Shut Up Toys

Listened to a great piece on CBC Radio's Spark with Nora Young about the side -effects of letting kids use DS, iphones, tablets and DVD players to help them cope with down time in the car, waiting in the doctor's office or restaurant, or on the sidelines of their sibling's soccer games. They called them "Shut Up Toys" or "Pass Backs" because you pass them to your kid in the back seat. The gist of it is that if every time your child is confronted with a so-called 'boring' time you give them something to help them cope in the form of a video or a game or an app then not only are you missing a family-engagement opportunity, but you are not helping them learn to cope with times in their life when there is no distraction.You are also missing a chance to teach self-control and self-entertainment.

They linked this piece to a study that talked about the importance of your brain having down time in order to spawn creativity and problem solving and that if you are always receiving inputs from your screen time, in whatever form that takes, you are eliminating a very necessary and very human part of brain activity.

Thinking back on my own childhood, which was pretty 'screen-free' other than TV, I can say that none of my best childhood memories are related to video games, movies or TV shows. My best memories, in many cases, are from times that if I were a child today, might have been co-opted by a hand-held device. In particular I remember a 6 week road trip during which my family drove across the US and back. I was 8 and my sister was 6. Our hours on the highway were filled with games (not the video kind), singing silly songs, watching the amazing sights go by out the window, playing with my sister, and talking to my parents. I wouldn't want to plug my kid into a video game and have him miss all the things that experience gave me.

Just something to think about. You can hear the piece on CBC yourself here:
http://www.cbc.ca/spark/

- Posted from my iPad

Oldie but a goodie

Originally posted about a year ago, but I am making them this morning and thought I would repost in case you missed them the first time around:

Here's a great recipe submitted by a reader who says this went over big with her kids:

Cinnamon tortilla chips with blackberry yogurt dip

2 10 inch (25 cm) whole-grain soft tortillas
1 tsp (5 mL) canola oil
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon

Dip
1/2 cup (125 mL) plain, fat-free yogurt
1/2 cup (125 mL) blackberries or raspberries
1 tsp (5 mL) raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 400º F (200º C). Brush one side of the tortillas with oil. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the tortilla. Cut each tortilla into eight wedges. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Meanwhile, combine the dip ingredients. Using a fork, mash the berries and mix into the yogurt. Serve the chips and dip.

PS - Sent this as a snack for my child's preschool today and heard that it went over BIG! One change though, I used preprepared blackberry yogurt.



- Posted from my iPad

Creature Creations at the Rooms

Sunday, October 30, 2-4 pm
Family Fun
Creature Creations
Turn found objects into fabulous friends in this fun puppet workshop. Participants will turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, bringing to life a plethora of props, objects and inanimate entities.
Presented in collaboration with the St. John’s Storytelling Festival

Spawning Festival

From the Fluvarium:

The 1st Annual Spawning Festival

A two day festival with something for all ages!

Did you know it is Spawning Season for the brown trout? Here at the Suncor Energy Fluvarium we get the awesome opportunity to witness the fish moving into their spawning grounds and even view some spawning activity. The pools are full of fish and there is lots to discover.

Come join us and celebrate the beginning of the city's brown trout's lifecycle!

Saturday November 5th & Sunday November 6th
12:00 to 4:30

(Please note that in the case of heavy rain the event will be postponed to the following weekend. Check on Facebook, Twitter or Call us at 754-3474)

Activities Include:
Special tours of the steams to discover the spawning activity of the brown trout.
Family activities including crafts, games and story time.
Sat. Nov. 5th @ 2:00 - Public Lecture about the Brown Trout by local author Don Hustens.
Sun. Nov. 6th @ 2:00 - Performance by the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.

Regular admission rates apply and your pass is good for the entire weekend!

Find our Facebook page and event: The Fluvarium
Follow us on Twitter @Fluvarium



- Posted from my iPad

Reminder- weekend activities

Here's a few reminders of things happening this weekend:

Boo-tanical Garden

MUN Play Groups

Geocentre Halloween Crafts

The Backyardigans!

The Backyardigans Quest for the Extra Ordinary Aliens: Sunday, November 20th, 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.

