KitchissippiKids

Dovercourt Shows the Love!!

2012-02-10T16:01:00.001-05:00

Dovercourt is once again doing its utmost to provide what parents (and kids!) want.

If you want a Valentine's night out or a quiet night in (and face it, who doesn't occasionally need a couple's night), then look no further than Dovercourt and their poster at this link: http://www.dovercourt.org/storage/pdfs/Valentines_datenight_2012.pdf

Drop off is 6-6:30 and pick up is between 8:30 and 9:00. Best of all, Little Rays Reptiles will be doing a 1-hour show and that means that your kids will have a great time too. There will also be structured games, crafts and a healthy snack.

For more information on Little Ray (who is awesome) check out http://www.raysreptiles.com/

The program is FREE for children aged 3-12, but registration is required. The course code is 76801. As usual you can register in person at 411 Dovercourt Avenue, over the phone at (613) 798-8950 or online at http://www.dovercourt.org/

The Winter Festival Circuit...

2012-02-08T15:52:00.001-05:00

Our neighbourhood hosts a lot of different winter festivals and from curling, to bonfires to sleigh rides they all have something different to offer. Explore your neighbourhood a bit and get to know some people at your neighbouring parks! If you have an event you'd like to see in this list, please e-mail kitchissippikids@hotmail.com or add a comment below.

Note that the festivals at Westoboro Beach, Dovercourt and Champlain Park have already taken place.

Friday, February 3 - Monday, February 20th

Winterlude - the Big One. it's not in our neighbourhood but I can't talk winter festivals without mentioning Winterlude. From Jacques Cartier Park to the Rideau Canal there are lots of great outdoor activities for kids, and the best ones are all free, so get out and take part. For more information see ttp://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/celebrate/winterlude/news/2011-10-24/winterlude-2012

Saturday, February 11 - Fisher Park

From 12:30-4 pm the Fisher Park Community Centre, located at the Fisher Park School, 250 Holland Avenue near the Queensway will host its winter carnival. This one features a charity BBQ, sleigh rides, a scavenger hunt, shoot-to-win (I'm guessing that's hockey??), skating races, curling, snowshoeing and broomball.

Sunday, February 26 - Hampton Park

From 3 to 5 pm the Hampton Iona Community Group will be holding its annual celebration at Iona Park, just north of Iona, between Kirkwood Avenue and Island Park Drive.

Go Local Birthday Parties

2012-02-08T12:33:00.002-05:00

It's not just produce that can be bought local. Consider having your child's next birthday at one of these neighbourhood venues. You'll save gas, you'll save time and you'll support these local businesses. Please let me know if I've missed any!

Baobab Tree Drumming http://www.baobabtree.org/
Capital City Dance http://www.capitalcitydance.ca/
Carlingwood Y http://www.ymcaywca.ca/locations/Carlingwood+Y/
Dovercourt Recreation Centre http://www.dovercourt.org/
4CatsArt http://www.4cats.com/
Fisher Park Community Centre, 250 Holland Ave., hosts birthdays on Saturday from 1 to 4. Call the Centre for more information and reservations (613) 798-8945
Gotta Paint http://www.gottapaint.com/
J.A. Dulude Arena http://www.rinktime.com/skating_rinks/on/j_a_dulude_arena_skating_rink_arena_ottawa_on.cfm but to book the time and room you actually have to call the City Recreation Dept.
Little Feet Yoga (at Elation Centre, 360 Kirkwood Ave. N. or a location of your choice) http://www.littlefeetyoga.com/
Ottawa Family Cinema http://www.familycinema.ca/
Ottawa Gymnastics Centre http://www.ottawagymnasticscentre.ca/
Ottawa Music Vocal and Dance Performance Academy http://www.ottawaconservatory.com/
Ottawa School of Speech and Drama http://www.ossd.com/
PC Cooking School http://www.pccookingschool.ca/LCLOnline/cookingSchool_home.jsp?province=ON&city=Ottawa
Soloway Jewish Community Centre http://www.jccottawa.com/pages/birthdayparties.html
West Park Bowling http://www.filsdiner.ca/westpark/index.asp

February 7 Open House: Westboro Nursery School

2012-02-02T12:34:00.000-05:00

The Westboro Nursery School is hosting an Open House on Tuesday, February 7 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at 411 Dovercourt Ave. (in the Dovercourt Recreation Centre). Bring your children to visit the classroom and meet the teachers. Registration for September 2012 opens on February 14 and registration packages will be posted on the school's web site http://www.westboronurseryschool.ca/ on February 7.

The school is a parent co-operative preschool for 2 1/2 to 5 year-olds staffed by registered Early Childhood Educators. The hands on, play-based curriculum includes an introduction to French, sign language, school readiness, music, daily outdoor play and more.

ANZAC Biscuits

2012-01-27T14:27:00.000-05:00

(This is reposted from last year and again, I'm a day late!)

Belated Happy Australia Day! Yesterday I made ANZAC Biscuits, named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp who were given them went sent to fight in World War I.

A former Australian-Kitchissippi resident (Kathy) - who used to live on Fraser Avenue and who Chaired the Broadview School Council before returning with her family to the land downunder gave me the recipe over a playdate a few years back.

The coincidence is that - although I didn't know it at the time - yesterday was Australia Day. So in case you ever feel the need to be adequately prepared for Australia's national holiday, or for ANZAC Day (their April 25th equivalent of our Remembrance Day), I'll share the recipe.

The cookies are yummy, my kids enjoy them. and they're easy to make. The only caveat - they aren't low fat or low sugar - and rightly so since they were intended to be the source of lots of calories and lots of energy. They do have a long shelf life - important when sending overseas - and do not include eggs, as poultry was scarce in wartime.

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled outs
3/4 cup dessicated coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (ie. baking soda)
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup sugar (they are quite sweet so you could probably reduce)
125 g of butter (1/2 a cup)
1 tablespoon Lyle's Golden Syrup (dating back to 1881, this is a British import http://www.lylesgoldensyrup.com/ and apparently something of an icon; you can find it at the larger grocery stores; other syrups may work equally well)

Directions

Combine oats, coconut, flour and sugar. Melt butter and add golden syrup. Mix baking soda with boiling water and add to butter mixture. Stir into dry ingreients. If dough is too dry add another tablespoon or so of hot water until it holds together.

Spoon or roll into balls and place on greaced or lined trays, with room for spreading.

Bake in a slow oven (150 C or 300 F) for 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for a little bit until they harden enough to move to a cooling rack.

The recipe makes between 20 and 36 depending on the size of the cookie! Consider your audience.

A Little Encouragement for the Team

2012-01-24T18:20:00.001-05:00

My son was in a hockey tournament this past weekend. He's 8 years old and in the Novice C division of the West End Hockey League.

His team - the Spitfires - made it to the finals and he was thrilled. They worked hard and only lost by one goal in the third period. For the kids and their fams it was as much of a nailbiter as any Stanley Cup game.

Before thee semi-final game, Jesse Winchester of the Ottawa Senators took time out of his practice to come and talk to them. Really nice!

Giveaway: 2 tickets to Puss-in Boots 3D at the Ottawa Family Cinema

2012-01-21T13:36:00.002-05:00

And the tickets were won by @Peady who retweeted on of my tweets on twitter. Congratulations!
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I'm giving away two tickets to the 2:00 showing of Puss-in-Boots (3D) at the Ottawa Family Cinema on Saturday January 28th. Details of the show are below, or link directly to the post at: http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2012/01/if-you-want-to-know-why-you-should.html.

I'm hosting the give-away to raise awareness of the efforst parents go to in order to ensure that children have a play structure to play on while at school. Please see the article two posts below in that regard http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2012/01/parent-councils-struggle-to-raise-funds.html!

To win, simply leave me a comment telling why you think it's important for our schools to have playstructures. If you don't like to publicly comment you can also e-mail me at kitchissippikids@hotmail.com or RT one of my @kitchissippikid (no "s") tweets about the event on twitter.

Thank you to all the parents, neighbours and friends who support our schools.

Please Help with this Broadview School Fundraiser!

2012-01-14T13:40:00.001-05:00

If you want to know why you should support local school initiatives (currently those of both Broadview and Woodroffe elementary schools) to fundraise for yard play structures see my post below at http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2012/01/parent-councils-struggle-to-raise-funds.html.

$5 of every $10 ticket, as well as 50% of concession sales, will go directly to the school and that's huge! The extra dollar above door price includes the convenience of the advance ticket, the knowledge that you're really helping a great cause, and BEST of ALL, the chance to win TWO level 200 Sens tickets or a skating and pizza party at McKellar Park.

To purchase tickets contact yard@broadviewparents.org, the school office, any of your friends and neighbours who have children at Broadview, or me at kitchissippikids@hotmail.com (I have a grade 5er, a grade 3er and an eventually-to-be JKer at broadview.

Equally, a big shout-out for the Ottawa Family Cinema for being such a great local place for our kids (and us!) to watch movies. Thank you!

Parent Councils Struggle to Raise Funds for New Play Structures

2012-01-12T23:19:00.000-05:00

This article originally ran in the December edition of the Kitchissippi Times.
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Broadview Avenue Public School is the latest of the Kitchissippi neighbourhood schools to begin a quest for play structure funding. Liz Burgess and Claire Todd are co-chairs of the Council and hope to raise $150,000 this year. Even if they meet their goal, the money “won’t buy us a Cadillac,” Burgess stresses.

The Ottawa Carleton District School Board will remove the junior play structure at Broadview Avenue Public School by September 2012 and won’t replace it. They will give the school just $7,500 towards a new one.

“That’s about enough to buy a slide” says Burgess, who has already invested a significant amount of time researching options. She found that almost $60,000 is required to deal with drainage and grounds issues alone.

In a similar situation, the Board removed Woodroffe Avenue Public School’s primary play structure this past summer, leaving the 300 students in Grades 1 to 3 with nothing but empty areas of sand, grass and pavement.

For Woodroffe and Broadview, as for any other school, a complex web of funding must come together before anything else happens: the City will match the Board’s $7,500, Dovercourt Recreation Association has pledged $5,000, the Council is applying for numerous private grants, and fundraising activities will be held throughout the school year.

Another hurdle: although the Board does not provide much funding, it does control the installation process.

“The money must be in the bank before the Request for Proposal process begins,” says Todd, “and installation will not take place for an additional six months after that.”

“We initially thought we could accept donations of services,” adds Todd, “but that will only be possible if the people in question are insured and become certified by the Board.”

Contracts for work at the schools must be sourced through the OCDSB and Board safety standards are higher than those of even the City public playgrounds. Essentially this means schools must purchase “top-of-the-line” equipment, says Burgess.

The Broadview Council co-chairs are both experienced project managers previously employed in the high-tech sector; they know this isn’t a playground project for the faint of heart. Burgess and Todd each spend approximately 30 hours a week on Council matters, the bulk of which are yard and fundraising related. While they agree that parents shouldn’t be asked to personally fund such a basic component part of their children’s education, in the short-term they are worrying less about the big picture and more about just getting the work done.

School Councils were mandated in 1997 by the Ontario government. While described in Ministry documents as serving an advisory function, they are more clearly fundraising bodies that supplement tax dollars to augment children’s education experience outside the classroom. Council documents from neighbourhood schools indicate that a Council budget is typically between one-quarter and one-half that of a school’s annual operating budget.

Yasir Naqvi, the area’s Member of Provincial Parliament, stresses that the Ontario Liberals increased funding to schools by 40 percent over the last eight years while enrollment has decreased by 8 per cent.

That being said, Chair of the OCDSB Jennifer McKenzie points out that most of the budget increases were dedicated to salaries and the costs of decreased classroom size, full-day kindergarten, and a variety of other special projects. McKenzie pointed out that the Board receives approximately $10 million annually for renewal projects across 150 schools. The Board has discretion in how it spends that money but roofs and boilers necessarily take priority over play structures, said McKenzie.

For details on Broadview’s and Woodroffe’s fundraising initiatives, visit www.broadviewparents.org and http://www.wapscouncil.org/.

Plank to Plunk Down for Mito Canada

2012-01-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

Many of you may know little Kate Drury in our neighbourhood. She's been the subject of newspaper articles, TV and radio interviews and the Hope for Kate fundraising initiative. She's a lovely little four year old girl who very unfortunately is also the subject of a rare form of Mitochondrial disease. Her symptoms include, among other things, developmental delays, deafness and bouts of cyclical vomiting. Her family stays positive but it's been a tough go. For them and others like them, consider if you can help.

The non-profit organization Mito Canada is raising money to raise awareness about this disease and is doing it by challenging you to do two side planks and one front plank every day. Your donation will depend on the amount you do (or DON'T do). Since I'm sure many of you have New Year's Resolutions you're hoping to achieve, this seems the perfect way to keep with the program and help out at the same time.

For more information about this challenge, see https://www.facebook.com/events/267831169942642/
For more information about Mito Canada, see http://www.mitocanada.org/
For more about Kate's story, see last year's CBC interview at http://www.cbc.ca/ottawamorning/2010/12/02/kate-drury-westboro-preschooler-with-a-rare-disease/

Skating...Outdoors!

2012-01-02T17:59:00.001-05:00

The snow and some cold weather has finally arrived and whatever you might think about winter, the snow and ice does provide A LOT of outdoor opportunities.

Dovercourt currently has spots in all of its outdoor skating programs (one is pictured at right). Programs start on Saturday and Sunday, January 14th and 15th, and come in three categories: Learn to Skate with a Parent, Learn to Skate 3-5 years and Learn to Skate for 6+. While lessons can occasionally be delayed becuase of weather, I can say first hand that they are a great way to get outside and see the kids (and parents) in your neighbourhood. Not only that, but they get you comfortable with using outdoor ice which is a skill in and of itself. I will also say that the instructors were far better at teaching our kids to skate than we were!.

Fisher Park has what I'm told is an awesome hockey development program as well as ita own skating and power skating sessions though it is likely too late to register unless you're extremely lucky (though for the record, registration is at the Community Centre office (613) 798-8945 located in the Fisher Park School, 250 Holland Ave. Payment by cash or cheque.)

Information on the outdoor rinks below is taken from the City of Ottawa site at http://ottawa.ca/residents/parks_recreation/seasonal/fw/outdoor_rinks/locations_en.html and is current as of December 28, 2011. The site offers details of all City rinks. Some rink operators (eg. Westboro) have accounts on http://www.ottawarinkconditions.ca/ and, if so, you can check there to determine if a rink is open and what the conditions are. Please note that according to the City Rules of Conduct, hockey sticks, pucks and balls are not permitted on ice surfaces without boards and children under ten must be supervised by someone over the age of sixteen.

