SavvyBlog

Topic —  Family Fun

St. Patty’s Day

March 16, 2010
Robyn Burnett

Pocket

They say on St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish. So in celebration of that,we wanted to suggest a few fun things to explore on Wednesday. After all, St. Pat’s Day is all about luck, and we could all use a little of that (as well as a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, of course).

So here are some quick and easy ways to celebrate.

Go Green
Pull out all that green clothing from your closet and make it a green-themed day. Make dinner all about green goodies (it’s a great way to get the kids to eat those veggies!). Add a little Dr. Seuss to your world and create green eggs and ham. Or simply add a bit of green food colouring to those mashed potatoes. Food colouring also works well to transform white cupcakes and icing into green goodies, and for good measure, add a chocolate coin on top!

Try Your (Craft) Luck
The nice thing about St. Patrick’s Day is that there are lots of great themes to work with. Rainbows, leprechauns, four-leaf clovers… all of them can be transformed into fun crafts. Consider making rainbow-beaded bracelets (with a few gold beads thrown in for good measure). Take the idea of ‘green’ to heart and recycle an old cardboard box to create your own painted rainbow, clovers or gold coins. Large yogurt containers can become the top part of a lucky leprechaun hat. Place the wide brim on a piece of thick cardboard and trace a circle. Then, trace a wider circle around that. Cut out both circles and slide it down over the yogurt container until it’s down at the bottom like the brim of a hat. Paint everything green (or use construction paper over top). If you’d rather, transform the containers into special lucky ‘pots’ by painting them black. You can use them for the hunt below.

Hunt for Gold
Who says Easter is the only time you can go on a chocolate treasure hunt? Hide some gold-wrapped chocolate coins around the house and send your kids off with their own pots (see above) to collect them. Or make it a bit more savvy by creating a series of four-leaf clovers out of construction paper. Add a riddle to one that leads to somewhere in the house, where a second one is hiding with another clue, etc. The final clue can lead to a special spot where your pot of gold treats is waiting. 

Or, you could simply ad a bit of flare to your dinner (Irish stew, anyone?), then sit back and relax with the family with a St. Patty’s Day-themed movie (Finian’s Rainbow, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, The Luck of the Irish) and a mint-flavoured hot chocolate.

In any case, we wish you lots o’ luck this St. Patrick’s Day.

How do you celebrate the holiday?

Topic —  Family Fun

Victoria Day Weekend Ideas

May 20, 2010
Robyn Burnett

Pocket

With the long weekend approaching, you’ve quite possibly got your calendar full of activities to explore locally with the kids. Or maybe you’ve got some time planned out for a nice brunch with the family, followed by some low-key outdoor fun.

Or maybe you’re in a total panic because you’ve got three days with the kids and you haven’t got any plans whatsoever.

Here are some fun ideas I like to do—most come from memories of my own childhood.

1. Pull out the old clothing. Okay, so why is this fun? Because if you pick up some dye at your local craft store or Shoppers’ Drug Mart, you can easily have fun tie-dying those faded T-shirts and giving them some new life.
2. Start planting. This is one of my fave activities that yields fun results. The best part about gardening (aside from getting all mucked up), is choosing what you’re going to grow. If the kids have a hand in this, there’s a chance they’ll keep helping out as you go along. Get started by planting fresh herbs in small pots.
3. Create your own show. Whether it’s with puppets, or just a fun talent show, getting theatrical is always a great way to bond with the kids.
4. Trade-off activities. This can be a fun way to get to know your kids and vice versa. Everyone has to pick a favourite activity of theirs (that fits within a reasonable time frame and has minimal to zero expense). Then, you take turns doing each activity. From making muffins, to having a video game challenge… the fun part is trying to choose an activity that the others may not have ever done. If you’re having trouble deciding, write a whole bunch of ideas down on a piece of paper and cut them into small squares to fold. Throw them in a hat and pick them out one at a time!
5. Visit a new neighbourhood. It’s easy to get caught up in our usual routines. Sometimes it’s worth taking time out to explore a new neighbourhood, or even a nearby small town you’ve been wanting to visit. Consider it a family ‘adventure’ into new territory.

When all is said and done, there’s always firework displays to enjoy! How do you like to spend your long weekends?

Topic —  Family Fun

A Celebration of Green

March 16, 2011
Robyn Burnett

Pocket

In February, we ‘heartily’ celebrate all things red (and shades thereof) for Valentine’s Day, so it’s only fair that we turn to its complimentary colour—green—for the month of March.

St. Patrick’s Day is more than just leprechauns, rainbows and four-leaf clovers (although let’s face it, no one is going to turn down a little luck if they can get it). It’s a fun mid-month holiday even if you’re not Irish—and an automatic, activity-themed day if you’re looking for a break during the school ‘break’.

So we say ‘go green’ here at SavvyHQ. Here are five quick and easy ways to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day.

