Ways to Encourage Creativity in Your Kids

Kids are naturally curious, and as a parent, watching them grow and discover their passion is fulfilling. Encouraging them to build their creativity shows your interest and makes you an active part in supporting their development. Statistics reveal that as kids grow older, they may become less creative if there is no intentional effort to build and sustain their creativity. Experts recommend striking a balance between engaging your kids in various activities geared towards building their imagination and giving them the creative space to grow. With the practical tips below, you can help develop and encourage creativity in your kids.

Lots of Fun We Had a Around the Theme of Despicable Me

Since Despicable Me 2 started playing in the theatres July 3rd, it has been about minions and Gru in our home. We enjoy playing Operation and Monopoly Hasbro board games with the Despicable Me theme. We went to Home Depot and my children enjoyed making the cute Lucy's car, while wearing the minion hard hat, a badge/pin and apron. 

How To Spend Your March Break and Giveaways

Here are some ideas on how to spend the March Break, I will update the post with more ideas and giveaway :)

Crafts and Activities:
Interactive digital story books for children
Making robots
Making gooey slime with cornstarch
White sauce to serve with vegetables

Shows, Events and Places to go:
Alliance Cinema Toronto movies for $5 (Giveaway)
Berenstain Bears at the Living Arts Centre
Disney of Ice Rocking Ever After 
Indigo Kids Play area programs
SkyZone Toronto

Contests:
Free preview of Disney Junior and $500 gift card
Watch for Easter family events by following the Kinder Canada Facebook page.
Fisher Price picture contest to win $200 value prize packs

Giveaways:
Chasing Mavericks blu-ray and 2 surf bracelets (3 winners Canada and US ends March 31)
Draw Something game (Canada ends March 15) Indigo/Chapters $50 gift card (Canada March 20)
Life of Pi blu-ray (2 winners Canada and US ends March 31)
Netflix 6 months subscription (Canada)
more giveaways on the side bar of my site :)

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Snowshoeing in the beautiful Copeland forest

When I was growing up in Toronto we used to have a lot more snow that made the air feel clean and fresh, unlike in the recent years where winter comes with flu and sickness because of the chilled windy air and the lack of snow. Walking through the beautiful scenic wilderness in Copeland forest at Horseshoe Resort with our snowshoes, I felt how much of this we miss living in the city.  

There was a sense of calmness and thankfulness being surrounded by the trees that were heavy with snow. Walking by water trickling ponds and listening to the winter birds felt very pleasant.

I was able to take some wonderful portraits of my family in the snow surrounded by the green wonders.  Horseshoe Resort also has cross country skiing in these trails, which would be another wonderful way to admire the nature, exercise and relax our minds.

If you haven't snowshoed before think of it has wearing a big pair of shoes attached to your boots that allows you to walk in deep snow.  We can rent snowshoes at Horseshoe resort, so we don't have to buy or take our own.  

This would be a fun winter activity to do with the little ones and to take the whole family during the Family day weekend, Valentines or March Break.

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Magic of winter: Snow tubing at the Horseshoe Resort

Snow tubing and Snowshoeing are fun activities to enjoy during winter.  The scenic hills at the Horseshoe Resort makes it a perfect place to enjoy these activities.  Horseshoe resort is located in the natural snow belt area and is surrounded by beautiful nature.

We are big fans of sliding down hill and enjoy activities such as tobogganing, so we had an awesome evening tubing.

We can purchase tubing tickets at the Tack Shop located within the Adventure Park.  During the winter season they have special perks such as on Wednesdays we can go tubing from 4pm to 8pm for Free.

Tubing is pretty simple... get the tickets, grab a tube per person, go up their long "magic carpet," and then stand in line for your turn to go down the hill.  We can go in the the tube by our self or with up to 7 tubes connected.  All four of us went together, and then we went two at a time.  
The staff at the Tubing hills will ask if we want to spin or not, I would recommend spinning at least once it is really fun :) 

We spent a couple of hours snow tubing before we called it a night and enjoyed the comfortable accommodation at the Horseshoe Resort.  The next morning we did some snowshoeing before heading home, more about that with pictures coming soon.

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Winter Waves: Scarf and Skiing adventure at the Horseshoe Resort

Our skiing adventure at the Horseshoe Valley Resort inspired me to make this striped check stitch scarf for my son.  This pattern reminds me of the beautiful snow filled mountains and hills that are like winter waves.  I picked this colour of 4 ply worsted weight yarn as these shades remind me of the ever-changing winter sky.  I chose to knit instead of crotchet because the knitting needles represent the skiing equipment. 

