Wishing you a safe, playful and family filled New Years. See you 2013!
A year in review - for your Beans
Who likes free printables! We have created this "Year in Review" printable for you to fill out with your Beans and have as a keepsake for the years to come. This is a great way to reflect on the year just passed and to also look forward to the year ahead and perhaps set a few important and kid friendly goals. Almost like a New Years Resolution worksheet for kids, but way more fun!
Print your Peekaboo Beans copy HERE
Print your CiCi Bean copy HERE
Have a playful holiday from us!
My wish
is for your Beans to smile this Christmas, for your families to share and create
happy memories together and that you get a little time to just Play. Here's to
a wonderful holiday season, from my family to yours.
In love
and Play,
A few of our holiday crafting faves...
At this moment, the shopping should be done, the Christmas gifts wrapped, the baking completed and half eaten, and the house clean and festive with Christmas morning anticipation. So, there should now be plenty of time left to spend with you Beans making memories and enjoy the small moments (right?) Here's a round up of our favorite Holiday craft ideas that are simple and fun and perfect for weekend afternoon crafting!
Visit our Pinterest Holiday Board to get the instructions for these fun weekend projects. Happy crafting!
Playful Beans and the meaning of Christmas
Ever wonder what the little Beans are thinking during the chaos on the holidays, the hustle and bustle of the shopping, the baking and storing of all the Christmas cookies, the sitting nicely on Santa's lap and everything else that comes along with this busy time of year? In their world, what does "Christmas" mean? Ever wonder? We certainly did, so... we asked our Beans. So we would like to share with you, straight from the mouths of the beautiful Beans of our Play Stylists and Playground staff, what Christmas means to them:
Nathan, age 5
Spending time with my family cause
I have 2 weeks off on Christmas! Can you believe 2 weeks off?
Carys, age 2
Christmas!!! How our presents
come out of the Christmas tree?
Nia, age 5
Opening the presents.
Aiyana, age 5
Having a snowball fight and eating gingerbread
houses.
Lily, age 7
When Santa comes and when we go to see Santa. And when we get to wake up
Christmas morning and open presents with our family.
Ethan, age 4
Opening up the presents. And sitting on Santa's lap.
Cohen, age 5
My favorite thing about Christmas is singing "I wish you a
merry Christmas... Hallelujah!!!!! (Singing at the top of his voice in the
highest possible octave)
Ava, age 9
I love that my family spends time together playing games,
laughing, baking and skating. This means more to me than any
presents.
Riley, age 5
Favorite thing about Christmas is getting candies from Harry, hanging
Christmas lights and everything! (Harry is the contractor who is finishing the siding on their house) haha
Elliette, age 3
Favorite thing about Christmas is riding the horseys. (She asked for a barn full of horseys for Christmas)
Sarah, age 3
Making snowball fights. Making a giant carrot nose. Getting presents.
Rachel, age 5
Making snow angels. It's my favorite season, the bears are 'hardernated'.
(Hibernated). I get to go out places and the whole spirit of christmas.
Kerlinda, age 7
What I like about Christmas is you care about people, its about spending time with people. Its not about presents its about caring about the birth of Jesus. (Yep, seriously...that was the answer. She didn't even break her gaze from the tv....lol)
And last but not certainly least... from Nora the puppy dog (who can't really talk but we know her mommy can completely understand her just by the way she looks at her with those big brown eyes!)
Nora, age 2
Falling
snow, not so much snow on the ground, but when there is snow falling you can
find me running in circles and rolling around licking up the
flakes! And
of course the Christmas turkey dinner…a puppy sized plate of yams, turkey and
peas please!
Happy Holidays from our Beans to yours!
Winter PLAY Report - part 2
Nothing is better for a night in than a family karaoke night. Everyone was
sitting around after dinner, and a few of us, being the musical goofs we are,
busted out into song. When I suggested making the rest of the night into a
karaoke jam fest, Elias was more than excited to bust out his skills. The
parents in the room were just as enthused when we offered to sing to their
music. We started off singing one song per person, but all guidelines were
quickly forgotten, and everyone just started singing together. It's safe to say
there was no shortage of laughter in the room either.