1. Green it up. Green food colouring is a fave when it comes to March 17. For the little ones, why not make ‘green eggs and ham’ for breakfast? Or have an adventurous day eating all green food (read: a great way to get your kids to actually eat those leafy veggies!). You can always hit McD’s for a Shamrock Shake as a treat for dessert—yes, they are back for the holiday! And after the kids have gone to bed, you can treat yourself to a green beer (or just skip the food colouring and enjoy a traditional Guinness).
2. Go on a hunt. After all, those leprechauns are out searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so why not take your little elves out on a fun geocaching journey. Or create a scavenger hunt at home using everyday items or dollar store shamrocks and have a pot of (chocolate) gold coins as a reward for your team.
3. Celebrate spring. There’s a belief that St. Patrick’s Day became so popular in North America because of its proximity to the first official day of spring. So if the weather is nice, why not head out into the garden? Start clearing it out in preparation for planting (or maybe even plant a couple of flowers if it’s mild enough). It’s never too early to foster a love of nature in your kids.
4. Have a rainbow activity day. Pick a bunch of small, easy-to-do activities (baking cookies, going to the park, playing a board game) and make sure that each child—and yourself—all have a pick. Write each down on a different coloured card. Put the cards in a ‘pot’ and take one out to start. Go through the day choosing a new card after you’ve finished the previous activity. You’ll be surprised how ‘ordinary’ things become extra fun when they’re chosen in a game format.
5. Wear a touch of green. Make it nice and simple by having some fun picking out ‘green’ outfits (or at least a little bit ‘o’ green) the night before. If you can’t fill the day with St. Patrick’s fun, at least you’ll be sharing it in spirit!

So we wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and lots of luck over the year!

Topic —  Family Fun

Zoo Story

July 13, 2011
Robyn Burnett

Pocket

Anyone who knows me and my family knows that we love movies. Our home is a virtual video store dating back to the classics. So needless to say, as soon as our daughter was old enough to sit through a movie at the theatre, we were the first in line for tickets and popcorn.

Zookeeper, starring Kevin James and Rosario Dawson, and featuring the voice talents of Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Adam Sandler, Nick Nolte, John Favreau (and more), hit the theatres this past weekend. The story follows Griffin Keyes five years after he’s dumped by his shallow girlfriend, and is now the head zookeeper, loved by staff and animals alike. He spies his ex again during his brother’s upcoming nuptial celebrations and decides to try and win her back—with the help of the talking animals in his zoo and an attractive zoo vet. He soon realizes, however, that the true loves of his life are his job and the beautiful vet who appreciates him for who he is.

Part romantic comedy, part kids’ film, Zookeeper flips back and forth from Griffin’s quest for love and his funny antics with the animals. Moms will appreciate the romantic comedy side. The animal antics are cute—but the fave definitely involved the gorilla and a night out at T.G.I. Friday’s.  There is no rude, silly humour and as always, the animation was wonderfully done, so don’t be surprised if your younger kids begin to expect their zoo friends to speak up on your next visit to the zoo.

Zookeeper is best for school-aged kids who can handle sitting through the romantic scenes waiting for the animals to return.

And that’s the whole (zoo) story.

Zookeeper is currently in theatres across Canada. For more information, visit Sony Pictures.

Topic —  Family Fun

A Magic Quest

January 26, 2012
Robyn Burnett

Pocket

Last week, I went on an exciting adventure.

After a lovely banquet with princesses and kings, my three year-old daughter and I travelled through enchanted woods and forests with our wands, discovering magic crystals, opening up treasure chests filled with gold, collecting enchanted runes and taking instructions from a wizard. Oh, and there was a fire-breathing dragon as well.

And no, we weren’t in our living room playing pretend (as fun as that can be).

We had the privilege of experiencing MagiQuest, a new adventure available at the über family-friendly Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls. The first of its kind in Canada, the MagiQuest adventure is an interactive role-playing game that includes a variety of quests that you can go on as a family, or send your older kids on by themselves.

What did Ally love? Her magic wand caused amazing things to happen—chests opened to reveal surprises, fairies spoke to her, crystals glowed and she got to go on an interactive treasure hunt taking her from one floor to another until she completed her ‘task’.

What did I love? Aside from the simple ‘cool’ factor that came with the design, I really appreciated the fact that the game included a multitude of quests, meaning that it wasn’t something that could be finished in an hour and easily forgotten. Even cooler, the wands have a virtual memory, allowing the player to continue on their quests during future visits without having to start from scratch again.

Keith Simmonds, the General Manager of Great Wolf Lodge made a point of sharing how the MagiQuest adventure fit perfectly with the lodge mandate in helping to “create family traditions, one family at a time” and I have to agree. I wasn’t the only parent enthusiastically waving a wand at the walls and other objects. In fact, my mother (who came along for the adventure) spent the evening poring over the quest book to determine which one to try in the morning. 
In short, it looks as though Great Wolf Lodge and MagiQuest is about to inspire a new generation of wannabe wizards (move over, Harry Potter).

And okay, I liked the magic wand too. The only trouble I had was when I brought it home and pointed it at all my dirty laundry and piles of dishes, nothing happened. I’m hoping that they can work on that for the future.