The Comfort Play and Teach Centre is a parenting framework designed by Invest in Kids, a national charity committed to teaching parenting skills. The activity centre allows parents and children to build positive relationships, while engaging in 4 activities (Madalina Hubert)
With such celebrity speakers as Oprah Winfrey’s health expert Dr. Oz, CBC’s consumer expert Wendy Mesley and MP Olivia Chow headlining on Friday, the expo opened to a weekend packed with education, fun and hands-on activities. About 200 exhibits offered everything from organic food to eco-fashion to kids and family products, with a range of speakers covering topics such as healthy relationships, nutrition and baby wear.
Show producer Yvette Murray said the expo’s popularity has grown in the past five years as organic products have become more mainstream, adding that she's received much positive feedback on this year's event. She emphasized that the expo was particularly beneficial for parents concerned about their kids’ health.
“I think it’s important because you have to get the knowledge out there that it’s not as hard or scary as people think -- that it’s quite fun.”
In fact, says Murray, people "feel healthy" when they are at the expo. “When they leave they have a good, joyful, healthy attitude.”
Healthy Eating: Parents Should Teach by Example
While the focus of the expo was on a healthy lifestyle for kids, it's the parents who must lead the way, said Murray. “If you’re not taking care of yourself, it’s hard for your kids [to learn]."
Sara Harrel, chef and president of the Veg Company, was the organizer of the Veggie Kidz Stage. She stressed the importance for parents to set a good example for their kids in their eating habits. This is because children learn by observing.
“If they see their parents only eating junk, and they wrinkle their nose at something healthy, their [childrens'] immediate reaction will be to wrinkle their nose even though they like it,” said Harrel.
Lisa McKeen, President of Marketing, Development and Communications for Invest in Kids shares a valuable moment with a child in the reading area of the Comfort Play and Teach Centre. (Madalina Hubert )
The presenters agreed that getting kids involved in the process of food preparation was key to getting them to eat more healthfully. “Find things that they would like and get them to participate in the food in a fun way, and then they’ll gravitate,” said Harrel.
She especially discouraged parents from rewarding their children with junk food, adding that it’s not good to associate this type of food with positive emotion. “A treat is something that’s good for you,’ said Harrel, adding that going to movies or using favourite expensive fruit to prepare something special would be much better alternatives.
A Positive Approach to Parenting
While most parents consider parenting to be their most important task, it is also the area where they feel the most unsupported and vulnerable, said Lisa McKeen spokesperson for Invest in Kids, a popular national parenting charity devoted to strengthening parenting skills.
Wendy Cyz of Baby Art Clothing, a family-operated company specializing in hand-made and hand-painted special occasion wear. While her mother creates the clothes, her mother-in-law paints them. “It’s actual artwork”, said Wendy (Madalina Hubert).
“It’s a wonderful simple way for parents to start to understand how to strengthen their parenting and to see the results right in front of their eyes,” said McKeen who emphasized the importance of such activities for the social, emotional and intellectual development of children in the first five years of their lives.
The Healthy Kids Expo ran from Oct 24-26 at the National Exhibition Place in Toronto. The biannual expo was presented by Holistic World. The Epoch Times was a sponsor of the event.