Don't get left our
of all the fun and join our Winter PLAY Challenge HERE!
Seeking new buddies for the Playground
Calling all future Playground Buddies! We have a couple of positions available to join our team at the Peekaboo Beans Playground and thought how fun it would be to offer these opportunities to our favorite Peekaboo Beans fans!
Invoicing & Administrative Support –
Full-time
Peekaboo Beans
Reporting
to the Distribution Diva, this position requires an organized, self-starter
with an eye for detail, who is great with numbers and a “think outside of the
box” problem solver. Typical job tasks
include:
·
Completing invoice entry, using Simply Accounting
software.
·
Providing high quality customer service both
internally and externally.
·
Providing administrative and clerical support to
office workers as required.
Qualifications:
·
Strong computer skills in Microsoft Word and Excel.
·
Previous experience with Simply Accounting.
·
Hours of work are 40 per week, with varying shift
times.
Closing date: DECEMBER 22, 2012
Please e-mail resume &
cover letter to:
____________
Warehouse Worker – Full-time
Peekaboo Beans
The Peekaboo Beans playground, located in
Richmond, has a unique and special working environment with a family first
philosophy. We provide the ingredients
for a playful life by designing playwear that is completely functional, totally
fashionable and enables children to play in complete comfort and style. It is a
vine like no other, as we support and promote a work life balance for moms.
Reporting to the Distribution Diva, this warehouse position requires a flexible, organized and
detail-oriented person to provide customers with a high level of service and
application with the visions, values of the company. Typical job tasks
include:
·
Picking orders efficiently from
shipment, ensuring that the correct number and type of product is packed and
shipped.
· Stocking inventory
and assisting with inventory counting.
·
Interacting with employees, customers
who visit the warehouses.
·
Maintaining a clean, neat and orderly
work area.
·
Conducting operations in a manner that
promotes safety.
Qualifications:
·
One (1) to two (2) years direct experience in a
warehouse environment.
·
Hours of work are 40 hours per week with varying
shift times.
Closing date: DECEMBER 28, 2012
Please e-mail resume &
cover letter to:
A Playful Playjama Giveaway
We are so excited to be offering one lucky person a pair of Peekaboo Beans PlayJamas! It's not very often that we host a fun giveaway like this so in the spirit of the giving season we really wanted to take this opportunity to award someones little bean the chance to be cozy and cute for Christmas in our signature PJ's.
So, in order to win 1 pair of purple or green PJ's (size 2-7) visit our facebook page and get up to 3 chances to enter: Here are all the details:
1. To win tell us what 2 season are the Vintage Playjamas from.
2. Get a 2nd entry by tweeting about this contest #pjgiveaway
3. And get a 3rd entry by posting a pic of your beans in their playjamas (new or vintage).
1. To win tell us what 2 season are the Vintage Playjamas from.
2. Get a 2nd entry by tweeting about this contest #pjgiveaway
3. And get a 3rd entry by posting a pic of your beans in their playjamas (new or vintage).
Go to our facebook page HERE and get your entry in!
Our playful giveaway closes midnight, December 9th. Our lucky winner will be announced on the Peekaboo Beans Facebook page December 10th. Good luck and be sure to spread the JOY and pass this along to your friends and family.
Building a playground for the holidays.
I
have two very conflicting thoughts on Christmas - I LOVE THE FEELING OF
CHRISTMAS!! I Love the Christmas celebrations, I love the gatherings, I love
saying thank you to friends, co-workers, teachers and neighbours! I love
decorating, the music, the lights...the parties, the dressing up, cocktails -
friends! I love hot chocolate and cozy fireside nights! I love the magic
of Christmas.
Where
I sometimes feel conflicted is my children have so much. First and foremost they
have love, the have a warm home, they have safety, comfort and support, needless
to say they have toys. Toys, toys, toys and STUFF! I don't want to deprive them
of the magic, but truly - what more could they need - definitely not more toys!!
So I want to take this opportunity for us to help teach our children the
importance of giving during the holidays, rather than receiving.
