family traditions Archives | Creating Together Parkdale

2024 March Break Family Events in Toronto

February 25, 2024 by Creating Together

Are you looking for accessible ways to keep your family occupied and engaged this March Break? To Do Canada has got us covered with an incredible list of local events. Below you can find our top selections of cost-free or low-cost family activities to bring you maximum fun this March Break!

Art Gallery of Ontario
March 9 to 17, 2024
Get ready for a kid-focused March Break at the Gallery! Enjoy interactive art activations, and afternoon karaoke in Walker Court. Dive into creativity with maker stations scattered throughout the Gallery Details

Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St W, Toronto
25 and Under FREE

Free Concert Series | Toronto
March 13, 2024 | 12 PM
Enjoy this free concert by the Canadian Opera Company in one of Toronto’s most breathtaking and intimate spaces. The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, presented by TD Bank Group, brings artists from around the world to share their talent and passion in one of Toronto’s most breathtaking and intimate spaces. Located within the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room at the Four Seasons Centre, this iconic, glass-enclosed space connects the building to its surroundings and community.

Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 145 Queen St W, Toronto
Free

St Patrick’s Day Parade Toronto
Sunday, March 17, 2024 | 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM
Join us for the biggest St Patricks day parade to hit the streets of Toronto.
A community event in celebrating Irish culture history and heritage. The parade has grown to include a number of diverse communities and non-profit groups and is recognized as the largest Irish-themed event held in Toronto. A fun-filled affordable family day.

Begins on the corner of Bloor Street and St. George Street, Toronto
Free

Todmorden Mills
March – 17, 2024
Celebrate women’s stories and history by making crafts inspired by the work of influential figures such as Alice Eastwood, Jean Lumb and Elizabeth Simcoe. Amplify your experience with added activities that include crafts like 3-D paper birds, clothespin frogs, paper flower bouquets, zines, watercolour painting of local flora and fauna and more!

Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, 67 Pottery Road, Toronto
Free

Fort York
March 9 to 17, 2024
Enhance your visit with added family-friendly and interactive programming. Reserve ahead for access to a variety of enhanced activities that include baking, drumming, dancing, storytelling and beading. Engage in discussion about the presence of women in historical military contexts within the free pop-up talks.

Fort York National Historic Site, 250 Fort York Blvd., Toronto
Free to $20/family

Gibson House Museum
March 9 – 17, 2024
Try your hand at a variety of games in the parlour and weaving in the Sustainable Studio. Dive into a multi-sensory experience of Toronto’s foodways through demonstrations and food activations.

Gibson House Museum, 5172 Yonge Street, Toronto
Free

Montgomery’s Inn
March 9 – 17, 2024
March Break at Montgomery’s Inn celebrates and showcases the foods and culinary traditions of immigrants and Indigenous communities because these cultural elements are an integral part of Toronto’s identity. Visitors can share their cultural heritage by contributing a family recipe and sample local treats from the communities that make up our neighbourhood!

Montgomery’s Inn, Dundas Street West, Etobicoke
Free

Nature Connection: Winter Trees
Sunday March 10, 2024 | 2 – 3:30 PM
During this program, we will be practising our tree Identification skills and playing some activities as we explore the wonderful winter world of trees.

Downsview Park, 70 Canuck Ave, Toronto
Free

Lumière: The Art of Light
March 12 to April 20, 2024
This free light exhibition allows visitors to explore the park and experience light installations developed by local artists. Utilizing innovation, light and discovery, Lumière offers the opportunity for local artists and creators to “illuminate” the park under the curatorial theme “CONNECTIONS”.

Trillium Park, 955 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto
Free

Toys “R” Us March Break
Visit your local Toys ”R”Us store Monday through Friday of your March Break to enjoy free activities. No event registration is required. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Event material is available while supplies last and distributed to participants only. Parental supervision is required at all times.

TBA
Toys “R” Us Stores
Free

Toronto Public Library
Monday, March 11 to Friday, March 15
Looking for something to do during March Break? The Toronto library offers more than 100 free activities for kids, teens, and the whole family. Browse the programs or use our search tool to find out what’s happening at your local branch.

Toronto Public Library branches.
Free

You can find the complete list in the link above. We hope you enjoy these events, families! And remember, you can always come and spend the day at Creating Together!

