Farmers Market with the Children

Taking the children to the farmers market is a great way for them to see how food should really be. Not in tins, not in a room full of bright lights and branded sale signs but a place where you can be outdoors (preferably but not always the case) and shopping how we used to shop. Fresh goods, homemade jams, flowers, herbs (you do pronounce the H in herb!), ice cream, popcorn, kids crafts and if you are lucky there may be some entertainment. 

The weather wasn't great today but who cares? My girls were very helpful picking out the produce, paying for it and carrying it in the bag. As a reward they got some popcorn. 

We attended one of the BC Farmers Market in Coquitlam. There are many around that are local to everyone but I think next time we will try somewhere a little different. I find shopping this way more fun than going to the store plus you need cash and it is much better passing money over, infact it teaches kids that we do not always use cards to pay for things and understand the value of it.

When we returned home I asked the girls to help prepare some of our goods, wash and cut the zucchini, peel the parsnip, prepare the asparagus and place the flowers into a vase. They loved helping and getting involved. Infact they have been very good helpers today.

Where do you shop?

"Can we have ice cream pleeeeeeease? We will try and smile for you."

A discussion on who holds the bag of popcorn.

Cycling

There is nothing more enjoyable than going outdoors and enjoying nature. Recently my eldest has managed to learn to ride without training wheels but this is the first time we have managed to cycle together and we both loved it. The Colony Farm trails are nice and flat and not at all busy which makes it a perfect place to teach the little ones the rules and etiquette of cycling. She loved pressing her bike bell to let people know she was there, she did not like bugs flying near her face which resulted in her falling off and nearly going down an embankment. This is why it is important to be outdoors more, they need to learn to get used to the creatures that surround us and understand that we get in the way as much as they do. She did enjoy seeing the butterflies and the dragonflies not so much the wasps! Once she got over the idea that they are flying past us or just bumping into us she got used to it. It takes time.

What are your weekend outdoor adventures?

A Girls Night In.

The beauty of having two girls is that I get to have a pamper night with them and the older they get the more fun it will be. There is nothing wrong with them experimenting with make-up and beauty products as they get older because women need to know these things. I do not wear make-up all the time and I do not spend ours fawning  over my appearance but now and again I like to pamper myself and now I have my daughters who can join in . Poor daddy gets to sit and watch while we paint our nails (he hates the smell too) and brush our hair and talk nail colours for next time.

The limit for the kids beauty night is bath, hair, nails and tattoos. But for them it is more than enough, it pains them to sit still while their purple painted toe nails dry. 

For myself I replaced the tattoo with a face mask which scared the heck out of the kid at first, they thought I looked like a skeleton. While I waited for the green mud to dry the girls wanted a glittery fairy tattoo placed onto their arm.

Nails

Lovely fairy tattoo

Glittery tattoo

Birthday Celebrations

I am not sure how a birthday ends up being a drawn out week event but somehow we manage to do it each year. Both my kids are summer babies. It is very hard organising parties with school friends when everyone is on vacation so I have to arrange a party for friends before they break up for the summer then one with extended family and a day when we go out as a small family unit. 

A few of the presents

Every girl likes Frozen

Party table

Homemade gluten free cake

Pass the parcel

Some of the gifts

The Love of Reading

Judy Moody and Friends

Robert Munsch

Magnetic book markers

 Gosh! How things have changed. If I had had access to the internet as a kid I would have been glued to it. There is so much information to learn that I think my studies would have been that much better. I think I would have loved reading more too. I say this because there are some wonderful children's book authors who have the most fabulous websites and interactive pages to make the books come alive in a way that I could never have imagined as a child.

The list I have provided is a sample of sites I think are fantastic for kids and not just for kids who love to read but also encourage them to read books more. The authors have excellent reviews from their readers as an added bonus.

I have yet to read any of David William's books but I recongnise him from the television. I also know him from a book that has had great reviews, Gangsta Granny. Check out his site it is wonderfully colourful has videos, games and competitions. You may recognise the illustrator too, Quentin Blake.

Quentin Blake is also known for illustrating books for Roald Dahl. Not only is there a website for Roald Dahl and his books but there is also a museum   which sadly I never got to go to. My kids love The Enormous Crocodile, we use a crocodile puppet and change the names to our kids names and they love it.

Both my children and I love Winnie the Witch. Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul are the creators to these wonderful stories. The books are wonderfully illustrated and the website has printable drawing and colouring activities and party game ideas and how to dress like Winnie. Kids love to dress like Winnie the Witch and have Wilbur the cat by their side.

Robert Munsch. You can't not like his books. His website is fantastic too. The kids love Smelly Socks, Mud Puddles, I Have to Go and more. Our Canadian family whom are mostly made up of teachers love to buy the young children in the family these books. And why not? They are truly lovely stories.

Judy Moody and Friends.  Great reading book for kids who are ready for long chapter books but still want pictures. My eldest has yet to start reading her first Judy Moody and Friends series she has many other books on the go. But from what I can see she will love it.

I want to name more but there are just too many. These are just to wet the appetite for the love of reading.

Science for Kids

One of the birthday gifts my eldest received was a science kit. The science kits are awesome for kids. The Steve Spangler Science creations can come in individual packs or single packs. I have bought these products before and my kids love them. The one my daughter received had a a number of experiments, each one with at least two options. There are crystals that expand but first you need to add the colour tablets in first to colour the water then add the crystals. Watch it fizz, expand and change in colour. There are colour beads that change in different types of light. Snow that expands but it must be measured correctly or it can get slushy! Dry sand even when wet and a dino that expands in water and over a period of time. There is a leaflet that explains why and how it works. 

I give this kit a 10 out if 10. 

An Outing with Friends at Colony Farm

A few days earlier we decided to go out as a group to Colony Farm. It happened to be a beautiful, sunny , bright Vancouver day. Nothing more lovely than meeting with friends and ending with a picnic and a play. 

This time we started off by the communal gardens. 

Beautiful day.

The communal gardens are very well maintained, some grow fruit and veg and flowers. There is a lovely feel to the place and it was a great place to start and end our walk. 

Taking a break.

On our way back, there was some serious conversation going on here.

We ended our walk by the gardens. Thankfully there are toilets and a picnic area with a large grassy area for the kids to play and they are always within eye range. They particularly liked the long grassy area. 

A fantastic day was had by all.