LAST WEEK AT CONNECT
Join us each week as we recap the previous week’s Connect Groups!
Connect Group Mentoring is all about connecting kid’s with their peers and adult mentors while learning new skills and having fun. It take on many forms from learning to golf and snowboard, to yoga and arts & crafts.
Connect: Fun with food!
It’s BigsNBC Volunteer, Jaidyn, here leading a whole new Connect group - Connect: Fun with Food! This group will involve all things food, and will always have a yummy treat for the kids to take home. Follow along to see the yummy creations we make!
APPLE-SOLUTELY YUMMY!
We are back with a completely new Connect group – Connect: Fun with Food! In this group, we will be doing all kinds of food-based games and activities, and each week the kids will have a treat to take home! The group is co-ed for kids aged 8-10 and runs until March 19th!
A VERY FUN-DUE TIME!
We are back with another update on Connect: Fun with Food! In the last two sessions, the group did some fun activities like yogurt fruit cones, marshmallow slime and fondue! Read along to get all the details on how they did it!
OREO READY FOR FUN?!
It’s time for one last Connect: Fun with Food update! This group has been such a blast, and it went by so quickly! For our last session, we did a couple of really fun activities involving Oreos, and we even had some time at the end to do an Easter craft!
Connect: P.O.W.E.R.
It’s Big Sister and BigsNBC Fund Development Assistant, Jael, here! Come along on my journey of co-leading the awesome group, Connect: P.O.W.E.R.! Here we will be creating a safe and fun environment for a group of Grade 7 girls to be themselves as they navigate the times of preteenhood!
STACKING UP THE CONNECTION!
November 15, 2023
We are back in full swing with a brand new Connect group – Connect: POWER! We have run this group in the past and it went so well, we brought it back. This group is for Grade 7 girls and is intended to spread awareness about subjects like mental health, self-esteem, boundaries, and more! It runs for 2 hours a week for 14 weeks. Why is it called POWER?
MINDFULNESS JARS AND COOKIES
On our second-to-last visit before winter break, we had lots of fun learning about mindfulness by making mindfulness jars, along with decorating Christmas cookies!
ADRESSING THE STRESSFUL FEELINGS
January 3, 2024
After a relaxing two weeks off (three for me, as I was sick for the last group), we resumed our POWER Group! To address the feelings of nervousness most of us get when going back to school and work, we talked about stress and anxiety this week.
SELF-COMPASSION AND SHAVING CREAM!
January 17, 2024
We are back with another Last Week at Connect blog post! Between doing activities related to self-compassion and a super cool art project with shaving cream and food colouring, we had a blast this week!
CONNECT: Nukko Lake
This group intends to create a fun and safe space for the kids of Nukko Lake Elementary to be themselves, learn new skills, and connect with their peers! I am so excited to be part of this group once again this year. Follow along to hear about the fun stuff we have planned!
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
November 16, 2023
Since today was our first session, we started out by discussing some basic group rules. Some of the main rules discussed were: Be kind, try not to talk over others, you can "pass" on the activity if you want to, and be respectful to yourself, others, and the room. We then did our first icebreaker game, "Would you rather."
WEAPONS OF STRESS REDUCTION!
We are back with another update on our Connect: Nukko Lake group! Between sharing our winter break stories, learning about stress, and making our own stress balls, it was a fun session!
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
January 19th, 2024
This week we learned about the power of teamwork by doing a Lego challenge!
REVEALING THE ANSWERS
We are back with another Connect: Nukko Lake update! This week we focused on self-care in a super fun and creative way!
PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS
We are back with a final update on our Connect: Nukko Lake group! This group has flown by, and it is very bitter-sweet that it is ending. However, I know that the kids developed some very valuable skills whilst being in this program.
Connect: Arts & Crafts
Hello! It’s BigsNBC Programs Volunteer, Kora, here back with another Connect group - Connect: Arts & Crafts! We have had a ton of fun so far exploring with all kinds of artistic mediums, so follow along to keep up on the creativity!
LET’S GET CRAFTY!
