Are you up for a challenge? What would life look like in your house without any screens used for entertainment for seven days?
If this idea sends shivers down your spine then it may be time to mix things up a bit. The Village Toy Shop of Port Moody, BC will join thousands of neighbourhood toy stores, schools, libraries, and community groups across North America in a coordinated effort to encourage millions of families to turn off televisions, computers, and video games for entertainment purposes and 'turn on' the world around them. Screen-Free Week is a chance for children to read, play, think, create, be more physically active, and to spend more time with friends and family. Screen-Free Week is coordinated by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a national advocacy organization devoted to reducing the impact of commercialism on children.
Now, more than ever, it’s imperative that we help children discover the joys of life beyond screens. When there is a power outage or we go camping, experiencing life without screens for a short time, we are often reminded of the benefits of finding those activities that are sometimes forgotten when we allow screen entertainment to become a habit.
On average, preschool children spend over four and a half hours a day consuming screen media, while older children spend over seven hours a day including multitasking. Excessive screen time is linked to a number of problems for children, including poor health, school performance, social skills, and attention span. As screen time increases hands-on, open-ended creative play decreases.
This year there is a free Screen-Free Week Organizer's Kit available for download which is ideal for teachers and community groups.
Unstructured time is essential but you may want to make some plans, to make the transition easier on everyone, and anticipate the difficult times with organized activities. Two tricky times can be during meal preparation and Saturday mornings when you want to sleep in!
This is a celebration of enhanced leisure time, not an exercise in deprivation. The following ideas will help to jump-start Screen Free Week:
Play outside! Enjoy nature, garden, get dirty, go for a hike, pack a picnic, plan a scavenger hunt, fly a kite,
ride a bike, roller blade, jump in a sprinkler, go on a bug hunt.
Read a book aloud, together or alone.
Write a story or a poem. For younger kids have them dictate a story and illustrate it.
Sing together, or make up your own songs.
Have a dance party!
Cook dinner together or bake something new.
Go to the library, the park, the community centre, or your local neighbourhood 'mom n’ pop' shops for a stroll.
Try a new craft, learn to knit or sew.
Set up a lemonade stand, a yard sale, or a mini spa.
Play board games, word games, charades, do jig-saw puzzles or mind benders.
Build a fort—inside or out.
Use the imagination and creativity of everyone to create new games never thought of before!
Toyologists available to prescribe 101 other affordable (or FREE) screen-free activities (and details about the above pictured toys) at The Village Toy Shop, a member of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS), in the quaint, European-style Newport Village in Port Moody, BC. Kirsten Anderson is the original Canadian Toyologist and started her toy career over 20 years ago. With two active boys under seven she shares her toy testing duties with the family. You can watch her Toyologist Tips that air on Global Noon News monthly or on their YouTube channel.
Sometimes it’s the smaller packages that offer up the most intriguing and unique gifts.
The same can be said about independent neighbourhood toy stores.
I have owned Tag Along Toys in Kanata, outside of Ottawa, for over 10 years now. It is one of many independent specialty toy stores you will find in communities across Canada. Many of them are members of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS).
Unique in character, all share the same commitment to providing their communities with a reliable source of safe, quality toys and games that offer tremendous play value.
Some folks may think that the smaller independent toy stores, like Tag Along Toys, aren’t able to meet their needs with respect to price and selection. But I have to tell you, there haven’t been too many days in my store where I haven’t heard at least one customer say either ‘wow’, ‘neat’, ‘great’, or ‘different.’ Those comments come from kids, parents and grandparents.
We work very hard at finding unique, specialty items that you can't find everywhere. But the characteristic that really sets independent
specialty toy stores apart from our larger counterparts is the tremendous product knowledge we are able to share with customers.
Choosing a gift for a child should not be a stressful experience. We take time to find out about the child you are buying for by asking questions. Do they like crafts? Do they like science? Are they active? Do they like to construction toys? What toys and games do they already have? What is their favourite?
