To print a list of upcoming Wiggle, Giggle and Munch events, click here and then click the printer 
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You are invited to come and learn how to lead this exciting parent/child program virtually.
Wiggle, Giggle & Munch offers families with young children a time to develop skills and have fun together through active play and a healthy snack.
Along with learning how to run this program virtually, we will have a special focus on outdoor winter activities during this training to allow us to get the most out of outdoor play during this pandemic.
You will receive the Wiggle, Giggle & Munch handbook and learn:
- how to lead a Wiggle, Giggle & Munch program
- why it is important for toddlers/preschoolers to be active
- how to encourage parents to play with their toddlers/preschoolers
- how to promote healthy eating for toddlers/preschoolers
- how to encourage healthy outdoor play during winter
This training is free of charge and especially for those who live in or serve members of the downtown area. Others, outside of the downtown will be considered if there is space.
This event is limited to 12 participants. Priority will be given to individuals and groups from the downtown area.
Registration for this workshop is now closed.A resilience promotion workshop from Reaching IN…Reaching OUT: Promoting Resilience in Young Children
Please note:
- Priority will be given to agencies working with downtown families. Others will be added to a waitlist.
A resilience promotion workshop from Reaching IN…Reaching OUT: Promoting Resilience in Young Children
Please note:
- Priority will be given to agencies working with downtown families. Others will be added to a waitlist.
This training has reached its limit of participants.
This training has reached its limit of participants.
This training has reached its limit of participants.
This training has reached its limit of participants.
Gentle Heroes is a workshop in 3 parts. It is offered free of charge to downtown agencies working with dads/male caregivers.
Men will develop their capacity to explore and share their own experiences of being around nurturing gentle heroes (grandfathers, elders, community leaders, teachers, fathers) using the senses to delve into these gentle stories.
Storytelling has been part of our cultures for millennia, as entertainment and as a way of sharing knowledge, building attachment, and empowerment. Stories help us reflect on and overcome our challenges and develop skills like empathy, gratitude, and more.
This workshop will develop and enhance our appreciation of diversity. It will give participants an opportunity and method to communicate their “story”. This is made possible through speaking, listening, reading and writing, art, music, humour, and role-playing, providing a language-rich environment for children, essential for early literacy. Honouring each family’s culture through storytelling encourages attachment and bonding by giving parents the opportunity to be a significant part of the literacy process as a storyteller.
Dates: Tuesday, November 30, Wednesday, December 1, Thursday, December 2
Time: 1:00-3:00pm
Location: Online via Zoom (participants will be emailed the login details after registering)
Cost: Free to Downtown agencies
The Workshop:
Part 1 – Sharing stories and storytelling about men as gentle heroes.
Part 2 – Stories that develop storytelling skills in dads using folktales where they can gain the confidence of sharing stories with children while having fun and being goofy and active.
Part 3 – Men as gentle heroes connected to personal stories and storytelling.
Recommended Participants:
- Community leaders and administrators
- Family support practitioners
- Early Childhood Educators
- Child care centre administrators
- Program leaders and facilitators
Register here
What:
- Explore the importance of outdoor play for early childhood development, and how to best support children in their outdoor experiences. This will include discussion topics such as child-led play, loose parts, and risky play.
- Share our own experiences with delivering outdoor programming.
- Share and explore ways to incorporate the outdoors in our programming – both in-person and virtual programs.
- Have fun!
Who:
Recommended participants include:
- Community leaders and administrators
- Family support practitioners
- Early Childhood Educators
- Child care centre administrators
- Program leaders and facilitators
Please note that this workshop is similar to the “Taking Wiggle, Giggle & Munch Outdoors” workshop presented in June 2021, so it may not be useful to those previous participants.
Maximum 12 participants
Register:
Storytelling has been around for millennia, not only for entertainment but as a way of imparting education, connection, and empowerment. Stories help us reflect on and overcome our challenges and develop resiliency skills like empathy, diversity, gratitude, and many more. We wanted to discover ways of bringing resiliency and storytelling together, and there has never been a more critical time to do so. Throughout the pandemic, our resiliency has been put to the test. Communities 4 Families’ workshop helps participants reflect and explore the many ways to build on their resiliency skills through the lens of each oral story we share.
Date: Wednesday, January 26 and Friday, January 28
Time: 12:30-3:30pm
Location: Online via Zoom (participants will be emailed the login details after registering)
Registration: Register here
Recommended Participants:
- Community leaders and administrators
- Families and caregivers
- Family support practitioners
- Early Childhood Educators
- Child care centre administrators
- Program leaders and facilitators
Topics:
- Benefits of Storytelling
- Internal and External Resiliency
- Community as a protective factor
- Reflecting on personal and community agency
Quotes from workshop participants:
“Although I may read books to the children in my live, I don’t do much time doing oral storytelling. Yet as a child, many of my fondest memories with my parents are when they would tell me their own stories. Whether it be stories about their lives or ones that they imagined themselves. There is something very intimate about an oral story. The engagement between audience and storyteller is enhanced. I definitely want to do more storytelling.”
“By using animals and specific themes, storytelling allows people to address systemic and cultural challenges without pointing blame at certain groups. This creates a pathway through difficult conversations and within this workshop it allowed us to reflect on personal and communal experiences where we have faced adversity and how to overcome it.”
