Parent Club Calendar

• Sho, Mo and the Monkey Bunch are doing a FREE show on Sunday, June 1st, 1:45pm (45 minutes). Factory Theatre Courtyard
  125 Bathurst Street @ Adelaide
  
  This is part of the FREE LABCAB FESTIVAL a family event this weekend which celebrates music, dance, theatre, comedy, art, stories, spoken word and more. Check out their website for the complete line-up.


• Billy & Buster's Birthday Party, Ontario Place


• Brick Works Nature Walk, Evergreen Brick Works
  550 Bayview Ave, between the Prince Edward Viaduct (Bloor/Danforth) and Pottery Rd., 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.


• Arts in the Heart, Yonge Dundas Square. Open market.


• Ride for Heart - Sunday June 1st. Keep in mind parts of the DVP and Gardiner will be closed this day.

Theatre for Children

Wanted to let you know of a children's opera coming soon to Toronto (early June). Sanctuary Song presents the story of an Asian elephant poached at a young age from the jungles of Indonesia. She recalls her remarkable life in captivity far from home as her keeper of 22 years leads her on a journey to sanctuary in the hills of Tennessee.

Through voice, dance, music and video this piece is suited to families because of its messages of friendship & communication.

Parent Club will be interviewing special someone from this opera. You won't want to miss it!

Thanks to the Parent Club reader who shared this event information; Sho, Mo and the Monkey Bunch are doing a FREE show on Sunday, June 1st, 1:45pm (45 minutes). Factory Theatre Courtyard
125 Bathurst Street @ Adelaide

This is part of the FREE LABCAB FESTIVAL a family event this weekend which celebrates music, dance, theatre, comedy, art, stories, spoken word and more. Check out their website for the complete line-up.

Safe Kids Week 2008

Safe Kids Week kicks off this week. According to Safe Kids Canada over 2,000 Canadian children are injured and another 30 killed due to child pedestrian incidents. The average child pedestrian was killed within 5 km of his home...while crossing the street at an intersection. Pile up 30 t-shirts, 30 pairs of shoes, 30 sunhats...that's a whole class of children killed.

Drivers need to respect the speed limit on residential streets. Slowing down will save a life. Stop multi-tasking while you drive too. Stay focused on the road so that when a child runs out on to the street to retrieve a ball -- you will be ready. According to the Safe Kids Canada media release; "Before the age of 12, children lack the cognitive ability to follow one set of rules and apply them to multiple situations, and their capacity to use information is not fully developed". This means though you teach your child NOT to chase that ball onto the street....they just might do it anyway.

For more information about Safe Kids Week go to their website at; http://www.sickkids.ca/safekidsCanada/

Birthday Party - Low Low Low

That Low Low Low song is sung around the house a lot lately...apparently Thing 1 hears it on the school bus (it may be an inappropriate song -- who knows -- all I hear is the "low low low" part). Anyway, in this phrase I've found the inspiration to have a Birthday Party - Low Low Low. Meaning; low maintenance, low cost, low stress. Mission impossible?

Following the magic party equation; number of party guests = child's age + 1 (or maybe 2 to include sibling).

activities #1. Playing with outdoor stuff we already have (smart huh?). Have tents, play parachute, have slides & swings. Supervision to prevent accidents and bleeding required.

activities #2. Creating with stuff we already have (yes, did consult the crayola.com website for ideas). Here is how to make use of your craft cupboard; markers + paper bags (30 per pack for $1) = paper bag puppets. Little fabric crowns (20 per pack for $1) + glue sticks + Popsicle sticks = king or queen stick puppet. Supervision so that children do not colour on each other required.

Also, have a (large) paper bag pinata -- which instead of hitting with a stick (which, even with supervision, not such a good idea). Each child pulls on a string hanging from the bottom of the pinata -- one of the strings will make the bag come apart spilling its goodies. What are the goodies you ask?...being anti-candy for youngish children we have; mini-lipsticks (4 to a pack for $1), icky looking plastic teeth (6 to a pack for $1), obnoxious noisy blowing horns (8 to a pack for $1), small plastic wild animals (10 to a pack for $1). No, this isn't' the loot bag -- just part of the activity budget; which at present stands at $8.00.

As a fall-back; have plastic Easter eggs (from Easter) and plastic spoons for an egg race.

These are easy-breasy activities that can be done indoors or outdoors. But you get the drift of my theme. Keep it Low Low Low!

Will take some (unprofessional) pictures of those puppets to share with the Club.

Share Parent Club

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It is read by tens of people every day. Be sure to share with the club by e-mailing your comments, experiences, rants to info@parentclub.ca.

In the coming weeks, Parent Club will be sharing a product review (food related this time - Yum), road trips with kids - you ok back there?..., planning an easy birthday party and novel loot bag ideas - without the novelty factor.

Share the Club with a friend today!