The Perfect Backpack

A couple of weeks ago I was on a mission to find the best backpack for my daughter. Today is the first day of her school career. She turned four, two and a half weeks ago, and she will be in school for the next fifteen years. A little daunting for me to contemplate, great excitement for her. She gets to ride on the bus!

When I talked with my husband about getting a school bag for her, he asked if we wanted her to have something different, or a run of the mill Walmart special. My main concern was the size of the bag. Most backpacks are HUGE. My daughter is quite small for her age, plus she is four, so many bags are half her size, and just way too big.

I spent a couple of days searching online for the best reviewed bags for small children. A lot of American companies popped up, and many of the brands are not available to me in stores of Sudbury (L. L. Bean, Beatrix, Land's End). I ended up choosing one of the animal bags from Skip Hop, available at Chapters. This company routinely appears on best reviewed lists.

I loved the designs, and the attention to detail. The zipper pull tags correspond to the animal. For instance, the elephant has a peanut, and the dog has a bone. The bags look well crafted, and they have a padded back and straps. They boast an insulated front pocket for snacks. Plus, they are just plain cute. I managed to convince my daughter to take the blue elephant as opposed to the very pink mouse.

Unfortunately, despite being a perfect size for my daughter, the bag was too small (short) to put her agenda inside. Her agenda is the size of a standard piece of paper, and the bags are slightly shorter than that. Also, it would have been a chore getting her lunch bag in as well. Then, I remembered the scrapbook which would be housing her crafts. The more I thought about it, I couldn't justify keeping the Skip Hop bag. I reread reviews, and actually found people with the same problem. The bag was just too small for school. Still, if you can think of a reason why your younger child might need a back pack, I would definitely recommend the brand.

The following week we were back to the shopping mall, and on a mission to find my daughter something she could take to school. Again, most of the Walmart and Sears bags were too big, and many did not have a padded back. The Hello Kitty one was so big, empty, my daughter almost toppled over when she put it on. I really didn't want to buy a pink Dora the Explorer backpack, but at one point it looked as though it was going to be the one (from a narrow booth in the mall, specializing in bags).

I had thought about getting the Crocodile Creek backpack, also available at Chapters. Reviews said it could hold a three ring binder, but was still small enough for younger children. However, these bags don't have padded backs, and are extremely narrow inside. It would have fit the agenda , but not the lunch bag. If you can put the lunch bag inside the backpack, there is one less thing to worry about losing. The designs on the Crocodile Creek bags are sweet. I liked the simplicity of them. They also have matching lunch bags and water bottles. Mastermind Toys was having a promotion of a free bottle with a bag purchase, in case anyone is interested. I couldn't justify the $26 for such a simple bag.

In the end, I bought her a backpack from The Children's Place. Some people had raved about these bags, and they had been a consideration the first time I went out shopping. The nice thing is that there are two sizes. The smaller size is still big enough to hold her agenda, and the base is wide enough to put her lunch bag inside. She chose a very pink cupcake design, but it suited her. The price was very nice. The tag said $16.99, but they were on sale for $8.99. A steal!

While waiting for her bus, I noticed two of the girls also had backpacks from The Children's Place, but in different designs. And, at the school, many of the students in the yard had these bags. Maybe everyone heard about the sale. So, in the end, my daughter ended up with a run of the mill Children's Place special. However, how long do these bags last anyway? I spent all this time looking for the ideal bag, and in all likelihood, we will have to buy a new one next year, and the next year and the next... Welcome to the life of a mom whose first child has just started school. We are a little neurotic!

Calypso Water Park

Billed as Canada's largest themed water park, Calypso is located about 45 minutes East of Ottawa in the community of Limoges. First of all, this is a very expensive water park. If you are looking for something less expensive, try Mont Cascades near Gatineau. They have dropped their prices since Calypso has opened, and you can get a seaon's pass for the same price as a one day admission into Calypso.

We did not go to Mont Cascades, but my brother in-law was there the week before he joined us at Calypso. He said the facilities at Calypso were much nicer, and there were more things for the younger children to do at Calypso. My children, aged almost two and almost four loved the kid zone at Calypso.

The Zoo Lagoon has six water slides for the little ones, but parents have to wait in the wading pool. The ramp to the top of the slides is such that you will not lose sight of your child. If your child is daring enough to go down the slide without prompting, then you can do this area with one adult. My daughter loved it, but often would start down a slide before the previous child hit the water. The hardest slide to monitor is the tunnel snake, but otherwise the lifeguards were fairly good at letting the kids know when they could go.

