Scholastic Tales for Tots at Chapters Victoria with Jennifer Ferris and "Good Night, Canada"....and Lego!

This month's Tales for Tots at Chapters was very special! Jennifer Ferris joined us as our wonderful guest storyteller, and we shared "Good Night, Canada" by Andrea Beck. Later, a few of our momstown Victoria moms and kids joined in the Ready, Set, Lego! Spring Break program at Chapters. It was a memorable day and an extra treat for our Lego fans, and we are so proud to continue partnering with Chapters Victoria!

Storytelling is a fun, communal and engaging way of teaching children, and Jennifer's tale of "Pete the Cat - I Love My White Shoes," had all the parents singing and the kids learning their colours! Story time was followed by craft time, which explored this month's momstown curriculum theme - Space. We made an alphabet craft and turned the letter A into an adorable astronaut.

 "Good Night, Canada" is a beautifully illustrated book that will have children wondering and dreaming about the names, culture and geography of our provinces and territories. The pages turn from "east to west, then up to the north to tuck in the rest," and both kids and parents will love to study each illustration together as they say good night from coast to coast. Congratulations to our lucky winners!




momstown Victoria coordinates over 20 events each month to connect and support moms in Greater Victoria! Our 1-year membership is only $45/year per family and includes a BONUS 1-year Today's Parent subscription! Click here to register for a 4-week free trial!

Memorable Ballet Experience with Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes and Broadstreet Dance

momstown Victoria moms, dads, kids and babies enjoyed a delightful afternoon at Music and Movement with Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes and Broadstreet Dance! Our little dancers were adorable in their tutus, ruffles, dance outfits, and even a lovely angel costume, and all of the attendees were treated to a free photo shoot with Lily and Lane Design and Photography!

The children made their own ribbon wands by tying pieces of ribbon to a wooden dowel - a simple craft that brought a lot of joy!

We also made beautiful butterfly crafts with feathers, jewels and sparkle glue.

Two play areas were set up, one with musical instruments and one with a dollhouse, and there were also Barbie™ colouring sheets, activity booklets and a handprint tutus craft!

Broadstreet Dance did a lovely ballet demonstration with two talented young students, followed by a fun and dynamic "Dance to the Music" class that had all of our little dancers stretching, spinning and twirling! 

Congratulations to the winner of our Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes DVD! And congratulations to the winner of our grand prize - a full year's dance class with Broadstreet Dance valued at approximately $700!!!

Thank you to our title sponsor, Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes, for helping momstown Victoria to support local moms, and thank you to Kelsey, owner of Broadstreet Dance, for sponsoring our fabulous location at Dance Victoria and providing the excellent dance entertainment and amazing prize. Special thanks to Nicola of Lily and Lane for taking the beautiful photos and for the countless hours making the gorgeous backdrop and emailing all of the photos to the moms - you truly made the event special! For more event photos, please check out momstown Victoria and Lily and Lane's facebook pages! 

You can enter to win your own copy of the Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes Blu-Ray DVD on our blog, until March 31st!  Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes is an exciting ballet movie in which Barbie™ stars as Kristyn, the hard-working dancer who wows the big ballet company in her performance of Giselle and Swan Lake. Through this journey Kristyn learns that when you dance from your heart - your dreams can come true. You can also buy your own special Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes BARBIE® as Kristyn Farraday™ Doll (2-in-1). Twirl the doll around to reverse her skirt in a magical transformation!

momstown Victoria coordinates over 20 in-person events a month and an online message board to connect and support local moms! Our 1-year membership is only $45 for the entire year and includes a BONUS 1-year subscription to Today's Parent Magazine! We offer a FREE 4-week trial - register today! ;)

momstown Easter Bunny Hop 2013!

Easter craft round-up at momstown.ca

momstown Victoria

EASTER BUNNY HOP!

saturday, march 23rd

10-11:30 am
Pearkes Recreation Centre 
Lam Room

Join us for a fun Easter celebration with crafts, games, storytime and dance party! This event is exclusively for momstown Victoria members, so please sign up for the event on our calendar!

Photography by Lily and Lane

Local Storyteller
Jennifer Ferris

Not a momstown member yet? We coordinate over 20 events each month to connect and support local moms! Our membership is only $45/year and includes a BONUS 1-year subscription to Today's Parent Magazine! Sign up for your FREE 4-week trial and follow us on facebook and twitter for updates and tips!

Meet Nicola of Lily and Lane Photography and Design

Since graduating from the University of Victoria, Nicola has been working as an office administrator for a local landscape architecture firm and moonlighting as a photographer for friends and family. Having grown up in Victoria, Nicola has a great appreciation for the beauty of the West Coast and gets most of her inspiration from the natural world around her. When not holding a camera, she can be found crafting with friends and playing with her dog Rosie.

Connect with Nicola of Lily and Lane on facebook, twitter, and at our momstown Victoria big events!

momstown Victoria is thrilled to be partnering with Lily and Lane as our Official Photographer! Nicola will be joining us at many of our big events, including Music & Movement with Barbie(TM) in the Pink Shoes on March 16th and our Easter Bunny Hop on March 23rd. 

