Archive for the ‘fun stuff’ Category

« Older Entries

Playing with Fisher Price at Ontario Place

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Some days my kids love my job more than me. Case in point, last week we were invited by Fisher Price and GCI Canada to come down to Ontario Place to preview some of the latest and greatest that Fisher Price has to offer kids.

It was like Christmas as we entered the Kids Zone in Ontario Place. It was wall-to-wall fun.

Little People seem to be one of those staple toys if you have kids. The sets are fun and encourage imaginative play and the people can be used to play on their own, without the playsets (they fit nicely in your bag too for emergency entertainment in the car or grocery store). We recently sold off most of our Little People collection but that didn’t stop my 3-year old from playing with the house or fairy treehouse.

fisherprice3My kids are beyond the big building blocks but we all loved this Stack n Surprise Blocks Musical Croc. The blocks stack on it’s back and on the handle. The Stack n Surprise Blocks look like a normal block until you stack them and then, POP, a little character pops out of the top. My kids loved pulling this wagon but what the spent most of their time doing was feeding the croc the blocks (they go into the mouth and down into his stomach for storage). Great fun.
fisherprice1Now my son wished he had this, the Big Action Dig and Ride. He would probably live in the sandbox but since there was no sand he entertained himself by scooping up blocks. Problem was he kept trying to scoop up his sister’s blocks, while she was playing with them.
fisherprice2I’m not sure if it’s a boy thing or just my son, but if a toy involves cars he’s all over it, no matter what age the toy is designed for. Case in point, the Little People Wheelies Stand n Play Rampway. He spent most of his time with this toy. The best part was when he could race 2 cars from the top. Another fun car toy, aimed at an even younger age, The Little Zoomers Spinnin’ Sounds Speedway. I wish they had this when my son was younger.
fisherprice5

The event was great. On top of playing with the toys, the folks at Fisher Price and GCI Canada had a nice snack table set up with grown-up sandwiches as well as grilled cheese and goldfish crackers for the kids, plus lots of fruit. After spending a good part of the morning playing, we ventured off into Ontario Place as we were given a play pass for the rest of the day.

Fisher Price is actually bringing the fun across Ontario in the form of the form of the Playtime Tour. Checkout where the tour stops next and you and your little ones can experience some of the great toys Fisher Price has to offer. And while you’re out having fun, be sure to capture your little one’s laugh to enter the Fisher Price Best Little Laugh contest.

Tags: , ,
Posted in fun stuff, those darn kids | No Comments »

Xbox Kinect Event

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Did someone say gaming? Video gaming?

Family game night is big in our house but our family game night usually consists of the high tech type. Video games. We have both the Wii and Playstation 3 gaming systems (though the Playstation 3 we originally  bought to replace our DVD player and play Blueray movies).

We don’t own an Xbox. I’ve always thought the Xbox games were geared to the older male game player, lots of shooting-type games, so we were never really hooked in to get one. It made more sense to support a gaming system geared at the younger gamer (our kids are 3, 6 & 8 ) and Xbox didn’t seem to be that system. Until now.

Recently when attending BlogHer in New York City I had the chance to see the new Kinect system in person. And this week I had the chance to try it out, as did my 3 and 6-year old.

The event took place at The Fifth Social and was hosted by Xbox Canada and High Road Communications. The upper floor of the club was set-up with mini gaming stations, giving attendees the chance to not only try out the new Kinect system but also a variety of games that will be made available.

The Kinect system is based on a sensor bar reading your body’s movements for the game play versus you controlling your movements through a game controller. In essence your body was the game controller. My two kids loved the system. Even my 3-year old was able to play, enjoying the cat game Kinectimals. She was able to play with a cat on screen, teaching it tricks and petting it. When the cat sneezed, she would wave her hands in front to wipe the screen off. And as the cat ran through an obsticle course, she would control it with her movements: she would run, the cat would run; she would jump, the cat would jump. She loved it.

xbox-kinectiblesMy son loved the Sonic FreeRiders skateboard game and the race car game Joy Ride. He was jumping and twisting and turning with each movement. The racing game took him some getting use to since he did NOT hold a steering wheel but just holding his arms out in front to steer the car.

xbox-racingI love that both my kids could play game together. The Adventures game included activities like rafting and dodge ball. In the rafting portion my kids had to work as a team to collect points. They had to lean together to go through the pylons and jump together to get the raft to go over ramps. They laughed the whole time.

xbox-funtogetherxbox-raftingThere were also demonstrations of the Sports games (I tried my hand at a little bowling) as well as Dance Central (a somewhat realistic dance game) and Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (which actually shows a scan of you on the screen). And I’ve heard there’s going to be a Zumba Fitness version too; that really interests me.