To make this scarf I put 21 stitches using a 4 1/2mm needle, but if you want something wider then cast on a multiple of 6 stitches plus 3 extra

Row 1 and all odd numbered rows K

Row 2 K

Rows 4 and 6 P3, *K3, P3 repeat

Rows 8 and 10 K

Rows 12 and 14 K3, *P3, K3 repeat

Row 16 K

Repeat rows 1 to 16 until desired length.

Learning to ski at the Horseshoe Valley Resort will remain as a wonderful memory to our family.  We had a satisfying experience that I would like to share with all of you.  If you want to learn skiing I hope this post will inspire you... or if you already know then take a trip to Horseshoe and enjoy the gorgeous slopes.  

We were happy to enrol our son in this year's new Kids Korral Ponies program at the Horseshoe Ski Resort.  It is a wonderful opportunity for potty-trained children age 3 and 4 to get lessons from qualified instructors, so they can learn this sport correctly at an early age and have fun.
The lessons were from 10 am to 12 pm, so we left him with other children the same age and went to do our family Discovery ski lessons.  
My son said his instructor Connor and other staff like Jessica taught him to make a triangle shape with his skis to stop the skiboards from going; I think this a good way for little children to remember. 

Since he was on his own for the couple of hours until we returned, I could see his eyes were tearing and he was glad that we had come to pick him up.  I think this program is a good opportunity for children to learn skiing without the parents around, so they don't depend on us too much or cry because it is cold.  I felt that my little one was in good hands with the kind instructors.  There were lots of staff members to care and supervise the children, and I liked that they were making safety a top priority by not letting any parents inside the Kids Korral area.
At the end of the lessons the instructors took him inside to change the skis and shoes, and to offer him hot chocolate.  My little guy passed on the hot chocolate so he can come back to us quickly.  After we came to the room, he told us how much fun he had and that his favourite was going up the "magic carpet" and zooming down the slopes.   

The quality of the picture is due to my husband who went down with my poor camera as he tried to take action pictures :) He didn't get to hold the camera after that Incident!

This Kids Korral Ponies program is for beginner skiers as they learn the fundamental skiing skills without any pressure.  For the half-day Kids Korral Ponies lessons and rental the cost is $50.  Once the children master the stop and turn skills they can go for Kinder Private lessons or the Kinder Kolts program.

The family or group Discovery ski lessons that we did are for anyone age 7 years and up.  This program is a wonderful opportunity to everyone who wants to learn skiing or snowboarding.  The discovery program allows us to learn the basics so we can enjoy the hills at the Horseshoe Resort at our own leisure.  The beginner lesson package is $73 per person and includes the 1 and 1/2 hours lesson, 4 hour equipment rental and beginner lift ticket.  We can learn all the basics such as putting on the skis, going up the slope, skiing, stopping and turning.  I totally think having a teacher helps and makes a big difference when we are learning.  
Horseshoe also has a variety of snow school lesson packages such as private lessons, mommy and me programs etc to accommodate different ages, abilities and skills.

At the beginning of the lessons I was nervous because I thought we were going to be late as it took some time to get the rentals and to put them on.  So next time, I plan to be early at least 1/2 to 1 hour to get the rental equipment.  There is a lot of learning involved especially if it is your first time skiing such as putting and handling the equipment.  Renting the equipment made it easy for us instead of lugging our own.  
We found all the staff at the Horseshoe resort friendly, hospitable and wanting to help.  It was easy to ask them when we needed help with the equipment and to find the correct size.  There are coin lockers within the Horseshoe activity center in the Main Chalet if you need.

Our instructor Kelsey was very encouraging throughout the lessons.  By the end of the lessons, I wanted to keep on skiing :)  I liked our instructor's approach and enthusiasm, which made us believe we could do it as well.  The instructor put on a stretchy cord in front of my daughter's skiboards that she called "a worm" so my daughter could stretch it as much as possible to make the skis stop.  

My daughter told me that she was scared and nervous in the beginning just like we were.  However, after knowing how to stop and use the skis she felt comfortable and happy to go down the hill.
My challenge was getting off the lifts without falling :) I guess I will need more practice on that.

Look for their wonderful deals such as on Mondays we can take up to three friends for Alpine or Nordic skiing for $20 each.  Horseshoe Facebook is updated on Tuesdays with special offers.
They have lots of savings if you are member of their free Sky Life Rewards program.
Both my children and we had a fabulous time discovering skiing at Horseshoe.  Since Horseshoe is a located at the natural snow belt, it is a wonderful place to learn downhill skiing as they have fresh snow all the time.  Just thinking back to our experience makes me happy :) and makes us want to put on a pair of skis and head up the hill.

