Canada Day is July 1st

What you need:
- White paper
- Crayons of various colours, one must be black
- Paper clip or used up pen

Directions:
- Colour a design on the white paper with various colours of crayons. Be sure to color darkly.
- After the page is all coloured in, colour over the whole thing with black crayon. Press down hard so all of the other colours are covered by the black.
- Use the paper clip or pen to scratch out your own fireworks.

Canadian Rock Painting

What you need:
- A smooth, flat, elongated pebble (clean it)
- Pencil
- Red and white tempera paint
- Brushes
- Acrylic varnish or other shiny finish (optional)

Directions:
- Choose a smooth, flat, elongated river rock and clean it.
- Paint the rock's top white. Let the paint dry.
- Paint red stripes on both ends of the rock.
- Paint a red maple leaf in the white central area.
- Option step - paint a shiny finish, coat with an acrylic varnish after the paint has dried completely.

Car Seat clinic Saturday, June 27th at Oxford Learning, Rideau Town Center, on Gore road off hwy 15.
9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Free

Paper Butterflies

What you need:
- paper
- scissors
- glue
- pencil
- decorations or colouring supplies

Directions:
- Fold the paper in half.
- Draw two circles, one smaller than the other.  Both should overlap the fold line and each other.
- Cut along the dark line. But don't cut along the fold line.
- Cut out different types of decorations for your paper butterflies and glue them on the wings or colour the butterfly wings with different patterns.
- Cut a thin piece of paper for each antennae.  Scrap scissors along the paper to curl it.

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day is June 21st

Origami Tie - great for decorating a card or putting on wrapping paper. Directions can be found here.

Hand Magnets

What you need:
White card
Poster paint, felt tip pens, crayons or coloring pencils
Scissors
Craft magnets
Strong glue
Laminator

Directions:
- Help your child draw around their hand onto white card. Decorate the card hand with felt tip pens, paints or crayons in whatever way you wish. It is a nice idea to write a name on the front and a date on the back!
- Cut out and laminate. Trim the laminate to about ½ inch around the hand.
- Use strong glue to attach a magnet to the back of the hand.

"A Father Just Like You"

"I just want you to know 
you mean the world to me, 
Only a heart as dear as yours 
would give so unselfishly.

The many things you've done, 
all the times that you were there, 
helps me know deep inside 
how much you really care.

Even though I might not say, 
I appreciate all you do,
 Richly blessed is how we feel 
having a father just like you."

Birth Fest

Birth Fest - A community festival celebrating pregnancy, birth and families.

June 6th, 2009
McBurney Park, Kingston
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Free

Join us for a fun filled day at the park!

Children's music by Gerry Mitchell
Hula and Belly dancers
Great local exhibitors
Information and resources
Bring your own picnic!

For more information visit us at http://www.birthfest.ca or email info@birthfest.ca
_________________

Bubbles

What you need:
- 7-10 parts water
- 1 part dish detergent
- Glycerine

Directions:
Combine water, detergent, and 1-2 tablespoons of glycerine in a bowl or plastic container.
Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is May 10th

Handprint Tulips

What you need:
- white paper (construction paper, card stock, or your choice)
- green finger paint and red finger paint  (or pink, white or yellow)

Directions:
- Dip the forearm (from elbow to wrist) in green finger paint.  If you don't have a tray big enough to accommodate this, just paint the finger paint onto the forearm with a paintbrush.
 - Press the arm down 3 or 4 times onto a sheet of white paper (construction paper works great!) to make the stems of the tulips.
- Now dip the hand (excluding the thumb) into red finger paint and stamp on top of the stems (holding the thumb up) to make the tulip flowers.  
  - Keep the fingers close together.
- You can add fingerprint green stems, thumbprint green grass, etc.

Kids Kingston Store has Moved

Kids Kingston Toy Store is now located in Canadian Kids Furniture, 1187 Princess St., Peach Tree Plaza.

Our retail store hours are:

Open 24 hours a day online.

For more information or to contact us, please call (613) 876-7877 or email info@kidskingston.com

Saturday April 25th

Child Birth Kingston Thrift Sale on at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. Starts at 9am and runs till 2pm.

Car Seat Clinic - Toys R Us, 1020 Midland Ave. - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Happy Earth Day!

Help for our "Feathered Friends"

Lend a helping hand to the birds in your area by supplying them with simple nesting materials. All you need to do is fill a mesh bag (like the kind onions are packaged in) with dried grass, short lengths of yarn and string, even stuffing from old furniture or feather pillow, or hair from your brush. Hang the bag in a location that the birds can safely access, watch them collect, you may be lucky enough to see their nest in one of your trees!

Spring Inside Planting

Potatoes
For potatoes, find an old one that has sprouted. Cut the sprout, plus a few inches of potato surrounding it and poke a few toothpicks into it to support it over a glass of water. Place the cut side down (the water should be touching the potato) and put it in a sunny window. Keep the water level high and soon you'll see potato vines.

