This has to be one of my favourite collaborations to date. I love being outside with my kids and am always looking for new ways to get them active, use their imagination and get them outside more! I also find it difficult to get good quality outdoor toys. My Giant Games is a division of DOM Sports one of the longest standing and well-known Canadian manufacturers and suppliers of sports equipment and games. Remember those floor hockey sticks you played with in elementary and high school? Those were probably made by DOM sports! In addition to games, they have recently added a number of amazing activity centres and playhouses for the backyard! Read below to get to know Jennifer & My Giant Games some more and to see what we were gifted! There may or may not be a special discount code at the end.
What's one thing people probably don't know about you?
I have been involved in sport my whole life! I began swimming competitively when I was 8 and raced until University. In University I took up triathlon and raced internationally in distances up to Half Ironman. I still race triathlons today, just not at quite the level I used to!
My background in sport is one of the reasons why I love what we do at DOM Sports. With this business we are able to promote and encourage sport and physical activity in children, whether through our floor hockey sticks or giant games, every single day. It’s awesome and something I’m hugely passionate about.
What is your favourite thing to do for yourself?
Exercise! Self-care for me is lacing up my running shoes and heading out the door for
some good old sweat therapy! I have always enjoyed running but now with a busy work
and family life, I really enjoy getting outdoors and running! Bonus points if it’s on a trail!
What is your favourite date night activity?
My husband and I love to have dinner out and love supporting small, independent
restaurants. We have a handful of favourites and you can usually find us at one of them
on a date night.
What is one thing you couldn't live without?
My family! They’re absolutely #1. Aside from that, I don’t know that I have one thing I
couldn’t live without. Maybe my running shoes!
Who is your IG inspiration?
I wouldn’t say that I have one specific person who inspires me on Instagram. I follow a
number of different folks but I most enjoy people who are doing inspiring things in life
and in business.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Oh, this is a tough one! I would tell myself that I was doing a great job at chasing my
dreams! I think as a society we’re pretty hard on ourselves so I’d send my younger self
some love.
Where is your business located?
Our office and warehouse space is in mid-Toronto, but we supply customers all over
Canada, the USA and even some in Europe.
How do you balance family & business?
With young children at home, this is something we are working on as a family, every
single day. My husband is super-dad and does most of the daycare and school drop-
offs and we have loads of support from our family. We know that this is a busy season
of life for us, so we ask for help when we need it and try and spend as much quality time
with our kids as we can.
Where can people find your products?
The best place to see our complete collection is online at www.mygiantgames.com.
There you can shop our e-commerce site, read reviews and see what we’re up to on
Social, with a link to our Instagram feed. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear
about exciting new products, promotions and more!
You can also follow along with us on social media – we are @mygiantgames on both
Facebook and Instagram.
What advice can you give someone running a small business?
Oh boy, this is a tough one. One piece of advice that I learned from a leader in a past
career (that I think is relevant to everyone, small business or not) is to fail fast and learn
from your failures. In business and in life, we are continually faced with obstacles and new challenges. Each time we’re faced with a challenge, we have to make a decision regarding how to
act. Sometimes you will be successful, sometimes you won’t be. Learn from the failure
by answering questions like: What when wrong? What should I have done differently?
How could I approach this next time? Take the answers to those questions and change
your approach.
What sets your business apart from others?
We are a Canadian company dedicated to getting the best sports equipment and games
into the hands of Canadians! Our team is passionate about what we do. Our games
line-up has been tried and tested in Canada for nearly a decade (and even longer in the
UK), so it’s a great time for us to bring these products to consumers – we know they are
well-loved and will stand the test of time.
What is the most challenging part of running your business?
As with any business, small or large, the environment with which you operate is always
changing. I think the challenge comes in constantly adjusting and pivoting to take on
whatever it is that you’re currently faced with, while still planning for the future.
In this role and in a business of this size, change is a constant and I love it!
