Category: activities

May 23, 2020

Puzzle Time in Outer Space with Raincoast Books

With all the extra time on our hands, why not keep little ones (and yourself!) having fun with a challenge? How about a three hundred piece challenge?

About Outer Space 300 Piece Shaped Scene Puzzle

Outer Space 300 Piece Shaped Scene Puzzle from Mudpuppy features a colorful illustration of planets, spacecraft, satellites, and more. The puzzle is in the shape of a spaceship, adding a wow-factor when completed!

Our Thoughts

It has been just over two months since our lives have been turned upside down. We left work and school not realizing that only two days later we would find out that we would not be returning to campus for the foreseeable future. We had to quickly adapt to these changes and while it has not been easy, it has brought with it some benefits.

We now have more time to just be present in the moment and spend time together as a family. While it has been hard balancing work from home and family time, these moments have meant the most to me. It also means being creative to keep the little ones occupied. We love activities that keep us challenged, working together and learning.

We were excited to pull out the Outer Space 300 piece shaped puzzle. We read 300 pieces but still had a bit of a shock when we saw the pieces come out of the box – it just seemed like so much more! At first we felt that we may not be able to complete the puzzle but while challenging it was well suited for older children and the pieces came together easily as we worked together. It was awesome watching the spaceship come to life with its images of planets, astronaut and more, with its bold colours and lines. I enjoyed that we were able to also use the puzzle as a starting point for learning about the planets in our solar system. We were already looking at ways to supplement their learning right now and this was a perfect opportunity for us. It was a definite win-win for our family.

Puzzles are a fantastic way of bringing families together and this one is perfect for young families. It is beautiful, bright and fun with the right amount of challenge for children and adults. Get ready for some healthy competition (we somehow managed to find a way to compete on who could fit the most pieces together!) and build learning opportunities off of this time spent together.

You can purchase this puzzle on Amazon.

Disclosure: I received this puzzle in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

March 3, 2015

Fun Family Activities at Blue Mountain Village #WinterWarrior

After wrapping up three days at Blue Mountain (staying at the gorgeous Westin Blue Mountain) we were amazed at how much the village has to offer. Blue Mountain Village has something to offer for every member of the family, from the youngest to the eldest.

We started off our stay at Westin Blue Mountain by dropping off our bags early and hitting the Hike and Tube. It was a short walk (less than five minutes) to the location and easy to locate as it was right on the main road.

I haven’t had that much fun in a long time! The staff were fantastic and hilarious as they spun us down the hill. I honestly don’t know how they don’t go home sore from twirling people all day but it looked like they were having a fantastic time! Our youngest was terrifying me as he was laughing and telling them to spin him more. The ‘hike’ up the hill was short and easy to do for most individuals. Our youngest kept getting free rides up the hill by staying in his tube and getting us to drag him up (oh the joys of being young and lightweight!).

On our second day we were ready to hit the slopes (or in our case the novice course!). Blue Mountain has an incredible novice area with excellent and patient instructors. I would highly recommend if this is your first time trying out the sport to meet with an instructor and have them go over the basics with you – honestly this is so important both for your own enjoyment and for personal safety.

My eldest son took to snowboarding like it was nothing! He was doing his second turn across the open area while I was still navigating how to push the snowboard with one leg and pull my leg across without falling. I could not believe how much work it was – these guys make it look super easy.

It was truly amazing to see the amount of young children on the course. They took to the skiing and snowboarding like it was second nature to them. They were fearless in getting up the mini hills and gliding back down the hill. My son had tried snowboarding before in the past but I was so grateful for all the time and energy our instructor spent on teaching my son the basics. It truly made a big difference.

The Kids at Blue Mountain located out of South Base Lodge is the perfect opportunity for your youngest members (ages 3-5) to learn in a quieter environment with the focus solely on children. A short walk (roughly ten minutes) or you can take the shuttle from the Westin hotel lands you at South Base Lodge and the Kids at Blue Mountain area. The children were adorable as they stepped out on the skiis and up the ‘carpet’. The instructors were fabulous as they came down the hill behind the children holding on to the jacket and guiding them through each stage.

The Plunge Aquatic Centre is located just adjacent to the Westin Blue Mountain. It took us under five minutes to walk there from the hotel. The Plunge Aquatic Centre contains both an indoor and outdoor pool (with access through the pools), indoor water playground, hot tub, rope swings, slides and basketball nets. Swimming outdoors in the cold temperatures (-26C) was an experience to remember. Your face could barely feel the cold but your eyelashes would have frost on them! The steam from the pool would become thick at times and you could sometimes only see a couple of feet in front of you which was pretty awesome! There were plenty of lifejackets and the pool space was quite spacious. Each pool is kept quite warm so you never felt cold.

The Ridge Runner Coaster is an exciting single person (or you can go with your children) that runs through the mountain. The coaster takes you on a 1,085 metres down the mountain. It was fun, scary and exhilarating all at the same time! At times you felt like you were going to fly over the side of the mountain. While I screamed the whole way down the mountain both of my children laughed the whole way!

We also spent an afternoon at Crock A Doodle painting our own ceramic creations. There was a wide variety of ceramic options to choose from and which you can settle in right away. Your creations are left over night and can be picked up the next day after four or for a small fee can be mailed to your home. We just received our creations in the mail today!

Here is a collection of some of my favourite photos around Blue Mountain village:

What are your favourite winter activities? What activity would you love to do at Blue Mountain?

Come back again tomorrow for more Blue Mountain fun!

March 31, 2014

Go Fish! With Goldfish

A week ago, Cathy from Cathy Thinking Out Loud sent me a fantastic activity to play with my children after a conversation we had on Twitter. She created Goldfish Go Fish cards (from scratch I have to add!) for our boys to colour in, cut out and play. We have had so much fun playing with them that I had to share it with you!

For this activity you will need:

blank paper
construction paper (all the same colour, six sheets in total)
crayons or markers
scissors
glue

Directions:

Print out the sheet above. I have only included one of the Goldfish sheets so you can trace the outline of the fish shape and add the following names: cheddar, chocolate chip, chocolate, pretzel, pizza and vanilla cupcake.
Colour in the Goldfish.
Glue the sheet to a piece of construction paper and cut out in four.
Have fun playing Go Fish!

May 15, 2013

Top Five (free!) Summer Activities

Our family loves to get out in the summer – hikes, splash pads, soccer fields just to name a few! Trying to keep the kids entertained throughout the entire summer can get expensive so while I was off on my last maternity leave I did a lot of research into activities I could do with my kids that would be free. I was shocked at the amount of fantastic places there were in my community and surrounding areas!

Here is our top five list of favourite places to go to that have no additional costs.

1. Local library : Local libraries usually hosts a huge variety of events through out the summer. We went to movie days, bingo, colouring contests and live animal shows. My kids had so much fun! Some of the events you have to pre-register for but they are well worth it. More information on the program usually comes out later in June but keep your eyes peeled! They also run a great reading program in conjunction with TD Canada Trust. He would read a book over the week and then go in and tell an older child all about the book.

2. Local splash pads: These provide hours, upon hours of fun! We pack up lunches, extra clothes, sunscreen and spend several hours there. There is a huge list of splash pads that you should really check out. Children love to get out and play, throw in fun splash pads and it is a win-win!

3. Local Beaches: Beach front trails are perfect to walk down during the summer months with their great view of the water and the city. We also love heading down to the beach to throw rocks into the water.

4. Parls: Head out to your local park and get moving. Make up mini Olympic events, play matches but just get active.

5. Hiking: Pack snacks and maybe the wagon for tired kids and get out there and walk!

What are your favourite summer activities in your community?