The kids and I were moving non-stop during the event; when not jumping or twisting or running during the different Kinect games, we were busy moving about the room to try out another demo. The kids only stopped once to have a brief snack (and there was a nice breakfast/lunch selection provided) but then it was onto more gaming.

xbox-snacks

It was a great morning. I was lucky to leave the event without carrying two screaming, game addicted kids (chocolate cookies to go helped). Kinect is expected to come out in early November. I’m looking forward to getting a chance to try it out when it does. Who knows, this might just convince me to add yet another gaming system to our home collection.

Tags: , ,
Posted in fun stuff, those darn kids | No Comments »

Ikea’s LEKAR app: Play for Kids

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

If you’re a parent you probably already know the benefits of free-play with kids; it encourages physical fitness, instills creativity and jump starts the imagination. I believe IKEA understands the importance of play in a child’s life; this is obvious not only from the design of their children’s furniture but also the children’s section in their own stores. The furniture is fun, colourful and caters to a child’s imagination. This is probably why most our our playrooom consists of IKEA items, from storage, stools, pillows, lighting and more.

IKEA recently commissioned the Playreport, the largest global study ever on child development and how children play. They’ve even created a Facebook page where you, along with other experts and parents, can find out more about the Playreport as well as participate in discussions around child development and the importance of play.

Another great play tool is LEKAR, a free app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Currently there are 3 games as part of the app:

Bird Fish or In Between - the parent chooses where they will hide their iPhone, high up like a bird, down low like a fish or somewhere in between. Once hidden they press the start button and then the kids have to look for it. Every 10 seconds or so the iPhone makes lets out a sound, a bird chirp if the phone is hidden up high. lekarWhen the kids find it they press stop and all the animals celebrate the find at the end. I thought this was a great use for the phone and the distinct sounds helped the kids to focus where they were looking and if they were getting close. I would recommend playing with the volume turned up on your iPhone for this to make sure the sound is heard.

Charades - The person doing the charade is given a picture they have to act out. The iPhone is handed to the rest of the group and they have to guess by selecting from a pre-set number of images. If they get it, all the animals celebrate in the end. The images are easy for even young kids to act out and there’s no time wasted trying to think of charade ideas; just start playing.

Musical Chairs - From the first screen you choose how many people will play (from the graphic photos of heads). When the chairs are set and kids ready, just hit start and music will play. In the end, like the other games, all the animals celebrate the final win. I must admit this wasn’t one of my favourites but it is a great tool to start up a game when you’re out and about at the park (using a park bench) or at someone else’s home.

Each game includes instructions on how to play, though I think you’ll find they’re pretty straight forward, and you can easily toggle between any of the games from the simple menu screen accessed in the top corner at all times. I love that each game comes from a different country and they explain that. I believe there are plans to add new games and activities and I’m excited to see what they are.

The LEKAR app is just another extension of IKEA’s understanding of kids and play. By downloading this app on your iPhone, hopefully you’ll be able to squeeze a quick game in with your kids too.

CONTEST: IKEA wants to get encourage play in your home. Checkout this awesome contest they are offering EverythingMom members (ends August 11, 2010).

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in fun stuff, those darn kids | No Comments »

Dr. Oetker’s Trattoria Tour

Friday, July 16th, 2010

We love pizza in our house. We usually make our own. The kids can help add toppings and customize the way they want. The cost to make your own is usually much cheaper and the taste much better than anything ordered in or re-heated from frozen.

casaultimatehawaiian140x140But then I was given the chance to sample Dr. Oetker’s Casa de Mama frozen pizza. I must admit I was a little sceptical. I mean a frozen pizza is a frozen pizza is a frozen pizza right? Turns out that’s not necessarily true. My 8-year-old and I shared a Ultimate Hawaiian version of Casa de Mama and the taste was actually quiet good, especially the crust. I’m a big fan of crust (I’m a bread-aholic actually) so the taste of the crust is important. There was no cardboard flavouring, but rather a nice butter taste (and aroma). The pizza’s are small, only giving my daughter and I 2-slices each but it was enough for a quick lunch.