Champlain Park, 140 Carleton,, rink with puddle, field house w/ washrooms, lights, boards, supervised Mon to Fri: 6 to 9 pm, Sat: 11-6, Sun: 12 to 6; (slightly changed from last year);
Dovercourt (see Westboro, below);
Fairmont, 265 Fairmont, double surface with trailer and lights, Supervised Mon to Fri: 4:30 to 8:30 pm, Sat, Sun: 1 to 9 pm;
Fisher Park, 250 Holland, Ottawa, Rink with puddle, Trailer, lights and boards (listed as having no supervision though that seems odd if there is a trailer);
Iona, 223 Iona, Double surface, Field house, washrooms, lights, no boards, Supervised Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri: 6 to 11 pm, Wed: 4 to 9 pm, Sat, Sun: 11 to 5 pm;
Laroche, 52 Bayview, Rink with puddle, Field house, washrooms, lights and boards, supervised Mon to Fri: 6 to 10 pm, Sat: noon to 9 pm, Sun: 1 to 5 pm
McKellar Park, 539 Wavell Ave., double surface, lights, no boards, field house w/ washrooms, supervised Mon to Fri: 4:30 to 8:30 pm, Sat, Sun: noon to 6
Westboro (aka Dovercourt), 411 Dovercourt Ave., rink with puddle, trailer, washrooms etc. in recreation centre, lights, boards, supervised Mon to Fri: 4:30 to 8:30 pm, Sat, Sun: 10 am to 3 pm. Great family sledding hill at same location.
Woodroffe, 180 Lockhart Ave., rink with puddle, field house, washrooms, lights, boards, supervised Mon to Fri: 5 to 9 pm, Sat: 11 am to 7 pm, Sun: noon to 6 pm

Support a Local Kids' Charity Through United Way

2011-10-11T22:41:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the United Way "Blitz Day" at my office. I always donate but it was only a year ago that I realized I could direct some or all of my donation to a local child-related charity. I'm not suggesting that you only donate to local charities - clearly there is a broad need for donations across the board and in many ways the United Way is in the best position to choose the beneficiaries. But if you want to donate something locally, perhaps even an extra amount that you wouldn't have donated otherwise, and if you want to do it on a regular, relatively pain-free basis, then the United Way is a great option.

The following local organizations are listed as registered charities and therefore possible candidates for your selection through the United Way. I may have missed some. Feel free to let me know.

Baobab Tree Drum Dance Community
Canadian Mothercraft of Ottawa-Carleton
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities
Dovercourt Recreation Association
Ottawa School of Speech and Drama
St. Vincent de Paul Stores (Ottawa) Incorporated
Westboro Nursery School

For a complete list of Canadian registered charities see http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/lstngs/menu-eng.html. For more information about The United Way, see http://www.unitedwayottawa.ca/.

Your Children Can't Vote. Are You Voting for Them?

2011-09-30T17:10:00.000-04:00

Children can't vote. And yet they are the ones who in many ways stand to gain or lose as a result of elections.

For me and many other parents I know, the issues are not that critical. We strive to ensure that our children have good food, exercise and a good education. We work on changing things from good to better to best.

But for some it's not nearly as simple. Some are working to give their children just the basics and on improving their situation from bad to a bit better.

For some children it's worse and everytime I read a story of child neglect or abuse, I cringe. These children are working only at having a life that's tolerable. And in some cases, no one, not even their parents, is helping them.

The Canadian Paediatric Society http://www.cps.ca/english/index.htm publishes a document called "Are We Doing Enough: A Status Report on Canadian Public Policy and Child and Youth Health http://www.cps.ca/English/Advocacy/StatusReport.htm. It is a document that they refer voters to in any election as something to consider when voting. They also ask for others to advocate on their behalf and on behalf of children. I guess that's what I'm trying to do through this blog post.

The following are a series of statements made in the Report. They focus readers on what Canadian and provincial governments are doing and where we are in terms of how we look after our children (and I use the term "our" collectively).

While parents and caregivers play a critical role in their children's healthy growth and development, governments must support their efforts with public policy that safeguards and enhances the health and safety of Canada's youngest residents.
It is estimated that 14%of children and youth under 20 years old - 1.1 million young Canadians - suffer from mental health conditions that affect their daily lives. Children of low-income families are especially at risk...What's worse, three out of every four chuildren and youth who need specialized treatment services do not receive them.
Internationally, Canada ranks 12th out of 21 OECD countries on child well-being, well behind all the Scandinavian countries, where child poverty rates are less than 5%.
Health disparities among Canadian children and youth are primarily linked to differences in family socioeconomic status.
Poor children are at greater risk of low birth weight...and poor physical and emotional health as they get older. They tend to have more behavioural issues and achieve lower levels of education, further increasing their chances of lifelong poverty as adults.
Access to quality child care is not equally available to all families. A Montreal-based survey showed that children four to five years of age who were in low-quality centres were significantly more likely to come from lower socioeconomic status families.
The Canadian Paediatric Society believes that early learning and child care must be universal, affordable, accessible and of high-quality.
The CPS calls upon all levels of government to set targets and timetables, and to engage in widespread social and political collaboration to significantly reduce child and youth poverty.

I encourage you to read the entire document.

The Good Old Hockey Game.....

2011-09-06T14:06:00.000-04:00

If you've joined the WEHL (http://www.wehl.on.ca/) then hockey clinics are probably starting for you this week and in fact the league posted a notice yesterday that it is full, though it does have a waiting list if you're still interested.

If you haven't registered your child for hockey yet (who's thinking of hockey this early in the year right?) then consider another great neighbourhood option:

Fisher Park Skating and Hockey

If you're testing the waters or just want slightly less of a time commitment, then Fisher Park Communtiy Centre offers some great options - learn to skate, power skate and indoor hockey (as well as outdoor hockey in the winter session). Details of the specific programs are below (though always double check with them - I'd hate to steer you wrong). Registration for fall programming starts on Tuesday, September 13th and registration for winter programming starts on November 14th. Programs themselves start the week of October 10th.

For more detail, stop by the Community Centre at 250 Holland Avenue (in the school) where you can pick up a pamphlet or call them at 798-8945. They do not have a web site. Some of their programs fill up quickly so you should be there when registration opens to ensure a spot.

Learn to Skate for 3-12 year olds on Saturdays from 12-12:50 and 1-1:50 at Tom Brown Arena starting October 15th;

Power Skate for 8-14 year olds on Saturdays from 1:00-1:50 at Tom Brown Arena starting October 15th;

Indoor Hockey for 5-8 year olds from 6:6:50 and for 8-11 year olds from 7-7:50 on Tuesdays starting October 11th at McNab Arena, 180 Percy at Gladstone;

Outdoor Hockey will be offered in the winter session (when there's ice!)

Do you know Claude Regnier?

2011-08-19T13:56:00.000-04:00

The name may not ring any bells. But if you live in this neighbourhood, if you go to Dovercourt, or if you or your kids like skateboarding, maybe it should.

Earlier this summer I became curious about why Dovercourt always hosts the Canadian Slalom Skateboarding Championships. I was also investigating Dovercourt's skateboard camps. When I asked about scheduling, I was told that it all depended on when "Claude" was available because all camps "were taught by Claude Regnier". So, who's Claude?

Claude at one time had an indoor skateboard park near the corner of Roosevelt and Richmond Road. At that time he met John Rapp, the Executive Director of Dovercourt and the two have been in partnership ever since. But Claude is more than just a camp organizer, he was the Canadian National Slalom Skateboard Champion and a champion of the sport of downhill skateboarding for years. Now in his 50's he still rides and rides well. He has more skateboarding titles and high level finishes then you would ever imagine.

Together with Mary-Beth Lavoie Claude's Executive Co-Chair of the World Slalom Skateboard Championships coming to Ottawa this weekend, August 19-21. He's a Master course setter and a past president of the International Slalom Skateboard Association. Not too shabby. And to top it all off, he is also one of three key figures in the documentary film "Highway Gospel" that premiered in Toronto this spring and that is showing this Friday night at the Ottawa International Film Festival http://www.oiff.ca/.

Claude is also a down to earth guy who's a pleasure to speak with. When I met him he was building stairs for the ramps outside Dovercourt for the next day's competition. He took time out to talk even though he was clearly busy. His passion for what he does and his belief in the sport - and the people who do it - was obvious.

Maybe it's time you met Claude......

The hill on Dovercourt Ave. at Denbury will be used for the tight slalom event on Friday, August 19th, 2011. Practice runs are scheduled to start at 9:30 and races at 11:00 am.

For information about the Championships see http://worldslalomskateboarding.com/
For Claude's official bio see http://worldslalomskateboarding.com/about/claude-regnier/
For his partner Mary-Beth Lavoie's bio see http://worldslalomskateboarding.com/about/mary-beth-lavoie/
Reviews of the film, as well as YouTube trailer from the Toronto HotDocs Festival can be found on the internet at, for example, http://torontoist.com/2011/04/hot_docs_highway_gospel.php

Lac Philippe (Gatineau Park) - "And The Livin' Is Easy..."

2011-08-13T15:36:00.000-04:00

I'm updating this post from last year because, with City beaches closed periodically, this is the perfect nearby beach to get you out and feeling Summer! It's in Gatineau Park, is about a 45 minute drive, and is a lovely alternative when the e-coli levels are high in town!
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We beat the crowds, had the best parking spot and were home before the heat of the day got us down. I really enjoy Lac Philippe with the kids....though I do avoid the crowds - here's how....along with directions, service details and other practical tips to make your day a real treat.

For me, Lac Philippe is best in the morning (eg. arrival by 9:00 am), in the evening (arrival around 5:30) or during the week. At those times it's neither super hot nor super busy. Days that are partly cloudy or have lower temperatures are also great. And, particularly if you time it right, this is a beautiful beach (or beaches). There is always someone for the kids to play with, they never find the water too cold (even if I do) and staff / lifeguards are friendly and helpful.

SERVICES AND COSTS

A car day pass is $10 and a season pass is $70. Somewhat inconveniently (and new this year) the season pass can not be purchased at the entrance to Lac Phillippe, but only at the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre at 33 Scott Road in Chelsea. It is worth getting an all season pass if you think you will visit several times.The season pass covers access to all beaches (there are 5) as well as Mackenzie King Estate. The Estate requires a pass from mid-May till mid-October whereas passes are only needed for the beaches between mid-June and mid-September.

If you want to stay overnight the cost is $37 plus an $8.50 reservation fee. If you call for reservations and they're all full don't worry too much. Especially if you live in Ottawa (close enough to go home if you have no luck) try driving up around 2:00 when campground staff know of no-shows. There are also group camping sites at Gatineau Park for $250 a night or $125 for non-profit groups.

Beaches are lifeguarded from 10 to 6 pm, mid-June through Labour Day. Breton beach, the one that we usually stop at, is large with a sandy beach and plenty of nearby shade, picnic tables and barbeques. There are (what a treat!) brand new bathrooms and change areas as of last year.

A short walk past Breton beach (take the path) is a canoe, kayak and paddle boat rental spot. They have a reasonable number of boats, are open from 9: am to 8:00 pm daily and line-ups are usually manageable. Rates begin at $16 for 1.5 hrs, $20 for 2 hrs, $28 for 3 hrs and so on up to $60 for a 24 hour period. Life jackets are included in the rental price. (Note: these rates are actually from last year. If they've changed please let me know!)

WASHROOMS

Best of all, last year the NCC installed brand new bathrooms and change rooms! They are much nicer than the previous ones and include family washrooms, separate change rooms, baby change tables, flushable toilets and plumbed sinks as well as electric hand dryers. Taking a picture seemed strange and possibly something that could get me in trouble with Park security (!) - you will have to go and see them for yourself!

CLEANLINESS

The NCC tests water quality every two weeks and any beach closures can be found at: http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-16299-90645&lang=1. Parent beach is currently closed for the season because of the huge rains near the end of June that led to high water levels. Otherwise the beaches at Lac Phillippe are very infrequently closed in my experience.

The beach is cleaned once a week, usually on Thursday I'm told. And poop is scooped daily (thank you!) There is a "clapper" for want of a better word, to keep away the seagulls but do clean up food waste quickly and place it in the bear proof bins.

DIRECTIONS

To get there from west Ottawa cross the river using the Portage bridge and continue on to the ramp for highway 5. Take highway 5 to the very end and turn left on the 105 north. You'll pass an IGA, a SAQ, the Great Canadian Bungee site and Jean Burger (keep it in mind if you need a bite to eat later - it includes play structures in the back). Just past the highway to Wakefield (where you'll also find a Subway and a Giant Tiger) the two lane 105 will temporarily turn into a divided highway. That's where you turn left following the Gatineau Park signs. .

Turn left into Gatineau Park just after you pass La Patate et le Pizza a Carlo on your right. You'll see the sign and the road with the 1958 covered bridge but it can still be easy to miss. If you pass the Desjardins bank on your left, you've passed it (but see tip below!)

PRACTICAL TIPS

A big reminder - you need CASH to pay for your park pass. No credit, no debit. Fortunately there is a bank machine at the Desjardins Bank just past the entrance to the park.

The other big reminder - you do have to bring your own food. There are no food outlets at the park (though there is an epicerie near the entrance as well as the various food outlets mentioned above that you passed on the drive). This is, after all, a camping experience. And I love watching the families who have the wonderful food rather than my usual repertoire of peanut butter sandwiches!

You will find water fountains and several Pepsi machines that sell soft drinks, water, aquafina and gatorade but that is it. (If you really need change for the machines check with the boat rental shop).)

HAVE FUN AND BE WATER SAFE!

Shakespeare in the Park (Clare Gardens and Hintonburg)

2011-07-10T00:31:00.000-04:00

Have you considered exposing your children to Shakespeare? It’s often a bit daunting for parents to take their children to more "serious” theatre, but this summer there are a number of performances in our neighbourhood parks that can change that. I think it is a great opportunity for slightly older children to get a sense of live theatre, depending of course on levels of interest / maturity. And face it, parks are open areas, you can always leave if you need to, and the price is right – a recommended $10 per person when the hat is passed. So take a stroll past and see if it catches your child"s (and your) fancy!

“A Company of Fools” will be presenting “Antony and Cleopatra” at Clare Gardens Park (off Clare Avenue, between Kirkwood and Churchill) on Tuesday, July 19th, and at Hintonburg Park, just south of Wellington Avenue off Fairmont (by St. François d’Assise Church) on July 29th and 30th. They do plenty of elementary school workshops so they do know children though the shows are not specifically designed for children.

The Company describes themselves as “Ottawa’s longest running independent professional Shakespeare company: our mandate is to produce innovative, entertaining and accessible shows based on the works of William Shakespeare.” Sounds good to me.

More information about A Company of Fools can be found at http://fools.ca/wordpress1/.

Summer Calendar of Fun Family Stuff!

2011-07-09T23:30:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, July 12 - Fairytale Splash at the Westboro (Dovercourt) wading pool; 11-2; Favorite storybooks will apparently come to life.....can't wait to see what that means.

Hintonburg Summer Movie Nights Saturday, July 16th; Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules at 7 pm and Gulliver's Travels at 9 pm. Movies are shown courtesy of the Hintonburg Community Association in partnership with the Hintonburg Community Centre. Films are shown at the Community Centre with the 7 o'clock showing inside and the 9 o'clock showing outside. Admission is free with refreshments at reasonable rates. See http://www.hintonburg.com/ for more details.

The Hintonburg Centennial 5k with a 1k for kids will be held again this year on July 17th. For more information see http://hintonburg.com/run11.html. Children under 3 can race for free in either the 5 or the 1K though donations to youth programming offered in the community by the Hintonburg Economic Development Committee are encouraged. And yes, parents can run the course with their children. Just don’t get left behind......

Monday, July 18th - ok, I missed posting the first two but....the third in a series of Mom and Tot groups will be hosted by All Saints United Church and Carlington Community Health Centre on July 18th from 9:30-11:00 http://www.westborobeach.org/home/specialmomsandtotsprogram

Tuesday July 19th - "Girls on the Move" at Roy Duncan Park, 295 Churchill Avenue from 5-6:30 , a free program for girls aged 9-13 to get out and get active. Runs for 6 weeks (started July 11) and hosted by Carlington Community Health Centre. Snacks provided.

