Bunchland

Robyn Knickle shares stories from Hamilton, Ont.

There are a lot of really great things about Hamilton.  A great arts community, beautifully architectured buildings, and a ton of green space and hiking trails; the list could go on forever.  Some of my favourite things here, however, are the parks.  They are big, historic and so much fun for everyone, especially kids.

We’re within a 10 minute walk from Gage Park, which has two play areas, a splash pad, a band-shell, a baseball diamond, a squash court, a greenhouse and plenty of space for a picnic.  You can normally find us there, but this weekend we wanted to shake things up, so we headed to our amazing waterfront for some some fun at Pier 4 Park.  Read more...

Get outside, give a little, have fun

You may not be able to give up your day job to start your own rooftop farm this spring. That’s OK, we get it. But, you and your kids can still get into some meaningful, super fun activities that help improve your community. Unleash that pent-up cabin fever, soak up that vitamin D and build some character. Here are some ideas that are cooler than a bake sale:

1. RESTORE A COMMUNITY MURAL

Teach your kid about creative and constructive graffiti with first hand experience! Community murals involve not only artists, but require a solid clean-up crew, restorers and photographers. There are a ton of ways kids can get involved in the process. Murals are usually done by schools, community centers, or summer camps. Find out if your local community centre has anything on the docket for spring. If they don’t, or don’t know any other local organizations that are painting this spring, they might be up for organizing a restoring event for an aging mural in the ‘hood.  Read more...

Naturescape playgrounds are making waves in Canada

So long, plastic, steel, and confined sandboxes. Donnan Park in Edmonton is raising the bar for playground design. It will become Edmonton’s first “naturescape” playground, part of a growing trend in playground design.

Kids will use the good old fashioned modified natural world as their stomping grounds – giant logs and rolling hills will be climbers, a slide will be built into a hill, and a sideways growing tree and boulder spiral will enliven the space. Of course, there will also be plenty of plants, trees and greenery.  Read more...

A list of awesomely playable cities from KaBOOM!

Can you and your kids walk to a playground? If you’re in the States, you’re in a very lucky 20 per cent of the population who can. And because that statistic needs some serious work, KaBOOM has released its fifth annual list of playful cities. Is your city playful?

KaBOOM found 151 communities that have “demonstrated creative commitments to addressing the Play Deficit.”

We don’t play enough. It used to be seen as a luxury and something to be done only after all the day’s homework was completed, but we’re seeing more and more that play is essential for learning and physical activity.

Here’s what some of the Playful Cities are doing:

• In Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead, the tri-city community is throwing a StreetsAlive! festival where city streets in all three cities get turned into playstreets.  Read more...

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

I like to think of myself as a social person. I have no problem chatting with strangers at a party. Stick me at the wedding table with the randoms and I’ll be busting a move to Beyonce with my new friends before the bouquet toss. But talking with other parents while I’m out with my toddler is something I haven’t quite mastered yet.

Some might think that having a child makes you less social because you’ll be staying in a lot more. Sure, you probably won’t be bar hopping with your friends every weekend, but you will be going to the park an awful lot, and you will be talking with other parents.

Jr. loves seeing other children and has no problem going up to them. His version of being social is squealing and flapping his arms around. While this goes on, I talk to the adult that is accompanying the child my son is flapping for.  Read more...

Above: crowds at the cooking fire festival in 2004

Mad love goes out to Dufferin Grove Park in Bunch’s home city of Toronto as one of the best urban community centres going. Thanks to the work of an awesome bunch of community volunteers, and an organization that isn’t (there are no formal meetings, no committee structure, no charitable status) called Friends of Dufferin Grove Park, the park’s rink house is always abuzz with activity.  Read more...