Bunchland

Squished between all the dentist appointments and teacher conferences on our calendars are those wonderful things called “holidays.” Or sometimes they’re called “birthdays” or even “parties.” For Bunchland families, there’s always a reason to celebrate.

Purim is based on the story of the Jews’ kiboshing Haman’s evil plot to annihilate them, but in Israel it’s basically a huge day-long public celebration. Little kids and bankers alike wear costumes, dance, laugh and party in the street. And we’re not sure how closely this is observed, but the adults are encouraged to drink until they can’t tell the difference between good and evil. There’s even a word for it (ad delo yada). It’s the one time of year where everyone is free to be wild and mischievous and even cross-dress. Schoolchildren also trade homemade baskets of treats and blessings, which is just really nice. Hamutal tells us how her Tel Aviv family celebrates.  Read more...

Every family does mealtime differently. All we know is food and family go together like PB and J. In Munchland, you show us how your family fills up their tummies.

Rebeca fell in love with coffee shops after she moved to New York 12 years ago and discovered they were a great place to sit and be alone and people-watch. Hard at work on a book about New York coffee culture, she found it challenging to write and spend time with her son, Diego. So now she brings him along, and the two get to hang out and explore different neighbourhoods through small, independent coffee shops. Diego accompanies Rebeca and acts as the certified cookie reviewer, which means he gets a treat every time (pretty sweet deal, if you ask us). Their special thing led to a Facebook fan page, a Twitter feed and a video series, which you can watch on their blog, The Coffee Beaners.  Read more...

Bunchland families could teach you a thing or two about having fun. You see, for them, hangtime is serious business. In Play List, we ask families about the top five awesome things they have ever done together and get an amazing illustrator to draw them, and we get blown away every time.

Marc and Damion adopted Sean at the age of 2. Marc is also adopted, and is close with his maternal birth family, so Sean has three sets of grandparents who love him a whole lot. How cool is that? Marc has no problem answering questions about their multi-ethnic, same-sex, adoptive family. Fun fact: Aside from Canada, their family boasts the cultural heritages of Italy, St. Lucia, Guyana, St. Vincent and the United States. Here is their Play List.  Read more...

Bunchland is kicking down your front door and invading your home sweet home. Well, after you’ve politely invited us in, served us tea and offered to show us your family’s treasures.

Laura and Moe Berg are both rock stars in their own right. Moe is the lead singer of the iconic Canadian band The Pursuit of Happiness, not to mention a music producer and co-host of Master Tracks on AUX TV. Laura founded her own company, My Smart Hands, teaching parents how to do sign language with their babies. A Youtube video of Laura signing with their daughter Fireese received over 2 million views, and her business exploded. Their downtown Toronto home is a bustling hub of activity, filled with music and singing.  Read more...

Cinnamon hearts? Meh! Stupid stuffed animals? Pffft! This Valentine’s Day, we at Bunchland wanted to get people to express some real sentiment. So we rounded up some talented, creative dads and asked them to write a love letter to their families.

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Bunchland likes to give props to families who love helping the planet and getting down and dirty with nature. The ones who really knock our organic, pesticide-free cotton socks off get our coveted Gosh Darn Green! Award.

Would you consider letting bugs chill out on plants in your house? What about letting them hang out a few feet away from your sleeping child’s head?

Nici’s 3-year-old daughter Amelie has never been one to be squeamish about bugs. She is enamoured with butterflies, and once let a caterpillar crawl all over her. Nici’s boyfriend Aaron, a former kindergarten teacher, recalled a project he did with his students and suggested trying it for Amelie’s birthday: witnessing the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies. In the house.  Read more...

Squished between all the dentist appointments and teacher conferences on our calendars are those wonderful things called “holidays.” Or sometimes they’re called “birthdays” or even “parties.” For Bunchland families, there’s always a reason to celebrate.

The Lunar New Year, which begins on February 14th this year, is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. Here is how Seung-Yoon Lisa’s Korean family celebrates.

Usually what happens is you go to the house of the eldest person in the family. You eat rice cake soup, and the number of bowls of soup you eat signifies the number of years you’ll be living. So you eat more to guarantee yourself more years of life.

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