You can try Dr. Oetker’s pizzas too at your local event. Introducing the Dr. Oetker Trattoria Tour. Dr. Oetker will be sending two equipped Trattorias on a cross-country tour to share fresh-from-the-oven samples of its leading frozen pizza.

The Trattoria Tour kids off in Toronto at the East York Canada Day celebrations July 18 and it continues to visit other community events, retailers and university campuses across Canada up to early September. You can check out the Trattoria Tour Facebook page to see if the Dr. Oetker portable Trattoria’s will be at a local event in your area as well as a map outlining all the tour stops.

Plus everyone who visits the Trattoria while it’s on the road will have a chance to enter a draw to win free Dr. Oetker pizza for a year. Now that’s a lot of tasty pizza.

trattoria-droetker

Tags: ,
Posted in food, fun stuff | No Comments »

Paper Kite Craft that Really Works

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

To occupy my kids this summer (and maintain my sanity) I registered my kids in summer camp programs as soon as they became available. I didn’t fill the whole summer. I mean part of the joy of summer is not having to get up early and rush to camp or make lunches; summer should also be about being lazy. But I know with my kids, doing lazy things quickly translates into ‘I’m bored’. So I scheduled a few camp weeks.

We’re lucky to have a community centre within walking distance to our house and the city runs a few of their camp programs out of it. I like the program because it’s close but also not that expensive, compared to specialtiy camps out of the city. And just becuase it’s a city run camp program doesn’t mean it’s boring, non-constructive daycare with cousellers who are there watching the clock. My son’s program has cousellers with an ECE background, camp art and outdoor program education. One such couseller, Emily, has taken outdoor art program at OCAD and shares some great craft ideas with the kids.

One such craft was a paper kite. When I picked my son up after school he was all excited about a little paper kite he had made that day and he wanted to show me how it worked. Of course I said yes as enthusiastically as I could but in the back of my head I didn’t really expect much. Kids make lots of things at camp that don’t really function the way they’re suppose to; they keep kids busy as a craft. So you can imagine my surprise as my son run down the hall (inside, not fan or air) and his kite took off over his head. It was amazing and all from this simple kite design that sort of resembled a paper airplane. I thought others would like to try this at home so the camp kindly gave me the following instructions/

Materials:

working-kite2 skewers/straws
glue
construction paper
string
hole punch
tape
markers or other items to decorate your kite

Instructions:

  1. Fold paper in half vertically
  2. Fold the flap with the fold starting at the top left corner down to the bottom right corner
  3. Repeat the same fold on the other side but in reverse, from the top right corner down to the bottom left corner
  4. Flip over and tape the spine (where the paper meets in the center)
  5. Tape the cross stick (skewer/straw) perpendicular to the spine
  6. Tape the tail to the bottom of the kite
  7. Flip kite over and fold spine back and forth
  8. Punch hole in the spine opposite the cross bar
  9. Tie string through the hole and fly

Although you can use this outside like a kite, what makes this kite really cool is you can use it on days without wind or inside even. It works on your child’s on energy. My son could get his kite flying by running around the room or just swinging it around his head, sort of laso style.

Have fun!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in fun stuff, those darn kids | 2 Comments »

Toy Story 3, Movie for the Whole Family

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

toystory3-movieWith 3 young kids in our house, we have an extensive Disney movie collection, including both Toy Story and Toy Story 2. So when Toy Story 3 came out it was put on our family movie list.

We don’t get out to the theatre that often. With the five of us, plus popcorn (you can’t watch a movie without popcorn) a night at the movie isn’t a cheap form of entertainment. But some movies you just need to see on the big screen and according to our kids Toy Story 3 is one such movie.

In case you’re not familiar with the movie, a quick synopsis from Disney’s site:

‘Toy Story 3 welcomes Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz (Voice of Tim Allen) and the whole gang back to the big screen as Andy prepared to depart for collage and his lyal toys find themselves in…day care! These untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice, so it’s all for one and one for all as plans for the great escape get underway.”

Before heading out to see the film I heard many people describe the film as sad in parts, like when Andy goes away to collage, or scary, like when the toys end up at the garbage dump. I’ll admit I had doubts that the movie would affect me that way. My kids are young and the thought of them heading off to college is far from my mind (though I did get unexpectedly teary during my son’s Kindergarten graduation).

I also wasn’t sure if the third movie in the series would live up to its predecessors. I loved the original Toy Story movie and Toy Story 2 was good but not nearly as good as the first so where would Toy Story 3 fall in the spectrum of the family of films.