Storytelling has been around for millennia, not only for entertainment but as a way of imparting education, connection, and empowerment. Stories help us reflect on and overcome our challenges and develop resiliency skills like empathy, diversity, gratitude, and many more. We wanted to discover ways of bringing resiliency and storytelling together, and there has never been a more critical time to do so. Throughout the pandemic, our resiliency has been put to the test. Communities 4 Families’ workshop helps participants reflect and explore the many ways to build on their resiliency skills through the lens of each oral story we share.
Date: Wednesday, January 26 and Friday, January 28
Time: 12:30-3:30pm
Location: Online via Zoom (participants will be emailed the login details after registering)
Registration: Register here
Recommended Participants:
- Community leaders and administrators
- Families and caregivers
- Family support practitioners
- Early Childhood Educators
- Child care centre administrators
- Program leaders and facilitators
Topics:
- Benefits of Storytelling
- Internal and External Resiliency
- Community as a protective factor
- Reflecting on personal and community agency
Quotes from workshop participants:
“Although I may read books to the children in my live, I don’t do much time doing oral storytelling. Yet as a child, many of my fondest memories with my parents are when they would tell me their own stories. Whether it be stories about their lives or ones that they imagined themselves. There is something very intimate about an oral story. The engagement between audience and storyteller is enhanced. I definitely want to do more storytelling.”
“By using animals and specific themes, storytelling allows people to address systemic and cultural challenges without pointing blame at certain groups. This creates a pathway through difficult conversations and within this workshop it allowed us to reflect on personal and communal experiences where we have faced adversity and how to overcome it.”
Gentle Heroes is a workshop offered free of charge to downtown agencies working with dads/male caregivers.
Storytelling has been part of our cultures for millennia, as entertainment and as a way of sharing knowledge, building attachment, and empowering community members. Stories help us reflect on and overcome our challenges, developing skills like empathy, gratitude, and more.
This workshop will also develop and enhance our appreciation of diversity. It gives participants an opportunity and method to communicate their “story”. This is made possible through speaking, listening, reading and writing, art, music, humour, and role-playing, providing a language-rich environment for children, essential for early literacy. Honouring each family’s culture through storytelling encourages attachment and bonding by giving parents the opportunity to be a significant part of the literacy process as a storyteller.
Recommended Participants:
- Community leaders and administrators
- Family support practitioners
- Early Childhood Educators
- Childcare centre administrators
- Program leaders and facilitators
NOTE: For certification, you must complete ALL sessions.
RIRO offers evidence-based, resiliency skills training programmes to strengthen well-being and resilience in adults and children through role modeling and relationships.
Since 2002 RIRO has helped fuel resilience and support well-being in adults and young children under 8 years. RIRO teaches childcare and early learning staff and service providers the “3Rs of Resilience” – relaxation and reflection skills to help them respond instead of simply reacting to challenging situations.
RIRO 12-hour resiliency skills training programmes:
Teach adults resiliency skills to…
- Reach IN to develop healthy ways to cope with stress and tough times
- Reach OUT to find support and offer it to others
Show adults how to help children by…
- developing caring relationships
- being positive role models
- passing along the resiliency skills to them.
Register here
Gentle Heroes is a workshop offered free of charge to downtown agencies working with dads/male caregivers.
Storytelling has been part of our cultures for millennia, as entertainment and as a way of sharing knowledge, building attachment, and empowering community members. Stories help us reflect on and overcome our challenges, developing skills like empathy, gratitude, and more.
This workshop will also develop and enhance our appreciation of diversity. It gives participants an opportunity and method to communicate their “story”. This is made possible through speaking, listening, reading and writing, art, music, humour, and role-playing, providing a language-rich environment for children, essential for early literacy. Honouring each family’s culture through storytelling encourages attachment and bonding by giving parents the opportunity to be a significant part of the literacy process as a storyteller.
Recommended Participants:
- Community leaders and administrators
- Family support practitioners
- Early Childhood Educators
- Childcare centre administrators
- Program leaders and facilitators
Gentle Heroes is a workshop offered free of charge to downtown agencies working with dads/male caregivers.
Storytelling has been part of our cultures for millennia, as entertainment and as a way of sharing knowledge, building attachment, and empowering community members. Stories help us reflect on and overcome our challenges, developing skills like empathy, gratitude, and more.
This workshop will also develop and enhance our appreciation of diversity. It gives participants an opportunity and method to communicate their “story”. This is made possible through speaking, listening, reading and writing, art, music, humour, and role-playing, providing a language-rich environment for children, essential for early literacy. Honouring each family’s culture through storytelling encourages attachment and bonding by giving parents the opportunity to be a significant part of the literacy process as a storyteller.
Recommended Participants:
- Community leaders and administrators
- Family support practitioners
- Early Childhood Educators
- Childcare centre administrators
- Program leaders and facilitators
This 2-hour workshop is a condensed version of the outdoor play course previously developed for Mosaic volunteers. Topics include:
- The importance of outdoor play for early childhood development.
- Four fundamentals of successful outdoor play, which touches on sensory play, child-led play, play with loose parts, and risky play.
- Other topics touched on include parental/caregiver roles related to outdoor play, and how to utilize space and resources easily accessible to anyone.
Participants will also be directed to links and resources for practical ideas and activities.
Note: This is a free workshop for those serving families in Communities 4 Families Downtown catchment area.
Register here
* Agencies are reminded that any – or all! – of these topic areas can be tailored into custom workshops for your staff and volunteers. Please contact us to discuss further.
Learn to use active storytelling in your programs