The Wiggles "Big Birthday"- July 26th, 6:30 pm - at Scotiabank Place; http://www.scotiabankplace.com/. They put on a good show - if you have little kids you should go!

Thursday, July 28th - the famous Bubble Bath Brunch at McKellar Park wading pool. Bring a tub toy, bring a blanket and picnic lunch and enjoy the bubbles in the pool. Perfect for preschoolers.

Ice Cream Festival - August 7th at the Canadian Agricultural Museum

Puppets Up! In Almonte, Ontario this is another total favorite of mine (oh, I mean the kids). August 6-7, 2011 http://www.puppetsup.ca/. They’re still in the planning phase but keep checking out their website. Their photo gallery should get you inspired!

Friday, August 12th - I think this one is new but I could be wrong. "Christmas in the Summer" will be an evening of games, carols and Christmas (!?) activities from 6:30-8:00 pm.

Saturday, August 13th - Ottawa Kids Triathlon, Duathlon at Westboro Beach- http://www.ottawakidstri.ca/;

Saturday, August 13th - Hintonburg Summer Movie Night with Toy Story III at 7 pm and Ferris Bueller's Day off at 9 pm at the Community Centre. I'd take the kids for the first but not the second!

Sunday, August 28th - the annual dog swim at Westboro (Dovercourt) wading pool; bring your kids AND the dog, or just the kids if you don't have a dog becuase it's just fun to watch. 5-6 pm

FALL (gulp!) Registrations

2011-07-09T23:13:00.000-04:00

I hate to do this, but I do it every year...here is a list of fall registration dates for activities in the neighbourhood. Some don"t matter that much, but others do, depending on how much you want to be in a specific activity at a specific time for a specific age etc. So here goes...for all you planners out there....

Listings are roughly in order of registration date. There will be more to come, this is just the beginning...

Ottawa School of Speech & Drama - Fall registration opened June 1; http://www.ossd.com/

4Cats Art Studio - Registration for fall programming is open; see http://www.4cats.com/hintonburg-fall for detail.

Ottawa Gymnastics Centre - Fall Kindergym and Recreational registration starts July 20th - http://www.ottawagymnasticscentre.ca/

Dovercourt Recreation Association - Fall registration begins Tuesday, August 9th http://www.dovercourt.org/

Splash Pads!

2011-06-30T11:29:00.001-04:00

There are 3 splash pads in our neighbourhood. Unlike wading pools, they are always open as there is no need for lifeguard staff.

Hintonburg Park, 1064 Wellington Avenue West
Laroche Park, 52 Bayview Ave.
Roy Duncan Park, 295 Churchill Ave. North

I know the one at Laroche Park has been open for some time (just try those sensors till you get it right!), is shady and also has play structures and a big field for running. I believe it’s also a dog park. According to the City’s website, they will be offering a Splash ‘n’ Fun program with trained staff at Laroche Park every Tuesday from 1:30-2:30 for 4-10 year olds. Please see their website for weekly themes and other details. Children do need parental supervision.
http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/parks_recreation/seasonal/ss/wading_pools/splash_pads_en.html

Hintonburg was closed for renovation last year but I understand it is re-opening this weekend with a fun sundial design and more spray features than the previous pad.

I believe Roy Duncan is currently open but can’t confirm.

Notes

2011-06-28T22:39:00.000-04:00

Just a note that I do not publish comments that identify people, whether by name or otherwise, It's way too small a neighbourhood for that. I do read the comments and do take them in consideration along with any other information I may have.
I LOVE feedback on this blog. Although writing the blog is fun, keeps me exploring and keeps me organized, it's also a certan amount of work, so feedback, especially positive (!) is always good. Constructive comments, positive or negative, are also absolutely welcome.
If you have specific things you'd like to see on this blog, if you'd like to advertise an event on this blog or if you'd like to write something for this blog, please let me know!

Looking for Childcare?

2011-06-07T21:45:00.000-04:00

We share a nanny with a family down the street. It’s a lovely situation. However, it’s about to change as our sharing family is moving outside the country for at least 2 years. We will really miss their two little girls and the relationship they had with our family.

And it brings us to looking for a new little person (s) to share our home with. If you are looking for a spot for your child in the neighbourhood near Dovercourt, we are looking for a nanny share family with 1 or possibly 2 children. Our littlest guy is 2 years old and we also have two big boys - aged 8 and 10 who are in school during the day. We’ve had our caregiver since September 2010 and she is lovely with the little ones.

Currently our caregiver comes to our house as do our neighbour's children though, depending on location, we could consider using your home for some days as well. We have a nice home with a big back yard and we are just a few blocks from the playground at Dovercourt. Our caregiver works from 8:30 to 4:30 with some flexibility. We are open to either a full or a part-time arrangement.

Please send me an e-mail at kitchissippikids@hotmail.com if you think you might be interested.

Ongoing Summer Activities

2011-05-24T22:41:00.000-04:00

Spring Awakes in Gatineau Park - On May 1st Gatineau Park began its nature interpretation program for the whole family with sessions on spring flowers and the sights and sounds of birds. For more information and dates visit http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/data/2/rec_docs/26186_spring-awakes-in-gatineau-park-2011.pdf. More information on Gatineau Park can also be found at http://www.guidegatineau.ca/

Alcatel-Lucent Sunday Bike Days - running right through our neighbourhood, 5.5 kilometres of the Ottawa River Parkway is closed for cyclists from Victoria Day through to Labour Day. Make sure to stop off at Westboro beach. http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-16299-9970-9972&lang=1&bhcp=1

Watson's Mill in Manotick - Saturday, May 7 - opens for the season - hours are 10-5 - with milling demonstrations on Sunday at 1:00. For more details see last year's blog post at http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2010/05/sunday-excursion-part-ii-watsons-mill.html or http://www.watsonsmill.com/.

Gatineau Park - the parkways re-open on Friday, May 6th at noon! Check out Pink Lake, Larriault Trail, King Mountain trail or Champlain Lookout - all do-able with relatively young children (though take a backpack or a strong set of shoulders just in case!). See last year's blog post on Pink Lake http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2010/08/lots-of-life-at-pink-lake.html. Also don't forget about the Sugarbush trail http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2010/04/sugarbush-trail-in-gatineau-park_02.html. And remember, La Cigale is open for ice cream!

Upper Canada Village - opens for the season on Saturday, May 21, the 50th anniversary season launch, opening of the new Village store, and celebrations of Queen Victoria's birthday will be held. This is a great place for a day trip when you want to get out Ottawa. Interesting for adults, entertaining for kids, wagon rides, canal boat rides, train, history lessons, and a small farm! It's also where my 7 year old baker son loves to buy a big bag of stone milled flour! And you can feed bread to the BIG fish under the bridge. Have fun.

Doors Open Ottawa - Kitchissippi Style

2011-05-20T15:37:00.000-04:00

If you’re doing Doors Open Ottawa with kids (which I highly recommend!) remember that their attention spans are shorter than yours (likely, anyway!), that they may be in-and-out of buildings quickly, that they may be surprisingly interested in things you did not expect and that they need playtime in between.

The locations below are all in the Kitchissippi neighbourhood, listed roughly from west to east and are a great opportunity to check out our neighbourhood.

This all seems to me very much like a Jane’s Walk, “celebrating the ideas and legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs by getting people out exploring their neighbourhoods and meeting their neighbours”. We have a great neighbourhood with lots of history – have a good time learning about it and sharing it with your children!

The Keg Manor - Thompson House and Maplelawn Gardens- 529 Richmond Road, listed separately in the guide but you won’t do one without the other. It's a lovely example of Georgian architecture and the garden is one of the very few walled gardens remaining in the City. A little further west on Richmond there is another 1840's stone building (now condominiums) that is worth looking at though it's not part of Doors Open.

Westboro Masonic Hall (NEW), 430 Churchill Ave., corner of Byron, - Saturday 10-4, Sunday 2-4. There's a banquet hall on the main floor and then a more formal room upstairs for meetings of the Masons. If your kids need a play, drop into the Churchill School playground nextdoor. It's listed as new this year on the Doors Open website although the gentleman who kindly showed me around last week assures me they've been open before.

The Ottawa Mosque - 251 Northwestern Avenue off Scott Street - We found this really interesting last year. Neither I nor the kids had ever been in a mosque. It was informal (there were lots of kids around - both Mosque members and visitors - and the hosts served coffee and Timbits!) and it felt completely appropriate for slightly older children (mine were 7 and 9 at the time).

The Protection of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church - 99 Stonehurst Avenue, also off Scott Street and just a little further east than the Mosque - I do not recall this one being on the list last year though it’s not indicated as a “new” location. It has beautiful golden onion domes and was built with funds from Russian Orthodox congregations around the world. It is next door to Laroche Park which has a Splash Pad (!) - and don’t be discouraged - it is on - you just have to hit the sensors in the right way!

St. Francois D’Assise Church 20 Fairmont Avenue, corner of Richmond in Hintonburg - we visited this church last year and the absolute hi-lite was that they let us play, and then they played for us (beautifully, I might add), the pipe organ. See this blog post for photos! http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2010/06/and-operating-pipe-organ-at-st-francois.html

Enriched Bread Artists & the Standard Bread Building, 949, 951 Gladstone Avenue - again these have two separate listings but are in the same building. They are the home of the Standard Bread Company, initially run by Cecil G. Morrison, also known as the Happy Baker. The horses and buggies that delivered the bread throughout Ottawa were stabled in the rear and it was the first place with an automatic bread slicer in Ottawa. The building now houses various artists studios so have a look at the Gladstone Clayworks and the Artistic Bread Artists and what they have to show.

Traffic Operations - Public Works - 175 Loretta Avenue North - (this is virtually right across from the Standard Bread Building) and is the nerve centre for traffic control in much of Ottawa. I haven't visited this one before but maybe this year!

Clues to geocaching locations are available at http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/heritage/doorsopen/geocache_en.html

A list of "kid-friendly" Door Open locations throughout Ottawa is available at: http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/heritage/doorsopen/kids_en.html, but use your judgment as I’ve certainly found others to be kid-friendly as well.

A blog about a blog about biking

2011-05-18T22:53:00.000-04:00

I don’t usually blog about other peoples blogs but here’s the thing: if you like to bike and you have a family that likes to bike you should read this blog: http://momentumplanet.com/blog

A majority of it is written by neighbourhood parent and avid cyclist Kathleen Wilker. Her blog focuses on family cycling and at this particular time includes the following topics:

Bicycle Adventures in the City
After School Bike Club (yes our local schools are becoming more bicycle conscious. Broadview had a bike rodeo last week and at least two local schools have bicycle champions and bicycle clubs. Fantastic ideas that are catching on fast)
Bike Decorating Part II (in preparation for the Hintonburg Bike Parade to ArtsPark on May 28th and in conjunction with Hintonburg's knitting and fibre haven Wabi Sabi http://www.wabi-sabi.ca/)
Bike + Fibre = Parade Ready Bike Art (again, Wabi Sabi)
Cycle the Social History of West Ottawa (a Jane's Walk on wheels)
The ABC's of Bike Repair
Go Take a (Bike) Hike

It also includes some equally interesting topics by other authors, including coach and gear expert Michael Stenning such as:

Children and Competitive Riding: How, when and why should kids be introduced to racing?
How to Successfully Resolve Cycling Disputes
Bike Trailer 101

And:

Family of 5 Rides the MS Bike Tour for the 5th Time, by Grant Lawson

Momentum Planet (http://www.momentumplanet.com/) also has a full fledged cycling magazine available in both a digital and print version if you're looking for broader coverage of cycling issues. But start with Kathleen's blog. I think you'll find it's worth it.

UPDATED Go Local - Summer Camps (and a few others....)

2011-05-16T15:11:00.002-04:00

It's time to PLAN! Consider the convenience as well as the great selection of summer camps located in our direct neighbourhood. Consider NOT having to drive all over town to deliver your children to summer camp. From sports, to pottery, cooking, theatre and dance, there are lots of camps right here in this neighbourhood:

Baobab Tree's Rhythm Trek camp (ages 7-12) runs August 15-19; as they put it "Drum, sing, dance; make art and food!" Sounds good to me. They are a fantastic local organization that teaches African drumming / dance and song. They are located in "the treehouse" (no, not a real treehouse) at St. George's Church, 415C Piccadilly Avenue (just east of Island Park off Richmond). Cost is $225.

Camp Awesome - run by Parkdale United Church, this bible camp for 4-12 year olds will run the week of July 25-29 from 10-3 pm with games, crafts and singing all in an environment where they will also learn about faith. The cost is $75 but all children are welcome regardless of ability to pay. For more information see http://www.parkdaleunitedchurch.ca/campawesome11.pdf

Canadian Mothercraft - best known for their daycare program and the Ontario Early Years Centre, Mothercraft on Evered (2 streets east of Churchill and just south of Byron) also offers the Fun Ventures summer camp for children aged 3.8 - 6. For more information see http://www.mothercraft.com/early_learning/funventure.php

Capital City Dance - located in the Westgate Mall this dance studio offers summer dance camps during the weeks of July 11th, 18th and 25th. See http://www.capitalcitydance.ca/ for more information.

Fisher Park Community Centre - Just realized I did not get around to including the details - and I have them somewhere. Coming soon.....

Gotta Paint - Gotta Paint http://www.gottapaint.com/ holds typically holds weekly camps throughout the summer for 5-7 and 8-13 year olds at 352 Kirkwood Avenue. For more information please contact them directly as information for this year is not yet on their website.

Hintonburg Community Centre - Just realized I did not get around to including the details - and I have them somewhere. Coming soon.....

Jewish Community Centre - JCC programming is open to all faiths and they have a fantastic facility including a great outdoor pool. I don't know if they're technically in the Kitchissippi boundaries, but if they're not they should definately receive an honorary mention for being so close!

New Star Childrens Theatre - New Star is located in what used to be the United Church at the corner of Churchill Avenue and Ravenhill (across from Churchill Alternative School). They offer a no-experience necessary summer Broadway Musical Theatre Program for ages 7 and up that culminates in a show at weeks end with everyone assured a part! It's available for 3 weeks this year - July 25 through July 29, August 8 through August 12 and August 22 through August 26. Hours are from 9-4 with free before and after care available. Weekly cost is $230.. For more information see http://newstarchildrenstheatre.ca/summer-performing-arts-program/

Ottawa Gymnastics Centre http://www.ottawagymnasticscentre.ca/ One of the best gymnastics clubs in the city, they have an awesome facility with equipment geared to all age groups. Camps also take advantage of the outdoor City playground and wading pool. There are half day camps for 3-5 year olds and full day camps for 6-13 year olds. Registration is not open yet but will be available via their website, by phone or walk-in.

Ottawa Conservatory Vocal and Dance Academy at 175 Richmond Road, http://www.ottawaconservatory.com/ - Rock Camp 2011!! 1/2 days 9:00-12:30 for ages 8-17 for a fee of $195 a week. Registration is ongoing. Check their website for more details.