Carrots
Cut off some carrot tops and put each one in a dish with some pebbles. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the carrot. Hide the dishes in a place where there is not too much sun. In just a few days, the carrot tops will begin sprouting and turn into plants.

Happy Easter!

Egg Carton Tulips

What you need:
- Egg carton
- Green pipe cleaners
- Paint and brushes
- Scissors

Directions:
- Cut one section of the egg carton to look like a tulip.
- Paint the egg carton tulips using different colours. Let dry.
- Push pipe cleaner up through the bottom part of the tulip (you could also glue pipe cleaner to the bottom if you wanted).
- Now you have a bouquet of tulips.

Happy April Fool's Day!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Easter's on its way

Bringin' ev'ry girl and boy
A basketful of Easter joy
Things to make your Easter
Bright and gay

He's got jelly beans for Tommy
Colored eggs for sister Sue
There's an orchid for your mommy
And an Easter bonnet too. Oh!

Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day!

Happy Spring!

Kids Kingston will be at the Frontenac Mall

Wednesday - Friday this week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Most of our toys from the store will be with us at the mall. We will be located near Plants and Pots by Ray's Reptiles. Come in and say hello.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Shamrock Collage

My son loves to cut and paste. We have a bin that has all the scraps that have been cut up in it. This craft will help use up some scrap and also makes a good sorting activity looking for all the different shades of green.

What you need:
- Old magazines or construction paper or your scrap bin
- Scissors
- Glue
- Construction paper

Directions:
- First cut out anything that is green from the magazines, construction paper or your scrap bin.
- Glue your green shapes all over a piece of construction paper.
- When dry, cut a big shamrock shape out the collage and hang.

The Winner is...

Mommy2jayden on Kids Kingston! Congratulations for winning the tickets to go see Splash 'N Boots. We hope you enjoy the show.

Thank you again to Ryan Wood of Freedom 55 for donating these concert tickets for our contest.

Another thank you goes out to all the members that participated.

Car Seat Clinic - March 7th, 2009

Saturday March 7 - Kingston Toyota, Bath Rd. @ Vista - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm.
There is a free draw for a Cosco Alpha-Omega car seat.

Splash 'N Boots Contest Sponsored by Ryan Wood - Freedom 55 Financial

Kids Kingston is pleased to announce a new contest that is sponsored by Ryan Wood of Freedom 55 Financial.

We have 4 Splash 'N Boots tickets to give away for their upcoming show on March 14th, 2009 in Kingston.

To enter please email kathy@kidskingston.com with the name of one out of four Splash N' Boots albums along with your name, username and phone number.

Contest closes March 6th at 12:00 noon. All entries received with a correct answer will be entered and one winner will randomly be selected to receive the tickets from Ryan.

Thank you Ryan for bringing Kids Kingston this contest.

If you wish to contact Ryan here is his information:
Ryan Wood
Financial Security Advisor
Eastern Ontario Financial Centre
Freedom 55 Financial
613-544-9600 ext. 251
www.ryanwood.biz

Thrift Sales

Both Thrift Sales are fast approaching.

If you wish to be a consignee at either sale or both sales here is the information:

CFB Children’s Thrift Sale - April 18th, 2009 - Vendor registration dates are: Thursday, Feb. 26th from 6pm to 8pm for military families and for civilian families registration will take place on Saturday, Feb. 28th, from 10am to 12pm and Thursday, March 12th from 6pm to 8pm. For more information childrensthriftsale@hotmail.com or visit the website at www.childrensthriftsale.com

Child Birth Kingston Spring Sale and Fair – April 25th, 2009 – Pre Register to be a consignee at:
613-384-7774 or email info@childbirthkingston.com

Little Snowman

Sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"

I'm a little snowman round and fat,
Here are my mittens,
Here is my hat.
Add a little scarf and a carrot nose.
You stand so tall when the cold wind blows.

Winter Snowman Snack

What you need:
- large marshmallows
- pretzel sticks
- raisons

Directions:
- Give each child 2 marshmallows, 3 pretzel sticks and a few raisins.
- Have them take a pretzel stick and put it into the middle of one of the marshmallows, then place the other marshmallow on t \op.
- Take the other two pretzels and use them for the arms.
- Use the raisins for eyes, nose, and mouth. 
- Yummy!

Happy Family Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Hand Print Valentine

What you need:
- Construction paper or Card Stock - white
- Paint - red and pink
- Paint brush
- Pencil
- Scissors

Directions:
- Draw a big heart on a piece of paper.
- Cut the heart out using scissors.
- Have child paint their own hand or you paint it for them, depending on age.
- Help child place painted hand on the cut out heart. Lift hand straight up.
- Switch paint colours and hand if you would like.
- Let dry and write a special message on your Valentine. (optional)

Heart Flowers

What you need:
- Red, pink and green construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Tongue depressors or jumbo craft sticks
- Markers

Directions:
- Cut out hearts (either red or pink) for the flower.
- Cut out two smaller green hearts for the leaves.
- Glue the flower to the top of the tongue depressor and the leaves to the middle of the tongue depressor.
- Draw a face on the flower and give as a gift to your favorite valentine.