“Quest for the Extra Ordinary Aliens” takes the audience on a non-stop musical expedition as The Backyardigans become Daring Detectives, Cookie Security Guards and Space Ace Reporters who travel in hot pursuit of a mysterious space ship and its missing passengers – the cookie-crumbing Aliens! Tag along with the gang and their extraordinary host as they travel to shivering Frozen Toes Mountain, the blistering Hot Footsy Desert, and the volcanic Lost Pirate Island – singing and dancing the whole way!

For more information, visit the box office at 55 Bonaventure Avenue, call 579-4424, or visit http://www.holyhearttheatre.com/index.html





- Posted from my iPad

Get out: gardening

Another activity for getting outside with your kids:

 

I've bought my fall bulbs and I am ready to plant. I think this might make a great activity for my toddler to participate in. It involves all his favourite things, the outdoors, getting dirty and 'helping' mommy. I am going to give it a try by pre-digging the holes and getting him to drop the bulbs in for me on the next sunny, fall day we get.

In the meantime, this got me thinking about other planting and gardening projects that might be kid-friendly. I found a few good links:

The Kids Garden - Winter and Autumn Gardening Projects.

Gardening with Kids

Got any child-friendly gardening ideas or resources to share?

 

(Originally posted in 2010 ...with updates)

It's a wicked good thing

So I made one of Martha Stewart's grocery bag recipes from this month's issue of Everyday Food and thought I would share my adapted version with you guys since it worked out so well and I think I even made it easier. It started by having a Sunday dinner with a roast just a little larger than you need so you'll have leftovers on Monday.

Here's the modified version:

Steak Pizza with Peppers and Onions
serves 4 • active time: 30 min • total time: 35 min

all-purpose flour, for work surface
1 pound pizza dough fresh and ready made (from the bakery section at Sobey's Howley Estate's)
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Leftover roast sliced thin
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers (not green), stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced lengthwise
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup) ( I used white cheddar)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves ( optional)

1 Preheat oven to 475f, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough and place on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Bake until crust is puffed and golden brown, about 14 minutes, piercing large air bubbles with a knife if necessary.

2 In skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium. Add onion and bell peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender and dark brown in spots, 8 minutes.

4 Thinly slice steak against grain. Top crusts with steak, vegetables, and cheese. Bake pizzas just until cheese is melted, 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

per serv: 575 cal; 29 g fat (10 g sat fat); 29 g protein; 55 g carb; 3 g fiber (approx)


The original recipe came from the Martha Stewart EVERYDAY FOOD magazine iPad app. For more great recipes or to subscribe to EVERYDAY FOOD magazine, please visit everydayfood.com.


Sent from my iPad

Grocery Bag

Lots of talk on the St. John's Kid Facebook Page about meal planning and making busy week/work days easier. Here is a link to Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Grocery Bag page that offers five days of meals, recipes and shopping lists to make planning a breeze. You can also use the Everyday Food App.

Circus at the Rooms

Sunday, October 30
1:30 - 2:30 pm
The Brick Bros. Circus
Guaranteed to stimulate imaginations and spark creative thinking, the Brick Bros. Circus is a complete tongue-in-cheek, miniature, one-ring circus, performed by highly trained building bricks in itty bitty sequined costumes. The Puppetmongers Theatre, visiting from Toronto, take the definition of puppetry to its logical extreme, with the most inanimate of objects performing in the most active form of theatre.
Tickets $5, free for members. Presented in collaboration with the St. John’s Storytelling Festival

Cygnus Gymnastics

Here's a link to what Cygnus Gymnastics has available for kids including a drop in program. It's good to know what indoor activities are happening around town as we head into our long, wet, cold winter. :)

Follow

If you followed St. John's Toddler and haven't signed up to follow St. John's kid, please consider it. If you are new to the site the advantage of following is that Followers are automatically entered for prize draws and I hope to have a contest before Christmas. See the follow link in the side bar.