September 14, 2023
It's Kora here, and I am back with another Last Week at Connect, or, as I should say, the last few weeks of Connect! We recently started a new group, Connect: Arts & Crafts! Over the past few weeks, we have been able to do some really cool art projects, and the kids have bloomed into their artistic capabilities!
TIE-DYE AND GOOD VIBES
September 21, 2023
Our Connect: Arts and Crafts group has wrapped up, and we are so happy with how much the kids expressed their creative talents! For week 4, we did coaster painting and “Cat Scraping” and in week 5, we ended the group with tie-dyeing!
Connect: Paint It!
Hi! It’s BigsNBC volunteers, Emily and Hannah, here! We are running the Connect: Paint It! Group and we are so excited. Follow along to see the cool painting activities we have planned.
CLOUDY COLOURS & BIRDHOUSES!
June 21, 2023
It’s BigsNBC volunteers, Emily and Hannah, here giving you another LWAC blog post! We are so excited to be leading this group, especially because we both love to paint! For our very first activity, we did cloudy colours and birdhouse painting!
IT’S A SIGN OF THE TIMES
June 28, 2023
We had another fun-filled week at Connect: Paint It! This week we had some fun with a splatter paint activity and sign decorating.
ENDELESS PASTEL-BILITIES
July 5, 2023
We’re back with another blog post for Week 3 of Connect: Paint It! This week we switched things up and took a small break from paint and worked with oil pastels.
WE LAVA PAINTING!
Week 4 of Connect: Paint It was another really fun one, as we made mini volcanos, and then did some tape canvas painting.
July 12, 2023
A MARBLE-OUS END TO THE GROUP
We are back with our final blog post for Connect: Paint it! This week was a ton of fun. Not only was the painting fun, but it was also fun to just reflect and connect on what we enjoyed in each session.
July 19, 2023
Connect: Gardening
Hi! I’m Jael, a BigsNBC Volunteer, and Fund Development Assistant. Although I’ve been an In-School Mentor for a while, this is my first time ever volunteering for a Connect group, and I couldn’t be more excited! Follow along for the next 5 weeks as we do some really cool projects in the group.
IMPATIEN TO START THE GROUP!
May 23, 2023
Spring has sprung, which is the perfect opportunity to start a brand new connect group, Connect: Gardening! Not only will this group teach the kids valuable gardening skills that they can use at home, but they will also get to participate in lots of creative and fun projects as well.
A FAIRY GOOD TIME
May 30, 2023
It’s Jael here, and I’m back with another update on Connect: Gardening! For our second session, we made Fairy/Gnome Houses. The kids had so much fun assembling their little structures, and Amy and I had so much fun helping them!
DESIGNING THE SIGNS
June 6, 2023
This week was another super fun session of Connect: Gardening, as we made miniature terrariums and garden signs!
LETTUCE CELEBRATE!
June 13, 2023
This week was definitely one of the more garden-focused sessions of the whole group. We got to learn how to plant some seeds, learned about our birth flowers, and then we got to plant three flowers in a pot to take home!
GARDENING, IT GROWS ON YOU
June 20, 2023
This session was bittersweet, as it was our last night of Connect: Gardening! Because it was the last night, we did some really fun activities such as painting rocks and garden signs, planting our own garden beds, and we even ended it off with an ice cream party!
CONNECT: SENSORY SCIENCE
Each week, a group of 8-10 year old’s get together in the BigsNBC Clubhouse to participate in a number of science experiments that test different senses. Follow along!
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF FUN
December 9, 2022
What is sensory science you may ask? Well, it’s like any regular science experiment, except each experiment will stimulate the kids’ senses! This could be through hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch! In this group, we will be exploring different colours and textures in each project such as hot and cold, hard and soft, light and heavy, and much more!
SLIME TIME!
December 12, 2022
We had another great week of sensory science! While we waited for others to arrive, we made some clay sculptures. We had a ton of fun this week making magic milk, and two kinds of slime!
A JAM-PACKED WEEK!
December 19, 2022
This week of sensory science was jam packed with not one, not two, but THREE experiments to send the kids onto their holiday break! We had so much fun doing a dancing raisins experiment, making never-melting snowmen, and to top it all off, DIY sensory bottles!