Well I have to say it didn’t fall but rather jumped beyond my expectations. Toy Story 3 was just as enjoyable to me as the original movie, maybe even a little better. I loved the whole notion of the toys’ perspective on being donated or tossed; we’ve done the toy room purge many times in our house, usually donating to local charities where the toys will be played with (just like in the movie). But the idea of a toy gone bad from being lost or forgotten is an interesting twist. Though I have to admit I’ll be looking at the toys in the playroom in a different light now; handling our purging a little different I think.

Like the first Toy Story movies, there was a lot of tension and action and adventure created with the toys trying to escape from the day care.The movie evoked a lot of emotions in both my husband and I and the kids. The one thing I love about Toy Story 3 and most of Disney’s animated films, is that it appeals to both parents and kids making it a great family film. As a parent you don’t feel like you’re watching something for the sake of the kids; my husband and I enjoyed ourselves just as much as they did. Now there are some scenes younger kids might find frightening. My 6 and 8-year-old were fine but my 3-year-old said the fuzzy bear who turned evil kind of scared her. Also the scene at the garbage dump with the chopper and incinerator might be a little scary to some though I felt this wasn’t as scary as the mutilated toy scene in the original Toy Story film. My 6-year-old son got right into the film, yelling at the screen and warning the friends (good thing the theatre wasn’t too full).

toystory3-kidsI’ll admit it I cried. I was surprised I did. It wasn’t so much at the idea of Andy going away and thinking of my own kids. The part that made me sad, and there were a few parts, was the whole idea of change and moving on, of being forgotten but also the feeling of true friendship. Not all tears are sad tears.

We opted for the 3D version of the film but honestly the regular film would have been just fine (and cost less). Disney does an amazing job with 3D but the affects seemed to be subtle in this film and lost on the kids I think. The kids were also thrilled to see the Toy Story 3 snack pack (yes I’m a sucker for packaging and marketing gimmicks). Sadly the theatre we were attending didn’t have the Toy Story 3 drink toppers, which was kind of a disappointment.

Bottom line, Toy Story 3 lived up to the high expectations that the original film has set. It was entertaining right to the end. We’re all glad we saw the film on the big screen but you can believe me that we’ll be owning it on DVD when it comes out too.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in fun stuff, just me, those darn kids | 4 Comments »

Hot Wheels Colour Shifter Road Trip

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

My son is like most 6-year old boys: he builds elaborate structures out of Lego, he imagines he’s Indiana Jones looking for treasure and hunting bad guys, he races cars down tracks and around his room, Hot Wheels cars. So when we had the chance to come out and see a full size Hot Wheels car, my son went nuts; he opted out of missing his last day of school so he could attend (and he loves school).

Hot Wheels is kicking off summer and their new Hot Wheels Colour Shifters with a cross Canada road tour. Not only will they have the latest Hot Wheels Colour Shifters to checkout and play with (which are pretty darn cool) they have a full size Ford Mustang that has been treated using the same colour changing technology as the toy cars.

My son loved this Hot Wheels Colour Shifters Dr. Bones Colour Lab Play Set. He would have stayed all day playing with it if he was allowed. He even took it upon himself to demonstrate to all the other kids, anyone who would come near the table, just how cool it was. He’s added this to his birthday list (which isn’t until next year now).

hotwheelsevent5

The toys were cool but the big draw for all my kids was the full size Ford Mustang. They had sponges and water guns and buckets that the kids could use and change the car from it’s blue state to it’s white state. I must admit is was pretty awesome to see the colour change so quickly and dramatically. You could even put your hand on the blue and it would change to a white hand print. Now if only this technology could be applied to other items like dishes and teeth, I could get my kids to clean-up all the time.

hotwheelsevent2hotwheelsevent3hotwheelsevent4

As if playing with the new Hot Wheels toys and splashing the full size Hot Wheels Colour Shifter wasn’t enough fun, the folks at Hot Wheels were giving away all sorts of goodies to the kids: cars, hats, sunglasses, shirts and more. We love the collector book, highlighting all the vehicles. My kids have been going through their collection checking off all the vehicles they already own.

hotwheelsevent6hotwheelsevent7

The Ford Mustang will be on tour from June 29 until August 29, 2010. Checkout the schedule for the Hot Wheels Colour Shifter Road Tour to see where it’s going next. The event is FREE and it’s great fun.