My son was content to play with the hoses, and water the pelicans and skunks. He also liked floating in the narrow wading pool, but his life jacket from Calypso was too big. If you are travelling from afar, you don't have to worry about packing your own life jacket because Calyso has them for free. You just need to give them photo ID or a $40 deposit. If you have your own life jackets, you might want to bring them because the Calypso ones don't have the handle behind the head. I saw quite a few parents use the handle to make sure their little ones didn't go flying off the tubes.

The walkways at Calypso were cool in the sun. I was told Mont Cascades was not as comfortable a walking experience. Waits were comparable. Because prices are so good at Mont Cascades, the wait times are 45 to 60 minutes a ride, on busy days. At Calypso, the more popular rides had longer waits. Also, the rides with only one or two runs moved much slower than the runs where mulitple people could go down at once. For instance, the Zoomerang (one slide, bigger rush) moved much slower than the Black Hole (two slides, not as fast going down).

My husband did only one adult slide. He said it was the worst ride ever. If you are going to do only one slide, and don't like being cold, do not pick the Aqualoops. The wait is very long, over an hour. You are under cover, and you will get cold if it is a windy day, or you are still wet. The ride puts you in a tube (not for the claustropobic), and the floor drops from underneath your feet. You freefall for about two seconds, then you go through a slanted 360° loop, and then you are done. There is a minimum weight requirement (99lbs) to ensure you will make it through the loop. If you don't mind the long wait, or the cold, and are a thrill seeker, this is the ride for you. My brother in-law enjoyed this slide a bit more, but had said my husband would probably be very cold. He warmed up in the wave pool afterward.

My brother in-law did Adrenaline. Also a long line time. The lines for the other slides on this tower moved much faster, but they also allowed more people to go down at once. He said this slide was pretty cool, and that he barely touched the slide for the first part of the ride. It is very steep, and very fast. We went on Zoomerang together. It was really fun. We almost touched the top of the slide. It was good for me because I was not feeling courageous enough to do one of the regular water slides, and this one had a double tube. I saw parents bring their small children with them, holding onto the back of their life jackets, so this is something you can do with your brave toddler or preschooler.

All in all it was an extremely positive experience. If I could have spent the whole day floating in the Jungle Run ( a lazy river) I would have done that, but I still had lots of fun taking my son down the tiger slide, and watching my daughter enjoy doing the kiddie slides solo. The heated pools were a nice feature, although the Pirate area was quite cool.

My recommendations: Buy your tickets online so you don't have to wait to buy your tickets. Arrive when the park opens so you can get decent parking, and a good place to sit. It might give you a shorter wait on your first slide too. Someone has to be first in line. Bring your own lunch. You are allowed to bring in a cooler, just no alcohol, or glass. Bring your own life jacket, if you like its features, otherwise, the ones from the park work very well. Expect to wait lots, and just chill. Enjoy your day. Play in the wave pool, and float in the river ( although it is nicer earlier in the day). Remember to stay in the shade and reapply your sunscreen when you are heading back into the water. Drink lots of your own water, the pools are salty. Have fun.

http://www.calypsopark.com/parc-aquatique/en/

http://www.montcascades.ca/aqua/en_home.asp

PS. There are no discount prices for obviously pregnant woman. The park policy is not to have a non rider fee because they cannot guarantee non riders will not ride. I think pregnant women should be the exception. Complain, or send comments to the company with regards to this issue.

Camping. With kids.

I have been looking into buying a new tent for our family. I would like to introduce my children to the world of camping. I have not been camping in nine years. I have not owned a tent in nine years. The last time I went camping was while I was teaching in Monterrey, Mexico, back in 2002.

My tent did not return home with me. It was a good tent, but parts of it were held together with duct tape, and I calculated it would be better if I sold it to a teacher who was staying in Monterrey, instead of having to pay the extra money to bring it home with me, and probably never use it again. I sold it for 300 pesos. I likely would have had to pay $30 to bring it on the plane, so I was actually up $60, in the end.

It was a tent by Eureka. It was roomy, and had a full fly. I had used it on a school canoe trip. I had used it for camping at a weekend concert in Gimli, where I saw Pearl Jam, briefly. I had also used it camping several times in BC, and stayed quite dry. And, I used it on our many weekend excursuions while working in Mexico.

My parents had bought the tent while I was still in high school. It replaced our massive, heavy, canvas tent we used when we were much younger, and our parents still enjoyed camping. I ended up trading a tent I received from my brother for my birthday and Christmas one year for it. The tent he had bought me from Canadian Tire might have been okay, but it didn't have a full fly. I wanted a tent with a full fly.