BOUNCING INTO THE NEW YEAR
January 3, 2023
With the new year beginning, and everyone back to school and work, we started up our Connect: Sensory Science group again after the winter break. This week was another fun filled week where we guessed items in a mystery sensory box, made lava lamps, and finally, we even made our own bouncy balls!
THE CREATIVITY IS GLOWING
January 10, 2023
In this week of Connect: Sensory Science, the kids’ creative sides really shone through, and we worked with different colors, textures, and even lights! We did all kinds of fun activities like squeegee painting, glass jar fireworks, and for our main activity, solar mason jars (which by the way, turned out INCREDIBLE).
SEA YOU LATER!
January 17, 2023
After an amazing 6 weeks of Connect: Sensory Science, this was our final week of fun science experiments. Nonetheless, we ended the group with three super fun activities - painting ocean pictures, conducting a rainbow fizz experiment, and making our own aquarium jars!
Connect: Sensory Science II
Hi, I’m Olivia, a BigsNBC Volunteer! Follow along for the next six weeks as Emily, another BigsNBC Volunteer and I take the lead on the comeback of this popular Connect group!
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
April 17, 2023
We had so much fun kicking off the first week of Sensory Science by making cloud dough! This was a great first activity as it allowed the kids to converse with each other and get to know one another!
HOW DAIRY YOU!
April 24, 2023
I am back with another Last Week at Connect blog! In this week of Connect: Sensory Science, we did two very fun experiments. We first started off with a magical milk experiment, and then followed it with a kid favourite: slime!
RAISIN THE ROOF!
May 1, 2023
We’re back with another update on Connect: Sensory Science! Week 3 was a ton of fun because we did a dancing raisins activity, and then made sensory bottles!
A FIN-TASTIC WEEK!
May 8, 2023
Week 4 was another fun (and busy) week! We did not two, but three fun science activities! We first started off with an intro SqueeGee painting activity, then headed into our main underwater aquarium activity, and then ended with a bonus marshmallow structure activity.
Connect: Nukko Lake
The Nukko Lake program is a specific Connect program tailored to kids attending Nukko Lake Elementary School. The group meets twice monthly. Follow along!
THE POWER OF TEAMWORK
November 22, 2022
We recently started up our latest Connect Group at Nukko Lake Elementary School! This group is held biweekly, and the primary focus is to build social-emotional skills such as self confidence, trust, and empathy.
A FERRY FUN WEEK
December 1, 2022
Week 2 at the Connect: Nukko Lake group we built popsicle stick boats! While it is a fun, and relatively simple activity, and the goal of this project was for the kids to learn and practice sharing, communication, critical thinking, planning, and team work.
WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT!
December 15, 2022
We had lots of fun for Week 3 of our Connect: Nukko Lake group! At the start of the group, we caught up with the kids about how they have been since the last time we saw them two weeks ago, and how excited everyone was for Christmas!
THE PLAN WAS FOILED!
January 10, 2023
This week of Connect: Nukko Lake was lots of fun, and we talked about some very important topics! As this was our first week back together of the New Year, we each shared a little bit about the best part of our breaks, and then got into a fun activity making items out of tin foil!
HANDLING THE BIG FEELINGS
March 2, 2023
After a few weeks being away from Connect: Nukko Lake due to illness, we were so happy to be back with the kids for more fun activities this week! This week was a super impactful one because we worked on stress and anxiety with the kiddos.
IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS
March 9, 2023
This week was a bit more relaxed, as it was the last week before spring break and some kids were away. We started off the group by talking about our spring break plans. We then did some other fun activities like the spider web game and a Lego challenge!
CONNECTION THROUGH COMMUNICATION
March 30, 2023
This was our first week back from spring break, which means the kids had so much to share about the fun activities they did over the break! We then did some fun activities like a balloon pop game and an obstacle course to teach the kids about boundaries and communication.
DEMONSTRATING OUR SKILLS
April 13, 2023
This week at the Connect: Nukko Lake group was a bit emotional, as it was my last session working at BigsNBC. Overall though, it was a great session with the kids! We played a modified “ask a question” Jenga game, and played a teamwork cup game! Through these activities, the kids got to demonstrate their skills in connection, trust, and teamwork.