The Social Learning Centre - Located at 725 Churchill Avenue, the centre will be running a Summer Bridges Academic and Creative Arts Camp with local author Selena Robins for 4-12 year olds. The camp runs from 9-4 with free pre and post care. The cost is $35 a day. www.sociallearningcentre.ca

YMCA Carlingwood - The Y typically offers summer camps at their 200 Lockhart Avenue location (behind Carlingwood Mall). Keep in mind that this location is set to close in 2012 so it may be one of your last chances to take advantage of the facility. Information about Y summer camps will come soon at http://www.ymcaywca.ca/Children/neighbourhooddaycamps/

Suzart - Suzart Productions http://www.suzart.ca/ runs theatre camps out of the Woodroffe United Church at 207 Woodroffe Avenue (south of Byron and north of Carlingwood Mall). Camps include music dance and performance instruction ending with a show on the final day.

Other Favorite, but further afield, summer camps:

Registration for camps at these great three museums (that operate under one umbrella) started in February but that doesn't mean they don't still have some spots available:

Canada Agriculture Museum http://www.agriculture.technomuses.ca/english/activities_events/summer_day_camps_2011.cfm ,

Canada Science and Technology Museum http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/whatson/detailed_summer_daycamps.cfm,

Canada Aviation and Space Museum http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/visit_us/at_the_museum/summercamps/

The Canadian Childrens Museum has a brand new bilingual summer camp this year called "In the Land of Giants"; there are 3 camps for ages 6-9 and 3 other weeks for ages 10-12. While they have not had this particular camp before, we have attended a lego camp at their facility and had a very positive experience (and my kids ended up knowing their way around all the hidden hallways of the museum!). Registration is by phone at 819-776-7014 and in my experience camps at this museum (for some strange reason - likely lack of awareness) fill up less quickly than at the other museums. For more information see http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/canadian-childrens-museum/programs/day-camps

The camp that I would most like to try myself (though registration is sadly limited to those aged 8-14!) is the "Sail and serve" at the Britannia Yacht Club. Half a day of tennis by the National Tennis School and half a day of sailing - what more can one ask for? It's great! The only possible drawback is weather since the tennis is outside - the flipside of that is the tennis is outside! And so is the swimming....What could be better? Registration is online at http://nationaltennisschool.com/lessons.php?sid=47e7a12a78b6b1af17ee2304eef81be6&action=d&location=7&id=5

One can also register for 1/2 days of tennis for 6-9 year olds and 10-14 year olds at the Tennis Centre West Ottawa at Pinecrest and Carling (Britannia Beach)

Two terrific camps where we have almost always been able to find a last minute spot: the Ottawa Athletic Club http://www.ottawaathleticclub.com/ - sports, golf or tennis (worth the price) and Rays Reptiles (worth the drive and worth arriving early for pick-up so you can watch the end-of-day animal show). For more information see http://www.raysreptiles.com/ . Little Ray will also be offering a Little Ray's Radical Science camp.

One of the only places I know of in the city that offers the choice to go to camp just for a day is Cosmic Adventures (http://www.cosmicadventures.ca/) and they generally have spots available if you're in a last minute pinch. Tubes 'N' Jujubes in Gatineau has also started offering a similar daily program http://www.tubesjujubes.com/.

Lego - Fun Facts

2011-05-06T23:43:00.001-04:00

In honour of the Lego Garden at the Tulip Festival this year I'm writing a post about Lego, something I've thought of doing for a while, initially on the organizational aspect. I'm going to keep it short and sweet though. Here goes:

Ottawa

Robin Sather of Abbottsford, BC, is the certified Lego Expert responsible for the Lego Garden, in Major's Hill Park, at the Tulip Festival this year. His website is http://www.brickville.ca/; Also see Sypdergrrl's blogpost at http://spydergrrl.blogspot.com/2011/05/starting-may-6-lego-community-garden-at.html (as well as her other great posts on cool kids stuff!)
Local Lego expert Ian Dudley (aka "the Lego Guy") teaches Lego classes and camps around Ottawa (including at Dovercourt) for ages 5-15. Classes range from simple structures and machines to more complex Lego robotics For a great blogpost on a birthday party with "the Lego Guy": see http://danigirl.ca/blog/2010/03/07/best-birthday-party-ever/

World

On April 9th of this year, children in Sao Paulo Brazil built a lego tower of 102 feet, beating the Chilean world record; http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/13/toy-tower-worlds-tallest-lego-structure-soars-over-brazil; Apparently former Brazilian soccer star Cafu laid the last block.

History

The Lego founder Ole Kirk Christiansen was born in 1872 in Billund, Denmark, where the first lego factory was created, producing all wood products.
Lego first came to Canada via a Lego licensing agreement with Samsonite that lasted from 1962 to about 1972.
When I was about 3 my parents bought the electric lego train set that was initially marketed in 1968. It was awesome and I wish they'd kept it!

Shopping

The best Ottawa store for lego is Playvalue on Carling just past the split; also to be found at http://www.playvalue.com/ (yes, they ship and have previous year's merchandise at sale prices).
Toys R Us has a good selection as well that has improved vastly in the last couple of years; see http://www.toysrus.ca/ and they ship as well.
You can shop for Lego online at http://www.lego.ca/ and they sometimes have items after local stores have sold out; they also have sale items and specialty items that are not often retailed (eg the $500 Starwars ship that my son wanted - but did not get - for his 9th birthday).
There are lots of kids' computer games on the Lego website; they also market a multiplayer online game known as Lego Universe that we did just purchase but have yet to play.
Chicago has a Legoland discovery center and there are full Legoland theme parks in California and Florida; http://www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/chicago/en/index.htm.

Instructions and Organization (aka Project Critical)

Lego instructions for sets dating back to the 1950's (yes, the 1950's) are available on what I consider one of the best lego websites ever, at http://www.worldbricks.com/; They also have great vintage Lego images.
Lego addictions (they're a good addiction to have) can lead to Lego storage issues. For a great article on solutions see http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2007/09/15-lego-storage-options.html.
If you have multiple children, label the instructions for each set with the owners name and then keep all instructions in a plastic bin. It lessens arguments! Source: personal experience.

Wild West Garage Sale and Devonshire School Book Bash

2011-05-04T20:19:00.002-04:00

In the rush of spring sales, there are still 2 left.

Wild. Wild Westboro Garage Sale - Saturday, June 4

Outside at the Dovercourt Recreation Centre near the wading pool from 8-1 pm. There's no rain date so hope for good weather in which case you'll have a chance to see all your neighbours as a bonus. Tables can be rented for $10 each through Dovercourt (online, in person or by phone). Each table will have a separate registration number; book early to get your favorite spot. If you don't want to sell you can also donate your items to the Westboro Community Association's Table (just contact them in advance by e-mail to hellowestboro@yahoo.ca to let them know in advance

Denonshire School Book Bash and Barbeque - June 10th

Includes book sale, bake sale, barbeque and silent auction! More details to follow.

Take Your Rubber Boots (Parc Omega)

2011-03-31T23:08:00.000-04:00

It's not everyday you get pulled over by a Wapiti.

And it wasn't for speeding either - it was for carrots.

Want to see animals up close and personal? Take a trek to Parc Omega. It's a great time of year for a visit.

Why?

It's not crowded;
The weather's pleasant again and we all need to get outside (yes, there are walks), or at least outside the City;
There are deer roaming around freely in the woods surrounding the walking trail found at the half-way point of the drive;

There are BABIES. Ever see a baby wild boar? Adorable! And yes they change to not-so-adorable later in life, so you do want to have a look in the springtime.
Black Bears are out of hibernation - we must have seen a total of about 20; clearly they wanted to be out of their caves and in the sunshine as much as we do! And yes, the bears are behind a fence and you stay in your car;
The habitats are open and natural;

(This is the Mother!)

There's a Sugarbush (new this year) complete with maple syrup hardened to a toffee consistency and pans of waiting snow; Incredibly sweet.

Key Facts:

It's about a 1 hour drive from Ottawa; see http://www.parc-omega.com/ for directions; 80 km but smaller roads;
If you go on the Ontario side you can add in a ferry ride from Cumberland to Masson-Angers for added excitement;
Entrance fees at this time of year are $14 for adults, $10 for 6-15 year olds and $2 for 2-5 year olds;
You cannot take the family dog (or other pet);
You need to take lots of carrots! We took 3 bags per child. Two probably would have done it but one would have been completely inadequate. You can also buy them there;
Although the route through the Park is only about 10 km you do need a few hours for the SLOW drive; Lots of stopping and feeding.
Driving a standard that slow for a long time can be tedious
The roads aren't paved, and they are muddy and have ruts - if you have an "older" car, take it

More on Mud lake and the Britannia Conservation Area

2011-03-19T22:51:00.003-04:00

On Thursday I went to Mud Lake and the Britannia Conservation Area, just west of the Kitchissippi neighbourhood in old Britannia Village. I posted http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2011/03/mud-lake-area-in-spring.html

It was beautiful but I forgot my camera and also received some questions afterward that I wanted to answer. This morning I had an hour and a half free time and I just wanted to get outside! So, I took my camera, and off I went, to Mud Lake, again.

The Lake itself is still frozen though I wouldn't try to walk out on it from the shore. I think the warm weather has brought an end to what was clearly a well-maintained ice rink complete with hockey nets nearby, not that long ago.

I didn't walk around the entire Lake but starting from the westerly end of the trail I went a good distance. The trail was still snow covered, crunchy and wet in only a few places. It will definately be soggy when temperatures go above zero again so if in doubt, take rubber boots, though preferably ones with treads for the icey patches.

Dogs are not permitted on the Mud Lake trail (though they are permitted on the river trail across the street so read on...)

There were geese on the Lake (though for "better" geese, ducks etc. go to the river) and lots of squirrels and birds in the woods. I'm no birder but if something were to turn me into one it would be Mud Lake. Go there and you know it's spring.

People were even feeding the birds directly from their outstretched palms - a great experience for kids and grown-ups a like. (You are, of course, not really supposed to feed the birds, ducks etc. but that's another story).

My bird photos make it clear I need a better zoom....

After the Lake, cross the street and from the small parking lot on the north side of the road you'll find what I'll call the Ridge trail and the River trail. On both of these dogs are permitted though they should be on a leash and you should of couse clean up the waste (and watch your step for those who didn't!)

The Ridge trail takes you up a small hill (see left) and along a ridge overlooking the Ottawa River and running parallel to Cassels Road. There are nice views and more adventurous people than I clearly did some scrambling around for photographs.

You can get down to the river in various spots - probably every 30 feet or so. It's a short trail but pleasant and of course bring your birding binoculars and camera.

If you don't go up the hill to the ridge, simply follow the trail down to the river and that is my favorite spot. Again today there were lots of geese, ducks, squirrels, seagulls etc. The mix of ice, water, snow and wildlife is beautiful.

Do not go too close to the edge. It is the river. The water is cold. Nobody wants an accident and people are NOT ducks!

These trails are a poignant reminder of the importance of green space in our city. The ability to visit this type of environment so close to home is priceless.

Mud Lake / Britannia Conservation Area - In Spring!

2011-03-17T19:45:00.021-04:00

I first went to Mud Lake in October after viewing a post by Andrea at Quietfish http://www.quietfish.com/notebook/?p=9449. It's a short drive from here in quaint Britannia Village (which I had equally failed to discover unhtil last summer) and today we decided to go there again in the hopes of seeing some ducks. I had three young ones with me and we didn't actually pursue the trail around the lake as it looked a bit snowed-in at least at one end, and the littlest man probably would not have made it around.

We did however take a walk down a short trail on the other side of the road to the Ottawa River (or at least a small arm of the Ottawa River. And it was beautiful. Really beautiful. It didn't hurt that the sun was just coming through the clouds, or that there were large melting ice formations along the trees standing in the water a few feet from sure. It was spring weather, slushy but not yet muddy and there were ducks, and geese and seagulls and squirrels and the sounds of lots of birds. In fact we did even see a cardinal. Next time, and I wish it could be tomorrow, we will take the camera and the binoculars. We will also be sure to make our way around the lake. There's a painted rock there (apparently with a scarey face!) that I want to see.

In the meantime, I need my camera surgically attached to my right hand.

When near the Ottawa River at this time of year, never get too close. The water is COLD and little people in particular can easily lose their footing. Never take a risk.

To reach Mud Lake from Kitchissippi, take Carling Avenuewestward. Just after you pass the Carling / Richmond Road intersection turn right at Britannia Road (this is before you reach Britannia Park). Follow Britannia Road as far as you can and then turn right on Cassels Road. You can't miss Mud Lake which will be on your right. You can also reach it via the NCC trail but I'd wait till the snow clears a bit more for that. Great bike destination for the summer though!

The NCC describes Mud Lake and the Britannia Conservation Area as follows

"A patch of wilderness in the middle of an urban setting, Mud Lake is an amazing area of forest and wetlands. Located in Ottawa’s west end, Mud Lake is home to hundreds of species of wildlife, with raccoons, frogs, turtles and foxes, to name but a few. This ecologically significant urban natural landscape is also prime birding territory, with thousands of birdwatchers coming each year to observe hundreds of different species. A walk through this easy-to-access urban jungle provides an exciting escape from city life."

For more detailed information about birds in the area visit the Ottawa Field Naturalists Club at http://www.ofnc.ca/birding/wheretogo/britanniabirding.php. This "5-kilometre stretch of shoreline and conservation area bordering Lac Des Chenes and the Ottawa River represents, without question, the best year-round birding hotspot in Ottawa", they say.

Spring Smells & Boot Liners

2011-03-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

As I walked into my sons school today I smelt the smell of, shall we say, "spring", to put it kindly. This certain scent that arrives in elementary schools annually at this time of year is the product of many, many pairs of boots that have been worn by many, many pairs of feet, walked through many, many puddles and basically haven't been cleaned properly in about 4 months.

My apologies for generalizing as I'm sure there are those of you who clean them regularly!

In portable classrooms where the shoes are kept inside the same room as the students, it is particularly bad. Frankly, I'm sure it would give me a headache. How do teachers deal with this? Do they have any suggestions? This will only get worse and I need to try something!

I have briefly scoured the internet (if one can actually scour something briefly) and come up with baking soda, kitty litter and tea tree oil. Does anybody have tips or solutions to counter this phenomenon? Are there commercial products that really work?? While of course one can wash the liners they do take a long time to dry.....they certainly would not be ready for the next days wear.

SUMMER BRIDGES ACADEMIC and CREATIVE ARTS CAMP

2011-03-01T20:59:00.000-05:00

Have you ever visited The Social Learning Centre located at 725 Churchill Avenue near Carling? It has some great looking programs with a real focus on creativity and aims to provide academic stepping stones for children who benefit from bridging activities between June and September.

This summer, The Social Learning Centre’s Summer Bridges Academic Camp introduces writing workshops for kids with local author Selena Robins! Come and enjoy a new blend of creative arts, reading wizards and fancy free afternoon activities for children 4-12 years old.

READING THEMES and CREATIVE ARTS

Let’s read Canadian Authors.
Chocolate making – bugs and slugs.
Gardening, flowers, and planting week.
Clay, paint, and sketch weeks.
Let’s read dungeons, dragons, and fairytales.
Comics and cartoon week.
Back to basics for school

The camp will run weekly from Monday to Friday from 9am-4pm with extended hours as an option. The camp is open to children between ages 4 and 12 years and costs $35/day.