- Posted from my iPad

Family Book Binding

Sunday, October 23, 2-4 pm at the Rooms
Family Fun
Book Binding
Have a story to tell? Why not put it in a book? Bring the whole family to build and bind simple books – the perfect keepsake for an imaginative mind.
Presented in collaboration with the Writers Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador

Halloween Safety

The Canada Safety Council offers web resources for ensuring a safe and happy Halloween.

Enjoy your evening with your little ghosties and goblins!

Family Fun Days at the Rooms

The new schedule is up and I will post on these weekly as well.

Congo Week

Here's an interesting invitation I received and thought I would share. It looks like a great opportunity to expose your kids to another culture and benefit a good cause at the same time:

Saturday, October 22 · 2:00pm - 5:00pm

 Location St. David’s Parish Hall,

98 Elizabeth Ave

The Refugee & Immigrant Advisory Council (RIAC) is partnering with various community groups to plan Congo Week activities in St. John’s, Newfoundland: Breaking the Silence! A family-friendly benefit concert highlighting Congo/NL group Xpress Musica, performances from African youth in the province and a keynote speaker originally from the Congo: Benoit Mukendi. All of the money raised will go towards the Friends of the Congo organization to support the costs of their projects in the Congo and their global mobilization campaign.

The Saturday event will be family-friendly if you wanted to bring the kiddos. Here is the facebook link for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123310994443733

Tis the season for Christmas Cards

From the archives with updated information, originally published in October 2010:

I know, I know, It isn't even Halloween yet! But if you want custom cards, best to start planning them now, what with printing and shipping time and needing to get them in the mail in early December.

I haven't ordered custom cards before, but I did order the cutest little return address labels one year before our child was born and whimsically put all our pets' faces on them in Santa hats. By Christmas two of the pets had passed away and it turned my merry a little morbid.  So much for my attempt at holiday humour. :(

I do send old fashioned Christmas cards every year and try to take the time to write personal messages or at least send photos of our family along. Who doesn't love finding something in the mailbox besides bills and pizza flyers!

This year I am contemplating sending photo cards. Here are some options I found:

Little Star Greetings

Pink Dot Design

Walmart Photo Centre

UPDATED 2011 - Do check out Minted too! Their selection is fantastic.

Any advice, tips or other holiday ideas are always appreciated!

Mile One Skating Schedule

Here's the link to this season's skating schedule.

From the Archives - No knives required

Since I started this blog three years ago and didn't have nearly so many followers back then, I have decided that I will repost a few things here and there when the timing is right. With that in mind, here are some links for some toddler-friendly pumpkin making ideas. No knives necessary! Originally posted in October of 2010

My kind of Mom Blog - Decorating Ideas for Young Children

HGTV - No Carve Pumkins

Good Housekeeping No Carve Pumkins

Boo -tanical Garden

From MUN's Botanical Garden Facebook Page:

Families are invited to celebrate Halloween at MUN “Boo-tanical" GARDEN

Saturday & Sunday, October 29 & 30 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Join us for a fun weekend of Halloween arts & crafts, story time, puppet shows, and face painting. Come on a special Halloween nature hike with our education staff and explore the Batty Bat Trail and Halloween Discovery Path. Discover why bats, owls, crows, spiders, and even witches’ brooms are not all that scary once you get to know them. The exhibit area will feature special Halloween displays.

A weekend of fun for young children and their families, including crafts, stories, special Halloween hikes and much more. Children in costumes admitted free.

Fee: general admission rates (low season rates in effect). Children in costume enter for free! Free for members of the Friends of the Garden and MUN students.

For more information, please visit the web site.

Family Meal Planning

I have posted on this before, but it has come to mind again because my days (and nights) have been so hectic lately. I love to cook and I try to ensure we eat healthy and whenever possible we all eat together. This is a difficult combination to achieve at the best of times, and when both parents work, the only possible way to make this happen is meal planning. As I pointed out before, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine has a handy meal planning feature called Grocery Bag which includes five days of meals and their recipes and a tear out-shopping list.

I have also decided to try this meal planner app called Relish ... I will let you know how that works out after I give it a go. It isn't free, but it is pretty cheap if it does what they say it can.

Allrecipes.com also has meal plans and an app called Dinner Spinner which has good reviews and I will give it a try as well.