Black History Month

February 7, 2022 by Creating Together

An Overview

Each February, Creating Together celebrates Black History Month along with the families we serve, inviting one another to explore the traditions and culture of African-Canadians. Originally created in 1926 to raise awareness and understanding of the African experience around the world, it became a formal celebration in the 60s and in 1979, Toronto became the first municipality in Canada to proclaim Black History Month through the efforts of many individuals and organizations such as the Ontario Black History Society. Still, it wasn’t until In 1995 that the House of Commons to recognized Black History Month across Canada, thanks to a motion introduced by Toronto Area MP Jean Augustine.

At this time, we take time and care to recognize the past and present contributions that African Canadians make to our lives, through education, medicine, art, culture, public service, economic development, politics and human rights.

Toronto Public Library Offerings and Recommended Books

Toronto Public Library celebrates Black History all year round with a collection of programs and special events that honour Black heritage and culture, and consider the historical significance and contemporary contributions of Black activists and artists from around the world.

Explore this list of recommended books for children, put together by the Toronto Public Library, in honour of Black History Month:

City of Toronto Programs and Offerings

For a list of recommended programs by the City of Toronto, visit: https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/black-history-month/

October is Family History Month

October 12, 2021 by Creating Together

“By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family.”
Orrin Hatch

Since 2001, October has been observed as “Family History Month” – an opportunity for individuals to improve their genealogy skills, find out about new resources and meet others who share your passion for the past! It’s also a great time for families to sit down together and honour the stories that enrich their family tree.

Most children will learn to appreciate their family history if you turn it into a detective game. Start your children or grandchildren on a lifelong journey of discovery by introducing them to geneology. Take a look below for some wonderful projects to do with your children this month.

6 Activities to Help you Celebrate your Family History

1. Go through old photos

It’s so important to share stories of our older generations – see if you know (or can find out) who is in the pictures, where they were taken, and what story is there to be shared. Sit down with some photos and your little one and see what stories you can share with them about the family!

2. Make a Family Tree

Here’s a fun Tigger Movie to watch with your youngster, and a range of templates for for creating your family tree, from trees including extended and adopted families, to blended and same-sex families: Family Tree Templates.

3. Visit cemeteries

If you know where family members are buried, visit their memorials. Take rubbings of their tombstones. See if you can find the oldest one. Did they have any neat things on their epitaphs? If your ancestors aren’t buried near you, check out the website FindAGrave.com – where you can see or request tombstones from other graveyards. You can even help other people by taking pictures of requested cemeteries near you.

5. Create a family cookbook

Contact your parents, grandparents, and others from the family – ask them to send you a few of their favourite family recipes, with a story about each dish, where or who it was handed down from, why it is a family favourite, and when it was traditionally eaten (Christmas, family reunions, etc.)….and try out some of the recipes with your little one!

6. Find out what your family surname means

The roots of your family name can be a great family activity. And, we would encourage you to take a look at the maiden names of the women in your family as well! Here’s a link to get you started: https://www.surnamedb.com/

Enjoy the Process!

Happy Thanksgiving!

October 5, 2021 by Creating Together

It is the time of year to reflect on all that we are grateful for, in our families, homes and communities. When hard times hit, Gratitude has the power to energize, reduce stress, and align with optimism – and who doesn’t need that?

While several factors go into emotional resilience and optimism, studies show that cultivating a sense of gratitude can help you maintain a more positive mood in daily life and contribute to the greater emotional well-being and bring social benefits as well (Very Well Mind). Evidence from research at Berkeley suggests that grateful young adolescents (ages 11-13), compared to their less grateful counterparts, are happier and more optimistic, have better social support, are more satisfied with their school, family, community, friends, and themselves, and give more emotional support to others. If you’re looking for ways to cultivate traditions of gratitude in your family, take a look at this blog we shared: Increasing Happiness and Well-Being Through Traditions of Gratitude.

The Board and Staff at Creating Together would like to take a moment to say how grateful we are for the honour of working with you and your little ones. Never doubt your impact on our lives, the meaningfulness of this work for us, and the impact of nurturing the children of our communities on creating a bright future.

Blessings of Gratitude and Abundance to you all!

Welcoming Spring’s Rebirth

March 23, 2021 by Creating Together

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!