Split! Splat! by Amy Gibson - our May Scholastic Sponsored momstown Book

Chapters Brampton provided momstown Brampton with the perfect setting to read Split! Splat! at our Tales for Tots literacy event sponsored by Scholastic Canada.  

All children love learning about the weather and mud puddles provide an adventure all mothers would love to forget!

 

Split!Splat! is the perfect weather book for children. The young audience was mesmerized at the adventures of the storybook characters jumping in the mud puddles, then kicking off their boots and feeling the mud ooze through their toes. 

When reading the story, I often repeated author Amy Gibson’s rhythmic phrases and the children and their moms joined in. Can you say: Splish splosh, squash squoosh, Oochy sploochy woochy woosh! Or how about this one: Swish swish swish swish, swishy swash wish wash! Tongue twisters for sure!  

While we couldn’t make mud puddles at Chapters, we made simple umbrellas to help protect us from the rain. Only a paper plate and bendy straw are required.

 

Punch a small hole in the centre of a paper plate. Colour the outside of the plate and push the straw through the hole. Fold the paper plate in half and secure with a staple. The bend in the straw provides the handle of the umbrella.

We sang an assortment of rainy day and weather related songs, but this one was our favourite:

Come under my umbrella, umbrella, umbrella, Come under my umbrella it’s starting to rain.

It’s thunder it’s lightening the weather is frightening, Come under my umbrella it’s starting to rain.  

This new momstown family won their very own copy of Spilt! Splat! What a wonderful ending to their very first event with momstown Brampton! 

Enter to win the momstown Scholastic book-of-the-month contest.  Our next Tales for Tots event takes place on June 13 at Chapters Brampton. Not a momstown member? Register now for your 6 week trial membership!

Are there Fireworks in Brampton on Victoria Day?

 

The weather-man has lined up a sunny Victoria Day long weekend perfect for family fun! Here are a few highlights in the Brampton area to visit:

 

 Centrally located with lots of free parking, Chinguacousy Park is the perfect place for everyone. There are 2 playgrounds, a splash pad, pony rides, a petting zoo and paddle boats. Campbell Amusements will be there all weekend with the tilt-a-whirl, ferris wheel and other fun rides for all ages.

 

 

 

 

 Downey’s Farm is the perfect setting for the whole family this weekend. Enjoy a wagon ride, playtime at Downey’s Funland and pet the animals in the Kritter Korral. The Market offers fresh locally grown produce, grandma’s famous fudge and pumpkin donuts. Check out the fun momstown Brampton had on their Field Trip to the Farm this week.

The following events are a short drive away:  

HarbourKids - Toronto International Circus Festival – May 18–20

Pirates and Princesses – Black Creek Pioneer Village – May 18–20
Tulip Festival - Royal Botanical Gardens - May 18-19

Giant Pandas Exhibit – Toronto Zoo – opens May 18

  

Fireworks: 

During the Victoria Day weekend, fireworks in Brampton are allowed only on May 20 on properties that are 60 feet wide at the front. Fireworks are not permitted on sidewalks, streets, school yards, parks and public areas. Restrictions on fireworks are in place to protect the safety of all residents.

Visit the City of Brampton website bylaws department for more info.

 

Here are some other locations where you may enjoy a spectacular fireworks show:

 

Canada’s Wonderland – Sunday, May 19^th @ 10:00pm (weather permitting)

Dundas Driving Park – Sunday, May 19^th @ 9:30pm (raindate Monday)

Ashbridges Bay Park – Monday May 20^th @ 10:00pm

 

 

If your holiday weekend finds you travelling to the cottage, or boating on the water, make sure you stay safe and be reminded of these Red Cross safety tips. Why not enter to win a set of 4 lifejackets for your family during National Lifejacket contest!

 

Have fun and stay safe wherever you are this Victoria Day weekend!

Grand Opening of a New Indoor Playland in Brampton: Karebear Playland!

GRAND OPENING!

