Our Camping Adventure at Earl Rowe Provincial Park

One thing we love doing in the summer is camping at Ontario Parks. After a couple of years of pausing all travel plans due to the pandemic, we were super-excited to get back into some of our favourite things to do. With both our children being teenagers now and having their own schedule of activities to do, timing adventures become difficult. Planning a quick camping trip less than a couple of hours from home was fun and exciting for all of us. Thankfully, a camping trip has a lot of engaging and exciting activities for everyone in our family. We believe camping is a good way to connect with nature, which is great for our physical and mental health - and most importantly great for creating family memories!

Fun Activities for Children

Although most parents and guardians of young children may be exhausted by the time their children get home from school, the children usually have plenty of energy left. Filling the hours between school and bedtime can be tricky — especially now that it’s getting dark outside before we can even get dinner on the table. It is easy for young children to zone out in front of their tablet or a television screen, but everyone knows that giving children too much screen time is detrimental to their health and development. If you are looking for ways to keep your kids busy after school, there are many options.

Holiday Gift Ideas and Giveaways

With the holiday season around the corner, here is a list of gift ideas to consider. This post will be updated all month long with deals, discounts, and giveaways. All giveaways are only open to people living in Canada.

For every home ~ 

• Cuisipro  Soft-Touch Cookware Set and Dish rack
• Hamilton Beach Juicer, Grinder, Mixer
• Melitta coffee products
• Schlage Encode Smart Door Lock

For your well-being ~ 

• Good Burdens book (giveaway enter below)
• Nature Painting in watercolor (giveaway)
• Ekster wallets

For children ~ 

• Molly the Mastodon book
• Bug Lab experience at Ontario Science Centre
• Baby Born Surprise Animal Babies (giveaway below)
• Akedo and Bluey Heeler toys (giveaway below)
• Rummikub

Summer Activities: Board Games and Creative Workbook

To keep ourselves occupied during the many rainy days we have had this summer, we have been playing a couple of fun board games and doing creative projects. This trivia quiz game, Totally Trivia, and a hilarious speed drawing game, Speedy Scribbles are quite engaging. We agree with the author of The Bright Book that art helps process thoughts, emotions, and ideas, and this workbook has been inspiring are creativity.

Rummikub for Game Nights and Giveaway

There are a few go-to games in our family we enjoy playing during game nights and get-togethers, and Rummikub is one of them. Rummikub reinforces STEM skills like sequencing, pattern recognition and planning. 

4 In A Row Board Game Giveaway

We love playing board games! Classic games have been around for years because it is fun for everyone in the family. 4 In A Row is simple competitive game of strategy where two players at a time try to be the first to connect four colour disks.

Learning the origins of board games, illusions, journey, and math

We love playing board games and have a few family favourites. As children, we have played lots of different board games from monopoly to mancala, and made sure to introduce our children to board games at a very young age. A few years ago, we made a wooden convertible storage cart just to keep our games. We believe most board games are a wonderful way to socialize and connect, and they have become part of our lifestyle. Over the past decade, we have documented a few board games on CreateWithMom. When we saw the Board Games in 100 Moves by Ian Livingstone, we were curious to discover different board games and their origins. 

Fun Games and Entertainment

We are always excited to try new games and do different hands on activities in our family. We love game nights, and recently have been playing Azul and Ticket to Ride London. We also spent time building with Flexo. A new calendar year comes with new resolutions to become more creative, so we have been practicing watercolour painting with Watercolour the Easy Way book and took the time to clean up, get organized, and even spiced up our phones by replacing our Pop Sockets with creative ones! We have also been reading the Four Seasons of Entertaining book that is filled with colourful photography, recipes, and ideas separated by each season. 

A Cozy Winter Camping Experience at Silent Lake Provincial Park

We love camping at Ontario Parks in the summer, which allows us to enjoy the serene outdoors and all the wonderful things we can do in the warm weather - thinking of it makes me miss summer! We have also learned to embrace the beauty of winter; the fresh cool air, soft snow, the beauty of trees covered with white snow, and all the fun activities we can do in the winter from skiing, tobogganing to snowshoeing and more. 

