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Keeping Your Family Well Through Fall and Winter

November 14, 2023 by Creating Together

With the colder weather comes the flu season. Did you have a chance to read the letter from Toronto Public Health included in our most recent newsletter?

Combined with handwashing, staying on top of vaccinations, and the option of masking, here are a few additional tips to keep your family physically and mentally well in these colder and darker days.

1. Up Your Vitamin D

Not only do we get less sunshine at this time of year, we need to increase our vitamin D to ward off infection and inflammation. Vitamin D helps build strong bones, and even plays a role in mood regulation –  also supporting your mental health! 

2. Increase Sleep

As an additional symptom of less sunlight, you may be finding that your family is needing more sleep. This is perfectly natural – It’s recommended that we do slightly increase sleeping hours in the winter months. Sleep will also help you fight off any illness! 

3. Stay Active 

It can be tempting to hibernate, and though more rest is encouraged, staying active is essential for your physical and mental health! Try to get outside with your kids and soak in the little sunlight that we get. This may be a great time to pick up a new activity or active hobby. When in doubt, pay a visit to Creating Together and make use of our indoor climber! 

What are your favourite wellness tips for the changing weather?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: health, parenting tips

10 Self-Care Tips for Moms

July 13, 2019 by Creating Together

Are you looking for some tips to renew and replenish? You’re not alone.

While children are an immeasurable source of joy and love in our lives, being a caregiver comes with added stress. Often seen as a negative, it’s important to remember that stress is quite simply a reaction to a change or a challenge.

Each mother and caregiver may face unique stressors, but many demands of motherhood and the stressors experienced are basically universal. Time, finances, self-doubt, relationship demands, and loneliness are just some of the stressors at play.

What Impact Does Stress Have on our Lives?

In the short term, stress has its bonuses – it helps you be more alert, and have more energy to get things done. But long-term stress is another story, and can lead to serious health problems down the road.

Did you know that women are more likely than men to report symptoms of stress, including headaches and upset stomach? Women are also more likely to have mental health conditions that are made worse by stress, such as depression or anxiety.

Reference: 1

How to Get Stress Levels Down and Quality of Life Up

Below are some self-care tips to help keep your stress-levels down and your quality of life up:

  1. Sleep. Focus on “sleep hygiene” – simple practices that can help you get a healthy, restorative rest, regardless of the time spent in bed. This means skipping that late afternoon coffee, and creating a digital curfew of 2hrs before bedtime, and using a sleep mask.
  2. Journal. Take 20 minutes a day to write in a free-flowing stream-of-consciousness style. Notice feelings that are just under the surface.
  3. Easy Listening. Listening to relaxing music, a song with a strong message you need to hear, or even some rock and roll you loved in high school.
  4. Mindful Sipping. Make yourself a nice drink like chamomile tea, hot chocolate or juice and sip it slowly.
  5. Get Out. Schedule at least one uninterrupted hour with a close friend. Go out for coffee or a drink, talk on the phone, go out for dinner, or go for a walk together.
  6. Get Active. Go for a walk (High Park or the boardwalk along Lake Ontario are great choices), go to the gym (Masryk-Cowan has a free gym), or start a swimming routine.
  7. Savor. Choose something you’re going to savour instead of just doing it (taking a shower, riding the train, walking, chopping wood, or reading magazine).
  8. Meditate. Try dropping in for the free Sunday Meditation Group put on by Meditation Toronto at St. Paul’s Trinity Church on Bloor. If you can’t pick up the class, you can download this free mantra meditation album, or try this simple one: Close your eyes, breathe deeply, focus on your breath, and repeat “All sounds return to the breath, all thoughts return to the breath, all distractions return to the breath.”
  9. Try Something New: Go someplace in the hood you’ve never been before – a park, the beach, an art gallery, a new route to the grocery store.
  10. Get Support: Try signing up to a program designed to help women with coping, stress, and self-esteem, such as the Peer Learning and Empowerment Group offered at the local Parkdale Community Health Centre.

Looking for more? Check out our Calendar and come enjoy yourself at Creating Together. If you need somebody to talk to, our staff are here for you. If you need additional resources, ask about our resource library designed to help parents and caregivers with different need.

We’re here for you – you’re not alone.