I also heard about this idea of spending one day cooking a month to make a month's worth of freezer meals and I found this interesting site: Once a Month Mom

Family Photos

I received the following email and thought I would share:

 I recently started my Photography business after studying Photography for almost a year. I wanted to make getting photographs affordable for people (as over the years I myself had spent a lot in getting professional photos done for my children). I can work with any budget.  If interested my contact info. can be found at: www.samiahusainphotography.com I am also looking to photo-shoot a "Mommy to be" for free...if she would agree to have a few photos on my website!

Get crafty

If you are crafty or are totally not, but enjoy other people's crafty -ness, then here is a reminder about the Christmas Craft Fair... coming sooner than you think! The Craft Fair is back at the St. John's Arts & Culture Center from November 9th-13th, 2011. 

A fun idea might be to have your kids make Christmas crafts that they can give as gifts or pretend to sell at their own 'craft fair.' Most grandparents would be willing purchasers of kid-made crafts I would think! :)

Pumpkinfest update!

From Lester's Facebook page:

VERY IMPORTANT!!!! Due to the Expected weather on Saturday, Pumpkinfest will be moved to next Saturday October 22!!!

Reminder: Free dance performances

Don't forget this weekend is the Festival of New Dance and Corpus is performing at various locations around the city. Here's the email I recieved to promote this event:

Hi Erika,

I came across your blog because I’ve been trying to get the word out about the Festival of New Dance (Oct 11-16). Part of the Festival includes performances from Toronto dance company, Corpus. They’re known to lots of kids across Canada as the stars of Treehouse TV’s 4-Square and they’ll be performing free shows in public places as part of the festival. On Friday, October 14^th they’ll be at Atlantic Place at 12:30 and 2 and then on Saturday and Sunday they’ll be performing at the Avalon Mall at noon and 1:30.

Corpus will be doing two pieces, and I’m sure they’ll both appeal to children. They’re funny, slapstick romps – in one (Les Moutons) the dancers do a studied impersonation of sheep complete with being shorn, a wolf attack and lots of bleating. The other, A Flock of Flyers, has the company performing aerial feats as if they were planes but, of course, without the planes.

Here’s an example of Les Moutons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC2Qd3isCuA

And Flock of Flyers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urp2SIJhJJ4&feature=related

I think that these events will be really amazing for children, they’re free and it’s an unexpected and really funny introduction to the world of dance. Corpus have performed all over the world and we’re really lucky to have them in St. John’s for the festival. I hope if this interests you you will consider mentioning it in your blog!

Thanks so much!

Never too late?

I should of posted this on Thanksgiving weekend, but in the meantime, if you are looking for a great book to help your kids understand a little more about the meaning of "thanks," here is one I found that is pretty easy to read and fun: The Awesome Book of Thanks . Maybe order it in time for next year?

Drop-in activity programs

Just a reminder as the days get cooler and wetter there are drop-in activity options both free and fee around town. One of the free ones on weekdays is at the Newfoundland Sports Centre. Check out their Active Start program here. I will post some of the other programs in the coming days.

Fire!

It is Fire Prevention Week and this year the theme is "Protect Your Family from Fire," so it is a great time to make sure your smoke detectors are working and practice your family's fire escape plan... you have one right? If not you need this.  Fire drills with your kids can be fun and might save their lives too.

There are some other useful family fire safety fact sheets here and the Sparky the Fire Dog kid's web site is here.

You can also visit the Central Fire Station on Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Get out!

I have a friend who says "Get out!" when you say something she can't believe. If she was a doll with one of those strings you pull to make the doll talk, this is what you would hear. It's like her personal slogan.

It occurred to me it is also the perfect slogan for my campaign to keep getting my family, and maybe yours too, outside all fall and winter.

