As the end of the school year approaches, I am trying to find ways to challenge my grade 1 and 2 students to demonstrate their learning with fun activities. Just last week, I updated my Dimoitou chez nous take-home kits for my three grade 1 classes. They seem to love it so far and are so eager to have their turn to take home a kit. In each kit, there is an early reader and a workbook where they each take a page to write and illustrate a silly sentence in French. I pasted a listed of vocabulary words they can use, along with a message with other activities they can try with the Dimoitou puppet I made several years ago. I also included a set of 24 word cards which contain 12 pairs of opposites. They can play a variation of Go Fish or Memory, should they choose.

I'm in the process of making a couple of kits for my grade 2 classes but in the meantime I thought I would make some class sets that students can play with during Partner/Group Work since I have a few students who have worked their way through all of the activity sheets. I am also looking at adding to the list of opposites and printing out a larger set for my older students. If you would like to download a copy of the PDF version, click here. I'd recommend using different coloured card stock for each set.

I'd also like to thank Hallmark Canada for managing to capture those special thoughts we want to share with our moms with beautifully crafted greeting cards, stunning gift bags and sentimental gift ideas. While the weeks leading up to Mother's Day is often the time when we find the most gorgeous cards and gifts for moms, I think it would be great to surprise mom with a little thank you note on a non-holiday. Why wait a whole year, am I right?

Practical gifts such as this embossed ceramic mug and matching frame are also welcome chez moi. Even more practical these days is this floral Patina Vie umbrella.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Hallmark Canada Blogger Panel and have received product to help facilitate this review. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Disclosure: I have partnered with YMC and Loblaw, and have received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Earlier this year, I turned 41 years old. Forty-one, people! While my brain knows that I am far from being old, my body seems eager to prove the opposite. My knees are aching, my memory is not what it used to be and my hair has begun to turn grey. And get this: my Optometrist informed me that I'll soon be needing bifocals! I think I'll hold off on those for at least another decade, mkay? In the meantime, I'll be keeping up with my eye exams, which I schedule regularly every two years, to make sure that my eyes are otherwise healthy and to keep up with any changes to my current prescription. You see, I've worn glasses nearly my entire life, so when it comes to vision health, I mean business.

I was in first grade when my school teacher noticed me squinting while trying to read the blackboard. I thought nothing of it because I was sitting in the back row and just assumed it was blurry for everyone else sitting in my row. She recommended to my parents that I see an Optometrist and sure enough, I was myopic (or nearsighted). A few weeks later, when I tried on my first pair of glasses, it was as though a whole new world had opened up. That was the day when I told myself that I would never take near perfect vision for granted ever again.

Once I became a parent, I secretly hoped that my kids had inherited their dad's eyes. Not only are his eyes just plain beautiful, he's never needed glasses and neither have any of his siblings. While I was always pretty vigilant when my kids were little, I did not hesitate for a second when their pediatrician suggested that I take them to see a licensed Optometrist before they even turned a year old. It gave me peace of mind knowing that they didn't have any vision problems that could potentially contribute to developmental and learning issues during those crucial years. Plus, vision changes can occur without parents or children even noticing. However, there are some signs of vision changes in children to watch for:


Fast forward to today and I now have my eldest child who requires glasses for reading. And I never would have known if it weren't for regular eye exams. So how frequently do we need to see the Optometrist? It all depends on your age. The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) developed the following evidence-based guidelines for the recommended frequency of eye exams:

• Infants and Toddlers (Birth to 24 months) - First eye examination between the ages of 6 and 9 months
• Preschool Children (2 to 5 years) - At least one eye examination between the ages of 2 and 5 years
• School Age Children (6 to 19 years) - Annually
• Adults (20 to 39 years) - Every two to three years
• Adults (40 to 64 years) - Every two years
• Adults (65 years or older) - Annually

Now that both my daughter and I wear glasses, we have a lot of fun shopping for frames and checking out the latest styles at the on-site Theodore & Pringle Optical while the boys go grocery shopping at Loblaws. You can even schedule an appointment to get your eyes examined, too! I'm due for a new pair of eyeglasses so I recently popped by Theodore & Pringle and was blown away by their impressive collection of frames.

Given that May is Vision Health Month, I want to take the time to encourage you to "priorit-eyes" your eyes and book an exam with your Optometrist. We know eye health and vision care are important. But do we know why?

Through an eye exam, an Optometrist can uncover underlying health conditions, such as the early warning signs of conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, vascular disease, thyroid disease, brain tumors and diabetes. Optometrists can also detect common causes of serious vision loss that often occur later in life, including cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy.

Can you believe it's May? With all this cold rainy weather we've been having, it hardly feels like spring. But the sunshine is back and so are Staples Teacher Appreciation Days! Unlike the back-to-school savings teachers enjoy in the summer, we can save 20% on most in-store purchases, which is an additional 5% in savings, from May 8-14, 2019. There are exclusions, such as technology (including but not limited to computer hardware, software and ink, for example). Be sure to read the fine print for full details and don't forget to bring your teacher ID.