For more information contact Tricia Kassotis – Director at 729-1333 or check out the Centre's website at http://www.sociallearningcentre.ca/.

Westboro Village Co-operative Preschool - Open House - March 2nd

2011-02-19T22:42:00.000-05:00

This lovely neighbourhood preschool is having an open house at 470 Roosevelt Avenue (on the second floor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, two streets west of Churchill and just south of Byron) on March 2nd from 6:30-8:00 pm.

If you are thinking of putting a child in preschool I can assure you that this one is worth checking out. My oldest son attended for 2 years and loved every minute, made good friends and got lots of energy out in the big gym. (My middle son refused to attend, but that's another story, and the reason why I can do another post about the Westboro Nursery School in the Dovercourt building!)

I'm aware of 4 non-profit preschools in the neighbourhood and each one has its own features. Location of course is key for most people. If you can walk to preschool so much the better. Who's attending? If your child knows other children in the class it can ease the initial separation anxiety and also make it a chance for you to connect with parents you know. Is the school "a fit" for your child and you? That's a bit more difficult to describe but you'll know it when it's there. The setting, the teachers, the other students, the routine, even the other parents all play into this.

Some key features of the WVCP program that are worth noting and that distinguish it from others:

The Programs:

students can start as early as 2 years old (most preschools are for 2 1/2 and up);
2 spaces are kept available for childrren who are 2 by December 31st.;
classes run from 9:15-11:30 with an optional lunch program available;
classes for the 2s are on Tuesdays and Thursdays and for the 3s are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday;
there is an afternoon program for 3s and 4s (after morning JK) that runs on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 12:30-3:30;
it has a weekly optional french program from 11:30 - 2:00 for the 3s program.

Other Attributes:

it's diaper friendly (disposable or cloth);
it has a full size gym with lots of toys (including lots of ride-ons!) so the children get their energy out for the last 1/2 hour of the program!

the Director, Sue Ellen Nevala, has been with the school since 2004. She is ECE qualified, has a qentle approach with the children and lots of experience;
It has a lovely music teacher - Nancy Lockwood - who engages incredibly well, up-close and hands-on-instruments with the little crowd;
it requires parents to assist with duty days and other co-operative responsibilities; it may be more intense than other co-ops in this regard but it may also be worth it!
the motto is "Learning through Play" - lovely! and it's practised.

Who knows. They might even do a really cute Christmas show!

If you are interested in registering your child for one of the fall sessions or want to check out the preschool's facilities, please stop by the open house - admission is free. For more information visit http://www.wvcp.ca/ or e-mail wvcp.registrar@gmail.com.

Neighbourhood Churches Reach Out to the Young Crowd

2011-02-11T12:08:00.001-05:00

I've recently noticed a few Church events that are clearly designed to appeal to the young crowd.

Whether you're a regular churchgoer or not, whether you're a believer or not, church can provide historical, religious, moral and musical education, a chance to reflect, a sense of community and an opportunity for outreach.

We have always intended to take our children to church though frankly we've failed miserably on that count. I'd describe myself, if I had to, as a "dubious Christian", though if you asked me whether church had a postive impact on me growing up, I'd have to say it did. Frankly I grew up in a town of 2000 where church basically gave kids and families something to do! And along the way I learned a few things.

Here's what I've found in our neighbourhood

MESSY CHURCH

St. Martin's Anglican Church at 2120 Prince Charles Road near Carlingwood is embracing this new effort by the Anglican community to connect with families and children. I think the name says it all. This isn't about stiff clothes and formality, this is about learning, fun and community.

The brochure, available at http://www.stmartinsottawa.ca/downloads/MessyFamily.pdf describes this as "a once-a-month "happening" on Tuesday from 5:00 to 7:00 pm for toddlers to early teens along with their Mom, their Dad – who knows maybe even an Aunt, an Uncle, Guardian or Grandparent. It’s a time to hang out together doing crafts, hearing stories, singing songs, exploring the Church and – best of all - enjoying a meal together that neither Mom nor Dad had to prepare after a hectic, messy day."

The next dates for this event are March 8th, April 12th, May 3rd and June 7th. St. Martin’s Anglican Church To register simply telephone 613 722-6077 or e-mail administration@stmartinsottawa.ca. Registration is recommended so that the kitchen may plan for sufficient food.

St. Martin's of course also runs the well known neighbourhood preschool!

INFORMATION - WHY BRING YOUR CHILD TO CHURCH?

If you're a family which debates the benefits of church going and religious education, the Presbyterian Church on Roosevelt last year distributed the pamphlet found at the following link which discusses some of the benefits of church attendance. http://www.presbyterian.ca/resources/online/3579

DOORS OPEN OTTAWA

Various churches, mosques, synagogues etc. open their doors for this event. Last year we visited the Ottawa Mosque on Northwestern, just of Scott Street. They were welcoming, informal and informative. I came out of the tour feeling that I had just a bit more understanding of another religion. They also have an informative website.

The Ukrainian Orthodix Church on Byron also routinely opens its doors for this event as does the All Saints Anglican Church (the Chapel of which, incidentally, was designed by the same architect as did the Parliament Buildings!) on Richmond Road and the beautiful St. Francoise d'Assise Church with the beautiful spires and pipe organ, on Fairmont Avenue at the corner of Wellington.

What to do on a Saturday Morning?

2011-01-25T19:23:00.002-05:00

Oh, of course, you could sleep in but is that really going to happen?

If not, the best antidote to the Saturday-morning-wanna-sleep-in blues is a great plan to keep yourselves and the little ones busy. Below are some ideas, some have been mentioned in other posts, others are new to this post. Try one, try them all....enjoy.

Playgroups:

There aren't that many Saturday morning playgroups but these are worth checking out:

The Hilson Avenue Java Jumpers - what a fitting name, I love it. Led by the ever energetic Jenn Whiten this group meets every Saturday morning from 10 till 1 at Hilson Avenue Public School. You guessed it, coffee is served, and this weekend they have the added bonus of hosting a performance of Hey Buster!, the local Dads turned cool kids band! Registration is through Dovercourt at http://www.dovercourt.org/.

Mothercraft playgroup - a quieter version of what is often a very busy weekday playgroup, it also features more Dads than usual, providing a sometimes welcome change to the "mom" buzz and a chance for the neighbourhood Dads (and moms too of course) to get together. It runs from 9 to 11 every Saturday except on long weekends and except on the last Saturday of every month. It's located on the second floor of the Mothercraft building at 475 Evered Avenue.(2 streets east of Churchill and just south of Byron). For more information and to check dates, visit http://www.mothercraft.com/.

The Library

Family storytime at Carlingwood Library - Saturday mornings from 10:30 - 11:10 am - we went to this regularly for years; it's pleasant, it's low-key, it's free and who knows you might get to sign out some books for yourself while you're there. Regardless you're guaranteed to find new kids titles, meet some other parents and perhaps start a post-library coffee tradition at Carlingwood Mall. Check http://www.biblioottawalibrary.ca/ for more details and to confirm dates. No registration required.

Swimming

Another typical Saturday morning "dad" activity - parent and tot swim lessons at Dovercourt http://www.dovercourt.org/

Drumming

Drumming? Yes, drumming. And not just any drumming, it's drumming with "Baobab Buds" at Baobab Tree on Piccadilly. This is a new group for parents and tots that is running for 4 weeks starting on January 29th (that's this Saturday). The cost is $60 for the 4 sessions.

The class is described as "A hands-on class for parents and children aged 12-24 months, exploring sounds, rhythms and movement through the lens of Ghanaian drumming dancing and singing. It's Taught by Baobab instructor Julia Walmsley." If you're not familiar with Baobab Tree check them out at http://www.baobabtree.org/ - they're a terrific organization that successfully blends music and international awareness for all ages.

Theatre

The Ottawa School of Speech & Drama has classes ranging from pre-school drama through to musical theatre for 8-10 yr olds, all on Saturday mornings. While parents are welcome to stay for the preschool class it is not required. Check out the OSSD offerings at http://www.ossd.com/

Infant Massage

Mothercraft is offering a 3 week infant massage course starting on Saturday, February 5th. Registration is required so please contact Mothercraft at 613 728-1839 to inquire as to space.

Cherish the Child also offers infant massage as well as Sing, Rhyme and Sign classes at the Milkface location on Churchill Avenue. Their offerings include a Dad Zone-ly version of the class to give Dads equal time with baby. Check their website for more info at http://www.cherishthechild.ca/CherishTheChild/Infant_Massage_Class.html

Pre-school, Kindergarten and "Regular" School Registrations

2011-01-20T22:42:00.000-05:00

Preschools: Registration for various neighbourhood preschools begins in February and continues throughout the year. Check out these great options:

Westboro Village Co-operative Preschool (on Roosevelt), http://www.wvcp.ca/
Westboro Nursery School (in Dovercourt Recreation Centre), http://www.westboronurseryschool.ca/
St. Martin's Nursery School (near Carlingwood mall) and http://www.stmartinsns.ncf.ca/
the Queensway PreSchool (in Parkdale United Church) www.ochap.ca/web/queensway.html

Monday, Jan 24 - Friday, Jan 28th - kindergarten registration week for the Ottawa Catholic School Board. For more information see http://www.occdsb.ca/

Monday, Jan 31st - Friday, Feb. 4th - This is the OCDSB special Kindergarten registration week. See http://www.ocdsb.ca/ or your neighbourhood school's website. Registration can of course also be done at any later time but the earlier the better - it helps with school planning and hopefully helps you secure the program you are hoping for. The sooner you register the more likely you might be to get your choice of morning or afternoon.

Tuesday, Feb. 22nd - Monday, Feb. 28th - OCDSB registration period for middle french immersion programs.

Winter, Hockey, Skating....Indoors

2011-01-17T19:32:00.004-05:00

Note: for information on outdoor rinks see this earlier post: http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2010/11/winter-hockey-skating-outdoors.html

When I go to J.A. Dulude Arena, just on the other side of Carling, I go back in time to what seems to have been pretty much the same arena experience when I was 10 or so. The same look, the same feel, the same smell! I remember running around the bleachers, chanting cheers at the players, skating to '70's music and the smell of french fries drowned in vinegar. I grew up in a really small town and frankly there wasn't that much to do so we made the most of what we had....often....and it was good.

So take your kids out for a skate, lace up your own , circle around the oval and see what you and the ice still have in common. I'm still working on my stops...

The neighbourhood's two main ice rinks are J.A. Dulude Arena and Tom Brown Arena. Take advantage of the public skates, sign your kids up for skating lessons (through the City) or the West End Hockey League (WEHL) or rent the ice to host a birthday party or just to become the neighbourhoods favorite parent! Registration for next year's hockey season starts in the spring.

The City does have 1, 3, 6 month and 1 year skating passes (child, adult or family) available at reduced rates for those who are frequent skaters.

JA Dulude Arena

J.A. Dulude, technically outside Kitchissippi, is located at 941 Clyde Avenue. Basically just turn south off Carling right beside the big Canadian Tire Store (Cole Avenue), continue for a couple of minutes and you'll see Dulude on the left. It's open year round and does have a canteen and skate sharpening.

There is also a big sledding hill - Carlington Hill - which is officially sanctioned by the City and which (if you want some trivia) was a downhill ski operation with tow lift for many years. It's also a great hill if you want a climb (any season!).

Tom Brown Arena

My experience with Tom Brown is limited to the line-ups of the H1N1 clinics so I won't comment much, though like Dulude it had that same old-style arena feel...a good thing. It's located at 141 Bayview Road, just off Scott Street and is open year round. It offers skating lessons, public skates and hockey, hockey clinics and pick-up hockey.

Awesome Ideas from Your Neighbourhood Schools

2011-01-12T22:06:00.000-05:00

Back to school and with that comes a new round of student council meetings at many Ontario schools.

The current role of school councils was established by the Ontario government in 2000-1 when it took steps to ensure that parents, through their school councils, would have greater influence in their children’s education. Regulations confirmed the advisory role of school councils and stated that their purpose is to "improve student achievement and enhance the accountability of the education system to parents." (see Ontario, Ministry of Education, School Councils: A Guide for Members, at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/council/council02.pdf)

The exact role of Councils is open to debate and ranges from fundraising to school-parent communication. What is clear is that they have a role and, depending on the school, may be quite active, vocal or both. On this topic see the recent article by Ottawa Citizen reporter Mike Pearson at http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/School+councils+communication+with+parents+should+trump+fundraising+report/3760680/story.html

I read other school's newsletters and websites - they keep me up-to-date on what's happening in the neighbourhood - they're typically posted on school websites. While I know there is a large umbrella organization - the Ottawa Carleton Association of School Councils - I prefer to take an approach that is direct and closer to home.

What are school councils in our neighbourhood doing? What is your school Council doing that you really like? There are some great ideas out there and many parents who work really hard to make our schools a better place.

I'd like to initiate a bit of a dialogue about what Councils can do. To kick-off, I'm going to share a few of the ideas I've found. I'd love to receive from feedback from parents of children at the other schools in the neighbourhood.

Have a Snowball Target

I love this idea though the photo doesn't appear on the current school web site so I'll have to check if the target's still there!

The rationale for the targets is simple, but to the point "Hilson school has two new snowball targets. Students take turns throwing snowballs at them. Why did they put them there? For the students to throw snowballs at. The two snowball targets are on the south fence. Students are only allowed to throw snowballs at the targets for safety reasons."

Schlockey

Parents at Broadview donated a Schockey game several years ago. Never heard of Schlockey? Check out this website from Canadian Intramural Recreation of Ontario: http://www.ciraontario.com/content/schlockey2.pdf. Not only does it provide the background and rules of the games but it also provides directions on how to build both a regular and a mini Schlockey set.

Aim for a Representative Council and High Parent Attendance

Sounds obvious but....in many schools less that 1/10 of families have even 1 parent in attendance.

To address the challenge Devonshire's council decided to host a pizza and movie night for kids on the same night as school council meetings.  Older children help babsit and far more parents are available to attend.  Brilliant!

Make sure Children Have Food

Again, sounds basic but....Devonshire keeps cereal, milk, toast etc. on hand in case any children come to school in need of breakfast - this can happen for a wide variety of reasons and parents can let the school knows if their child might require the extra nutrition. This is particularly important for schools with very early starts.

Make sure Children eat their Food!

Have children from the older grades act as lunch moniters.

Both my school aged boys have gone through periods when they haven't eaten anything for lunch during the day (and a variety of parents, particularly of boys, commented on similar experieinces). When asked, the boys told me they "didn't have time" - not true of course, but.....When I went into my son's grade 1 class at lunchtime I realized why he wasn't eating. It was loud, everyone was talking, no one was sitting in their seats and it just wasn't a "mealtime" environment at all. While a teacher was floating from class to class, it wasn't enough supervision.

I've talked with a few parents at a variety of other schools (Devonshire (again!) and Hopewell) and they say the lunch moniter program works well. The older student calms things down, the younger ones tend to look up to the lunch moniter and enjoy the company of an older student.  If something really critical (I have heard allergic reactions mentioned) or outrageous happens there's someone who can call the teacher.

Host Fabulous Fundraisers

Some examples (a few of which are very new) include:

the Gingerbread house fundraiser at Devonshire,
the Hilson Fall Foodie Fest,
the Chuchill School "Kidzone" shopping experience,
the Much Music Dance-a-thon at Broadview

It's easy to stick with tried-and-true but branching out can bring more dramatic success!

