A Picnic Under the CN Tower!
I cannot describe in words the excitement that we felt from the children on our walk and streetcar ride to have a picnic under the CN tower. Yes, the children at Westside play on the rooftop playground at Westside on a daily basis. On the rooftop they have a spectacular view of the tower. It is there every day for them and they love it. But to actually be walking down Bremner beside the Rogers Centre seeing and hearing their anticipation was fabulous. “We are getting closer!” one shouts. “I can see it!”, says another. “LOOK THERE IT IS!” a few shout as they look up as high as they can into the sky without falling backwards was absolutely priceless.
HTO Toronto
No Summer Session would be complete without a trip to this fabulous park at the Harbourfront. It is the perfect setting for a morning of sandcastle building. There are chairs for relaxing and the backdrop is active with planes taking off and landing at the Island Airport.
Mark the Magician!
These pictures definitely say it all! The children had an absolute blast with Mark yesterday!
Friday’s at Westside with Fit 4 Life Kids
Westside welcomed Emil Ramarnie to our school Friday morning for the first of our Friday morning sessions throughout the summer. He definitely made a rainy day fun! This week we hope the weather holds out for us to take part in Emil’s fun sports activities in the park!
Please check out Emil’s bio below. Thanks Emil! See you Friday!
Emil Ramnarine is the founder of Fit 4 Life NYC and the creator of Fit 4 Life Kids. The mission of the organization is to help the busy, everyday man, woman and child live an active and healthy lifestyle.
Fit 4 Life Kids began in 2003 at a time when child obesity rates were sky rocketing. This was especially evident in under-served communities in New York City. With his own savings, and the help of a small group of caring volunteers, he offered free fitness and nutrition classes to the children of one of the poorest communities in Brooklyn. After running for 3 years as a community-based volunteer program, Fit 4 Life Kids eventually took a new form as a school day and after school enrichment program.
Today, Fit 4 Life Kids proudly serves children, schools, and families all across New York City. In the summer of 2010 Fit 4 Life Kids launched in Toronto at Westside Montessori School.
Emil designed the Fit 4 Life Kids Play With a Purpose model with the belief that in order for a child to active through their life you must make moving fun and meaningful. Each Fit 4 Life Kids class includes the following components:
Develop physical competence
Boost self-esteem
Encourage constant movement
Create an all-inclusive environment
Emil is a 17-year veteran of the non-profit field. His Fit 4 Life Kids program has been featured in SHAPE magazine and he has trained the children of a handful of celebrities. Emil was also the lead developer of the fitness curriculum for the largest after school program in the U.S. Recently he was selected as the lead workshop facilitator for Governor Patterson’s Healthy Kids Healthy New York tool kit training.
Week 3 of Summer Camp - Green Thumbs
Despite the heat we have managed to have a great week!
We started the week off with a walk to the Community Garden to do some weeding and check on our begonias, hostas, and golden rod. The children also discovered that if they turned over the rocks they could watch the bugs scatter.
On Tuesday we had a visit from Lindsey from Be Vibrant that was set up through RFRK. Lindsey taught us all about foods and the colours of the rainbow. We sang about foods and farmers and learned how each colour of food helps our bodies. Antioxidants was definitely the word of the morning. Be sure to ask your children what colour of food you need to eat for more energy, or the help your tummy, or to give you vitamins or help you see better!
Wednesday began with a streetcar ride! The excitement around the streetcar ride still continues to amaze me! No matter how often we ride it the children still screech with glee.
We took the Carlton car all the way to Sherbourne. Here we hopped off to explore Allen Garden. It is beautiful! banana trees, birds of paradise, bromelaides, cacti, succlents (yes, they are different!) and so many other varieties of plants. The star of the show was definitely the Koi pond! We were all wishing we could be swimming with the fish!
Thursday we again rode the streetcar, but this time to the west end of town to High Park Library for Stories in the Park. A nice shady patch of grass with some trees overhead was the perfect setting for circle songs and stories.
Last Day of School
Last Friday, we celebrated the end of the school year with a trip to Centre Island. The children were delighted to have both a streetcar ride and a ferry ride in one day! We couldn’t have asked for better weather, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We had a wonderful day together: playing, chatting, running in the sprinkler and enjoying a fantastic picnic lunch from RFRK. Happy Summer!
Coffee Friday’s at Westside - All Welcome!
Earth Day at Riverdale
It has officially become a tradition that Westside spends Earth Day at Riverdale Farm. This year the trip was a huge success for many reasons.
We started out our day with a 9am trek to the streetcar stop at Spadina. Heading North on Spadina, East on College then hopping off for a nice walk up Sumach.
“I see the farm!” “I see the horses!” “There are 2, 3, 4…there are 4 horses!” were the cheers we heard as the children picked up the pace.
The weather was perfect! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day! Rolling down hills…
Watching our friends roll down hills…
Exploring the barns…
And a picnic provided by RFRK!
Yummy!
We want to give a special thanks to all of those parents who took the time out of their busy schedules to join us for this trip. Without all of you these trips could not happen. All of you help and support is what makes Westside, Westside! Thank you!
And thank you to Amanda, the “Super-drivers”, Lulu and all of the RFRK team for filling our bellies with your yummy food! The special care you give us is very much appreciated! Thanks!
Spring is in the Air
It seems as though wherever the children are immersing themselves in spring. They have the fever! There is talk of plants, water, sunshine, and short sleeves!
Our Ferry Ride
Sometimes it is not about where you are going but all about how you get there!
