momstown Victoria Junior Chef: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

momstown.ca is celebrating its 6th birthday this month, so at this month's Junior Chef program, momstown Victoria moms and kids made these delicious egg and dairy-free chocolate cupcakes! I love doing this recipe with my kids because it only needs one bowl (or try mixing it right in an 8 x 8-inch cake pan instead of cupcakes!) And because it's egg-free, I can let the kids lick the spoon!

Ultra Easy Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Whisk together in a large bowl:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup sugar*

¼ cup nonalkalized cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Add:

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir with a rubber spatula just until smooth. Fill 12 muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cakey part of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on a rack before frosting or sprinkling with powdered sugar.

Variations: 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes - very similar recipe, uses soymilk and substitutes balsamic vinegar instead of regular vinegar. Also adds in 3/4 cup frozen or fresh raspberries and 1/3 cup chocolate chips!

Black Bottom Cupcakes - makes 18 cupcakes instead of 12. In a separate bowl, cream together: 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar and
1 cup chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup halfway, and top with a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes and let cool completely. 

*Is white sugar vegan? Most white sugar from sugarcane goes through a purification process where it is filtered through bone charcoal (animal origin,) so some vegans avoid it. For a true vegan recipe, simply substitute another sweetener and it will be just as good! :)

"Let It Shine" at momstown Victoria Scholastic sponsored Tales for Tots

momstown Victoria moms and kids enjoyed the book "Let It Shine," by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, at this month's Scholastic sponsored Tales for Tots at Chapters Victoria! Bring on the summer with this joyfully illustrated soft-cover book, which follows the adventures of a group of children and their parents as they enjoy their summer vacation! 

Our momstown curriculum theme this month is the desert, so we chose a cactus-making craft that is easy and fun for all ages! Simply take green clay or fun dough and shape it into a cactus. Next, break uncooked spaghetti pasta into short pieces, and stick them into your cactus to make it spiny. And voilà, instant cactus! We also used sandpaper as the base of our craft, and the kids loved to feel its rough texture!

 



















Next month's Scholastic sponsored Tales for Tots is on Wednesday, August 21st, from 10-11 am at Chapters Victoria! Buy a coffee upstairs at Starbucks and then enjoy a free story time, craft and book prize draw while you connect with other great moms in the children's area. Congratulations to this month's lucky winners!

For a limited time only, our low membership fee of $45/year comes with an added bonus 1-year subscription to Today's Parent magazine! momstown coordinates over 20 monthly events in order to support and connect moms LIKE YOU! So what are you waiting for??? Join momstown today!!!

March Scholastic Baby Book of the Month: My First Hockey Book

She shoots, she scores! Or at least, she will when the winner of last month's Scholastic baby book, "My First Hockey Book," by Ian Crysler, gets a little older! 

The bright and colourful photos and the simple action words and concepts make this book a wonderful start to any child's first collection of hockey books. It is a great board book for babies and preschoolers to take with them to watch a hockey game or practice! 

Congratulations to last month's winner! Our momstown Victoria Baby Basics program is designed for all moms with babies aged 0 to 12 months looking to connect with other moms with infants. 

We will be giving away this month's baby board book at Baby Basics: Sharing Circle & Baby Book Club on Tuesday, April 23rd! Like free stuff? Become a momstown member! For starters, you'll receive a BONUS 1-year Today's Parent subscription when you buy a 1-year momstown membership in 2013! Sign up for your FREE 4-week trial today! (If your free trial has expired and you haven't had the opportunity to experience one of our events, please let us know, and we will extend your trial for another 4 weeks!)

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!

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!

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!

momstown Victoria Discovery Field Trip: Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary

Our momstown Victoria Discovery Field Trip this month was to Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary! Our moms, babies and kids were given a hands-on and humourous introduction to each of the creatures that live at the Nature House, beginning with Wrinkles, the resident turtle. We learned interesting facts about turtles, such as that they come out of the lake to lay their eggs on the first hot day in June, and that Franklin is a "fake" because turtles can't remove their shells!

Next, we met Licorice, a beautiful black garter snake. Each child got to hold or touch Licorice (if they wanted to, that is!) The children learned that snakes are dry and not slimy, and that Licorice smells with her tongue and hears with her chin.

Lastly, we met a nice, bumpy, lady toad. We looked at her ear drums and let her sit on our hands, and Scott told us that because she doesn't have an upper bone in her mouth, she uses her eyeballs to swallow her food. Unfortunately, Ms. Toad wasn't hungry for the worm we offered her, so we'll have to take his word for it!

Afterwards we walked down to the lake and fed the ducks with flattened oats bought from the Nature House. We explored the boardwalks and floating bridge, looked for wildlife, and we certainly did find some! We saw a group of lean cormorants hanging out on one of the floating piers.

We had a fun time and some great memories to take with us! Thank you to Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary for showing our toddlers and preschoolers the animals that live at the Nature House. Swan Lake offers a wonderful program called Biology Buddies for ages 4 to 6 years, where kids can learn about topics like Fabulous Fossils, Sounds of Spring, Wildflowers and Bodacious Bugs in a series of 2-hour drop-off sessions. Please check it out, and tell Scott you heard about it from momstown Victoria! ;)

Sign up for your FREE 4-week trial with momstown today, and join us at our next Discovery Field Trip to the Sidney Museum! Our membership is chock full of amazing value, and when you sign up or renew your 1-year momstown membership in 2013, you'll receive a BONUS 1-year Today's Parent Magazine subscription! Contact us at info.victoria@momstown.ca for details.

momstown Victoria Baby Book Club: "Welcome, Baby!" by Barbara Reid

"Welcome, baby, welcome!

All the world is new,
And all the world is waiting
To be introduced to you."

momstown Victoria moms and babies enjoyed circle time together and shared an essential baby board book by Barbara Reid, called "Welcome, Baby." The beautiful message and bright pictures of Reid's trademark Plasticine artwork would make this board book a perfect addition to a baby's first book collection.






Congratulations to this month's lucky winner of our Baby Book of the month from Scholastic Canada! Scholastic also sponsors our monthly Tales for Tots program at Chapters and next month's Mama Book Club at Story Studio. Your momstown membership includes access to these great literacy support programs and so much more. (Plus you get to hang out with the nicest, coolest and smartest bunch of moms ever!!) Try us on a FREE 4-week trial today!!!

momstown Victoria Tales for Tots Welcomes Local Storyteller, Jennifer Ferris

Today at momstown Victoria Tales for Tots we read  "The Very Hungry Bear" by Nick Bland, about a bear who makes a deal with a polar bear. The illustrations are bright and whimsical, and the rhymes and the bolded words help the reader to bring the story to life for young listeners. This is a wonderful book that parents and kids will love to read out loud together!

We also welcomed Jennifer Ferris to our Tales for Tots program! Jennifer has been active for 20 years in schools, at community events, nature sanctuaries, schools and festivals. Through her work and volunteer activities in the community she has used story to engage and entertain pre-schoolers and their parents. This year she has been busy as the president of Storytellers of Canada - Conteurs du Canada but always finds time to tell a story. 






We are so pleased that Jennifer will be sharing her stories with us each month, and today she engaged our group of parents, toddlers and preschoolers with delightful stories about a little bear cub to accompany our book! 

After story time we did a polar bear craft together! We used tissue paper to make our bears fluffy and put stars in the night sky. 

Congratulations to the lucky winner of our book! momstown Tales for Tots sponsored by Scholastic Canada is on the third Wednesday of every month from 10-11 am at Chapters Victoria! Grab a coffee and join us in the wonderful children's area for a story time and craft, and enter our contest to win the book of the month!

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!