Find other ways to raise money:

Partner with a local business for mutual benefit. If you mention Devonshire Public School at the Collected Works bookstore on Wellington, they will give 10% of your purchase to the school in support of the school's refurbishment of the primary yard. Collected Works hopefully gets more people buying locally at their store as a result. Win-Win.

Apply for a Green Apple Grant worth $1000 from Metro Stores http://www.greenapplegrants.ca/. A variety of other Ottawa schools have already participated and details of their projects can be found on the Green Apple website.

Reach Out

School's are not islands on to themselves but part of our very vibrant and family oriented communities. They don't have to go it alone, nor should they. If there are synergies to be gained from partnerships with external service providers, take advantage of them. Before, after or lunch-time activities held directly at a school reduce traffic, maximize time and encourage both fitness and extra learning. This isn't at the expense of the schools and doesn't take precedence over school activities but can be a welcome addition to broaden some otherwise great offerings by our teachers.

Dovercourt Recreation Centre runs a twice-weekly "Power Hour" of fun physical activities at Broadview for the primary students. This supplements the variety of teacher-led extracurricular activities that are also available. The classes are low-cost and are particularly popular through the coldest winter months when there are fewer yard activities.
Yoga classes and a chess club are offered at Devonshire by external service providers. Fees are low and students sign up for 8-week sessions.
Several Ottawa organizations have programs specifically designed to be run in schools - either before, after or during the school day. These include Radical Science (a branch of Ray's Reptiles), Mad Science and Starr Gymnastics.
Baobab Tree on Piccadilly is open to discussing group drum lessons with schools. http://www.baobab.org/.
Photography (from providers such as Dovercourt which have cameras readily available from their own programming) and art classes for primary students are other options that seem particularly suited.

Update on Broadview School (Infrastructure)

2011-01-10T23:35:00.000-05:00

Last week Broadview Avenue Public School was closed for a day when the boiler backfired. It brought to the fore the issue of urban school funding and the (sometimes sad) state of our urban schools. The school administration worked diligently to ensure the closure was as short as possible. Council was instrumental in bringing the issue of school funding before the media and both CTV and CBC had excellent coverage.

A few events / discussions are coming up in relation to this and I'll hi-lite what I know here:

On January 12th the OCDSB Business Services Meeting will examine a recommendation from staff that 6 core schools, including Broadview, should undergo major renovations between 2010 and 2015. For more detail on the meeting agenda and to see the Plan itself, see http://www.ocdsb.ca/Lists/Board%20Meeting%20Calendar/DispForm.aspx?ID=41&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eocdsb%2Eca%2FPages%2Fdefault%2Easpx

On January 20th there will be what I understand is an open meeting at Devonshire Avenue Public School with Yasir Naqvi to discuss the balance between urban and suburban school funding. I don't think anyone begrudges funding to suburban schools - or to any schools frankly - but the question of balance is an interesting one and some parity willl hopefully be forthcoming. A number of schools in kitchissippi have been previously renovated or rebuilt - Hilson and Churchill to name two - but others (such as Broadview and Devonshire) are much in need. I hear the bathrooms in both are comparable...in a bad way!

One other useful piece of information - and, as I find again and again, another reason why I have an almost limitless respect for Dovercourt and its Director John Rapp - if your school closes, Dovercourt can be ready to take in kids on very short notice. For the one day that Broadview was closed they took in 14 or so but could have handled 30-40. They are a responsive and pro-active organization that does a lot for our community when needed. Kudos to them.

Broadview School Closure

2011-01-06T09:07:00.001-05:00

My kids aren't going to school today because there is no heat. Trevor Jones the school council president well describes the state of the school below. Surely this should not be the state of education infrastructure in 2011.

"On Monday our basement music room was flooded when water burst out of a corroded steam pipe. This is the 7th time our music room has been flooded. Then early Wednesday morning both our boilers went out of commission, and now we're waiting at home while the board does its best to patch them up.

Broadview has 775 students in grades K-8 and serves one of Ottawa's oldest suburbs. We are blessed with a hardworking and inspired staff who deliver outstanding programs. The building, however, dates back to the 30's and is inadequate. The washrooms are grotesque. Stairwells are narrow and the school is not accessible in the least. The steam boilers, when they're working, have two settings - on (in October) and off (in the spring). Most of the time it is ridiculously hot. We have fans to hot air from the roof of the intermediate wing. And since heat is radiated, the air does not get circulated and is incredibly fetid by the end of the day.

The Ottawa Carleton District School Board has, since amalgamation a decade ago, been focused on building new schools outside the greenbelt while letting its urban schools rot. Today's closure of Broadview Avenue Public School highlights the need to get serious about addressing this imbalance. "

Gift Ideas 2010

2010-12-13T20:12:00.001-05:00

Over the years my boys have been given a few gifts that have been, for whatever reason, unique, something their friends don't have, something a lot of parents aren't aware of, or something that is just hard to find. Here are a few of them with some background on why I think they're great.

1) Kapla blocks. First of all I should tell you that at first glance these blocks don't seem exciting enough for any child. They are all the same. Just plain, wooden, blocks.

They were "invented", perhaps I should say "created" by Tom van der Bruggen, a Dutch gentleman who moved to France to restore a ruined farmhouse into a castle. And with them, you can make amzing creations. They remind me of building with popsicle sticks. Luckily the options are more versatile and the structures more stable. I sense scepticism and if that's the case check out the photo gallery at http://www.kapla.com/.

If you're interested in education check out the website's blurb on "pedagogocal value" and you'll be convinced.

The image at the right is from Amazon but you can buy them in Canada from Mastermind Toys in Toronto (another one of my absolute faves for both product selection and customer service) with free shipping if your order is over $100.

2) Snowshoes

Lots of people ski with their children - either downhill or cross country. Virtually everyone skates. But not many kids snowshoe. If you're a family of hikers, many trails remain open to snowshoe hikers in the winter. It's a great way to take a walk in the wood off-trail and to demonstrate the fun of walking on top of the deep deep snow. Just take off your snow shoe now and then and see where you end up.

Snowshoes have come a long way and are now easily manageable for children. Let them walk around your back yard a bit first to get a sense of them and then head up to the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre in Old Chelsea as there is a simply trail nearby. You can purchase them at The Expedition Shop on Richmond Rd. between Churchill and Roosevelt, at Mountain Equipment Co-op, (and likely at Trailhead and Bushtukah or Mountain Equipment too). They run between $80 and $150.

3) Perplexus

Ok, not as hard to find as the others, perhaps because it's also the genius child of Ottawa's very own PlaSmart. If your child likes mazes, creating line-ups and structures then this is a good bet. It requires no batteries and has the same all-absorbing effect of a video-game. It's just better!

4) Cathedral

This is a quick game testing your ability to understand spatial relationships - it takes about 15 minutes and depending on your child's liking of and apptitude for logic games is suitable for ages 5+ (though the manufacturer recommends 8+). It's available locally at Playvalue Toys on Carling (just before Churchill), http://www.playvaluetoys.com/. There is both a wooden version and a version with modern structures such as the Empire State Building. I like the wood myself.

5) Miyu Magic Stones

Find them online at http://www.miyumagicstones.com/ and they can be purchased in Canada from http://www.mastermindtoys.com/ (great store in Toronto). If your child is into rocks, collecting and wizardry then this is for them!

You can purchase a black velvet pouch, a black treasure box or a black collection box. Each comes with a starter stone collection (3 in the pouch and 6 in the boxes) with up to 40 stones available. The collection box has a compartment for each stone. All stones come with a description the zodiac sign and its magic powers (all good, not evil). You can even sign up on line to become an apprentice wizard (though we've had a set for a while and haven't actually done that part yet).

For more detail of what the stone's can do for you, read the site's introduction by "Gliph Abar, The High Wizard of MiYu".

6) Survivor (Escape from Atlantis) Boardgame (2010)

OK. This shouldn't really be here. It would be a really good option except....it's not likely to be available until December 27th. We have pre-ordered one from Stronghold Games http://www.stronghold-games.com/, the American company granted the rights to redo this 1981 Parker Brothers classic. The game sells for $34.97 USD when pre-ordered - a 30% savings from the regular price. Shipping is extra and was not cheap - almost $25 - but we did have it shipped directly to the recipient so that saves a bit. And frankly shipping is rarely cheap.

We moved our family of 5 into a 2-bedroom apartment this summer and for some reason my husband dug this game (the 1981) version out from somewhere. We didn't take a whole lot with us and we played this game regularly. My 9 year old invited practically every child in his class back to his apartment to play Survive. It was a decided hit. Moreover, it makes a great Christmas present becasuse you know no one has it yet. And frankly I don't think a lot of people remember it anyway.

So we have ordered it for our 11 and 13 year old cousins who won't mind if what they actually get on Christmas Day is a picture of their present instead of the real thing which should arrive a few days later.

Beyond the Gingerbread Post....

2010-11-24T20:30:00.000-05:00

Want something home baked for the holidays but really don't have time - an ad at Dovercourt caught my eye today. A "stay at home mom who loves to bake" named Andrea is willing to do your baking for you (and yes it includes gingerbread!). For $5-$6 a dozen she'll bake gingerbread, shortbread, sugar cookies, thumbprint cookies, chocolate mini truffle cups (!) or chocolate peanut butter balls. Indeed she'll also make you homemade perogies (I'm guessing some Ukrainian in her background) or take your order for anything else you might ask for. Her number is (613) 747-5038. Let me know if you try it and it's yummy!

For lots of kid friendly gingerbread making opportunities see the separate post earlier this month.

Gingerbread, Gingerbread......

2010-11-22T23:06:00.002-05:00

My Mom (who is 81!) still sends me (well, technically my boys) the cookies we always had at Christmas growing up. They are thin, crispy delicious molasses cookies with a light glaze of icing and little candy balls sprinkled on top. They are delicious and we all love them. She has been sending them to me by mail for years and I helped make them for years when I was a kid. I have a photo somewhere of my eldest baking them with her in her kitchen. It's a sweet photo - he was about 3 - I will have to find it and post it.

This year in our neighbourhood there are a lot of baking opportunities, firstly in your own home kitchen and secondly out in the community.

Devonshire Public School is hosting its 2nd annual Gingerbread Workshop on Saturday, Dec 4th. There will be three sittings: 10 am to 11:30, noon to 1:30, and 2 pm to 3:30. The cost is $20 per house, candy, icing and best of all - clean-up. There will be a little café set up with snacks and drinks for sale as well. You do need to register in advance so please contact Kelly Serjeantson for more info kellyserjeantson@rogers.com or karlaandrich@sympatico.ca.

Canadian Mothercraft (on Evered Avenue) is hosting its 20th annual Gingerbread Event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Sunday, Dec. 12th, from 11-3. Help decorate a gingerbread masterpiece that you get to take home, do crafts, have your face painted, hear the Junkyard Symphony and have a visit from Santa Claus. $20 for an adult / $10 for a child All proceeds from this event benefit Mothercraft’s work in supporting vulnerable families through the Birth and Parent Companion Program. Call Mothercraft at 613-728-1839 x500 for more information. You may register by phone or email or you may purchase tickets from any Milkface location in Ottawa (the one on Churchill is closest of course)

At the Thursday, Dec. 16th version of the Chapel Cafe playgroup there will be bridgehead coffee, hot chocolate, Cookie Decorating (!!), x-mas tunes, face painting and a special surprise. All are welcome. See other posts about this playgroup if you need more detail. It runs every Thursday from 9:30-11:30 at the All Saints Anglican church on Richmond Rd. between Churchill and Roosevelt.

The Cooking School at Superstore is holding Gingerbread House decorating classes on Sunday, Dec. 12th (1 pm) and 19th (1 and 3:30) and on Friday the 17th (6:30) and Wednesday the 22nd (6:30); $18 per person and the class has a max of 16 people. Ages 3-5 must be accompanied by an adult. Register online at http://www.pccookingschool.ca/ or drop by the Richmond Rd. store. The site is not allergy free.

It is also hosting a "Sweet Treats for Christmas" class on Friday, Dec. 3rd from 6:00 - 8:00. They describe it as a "feast of festive treats, featuring rich Rocky Road Fudge; beautiful Stained Glass Window Cookies; White Chocolate & Raspberry Cookies; fruity, nutty Tropical Snow Drops; and yummy Hot Chocolate". $12 per person and register online (as above). The site is not allergy free.

If you don't make any of these I'm guessing the Harvest Loaf on Wellington might be able to help out! = )

Hope for Kate

2010-11-16T22:09:00.002-05:00

Last spring some of you may have heard of a little girl named Kate in our neighbourhood who suffers from an undiagnosed illness that causes many developmental delays and who gradually lost all hearing since birth. She was unable to receive the cochlear implants typically given to help deaf children hear because of serious issues with anesthetic. Some of you may have read her story in the Kitchissippi Times or the Ottawa Citizen, seen the interviews on CTV or attended the Hope for Kate fundraiser which raised close to $50,000 for the Community for Kate trust.

Well now I can tell you that she did get her cochlear inplants to assist in hearing and the surgery was a success. For more details, or to donate to Community for Kate, visit http://www.hopeforkate.com/, check out her Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Go-Kate-Go/113508482008574 or her Caring Bridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/. Although many challenges remain ahead, I guarantee that it will make you smile to read more about her, her family and how wonderful it is that this step has worked out for her. We wish her all the best for many more positive steps to come.

Sunday Yoga for the Little Crowd

2010-11-08T22:00:00.002-05:00

"Come shine like the sun, stretch like a cat and balance like a tree..."...those are the words that greet you on the homepage of Little Feet Yoga.....

I didn't know about this class until I happened to do a twitter search for "kitchissippi" and it turned up! The class is run by Catherine Lesage of Little Feet Yoga and you can find more information about her and her classes at http://www.littlefeetyoga.com/, though I found the most information about this particular class at http://events.linkedin.com/Family-Yoga/pub/467197. The session starts on Sunday, Nov. 21st from 12-1 pm, though I gather you can sign up for the full session or on a class-by-class basis. It is held at Kitchissippi United Church, 630 Island Park Drive, in the upper hall.

When my middle son was in the kinder program at Dovercourt they at one point did a yoga program and I was so surprised at how much he liked it (and how good he was at it - 6 year olds are really flexible!) I was doing a yoga class at the time and he always wanted to pull out my mat and try out his poses.

The class is for children aged 3-8 and their grown-up and is bilingual. Pre-registration is required
Contact Catherine at littlefeetyoga@gmail.com for registration and fees. She also offers birthday parties!

Holiday Shopping for the Young Set

2010-11-08T19:35:00.002-05:00

We moved to this neighbourhood in 2001, just before having our first baby. Mountain Equipment had just moved it, the pharmacy was still on the corner of Churchill and Richmond and Boomerang was a store in Old Ottawa South. Things have changed and on the shopping front I'd say for the better - though I've certainly lost a few of my old favorites too.