And now, I am searching for a tent for my family, so we too can experience camping. I haven't decided where we will camp. Next summer, we want to drive out east, to the Quebec Maritime, or Cape Breton. Perhaps we can camp along the way, instead of staying in motels, as we did for our trip west last summer. Santa's Village has a campground. We could stay there one night instead of doing the crazy three hour (one way) drive for a day trip. There is always the back yard. I would like to get a canoe or kayak one of these days, but I really am not experienced enough for that. We might all need to take canoe lessons before we foray into canoe trips.

My first step is to decide what tent to buy, and move on from there. Any advice? I have looked at Canadian Tire. I have also looked at Mountain Equipment Coop, and on the Eureka website. A friend said they really liked their Broadstone, with two rooms. They have since moved up to a tent trailer. My best friend said she bought her tent, with a full fly, at Costco. She too has upgraded to a tent trailer. Another friend, who is an active canoe tripper, and a single mom of one little girl, is still using the same tent she had as a tree planter. I suppose it depends on how much money I am willing to part with. I want a tent that will house a family of four, fairly comfortably, and keep us dry. I would like to spend less money, if possible, but am open to options.

Then, we need to buy the rest of the camping gear so we can truly live outdoors!

No Barney, Wiggles or Doodle Bops in our home.

One day, you are doing dishes in the kitchen with the radio on as your preschooler is playing in the living room. A catchy pop song comes on, and you hear your daughter singing " I like it, like it, come on!". Oh, how cute, she knows the words to popular music. But then, you realize your three year old is singing along to Rhianna's S and M. Not really appropriate lyrics for your little darling.

This got me thinking, what kind of music should our children be listening to? I am pretty sure we listened to songs with questionable lyrics as children. We probably didn't even realize the words had meaning. Songs catch on, usually, because of a melody. Often we have no idea what the actual lyrics are, even as adults. I am pretty sure I am not scarred, or morally depraved from listening to music with explicit lyrics, but we would like to shelter our children as long as possible and keep them...children.

In our home, we listen to a lot of French children's songs. My kids love them. I know it can get annoying for adults to have to listen to " children's" muisic all the time, but we have come across quite a few artists who play catchy songs. There is quite a broad range of music I am willing to listen to, so I am fairly easy to please, but here are a few suggestions.

For the Francophones: My favourite, by far, is Shilvi. My daughter loves her too. She has a lot a jazzy influences, and she references various music styles, and famous pieces. She also has a lot of play on words, so linguistically the songs are interesting. Of course, Annie Brocoli is popular with the kids, and I don't mind her songs. Carmen Campange sings a lot of the traditional songs I remember learning as child, like Bonhomme, Bonhomme Sais Tu Jouer?, so there's the nostalgia factor with her. We also picked up a CD while in France, and it has songs like Une Souris Verte and J'aime La Galette.

If you are looking for free French music for kids, there is usually one or two cable or satellite channels that offer children's music in French or English. Also, Le Loup (Sudbury, Timmins, Chapleau) plays kids music in the mornings on the weekend. We also listen to Espace Musique, on CBC. It is not children's music, but it isn't generally pop either, so the lyrics tend to be more appropriate. Also, you coukd hear Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English music. It is a great way to broaden everyone's musical horizons.

For the Anglophones: We have been taking Kindermusik with our kids four several years, and I have a huge collection of CDs which my daughter quite often asks me to play. (Pas mon oncle Stef, maman! If I happen to have the radio on Le Loup between 3 and 6 pm. Sorry Stephane, she just doesn't find your stories as engaging as the rest of us.) The Kindermusik CDs are quite varied, and there are many different music styles, so my children are being exposed to classical, jazz, country, folk, as well as some traditional kids songs. I also like Here Come the 1,2,3s by They Might Be Giants. Quirky pop bands do great kids CDs. Barenaked Ladies is another great example. For the Kids Volumes 1, 2, and 3 also has kids songs sung by pop artists. And, another option is to listen to CBC Radio 2, for something other than pop.

I have also heard that Mini Pops do sanitized versions of many pop songs. Yes, Mini Pops are still around. Also, Glee versions are a bit "cleaner" too.

What do you listen to with your children? Do you have suggestions of your own?

Which company makes the best bubble solution, or why I love being home with my kids

Yes, it has been ages since I have written on my blog. I was busy working this year, and then June arrived, and it felt like summer already.

