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| Welcome... |
to Greater Toronto's comprehensive online directory for kids & families. |
» Help!... We’ve Got Kids is the premier online children’s resource directory for the Greater Toronto Area.
Comprehensive categories range from Birthday Parties, After School & Weekend Activities, Attractions & Family Outings, Camps and Education to Childcare, Parent & Tot Programs
and much more that you and your kids will enjoy.
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| get listed / advertise |
 If you provide a product, service, activity or program for children, you are entitled to a FREE listing in BOTH the online and print directories.
Logo & banner advertising options are also available.
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| also in print |
 An annual publication targeted at parents, grandparents and caregivers in the Greater Toronto Area. Only $7.95 in stores everywhere or click here to order.
Almost 400 pages with >2000 listings in 45 categories AND a coupon section with thousands of dollars in savings. |
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| latest additions to our listings ...view all |
| Conex Health Services |
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 | TEL - 416-786-7200 | visit website | |
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 A Registered Nurse (RN) provides the home visits to prenatal and postpartum clients. The home visits are for anything from prenatal classes in the comfort of one’s own home, to visits for breastfeeding support, mother and baby health assessments and much more! Breast pumps available for rent also. |
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| Oma Mary Handmade Gifts |
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| | TEL - www.omamary.com | visit website | |
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| Our 1 meter square blankets grow with your babe, making them perfect for toddlers too. They are handcrafted with care and finished with a simple but distinguished crochet edge. All proceeds are used to make blankets for children in need. We work with organizations to provide blankets to tramautized, neglected, and impoverished children. While you wrap your beautiful babe in our blanket, know that we are wrapping those less fortunate. |
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| Stick It! Gymnastics Club |
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 | TEL - 905-879-9898 | 676 Westburne Drive | Vaughan | visit website | |
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| Stick It! Gymnastics Club brings fun, family, and fitness together. Our specialized programs and state of the art 10,000 square foot facility create a superior fitness experience for all ages. Programs offered: Gymnastics Classes, Birthday Parties, Camps, Yoga, AND MORE!!! |
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| Be A Lunch Trendsetter |
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| by Lisa Borden | August 26, 2010 | visit website | |
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Making your lunch at home and taking it each day to school or work is not about carving love notes into a banana peel or cutting sandwiches into cute little shapes, it's simply about being better to our bodies and better to our planet.
Follow these 6 shopping suggestions to help you navigate the aisles, build a great pantry and be a lunch trendsetter.
1. Buy in Bulk...or avoid all individually packaged items. Try a full size container of organic yogurt over conventional single servings. It's only a myth that it's easier and quicker to pack an individual granola bar over a handful of pretzels. It's not only healthier, but you will be surprised when you add up the savings.
2. Buy Fresh...and organic and local if you can. It improves the nutritional quality of your food and tastes better also. Let your spouse and kids shop with you. (Many of you are probably rolling your eyes and are ready to dismiss everything written at this point, but stick with us). The real trick is to shop the outside perimeter of the grocery store...think about what you buy from the middle aisles (packaged foods, food wrap, chemicals).
3. Read your Labels...because a long list of ingredients often indicates the presence of questionable chemicals - MSG (yuck!) has so many ways of disguising its name, you would not believe the products it is found in. Take extra time to think about each item before you put it in your shopping cart even if you are in a rush to get to carpool or home to your couch. If you can't pronounce the ingredient, you shouldn't be using it, and certainly shouldn't be ingesting it. If you spend the time, you will find a healthier option, with fewer ingredients for all of your favourites (if not, find a new store!).
4. Resist the Marketing...Virtually all foods marketed to children and adults alike are low in nutrients and high in calories, salt, saturated fat, and refined sugars. As parents, we don't have Dora, Scooby-Doo, pop celebrities, sports stars, contests, prizes, surprises or the latest market research tools to help us persuade our kids to eat their fruits and vegetables. As shoppers, we are also programmed to look at what is not in our packaged food, over caring about what is in it. Trans fat free? Why was there trans fat in there to begin with? And, just because something has a green health seal on it, does not mean it's certified healthy by anyone but the company making it.
5. Stop Making Garbage...This is even more important than recycling…why use in the first place? A waste-free lunch means you have no packaging to throw away when you're done -- nothing other than apple cores, banana and orange peels or cherry pits.
6. Find a Champion…or be one. Inspire your workplace to institute rules about take out. Ban the disposable coffee cups and bottles of water to start. Take action at your school to reform the food served and the way food is brought into schools or workplaces. A passionate, informed, persuasive and committed champion can be an effective cheerleader and major force in creating healthier and happier communities.
You are making an impact with your choices whether it's negative or positive. Choose to make a positive impact and watch how others follow. We know that you will set a trend in lunches for 2010-11 by choosing your lunch profile (or a combo of multiple ones) over the next pages!
Lisa Borden is an eco-advocate and mother of three, whose business is a direct reflection of her commitment to better, more responsible living. She is a dedicated workaholic, admitting that it takes a lot of time and effort to change the world, especially in her non-preachy, fun, engaging and inspiring ways. Lisa consults, writes, engages the media, runs private workshops, and enjoys speaking to large and small groups. Her full-service marketing firm, Borden Communications + Design Inc. is based in Toronto and takes great pride in being an ethical business providing exceptional ideas. You can sign up for Lisa's rants and raves at www.bordencom.com , follow her on twitter @lisaborden or reach her directly at lisa@bordencom.com. |
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| 3 Part Series - organizing artwork |
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| by Linday Harris | August 26, 2010 | visit website | |
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What to do with the artwork?