AN EGG-STRA SPECIAL ACTIVITY
April 27, 2023
This week of Connect: Nukko Lake was super fun and engaging for the kids. We started by playing a career game to get the kids thinking about what they thought about different jobs, and then we started an egg-drop challenge!
ONTO THE NEXT ADVENTURE
May 25, 2023
Although it has been a little bit since we last got together due to illnesses, we picked up right where we left off in the last session! As a recap, the kids built egg baskets for an egg drop, and during this session, we put them to the test in an egg drop!
Connect: Golf
Jane here! You may know me as the BigsNBC Communications Manager, but did you know I am also a volunteer Big Sister in our Connect Group Mentoring Program? Join me on my journey as I hang out with some awesome littles once a week and channel my inner Tiger Woods on the golf course.
TAKE A STAND… HIT SOME GOLF BALLS
June 27, 2022
After weeks of hard work by the BigsNBC Program team, me along with 5 littles met up at Aberdeen Golf Course for the first session of Connect: Golf. It is very exciting to see this program come back again after a successful first run in 2021 and I am so pleased to be able to be a part of it.
FRIENDCHIP IN THE MAKING
June 27, 2022
Once again the kids and I lucked out and the golfing conditions were PERFECT for the second session of Connect: Golf! We all met at our usual spot outside of the clubhouse, golf clubs in hand. After just one previous session, the kids were excited to see each other again and I could see…
Connect: Arts & Crafts
Hi! I’m Cait, a BigsNBC volunteer and the Marketing & Events Coordinator. I am a Big Sister in the In School Mentoring Program and loved it so much I wanted to get involved with Connect. Follow along as I get creative with some cool kids!
A FAIRY GOOD START
May 25th, 2022
After a bunch of prep and planning, I joined Amy (a mentoring coordinator and leader of the group) in Clubhouse to start our 6 week craft group – Connect: Arts and Crafts. This group has been done in the past and looked so fun, so it was exciting to get to be a part of it. Amy thought of some super cool activities and planned every week to be something different.
A CRAFT THAT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD
June 1st, 2022
Week 2 was very exciting because we were doing a craft I’ve never even seen before, so this was new for most of us. A few kids had done a similar craft in the past so they led the way! We made GALAXY JARS, which is as cool as it sounds.
THEY WERE FRAMED
June 8th, 2022
We had so much fun this week! Making fun things like slime or galaxy jars is always a good time, but making something that the kids can keep and use for a long time is also something special. This week we made our very own painted picture frames, which the kids could use to put ANY picture they wished once they got home!
WATERCOLOURING WITH A SPECIAL GUEST
June 15th, 2022
Our fourth week was a super special session of the group because we had Christina from Watts Art Academy in to help teach us how to watercolour paint!
Christina was so generous to bring in all the supplies so we were able to use some high quality professional paints and brushes. We had a mini lesson on gemstones: different kinds, colours and what they look like, and how to use water to manipulate the colours to resemble them better. Christina went step-by-step…
A LITTLE BIT OF 3D, A LITTLE BIT OF DANCING
June 22nd, 2022
I mean it was definitely hard to top a real artist coming in to show us how it’s done with watercolour painting but of course Amy crafted up something super fun for the Littles to enjoy and collaborate on.
This week we did 3D painted canvases featuring a ton of little 3D wooden pieces, there were: stars, hearts, butterflies, cars, birds, bikes, glasses, you name it!
UNTIL NEXT TIME
June 29th, 2022
With school ending the day before the Littles were excited to start their summer vacation. What a better time to finish the last session of the group on a high note. Although this is bittersweet to write, because I had so much fun doing crafts with an awesome group of kids, the last week was still so much fun. The craft was cool because it kind of tied together every craft we did throughout the program.
Connect: Paddle Royale
Hello! I’m Madison, a BigsNBC volunteer and one of the Childcare Coordinators. I’m joining a group of Littles to learn how to canoe and kayak, so join me on my journey!
READY, SET, PADDLE!