My
goal this holiday season is to contribute these elements to the next Playground
initiative that Playground Builders is creating.
- 1 Swing set $317.00
- 1 Slide $391.00
- 1 Seesaw $381
- 1 community bench $74.00
- 1 playhouse $1100.00
So far though our amazing Peekaboo Beans Play Stylist, Beanefactors and sales of my personal stash of Vintage Beans we have raised $1,690.00.
Only $573.00 left to go!
There is nothing that feels better than being able to give the gift of play this holiday season.
Introducing our Winter PLAY Challenge reporter
It's the start of the Winter Play Challenge. And what way better to ease
into it than crossing off one of the classics? Painting rocks to look like
animals. Unfortunately we hit a speed bump right away when we realized we had no
paints! But the little ones were quick to think of using felts instead. The two
of them immediately dove right into the fun. And I was in complete awe of the
way their creativity took over. They chatted about everything from dragons to
princesses. And it wasn't long before they were running outside to get some more
rocks. We ended up with quite the zoo! We had a crocodile, a snake, a cat, a
bumblebee, a turtle, a lady bug and a beetle. And the jungle fever must have
gone to their heads, because it wasn't long before they were showing off their
scary animal faces.
Don't get left our of all the fun and join our Winter PLAY Challenge HERE!
How far can your $2 go?
Peekaboo
Beans wants to give children from all walks of life the opportunity and right to
safely play. This is why we have partnered up with Vancouver based non-profit
organization,
Playground Builders
and starting November 1st, Peekaboo Beans will give you the option to purchase
a $2
donation to
fund Playground Builders with your On-Vine Beans order. Or if placing an order with a Play Stylist, simply advise them to add the $2 donation to your total. Peekaboo Beans is on a mission with our Play Revolution to bring PLAY back into the lives of children everywhere. Our children are playing less than any previous generations, and this lack of
play is causing them profound physical, intellectual, social and emotional
harm. Experts say our kids are experiencing a Play
Deficit. As parents we need to and support our child's
right to develop and grow in a natural and healthy way, no matter what walk of life we are from.
You
can find and add the $2 donation to your Peekaboo Beans order under our
Really Neat
Things section in the On-Vine Site HERE. See our Ingredients of a Playground below to find out exactly how your contribution will be used in order to bring PLAY back into the lives of children everywhere.
A
bit about Playground Builders:
Playground
Builders is a nonprofit that builds playgrounds for children in war-torn areas.
There is often no safe place for children in these communities to play. Most
have never experienced the joy of a swing or the thrill of a slide. Playground
Builders is dedicated to building hope and peace through the gift of
play.
To
date, they have supported the construction of more than 100 playgrounds
throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Palestinian Territories. But this is just
the beginning. There
are many more children, schools, orphanages and communities in dire need of safe
havens for play. Playgournd Buliders are building hope, one playground at a time.
Visit
their website to find out more about Playground
Builders.
Our Play Stylists Paying it Forward
Sharing stories of our Peekaboo Beans Play Stylists Paying it Forward
Taking
some inspiration from the 'Keepin it Real' event that was hosted at the Peekaboo Beans
Playground in August, on Saturday September 15th, I had the pleasure of hosting
my own Keeping it Real - an event for tweens in Ottawa. I could not have
imagined a better response or turnout for the event. A friend who owns her own
home organization company, Heather or Smart Space Organizing, offered her office
space for the event. With Heather's many business contacts, we were able to get
some donations for swag bags, including Dove shampoo and deodorant, 3M post it
notes and biodegradable pens, and even personalized Mabels Labels tween packs,
which were a HUGE hit with the girls. I included some mini CiCi Bean catalogs as
well.
The
event was advertised on Facebook, Twitter and Eventbrite. Both Heather and I
also sent out the information through our newsletter lists. I had 25 RSVPs, and
more than 20 tweens (ages 8-14) and their moms arrived for an afternoon event! I
was so happy with the response! Almost everyone arrived early, hoping to be one
of the first to get a swag bag (I had advertised that there was a limited
amount). By 1:00pm the room was buzzing with conversation about real beauty!