Here's are some outdoor suggestions from my friend:
... I was just reading your article about getting outside this fall and have a couple of ideas to add:
-Our kids love going for a walk downtown after dinner and before bed, even when the shops are closed. It's a great way to wear off some energy (because they seem to have a surplus off it just before bedtime) and to see some interesting people and sites. It's never dull in downtown St. John's, no matter what time of day.
-Our kids are rarely up after dark but now that the days are getting shorter I'd like to take the kids on a bus trip at night. Our kids love bus rides so I thought they'd really enjoy seeing the city at night. Plus being up after dark always feels like a treat.
-Fall is the best time of year for hikes. It's not too hot and we're not trudging through snow. We're lucky to have one of the best trail systems in the country so my plan is to enjoy them more this fall.

- Posted from my iPad

Family Tree

When I was a little girl my father used to anthropomorphize everything from animals to trees. I remember one particular tree near my grandmother's cottage on the Humber River It was to the side of a mossy path in what was to me an enchanted forest. My dad called it 'Old Man Tree,' if I recall correctly, and he would pat it and talk to it and encourage my sister and my cousins and I to do the same. He tells me now that this went against every child-development and progressive education recommendation of the time.

As we got older this induced much eye-rolling, but now I fondly recall that walking in the woods with my Dad was a magical experience. That familiar tree became a home base and a marker when we were old enough to walk in the woods alone. It was a safe place. A place to go to get away from parents, the world, and to retreat into our imaginations.

Recently my father has introduced my son to a big old rock in the woods by his house. Her name is Norma. I am hoping my son and she have a long and meaningful friendship. I also hope I can visit Old Man Tree again someday and maybe take my son along.

- Posted from my iPad

Ghosts of tissue paper past

We made these as a part of our Halloween decorating activities. They are toddler - friendly and environmentally sound as they are made of recyclable tissue paper left over from wedding/shower/birthday gifts from years gone by. Too krinkly to be reused, but perfect for ghosties. Just ball up a wad of tissue for the head, wrap another, smoother piece over it and tie at the 'neck' with twine or a hair elastic and use markers to decorate the eyes etc... Hang where you please or use as a toy.

Good gear

I ordered these MEC Surplus Pants for my kid because the reviews sounded so good. I will let you know if they live up to my expectations.

If you know of some good gear or clothes and want to share your tips, please comment here or on Facebook.

Something new

I am always dismayed when my kid won't try something new at dinner time, but he's a kid and he's got lots of time to try new things, so I try not to pressure him. When grown ups won't try new things I am more than dismayed. I am discouraged. I am disappointed. I mean they are GROWN UPS. What's the worst that can happen? I suppose you might not like the taste or the texture and you might have to choke it down politely like so many other things we grown ups have to choke down (both literally and figuratively)... Big deal! Nothing new there.  But there's always the chance that you might actually love the new thing and you could be missing out if you don't even try. Some things need time to grow on you too. No one can tell me they loved coffee or beer the first time they tried it. Sometimes you need to try and try again. Of course this is not to say you will like everything you try. You won't. I certainly don't and I don't expect my kid will either, but at least when I say I don't like something I have a leg to stand on because I actually tried it.
I feel strongly about this because I think food can be stimulating to brain as well as palate. It can open up whole new worlds and cultures and at a fraction of the cost of an airplane ticket. It can help build bonds with your family and community. It can challenge you. You can learn new skills from cooking methods to eating with chopsticks. It can bring pleasure. These are the things that motivate me to keep putting new things in front of my son at dinner time.  Seeing him discover a new taste or texture makes the effort worth it and I hope that he comes to enjoy the adventures that food can bring as much as his father and I do.


- Posted from my iPad

Boys Clothes

I haven't been able to pull off the clothing swap yet, but I have some good toddler boys clothes someone might want for this fall /winter. It would be a shame to leave it in storage for another year... And selling it will help me fund this year's winter gear for my child. :)

For example: MEC toaster snowsuit 18 mos blue $50 and matching toaster booties $10, two Lands End winter coats size 2t for $25 each, Helly Hansen 2 piece snow suit size 1 (from Outfitters), J Crew and LL Bean Sweaters for $10 ea and numerous pants, shirts, pajamas, and shoes.

All items have been worn by one child and most are like new. We have a smoke - free home.

If you have a baby or toddler boy size 6mos to 2T and are interested in seeing what I have, use my blog email address and we can arrange something.


