kwkids.com Newsletter - September 2008

• Happy Grandparent's Day! Did you know that the second Sunday in September is the National Grandparent's Day that was officially established in Canada in 1995? Let's make all grandparents feel extra special and appreciated on this day! If you would like to celebrate this day by doing something special in our community you may want to take the grandparents on an excursion to St. Jacobs on the old fashioned steam train departing from the Waterloo Station this Saturday at 10am, 12pm and 2pm. Grandparents ride free with their granchildren (this Saturday only)! On Sunday, September 7, The Art Studios on 22 Regina St. N. will be hosting the Grandparent's Day Tea Party. Bring your grandparents and enjoy delicious food while painting your own pottery!
  
  
• The fall fair season is upon us! If you would like to experience a truly historic fair, take a short trip to Doon Heritage Crossroads on September 14. The 1914 Fall Fair will let you experience an old-fashioned fall fair.
  
  
• The annual Mighty Machines Showcase will take place at Chicopee tomorrow, Saturday, September 6 starting at 10am. It will be a safe place to touch various construction and other service vehicles and talk to the people who operate them. Advance tickets are available at local Home Hardware stores. Another noteworthy event for kids who are interested in big machines is the 4th Annual Fire Prevention Week Open House on September 20 from 10am to 2pm at the Waterloo Regional Emergency Services Training Centre. Lots of great activities and demonstrations are planned there along with a FREE BBQ and refreshments!
  
  
• The annual Word on the Street Festival at Victoria Park on Sunday, September 28 is a gathering of authors, organizations and readers who are passionate about the written word. This year it promises once again to be a great family event with chalk art on the street, performances, face painting and more fun activities. For full details on this and other festivals (Applefest, Stratford Garlic Festival, Birtch Farms Apple Festival, Local Motion Festival, The Gig Children's Art Festival, St. George Apple Harvest Festival, Heart & Hand Festival, Everdale Carrot Fest and many more!!), please visit the kwkids.com Festivals page.
  
  
• If you are stuck for what to do on a rainy day with children under the age of 6, consider visiting one of the local Early Years Centres. There are two YMCA Early Years Centres located in Waterloo. One is located at the corner of University and Bridge St. and the other is at 719 Erbsville Rd. The Our Place – Family Resource and Early Years Centre is located at 154 Gatewood Road (corner of Queen's Blvd. and Westmount Rd.) in Kitchener. The Cambridge Family Early Years Centre is located 149 Ainslie St. N. All locations offer many wonderful FREE programs for children, parent workshops, and drop-in play programs where you can mingle with other parents while your kids develop social skills and take advantage of the many resources available to them.
  
  

• Fruit kabobs. Buy some shish kabob skewers and create colourful strawberry, pineapple, grape, kiwi, and apple kabobs which kids can grab and go. Kids have fun making them, as well.
• Ants on a log. Take celery sticks and smear them with cream cheese or nut butter (no sugar added varieties) and sprinkle with a line of raisins.
• Seasoned nuts. Nuts, especially walnuts, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Mix with 100% raw honey and cinnamon and bake at a medium-low setting for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Seeds. Seeds are a rich source of vitamin E and some, like pumpkin seeds, have omega-3 fatty acids and important nutrients like zinc and iron. Roast seeds yourself for extra crunch and less refined salt.
• Veggies and dip. There is no excuse for not having fresh vegetables on hand. Buy pre-chopped, pre-washed bagged veggies if necessary. Any trans-fat free dip is fine. Children need high quality fat for neurological development, and fat helps you absorb many nutrients in vegetables so don't concern yourself over the dip. Carrots and hummus are a delicious combination. Hummus is available in most grocery stores and is rich in protein. Surprisingly, carrots are tasty dipped in nut butter as well.
• Dried fruit. No sugar added of course, and ideally sulfite free.
• Smoothies. Whey or rice protein, berries, plain whole milk yogurt, and water. Other options include: banana, greens powder, peaches. Protein smoothies make an excellent breakfast.
• Rainbow melons. Slice honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon to make a candy-colored natural treat.
• Star fruit sandwiches. Place banana slices between sliced star fruit.
• Trail mix. Mix dried fruit, seeds, and seeds.
• Roll ups. Layer thinly sliced turkey breast (ideally nitrate free), spinach leaves, mayonnaise (ideally soybean oil free) on a sprouted grain or whole grain tortilla. Roll up and slice into tasty disks. Roll ups also work with tuna salad, refried beans, and spreads such as hummus.
• Fruit leathers. A much wiser choice than the exceedingly popular fruit snacks and fruit roll-ups without the added sugar. Available in bulk quantities at Costco. Beware the 'fruit juice' sweetened fruit snacks, if you read the label you will see that there is still a lot of sugar in these—another misleading marketing tool.
• Leftovers

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