When we travel in winter to enjoy the festive season or to explore winter themed events and activities, we usually stay in hotels. We tried winter camping in one of the roofed accommodations at Ontario Parks, which is truly a lovely way to get close to nature, away from the everyday hustle and bustle. 

Festive Season in Stratford, Ontario

We love the festive season because it is not only a time for families and friends to gather in celebration of the end of a year, but also a time to admire the coziness, beauty, and magical time of winter. Just in time for the holiday season, we spent a weekend at The River Merchant Inn located in Stratford, Ontario to enjoy the Holiday Light displays, Outdoor Christmas Market, Santa’s Parade of Lights, and to go on the Christmas and Chocolate Trails.

Win 1 of 3 Hasbro Toys for the Holidays

There are lots of exciting Hasbro toys that encourage children's imagination and curiosity. The variety of fun toys make wonderful gifts for any occasion such as this Beyblade Burst Turbo Slingshock for children over 8 years. We are excited to partner with Hasbro Canada for 3 winners to win one of these toys: Monopoly Voice Banking Electronic Family Board Game, The Star Wars Scream Saber Lightsaber, and Disney Frozen 2 Fashion Dolls.

Exercising the mind and being creative at LSA summer camp

On our recent post about TAC sports camp we mentioned that they have partnered with LSA (Lifetime Skills Academy) to offer STEM themed programs, which will help our children exercise their creativity and develop a variety of skills.

Games that bring family and friends together

Joining friends and family to play educational and fun board games is a wonderful way to connect while stimulating thinking skills of all players, despite their age. Playing games develop a variety of cognitive, social, and physical skills.  

Fun educational games everyone in the family will enjoy

Learning doesn't have to be boring! Games are a fun way for families to spend time together while children develop a variety of skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, sharing, and many other fundamental skills. Pressman Toys promote learning with its STEM and educational products. We have been playing with three of their games - Mastermind®, Tri-Ominos® and Rummikub®. 

Summer Travel and Outdoor Games

We love taking games with us when we travel. This keeps everyone in our family engaged while travelling. Games always come in handy on rainy days, or when we look for something relaxing to do. This summer, we took a look at a few outdoor and travel games from Goliath Games and Pressman toys.  

Always thinking of the next fun thing to do at Fern Resort #OntariosAllinclusive

While at Fern Resort, the only thing we thought of was vacationing! The mood is all set from the time you walk into the resort till the time you check-out. This resort is all inclusive, so all the meals and activities are taken care of. This made my husband and I feel at ease since we didn't need to worry about the meals, and were able to participate in the activities we wanted to, and children were able to do activities they wanted to. 

Gift Ideas and Giveaway

With the holidays around the corner, here are some gift ideas to consider. 

This post will be updated all month long with deals, discounts, and giveaways. 

Premium Green and Black's chocolate bars made with hand-selected, gourmet cocoa beans would be enjoyed by everyone. We found the flavour combinations unique and delicious. We used the dark chocolate in desserts that everyone enjoyed. It is available in ten unique flavours ranging from smooth milk to rich dark chocolate, Green and Black's will impress even the most sophisticated palettes.

Fun Board Games to Encourage Learning

I believe playing board games with our children is a fun way for us to get involved in teaching lifelong skills such as problem solving, team playing, communication skills, and help in the development of cognitive thinking. It is so much easier to shop for these toys for children in all ages right from the comfort of our home through Amazon.ca.

V-Tech and Hexbug Toys for the holidays

VTech has lots of entertaining and educational toys for children that would make fun holiday gifts. 

My children enjoy the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX that totally welcomes our children into the digital age. This fully functional, multipurpose watch keeps children entertained, while teaching them how to read time and understand the concept in a fun way.

Activities We Do With Our Children to provide Inspiration

As parents, we find it our responsibility to make our children comprehend that everything around them needs to be respected and appreciated. To make them understand that all experiences provide knowledge, we do a variety of activities with them. Making these activities as part of our lifestyle, helps them become savvy. These activities do not cost us financially, and helps build memories.