- Posted from my iPad

Fluvarium Kids Club

Received this email today from the Fluvarium:

The Legend of Lenny the Leaf at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium!

Why do only some trees lose their leaves?
Why does the forest turn such pretty colors in fall?
Hear the Legend of Lenny the Leaf and come on a journey through the forest in Newfoundland's most colorful season.

Saturdays & Sundays at 1:30pm
October 1 - 30, 2011
Program runs approx. 45-60 minutes

This Fluvarium Kids program is Family Fun and includes an outdoor component, game, story and craft!

Fluvarium Kids programs are complimentary with admission.
Ask about our Annual Family Pass for only $35!
Fluvarium Kids Club Weekend Programs. Have you heard? Kids ages 5-10 and their families are invited to join Fluvarium Kids!
Receive updates, collect stickers, and earn a Fluvarium Kids Fresh Water Friends certificatewhen you attend sessions in four different months!

Register today with Denise or Tracy:
754-3474 or dhennebury@fluvarium.ca



- Posted from my iPad

Mouse in the House

Now that we have a kid in the house we try to make the most of the holidays like Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other excuse I can think of to decorate and celebrate with excessive food and drink. My rule is that you can start decorating on the first of the month of any holiday. To me any earlier is too early and any later hardly gives you enough time to decorate and enjoy it before you are hauling it all down again!

So this past weekend was Halloween decorating and I thought I would share my favourite, easy-peasy, Martha Stewart decorating idea. I do this every year and my toddler gets a big kick out of it. It is also simple enough that he can help and inexpensive enough that if the mice get wrecked from rough toddler play, what odds? It always gets comments from our trick or treaters!

You can get the clip art from Martha Stewart's web site here.

 - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pumpkin Fest

Lester's Pumpkinfest

This year's Pumpkin Fest is October 15th, 2011
Each year Lester's Farm partner with the City of St. John's REAL program to host the annual "pumpkin Fest". The event provides an opportunity for the general public to participate in an afternoon of family fun and unique games and activities. Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes.

Family Book Club

During Rob Lowe's interview with Oprah a few months back he talked about how he and his now teenage sons have a sort of family book club. (God help me if you don't know who Rob Lowe is, but in case you were born under a rock...) They all get copies of the same book and read it at the same time so they can talk about it together. He didn't describe it in much more detail than that, but I think the kids implied that this is something that they have always done. I think this is a brilliant idea and I shared it with someone on Twitter the other day who thought so too. My child is three, so story time is its own sort of book club, but I am excited about doing this when he is older. I would  love it if we were able to pick books that me and my husband and my son could all enjoy and I think the sharing of them would help make it more fun. I also think talking about books together would be a great family-bonding activity and maybe a way to introduce challenging topics and discussions as your kids grow into their teens and life gets more complicated.

I share this with you guys now in case you have kids old enough to give this a try, but I think we'll be waiting a few more years before I can try it. I am starting to draft my book club book list now though.

If you have a family book club, or decide to give this a try, be sure to let me know. I'd love to hear about it.

Guest post today on The Petit Cadeau

Read my guest post on loot bagless birthday parties here.

Wise words

I am not exactly the 'inspirational quote' type person. I don't have posters of kittens hanging off chin-up bars in my office imploring me to just "Hang in there!" However, when I saw this on the web last week I thought it was worth sharing. The source is someone I respect and the message is something to keep in mind when you are helping children cope with various life lessons and a good reminder for us adults too.

If you have a quote you live by, I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment here or on the Facebook page.

- Posted from my iPad

Book club countdown

Just a reminder that the book club meeting is on October 20th, 2011. I hope you are making good headway with The Help. I am halfway through and enjoying it, although I can't say it is exactly a fun read. The issues it tackles are upsetting.

The Rooms Fall Programming

Feeling like you want to expand your mind and get out in public with grown ups? The Rooms has a great series of engaging evenings lined up for the fall.

The Weekly tots program on Tuesdays is back as well.

Check out the Rooms web site for details. Hope you bought that family pass with the Groupon from a few weeks ago.

Geo-ghouls?

The Geocentre appears to be planning some Halloween activities in October. Check out their calendar. I will keep you posted if details emerge.