Spring

Earth day – spring-cleaning

How I love spring, especially when you live in a cold climate. You really feel like you are reborn again. There is something special about hearing the birds are back and simply just go out the door without any jacket or layering of clothes. Another thing spring is for me is spring-cleaning in house and out in the backyard. 

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April Showers 4 activities for rainy days

Don’t be sad if it is raining outside; remember that rain is going to give us May flowers. I’m convinced that if it is good for the flowers and the soil it is also good for us. Recently, a magazine interviewed me about how children deal with being outside in all kinds of weather. The question reminded me that I have yet to meet a child who didn’t love puddles. I think children learn from us adults that rainy days and mud are “yucky”. Do you remember your best childhood memory? Maybe it was set in the middle of a big muddy puddle. My favorite memory was making channels and little streams out of puddles.

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Fairy House

Happy Spring everyone!
By Kari Svenneby 

It is finally officially spring here in the northern hemisphere. I have to admit, I feel winter cheated me a bit because Toronto hardly had any snow. Still, I’m happy spring has arrived. Spring flowers and buds on trees are coming and legend says with them our little fairy fiends. I know, beacuse my little girl keeps talking about them all the time.

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Go sugar bushing

Maple syrup
By Russell Gienapp
In the world of food items there are few things that are more taken for granted than maple syrup. How do you explain to a young child the concept of taking 40 bottles of the sap of a tree to get the one bottle of syrup sitting on the breakfast table?

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Safe sunscreen

by Anita Kaiser
As the weather gets warmer and we shed our winter layers many of us forget that sunscreen is necessary even before the scorching hot days of summer.
UVB and UVA protection
One of the most important facts is that UVB rays, which are the ones that most sunscreens provide protection for, are not the only important rays we should be protected from UVA rays penetrate the skin on a deeper level and can react with chemicals already in the skin (even some that are naturally there like B2). Also, UVA damage occurs before sunburn, so you may not even be aware that you are damaging your skin. The best sunscreen is one which has both UVA and UVB protection as well as ingredients that do not break down in the sun and are safe for both children and adults.

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