Our Programs

If you're not familiar with how our different programs work, I'm going to break them down really easy for you:

The Traditional Program

• You see your mentee once a week for 3-4 hours in the community. You have your choice of doing whatever you want!

The In-School Mentoring (ISM) Program

• You see your mentee once a week for 1 hour (no more) on school property, during school hours, for the duration of the school year.

Go Girls

•   You follow a 7-week program with a group of 6-8 girls, for 1 hour/week for 7 weeks on school property during school hours.

Game On

• You follow a 7-week program with a group of 6-8 boys, for 1 hour/week for 7 weeks on school property during school hours.

 Kids in Motion

•  You develop your own 7-week program (or follow one of ours, options now are: crafts, sports) with a group of 6-10 boys and girls for 1 hour/week for 7 weeks on school property during school hours.

Pretty basic right? Well what if you're in the ISM Program but you want to spend time with your mentee during the summer? 

Usually, that would be against our rules, but if you're registered in BOTH the Traditional and ISM Programs, you can see your mentee for the 1 hour during the school year as usual, then you can take them out in the summer, too! This program is great if you've developed a good relationship with your mentee and you want to see them in those summer months or if you just want to take them places off school property!

 

If this, or any of our programs sounds like it would be a good fit for you, please call our office more information! Cheryl Holmes, Programs Manager, 905-985-3733 ext. 2.

For more information on our programs or our organization, please visit our website here. 

FUN for the Family: A Giant Homemade Slip 'n' Slide

50 Feet of Homemade Slip n Slide Fun

This post is not my own, as I copied it from http://www.thepartyanimal-blog.org/50-feet-homemade-slip-slide-fun/.
July 6, 2011 by ThePartyAnimal .

Do your kids love the Slip n Slide, but have outgrown the ones you can buy in the store? If so not to worry because you can make a Homemade Slip n Slide that is fun for all ages.
My kids love Slip n Slides and we have had one almost every summer, BUT they are much bigger now and the store bought ones just do not cut it anymore.  So this year I promised I would make them one that would hold up and be extra long and this past 4th of July I kept that promise.
Creating this Homemade Slip n Slide was beyond EASY and it was also not too bad on the wallet either.  It may be a bit more money than the toys ones, but it is reusable and worth every cent spent. Major Summertime Fun right here !!
Check it out……


So here is what I used to make my Homemade Slip n Slide:

• Extra Heavy Duty 6 mil Plastic Sheeting
• Fabric Pegs
• Hose with or without Sprinkler
• Dish Soap – Makes for better sliding

So I went to my local Ace Hardware Store and picked up a Roll of Extra Heavy Duty Plastic Sheeting. I chose the one that was 6 mil which is the thickness of the plastic – just by touch I knew this would be plenty and hold up well. My Roll was 10 ft x 25 ft and cost me $29.99. You can find this plastic is many sizes and lengths and will depend on how long and how wide you would want to make it.

I also picked up 2 packages of Fabric Pegs – which are just plastic pegs that would stick through the Slide and into the ground to hold it in place.

Now originally when I bought the Plastic Sheeting I was so excited that it would be double wide for 2 to go down it together and at the time I thought 25′ was long. Well when my hubby unrolled it onto the lawn 25′ did not look long at all – What was I thinking? So we fixed that by cutting it in half to make it 50′ Feet long and now we were back  in business.

So our Slip n Slide was 5′ wide by 50′ feet long – now that was awesome !!!

After we put the Plastic Sheeting on the lawn we then added some of the Fabric Pegs in where needed to hold it down. Then we got out the hose and wet down the entire slide and then placed it at the top so that it ran down the slide to keep it wet.

In addition to the water we added on some Dish Soap to make the Slip n Slide that much more fun and the kids got all cleaned at the same time – Double Bonus (lol) !! Just be sure to warn the kids so they do not get too much in their eyes.

The kids all dipped in the Pool to wet themselves down first and then off they went. I am not sure which was more fun watching them slide down this thing like rockets or actually going down it – the kids would definitely say Going Down !!

 Here are some action shots and I am happy to report no major injuries – just some minor Bumps and Bruises, but none of them complained. They had sooo much fun with this and I have dried it off rolled it up and will take it back out for my daughter’s upcoming party.

So if your kids are too big for the other Slip n Slides – make your own, or make one anyway. It will last longer and you can make it to be any size you want, gotta love that !!

So at your next backyard Summer Party for the kids you will definitely have to try this !!

Thanks again to ThePartyAnimal for the awesome idea and instructions!

Here's some tips: 

• you can replace the dish soap with baby shampoo, to make it tear-free if you get it in your eyes.
• let your imagination run wild and buy some cheap pool inflatables for the kids to slide on!

Durham Region Feature: Fun Things To Do This Summer

You don't have to leave Durham Region to have fun, that's why we put this list together of places to go and things to try!

1. Salmon Fishing

Fish 'n' Fun Salmon Fishing Charters leaves from the Port Whitby Marina and you get to fish Lake Ontario. Best part--you get to keep your catch!

2. Paintball

Located on Coates Rd on the Oshawa/Port Perry border, Sector 57 Paintball has 3 different fields where you can play in a private rental, or with giant group of people! Take the kids for a birthday party, or relieve some work stress with this really fun and active activity!

3. Jungle Cat World

Lions and tigers and Leopards, oh my! These guys and many more are right in your backyard (well, Orono). Take the kids to Jungle Cat World and see the 31 kinds of mammals, 12 kinds birds, 11 kinds of reptiles, and 7 different invertebrates! 

4. Geocaching

Geocaching is the modern day treasure hunt! Search for thousands of caches outdoors all around the Durham Region with the Geocaching app or, if you're feeling adventurous, hide your own and leave your trail behind! Best part--it's  FREE and you'll find a new way to enjoy the outdoors all year round. 

5. Ziplining

Feeling brave? At Tree Top Eco Adventure Park you can try out a high ropes course, do some ziplining, and a new combat archery field!

6. Paint your own Pottery

Ever wanted to recreate that famous scene from Ghost? In Oshawa, you can! At Ceramics Canada, you can make your own pottery, they'll fire it, and then you can come back and paint it! You can also do clay hand building and glass fusing! Fun for the whole family.

7. Outdoor Laser Tag

Paintball a little messy and painful for you? Well try this alternative! Traditionally, laser tag is played indoors, however at Action Adventure Games, you can play this mess-free fun and active game outside in Bowmanville!