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Scenic accommodation and dining at Horseshoe Valley Resort

At the first sight of snow my family and I get very excited to get outdoors and have fun.  During the December holidays when we had some snow in Toronto, we were too sick to go out and enjoy it :(  However, I am glad we had planned to go to Horseshoe Resort in Barrie, Ontario before the school holidays ended and miraculously got well a day before our trip.

Duct tape activities and Tape it & Make it book giveaways

Making creative things using duct tape is a fun hobby for all ages.  My daughter likes using duct tape to do activities and she made this hair tie and gave it as a gift for my birthday.

Duct tape has been around since the 1940s and was originally used as an adhesive for ammunition cases during World War II because of it water resistant qualities.  The military used it for quick fixes on jeeps etc.  Eventually duct tape became available in hardware stores where plumbers and builders gave its current name "Duct tape".  

Now craft stores have a variety of colourful duct tape.    

I made this decorative bow following the instructions from Tape it & Make it book by Richela Fabian Morgan.  This bow would be wonderful handmade touch to put on gifts or to decorate the home/class etc.

This book has over 100 creative project ideas...

• Duct Tape Accessories- wallets, sandals, watch strap and more
• Duct Tape Clothing- apron, necktie, mini skirt, tool belt, and more
• Duct Tape Flowers- roses, iris, water lilies, and more
• Duct Tape Animals- turtle, duck, lion's head, puppy, and more
• Megativities- skyscraper, Rubik's Cube, and more

When doing activities with duct tape...

• First clean a formica or melamine table top with a damp cloth to remove dust before starting to work.  
• Clean the craft knife or scissors right after the project is finished, use a little bit of mineral oil or petroleum jelly to clean easily.  
• Keep the tapes dust-free in a transparent bin so you can see the different coloured tape without opening/closing the box.

This book is available in bookstores and Amazon.  We can follow the author on Facebook to see more creative activities.
Giveaway
2 people in Canada can win this book Tape it & Make it book by entering through the rafflecopter below.  This giveaway ends on Dec 1st.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Movies for the March break: We bought a zoo, The Descendants, ToothFairy 2 and The Lion King

We bought a zoo is a fabulous movie for the whole family.

This is a heartwarming adventure is based on a true story. It is directed by Cameron Crowe starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.

It will be available on Blue-ray, DVD and Digital download April 3

Benjamin Mee (Damon) is a LA newspaper columnist and adventure writer. He is a single father who raises 2 young children on his own. He wants to start a new life and give his family a fresh start after his wife passes away. He decides to quit his job and move outside the city to an old rural house which is part of a zoo.

This story about his adventures of reopening the zoo. It has lots of wonderful family scenes between a teenage son and father, a caring father to a seven year old daughter, and a loving person who cares about everyone including the animals.

He is a father who tries to make his family feel good during hard times i.e. financial and loss of his spouse.

The movie has a beautiful beginning and ending, the conversations are superb. I would definitely recommend this movie and give it a 5 out of 5.

The blu-ray and DVD has lots of special features, so enjoy it with your family.

The Descendants

The story is set in Hawaii. It is about Matt King (George Clooney) a husband and father of two girls, who is forced to think about his past and embrace his dying wife. She had cheated on him and he only got to know about it after her accident. Matt is also a trustee of a large plot of land inherited by his family, and he had to decide if they were going to sell it or preserve it.

I liked the story which was about making time to spend with the family before its too late. It didn't matter how much we have or where we live because in the end we can't get back the time we've missed spending with our family.

If you haven't watched the movie I would recommend this movie for youth and adults and give it a 4 1/2 out of 5, only because I would have preferred the movie without the swear words.

If you have read the book and watched the movie, what do you think about these questions? (Click on it to make it larger)

Join Kaui Hart Hemmings chat on GoodReads on March 13th, you would be able to win DVD/book bundles.

ToothFairy 2, a funny comedy already out on Blu-ray and DVD. It is about Larry, an irresponsible immature man who tells a child that the tooth fairy is a fairy tale. He couldn't take back what he said, so he is sentenced to be the Tooth fairy and to collect 20 teeth in 20 days.

A funny movie that children will enjoy.

Another fabulous movie for the children: The Lion King 1 1/2 and The Lion King 2 on Blu-ray and DVD. Who doesn't love the Lion King right?
Click on the image for the activity sheets children will enjoy.

Enjoy this trailer clip.

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