July 26th, 2022
After a first successful run last year, I joined Jaidyn (a mentoring coordinator) at West lake to start our 6-week canoe and kayak group - Connect: Paddle Royale. We are joined by PG Canoe and Kayak Club instructors to teach us the skills and techniques used to canoe and kayak. They’ll also teach us the ins and outs of water safety.
Today we had 8 Littles join us at West Lake - most of us were nervous but also excited for the next 6 weeks. Bini, our instructor, lead us in some introductions and also did some ice breaker games. We slowly got to learn everyone’s names and what they are looking forward to the most in this group.
TIME TO KAYAK
August 2nd, 2022
This was our second week of this group, and this time we got to learn how to kayak! They had about 7-8 kayaks and many of them were the same, but some were different. A bunch of the Littles were excited as they have never done this before!
We started off with a couple games again - I’d never heard of them before but they were super easy and fun! After learning everyone’s names again as a refresher we went back up to the storage shed and got fitted for our life jackets and paddles. We made our way back down to the water and learned the techniques to kayaking. After just a couple minutes everyone hopped into their kayak…
YOU’RE ROCKING THE BOAT
Today was the third week of Paddle Royale, and with the warm weather everyone was very excited to get right into the canoes and start practicing and learning new things!
We started off by doing some more group games and learning how important communication is. The instructors got the littles all paired up and we paddled around the lake learning a new technique with our paddles, then we had to switch spots while staying in our boats in each others canoes trying not to tip; it was fun but definitely got us all a little nervous!
WHEN IN DOUBT, KAYAK IT OUT
August 16th, 2022
We were too excited to get started that we forgot to take any photos!
Today we got to go in the kayaks again, BUT before getting into them we played a game called “ninja”. This is a game we played a couple of times and it’s so much fun! After playing ninja and doing some stretching we walked up to the storage shed and got our life jackets, paddles, and kayaks. This time everyone got their own and we didn’t use and of the two-person ones. After finally getting them into the water, our instructor showed us different ways to get in and out of our kayaks - many of the Littles tipped over while practicing these.
KEEP CALM AND PADDLE ON
August 23rd, 2022
Today was a super hot day to be out at the lake. All the littles were very excited to get right into the water, but first Bini, our instructor, explained to us what we were going to be doing. Bini told us that we were going to be paddling across the lake in our canoes over to a spot that they also rent. So we all split into groups of two and got into our canoes. Bini instructed us on which way we were going to be taking, and encouraged everyone to work together to paddle. We got about half way and Bini got us to all group together so we could switch some people around. This was a fun, and sort of challenging thing to do while still on the water.
Connect: Engineering
Amy here! I am the Mentoring Coordinator for Connect: Engineering. Follow along as I highlight some of the things that the kids do and make.
AN A-MAZE-ING START
October 5, 2022
After a jam-packed summer of connect groups and other fun filled activities, I was so excited to kick-start our first connect group of the new school year – Connect: Engineering! This program is especially fun because the participants in the group will get to hone in on their creative and constructive skills over a span of 5 weeks!
TASTY WEEK 2
October 14, 2022
Week two was a tasty one, with marshmallow structures! To start off the evening, we played a few rounds of “would you rather” to get the group to get to know each other a bit better! We definitely had a lot of interesting questions and responses, which brought lots of laughter to the group.
I PITY THE FOOS
October 11, 2022
To begin the night, we did a bit of a different warm up activity, which was a lego building challenge (because who doesn’t love lego??). The kids were instructed to build an earthquake proof building out of lego, with limited time, so they had to think and work fast! After the time ran out, volunteer Jaidyn or I put the lego buildings to the test - we shook the desk underneath it to see if it would hold out or tumble! This was such a fun warm up activity for the kids, and us volunteers loved it as well.
AN EGG-CITING PROJECT
October 18, 2022
How are we already at week 4? This week was jam packed with a big activity – an egg drop challenge! While the activity took lots of engineering and brain power, the kids had a ton of fun designing their “egg nest.”
BEST IN THROW
November 2, 2022
This week was very bitter sweet, as it was the last session of Connect: Engineering. We started this week by going around the room and discussing how we felt about our group coming to an end. Overall, we all agreed that we’ve had a great couple of weeks and are looking forward to other opportunities to learn and grow new friendships.