Filed Under: Special Activities, Tips and Tools Tagged With: health, stress

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Canada is on the Rise

May 22, 2019 by Creating Together

A report released last year by the Public Health Agency of Canada was the first “Canadian-made” report to look at the prevalence of Autism Spectrum in our country. It reveals that approximately 1 in 66 children and youth are diagnosed with ASD in Canada. Across participating provinces and territories, for every 1 female diagnosed with ASD, there were 4-5 males diagnosed, and these numbers are on the rise.

Earlier this month, Creating Together staff held an information session on Autism Spectrum Disorder, to shed some light on ASD, share some resources, and offer support for parents and caregivers.

Key topics at the information session include:

  • What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Characteristics of ASD
  • Prevalence of ASD
  • Possible causes of ASD
  • What to do if you think your child has ASD
  • Diagnosis of ASD
  • Treating ASD
  • Resources for ASD

If you weren’t able to make it on May 9th, please come to the session on May 31st at 10am. Hope to see you there!

Filed Under: Tips and Tools Tagged With: autism spectrum disorder, health, information session

Busy Bodies Creates Healthy Communities

May 17, 2017 by Creating Together

Did you know 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? On the other hand, adequate levels (60 minutes/day) of physical activity helps children:

  • develop cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, and bone density
  • maintain a healthy body weight
  • 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

 

In 2013, only 1 in 10 children in Canada met the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, so efforts are being made across the country to support children and their families in making physical activity a regular part of their daily living. Making regular physical activity a habit at an early age will provide your child with lifelong benefits. Adults with higher levels of activity are able to carry out their daily tasks more easily and with less fatigue and, later in life, enjoy lower rates of bone loss associated with osteoporosis while also maintaining strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination.

What Can You Do to Help?

As childcare providers, caregivers, and parents, we all play an important role in the development of good health habits in children. Children under the age of six are constantly learning by copying what they see and hear, being more likely to develop healthy attitudes and adopt healthy behaviours when they see and hear positive health habits at home, at childcare and at school.

 

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

  • 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
  • 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, and scarf dancing.

 

Other Resources:

  • Handbook for Canada’s Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living –
  • Fitness Tax Credit – Allows parents to claim up to $500 a year for each child under 16 years of age or under 18 years of age if eligible for the disability tax credit, at the beginning of the year in which an eligible fitness expense was paid.
  • Towards a Healthier Canada – 2015 Progress report on advancing the federal / provincial / territorial framework on healthy weights.

 

 

Filed Under: Family Playtime Tagged With: busy bodies, children, health, physical activity, rainbow fun guide

Food, Family, and Community

March 2, 2017 by Creating Together

Communities around the world are brought together by food, and Creating Together is no exception. Last month, food really brought us all together, with our healthy choice muffin creations during our family baking time, our heart cookie morsels for Valentines, and Family Day potluck feast!

Involving our children in food creation is actually an excellent way to develop language, math, and healthy life skills.

Did you know that picky eaters are more likely to eat something that they’ve helped to make?

 

Give it a try at home! Print off the recipe card below, and enjoy these tips for cooking with kids, to help make cooking a great experience for everybody. If you missed our last family baking event, no worries – we’ll see you on March 7th at 9:30 for our next healthful muffin making extravaganza!

Print off this Healthy Carrot Muffin Recipe and enjoy!


Moving into March, we have some great workshops to help your family thrive. Note your calendars – we are now open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:30-5pm!

In addition to our regular programming, take a look at these March highlights and mark your calendars by clicking on the date links provided:

  • March 7th 9:30am – Family baking! Join us as we bake muffins for snack!
  • March 13th 10-11:30 – Dental health and dental screening with Toronto Public Health
  • March 15th 10-11am – Hands on workshop in healthy Toddler Food Preparation with Marcela from Food Share!
  • March 27h 12:30-1:30pm – Public Health Nurse Aseema will be answering questions and providing resources for family health and well-being.
  • March 30th 11:30-2pm – Anniversary Potluck Celebration! Bring a NUT FREE dish and celebrate Creating Together’s 41st Anniversary!

Filed Under: Announcements, Recipes, Special Activities Tagged With: children, community, Creating Together, dental health, family, family baking, February, food share, health, public health, toddler food

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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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Contact Us

Creating Together
1342 Queen Street West
Phone: (416) 537-1004
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Charitable Registration Number:
12947 6248 RR0001
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