Have you ever watched a tiny caterpillar turn into a beautiful butterfly and fly away?
It’s the most amazing miracle! And it is about to happen again and again this spring. Now your kids can watch this miracle take place right at home!
From our neighbourhood toy store in Vernon BC we ship thousands and thousands of tiny caterpillar larvae to schools, day cares and homes across the country early each spring.
Well, we have arrived again at that ‘What now?’ time of year!
The Christmas holidays are long forgotten. Valentine’s Day and Family Day, not to mention Mardi Gras (!) are behind us. Spring Break, while it looms on the horizon, feels totally out of reach. This time of year is inevitably a bit of a letdown. It’s a time when many kids (not to mention parents) are seized by the dreaded ‘February blahs’ that precede ‘March madness.’
Second only to Christmas in prettiness, Valentine’s Day is an invitation to express our warm and fuzzy feelings. And we mostly do it with cute sayings and all things heart-themed, pink and maybe frilly! For kids, it can mean creating glittery Valentines cards, heart crafts including the words ‘I love you’, and of course, lots of candies.
The holidays are behind us it's time to get back to basics, routines, and encouraging the healthy development of our children.
There are so many healthy life skills children can learn through playing games such as sportsmanship, teamwork, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity etc. Another benefit is building reading skills.
One such game that motivates children to practice reading is Zingo. Not all kids like to read, especially if they’re not really good at it yet, but throw in an addictive fun twist and you might just change how your child feels about reading.
So, what types of toys best capture and hold the attention of kids? Wouldn’t you like to know the answer to that question before you buy one more toy? What we do know is that there is no particular category of toy that is a sure-fire winner each time. Instead, the magic is in a toy’s capacity for ‘engaging’ children and their minds.
Did you know the cardboard box is in the National Toy Hall of Fame in the U.S.?
Even so, we don’t think that will make you feel any less disappointed when you purchase a rather expensive toy only to find your children are more enchanted with the box, than the toy that came inside it.
My oh my! There are so many ‘wish lists’ in the works already and we haven’t even reached December! (Whoever said the holiday season wasn’t all about gifts and toys was living under a rock!) Kids know what they want and parents usually have some different ideas about this. During the coming weeks there is every opportunity for a ‘wish list’ tug-of-war to materialize on the home front.
Putting some really good ‘family time’ together in the spring and summer months always feels less challenging than it does at this time of year. The hectic mornings, rushed dinners, chaotic swimming lessons and homework doesn’t leave very much time for the most important time, ‘family time.’ Here are some activities we use to grab some quick ‘family time’ during these hectic months.
Funny how things happen, isn’t it? It’s that time of year when we’re about to write a blog post on Neighbourhood Toy Store Day, now less than a week away (YAY!) and ‘lo and behold’ we run smack into a situation that totally embodies what Neighbourhood Toy Store is all about, which is ‘shop your ‘hood.'
Our family loves fall and Halloween. We live on a farm surrounded by woods on a dead end road. Definitely, dark and spooky. The highlight of fall is Halloween and each year my husband and I dress up with the kids and make the rounds of the neighbourhood. It is a great opportunity to connect with the neighbours especially in a rural area.
It won’t be long now until the streets in your neighbourhood come alive with pirates, princesses, kings, and fairies this Halloween! Little ones (and maybe even a big kid dad or two), will come home on a sugar rush, full of excitement over the costumes they saw, the people they scared, and the treats filling up their bags.
In our last post we shared some toy recommendations for the younger set, from pre-school up to Grade 5, that can effectively promote and encourage learning. Now lets take a look at what we can offer to keep older children, those in Grade 6 through 12, interested in learning and engaged in skills development.
With the first days of school behind us, its time to look forward to ways of helping your child succeed by practicing the skills required for developing confidence and having fun in the classroom. As each age is different developmentally, each grade level involves the development of different skill sets. In connection with these there are different toys and games that can help children at various grade levels to develop and practice skills they will use and value throughout their life.
No doubt you are like most parents, wanting to give your children every opportunity in the world and protect them from failing. With a new school year underway and an ever-changing education system, it can be difficult to keep up with what is happening in the classroom. Grading styles and levels change, expectations and teaching styles change and the content in the classroom looks so different than what you were taught a child.
Some days, when the temperature climbs to record highs, it is easy to encourage your children to stay in the shade or enjoy a cool afternoon lounging in a hammock. For these lazy days a good book, a craft, a solitary game or a science project will provide focus and wonder for your children.
With the technology age upon us, it's easy to overlook some of the things we learned as kids when we're teaching our own little ones.
As a child, I remember watching my mom sitting on the couch, crochet hook or knitting needles in hand, creating beautiful scarves, sweaters, and blankets. It's no wonder that when my own daughter was born I felt the need to learn the same skills, and as she gets older, I find myself wanting to make sure I pass on all I've learned.
In last week’s blog ‘Exceptional toys for exceptional children’ we listed five top toy picks for Autistic children based on recommendations from Melissa Stolz, Behavioural Therapist and Early Childhood Educator (ECE).
dark and spooky. The highlight of fall is Halloween and each year my husband and I dress up with the kids and make the rounds of the neighbourhood. It is a great opportunity to connect with the neighbours especially in a rural area.