Want to know what's out there without searching the web or driving the neighbourhood? Here are the beginnings of my list and yes, it is the beginning, so watch as it continues to grow. I haven't even been to all of these stores and am really looking forward to visiting them and writing about them in the coming weeks. Anything you'd like to add? What's your favorite and why? I'd love to know = )

Boomerang Kids, 261 Richmond Road, http://www.boomerangkids.ca/
Chickpea Childrens Boutique - 1395 Wellington St. West, http://www.chickpea.ca/
The Extraordinary Baby Shoppe, 11131 Wellington St. West, http://www.extraordinarybabyshoppe.com/;
Fab Baby Gear, 1308 Wellington St. West, http://www.fabbabygear.com/
Kiddie Kobbler, 393 Richmond Rd., http://www.kiddiekobbler.ca/
MilkFace, 445 Churchill Ave N. (http://www.milkface.com/
Mrs Tiggy Winkles / Lost Marbles, 317 Richmond Rd., http://www.mrstiggywinkles.ca/
Peek-a-Boo Natural Toys, 992 Wellington Ave. West, JUST OPENED!
Playvalue Toys - http://www.playvalue.com/
Red Chair Kids, 1318 Wellington St. West, http://www.redchairkids.com/
Scholar,s Choice, Carlingwood Mall, http://www.scholarschoice.ca/
West End Kids, 373 Richmond Rd., http://www.westendkids.ca/

Winter! Hockey! Skating! ...outdoors

2010-11-07T06:26:00.002-05:00

OUTDOOR RINKS IN KITCHISSIPPI

This is what the Westboro/Dovercourt rink looks like now (or a week ago, = )). But in a month or two it will indeed be a rink with a "puddle", the name affectionately given to the ice surfaces without boards or defined edges. And I'm winterizing my blog with wintery details for k'kids, with more to come....

Dovercourt has some great outdoor skating lessons that don't fill up nearly as early as the City indoor rink sessions (which I always miss). Fisher Park has what I'm told is an awesome hockey development program if you're not quite prepared for the full commitment of the West End Hockey League, the other popular option. It does however fill up extremely quickly. Fisher Park also has its own skating and power skating sessions. Registration for the winter session starts on Monday November 15th is in person only at the Community Centre office (613) 798-8945 located in the Fisher Park School, 250 Holland Ave. Payment by cash or cheque. For the hockey you have to be there bright and early.

Information on the outdoor rinks below is taken from the City of Ottawa site at http://ottawa.ca/residents/parks_recreation/seasonal/fw/outdoor_rinks/locations_en.html. Information below is current as of November 6th, 2010.

Champlain Park, 140 Carleton,, rink with puddle, field house w/ washrooms, lights, boards, supervised Mon to Fri: 5 to 9 pm, Sat, Sun: 10 am to 5 pm

Dovercourt (see Westboro, below)

Fairmont, 265 Fairmont, double surface with trailer and lights, Supervised Mon to Fri: 4:30 to 8:30 pm, Sat, Sun: 1 to 9 pm

Fisher Park, 250 Holland, Ottawa, Rink with puddle, Trailer, lights and boards (not sure whether it has supervision)

Iona, 223 Iona, Double surface, Field house, washrooms, lights, no boards, Supervised Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri: 6 to 11 pm, Wed: 4 to 9 pm, Sat, Sun: 11 to 5 pm

Laroche, 52 Bayview, Rink with puddle, Field house, washrooms, lights and boards, supervised Mon to Fri: 6 to 10 pm, Sat: noon to 9 pm, Sun: 1 to 5 pm

McKellar Park, 539 Wavell Ave., double surface, lights, no boards, field house w/ washrooms (though not sure of fieldhouse hours), supervised Mon to Fri: 4:30 to 8:30 pm, Sat, Sun: noon to 6 pm

Westboro (aka Dovercourt), 411 Dovercourt Ave. , rink with puddle, trailer, washrooms etc. in recreation centre, lights, boards, supervised Mon to Fri: 4:30 to 8:30 pm, Sat, Sun: 10 am to 3 pm. Great family sledding hill at same location. Picture at right is of Dovercourt's outdoor lessons.

Woodroffe, 180 Lockhart Ave., rink with puddle, field house, washrooms, lights, boards, supervised Mon to Fri: 5 to 9 pm, Sat: 11 am to 7 pm, Sun: noon to 6 pm

Broadview Used Sports Equipment Sale

2010-10-28T20:56:00.001-04:00

If there's a parent out there who doesn't either have or need used sports equipment I'd be surprised! And this year Broadview Avenue Public School is hosting a Used Sports Equipment Sale to deal with that very thing. All money raised from the table rentals and bake sale will go to support the grade 8 school trip (but sellers do get to keep their profits!)

When: Saturday, Nov. 6th from 9-12
Where: in the small gym, 590 Broadview Avenue (corner of Broadview and Dovercourt)
What: summer or winter sports equipment
How: Sellers will sell their equipment themselves paying just $3 as a "table fee". If sellers don't want to stay to do the selling they may drop off their goods and the proceeds will go to the school trip.
There will also be a bake sale! Yum!

For more information contact Janice van Baaren at (613) 729-8335 or vanbaaren@sympatico.ca.

Commemorating Devonshire's 100 Years

2010-10-12T22:35:00.002-04:00

This was our other place of exploration on Thanksgiving Monday. I had never been to Devonshire school but with 3 kids at loose ends and abandoned by my spouse for the afternoon, I decided to check it out.

Why Devonshire? Devonshire Avenue Public School will be celebrating its 100th anniversary on Friday. That's a milestone There will be a BBQ, music (the Aardvaark Big Band), a Speakers Corner so you can record your memories of the school for their time capsule birthday cake, school tours, memorabilia displays etc etc! For more information see http://www.devonshireps.ocdsb.ca/100years.html

The school was build in 1910 and first named Breeze Hill Public School. It was expanded and renamed in 1921 after the then Governor General, the Duke of Devonshire, who inaugurated the new wing. The plaque near the front door notes that the school is built in a Collegiate Gothic style typical of Ottawa schools of that era as is the Tudor entrance way, stone foundation and brick detailing.

There was one other mother with a son at the school when we arrived and of course we got to chatting. She explained that the signs for "Girls" over the south door (pictured below) and "Boys" over the north door had identified the separate yards that the two used at recess or lunch. Apparently the school will re-enact that separation as one of their commemoration activities.

That's a little piece of history. One hundred years does change things. What's nice about Devonshire is that the building remains as a reminder.

Thanksgiving Day & the Chinatown Arch

2010-10-11T20:24:00.000-04:00

Today, after dinner, we were at loose ends and went exploring. My favorite spot was the new Chinese Gate on Somerset just west of Bronson.

It is beautiful, phenomenal in fact, but there is more to it than that. If you haven't been following the story, or if you want to see a lot of wonderful photos, including ones from the construction process, check out http://www.ottawachinatownroyalarch.blogspot.com/.

Some nuggets to whet your appetite: 16 technicians travelled from Beijing China to assist with the construction and decoration and painting of the arch. The arch's glazed golden tiles were donated by China. 5 special metal coins (the oldest from the Tang Dynasty) and 5 colour spreads are embedded in the structure to bring blessings.

According to the http://www.chinatown.ca/ website, the first Asian residents arrived in Ottawa about 100 years ago and by the 1930's there were over 300 people in what is known as Chinatown.

Museums and Mondays Don't (usually) Mix

2010-10-08T22:01:00.002-04:00

At least not in the winter. Have other people made the trek out hoping for a fun morning at the museum before naps only to find that (gasp) they're closed? Yes, that's right - Closed. I love our local museums but knowing their hours is key to a successful visit (no kidding, right).

After the summer months museum traffic gets slower, tourism trickles and museums get a break - usually (the world over) on MONDAYS. Though sometimes Tuesdays too....and some don't open till 10:00 (which for the young crowd is L-A-T-E LATE!

And to confuse you (or at least me) more, the ones that are closed on Monday are often open if it's a HOLIDAY Monday. Always check in advance.

The other international museum rule - Thursday nights are Free...at least if they're open! and the last hour of opening (often 4:00-5:00) is also often free.

So that you don't make the same mistakes I have and so that perhaps the hours will become ingrained in my brain by writing this, here are the WINTER HOURS of the key Ottawa family museums. If in doubt please check the official museum websites. Frankly that's always a good idea....

Canada Agriculture Museum (aka the Farm) - actually open every day from 9-5 since the animals always need to be fed. Main exhibit buildings do eventually close for the winter though the barns always remain open (great for a winter walk with occasional mildly warm refuge out of the wind with the sheep or pigs or horses). The exception that proves the rule. They have fun special events for both Thanksgiving and Halloween (one or two chocolates to be found maybe??) http://www.agriculture.technomuses.ca/
Canada Aviation and Space Museum - Open from Wednesday to Monday (yes they are open on Monday - thanks to Mary@parenthood for correcting me) from 10:00 - 5:00. (note that, 10:00, probably becuase this museum really is for the slightly older of the young crowd) http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/
Canada Science and Technology Museum (aka Science and Tech) open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 - 5:00, closed Mondays, except holidays. Note that they have a great new little kids play area and the current exhibit "In Search of the Canadian Car" is excellent. Have always loved this museum. http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/
Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Childrens Museum: Tuesday through Friday 9:00 - 5:00 but Thursdays open till 8:00 pm (Free admission Thursday evenings); Saturday and Sunday 9:30 - 5:00. http://www.civilization.ca/
Canadian Museum of Nature: Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 - 5:00, Thursdays 9:00 - 8:00 (with Free admission on Thursday evenings) http://www.nature.ca/.

I Walk to School...do you?

2010-10-04T23:10:00.000-04:00

I have my own reasons for walking my kids to school. With two active boys I think I owe it to the teachers to run them before school I think they'll concentrate, behave and learn better. With a baby I find driving more of a hassle - in and out of the car instead of just once into the stroller. That being said I've also at times done my share of driving and know that sometimes it's (almost) unavoidable....we should just do our best to minimize.

October, 2010 is International Walk to School Month and Wednesday of this week is International Walk to School Day. We owe our thanks to the Hertfordshire County Council in England for this creation, piloted in 1994. The UK Pedestrian Association held a similar event a year later and in 1996 the first cross-country walk-to-school week was held. And it's grown enormously since then. Last year over 40 countries participated and this year will likely top that number. Canada joined in 1998. The organization provides lots of information on its web site http://www.iwalktoschool.org/.

Green Communities Canada leads the initiative in Ontario. More information on their work can be found at http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca/ including resources, tools, information and links for schools. It points out an amazing statistic "If just nine families participate regularly in a Walking School Bus over the course of a school year, they can collectively prevent almost 1,000 kg of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere". That sounds like a lot - it is a lot. Now imagine if 18, 27 or 36 families did the same thing....

What more can we do?

Talk with neighbours about walking school buses. Check out this post on the Broadview School web site by some parents who did exactly that http://tiny.cc/zf24t. Hiring a teenager to walk a group of children to or from school is another option.
Encourage your city councillors to be involved in traffic issues and consider school children in traffic planning assessments. Schools may examine traffic patterns close to their building but will not typically have sufficient resources or jurisdcition to go further afield.
Encourage the school board to consider walkability when determining school catchment areas. We for example attend Broadview Ave. P.S. which is 0.8 km away however our designated school is in fact Hilson, 2 km away and past 2 busy streets. We can walk to Broadview but could likely never be walking to Hilson. We would love to see the boundary changed so that our youngest can be assured a spot at Broadview without a cross-boundary transfer.

Playstructure in China

2010-09-30T06:42:00.000-04:00

My husband is in China. There are a lot fewer play structures but today he saw one.

Lament for the Corner Store

2010-09-24T14:17:00.007-04:00

It's official. There are no more corner stores in my neighbourhood (near Dovercourt). When we moved in 9 years ago (9?!) there were 4, all within a 10 minute walk of each other and 3 of the 4 on Churchill. Now there are none.

The first to go was the Daily Convenience at the east side of Churchill near Carling, then the Roosevelt Confectionary closed its doors. Fred's Fine Foods (love the full name though it was definately a misnomer!) was personally our biggest loss last summer. We can't get milk, juice, yard waste bags, flower baskets or pink mints at the new condos that are being constructed. And now the Churchill Groceteria, across from Churchill School near Byron, is gone with the building to be leased to MilkFace.

The Daily Convenienve became Aahar Restaurant (http://www.aahar.ca/) and I don't mind that so much. The convenience store had started selling good Indian food before it closed and simply transitioned into something new. The owners, as far as I know are the same. It's a great little addition and gets excellent foodie reviews. The owners of the Roosevelt Confectionary, as far as I know, retired. Fair enough. I think they still live in the building though presumably they will eventually sell and something new will be built.

Fred's I would have loved to have bought. It, together with the accompanying lot, was the perfect spot for a fabulous food place - maybe a cross between the Piggy Market and Herb & Spice. My kids miss Fred. They still talk about him. He wasn't even particularly friendly to them but they thought of him as a fixture in our neighbourhood. But even those we think of as fixtures leave.
And now the Churchill Groceteria. I rarely shopped there - it was a little far. Convenience stores need to be truly...convenient. But I miss it just the same.

And no I don't count the Shell on the corner of Churchill and Carling - it's too far for a really quick walk and the milk is expensive. So now we drive to Shoppers DrugMart (what a waste) and continue to try to plan more in advance (buy milk whenever you are near a store - we always need it).

I just found a fabulous collection of photographs of corner stores in Ottawa by Patrick Dumais. Three of the 4 mentioned above are reproduced here (with permission from M. Dumais) Many more can be found at http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=corner%20store&w=26675223%40N00

Thanks Patrick!

Supperworks - Yes, it works!

2010-09-04T00:14:00.003-04:00

Supperworks has been on my list of "Parent Picks" since I first started this blog. My friend Lynn introduced me to them last December and I became a bigger fan with every meal we ate. Thanks Lynn.

Supperworks is a Canadian company started by 2 busy and nutrition-minded moms - Chris Wood and Joni Lien - in 2005. It now has 15 franchise locations across Ontario including Orleans and Kanata. Their slogan is "we take the work out of supper"....and they do.

I've realized that a lot of people don't know who or what Supperworks is.....so here goes my effort at an accurate description. Don't take my word for it though - test it out for yourselves!

In a nutshell, Supperworks is a meal preparation company - a series of modern kitchen stations, stainless steel and very clean, (shown at left) each one with the ingredients for a meal laid out along with the recipe, bowls, appropriate measuring utensils etc. You prepare the meal according to the posted recipe and when you're finished it's ready to take home and put in your freezer for whenever you might choose to use it (the meals are actually made in freezer bags - and they do have a bag recycling program).

The beauty of the process lies in two areas - the meals themselves and the speed with which you make them....as well as the fact that you can do it with friends over a nice glass of wine.

The Meals

I'd describe the meals as "family friendly". They're made from healthy, fresh ingredients (nutritional information is available on their website). You see exactly what you are putting into your meal. If there's something you don't like you leave it out. The menu changes on a monthly basis and there are some delicious vegetarian dishes. Portions are generous (including meat portions).One meal easily feeds my family of 4 twice. When they say 4-6 portions per meal, for us it's an easy 6 and the kids eat half portions. The meals are not excessively frilly or exotic - they're of the quality home-cooking variety rather than high-gourmet and that's exactly what I need. They make me the cook I wish I was!!

My favorite meals at the moment - Cosmopolitan Quesadillas (black beans, vegetables and cheese, seasoned and in a whole wheat tortilla) and 3B stew (beef, beans and beer) . They have equally yummy pork,, chicken and fish dishes and flavours from Italien to Indian to Mexican to pure comfort food.