For example, the recent global pandemic initially affected our supply chain and we were
initially concerned about being able to source materials and make product. The
challenge quickly shifted to having our entire team work remotely, to keep them safe
and ensure we were still able to respond to and serve our customers. Now, we’re living
in our “new normal” and adjusting to what that means for our business over the coming
weeks, months and more.
What does that mean for your business over the coming months?
We are currently operating remotely and fulfilling online orders through our website
www.mygiantgames.com, in an effort to connect Canadians with games and outdoor
activity centres and keep kids of all ages engaged and entertained. We hope that our
products can bring enjoyment to homes across the country!
What is your favourite product?
Can I pick two favourites? We have so many fun products - it’s tough to choose!
I love our Towers (similar to a giant version of Jenga). They are loads of fun for people
of all ages – as we have seen some high-stakes games with friends at birthday parties
and cottages. A must for everyone’s home!
My other favourite product is the Evermeadow Playhouse. I love this playhouse for so
many reasons. Watching the kids play in this playhouse is incredible – they spend hours
creating, using their imaginations and playing together (and luckily, most of the time,
they play really nicely). It has honestly been a lifesaver for us and so many other
families. The Evermeadow is also the perfect blank slate for someone with an eye for
design – you are limited only by your imagination! I have seen some incredible
Evermeadow Renos online!
Okay, I need to add a third - Mud Kitchens! I know these are going to be a fan-favourite
(kitchen play, water play, mud (!!), a real hose hook-up). They will hopefully bring so
much fun to many families!
Alright, that was 3! They are all available on our site at www.mygiantgames.com. Check
out the Camara Crew discount code for special savings!
What does a typical day look like for you?
I’m an early bird! I usually start my day around 5am, waking up before the sun (and my
kiddos) to get a workout done. Sometimes this is a swim at the local pool with a friend,
or a bike or run workout. I love starting my day with exercise and it’s the best time of
day to get my training in. After my workout I usually join the family for coffee (we love
our beans from Tamp in Burlington) and breakfast before heading out the door to work.
I’m usually at the office during typical business hours and spend much of my time
working with my team and our customers before heading home for dinner and family
time. After the kids are in bed I usually spend some time tying up loose ends from the
day and sending out some emails before winding down.
Favourite song: Oh gosh, I have no idea! I really enjoy most current/ new music, so I’m
not sure I could pick a favourite.
Dream Vacation: Italy. Complete with a villa in the Tuscan countryside, loads of pizza,
good wine and cycling. It’s on my bucket list!
Favourite Book: One of the beset books I have read recently was Michelle Obama’s
“Becoming”. Highly recommend!
Dream Job: I have it!
Favourite Podcast: NPR’s How I Built This
Favourite Smell: Fresh coffee in the mornings
Dream meal: My mom’s spaghetti! Still one of my favourites.
Favourite item of clothing: A comfy sweatshirt
To say that we love My Giant Games is an understatement. We were gifted a Single Mud Kitchen & it is far the coolest outdoor toy we have. My kiddos have played with it for hours every time we go outside. Whether it is a kitchen, a car wash station or a school my kids have used their imagination endlessly to make this mud kitchen their own.
There is lots of room for them to play together and a great storage space underneath to store all their supplies. I went to the dollar store purchased some bins and filled it with some kitchen play food, scrub brushes, rubber gloves and chalk for them to explore and make a mess.
Lily loves using the chalkboard and pretending that she is our teacher. Whether she is teaching us how to cook something or about her favourite TV show she is always scribbling away at the top. Its been a fun way to get her to practice her writing and letter recognition while outdoors. Mason loves splashing in the water and using the scrub brush to wash everything he gets dirty.
What I love about the mud kitchen is;
it's made of wood so even if it wears over the years we can have fun repurposing it later on if needed.
my kids can play at it together
it increase children's use of their imagination
it was easy to assemble
I highly recommend checking out My Giant Games and the endless amounts of fun that they have waiting for you! Be sure to use code CAMARACREW20 for an exclusive discount when making your purchase.
https://mygiantgames.com/discount/CAMARACREW20
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