Sometimes Wednesdays need a little extra push. If you follow us on Pinterest then you know that we are true believers in the power of motivational words.

Here are just a few of our favourites that we find to be the #truth. Have a WONDERFUL Wednesday.

Whatever it is, you can do it :) We believe in you!

PS. If you want to see our whole collection, check out our Pinterest board here!

This year the Vancouver International Children’s Festival is on from May 29th – June 3rd. That’s 6 days of fun to be had. And for the second year, the festival is going to be calling Granville Island home.

There are so many performances to be seen. We know it is hard to pick what to go to be we are here to assure you that there is no wrong decision. It is ALL great!

And to make your Monday a little brighter, we are going to be giving away a Family 4-Pack of Site Activity Passes (good for 1 day) that can be used to access our world of art in 3 activity zones.

Want a listing of all of the shows in the palm of your hand? Download the On the Go Kids App and you can view all of the schedules, shows, a map and much more of the Vancouver International Festival and many other events.

How to win tickets you ask?

Just comment below and let us know what event, show or activity you are most excited for at the Vancouver International Children’s Festival this year!

We will draw the winner next Monday! And remember! When tweeting about the festival (@vcif) use the hashtag #vankidsfest

Happy Monday!!

Great for little ones, enjoy a little tambourine or xylophone action and watch your kidlets delight in the noises they are creating! Music to every parents ears.

For the second of our 4 weeks of Hape (yes, that is right, you have 4 chances to win 4 different Hape goodies) we are mesmerized by the Hape musical instrument collection.

Made with the Hape craftsmanship and quality, this instruments are sure to last (and please!) generation after generation. Inspiring creativity and musicality, Hape music instruments are toys you can feel good about giving the little one in your life.

And Hape doesn’t let their quality standards stop at their products. Hape is dedicated to helping and enriching the lives of everyone who is involved in the process and company. Hape has built Hape has built 3 schools in rural Guizhou, providing opportunities for playing and learning for over 3000 children and their families. And that’s just some of it.

Yes, you read right, this is Flash Friday so you know what that means. We are going to be giving away a Hape musical instrument of choice (dependent on stock) to a lucky and fabulous blog reader.

How to Enter

Tell us how you make others Hape!

For additional entries:

Tweet “Let’s all be Hape together! I enter to win a Hape musical instrument from @Raspberrykids and you can too http://t.co/Wl1J28l“

For some good karma: 

Share on facebook and let us know you did with a comment.

Contest closes May 18th, 2012. Open to Canadian residents only.

Thank you to our friends across the pond at  LMNOP for bringing these amazing number graphics to our attention. Paul Thurlby, is well known for his amazing alphabet graphics and that isn’t where it stopped.  Numbers too! You can purchase Paul’s work here.

Happy Wednesday!

We are very excited to invite you to join us for a month of Hape Toys giveaways where we put all the pieces of the puzzle together and let you know a lot more about this fabulous supplier of ours.

We love their toys and how their philosophy can be seen so clearly in every product they design and create.

“Hape toys are designed first and foremost for children. Each product is developed to enhance a child’s developmental skills. Neither language, nor culture, nor gender impedes the intuitive play patterns. What children see as fun, parents and educators recognize as age-appropriate learning basics; social, sensory, physical, and emotional skills. Using natural materials, water-based paints, and strict quality and safety standards make every Hape toy an investment kids will love and parents can trust.”

We really couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Hape Fun Facts:

Happy Toys began making the toys we love today in 1986

Hape Toys was started by Peter Handstein, who grew up in a rural town in central Germany

Hape employs over 1000 people internationally

You can buy Hape products in over 50 countires

Hape has a collection of toys made entirely out of the highly renewable bamboo

Hape Toys is one of the world’s largest producers of toys made from sustainable materials

This week, for the first of our 4 Hape Flash Fridays we are going to give away a Hape Puzzle of choice to a lucky blog reader.

How to Enter

Tell us what makes you Hape!!

For additional entries:

Tweet “Don’t worry be Hape! I enter to win a Hape puzzle from @Raspberrykids and you can too http://t.co/PWvKFX2“

For some good karma: 

Share on facebook and let us know you did with a comment.

Contest closes May 11th, 2012. Open to Canadian residents only.

We are very excited to be carrying the new styles of one of our favorite litterless lunch products ever, Lunchskins.

We discovered Lunchskins and introduced them to the Canadian market a while back and our love at first site has blossomed into an everlasting love with this brand and the 3 Green Moms who founded and created Lunchskins. We absolutely adore these glorious, dishwasher safe reusable bags and we use them in our litterless lunches on a daily basis!

We recently featured them in the our 2012 Raspberry Kids Green Guide. The new styles are available for pre order  and will be arriving in early May.

