Passion is important in business! 
I don't think that you'll find any one else in Prince George who is as passionate about comics, cards, board games and table top games as Wonderland Games!
Plus they have a gaming space fit for playing your favorite trading card game, table top miniature game or board game - Wonderland is the place to be to make friends and have fun :) 

We are so excited to have Wonderland Games as one of our local partners helping us celebrate 30 years of business - they are an amazing complement to us!  Make sure you visit them this month to see what all they have to offer, and enter our Anniversary Contest.

Please show your support for local business by liking their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/wonderlandpg/ 
It is also THE place to find all their tournament and game night info!

Wonderland Games is located at 100-3328 15th Avenue in the City Gate Shopping Area

Blissful Bubbles Boutique is the epitome of local supporting local! 
Corry and Kim have created the cutest little shop, that is not only local but supports other Prince George and BC small businesses - you simply just have to go in to see everything that is offered by them and their artisans,  I promise that you won't be disappointed!!! 
​We couldn't think of better partners for our 30th Anniversary Summer contest!

With everything you need to get clean, relax and smell awesome - Blissful Bubbles creates Health Canada approved bath bombs, sugar scrubs, shower steamers, fairy dust.....the list goes on and on..... :)  All created by hand right here in Prince George!!! 

They also host events like birthday parties, paint pouring parties and more -check out their Facebook page for more details https://www.facebook.com/blissfulbubblesbathcreations

Blissful Bubbles Boutique is located
at the Hart Centre Mall  110-3831 Austin Rd W

 The Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum is our last stop in our 30th Anniversary Summer Promotion for July!  Everyone needs to add the museum to their summer itinerary, 
​ we had the BEST time there taking pictures - the hospitality was AMAZING!   
​Gingy is thinking a second career as a Train Engineer might be fun ;)

​The Railway & Forestry Museum revives Prince George's captivating history back to an era when the railway was the region's lifeline and forestry was becoming BC's future.
The Museum presents an interesting and fun industrial heritage attraction in a spacious park-like setting, where visitors are free to enjoy a "hands on - climb aboard" experience.
​(Excerpt from the museum's website ​https://www.pgrfm.bc.ca/)

The museum has their Family Fun Day coming up on August 24 from 11 AM- 4 PM.  Admission will be free by donation to the Two Bunnies Rescue or the PG Humane Society - all the details can be found here https://www.facebook.com/events/503300283771993/  Sounds like a fun day! 
As a side note, the PG Humane Society is an upcoming 30th Anniversary partner
​- you could support two of our amazing partners in one spot :)

Check out the Little Miss Madison line for the young girls in your life
​ - so many cute and unique styles at affordable prices.
You can also Book an after hours appointment for you and your friends for a unique shopping experience and leave feeling as though you just spent some time in your best friend's closet!

Madison Avenue Fashions can be found at 2302 Hart Highway or at www.mafashions.ca
- don't forget to send Bonnie some love in the way of liking her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/madisonavefashions as well!

For the month of July, you can drop by Madison Avenue Fashions and enter our 30 Year Anniversary Summer Celebration contest!  July's prize is worth over $200!!!!!!
One entry per person, per location please - no purchase necessary
Draw date is August 5, 2019
and psssst....while you're there wish Bonnie a Happy Anniversary too! 
​She is celebrating 5 years in the shop at Northwoods Plaza this November  :)

My friends and I have been doing a seasonal scavenger hunt via Facebook for the past three years.  It is a fun way to get out and explore our world, as well as taking notice of the small things in our lives.  We also learn a little more about each other every year and it forces those who live away from us to stay in touch in a small way :)

Here is our list this year for inspiration in creating your own! 
​Or feel free just to "steal" it - I don't mind :)

Summer 2019 List
1. Last Day of school picture
2. Running through a sprinkler
3. Reading a book (or 2 or 3)
4. Having a picnic
5. Blowing bubbles
6. Eating Watermelon
7. Playing in the Rain
8. Laundry on the line
9. Roasting Marshmallows
10. Lightning 
11. Colouring with sidewalk chalk
12. On a nature walk
13. At a festival/fair
14. Visiting a water park
15. Eating ice cream
16. At the beach
17. At the park
18. muddy child
19. giant leaf 
20. Orange flower
21. Making a favourite summer treat
(something you don't eat during the school year/not a popsicle)
22. Playing on a slip and slide
23. Face paint
24. Family game night
25. Bowling
26. Construction Zone
27. Learning something new
28. Going for a bike ride
29. Dirty Feet
30. big rock
31. waterfall
32. Rainy day activity 
33. An insect
34. Swimming in the lake or river
35. wild animal
36. Something old 
37. statue
38. rest stop 
39. sleeping child
40. Something pink
41. Something blue
42. Flip flops
43. summer storm
44. Mowing the lawn
45. Riding a bike
46. Having a water fight
47. Writing a pen pal
48. Playing mini golf
49. Eating cotton candy
50. Something new
51. Picking berries
52. A fish 
53. Going kayaking/canoeing/boating
54. Canada Day celebrations
55. Something yellow
56. Something orange
57. Drinking a slurpee/iced coffee
58. A sunflower 
59. butterfly
60. rainbow
61. parade
62. A boardwalk
63. homemade popsicle 
64. Playing hopscotch 
65. Jumping rope
66. ladybug
67. Sparklers 
68. At the farmer's market 
69. train
70. license plate from far away
71. Visiting some place you've never been before
72. mountain
73. painted rock
74. bag of trash (aka clean up your neighbourhood/favourite trail)
75. Something purple
76. wet bathing suit
77. Sunglasses
78. geocache
79. Someone being silly
80. pine cone
81. Something cooked on the bbq
82. Something interesting you see on a walk/hike 
83. Wild mushrooms/fungus
84. A bridge 
85. Yellow flowers
86. Sunrise/Sunset
87. Playing in the pool
88. Lemonade
89. A family selfie
90. Something fuzzy
91. Something crafty
92. A feather
93. Souvenir 
94. A starry night
95. Something that floats
96. Airplane/Helicopter
97. Sunscreen/Bug Protection
98. A picture of whoever normally takes pictures
(and thus is never in the pictures) enjoying a family activity
99. Something cool not on this list
100. New school supplies