I am teacher by profession. What this means is that I spent a year at university learning how to teach school aged children, and this is now my "preferred" area of employment. I also studied biology, and forestry at university, but I do not have my registered professional forester designation, and I didn't do much field biology. I supposed I could qualify myself by saying I am a science teacher, but really, I am currently an occasional teacher, which essentially means I am a Jill of all trades. You want me to teach French immersion, pas de probleme. Phys. Ed., sure! Junior Kindergarten? Bring it on, I am a mother of a two year old and a four year old, I can handle it.

And yet, being an occasional teacher is quite challenging. You are always jumping in midway through the year. You are not sure if you will finish off what you have been assigned to teach. You are taking over classes with someone else's rules. You might be one in series of teachers, and the students no longer care.

I love teaching. I am constantly listening to, and reading about new things I can introduce to students, if I were given the opportunity to actually have a class of my own. But, with declining student enrollment, permanent teaching jobs are becoming harder to obtain, and new graduates somehow get scooped up before me. Former students are often hired to work beside their former teachers. I am not originally from here, so I don't often have that connection to the schools. Also, I have been home with my young children the past few years, and tend to be more constrained with regards to the jobs I can take. It becomes quite a different thing to drop everything at 7:30am when you also have two children to get ready to leave the house, and you have to line up a sitter on short notice.

I have been lucky enough to have a sitter who said I could call her in the morning if I needed her. Usually, I try to line up my work ahead of time, to prevent the morning anxiety. It is even better when I can land a longer term for teaching, because there is much more stability. Regardless, I do love the days when I have the opportunity to be home with my children.

Hence the title of my blog. Summer is upon us. We have had a bit of slow start to the warm weather, but lately, it has been so nice, you have to spend time outside with the kids. One afternoon, my daughter was entertained for two hours, just blowing bubbles. Seriously, I had quite a lot of fun too. Who doesn't like blowing bubbles? Well, it can get a little frustrating when the bubble solution works as well as water!

So far, the best bubble solution (not homemade), that I have come across is called Blast O' Bubbles. We got them at a birthday party. The bubbles last long, and you can make a multitude of them with each dunk. I am not sure if wand shape is a factor too. I do know that the mega bottle of Miracle Bubbles I bought does not work at all. It frustrates my daughter, so we've shelved this brand. Maybe it will work better in the bubble mover, since half of that solution gets dumped out when the kids are pushing it around the yard. Does anyone else have a good experience with bubble solution?

We didn't have much luck with the Walmart big wand bubbles either. The bubbles aren't any bigger because the wand is narrow, and once the solution goes below the opening of the wand, it doesn't function as well. These bubbles also popped quite quickly.

Looking for some more outdoor activities? Water pistols are always a hit, and cooling in the hot summer weather. The latest recommendations from the Health Unit is to stay out of the sun between 10am and 4pm. This can be a bit of a challenge, unless you have a child who still naps most of the afternoon. Find some shade, like that of a tree or an umbrella. We have a large carport, and a garage with two big doors, so we'll hang out under the cover of these when the sun is at its highest. Another fun thing is putting our slide into the kiddie pool. Of course, this only works well with shorter children, but it provides a few hours of splashing fun. If anyone else has some ideas how to wile away the warm afternoon hours, let us know.

I am looking forward to spending lots of time with my kids this summer. Hopefully, I get a job in September, but if not, I get to watch my eldest start school, and could attend her school events. Plus, I get to spend some quality time alone with my youngest. He rarely gets the opportunity to have me alone since he's the second child. Stay at home mom is a very rewarding job.

PS. The U Pick Strawberry farms are starting to open around the area. Where is your favourite picking place?

New focus for the blog

On February 3rd, it will be a year since Nickel City Parents was launched. Also, as of February 3rd, 2011, this will be the new location of Nickel City Parents. www.nickelcityparents.ca was the website I wanted to have for residents of Greater Sudbury, however, it didn't function the way I had intended. I am hoping people will continue to visit us, and discover new activities and events of which they were previously unaware. I still want families to email us with suggestions of activities and events they do throughout the year. The only difference is we are now using Blogger as our "base of operations".

In the past few months, I have not been blogging very much. I was working full time, and did not have as much time to work on the website, and blogging. I am doing this as a "hobby", one might say, but it is something I have a passion for. I want to get families involved in community events. I want the families of Sudbury to interact with each other.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, let me know. I have a Facebook page as well, and often post links on Facebook that were not posted on the original website. We still have the Events and Activities pages. The Recipe page will be up very soon.

Tell your friends about Nickel City Parents. Remember, our new address is now
http://nickelcityparents.blogspot.com/.