Spring Toy and Clothing Swap – April 30, 2017

April 4, 2017

Written by Talia

On Sunday Apr. 30 from 11am-1pm, Buddings Daycare will be turned into your Spring Swap Shop, with a range of clothes and toys and accessories for kids aged 0 – 5.

How does it work?

You can pick up bags, and bags of clothes and toys, for $1 per item!! AND!! You can choose how much you pay:

Option 1: Show up on Apr. 30. Admission is just $10/family, including your first 10 items!

Additional Items are $1 each.

~OR~

Option 2: Get in for FREE!

Bring your gently used children’s clothes, toys, and accessories to Buddings (203 – 950 West Broadway, at Oak) by Friday Apr. 28 for FREE entry, and your first 10 items FREE! After that, pay just $1 per item.

PLUS!

We’ve been doing children’s swaps since 2012, and this Spring, we’re thinking of going even bigger! Like, an adult-size version running from 1 – 3pm. Are you interested?

Let us know, by emailing talia@buddings.ca if you’d like to participate.

This Spring, Do It Yourself!

March 26, 2017

Written by Talia

Hop! Hop! Hop to! It’s Spring, and there’s so much to do!

Spring planting, spring cleaning, spring planning… This list goes on and on, and this season we’re bringing to-do in-house:

It’s DIY Spring 2017

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday

Johanna Peters	Ehlssie Tecson	Sarah MacDonald	Sharmila Mardhani	Talia Erickson

Introducing: The Big Kids Do-It-Yourselfers, led by the Buddings Pros

Our afternoon programs of play and learning feature group activities, monthly fieldtrips, social engagement, cooking, art, music, and more, for Big Kids of all ages. They all run from 1 – 4pm, every afternoon, but under the guidance of our creative educators, each has a unique (and beautiful) story to tell:

Johanna Peters presents: Story Builders

Johanna continues her crusade to bring worlds to life through story-telling, play, acting, and art, as she continues the mysteries of the 1001 nights into the Spring season. The story unfolds, and on Mondays, from 1 – 4pm, Johanna introduces the children to the elements that make this tale timeless.

Ehlssie Tecson: Ready, Seed, GROW!

The season of awakening is upon us, and as the plants begin to rise and shine, Ehlssie and the Tuesday kids will be learning all it takes to make them healthy and strong. From seed to stem, garden friends, and earthy explorations, this nature-based program is a Buddings spring staple, and our teacher Ehlssie is digging in. Shovels are waiting. Join her Tuesdays from 1 – 4pm.

Music Makers, with Sarah MacDonald

Sarah leads her band of merry makers through the music and of some of the world’s most magical musicians. Take a ride in the yellow submarine, as the kids experiment with sounds, strings, and making their own instruments. This season’s Wednesday class is music to our ears, running from 1 – 4pm until the end of June.

Sharmila Mardhani: Bugs and Babies

Sharmila presents the second half of our spring nature club, with a focus on the fluffiest, cutest, sweetest spring babies – and how they change! There’s no topic more attuned with the preschoolers’ own seasonal metamorphosis, and no teacher more ready to share the story. Sharmila led our Saturday-care program through the winter, and we’re so glad to have her handling a weekday Club class. Join her, Thursdays from 1 – 4pm.

invent! with Talia Erickson

How can we meet our needs without draining our resources? Imagining solutions to the world’s heaviest problems is easier when you have open eyes and open minds. This season, Talia introduces the kids to the idea that everything is not only as it seems, but could be anything at all. By learning about some of history’s most ingenious inventors, framing their questions, and creating designs, Friday afternoons will be all about tracking down that most important moment: The Ah-Ha!

DIY Spring runs from Apr. 3 – June 30, 2017.

A long winter’s rest

January 4, 2017

Written by Talia

The new year brings a lot of new adventures, but it also heralds the real beginning of the winter season.

The snowy weather, and long dark days make summer sunsets seem like an impossible dream… that inspired our Big Kids Club teachers to a line-up of classes to snuggle into:

Winter Dreaming 2017

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday

Johanna Peters	Ehlssie Tecson	Sarah MacDonald	Isabel Socorro-Bravo	Talia Erickson

Introducing: The Big Kids Club Winter Dream Team

Johanna Peters presents: Arabian Nights

Johanna continues her crusade to bring worlds to life through story-telling, play, acting, and art, as she introduces the mysteries of the 1001 nights, with a singing tree, and a genie in a bottle. Monday’s are a magic carpet ride, with Johanna as our guide. You ain’t never seen a class like this. 😉

Ehlssie Tecson & the Winter Festival

Our recently-graduated Anthropology Major returns for her second season of culturally focused… parties! Ehlssie’s December exploration of the Philippines traditions was our most talked-about program, and her winter class stretches to cover the celebrations and festivals around the world.

We’re wishing her well on her first full-length class, as she learns to wish you prosperity and happiness in the year of the rooster! Gong Xi Fah Cai! (“gong zee fah chai”)

Munsch World, with Sarah MacDonald

Sarah loves Robert Munsch. She has all his books, and listens to his stories on tape. And she also loves maps. She’s a courageous captain, and this season, she and the Big Kids are chasing down one of Robert Munsch’s most infamous creatures: The Dark! There are clues all over town!

Sarah’s classes are all about adventure, team work, and accomplishment. Grab a flashlight, because she’s leading the kids to through Robert Munsch’s library, and to landmarks around the city, to recover the pieces of the missing dark.

