Bunchland

Twenty-ten was a pretty great year for Bunchland.com, but we’re hoping to make 2011 even better!

We’ve had some time to reflect on what we liked in Bunchland this  year, but now it’s time to look into the future. As the incoming online editor of Bunchland.com, I’m looking forward to bringing you the sort of fun and interesting things you’ve come to expect from us, but even more.

Next year, we want to hear more from you! We know you know there are other cool parents like you, so we want you to know one another. We’ve been talking about family profiles for a while and it’s high time we started showing other Bunchlanders just what a Bunch family looks like. Maybe it’s too much Seinfeld, but we’re pretty convinced there’s someone pretty much like you elsewhere in the world. (Though not exactly like you because you’re obvs uniquely awesome in your own way.)  Read more...

Bunchland’s outgoing editor Amanda Factor shares her favourite posts from the past year

Since Bunchland launched in January, the roster of talented writers blogging for us has grown. Our blogger pool is now made up of a diverse group of people, and I’m really proud of how far the site has come!

I was thrilled when Beth Blenz-Clucas agreed to blog about music for us. Beth runs Sugar Mountain PR, representing kindie music artists, so needless to say she was the perfect choice as our music blogger. Every Monday, Beth’s 2 Tunes 2 Ways posts appear on Bunchland, pairing a kids’ song with a grown-up song that all members of the family can enjoy. Her posts are fantastic and expose us to music we’ve never heard of before, and sometimes they remind us of songs from our childhood that we’d forgotten about.  Read more...

Today is the last day that Kodachrome will ever be processed. Last year, Kodak stopped producing the iconic color-reversal film that Paul Simon sang about. Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas will develop the final roll today. Here’s a quick tribute to all the family pictures shot in Kodachrome colour.

Kodachrome
You give us those nice bright colors
You give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, oh yeah!
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away

photos from .Dianna. Antoine Ruedisueli frontdrive34 talon k. spello Here in Van Nuys via Flickr

No idea what to do this weekend? Bunchland’s got your back

TORONTO

What: Happyview P.S.

When: Sunday, 1:30 p.m.

Where: Lower Ossington Theatre (100A Ossington Avenue)

Price: $24.50 or $80 for a family 4-pack

The details: We saw this hilarious one-man show last time it ran in Toronto, and we laughed till we thought we were going to pee our pants. It’s a great concept: the audience members are supposed to be “students” watching a school assembly, and Mike McMurtry plays all of the ridiculous characters, including a Bieber-obsessed teenage girl, a cranky custodian and a cop who secretly dreams of being a kids’ entertainer. His interaction with the crowd makes this already extremely entertaining show even more awesome.

CALGARY

What: Fire & Ice

When: Friday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: Olympic Plaza

Price: free  Read more...

A classic winter activity for the those of us who live north of the 39th parallel or so. (And have a backyard)

Setting up a rink in your own backyard is a great way to teach kids to skate and promotes outdoor play in these colder months when the television is just that much more inviting. It also turns your house into the go-to neighbourhood house, much the way a pool works in the summer.

Toronto dad David Wood has made building a skating rink into an annual tradition. The kids have had a skate right after school nearly everyday since the ice froze and even manage fun-size hockey games.

How to make a backyard rink:  Read more...

1. Map out where the rink will go with some baseboards. David used pieces of old siding. (If you’re starting this process after a substantial snowfall, you can also try just stamping snow into place)

Introducing a new weekly blog from Meri Perra, a talented journalist interested in social justice issues.  Meri writes about the challenges she and her partner face in trying to raise their girls with feminist values.

I’m not the first feminist-turned-mother to talk about this. And absolutely for sure, I will not be the last. But this Christmas, the two most popular presents our little girls received were a baby doll that does the drink and pee thing (in my opinion, ick) and a mostly pink, plastic dollhouse. And our little girls are going nuts over both of them. Those girly gifts did not come from us mommies. Instead they came from two people who didn’t think so much about our daughters’ personalities when they were shopping, as they did their gender. And lo and behold, gender rules.  Read more...

New Year’s Eve doesn’t have to mean scrambling to find a babysitter or skipping a night of partying. With a bit of planning ahead, kids and New Year’s can be seamlessly combined to create a fun night for the whole family, full of activities you’ll all look back on.

At a loss for how to pull this off? Presenting the Bunchland Guide to New Year’s Eve, our collection of ideas for having the best lead-up to midnight (and the most relaxing New Year’s Day) ever.

For starters, night tobogganing is a perfect multi-family activity. Round up some friends and neighbours and head for the hills. Enjoy the crisp winter air and the shrieking of your kids as they coast along at lightning speed. With some preparation, you can avoid your tobogganing sesh being cut short because everyone’s too cold. We recommend lots of layers and a thermos filled with hot chocolate or another hot beverage.  Read more...