Check out our blog and facebook album to see some of the beautiful moments captured by Nicola at our OverJOYed Baby Basics sponsored by Fisher-Price on March 12th!

momstown Victoria Moms & Babies were OverJOYed at Fisher-Price Baby Basics!

This week our momstown Victoria moms and babies were overJOYed to have Fisher-Price sponsor our Baby Basics playgroup! This special event for our members included a potluck snack, handprint craft, circle time, and an amazing prize draw with four smart and engaging toys from Fisher-Price. Thank you to Nicola of Lily and Lane for making the event extra special with professional photos of our beautiful moms and babies!

Our babies were definitely soothed by the gentle bubbles, soft music and warm lights of the Ocean Wonders Aquarium. The remote control is a great feature for moms and dads, which allows you to restart the toy without disturbing your baby's focus.

This beautiful baby just loves her new Laugh & Learn Click 'n Learn Remote! It sings, plays tunes, and helps baby to learn about numbers, opposites, shapes and more. And it's a great way to keep baby distracted from the real thing!

The Little Snugabunny Cradle & Swing was so plush and snuggy that the mom who won it had her baby sleeping in it as soon as they arrived home!

"Mom, may I have some, please and thank you!" Teaching manners is just one reason that moms enjoyed the Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set, which also helps baby to learn numbers, shapes, opposites and more. Babies can play peek-a-boo with the lid and press the teabag to play songs. 

Thank you again to Nicola of Lily and Lane for capturing the JOY and fun at this event, and thank you to Fisher-Price for helping us to support our local moms by sponsoring our events with high quality, fun and educational toys! 

Not yet a member of momstown, proud partner of Kids CBC and Today's Parent? Our membership is only $45/year and includes over 20 in-person events each month, plus a BONUS 1-year Today's Parent Magazine subscription! Try us on a 4-week FREE trial today!

Be momstown Victoria's Official Photographer!

momstown Victoria has a 2013 sponsorship opportunity available for a 

great photographer that enjoys photographing kids, families and fun events. 

Our partnership package will include:

• a professionals editorial spot in our monthly newsletter (your choice of month)
• an online block ad posted on the momstown Victoria website
• a momstown membership for your family
• planned photo sessions throughout the year (grandparents session, family sessions)
• photographic coverage of at least one momstown weekend family event per month (Valentines, Easter, etc)
• provide professionally-edited photos with time sensitivity to momstown Victoria for blog and social media sharing
• social media sharing of your business website and facebook fan page

If this sounds like a great way to grow your photography business and portfolio, please contact Melissa Hogg for for more information & contract details at info.victoria@momstown.ca.

Please note, this is a business sponsorship opportunity for a professional photographer and not a paid position.

Thanks for your interest and happy clicking!

momstown Little Scientists: Dry Ice Show with Glenn Kachmar

momstown Victoria moms and kids enjoyed an incredible Dry Ice Show with Glenn Kachmar at our Little Scientists program at Saanich Neighbourhood Place! Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, the same stuff in our soda water and which we exhale when we breathe. It is called "dry ice" because it sublimates at a temperature of -78.5°C, meaning it changes directly from solid to gas without going through a liquid stage. The very cold temperature will cause frostbite to the skin, so the children were asked to stay behind a green line of tape for safety. However, we did get as close to being hands-on as possible! First, we took turns blowing on the ice to create large clouds of gas!

Next, Glenn made a Queen and a polar bear wave at us. He chipped a toonie into a block of dry ice, and the coin started to rattle and squeak. Why did it vibrate? One child answered that it was because the Queen was cold and shivering! Actually, the coin at room temperature starts to rapidly convert the ice, and the CO2 gas trapped under the coin starts to push the coin upward, like the lid on a pot of boiling water. Pressing the face of the coin onto the ice even caused a squealing sound. (That poor Queen!) Later, the kids got a chance to press metal spoons onto the ice to feel the spoons vibrate and make the same high pitched sound.

Next, Glen filled about ten plastic film containers with dry ice and secured the lids. Then we sat back and waited as the CO2 gas built up and forced off the lids with a very loud POP! The expressions on the kids' faces were priceless!

Here is a peek at a few more of his exciting dry ice demonstrations:

Glenn can do workshops on almost any science topic that one would teach to elementary or middle school students! Some of his other popular topic include The Human Body, Light and Sound, Rube Goldberg Devices, Chemistry, Force and Motion, States of Matter, Physics, Structures, and many more. He also does birthday parties! Do check out his website to see an amazing slide show: www.somethingincredible.ca.

In March, Glenn will be out of town teaching a workshop (and tearing up some powder in Whistler,) but he has arranged for us to have a substitute! Join us at Saanich Neighbourhood Place on March 28th for Flight and April 25th for Locomotion, 3:30-4:30 p.m. and please bring a toonie donation! And while you're at it, ask about all the other fun stuff that we coordinate for our momstown members, and learn how to register for your FREE 4-week trial!