Tags: , ,
Posted in fun stuff, those darn kids | No Comments »

Sesame Street and Beaches

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Taking a beach vacation with the family can be tricky when you have, uh, the family. I know when my husband and I have gone, we love to just hang out on the sand, in the sun, with a drink. But add kids to the mix and everything changes.

In 2004 Beaches Resorts started an exclusive partnership with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, giving kids the chance play and have fund with some of their favourite Sesame Street characters at the Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa and Beaches Negril Resort & Spa. Kids could experience Story Time with Elmo, Baking Cookies with Cookie Monster, Exploring with Grover and more.

I attended a media lunch recently, with special guest Big Bird, to announce that Beaches Resorts has extended their partnership with Sesame Workshop until 2015 and that Sesame Street pal Big Bird will be joining the rest of his friends at the Beaches Resorts.

big-bird-and-carrie-anne-badov

Our family hasn’t gone on a beach vacation in a while, trading in our lounge chairs for amusement and water parks to keep the kids happy, but the inclusion of Sesame Street characters at the Beaches Resorts makes it that much more appealing (and feasible) to have a vacation that both parents and kids will enjoy.

And who doesn’t like Big Bird.

bigbirdr

Tags: , , ,
Posted in fun stuff, those darn kids, traveling | No Comments »

Soccer and Popsicles

Friday, June 25th, 2010

I know the World Cup Soccer Tournament is going on right now, not because I’m a huge fan and have been following it, but because of all the people around me celebrating and talking about it. I’m actually not a big fan of soccer at all. But sometimes when you have kids it’s not a matter of what you like or want.

Case in point, my daughter plays soccer. Just a parks and recreation program in the city so nothing too competitive, but she loves it. And although someday it can be a bit of a hassle to get dinner ready and everyone out the door to the game, it’s always so worth it in the end.

I may not be a fan of soccer, but I love enjoyment my daughter gets from playing the game. She’s more of a creative type, likes to draw and work on math problems, so soccer gets her out and running and running and running. I mean they run a lot, which is great. And the rest of us watch and cheer her on. It’s actually one of the few activities we seem to get out regularly as a family to do during the week.

v-soccerv-soccer2

Of course if you were to ask the kids what their favourite part of the game is, they’d probably say the end of game snack. There’s a mid game snack, which tends to be fruit and water, and then there’s the end of game snack, which for these warm days tends to be freezes and Popsicles. Soccer and Popsicles. Makes sense.

And obviously Popsicle agrees since they have started up the 2010 Popsicle Soccer Club, offering support to minor soccer leagues across Canada. After my daughter’s last game, which we were responsible for end of game snack, Popsicle sent over enough Popsicles to feed the team and siblings watching the game. It was a feeding frenzy handing the Popsicles out to the very appreciative and tired team.

popsicle-soccerpopsicle-soccer2

Popsicle is offering you, an EverythingMom member, a chance to win a soccer bag full of supplies to host your own Popsicle Backyard Soccer Party (ends July 2, 2010). Get out and have some fun in your own backyard.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in food, fun stuff, those darn kids | No Comments »

For the Love of Hot Wheels

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

School is coming to an end soon and so begins the scramble to find free and inexpensive ways to entertain the kids.

hot-wheels-mustangHow about hanging out with some hot cars, Hot Wheels!

To celebrate the last day of school and to kick off the Hot Wheels Colour Shifters Road Trip this summer, Hot Wheels is unveiling it life-size colour-shifting Ford Mustang on Tuesday, June 29th (6 a.m. to 12 p.m.) at Yonge and Dundas Square (Toronto).

My son loves Hot Wheels; it’s like what Barbie is to his sisters. We have amassed a large collection. They drive in the sandbox, they go down the backyard slide, they swerve through Lego obstacle courses. Hot Wheels are an inexpensive toy that encourages great imaginative play with all 3 of my kids, girls included. The colour-changing cars keep my son entertained with a tub of water as the colour changes paint colour before his eyes when he moves it from warm water to cold water.

Now you can see this affect on a life-sized Ford Mustang.

The event, which is FREE by the way, will give kids a chance to change the colour of the car, play with Hot Wheel toys and receive special Hot Wheel items, like collector booklet, T-shirt and more.

My son is so excited he’s already talking about setting is alarm clock to be one of the first ones there. Maybe we’ll see you there.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in fun stuff, those darn kids | No Comments »

« Older Entries

Plan Your Meals

Share Your Stories

Enter Contests

Download Printables