Tonic Tuesday Adopt an Animal from the World Wildlife Fund Canada.* Today is the first of our “Tonic Tuesdays” or “Giving Days.” Each Tuesday in Advent, we’ll be making a holiday contribution to our favourite charities or causes. Today, December 2nd, is also Canada’s “Giving Tuesday,” in which people around the country and around the […]
Archive | Social Responsibility
A Little Evening Gardening: Planting Spring Bulbs
I’ve been looking for opportunities to get outside with the kids in the evenings after school in order to shake off the cares of the day and to cure the sniffles [seems everyone has “the cold”]. Now “getting outside” doesn’t always require play or vigorous exercise. Sometimes, gardening is the best medicine! So, yesterday, thinking that we’d […]
March breACK! 2014: Mapping The Ancient Mediterranean of Bearicles [or Shakespeare’s Pericles] Prince of Tyre
Today is the last day of our project of reading and illustrating our March breACK! play, our kid-friendly, animal-populated version of Shakespeare’s Pericles, or, Bearicles, Prince of Tyre. To go along with that, I wanted to have the kids draw a map of Bearicles’ travels in the Ancient Mediterranean. [And, yes, these are the same as […]
Family Advent Calendar, Day 23: Encourage Deep Breathing, Contribute to Cystic Fibrosis Canada
Today, we give to a cause very close to our hearts, Cystic Fibrosis Canada. A contribution to CFCanada funds research to cure or control cystic fibrosis, supports high quality care for those with CF, and promotes public awareness. Click on the image below to be transported to their site. Then, click the “Donate” button to support. […]
Family Advent Calendar, Day 16: Fill a Pantry! Donate to the Daily Bread Food Bank
Today, we’ll be making a contribution to the Daily Bread Food Bank. The kids will bring some cans up to the local grocery, where there’s a box set aside for donations. Additionally, we’ll give online via their website. Click on the link below to be transported to that site!
Family Advent Calendar, Day 9: Give Fruit Trees! Contribute to Plan Canada!
Today, we’ll be supporting families in developing countries across the globe who need a steady supply of nutritious food in order eat, stay strong and grow healthy. These trees will also supply shade and cool comfort in hot climates. We’ll do this by purchasing the trees from Plan Canada’s Gifts of Hope program. You can […]
Family Advent Calendar, Day 2: Give a Bear Hug! Contribute to the World Wildlife Fund
It’s our first Giving Day of Advent 2013! Today, we’ll go online and contribute to the World Wildlife Fund via http://www.wwf.ca.* Our contribution will work to save endangered wildlife across the world, like the white Kermode Bear in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest. On the site, you can make monetary contributions as well as take part […]
The Lunchbox Season’s 10 Best …Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is coming! Here are 9 of our best Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving-Friendly Posts and a bonus 10th contribution from our Sister Site! Just click on the image and be transported!!! Whisky Fig Cranberry Sauce: Break out the Whisky & Cider. Here’ s our original recipe for a cinnamon, whisky, and fig filled Cranberry Sauce […]
Robot Birdfeeders: Make Robot, Monster, or Alien Birdfeeders With Wooden Boxes or Milk Cartons
This Saturday, we had a great time completing one of the tasks on our Fall Bucket List: Building Robot Birdfeeders! Below, I’ve posted a little visual DIY for how we made TWO different types of Robot Birdfeeder. First, we made robot birdfeeders to last at least a decade using sets of wooden craft boxes [3 […]
Exploring Tommy Thompson Park: A Young Explorer’s Notebook Prompt [Free Printable] and A Homemade Video
Last weekend, the family went out for a long, long walk along the Leslie Street Spit in Toronto. This fabulous conservation area is also known as Tommy Thompson Park. Aside from the camera in my phone, we decided not to bring any other recording media with us on our adventures. We thought it would make […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Spirit Bear Stick Puppets and Finger-Walking Bear Puppets
We made two kinds of Spirit Bear Puppets today! Here are our results and a few printable templates for you and yours! Spirit Bear Stick Puppets I’d like to give credit to Dawn over at dragoart.com. Our Spirit Bear Stick Puppets are stylized versions of bears taken from her How to Draw Bears Tutorial: http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/6277/1/1/how-to-draw-bears.htm. Print […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Illustrate-Your-Own-Books, Ahma, The Spirit Bear, Part IV: A Berry Picking Party & What Follows
Ahma, The Spirit Bear, Part IV (Conclusion): A Berry Picking Party & What Follows, A Precis: Mr. Mansm’ hosts a berry-picking party on the extensive guardian-forest-grounds of Gyeksa-Yuup (Peaceful Earth) followed by a trip to a Amap’as (Good-Looking) Hill, for a view of the local salmon streams and a festive picnic. Things are clearly strained, […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Kermode’s Path Math Game
Today, we’re playing another Kermode-bear-themed math dice game. The kids will each get a copy of the sheet and play this with a gummy bear as a game piece and their own pair of dice. When each of them finishes, they’ll get a prize [a few bear stickers]. The instructions: Help the Kermode Bear Fin […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Mooksgm’ol [Spirit Bear] Drum Faces Inspired by Tsishmian Art & the Four Tsishmian Clans
Today, we’re lucky to have papa at home. He and the kids are having a look at drum faces created by Tsishmian artists. A simple Google Image search for “Tsishmian drums” will serve their purpose well. I’m particularly taken with David Boxley’s work [pictured to the left]. The four Tsishmian Clans are represented by a […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Illustrate-Your-Own-Books, Ahma, The Spirit Bear, Part III: In Which Harriet is Saved and Jane Tries Not To Be
Ahma, The Spirit Bear, Part III: In Which Harriet Hooltga Gyemk is Saved and Jane Ha-Liimi Tries Not to Be, A Precis: Hibernation season is over and the spring brings fresh faces to the village of Mayaa’ol, or Bear Berry. Miss Wax’l and her mother have word that their niece, Jane Ha-Liimi [Musical Instrument], is […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Spirit Bear Silhouettes, Two Ways
Today, we created two types of Spirit Bear Silhouettes: The Spirit of the Bear Silhouettes and Kermode Collage Bear Silhouettes The Spirit of the Bear Silhouettes The is a riff on an activity from our Advent Calendar, our Silhouette Self-Portraits. After we read about Spirit Bears online and in books, the kids fill in the […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Illustrate-Your-Own-Books, Amha, the Spirit Bear, Part II: A “Sleuth” of Proposals
“I swear, I have never heard any better sense from any bear under my guardianship. Mr. Yeni-Marten’s a very smart Kermode, industrious, too! He’s done quite a bit to protect our salmon and streams from the men at the fisheries and their lice-infested, farmed spawn. Not to mention his honey, which is a miracle, Ahma, […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Mrs. Haymaadm’s “Salmon” Wedding Cakes [Chocolate Peanut Butter Peanut-Butter-Cup Cupcakes with Pink Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing]
Today, in our Illustrate-Your-Own Book, Ahma, The Spirit Bear, Ahma’s former guardian married another spirit bear and became Mrs. Haymaadm. Here’s the kid-friendly version of her popular “Salmon” Wedding Cakes: Chocolate Peanut Butter Peanut-Butter-Cup Cupcakes with Pink Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing makes 12 cupcakes – recipe may be doubled