Isabel Socorro-Bravo takes us Up There

You are about to fall in love with Dr. Scott Kelly, the NASA astronaut who spent a year in space, and shared it with the world through social media. Isabel introduces the Big Kids to this amazing man, and together, they journey from the known, to the unknown, and find their place in the universe… #yearinspace!

Good Night, Talia Erickson

When kids go to bed, the world continues outside their windows. It can’t be reached, because of bedtime, and it can be scary, because of… we don’t know why it’s scary! That’s the scariest part! But the moon smiles down…

With her help, Talia Erickson, and the Friday Big Kids will explore the light, darkness, creatures, and legends that the moon knows best. It’s a mystical journey through art and stories, science and the senses, and it happens from 1 – 4pm.

Winter Dreaming runs from Jan. 9 – Mar. 31, 2017.

Maligayang Pasko! Holidays in the Philippines

December 13, 2016

Written by Ehlssie

It’s December!

Now, wherever we go, we can feel Vancouver blossom with the holiday spirit.

Fancy enchanted lights to jolly Christmas songs in almost every store we walk into, and with the beautiful blanket of snow as a bonus (…well some of us Vancouverites might think otherwise) it’s no wonder that many people all over the world wait for the holidays with so much anticipation.

But taking a step back from all the hustle and bustle of our own holiday season, we ask ourselves:

Do cultures from other parts of the world experience the holidays in the same way we do?
Do houses all over the world have beautiful light shows and evergreen trees with ornaments?
Is it cold during the holidays in other parts of the world?
Does everyone have a white Christmas?

The overall answer to the questions above is no.

About 10,500 Km away from Vancouver is a country called the Philippines. In this country, comprised of more than 7,000 islands, the majority of the people are Christians, so Christmas is a huge celebration in the Philippines. So huge in fact, that the celebration of Christmas starts from the “ber” months, i.e. September, October, November, and December!

From the month of September, we could already feel the holiday spirit in the Philippines!

Christmas light decorations, called Parol, hang in almost every house in the Philippines, so for the first class with the Big Kids, we made our own, starting with the frame. After gluing shiny paper, and the ribbon streamers, it was ready to hang!

Signs reading “Maligayang Pasko” (or Merry Christmas) hang in almost all public spaces, so we can feel the spirit of Christmas when most of us are just settling into the school year here in Vancouver!

But that’s not the only difference between the celebration of Christmas in Canada and the Philippines. Are you interested in learning more? Join us for Big Kids Club on Tuesdays from 1-4pm to learn more about the holiday spirit in the Philippines! Here, we will learn all about Christmas decorations, the special Christmas eve feast, called the Noche Buena, door to door carolling, and much more!

A city of dreams and desires

November 30, 2016

Written by Sharmila

I grew up in Mumbai, India, a country known for its cultural and heritage. Mumbai is one of the busiest city and is also known as metro power of India. Locals like to call it, ‘A city of dreams and desires’.

Mumbai is a part of the majestic cosmopolitan sub-continent of India. I was a resident of this metropolis and feel that I am privileged to be born and brought up in this beautiful city. Mumbai gives me an identity and makes me proud.

I acquired my Bachelors of Education and Bachelors of Management Studies from the University of Mumbai. I gained extensive experience, skills and knowledge working as an elementary teacher in an international school which is an affiliate of British Council. I immigrated to Canada in 2015 and was and excited to begin my journey in the beautiful and diverse city of Vancouver.

It was a very positive experience for me. My passion for teaching drove me into further learning at Vancouver Community College, where I am currently pursuing my Early Childhood Education. This learning experience has broadened my career horizon into the field of ECCE education.It has given me an opportunity to begin my career as a Daycare Teacher at Budding Children’s Garden and Daycare. I am very happy to be a part of team, which is so supportive, encouraging and motivating. I have an opportunity to learn and share my knowledge and experience with all the wonderful colleagues at Budding Children’s Garden and Daycare.

I can keep talking about all the wonderful things that my new home, Canada brings to me every day. I cannot thank enough to my family, friends, colleagues and of course, Thank You Canada!

Big Kids Club Presents: #DecemberMysteries

November 27, 2016

Written by Talia

The holidays are a cause for excitement, and our multi-cultural city has tons of celebrations to explore, which raises some questions…

Why are there so many holidays in December, anyway?

What do all the symbols mean?

And what traditions can we all share, without creating waste, to make the season special?

This month, we’re putting the holidays under a microscope, and looking for the true meanings behind a modern “Christmas Season.”

Is it religious? Is it magical? A time to give, or a time to shop?

#DecemberMysteries – Dec. 5 – 23

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday

Each day, our Big Kids Club teachers will lead an afternoon adventure into the reasons behind some of the season’s most important traditions, through fieldtrips and storytelling, cooking and crafts.

On Thursdays, Isabel and the kids will take to the streets, with a fieldtrip class to interview Vancouverites about holiday ideas that are fun and free. And to try some out, as well!

Ehlssie takes over Tuesdays and deep dives into her Philippine traditions, here in Canada, and on the archipelago. Did you know there are over 7,000 islands in the Philippines? Do you know anything about the Philippines? Get ready to learn, as our newest Big Kid leader introduces her native land.

Johanna, Sarah, and Talia will be tackling their own burning questions, including what’s up with reindeer? What are sugar plums? And what if life really was a box of chocolate? Who would eat it?

Who wouldn’t? People love chocolate, and we love to share.

#DecemberMysteries is a fun and fact-filled ride through the questions of the season. So sign up! Big Kids Club runs every afternoon from 1 – 4pm, until Dec. 23.