Wendy Tsao from Child’s Own in Vancouver will make a soft toy out of your child’s drawings.

There’s not too much else to say here. A picture is worth 1,000 words so here are some pictures of some great toys made from children’s drawings.

You can see all the softie toys on her Flickr page here.

If you’d like to help Caine succeed, donate to Caine’s Scholarship Fund. So far, people all over the internet have helped raise $83,000 towards the $100,000 goal for Caine’s Scholarship.

Here’s the official Caine’s Arcade website
And here’s a link with the whole story

Here’s the info about another great family event happening at TELUS World of Science (formerly Science World).  Get the kids ready and head down to LEGO Castle Adventure – happening daily until May 21st.

Explore the royal castle made out of LEGO, sit on the king and queen’s thrones made out of LEGO, see a LEGO suit of armour,  dress up like a prince or princess, knight or dragon and joust on foam rubber horses. Talk about a fun day!

Complete details here http://www.scienceworld.ca/lego

Here’s a time-lapse video of staff and volunteers building a LEGO castle at TELUS World of Science

There’s plenty of parking all around World of Science and you can also easily access the venue via Skytrain.  Get off at Main Street / Science World station and cross the street.

Photo Credit: DecoJim on Flickr

Photo Credit: DecoJim on Flickr

Photo Credit: DecoJim on Flickr

Complete details: Spring Break Scavenger Hunt
Monday March 19 – Sunday March 25  @ 12pm- 4pm

The Director’s Cut Workshops, Canada’s leading provider of digital literacy workshops responded to the news of the strike next week by offering day-long film making workshops for students in Grades K – 7 at Vancouver-area Cineplex theatre locations. Cineplex is a partner with the Directors Cut and also hosts Spring Break camps at various locations.

“We work closely with teachers when we deliver our in-class workshops at schools across the province and sympathize with their situation. We also understand parents will need options for their children during the strike and are offering educational and entertaining film-making workshops from Monday – Wednesday next week,” said Farrah Jinha, BC’s Regional Director.

The Director’s Cut uses state of the art digital hardware and software that provides children with the real “Hollywood” film making experience. Workshops are stop-motion animation film making classes where students work in film crews to develop a script, build clay characters and backdrops, film and then edit their movie with titles, music and voiceovers. They also then get to enjoy a matinee performance of the latest blockbuster children’s film along with a popcorn snack pack. The workshop runs from 9am to 4pm and the cost is $45 plus HST. Students only need to bring a nut-free lunch and their imagination.

Film Making Workshops will be held at the Scotiabank Theatre in Vancouver on Monday March 5th and Wednesday March 7th and at Metropolis Metrotown on Tuesday March 6th. Parents can register their children online at www.thedirectorscut.ca. Space is limited.

The Director’s Cut has grown from one school servicing 23 children, 6 years ago to 400 schools servicing over 110,000 children during the 2011-2012 film season. The Director’s Cut is the first mobile film and imaging studio dedicated to children in Canada. and the United States. Partners include Crayola, The Magazine and Cineplex Theatres and classroom and camps include content from Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox.

For more information, please contact:
______________________________

Farrah Jinha, Regional Director
The Directors Cut – British Columbia
mobile – 604-616-7687
email – farrah@thedirectorscut.ca

If you know of any other child care facilities or activities that should be included please post in the comments below or share on our Facebook page.

Celtic Fest Vancouver culminates in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday March 18th.  The parade is free and open to people from all cultures, ages and walks of life. Remember to wear green for St. Patrick’s Day Vancouver.  Each year over 300,000 people come out to watch the parade and 2,000 people participate in the parade.  Expect to see pipe bands, drums, dancers, motorcycle drill teams, acrobats, stilt walkers and vintage cars.

Celtic Fest Vancouver
March 10 – 18, 2012

Vancouver St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Sunday March 18, 2012 @ 11am

Complete details: Celtic Fest Vancouver and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

St. Patrick’s Day Vancouver Parade Route Map

Photo credit: Flickr user Michaelnugent

“MAKE! MOVE! DISCOVER! Change the angle, look anew and shift the frame in Through the Lens, a series of inspired, creative, and fun-packed performances, workshops, tours and activities at this spring’s Family FUSE Weekend. Engage in workshops, and see featured musicians, dancers and performers while you explore the Gallery!

Featuring hands-on activities and performances by Ostwelve, Rapsure Risin of Audio Overdose, Nyla Carpentier, Corey Bulpitt AKA Akos and Larissa Healey AKA Gurl23.”

Complete details: Family Fuse at Vancouver Art Gallery
Saturday and Sunday March 3 and 4, 2012 @ 10am – 5pm

When the sun sets, Illuminate Yaletown begins featuring interactive light and art exhibits projected on the buildings and Vancouver city-scape.  This year’s Illuminate Yaletown event also features a very cool City and Slope concert event happening around downtown and on the local mountains – Grouse, Cypresss and Seymour. * Note some City and Slope events are free and some are paid.

Photo Credit: David Nguyen

Yaletown is easily accessible by the Skytrain Canada Line.  The best stop to get off is Yaletown Roundhouse.

Complete information and details about Illuminate Yaletown is available on their website.

Here’s a video from last year’s event.

Here are some stunning photos from last year’s event

Photo credit: Kama Guezalova

We would like to wish all of our clients and blog readers a very happy and prosperous Year of the Dragon filled with good luck, wealth and abundance. May your families be blessed and all bad luck removed.

Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade

The Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver hosts the Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration on Sunday, January 29th. This is a free event for the whole family and includes a parade with dragons, lion dancers, marching bands, firecrackers and martial arts performances.

The parade starts at 12 noon from the Millenium Gate in Chinatown on Pender Street. The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Plaza hosts a cultural fair that same say with dancers, lion dancers, gifts and toys for all the kids that same day.

Complete details about the Chinese New Year Parade and Cultural Fair are available at the CBC website here.

This is a great lesson for kids to learn some financial responsibility.  I speak with a lot of adults every week that could learn a lesson in budgeting from these kids.

I’ve also run into parents (mostly older) that do not discuss money matters with their children at all. I think this is a huge mistake – parents should actively teach their kids about money matters, making money, going into debt etc.  Your kids are not being taught financial classes in school or daycare – where do you expect children to learn financial responsibility if you, the parents, don’t teach it?

Some other financial learning resources for kids

Enemy of Debt – A Basic Plan to Teach Financial Responsibility
Famzoo – Virtual Family Bank
Financial Peace Jr. Book – Teaching Kids About Money

Please leave any comments, tips and suggestions that you use to teach your kids financial lessons.  Post them in the comments section below or on the Facebook page.  Hopefully we can help some parents and children out with this.