KAREBEAR PLAYLAND

 

Sunday June 2, 12pm-4pm

Free pizza, cake and refreshments 

KarebearPlayland is a brand new 3 story indoor playground structure providing over 4000 square feet of family fun. It is designed for children up to age 12, holds 200+ children and adults and has a special toddler area. 

Karebear Playland has 3 separate party rooms where you can celebrate birthdays and special events. Drop in play is available during the week and on weekends depending on party bookings.

 

Be sure to remember us next time you’re planning your birthday parties and special events. We have many Party Packages available to choose from that include pizza and beverages

 & even loot bags!

Karebear Playland is a PEANUT AWARE facility. Although we ask patrons to be considerate and PEANUT FREE, we cannot monitor and guarantee to be peanut free.

 

 

 

2120 North Park Drive (Torbram Road / North Park Drive)

905-790-0013

Email: info@karebearplayland.com

 

Hours of operation

Monday-Wednesday: 11am - 8pm
Thursday-Sunday: 10am - 8pm

Intergenerational program with Brampton kids and seniors

Brampton moms, dads, kids and babies sang and danced at the Villages of Sandalwood today. This intergenerational program was a new adventure for the momstown members and the turnout was huge.

The residents of this long term care home are very busy with crafts, games, exercises, bingo, sing-alongs, and outings but they love visitors, especially children and were singing along and clapping their hands in fun with us today.

 

 

We sang the children’s favourites such as the Hokey Pokey, Five Little Monkeys, and If You’re Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands. Then out came the Parachute. Momstown babies were put in the middle and we played Ring Around the Rosie and the older kids loved making waves and shaking the balls on the parachute. Their very favourite activity is the mushroom, where the kids like to sit underneath - this draws such squeals of laughter.

 

 

We thought it was nice to leave a small gift to thank everyone for welcoming us, so the children created pool noodle flowers and presented one to each and every one. This craft was super easy – only 3 materials required: pool noodles sliced 2” thick, stir sticks for the stems and pipe cleaners for the leaves!

 

Then the momstown kids were in for a treat – piano music and more sing-a-long songs – such a fun morning! Thank you for inviting us to Villages of Sandalwood and we’ll be visiting again in June!

Choppin’ Chicken with PC Cooking School

Every time I have done my grocery shopping, I have always wondered about the cooking classes at the PC Cooking School. Recently a group of Brampton moms visited the PC Cooking School inside the Superstore and tried some yummy chicken, salad and um, ok mashed sweet potatoes. You can’t like everything!

At first we started out with learning how to portion a whole chicken properly. It is something I have never done. I always either buy a whole chicken for roasting, or buy it already cut. This definitely was a good learning experience. I can’t say everyone enjoyed the sounds that it made while Chef Jen was cutting through the bones but we all learned something new!
 

 

The great part was they had a large mirror so we could see everything the Chef was doing. So even sitting in the back row, we didn’t miss anything. We all enjoyed some Citrus Marinated Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Baby Greens Salad with Apples and Blue Cheese.

This particular event cost $10 but we received a $10 Superstore Gift Card in return so it was like eating for free! This was definitely a great night out to share with other moms. How can you not enjoy sitting, relaxing, chatting and watching someone else cook dinner? That was definitely a treat!!

The PC cooking school offers many different classes, lots that you can take the kids to as well. It’s a great learning experience for the kids and you can leave the mess for someone else to clean up!! If you are interested in trying a cooking class, check out their website www.pccookingschool.ca for upcoming classes.

 

 

The next PC Cooking School event on the momstown Brampton calendar is from The Insider's Report – the chef will create easy, time-saving and flavourful recipes that are sure to please every palate. (Net proceeds go to PC Children's Charity)

On June 14, come celebrate strawberry season by working with your youngsters age 2-5 in the Little Hands class to create and enjoy some strawberry sensations - an event not to be missed!

Come join a great group of moms in Brampton for only $45 a year! Your membership also includes a one year subscription to Today's Parent magazine - the leading family magazine in Canada.

