Meet Erica, a fellow Hamiltonian mama who makes learning games for toddlers through to grade school. Erica focuses on working on basic skills but making it fun, engaging and hands on so children don't feel like it's "work" but more fun!
Do you have kids? If so how many & age? Daughter, age 8 and Son, age 5
What's one thing people probably don't know about you? I have 2 degrees, a university degree in social studies and geography and a college degree in early childhood education but ended up a stay at home mom, go figure!
Are you a stay at home mom? I was a stay at home mom for 8 years, and went back to part
time work last year, working with the Common Moms in Waterdown running classes and events.
What is your favourite thing to do for yourself? Self Care; pedicures, eye lashes and reading
What is your favourite date night activity? A fabulous dinner at a great Hamilton restaurant!
What's one thing you couldn't live without? Family first obviously, then caffeine
Who's your IG inspiration? I am not sure I have one, but I do love an IG that is pleasing to
the eye and has a good flow.
What advice would you give your younger self: Live in the moment, enjoy the stage you are
in and don’t worry about what other people think! Cherish real friendships, never be afraid to
be your self and be confident in who you are!
How did you choose the name for your business? I actually consulted with a marking friend
of mine, I wanted to first call it boredom busters, but she suggested keeping it positive, so
after some research on positivity, Bright Minds was born.
How do you balance having kids & running a business? Since this business is new and born
out of the Covid-19 stay at home order, I have had some spare time when my kids are busy
playing or watching a show. Most of my work gets done at night once they are asleep and
since they are older, they actually really enjoy packing up activities.
Where can people find your products? As of now, I do most order custom from my IG page
Instagram: @brightmindsbox and Facebook is just Bright Minds website. www.thecommonmoms.com/shop
What advice can you give someone looking to start up their own business? Like I said
before, this is very new to me but something I have always wanted to do. I think finding a
passion is the best place to start. I love being creative and helping kids learn. I am an Early
Childhood Educator by trade and there is nothing better then helping a child learn and
seeing how proud they are of their accomplishments!
What sets your business apart from others alike? I believe it is all in the details. I work hard
to come up with creative, aesthetically pleasing games and activities that come organized
nicely and are user friendly. I also offer custom designs and options for clients as well.
What is the most challenging part of running your business? For now, it would be
advertising to let people know I exists. I have had great success in the first few weeks of
opening and thank my common moms family for the help to get started. It can also be tricky
to create quality products for an affordable price.
What does a typical day look like for you? Well day to day life have changed a lot during the
Covid-19 pandemic. Normally my day would be getting up with the kids, getting them ready
for school, dropping them off and then going to run some classes for a few hours, home to
prep dinner and get ready for the dinner, dance, hockey craziness that happens after
school. But currently, I am a home school teacher, to my kids along with all the other home
duties that need to be done. Just trying to stay sane until bed time
Favourite song: I can’t even pick one
Dream Vacation: Greece
Favourite Book: Anything by Sophia Kinsella
Dream Job: Teaching classes to children in the Hospital
Favourite Podcast: Anything related to reality TV ( I know, It’s awful and my guilty
pleasure)
Dream Car: G-Wagon
Favourite Smell: Essential Oils; anything citrus
Dream meal: Does eating pasta in Italy count?
Favourite item of clothing: LuLu Lemon leggings
Instagram @brightmindsbox
Facebook: Bright Minds
One of the things that I am struggling with as a parent right now is figuring out how to prepare my daughter for school come September. She is asking a lot of questions and showing signs of wanting to learn more. I feel all the #momguilt because right now I am just not up for planning a bunch of activities for her and implementing more structured learning opportunities throughout the day.
I was so excited when I found out about Bright Minds because it was like I found an angel to help solve my problems and mom guilt. What I struggle with is finding the time to prepare the activities in advance. If I have something ready to go that I can pull from it is so much easier for me right now. That is exactly what Erica creates for you! She creates customized learning activities tailored to your child's interests. What I love is that I can use these activities over and over again because they are laminated and you can use a dry erase marker. And the activities come with everything you need! Everything was packaged in an envelope together or in a case. This was great because I didn't have to go out and buy a container or dryer erase makers to hold everything. She literally thought of everything.
We've been doing these activities non stop since we got them. Lily enjoys doing them on her own for some quiet time or her and I will sit together and work on them. Mason (20months) also enjoys doing the activities with us. What I love for him is that Erica creates sensory activities to start introducing learning at an age appropriate level for Mason (such as the bug activity). If he wants to join on the writing activities can give him a dry erase marker and not worry about him ruining the pages because I can just wipe them clean.
I highly recommend checking out Bright Minds for your learning needs! Your kiddos are guaranteed to love it!
MENTION CAMARA CREW FOR $5.00 OFF ANY $20.00+ ORDER UNTIL JULY 31ST.
