2010 came and went so quickly and we had so much fun discovering new and exciting things to do and see and play with that we just had to share our 10 favorite things from 2010 with you. They are in no particular order and we highly recommend that you try them out in 2011! (This was a really hard list to narrow down! I’m sure we could have given you our top 100 favorites!)

#10 Easy Daysies

We discovered Easy Daysies at the Lower Mainland Toy & Product Fair and instantly fell in love with the magnetic daily schedules created by local mom and teacher Elaine Comeau. Many little ones in the family even got their own little schedule for Christmas and already 2011 feels more relaxed and organized than 2010 did! Easy Daysies helps create a routine for your child and in turn builds confidence and creates a feeling of  safety and control. These fantastic charts have key words as well as adorable illustrations (also created by the uber talented mom of 3 Elaine Comeau) to help children follow along with what their day will consist of. As a mom of one very busy 4 year old who asked for more chores for Christmas (really!) I am so glad I found these charts!

The kits are available to purchase on-line, and at several retailers across Canada. Kits are available in English and French and are made in Canada with 70% recycled materials! (We also love the Easy Daysies ReStickables!)

#9 Craft Caravan Kids Craft Club

Craft Caravan is a great Vancouver based business that will send a complete craft kit to your home every month through their fantastic Kids Craft Club! Every month a big green envelope will arrive with everything you need to make it easier for you to be organized enough to do some crafts with your children PLUS your kids will be thrilled to get mail every month! Craft Caravan also has a selection of Craft Kits and eco-friendly craft supplies available for purchase on-line whether you are a member of the club or not.

#8 Carousel Theatre – Seussical the Musical

Seussical the Musical has been running for a few years now and is an award winning production for the Carousel Theatre and after we saw it recently we know why! It is a great introduction to musical Theatre for preschoolers and entertaining for parents alike. We highly recommend that if you haven’t seen it yet that you mark you calendars for next years production! In the mean time though the Carousel Theatres 2010-2011 season is in full swing with some fantastic upcoming productions that the entire family will enjoy. We are particularly excited about the Munchsa Mia coming up in March 2011. If you aren’t familiar with the Carousel Theatre you should be! They offer year round live Theatre productions for the young ones to enjoy as well as fun Theatre classes for ages 3 – 17 through their Theatre school.

#7 Starfish Kidz

Starfish Kidz is a new up and coming business that burst onto the Kids Apparel scene 7 months ago when a local Port Moody mom made cute appliqued tank tops for the guests of her 4 year olds birthday party! She was encouraged by the parents in attendance to make more and Starfish Kidz was created and a partnership between 3 wonderful and creative moms was born. Starfish Kidz really is “Simply Unique”. My son adores his “ROCK’N” t-shirt it is so incredibly soft and we always get asked were we got it. So dare to be different with the great affordable looks Starfish Kidz has to offer!

#6 Dream Box Learning

We have tried this learning system and my son adores Dreambox Learning! He has been playing it for a couple of months now and still ASKS to play it everyday. It is a fun and easy to play platform that teaches Math skills. I don’t know about you but Math was never my favorite subject but even I have played Dreambox in “parent mode” and LOVED it!

Children think DreamBox Learning K-3 Math is a fun adventure full of stories, interactive games, and more! Teachers and parents know it’s a highly individualized, effective math program, made engaging so children will be motivated to play and learn — it’s serious learning that’s seriously fun! You can try it out for FREE as well, sign up for a free trial HERE.

#5 Veridamo Photography Kids of Vancouver Project

Veridamo Photography is amazing in itself but the Kids of Vancouver Project is something to talk about! The project was created by Tanya and Jeff Harrison of Veridamo Photography to benefit local food bank charities. For your donation of $100 you get a professional portrait session at a location in the Metro Vancouver area, your child will have a page capturing their moment in time portrait in the beautifully produced Kids of Vancouver Coffee Table Book! We had our portrait session with photographer Tanya Harrison at Bear Creek Park in Surrey in October. Tanya was amazing and clearly has a knack for working with little people. Our session was perfect, our portraits were incredible and moved me to tears and I had the opportunity to sneak a peak at the 2010 book and it is stunning! Vancouver is loaded with adorable kids that’s for sure. The book is beautiful and the project has been hugely successful to help raise much needed funds for local food bank charities such as Kids Picks and Tiny Bundles. If you want to be a part of the 2011 book be sure to nominate your child and if you can be sure to book at least one session with Veridamo Photography at some point in your life you will NOT be disappointed with the high quality work you get from Tanya!

#4 BC Hockey League

Our latest favorite family pass time is going to local hockey games and supporting our BC Minor Hockey league teams. The games are less crowded, kids have the chance to be more interactive with mascots and other promotional activities taking place at the rink on game night and the tickets are far less expensive than a night out at an NHL game! This is a great introduction to the game for little hockey fans and a budget friendly night out for a family of 4 or more with tickets being around $13 each (varies from team to team) and in some cases FREE! There are also heaps of fun events like teddy bear tosses, chances to skate with the players and even birthday party packages! We have seen The Surrey Eagles, Langley Chiefs and Coquitlam Express in action and it was great fun for all every time. Check out the team closest to you before the end of the season!

#3 High Crow Gluten Free Baking Company

Whether you want to make your own gluten free baked goods or buy the already made and packaged for you High Crow is your one stop shop for all of your Gluten Free Baking needs!

High Crow Gluten Free Foods produces a varied selection of high quality, nutritious and absolutely delicious gluten free and dairy free baked goods. What makes these gluten free products unique is their striking similarity to wheat-based versions.  They are equivalent in terms of taste, texture and appearance.  Try them out for yourself – we bet you can’t tell the difference.

#2 Kinder Café

Kinder Café is a hip, new indoor playground geared towards children 6 and under. They have created a unique place where parents can come and enjoy a comfortable atmosphere while their children play freely in a safe and inviting environment. The playground is geared towards younger children, so parents don’t have to worry about their kids being pushed around by the bigger kids. With the open-concept space of 3,000 square feet, so you can easily supervise your child from a comfortable seat in our café area, while you sip away on the wonderful specialty coffees and teas.

#1 Melon Head Children’s Hair Care

Melonhead Children’s Hair Care is a bright and colorful shop that will make your kids want to get their hair cut everyday, located in a fun area on West Broadway close to Kidsbooks, Cupcakes, and the Toy Box it is sure to open up a whole new world for your little one!

PLUS they have some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G hair care products designed especially for the wee ones. Our favorite is STICKUM, a flexible styling product that details short hair without a crunchy hold. Hair maintains movement with control and helps to de-frizz curly hair.

Tags: activities, crafts, good causes, hair care, Hockey, learning, organization, photography, playtime, theatre

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011 at 9:30 am and is filed under Favorite Finds, Places to Go, Places to Shop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.