Who will get all 100?  

Summer Slide is a phrase that describes the slide backwards that children make in reading and math skills over the summer.  Basically, it is the old adage, "use it or lose it!"
Statistics vary as to how much knowledge is lost over the summer, but there are many ways to support our kids in our daily lives!

Here are 5 things that I do with my kids over the summer:
1.  READ, and read some more!  Read out loud to them, have them read to you.  Kids emulate what they see, so let them see you reading.  Read signs at the store, on the road, wherever you go!  Make sure you stop by the store and pick up your free Gingy bookmark.

2. Play Games - so many games promote strategic thinking, math & reading skills and even social skills.  This summer, I am introducing Yahtzee and a travel game that we just got in store called Words.  Some other favourites are Bananagrams,  Mexican Train (Dominoes) and Scrabble!

3.  Explore outdoors!  Take a net to the lake, what creatures can you find?  Look up plants with an app or go geocaching (a family favourite of ours) - so much learning and relaxation occurs in our woods, plus the fresh air and exercise are an awesome bonus.

4. Bake or cook - What a great life skill to learn!  Reading, following directions, motor skills and math are just a few of the things that can be incorporated into an everyday need.  One thing that I do is take away a measuring cup, and ask my kids how we can measure out the ingredients with the measuring cups that are left (fractions!)  For example, if we need a cup of sugar, I'll take away that cup and have them figure out that they need 3 x 1/3 Cups or 2 x 1/2 Cups.

5.  Traditional workbooks, flash cards,  online programs and apps are another way to mix it up and keep it interesting!  My kids love the Hot Dots we have at the store (and we have lots of options coming soon!) - they are a neat alternative to the traditional flash card.

So many opportunities arise for added learning, we can help you find the games, tools, workbooks and story books to make this summer fun!  If you have a favourite way to add learning to your everyday, share with us in the comments :)

On our last road trip, my youngest uttered the words "Are we there yet?"  quite early into our journey.  In fact, we had barely left city limits, having just passed 15 Mile Road!  Oh Boy!

We also have lots of other smaller items to keep kids busy in the car - Magic pen books, a solitaire peg game, magnetic story boards,  fidget toys and much much more!
So come into the store, explore or ask us for suggestions! 

Rush Hour is an award winning solitaire game by ThinkFun - In Rush Hour, a sliding block logic game, you have to battle the gridlock as you slide the blocking vehicles out of the way for the red car to exit. With 40 challenges, ranging in difficulty, players can progress at their own speed. As one of the best logic games of all time, Rush Hour is a must for every household. (Description from the ThinkFun  website)

We have a demo available at the store for you to try before you buy!  Rush Hour is recommended for ages 8+.   My 10 year old took our demo for a spin, and enjoyed having to think to figure out the puzzles.  My almost 7 year old enjoyed the easier puzzles, but was frustrated as the difficulty increased.

Rush Hour isn't the only one player game we carry in store! 
Some are more suited for travel than others, but they all invoke fun and learning
​- just ask us for assistance :)

Yay for nice weather finally!  Clear roads, no snow.....means it is road trip time! 
​
​I love going on road trips, but have learned that with kids it is a little more than hop in the car and go.  You've got to have snacks, prepare for any possibility and keep them entertained! 
We can't promise there won't be anyone saying  "Are we there yet?"
- but we have lots of fun and unplugged ways to keep your kids busy and having fun :)

On a recent trip that my family took this past spring break, we took along the Magnetic Super Mind. What a fantastic discovery for keeping busy and perfecting skills at the same time! 

Super Mind and Mighty Mind both come with plastic shaped tiles, and puzzle cards to build on, or just let their imagination fly and create their own shapes and mosaic masterpieces. Both versions help kids develop creativity and visual/spatial relationships.  You could also work on colours, shapes and counting with the tiles.  Extra puzzle cards are available as well.

Mom's Review:   Fantastic toy!  I love the sturdy metal case, and some of the puzzle cards even challenged my almost 10 year old.  A couple of hints - there is some assembly required as the magnets have to be put onto the tiles.  Super easy to do, but you might want to do before you leave!  As well, the kit does come with a drawstring bag to store the tiles in,  but I would suggest to replace it with a small zippered bag.  We had a tile dumping incident, while the Super Mind was being passed around the car - which resulted in a pit stop to find the tiles :P

My 6.5 year old, and almost 10 year old both loved the puzzles and were challenged by them.  We also had a pretty creative tree made, and some mosaic patterns.  As a bonus, once we reached our destination, my (in their 30's sisters) sat down and completed all 32 puzzles and were disappointed that I didn't have more cards!

Even at home, our Super Mind continues to be played with - that is a win for me!