 

Thank you to momstown Brampton mama Becky for being the guest blogger.

Brampton Moms Play Mattel Board Games - It's Game On!

It’s Mattel Game On! night so let the games begin! The momstown Brampton mamas had a blast playing Mattel’s family friendly games and we even surprised one another with our competitive streak.

Have you played Apples to Apples? Let me give you a brief synopsis. The category is Miserable, the players have to slap down a card as quickly as possible from their hand and try to convince the judge why their card is most appropriate.

For example, our teacher said it was the school bathroom; the mom suffering from gallstones answered operation, and even the Tom Cruise card was played. Who would you pick?

 

Here’s another example: the category is Fuzzy: the answers were airline food, first kiss, Jupiter, coconuts and cold pizza. Actually, all were appropriate answers, but the cold pizza won. I don’t think I’ll ever eat cold pizza again! 

 

 Needle Lit Alex Truck Ash? Yes, I need a little extra cash! Mad Gab made us hysterical! Good thing our kids weren’t with us or they would have seen a different side of their mamas!

 

 

    

  

We played 3 rounds of Blokus and found it quite addictive. At the beginning we helped each other out by making suggestions for the best move, but as we got more confident, we secretly strategized whose territory we were going to invade and furiously slapped our tiles in place!
 

Are you a Socialies, Wittian, Strategicorn or Activituis? Mattel Game On! has developed a Facebook Gameology APP to determine your game personality and how your playing style often matches the games you like to play.I’m an Activituis, and my favourite game is Apples to Apples – perfect match for me!

  
Mattel provided us with cups and coasters for the festivities, and one thing we really enjoyed was the fact none of these games required batteries or electrical cords making them perfect games for the summer patio or the cottage. Skip-Bo and Apples to Apples Dice Games are perfect for the younger age momstown kids.I'm going to take one on the boat in case the fishing is slow this summer.

We had three winners among our group and we decided we’re all going to their homes for the next Mom’s Night In, courtesy of Mattel Game On! Thanks Mattel!

 

Enter to win a Mattel Game On prize pack! As the winner of this prize pack, you will receive 4 board games, 1 card game, 1 dice game, plus some great accessories to help you host the perfect game night. Join the fun, with your own Mattel Prize Pack! 

Quotes of the night:

Games are a great way to get to know people,

Games bring out the ugly side of me,

No matter what the category, my answer is always chocolate chips!

Mother's Day in Brampton

 

Tasty tea and delectable treats were served at a Mother’s Day event for momstown Brampton moms, kids and grandmas. The children created a Mother’s Day teapot card to give to their mom and grandma. I heard many were destined for the mailbox to be sent to grandmas far away.

 

The sponsors who made this event possible were Michele from Mary Kay Cosmetics, Deb from Edible Promotions, Tina from Arbonne, and Monika from Steeped Tea.

 

 

I will try my best in every way,

to be extra sweet on Mother's Day.

But if you become upset with me,

Please relax and have a cup of tea!

 

 

Huge thank you’s to Monika for providing the teapot craft and to Leanne at Jellybeenz who provided us with a perfect setting where the moms and grandmas could relax and the kiddos could play and be happy.

 

 Momstown.ca has more ideas to help create a special Mother’s Day, including crafts, recipes and gifts.

Check out these easy flowers, using coloured popsicles stick as stems & cupcake liners as the flowers!

Baby feet are so adorable – a mama will keep this flower pot forever.

Need more ideas - check out our pinterest board!

For meal ideas, how about creating a special breakfast in bed for Mom?

If you’re planning on a Mother’s Day brunch, why not try out these recommended restaurants in Brampton: Antica Osteria Italina Eatery, La Cappannina Restaurant, The Keg, and The Holiday Inn. momstown Brampton saw us visiting Boston Pizza, Applebee's, Wok of Fame, Spoonfuls and Pickle Barrel. All are great and be sure to phone first to make a reservation. For all the things your Mom does for you, do something special for your Mom on Sunday May 12!

 

 

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