Lunchskins fundraisers are a great way to bring awareness to litterless lunches, encourage healthy eating and of course, raise money for your school or organization. Email lunchskins@raspberrykids.com and one of our elves will be VERY happy to give you more information (seriously, we live for this stuff).

And for our Flash Friday we are going to be giving away one of the new Lunchskins.

The Giveaway 

A new Lunchskin!!

How to Enter:

Tell us which of the new styles is your favorite (Tangerine, Zebra, Bird, Soccer, Bike, Reverse Dot or Mosaic)

 For extra entries:

Subscribe to our monthly Raspberry Patch Newsletter on the top right hand corner of our homepage and let us know you did with a comment!

For some good karma: 

Share on facebook and let us know you did with a comment.

Contest closes May 4th, 2012. Open to Canadian residents only.

April showers are always worth it in the end. And for the mean time, we have plenty to help the time go by here.

 Happy Wednesday!

All images via Pinterest. Click through for info. 

What a game!? The nerves were at an all time high but it was well worth it and we believe they can do this.

BRING IT HOME BOYS!

P.S. Apologies to those of you who are not hockey fans or are rooting for the Canucks. We have some MAJOR Nucks supporters at Raspberry Kids HQ so bear with us and our Canuck excitement.  #reversesweep #3togo

 

RK: Please provide a brief bio on yourself and Green Beaver.  Pictures are welcome!  What inspired you to start creating natural personal care products?  What inspires you to continue leaping out of bed every morning and doing what you do?

GB: Alain Ménard graduated with a Bachelor of Science majoring in microbiology at McGill University. He worked for more than 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Alain co-founded The Green Beaver Company with Karen Clark. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science majoring in biochemistry before working in the pesticide and pharmaceutical industry for more than 10 years. Together, they formulate Green Beaver‘s all natural personal care products. Alain regularly gives seminars to consumers and retailers on possible and known carcinogens found in personal care products.

The company was started by myself, Karen Clark and my husband Alain Ménard. Our son, Joshua gave us the inspiration to develop safe, natural personal care products. Like most babies, Joshua was always drinking the bubbles in his bath water. With both our science degrees and our years working in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, we had well-founded concerns about the chemicals used in personal care products.

When we started researching the subject, we were shocked to discover how many household and personal care products were filled with chemical preservatives, fragrances, dyes, etc.. We found that there were too many chemicals in personal care products for our own well-being. Consequently, Alain and I started formulating our own personal care products without the use of chemicals. That was the beginning of The Green Beaver Company.

RK: Where does the name Green Beaver originate?

GB: We wanted a name that said “Canadian” and “Natural”.

RK: Describe your company’s culture. Wild? Wacky? Funkadelic? Details please.

GB: “Family” is the word that would best describe our company culture. We have 17 employees and are located in Hawkesbury which is a small town. We not only see each other at work but at various events in Hawkesbury. My mother and father work with us as well. People here laugh a lot and love to tease each other, especially when it comes to hockey. Hawkesbury is situated in between Montreal and Ottawa. We have Montreal Canadian fans and Ottawa fans.

Editor’s Note:  Go Canucks Go!

RK: Which word(s) from our tagline best describes you? Fresh? Healthy? or Fun?

GB: Funny. I love to make people laugh. It’s fun but it also helps to alleviate stress when we are swamped.

RK: What is one thing that most people don’t know about you? Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone, other than our loyal blog readers!

GB: I’m a serious gardener. Karen always says that she loses her husband every May and June. We live in the country and have 5 acres of land. We have a green house, a tractor and have many gardens. I tend to go overboard with some of the gardens. For example, I will plant approximately 100 tomato plants. Good thing that Karen is great at canning !

RK: What is your favorite way to spend time with your little one(s)?

GB: Playing hockey on an outdoor rink and camping in the summer.

RK: Just between you, us and the world wide web, can you tell us what exciting new products are in store in the near future at Green Beaver?

GB: We have a new certified organic bug repellent as well as sunscreen in a spray bottle.

Editor’s note:  We are so excited for the spray sunscreen as we get requests for this all the time!  This product is currently available for pre-sale on our site and will arrive toward the end of April and will be shipped out shortly thereafter to anyone who pre-orders it now!  Update:  We’ve just been advised that the spray sunscreen is NOT shipping to us as expected due to unforeseen issues with the pump.  We will keep you posted when we have more information.

Green Beaver Certified Organic Spray Sunscreen SPF 27

RK: Lastly, what is your favorite part about working with Raspberry Kids?

GB: The people are great ! They are down to earth and they like natural products.

RK: If you had one piece of advice for parents when it comes to personal care for themselves and their Raspberry Kids, what would it be?

GB: Read the labels and stay away from chemicals. They are really not good for us and our environment.

Editor’s note:  Amen!  Huge thanks to Alain and the Green Beaver Family for participating in our Supplier Spotlight!  We love learning more about the suppliers and companies we work with and we hope you do too!