Pregnancy has taught me a lot about food, my relationship to it, and that perhaps my idea of health was little off-kilter. I’ve had a sneaking suspicion for some time now that health has more to do with listening to my body (and not the craving mind – good luck trying to tell the difference!) than eating shredded beets and steamed kale for lunch.
I’ve had many funny moments during my pregnancy where I’ve had to ask some fine establishments if I could please order from their kids menu, as I just knew my body couldn’t handle rich sauces and stocks and too much garlic. The simple foods like grilled cheese and carrot sticks were a saving grace. And when it came time to cook at home, I always went for making the comfort foods. Last week, with fall making its crisp mark, I knew it was time for the ultimate comfort: homemade chicken noodle soup. I’m pretty sure it’s what Superman’s kryptonite is actually made of. Enjoy! Read more...
Toronto photographer Robert Rafton offers a how-to for photographing city-dwelling birds and animals
Growing up in Toronto, I never paid any attention to wildlife. If you’d asked me, I would have said there’s nothing to see anyhow! But when I bought my first real telephoto lens and actually started looking, I found there are all kinds of wildlife city dwellers. If you live in an urban environment, rest assured there are cool animals around you too – including some you’d never guess could be so close. The question is how to find them. Here are five things you and your kids can do to track them down and hopefully get some great shots using your digital camera.
1. Get up at the crack of dawn. Try looking in the largest nearby park, especially one beside a lake, river or swamp. You’ll have the best chance of seeing something right at dawn (sorry) or right before dusk. Read more...
Go on an autumn road trip with the goal of learning something new
School field trips were an excellent excuse to get out of the classroom for a couple hours. If only every day of school could have been like this – learning about something while actually seeing it or even doing it firsthand, complete with a bumpy bus ride.
With a bit of research and planning, your next fall road trip can double as an educational and fun field trip, no permission forms required.
Book a factory tour
When your kid asks you how chocolate, bagels or sneakers are made, you can hit up Google, or you can take it one step further and go straight to the source: the factory where the item was made. Many factories across North America offer tours (just take it from Factory Tours USA or this article about tours in Canada). These tours are cheap or even free, and sometimes they’re self-guided, letting you look at all the cool machinery from a safe distance. Also, if the factory makes food, can you say free samples? Read more...
Sometimes we think certain boy singers are chicks when we first hear them on the radio, then we hear their names and go, “Oh.” It’s a biological thing, and those dudes can’t help it. The fact is that many a male artist is in possession of a trademark lilting soprano until the big P hits.
Unless you’ve been backpacking through South America for the last year, you know that our favourite girly-sounding pop singer is Justin Bieber. We think he is adorable. And when we saw the Biebs live in Toronto last month, we saw many under-10s with their moms and very bored dads. Hopefully, if your kids are fans, they don’t love him to the point of sobbing when they hear one of his songs (though if they do, it might land them a spot on Jimmy Kimmel Live). Read more...
Bunchland is all about making sure your family has the best time, and that includes when you go to the movies. We hate to see you waste your hard-earned dollars (and two hours that could be spent playing outside) on a big stinker of a movie.
On that note, we give you Big Thumb, Little Thumb: video movie reviews from families. Sort of like Siskel and Ebert, but with parents and kids. Once a month, we’ll go see a movie before it hits theatres and give you the lowdown. Did we love it and are we dying to see it again? Or was it a big sucky suckfest that you should run away screaming from? You’ll get a full recap from our trusted panel of experienced film critics. They may not have fancy “film school” degrees or anything, but they know movies. Read more...
When: Saturday, September 25 – Sunday, September 26 at 2 p.m.
Where: Palmerston Branch Public Library (560 Palmerston Avenue)
Price: $10
The details: Every review we read about this one-man show says it is downright hilarious. The show plays out like a school assembly, so that the audience is cast as the school’s students. We seriously really want to go to this.
