, social and cognitive development – and is great for their general health and well-being (https://www.learningpotential.gov.au/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play).

Finding ways to be active in colder winter months can be challenging, and even more so with physical and social distancing measures in place. The Parkdale Village BIA is proud to support a local community initiative; Parkdale FitPlay! The Parkdale FitPlay Campaign provides a fun affordable way for Parkdalians to be active outdoors safely throughout the winter months. Kicking-off on Wednesday, January 27 for 4 weeks, and with the support of local fitness leaders and personalities from Parkdale’s diverse Black / BIPOC communities, you’re invited to get outside, get fit and have fun!!

Challenge yourself and you could win a prize!

The FitPlay

Community members are encouraged to visit designated public park locations and participate in self-led physical exercise and play, inspired by the FitPlay letter key.

How it works

Each letter of the alphabet, A to Z, is associated with a simple exercise most can perform some variation of safely. E.g. A = 10 high knees on the spot.
Participants self-select a word or phrase and perform the exercises associated with each letter. E.g. P A R K D A L E = 10 squats, 10 high knees on the spot, etc.

Mix up your FitPlay by choosing a new word, a new park  or a new challenge each time and invite your Parkdale friends and neighbours to do the same!

Here is What You Need To Do

  1. Video tape yourself, children or family doing some physical activity in a park near you
  2. Upload your video on the dedicated Parkdale FitPlay Facebook event page and Instagram page
  3. Personalize your post! (eg., “Hey Parkdale Friends! I’m so excited to be part of the Parkdale FitPlay – a fun way to be active outdoors safely through the winter! I just FitPlayed at (name of park) and am challenging you to do the same! Take a break, get outside, get outside, get moving then tag a friend! Follow @parkdalefitplay for the exercise key, demo videos, chances to win and more!
FitPlayed on Facebook
FitPlayed on Instagram

Full Details

ParkdaleFitPlay-PosterDownload

FitPlay Contest Details (Article by Anna Bartula)

Hashtags: #parkdalefitplay
Instagram/Facebook Tags: @parkdafitplay@supafitmama

Halloween Fun During COVID!

by

“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!

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 »

We're Open for In-Person and Virtual Program!

In-PersonDownload
VirtualDownload

Sign up to receive our monthly calendar

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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

Please refer to our Calendar »

Contact Us

Creating Together
1497 Queen St. West (at Sorauren Ave.) Phone: (416) 537-1004
Send us a message online »

Charitable Registration Number:
12947 6248 RR0001
Privacy Policy

Our Location