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Browse the business directory by age group:
► prenatal,
► babies,
► preschool,
► school-aged.
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Find upcoming events & programs :
► art classes,
► cooking classes,
► new parent,
► parent workshops,
► PD day programs,
► performances,
► playgroups,
► prenatal,
► ... and much more.
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kwkids.com Newsletter - June/July 2008
Happy Father's Day!
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Featured Activities & Outings for June & July 2008
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Chirping birds, the abundance of sunshine, trees in full bloom, places to explore – outdoor playgrounds, splashpads, nature trails... In addition, there are so many fun events & festivals going on this summer that it is tempting to stay in town and do it all! We are truly lucky to reside in this wonderful area called the Region of Waterloo!
- Check out the June At a Glance or July At a Glance pages if you'd like to see a quick overview of events taking place during these months.
- The Waterloo Arts Festival taking place this weekend at the West end of Waterloo Park promises to be a lot of fun for kids of all ages. Come and enjoy entertainment by acrobats, jugglers and circus artists and take part in hands-on activities & workshops.
- The Art Studios on Regina St. in Uptown Waterloo is open every day this summer for those who’d like to try their hand in painting pottery. No experience or appointment necessary! They also regularly host various fun events including their Amazing Art Summer Camp. The Art Studios is currently soliciting feedback from existing and new do-it-yourself painters. For a limited time, if you e-mail them your comments, feedback and/or testimonials, you’ll receive a $10.00 Gift Certificate as a thank-you for your effort.
- Join the fun at the Waterloo Public Library during the Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 21 from from 10am - 1pm! Their special guests (Crumbly the Clown, Performance Artist Deb Lloyd, Waterloo firefighters and their emergency vehicles, Antique fire engine (1950's), Waterloo Regional Police, O.P.P. Motorcyle Policeman, Antique police car, 'Old Blue'. ) will provide great family entertainment.
- For those girls and boys who appreciate the power of big machines, there are many opportunities to get close to them this month. You can sit and watch bulldozers pick up scoop after scoop or attend one of the official events where you’ll be able to watch and touch big machines.
- Saturday, June 14: the Grand Opening of a new fire hall in Kitchener (1440 Huron Rd.)
- Saturday June 21: The City of Waterloo Open House (265 Lexington Court)
- Sunday, June 22: the Fire Department Headquarters Open House in Kitchener (9270 Strasburg Rd.)
- This July enjoy free family entertainment in front of the Kitchener City Hall during the annual Toonie Tuesdays. (Donations of a toonie are appreciated.)
- The local conservation areas host a variety of organized programs for nature enthusiasts. For details, please visit the kwkids.com calendar.
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 Happy Canada Day! Celebrate in style! Please check out our Canada Day Events page for ideas. Do you know of a Canada Day Event that we are not aware of? Pleas email us about it or click here to let us know through our online form.
- What is summertime without berry picking? Our own favourite place for the short and sweet strawberry season is the Organic Oasis Farm store in Amulree. For other locations check out the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! map that can be picked up from convenient locations around town. Please visit the Foodlink website for a list of map distributors. Our proximity to farms is another reason why KW is the place to be!!
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Summer Camp Guide
The camp season is almost here! For last minute camp ideas, please visit the kwkids.com Summer Camp Guide.
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Green Tip
Take your unwanted or burned out compact fluorescent bulbs to Home Depot for recycling instead of throwing them in the garbage!!! They have a collection bin for them.
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Take Action!
The Ontario Government is currently in the process of implementing a pesticide bill (Bill 64). While it is a great step in the right direction, it has loopholes. If you care and can spare a moment, please visit the Pesticide Free Ontario website or write to The Honourable Dalton McGuinty requesting a strong pesticide ban than includes golf courses (part of the father’s day gift – who wants our dads to walk through and breathe in pesticides while playing the game?).
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Ask the Pro - Family Finances Specialist
 The kwkids.com Family Finances Pro Steve from Bentley Financial returns with important information for parents. Visit the Family Finances & RESP page for more questions and answers on family finances.
June/July 2008 Question: How do we start to teach our children how to be smart and save their money? We wish we had some better role models when we were younger.