Another
friend who owns her own photography business, Julie, offered to come and take
photos of the tweens and their moms. We had motivational signs for the girls to
hold with messages like:
I love you because.
When I see you I see.
I hope you
can see how amazing you are.
The best part of me is...
Let your heart be your
guide.
Happiness is the secret to all beauty.
A smile is the best kind of makeup
a girl can wear.
One mom/tween pair chose to write their own message and not
show each other. It will be a surprise once they see the photos. We had moms
tearing up as they were touched by the power of the motivational signs.
Around
the office walls I had posted large sheets of paper with a question prompt on
each one. The girls were given markers and crayons and invited to answer the
questions. What happened was a personal and intimate conversation between moms
and daughters as they answered each questions. I overheard a lot of tweens
asking their moms of their opinions, and moms redirecting the questions to their
daughters, prompting them to think deeper and come up with their own opinions.
It was beautiful to see this bonding experience, in a safe environment, where
moms could really connect with their daughters and think about some hard
questions that tweens are facing.
Heather
provided some organizational activities in the boardroom. One activity involved
asking the tweens and their moms to empty the contents of a bag and organize
them. The objective was to show how we all think differently about organizing,
and that to a tween her room may be untidy but organized in a way that works for
her. It was an eye opening activity for sure!
We
also had snacks and punch in the kitchen, and invited everyone to help
themselves.
At
the back of the space I had my rack of Peekaboo Beans and CiCi Beans samples to
try on. I invited the girls to give me their feedback about the line, without
any pressure to buy. The focus of the event was really on making a connection
between tweens and moms, and raising awareness of how important it is to talk to
our kids about hard questions like: "Do you find some people easier or harder to
talk with? Why do you think this is? How important is it to be able to express
yourself effectively?" The energy in the room was vibrant, and just by looking
around at the pairs of moms and daughters, I could tell there were moments of
connecting. One tween answered the prompt "Why did you decide to come to Keeping
it Real" with the answer "to spend quality time with my mom."
I
was honestly so inspired by the answers the girls gave to the questions about
beauty. As a parent of young children, but also as a teacher who often teaches
tweens, I realized that this age group has far strong opinions and knowledge
about self and beauty than I ever realized.
Heather
and I are already teaming up to host a 2nd Keepin it Real event in November,
which will include a tween yoga session and also a talk about budgeting and
finances for tweens. I can't wait to share with you how it goes, I know it will
be even better than the first one!
In
love and play, Vicky Bisson
Peekaboo Beans Play Stylist, Ottawa
Moments that matter
Momspeak: In parenting, the ‘5
percent’ moments are what matter
Checking homework. Making lunches. Shuttling to soccer practice, music
lessons, doctor’s appointments. Finding money for soccer uniforms, musical
instruments, out-of-pocket co-pays. Much of what we do as parents, as much as 95 percent, is a largely thankless
grind. We do it without thinking because if we actually thought about it, we’d
never get out of bed in the morning.
But this is
not a column complaining about the 95 percent of what we do that goes unnoticed,
what the great Anna Quindlen calls “transcendent scut work.” I’m writing about
the other 5 percent, and why that is the ultimate measure of parents. It is that
5 percent that makes all the difference.
This thought occurred to me while
watching “Finding Nemo” on a big screen, in 3-D, with
my 16-year-old twin sons. Christopher, who would dissect and analyze the merits
of every Pixar movie ever made, had been talking about seeing “Nemo” in 3-D for
months. But then I read Post colleague Jen Chaney’s cogent analysis: “As lovely as ‘Finding Nemo 3D’ is, the current economy compels me to
recommend that it’s probably best to save your money, watch it in the family
room and let your children’s imaginations conjure thoughts of just how vast
Nemo’s ocean must be.”
That made a lot of sense to me, and so I groaned internally when Christopher
asked if we could go see it. A Saturday afternoon and $30 gone. But as I sat in the theater seeing Nemo’s ocean ripple and sway and come to
life for the first time on a big screen, I came to the realization that this was
one of those 5 percent moments. Could my kids live full, complete, successful lives without ever seeing
“Finding Nemo” on anything bigger than a 27-inch screen? Absolutely.
