Are You Smarter Than a Martensville 5th Grader?!

On the weekend we held our annual fundraiser, Are You Smarter Than a Martensville 5^th Grader?! We had a great turnout. Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who helped with this event! Our all-you-can-eat buffet was entirely provided by volunteer bakers and I must say it was delicious!

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 6: Parenting Types, Child Behaviors and Planning for Baby #2

At this week's session, we discussed the positives and negatives of various parenting styles, keeping in mind that no parenting style is ever perfect. We discussed that families may evolve through many styles. In depth, we discussed Dr Michelle Borba’s of 7 Modern-Day Parenting Styles. You can read the article here. We discussed possible ways of changing those parenting styles to be more positive.

We also touched a little on worrisome child behavior. Some parents were concerned with children becoming reliant on one parent and only going to that parent with their problems. We discussed allowing for children to spend time with a variety of personalities and family members or friends in order to help with this concern.

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 5: Halloween Dress Up and Rhyme Thyme

We had some costumed cuties at this week’s session of Baby Babble & Toddler Talk! This session was all about fun. We did some interactive rhymes, played with bubbles and read some stories. One of my favorite kinds of sessions- playtime!

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 4: Dental Care

This week at Baby Babble & Toddler Talk we focused on early dental care. Kimberly Edeen, a dental hygienist currently on maternity leave, planned the session and made all the arrangements. Thank you, Kimberly! Dr. Allison Atchison also dropped by to talk to us. Dr. Atchison has just returned to the Martensville Dental Clinic after maternity leave. Some of the topics discussed included the first visit to the dentist, different levels of care for different ages, and soother/thumb sucking. For those new parents who did not attend the session, here are a few tips:

•           Try to wash out your baby’s mouth several times a day.
•          Let your baby chew on a toothbrush under parent supervision to get used to the feel.
•           Develop a bedtime routine that includes brushing at the end of the evening.
•           After brushing or rinsing, only offer water.
•           Make sure to brush the child’s teeth after eating or drinking anything that is not water.

The Martensville Dental Clinic brought toothbrushes for all our young attendees. Thank you!

Local Dentists:
Dr. Brian Meyer
Dr. Allison Athcison
(306) 934-4446

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 3: Mapping 101

One of our current projects here at the Martensville Community Access Centre is creating a digital map of our city. This week at Baby Babble and Toddler Talk, we asked the parents to contribute to the project by sharing their experiences with our various parks and playgrounds and listing which local businesses allow strollers. We created a list of things that would sure be nice to have here in Martensville- there were multiple requests for more family restaurants and a Wal-Mart, among other family friendly venues.

Community Event: Play and Skate with Santa

Community Event: Martensville Shopping Extravaganza

Featured Storybag: The Giant Jam Sandwich

We have a new Storybag available to borrow! The Giant Jam Sandwich is a really cute story about a community coming together to solve a problem in a unique way. This is a board book, but the story is a higher level of writing with more difficult vocabulary. The story rhymes so it makes a great read-aloud book. The bag includes a wooden sandwich toy set and activities ranging from color and trace pages to a simple math chart. Recommended age range: Preschool to Grade 2

For those not familiar with the program, Storybags are a great way to engage and share literacy with your child. Each Storybag contains activities, props and games related to a children’s book. Most bags have activities for different ages, so all siblings can participate. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us.  

Halloween Events List

Are you looking for something Halloweeny to do with your family? Here’s a list of some Halloween-themed events and parties in Martensville, Warman and Saskatoon. Please keep in mind we are not running any of these events, we have just compiled a list. For more information, please contact the group/organization who is running the event. 

Martensville Flu Clinic

Saskatoon Health will be running a free drop-in flu clinic on Wednesday, November 6 from 3-7 pm. They are looking for volunteers to help at the clinic. If you are interested in helping out, please contact us at the Martensville Community Access Centre. 

Are You Smarter Than a Martensville 5th Grader?!

Our annual Are You Smarter Than a Martensville 5th Grader?! event is fast approaching. This year the event will take place on Saturday, November 16th at the North Ridge Centennial Community Centre. We would love to see you there! 

If you are interested in volunteering, please refer down the page to our Volunteer Opportunities poster, or contact us. 

Ah-Ha! Homework Club Resumes

Ah-Ha! Homework Club is back up and running. This is a free drop-in program on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 6:30 pm and 8 pm. Tutors are on hand to assist with homework assignments and play educational games. We would love for you to join us- just make sure your child has enough work for an hour. Please keep in mind our tutors may not be able to help with advanced subjects. If you are or have an older student who needs help, please contact us. We may be able to help you find a more suitable tutor.

Are You Smarter Than a Martensville 5th Grader?! Volunteer Opportunities 2013

Are You Smarter Than a Martensville 5th Grader?! 2013 is fast approaching. This is a fun, interactive fundraising event in the style of the popular TV game show. This year, the event will take place on the evening of November 16 at the North Ridge Centennial Community Centre. In addition to the game show, there is an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet and performances by local talent. This is one of our largest projects of the year and we are looking for event volunteers as well as committee volunteers to help with planning. Please refer to the Volunteer Opportunities poster below and contact us if any of the opportunities interests you.

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Fall 2013

We are so excited to be running our popular Baby Babble and Toddler Talk program again this fall. Our first session was held on October 2nd with a great turnout. We were glad to see some returning faces as well as  newcomers. If you have a little one between 0-3 years, we would love to see you on Wednesday afternoons in Room #7 in the Martensville Civic Centre. Moms, dads, guardians and siblings are welcome!

Our first session was mainly a meet-and-greet for both the little ones and their parents. The rest of the program will be a mix of information session and playtime.

Communtiy Event: Warman Ladies Night Out

Well this looks like fun!

Seniors Day 2013 Intergenerational Riverboat Cruise

We gratefully thank the City of Martensville and Sask. Lotteries Community Funding for helping us celebrate Seniors Day with an Intergenerational Riverboat Cruise. On Tuesday, October 1st 2013, sixty-one attendees of all ages gathered for a lovely autumn cruise along the golden banks of the Saskatchewan River. The views were spectacular and the company even better. Thank you to all those who participated in this wonderful event!  

Fire Safety Week

It's Fire Safety Week in Canada. This is a good time to re-evaluate your family's fire escape plan and safety practices. Can your child actually open their own bedroom window? Do you know how to operate your fire extinguisher? If you don't feel up to speed with your fire safety practices, there is a lot of help available on the internet. Here are some links:

Fire Prevention Canada - Lots of information in fact sheet form.
Sparky the Dog Fire Safety for Kids - Child-friendly site for learning fire safety through games and activities.
Fire Safety Council: Plan an Escape Route - Helpful PDF for planning your home's escape route.