Welcoming Our New Sponsor: The JCC of Ottawa Day Camps

Kids in the Capital is excited to welcome our new Sponsor: JCC of Ottawa Summer Camps.

The Jewish Community Centre (JCC), located in Nepean near Carling and Maitland Avenues, runs some pretty cool summer camps from July 2 – August 23. The JCC Camps include the Day Camp (age 2-15), the Traveling Sports Camp (age 7-15) and 16 amazing Specialty Camps (age 5-15). Instructional swimming lessons and a daily free swim in their huge outdoor pool are included in both the Traveling Sports Camp and Day Camp. The facilities, including their outdoor pool, grassy fields, full-sized gym and air-conditioned rooms are all kid-friendly, clean and pretty awesome.

Each week of Day Camp offers a fun and fabulous theme. This summer, the kids will Splash Into Summer, go on Captain Jack’s Pirate Adventure, have some Aloha Summer Fun with Silly, Slimy Silicon & Rocking Rhythms, find their Spirit, join the Circus discover Ottawa’s Next Top Chef.

In addition to the day camp, The JCC Traveling Sports Camp offers kids a truly unique summer experience. It’s the only camp in Ottawa that takes campers on a different action packed adventure trip every day. The campers spend each morning at the JCC where they learn about a variety of sports and have swim lessons. After lunch they travel by bus all around the Ottawa area going to water parks, going horseback riding, ice skating and more.

The JCC is also proud to offer a whole slew of specialty camps. Some new for this summer include Band Camp, You GLOW Girl, Boot Camp and The Directors Cut. Returning favourites include Radical Reactions-Chemistry and Crime, Girls on the Go, Powered Up LEGO Camp, Summertime Splash, Horseback Riding Camp, The Great Adventure, Tennis Camp, Soccer, You Go Girl, Basketball, Girl Power and Last Blast.

Speaking as a mom who sent my girls to the JCC Day Camps for many years, the JCC’s mature and highly qualified staff is chosen for their ability to work with children . I saw this every day as my girls ran to greet their counselors each morning and were hugged back in return. The songs, crafts, games and stories they came home with each day was proof to me that I made the right choice in sending my girls to the JCC Day Camps.

I know the snow is still on the ground but the fabulous camps at the JCC fill up early so if you haven’t started thinking about summer yet, you may want to start.

A big welcome to the Soloway JCC!

The Soloway JCC welcomes everyone, regardless of race, religion, or ability. Anyone can be a member and take advantage of our fantastic facilities and outstanding programs.

Product review: Peekaboo Beans

by Lara I started putting Kiernan in Peekaboo Beans when he was one.  My friend Vicky and I had opened an online clothing store and of all the lines we brought in to sell we both fell most in love with that one.

Now, five years later we've gone through a LOT of Peekaboo Beans and I keep on buying it.  Here are my top five reasons for loving these clothes:

1)  They are easy to put on - no buttons or ties means that kids can get themselves dressed without needing a lot of help.

2) They are comfortable. SO comfortable - I never worry about them being cinched in the waist or having buttons or zippers digging in.

3) They have resale value!  I resell my Peekaboo Beans regularly, often for 1/3-1/2 of what I paid for it.  There's a huge market for used Beans.

4) The line is fun.  Kids love the thumbholes and the hoods and the fun patterns.

5) It's cute and stylish and every new season there is something I just can't resist!

The Fall line launches today and they even have a new Tween line this year!

Vicky and I no longer run our online store but she does still sell Peekaboo Beans (she's one of our lovely sponsors!)

If you're interested in finding out more about Peekaboo Beans like her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.  You can buy the line from her or host a Soiree and invite your friends over and earn free product. Soirees are nice casual home parties that you can bring your kids to.

It's a great time to order or host a party with back to school around the corner and Vicky is offering free shipping for Kids in the Capital readers in September - just mention code KICshipping. Go check it out!

Peekaboo Beans is one of our sponsors but the thoughts on the line are all my own ~ Lara

DIY Loot Bags - save money, time and waste

Loot bags present an often frustrating challenge: How do you keep costs down without buying junk from the dollar store that's going to end up in the landfill? You want to be creative and give something useful without breaking the bank.

In this video from Help! We've Got Kids, Tracy Wagman presents simple, quick ideas that won't put a huge dent in your wallet.

We want to hear about your ideas in the comments, so be thinking about that while you watch! :)

What are your go-to loot bag ideas for saving time, money and waste?

*****

This post was sponsored by and originally appeared on the Help! We've Got Kids web site. Go check it out - they're in Ottawa now!

GIVEAWAY: Crafts at Tag Along Toys

by Alicia E and I had the great privilege this Spring to visit Tag Along Toys and choose a craft to test out. In Karen's post in March welcoming Tag Along Toys as a Kids in the Capital sponsor, she took some great pictures of the many sections in the store. I was really excited to see the craft section in person and for E to get a chance to choose a craft of his choice.

We decided on a paper bag puppet craft kit that was age appropriate for a 3 year old.

E was super excited to take it home and get started! With a little direction, E went through the steps of gathering the stickers and cut-outs, gluing them on to the paper bag and the best part - creating his very own puppet show!

I highly recommend checking out all the amazing craft kits Tag Along Toys has in stock for children of all ages.  Thank you, Patti, for welcoming us in to your store and offering us this fun opportunity. We will be back soon for some more crafts!

Alicia is a mother of two and blogs at I Found My Feet.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Patti from Tag Along Toys has generously given us two Alex Craft kits (ideal for preschool age kids) to give away to our readers!

To enter leave a comment telling us what kind of crafts your kids like to do.  Contest closes on Friday June 15 at 5pm and winners must be able to go to Tag Along Toys (499 Terry Fox Drive, Kanata) to pick up the prize.

Good luck!

Her own space

by Amy My husband and I just bought a house. We will be moving in May. This means a lot of purging and a lot of re-thinking. We’re going to have to get organized all over again.

It also means planning my daughter’s room so that it’s something she adores and something she can grow up in – and with a brand new mortgage to think about, it has to be inexpensive. (I would say cheap, but my mother hates that word).

Painting will be simple enough – though right now when I ask her what colour she wants her room to be she says pink, and then purple, then orange and then green.

So now I’m looking for simple ideas to give her a wonderful little girl’s room that won’t cost so much that I’ll feel bad getting rid of it when she outgrows it. Luckily, I have some places to look to help me with my design.

I have set up a board on Pinterest for the new house – I love Pinterest for craft ideas, recipes, and now home decor. One of the things I found there that I’m most excited to use for the kid’s new room is chalkboard paint on one of the walls. I love the idea of giving her some artistic freedom in her own space, but we can also easily paint over it if she wants us to. Pinterest helps me find ideas for decorating, and it also helps me find things I can figure out how to do by myself.

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on UsedOttawa.com, looking for furniture we could use in the new place. It’s a site where we have found great stuff for the kid in the past, and where we’ve sold some of the baby things we don’t use any more. (It’s also where I’m planning on finding a new dining set for us).

I am looking forward to getting tips in the comments on this post for how you decorated your kids’ rooms for not too much money and what’s changed as they’ve grown up.

So please, comment.