But here’s the problem with that. Until you experience “Nemo” as director
Andrew Stanton intended it to be viewed, you don’t know what you’re missing.
There is less joy in your life, but you don’t even realize it. Your life is
incrementally (say, by 5 percent) less beautiful, less realized, less
fulfilling.
This 5 percent theory factored into our decision to adopt a new dog, just
weeks after our beloved family pet passed away. We found that all the things
that annoyed us about the dog when she was alive were the things we missed most
acutely when she was gone. No one to beg for food at the table. No one to wake
you at 5:30 a.m. No one to nuzzle into your leg or look into your face with such
unconditional love.
We could have gotten used to a house without a dog. But that’s exactly what I
didn’t want to happen. I didn’t want us to grow accustomed to there being 5
percent less laughter, 5 percent less love, 5 percent less joy in the house.
My son Andrew is taking an AP art
history class this year. At back-to-school night his teacher conceded that this
was not a course anybody needed to take to succeed in life. That’s
precisely why she loves teaching it so much. It’s the class that makes the 5
percent difference. It’s hard, I know, after spending far too many waking hours
doing the 95 percent to do even more. And what that 5 percent is will be
different for every family, maybe for every child. Perhaps it’s a walk in the
woods or a trip to see the painting of John Brown at the Portrait
Gallery. Perhaps it’s ice cream for breakfast once in a while or staying in your
pajamas all day long. Perhaps it’s reading aloud all seven Harry Potter books or
seeing “Nemo” on the big screen.
You will discover what the 5 percent is for your family. It’s well worth the
search. Tell us about your “5 percent” moments in the comments section.
Grant, the editor of KidsPost, writes about parenting issues
every other week.
Originally Posted in The Washington Post - October 3, 2012
Winter PLAY Challenge
You're Invited! Peekaboo Beans Winter PLAY Challenge.
So much like our popular Summer PLAY Challenge, we are now inviting you and your families to take part in our Winter PLAY Challenge. Peekaboo Beans introduced this challenge because we feel that just because the weather gets a bit cooler and darkness comes a bit earlier, these shouldn't be excuses to stay indoors and forgo what wonderful elements nature has to offer us. So bundle up, grab some hot pockets and go on some adventures and child friendly excursions with our Winter PLAY Challenge.
We have collected a variety of activities for you and the kids to complete. Most of them are outdoors, however, we realize that indoor play can still be an option. So jump in and get going! Even though Winter has not yet officially started, there's no better time than now to create some fun and unique memories.
Our children are playing
less than any previous generation and this lack of play is causing them profound
physical, intellectual, social and emotional harm. Experts say our kids are
experiencing a play deficit. Parents are choosing structured recreational and
sports activities over free play partly because they no longer consider
neighborhoods safe for independent play. Children are being over scheduled and
their brains are tiring out. They lack the time and space to diffuse and relax.
On average, children
engage in 7 hours and 38 minutes of recreational media usage each day. Without
ample play, we will continue to see a decrease in creativity and imagination, as
well as vital skills including curiosity, social skills, resiliency and the
ability to assess risk.
Peekaboo Beans is on a
mission to not let kids of today experience this play deficit by doing what we
can to get them playing outdoors and having fun. They need this free time and
free play in order to become happy healthy human beans! It's not a option, it's
a necessity!
We encourage you to join
the Winter PLAY Challenge with your family and embrace the opportunity to experience some creative outdoor
activities and fun adventures during the long and chilly months. Peekaboo Beans
Winter PLAY Challenge is
here to help bring fun back into your life and connect with your children
through sharing time together, having fun with one another and PLAYING!
Click HERE to download your printable copy
Challenge Instructions:
Print off a copy
of the Winter PLAY
Challenge, post to your fridge, bulletin board etc, and
during the winter months of November and March, see how many of these fun
activities you can accomplish. Check them off as you go and feel free to update
us with summaries of your adventures. Share with us your stories, which ones
your kids enjoyed the most, how did you make each activity your own? Whatever
you want to say, we would love to hear! Most important of all, have fun and
enjoy the time you will spend with your family! Now get out there and PLAY!