From the answers to these we can help anyone find the perfect gift, even if it is for the child who seemingly has ‘everything’!
Let’s take boys for example.
Based on personal and customer experience, I can tell you that Automoblox makes an awesome gift for a three year-old boy.
These are wooden cars that children in this age range find easy and fun to assemble. They come with little figures and non-toxic, and 
eco-friendly. From a learning point of view they introduce the young ones to to ‘cause and effect’ as well as help them to develop fine and gross motor skills. There is a vast selection of vehicle styles including everything from Speedsters to pick-up trucks and all parts are interchangeable. These come in a variety of sizes and range in price from $14.99 up to $49.99.
If you are looking for an active outdoor play toy for an older boy at this time of year, we might recommend another great item called Turbospoke.
By attaching this item to a child's bike you have an instant muffler that makes cool sounds when they peddle. This retails for around $26.99.
Elenco Science Kits are also one of our favourites for the eight years and up age group. Kids can learn how to build such things as an FM radio or motion detector from these kits which range in price from $26.99 to $99.99.
Next time you’re looking for something new or different, or feel challenged by what to buy, we hope you’ll try your neighbourhood toy store. Once you experience the quality service we know you’ll look forward to the next visit.
Patti Taggart is the owner of Tag Along Toy Stores in Kanata ON and is the Past President of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS). She stocks a wide range of toys for baby, bath, puzzles, wooden trains, loot bags, plush, science kits, dress up, travel toys, music and outdoor toys. Grandparents receive 20% off on the last Thursday of each month and teachers and 911 Network members receive 10% off every day of the week.
As you know, the Easter Bunny counts on many of us to come up with the less sugary treats. Last week, we gave you "8 Easter Alternatives to Chocolate Eggs," and now, we have a few more Easter suggestions for you!
For instance, how about a Pogo stick to hop off some of that chocolate-inspired energy?
Junior pogo sticks and Master pogo sticks provide great exercise for kids over six years of age. A bit large for the Easter basket, but very timely in terms of getting kids outside and active. Did you know that kids between five and seventeen years of age should be getting at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity on a daily basis?
But in getting back to Easter and some of the items that will nicely fill your children’s baskets, consider some of the old-time favourites, like yo-yos, skipping ropes (more physical activity!), kites, Guillow’s Classic Balsa Wood Gliders, slinkies, metal jacks and pick-up sticks. These still capture the imagination of today’s children and make wonderfully fun Easter gifts.
Lego character pens and Lego watches are a great find in any Lego maniac's basket. And Playmobil now offers collectable surprise figures that appeal to both boys and girls.
For the curious and brainy ones, cool science and discovery kits keep them busy and involved. Let kids learn about Clean Water Science, create their own Weather Station, or even make a Tin Can Robot, with 4M kits.
For the toddlers, don’t forget the non-spill bubble blower. And new from Playmobil is the 1,2,3 Forest Animal Set, a great take-along for your long-weekend visits with family.
If your family likes the outdoors and long spring walks, you’ll need snacks on the go, and will appreciate the handy Snack Trap, with a non-spill lid for cheerios or other snacks that can be consumed on the big adventure!
Hop over to your neighbourhood toy store for more fun and less sugary ideas for Easter! And if you need recommendations, don’t forget, we’re all ears!
Happy Spring everyone!
From the craziest and zaniest new toys to the retro and classic toys, we will help you find what you are looking for. Whether you're after a specific toy or have no idea what it is you're looking for, have no fear. They understand the language of "it's a thing-a-ma-bob with a whatcha-ma-call-it that makes a sound like swishy-swishy that my son Bobby asked for." We're here to bring the fun back into shopping. You’ll find us at The Rocking Horse in Owen Sound.
Get hopping with even more ways to help you with your Easter entertaining, get crafty with your kids, and celebrate chocolate.
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