Parent Club Calendar

THIS WEEKEND


• Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience, Air Canada Centre
  
• 20th Toronto International Dragon Boat Race, Toronto Centre Island
  
• Fete de la Musique, Toronto Zoo (Saturday)
  
• Royal Kids Palace Grand Opening (Free admission)
  
• The 5th Annual Toronto Zoo's Wild Toy Animal Hospital Sunday only. Children under 12 bring a stuffed animal for a check up by zoo staff.
  
  or you could...
  
• go to the park
  
• visit Riverdale farm
  
• finally clean up and give away the old stroller in the shed (yes, do that!)
  

BPA-Free: onebottle

Do you have a stainless steel bottle? Bet you've seen them at the soccer practice, playground or even on a field trip. Parents should read up on Bisphenol A (BPA) and make their own decision about plastics. Parent Club recommends stainless steel bottles as the reusable choice to protect the environment and keep your family hydrated. Plus, they seem to keep drinks just a little bit cooler.

onebottle is a Canadian company which manufacturers this type of bottle. According to their research; 6 out of 10 plastic water bottles are not recycled in Ontario - therefore ending up in landfills and water ways. This company provides an added value to parents committed to the environment; $1.00 of every purchase is donated to WWF-Canada.

Parent Club did a test of these bottles and EVERYONE loved them. onebottles have a spout to for easy drinking (plus it closes so no spills in the car!). It is un-breakable (really..unbreakable...we dropped it). It easily fits in the drink holder of the car, stroller and bag.

Perhaps the next generation of onebottle will come in a 12oz or 18oz size (that would be GREAT to send to school - or the office - your office - not the school office...well, it might make a good teacher present...). The current bottle is 750ml (about 25oz) which is a good one-bottle-solution for the family to share on an outing.

onebottles are available on line at www.onebottle.ca or find a location using their store locator.

Telehealth Ontario is good

Thing 2 has a reaction to something. Call it a rash, hives or small blisters. My education was spent studying the likes of Shakespeare NOT skin irritations.

Some areas of Thing 2 are covered in clusters while other areas have stand alone spots. Why didn't I go to medical school? (truth; I'm really all bedside manner)

Hmmm. What is new, I wonder? We tried new sunscreen but it's been a good week that we've been using the spray able UVB/UVA 30. We went swimming in a friend's pool but no one else has had a reaction (plus, the reaction is specific to left side of Thing 2's face and one wrist - no where else). No new detergents. No new soaps. No trips to farms, forests or other insect/animal destinations.

Called trusty old Telehealth Ontario 1-866-797-0000. I'm wondering if it is Hand Foot and Mouth Disease or Impetigo. Probably not either says the nurse after hearing our case. (Whew!).

As Lady MacBeth said; "Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!".
(Macbeth Act 5, scene 1, 26 – 40)

Teacher Gifts

I've put together some teacher gift ideas which perhaps may give you some inspiration.

Gift certificates are easy, practical - and um, easy.

Movie theatre or Rogers/Blockbuster gift certificates.

Tim Hortons/Starbucks gift certificates.

Indigo or amazon gift certificates.

Home Depot or Rona gift certificate (for the gardener or builder).

HMV or music store gift certificates

At Christmas, I had my school-aged Things paint a picture. I scanned and uploaded it to be printed as cards (and put their name, grade and year on the back of the card - leaving the inside blank). These specially made blank cards (plus some postage stamps) were LOVED by the teachers.

Make a small charitable donation to a children's centre or to Sick Kids in the teacher's name.

Have your child draw a portrait of their teacher and put it in a frame.

My newest, "smart" idea is to trace child's hand (two of them actually ) on some colourful construction paper. Have her cut both hand prints out - punch a hole in each "wrist" - tie some nice ribbon connecting the two hands. Write "Thank you" on one hand and "From ......" on the other. There you go -- it's a homemade HUG.

A great souvenir of the small hands that this nice person has helped over the school year.

I'm a bit against sending baked goods to school because of allergies. But sending "cookies in a jar mix" or "brownies in a jar mix" is a creative alternative. Take your favourite cookie recipe - layer the dry ingredients in a mason jar - type out the wet ingredients and cooking time. Tie a bow on the jar and VOILA!

Have a teacher gift idea to share? e-mail; Parent Club or leave a comment.

Parent Club: June is safety month

June is Home Safety Month according to the Home Safety Council. Below are a few safety tips all parents should adhere to...

• When children are in the tub, stay close enough to touch them.
  
• Put new batteries in your smoke alarms at least one time each year.
  
• Children can choke on small items, such as buttons, coins, jewelry and smalltoys. If it fits in a toilet paper roll, it is not safe for little children.
  
• Purchase cleaners, household chemicals, medications and other potentially hazardous products with child resistant packaging.

Note the Poison Control Centre's phone number; (Toronto) 416-813-5900 or 1-800-268-9017 near a phone.

The Safety Association of Canada sends out FREE blind safety kits - which includes hardware to ensure your little ones stay safe.

I have always instructed my kids NOT to answer phones or open outside doors unless a parent is present. This was valuable recently, when someone rang the doorbell to the front door - just as I stepped out the backdoor to take out the garbage. The kids came running - someone's at the door!. I applauded them for sticking to the rules -- and let them open the door -- as I stood beside them.