Getting organized for the new school year is in full swing at our house. For a three and a half year old and a 20 month old (both are going to nursery school) this really only involves buying new clothes for the eldest and some for the youngest and labelling everything! While this is not the full back-to-school prep people of older children go through, there is something we all have in common once school starts and that is answering the question: What do we do with all the artwork?
I don't know about your kids, but mine are mass producers of artwork. When we do art projects at home, the girls go through pages and pages of drawings and paintings before they are finished. Add to that what they bring home from school and we have a major clutter situation. Some of the artwork is easy to throw in the recycling bin but a lot of it is hard to throw out. I have come up with a few solutions which I will share with you over the next few weeks. Here is Number 1:
1. Use art as art is intended: Frame it!
When decorating Ainsley's big girl room, I went through the pile of art we had accumulated and picked out three of her drawings and framed those using inexpensive Ikea frames. I love the look of them and Ainsley is very excited every time I remind her that she drew those pictures. I will do the same for Juliet once we have a collection to choose from. What a great way to boost self-esteem by showing them that what they have created is special.
Editorial provided by Lindsay Harris. Lindsay is the Owner of Glow Baby - For the Organized Family www.glowbaby.ca. Glow Baby products are designed to help parents stay organized through all stages of parenthood making family life easier. She is also the proud mom of two beautiful daughters ages 3 1/2 and 20 months. |
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| Art-on-Wheels |
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| | TEL - 905-597-2209 | visit website | |
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| A new, innovative and one of a kind company. Services include: mobile art classes for any age, Birthday Parties, Bridal Showers, Baby Showers, After School Programs and more! Delivering services which will provide hours of unforgettable fun for your kids, family and friends. |
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| Mathematics - Developing Spatial Skills |
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| Plus 223 Education - The Algo Club | August 4, 2010 | visit website | |
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Making It All Fit: Developing Spatial Skills
Do you enjoy putting together jigsaw puzzles? Could you build a birdhouse without consulting any instructions? Can you “see” what a flower garden should look like before you plant it? If so, you likely have strong spatial skills, a component of geometric thinking. Children develop spatial skills - the ability to visualize how objects, images, and relationships fit together - through hands-on games, puzzles, and learning activities.
To help your child develop spatial reasoning, use materials that can be moved, separated, and put together. Soon, your child will use mental images to “see” how objects can be manipulated.
Your child will eventually apply his learning in “real world” situations. Provide spatial tasks such as: Draw a picture of how the furniture in your room might be arranged differently, so there is more play space on the floor. Learning activities such as these help your child grow as a mathematician.
PLUS223 EDUCATION is an educational service company based in the Toronto area, designed to deliver the Algo Club programme, a weekly after-school math programme for Grade 1-6 students, at different locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) - Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, and Richmond Hill. The Algo Club programme focuses on fostering children's mathematical thinking, reasoning, analytical, and communication skills through uniquely designed games, puzzles, and activities. www.plus223.com |
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| Associated Hebrew Schools |
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| | TEL - 905-889-3998 - Admissions | Bathurst & Wilson (Nursery - Gr. 5), Bathurst & Centre (Pre-Nursery - Gr. 5) and Bathurst & Finch (Gr. 6 - Gr. 8) | Toronto | visit website | |
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| Starting in preschool, Associated's rich academic program teaches the art and skill of learning, empowering its students to flourish as accomplished students and proud Jews. Our community is inclusive to children from all religious, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. |
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| Maureen Turner, My Functional Family | September 2, 2010 | visit website | |
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When my husband and I decided to blend broods, we knew it wouldn’t be easy. There are so many factors that had to be taken into consideration.
Our biggest concern was our different parenting styles. I had to promise to be a little more tough and Tom had to promise to be a little more lenient... or so we thought.
Once we had moved in together, I was determined that I was not going to let
Tom down. I turned into this monster. It was horrible. It just wasn’t me, and then I noticed that I was being tougher than Tom.
We had changed roles, and I was completely unhappy... and the kids weren’t enjoying it either. I was on them about anything and everything, and Tom’s kids were starting to be afraid of me. It wasn’t a good situation.
I have since softened, and although I have come to love having rules and boundaries, I have also realized being true to myself is more important than anything else. I can follow the rules without being militant about them, and we can have fun even when following the rules.
I didn’t need to change and neither did Tom. What we needed was to agree on some household rules and be consistent with the kids.
Now that the rules are in place and we have established that, no matter what the rules are at anyone else’s house (other parents and even grandparents included), the rules at our house remain the same.
This consistency has helped us to give our kids the stability they need to flourish and grow, and it has improved our relationships with one another. |
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| | TEL - 905-856-2364 | 8611 Weston Road Unit 28 | Woodbridge | visit website | |
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| The Party Closet offers a “personalized” celebration that will make your occasion unique, memorable and exciting. We think that your special day should be all about you. That is why we will work with you to customize a party around something that is special……an experience that you and your guests will find extraordinary! |
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