Answer: ‘It took me two years, but I finally saved enough to buy it!’ These are the words to me when I walked through the front door from a client’s 10-year-old son, announcing the purchase of a new bike. Adam’s parents have taught him about the value of money. When he achieved his first goal, he was proud.
Many parents spend time teaching their children how to play sports or stay safe. If we want our children to be financially responsible adults - set goals, manage their money and achieve their dreams – we must teach them how to be smart savers. Here’s how to start:
Teach your children sound financial values. That will help them to become adults who can manage their finances confidently. Focus on honesty, self-discipline, responsibility and sharing.
Allow your children to make their own decisions. Give them an allowance, provide guidance regarding spending and saving, then leave them to work it out. The allowance should cover enough for regular expenses and some discretionary spending. Discuss the different ways of spending and saving money. If your children spend their allowance on treats and don’t have enough for pizza at school, don’t bail them out. Their decisions have to have consequences.
Allow children to participate in the family’s finances. Discuss how Mom and Dad work for money and what they buy with that money. Address what the children are expected to buy with their allowance. When writing a cheque for a school trip, explain the concept of the money behind it. Involve everyone in decisions regarding major family purchases (e.g. ‘Do we buy a new TV or do we rent a cottage next summer?’)
Discuss the differences between wants and needs. Provide opportunities (e.g. washing the car) which will enable them to save more money. Offer incentives such as, ‘If you save half the cost of the ticket, we’ll give you the other half.’ This provides extra motivation and encourages children.
Help your children set and achieve age-appropriate goals. An 8-year-old won’t understand saving for university, but can learn to save for a video game. Help them set up a bank account and explain how interest works and how savings grow over time.
Discuss money with your children when they express a desire to buy something. For example, when on vacation, rather than repeated requests of ‘please buy me this,’ give your children $20 each and tell them it has to last for the entire trip. This will initiate a new learning experience: when the children see something they want to buy, tell them what the item cost and how much money they would have left. They quickly learn the value of $20!
By teaching your children to be smart savers, they will be able to experience the joy of using their own money to go on that dream vacation or buy their first home with their own down payment. The confidence of a secure financial future … what better gift can you give them? For more ideas or if you would like further information, please email Bentley Financial at info@bentleyfinancial.ca or call us at 519-404-4864 (1 888 88 BENTLEY toll free).
| Ask the Pro - Naturopathic Doctor
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 Dr. Joanna Thiessen George Street Naturopathic Medicine answers another question asked by one of the kwkids.com visitors. Visit the Ask the Naturopath page for more questions and answers on naturopathic medicine.
June/July 2008 Question: I am wondering about vitamin D for my children. I have a 3 month old baby boy and a 4 year old girl. I have heard that vitamin D is important for their bones, but I'm not sure how much to give them. Do I still need to use it in the summer?
Answer: Thank you very much for your great question. Vitamin D is a hot topic these days, with recent research that has shown it is very beneficial not only for building bones, but also for preventing cancer and auto-immune diseases. I definitely recommend giving vitamin D to children. There are not many food sources of vitamin D, so it is difficult to get enough through diet alone. Fish does contain some, particularly fish livers (a popular dinner item for most families, right?) Egg yolk has a tiny bit, and there are small amounts in beef, pork and lamb. Dairy products have vitamin D added to them, and so do rice, soy and almond milks. Vitamin D is also made in our skin when we are exposed to the sun.
In terms of how much to take, that really depends. Breast-feeding moms need about 2000-4000 IU per day in order to increase the amount of D in their breast milk. In the summertime, if your kids are outside a lot and not always covered in clothing and/or sunscreen, then they June not need to take extra D in the summer. If you are very concerned about protecting them from the sun and don't let them out of the house without sunscreen, you would want to continue supplementing through the summer as well. I usually use 1000 IU per day with babes and children, but of course, it is always best to visit a registered health care practitioner who can take a full history and prescribe accordingly. I am not a fan of the vitamin D supplements that you buy at the pharmacy - most of them contain sugar and artificial colour. I use a product that is pure vitamin D mixed with sesame oil, and in only 1 drop you get 1000 IU.
In health,
Dr.Joanna Thiessen (ND, Doula)
Disclaimer: The information presented herein is not a prescription and does not substitute the consultation of a health care practitioner. |
Have fun this summer!
Jana
Tel: 519-571-8827
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