_______________
For the Mommy
Bloggers out there participating in our Winter PLAY Challenge,
grab our button
below and let us know who you are by emailing
play@peekaboobeans.com so we can link up with
you!
Pop Up Playdates
Kids in this day and age are experiencing a serious Play Deficit. And as parents, we all need to band together and do something about it. Peekaboo Beans introduced our Play Revolution to the world in March, earlier this year, and to continue on our quest to get kids outside and experience the simple act of unstructured PLAY we are hosting a whole series of random Pop Up Playdates. And the sole purpose of these Pop Up Playdates is simple.... get kids outside and playing! They need this, they need free play and lots of it... to become happy, healthy human beans.
So we are launching our first round of Pop Up Playdates this month in the Greater Vancouver area, and what could be a better time of year to do this than at the very start of our winter season. So bundle up your beans and get ready to join us for a Playdate full of PLAY!
Stayed tuned for the release of the dates and locations later this week.
PeekaBOO Halloween Treat for you!
Stay warm and cozy this Halloween with our popular and stylish Play Perfect Coats!
Both the Top Notch Coat and First Class Coat are on sale for a limited time starting today.
Shop On-Vine HERE or find a Play Stylist near you.
Happy Halloween!
Climbing that tree
Climbing a tree – working out how to start, testing for strength, feeling how the breeze in your face also sways the branches underfoot, glimpsing the changing vista through the leaves, dreaming about being king or queen of the jungle, shouting to your friends below once you’ve got as high as you dare – is an immersive, 360-degree experience that virtual or indoor settings simply cannot compare with. - Tim Gill,
Tim Gill is one of the UK’s leading thinkers on childhood, and an effective advocate for positive change in children’s everyday lives. Tim is interested in the changing nature of childhood. His work - which embraces writing, independent research, consultancy and public speaking - aims to have a positive impact on children's everyday lives. Visit his website at Rethinking Childhood.
Paper Dolls Printables
Free Printable for You!
The perfect rainy day activity. From our Fall 2012 Collection, we bring you a printable coloring sheet of our favorite boys and girls Peekaboo Beans items. Print them for your Beans and get creative! Get out the glitter glue, the color crayons or markers, use sequence or fabric scraps, attach them to Popsicle sticks to make puppets... there are no rules, just have fun! Feel free to show us your creations on our Facebook page.
Click HERE to print our Fall 1st Crop Collection Paper Dolls
Click HERE to print our Fall 2nd Crop Collection Paper Dolls
A serious issue
Our Canadian children are experiencing a
PLAY DEFICIT! The Active Healthy Kids
Canada Report Card is the most comprehensive annual assessment of child and
youth physical activity in Canada
There are many factors contributing to the PLAY
DEFICIT our children are experiencing. Our
children are playing less than any previous generation and they aren’t happy
about it. Today families are leading busy lives. Children are enrolled in
structured activities that take up much of their free time. Play dates are
difficult to coordinate between busy schedules. Children’s safety is of
paramount concern and inhibits much of the free play that kids of previous
generations enjoyed. Our modern lifestyle is becoming less and less compatible
with opportunities for unstructured free play and this is hurting our children.
This lack of play will have a profoundly negative impact on children’s
physical, intellectual, social, and emotional health development.
So, we at Peekaboo Beans are committed to the
initiation of a PLAY REVOLUTION to inspire both parents and children to respect
the important role that PLAY has in a child’s healthy development. We are
challenging families to evaluate carefully those things that get in the way of
children PLAYING each day. Children need access to places to play that allow
them to move freely and explore their environment. Children may need less
structured activities to allow for more time to just play. Families and
communities can work together to provide safe places for children to engage in
free and active play with peers and siblings. A PLAY REVOLUTION will give back
to children the joy of play by recognizing it as an essential component of
healthy development.
So with the initiative of our Play Revolution, we will be launching a series of Pop Up Playdates, to get kids outside, moving and experiencing free play! Stay tuned for all the exciting details and be on the look out for the Play Patrol!!
xoxo, Andrea
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