The Speed

Without the recipe search, the shopping, chopping, dicing, dishes etc. you can make between 9-12 meals within 2 hours!! It is a sure-fire way to feel absolutely productive. And I'm not exagerating those numbers. Nine is perfectly reasonable, 12 and you'll have to stay focussed but you'll get it done. And if you want to go at an even more relaxing pace, do 6 - you'll be done in an hour and a half and have time to chat with friends to boot. At the end, everything is in freezer bags, labelled with cooking instructions and ready to pop in your own freezer at home. They almost always give you some free bake-at-home chocolate cookies as a bonus.

The Atmosphere

When I've done this, I've done it with a friend or friends. We chat, we work, we have a glass of wine - and in the end we all feel super productive! Simply book some friends in at the same time or arrange to host a party. With 8 attendees or more you'll get the place to yourself. Bring some appetizers (nut-free), have a glass of wine, enjoy the company and accomplish something at the same time.

And, whether you know someone or not, chances are you will by the time you leave. Cooking and chatting seem to go together.

The majority of customers are women but there are also men (this is a great way to balance cooking responsibilites in your relationship!) and couples. There are even special sessions designed for you and your child.

Cost

My reference point - it's cheaper than eating out (at $5 for a good-size serving its cheaper than a fast-food meal) and many, many times healthier and better tasting! You can make it even more affordable by using coupons (such as the one displayed here), collecting "supperpoints", booking online, prebooking your next session, referring a friend or organizing a party.

For new parents there is a "Stork Special" - If you have a baby between 0-2 months old Supperworks will do the preparation of 6,9 or 12 meals for free and you (or a helper!) can simply pick up the meals, prepared and ready to eat or freeze. Consider this for your next babyshower present! Check the website for other promotions.

So invite a few friends, even host a party if you're so inclined and check out what all this is all about.

Dovercourt Cooperative Playgroup at McKellar Park

2010-08-31T21:26:00.000-04:00

This popular volunteer-run playgroup is back at the NEW Mckellar Park fieldhouse this year (at Wavell near Byron). It's for anyone with children who wants a little playtime, crafts, stories, songs and fun (as well as meeting with other parents, of course!).

There are two sessions:

Monday and Friday mornings from 9:30-11:30 and
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:15-3:15

The cost is $45 per family per session or $80 per session. The sessions run from September to January and February to June. Registration begins on Friday September 10th at the Fieldhouse from 10:00-11:30. The group is run by volunteers so please let them know if you can help out. For more information please contact Amanda at amullen@rogers.com.

There is a really nice playground outside, with shade!, as well as tennis courts, a large field and a wading pool in the summer.

For a complete list of neighbourhood playgroups see http://kitchissippibabies.blogspot.com/2010/03/kitchissippibabies.html

Respite care

2010-08-31T00:58:00.000-04:00

New moms (and dads) sometimes need a little help, particularly if they don't have family or close friends in town, if baby has health issues or if there are young siblings who also need attention. Sources for paid respite care are:

Canadian Mothercraft, located at 475 Evered Avenue (2 blocks west of Churchill and just south of Byron) has a respite/part-time program for children between 6 weeks and 5 years of age. Parents leave their children in the care of the centre for a set period of time. Spaces are limited. See their website at http://www.mothercraft.com/early_learning/Respite.php
Dovercourt Recreation Centre has a "Kindercorner" so that a mom or dad can take a fitness or other class at the centre (or just sit in the lobby having a coffee and having some....well, thoughts, that don't necessarily even relate to baby). Parents are typically expected to remain on the premises so that if your child is having difficulty adapting to the situation they can find you. The program is led by the ECE coordinator Karin and staff are friendly and very accomodating. They will take infants of any age and do have exercausers and other infant toys available. The program is available from 8:15 to 11:45 daily. One visit (1.5 hours) costs $6.50 and passes for 5, 10 or 15 visits are also available as is an unlimited pass for 3 months. You do not need to book ahead since if more staff is needed they will pull them from other areas in the Centre. For more information see http://www.dovercourt.org/hf_kinderkorner.html
Susanne Carlon, an Ottawa mother and babysitter/caregiver has recently started offering her services. Check out her website at https://sites.google.com/site/ottawababyrespite. She will come to your home and work with your family. Rates range from $15/hr (or $40 for 3 hrs) for daytime to $20 for early morning and evening to $125 for overnight. She can also be reached by phone at (613) 218-9543.
Part-time care givers often advertise their services on Kijiji Ottawa or Craigslist.

Playgroups

2010-08-31T00:57:00.000-04:00

Chapel Cafe and Drop-in Playgroup - on Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30, the All Saints Anglican Church, located at 347 Richmond Road (between Churchill and Roosevelt) hosts a weekly free playgroup for infants and toddlers aged 0 – 4 and their caregivers (of course!). Although the church website refers to registration, it's not required and you're better off just dropping by. It's a friendly and welcoming group and everyone is welcome. The morning starts off with coffee, tea and juice in the cosy Chapel (the door at the front left of the church) and with the arrival of older children makes it's way up to the spacious gym where there are ride-on toys, mats and lots of space to run around.. Jennifer is in charge and she'll answer any questions you might have. She can also put you on an e-mail list of kids events in the neighbourhood that she circulates on a regular basis. For more information see http://www.allsaintswestboro.com/Education.html

Childrens Village of Ottawa Carleton hosts a drop in playgroup for parents and caregivers from Monday through Friday from 9:00-11:15. Healthy snacks are provided and there is also a resource centre available and staff able to answer parenting questions. There is a snall fee for public participants (eg. who are not Childrens Village caregivers). They are located at 333 Churchill Avenue north (between Richmond Rd. and Scott St.). For more information contact 613-725-2040 Ext: 160 or visit http://www.childrensvillage.on.ca/.

Dovercourt Co-operative Playgroup - this used to be held in the McKellar Park fieldhouse but the fieldhouse is being reconstructed and the playgroup has relocated to the Dulude Arena at 941 Clyde Avenue (just south of the Queensway) for 2009-10. The playgroup meets on Monday & Friday mornings from 9:15 - 11:15am, from September to June and costs $35 per family for the season. To register drop by the playgroup or for more information contact Amanda Mullen (amullen@rogers.com).

Fisher Park Playgroup in Room 16 of Fisher Park High School at 250 Holland Avenue is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-11:30. Call the Fisher Park Community Centre at (613) 798-8945 for fee information or to register for a session. Drop in for $7.50 / day.

Hilson Avenue Java Jumpers - meet at the Hilson Avenue Public School at 407 Hilson Avenue between 10 am and 1 pm on Saturday mornings from October through March. Registration is through Dovercourt Recreation Association at http://www.dovercourt.org/ and the fee is $50 per family for the season.

Hintonburg Tots N' Friends Playgroup - meets at the Hintonburg Community Centre at 1064 Wellington on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15 to 11:15. There is a fee and the sessions do fill up. For more information call 613-798-8874.

Laroche Park Playgroup is open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 – 11:00 in the Laroche Park Fieldhouse at 7 Stonehurst Avenue (near Parkdale and Bayview). Drop in free of charge.

The Ontario Early Years Centre for Central Ottawa is located at Canadian Mothercraft at 475 Evered Avenue (two streets east of Churchill and between Byron and Carling). It hosts a playgroup for french speaking families (or those simply wishing to speak french!) on Tuesday mornings an english playgroup on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings (9:15-11:15 except for Saturday which runs from 9:00 to 11:00). There are also english playgroups on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30. The Toy Lending Library is open following each playgroup. The schedule occasionally changes so check the calendar online to be sure: http://www.mothercraft.com/prenatal_parent/OEYCContacts.php. The last time I visited this playgroup was 6 years ago (clearly baby and I need to do some research!) and at times it was very busy - if you go, go early. Mothercraft also hosts a daycare centre, many parenting courses and other resources.

The Salvation Army Bethany Hope Centre hosts a playgroup for young parents (under 25) in its playroom at 1140 Wellington St. West every weekday morning from 10:00-12:00 and afternoons from 1:30-3:30. Contact the Centre at (613) 725-1733 for details. The Centre also accepts donations

Science & Technology - The best deal in town

2010-08-31T00:30:00.000-04:00

I started going to the Canada Science & Technology Museum even before my eldest was 1. It was a hot summer, we didn't have air conditioning and museums were the best place I could find to beat the heat. We've had a membership ever since and after our visit today I wanted to express why Science & Tech must be the best deal in town!

A 1-year family membership to 3 museums: Science & Tech, the Agriculture Museum (Experiemental Farm) and the Aviation Museum costs $90. If you live in Ottawa that means your family only has to visit the museums 4 times to make it worth the cost and you'll likely end up going a lot more than that. Travel to Toronto or Montreal and you'll get free access to the Ontario Science Centre (a $58 value) or the Montreal Science Museum (a $38 value). It is equally good for many museums (over 290, in fact) across Canada (our other favorite being the Discovery Centre in Halifax, a $29 value) and the United States.

The Museum has had a bit of a facelift - there is a new exhibit about the Canadian Car with vehicles dating back to the beginning of automobile days. The new preschool area is packed with lego, trains and other creative toys.

Not only that, but there were plenty of outdoor activities. The steam train - a pre-1950's Shay locomotive and the hi-light of our visit -was operating. There was a water rocket demonstration along with plenty of room to simply run around and a couple of hills to roll down. Take your lunch and picnic at the sheltered outdoor picnic area while the weather's still good or pop by the indoor cafeteria.

Please note that the museum will be closed from September 13-17 for annual maintenance

Lots of Life at Pink Lake

2010-08-24T23:19:00.018-04:00

Pink Lake is one of the best trails for early hikers - those walking on their own who have a good bit of energy to burn - try them out around 3 or 4 years of age and up. It's also good for babies in backpacks though there is a reasonable amount of climbing so be prepared for the extra workout (yours, not the baby's!).

The hike takes about an hour to complete. It has one path that is easy to navigate with wooden stairs up and down many of the hills (they also protected the sensitive shores from erosion), lots of lookouts, interpretative panels and benches along the way for a quick picnic.

Best of all.....there is an abundance of life. The water is typically teaming with tadpoles and tiny fish schools, there are plenty of frogs along the shoreline and if you're lucky you'll see families of garter snakes (there were lots today) and the odd turtle or two.

Garter snakes - totaly harmless, lovely to watch.

A few facts (to impress your children):

they are common throughout North America and can be found as far north as Alaska
they were long thought to be non-venemous but do in fact produce a mild venom
they have "large" teeth in the back of their mouths that help spread the venom
they are meat eaters like all snakes. They aren't fussy and will dine on anything they can overpower.

The garter snakes can be found near the water and on the banks on the inland side of the path. Be gentle if you touch them and don't put them in your pockets! They should remain at the lake. According to Wikipedia (I'm no expert on garters) a bite can result in mild itchiness and swelling.

Frogs....many, many, many frogs. Sitting on rocks, on logs, deep in the grass and swimming in the water. Listen for the jumps and watch them carefuly - they're fast.

Turtles - sorry, no photos, though someone with a much better zoom than mine got a great shot of one sitting on a long about 15 feet from shore.

Practical Tips

the best things are free (like this!)
the Parkway is closed on Sunday mornings through the summer for bike days
this is a sensitive environment and the Park works hard to deal with the erosion of its banks - please stay on the trail
it is a very unique Lake and there are lots of interpretive signs with information
there is also an abandoned mine!
as anywhere, leave any critters you see in their wild home - they'll be happier
you can access it from Gatineau Parkway off Tache Boulevard in Gatineau (about 1/2 hour drive to the hike from Kitchissippi)
it is the turn just past the one for Pink Lake lookout
it's about 2.5 km long and takes about an hour (more if you see a lot of critters!)
there is a parking lot (that sometimes fills up)
there are outhouses at the trailhead
It is always very busy on Thanksgiving weekend - go very early or head just a little farther into the park to either King Mountain or Lariault Trail (equally good for a short hike with young climbers)
for lots more information about Gatineau Park see http://www.guidegatineau.com/.

Things to bring when hiking (and particulary with kids)

plenty of water and some snacks
bug spray
suntan lotion
a couple of band-aids (it's easy to scrape a knee)
binoculars (my most frequent forgotten item and the one the kids like the most)
camera (try letting the kids take some shots if they're not too young)

Young kids are fast and with their light weights they climb easily. They may leave you behind sooner than you think!

Kids Save Lives - Make Sure Yours Know How to Use the Phone

2010-08-23T23:01:00.000-04:00

We received a frightened call this summer from my seven year old nephew - "Dad's hurt" he said. My brother-in-law is a very healthy, fit guy but has an inherited heart condition for which he has an internally installed defribillator. That defribrillator went off between 6 and 7 seven times (a very severe episode and the only time he has ever experienced anything like that). He did manage to tell his son "call Gram" which his son did. We were there and iimmediately went to help. Which brings me to the point of this post. Make sure your children can use the phone from as early an age as possible and that they know the "911" number. Some tips:

Keep a phone in a set place in the house (portables can be hard to find)
Have at least one land line or easy to find cell phone that works when the power is out
Make sure your child knows how to operate all phones - it can be tricky if some have "talk" buttons and others don't
Teach your children the "9-1-1" number and post it by the phone
Make sure your child knows they should be safe before they call 911 - e.g. they should not call 911 from the house if there is a fire. They should go to a neighbour.
While most 911 calls can be traced, it's also a good idea that your child know your address and phone number. Post it by the phone just in case and show them where it is.
Stress that 911 is for emergencies only and talk about what constitues an emergency
Do some role playing so that your child knows what questions the operator may ask them

do you need the fire department, ambulance or police?
what is the location of the emergency?
what is your location/phone number?
Is someone hurt? are they breathing? can you describe the situation

Explain the importance of remaining calm even though the child may be worried or scared
Talk about the different roles of emergency workers
Post 1 other emergency number by the phone (eg. an easy to reach friend or neighbour)

For more information visit http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/.

Baobab Tree - 2010-11 Classes

2010-08-19T17:31:00.001-04:00

In Ghana the Baobab Tree dots the landscape....On Piccadilly Avenue in Kitchissippi, Baobab Tree brings a touch of Ghana to our neighbourhood through its fascinating journey into rhythm, drumming and dance. Baobab Tree performs around town at venues including Westfest, Centrepointe Theatre, the NAC and the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield.

Baobab Tree provides a fantastic opportunity to kids in the Ottawa area to experience something musical, international and fun. To savour Baobab Tree directly sign up for one of their 2010-11 classes. Classes are grouped into ages 7-10 and 11-13 (as well as adult classes). Fall classes are on Tuesdays for 7-10 year olds from 5:30-6:15 and Thursday nights for 11-13 year olds from 5:30-6:30. Fall classes run from late September till mid-November and the cost is $96 per session. For details of all Baobab Tree's 2010-11 classes see their website at http://www.baobabtree.org/ and for additional information view their blog at http://www.baobabtree.blogspot.com/.

For more information about the Baobab Tree and its role in Ghana's landscape and culture have a look at this article, submitted in 2002 as a candidate for the Biodiversity Reporting Award. "Knowledge is like the Baobob Tree" (African Proverb). http://www.biodiversityreporting.org/article.sub?docId=493&c=Ghana&cRef=Ghana&year=2002&date=May%202002

What did you do this summer?

2010-08-18T15:20:00.001-04:00

Summer is a passing whirlwind. Help your children remember what they did by making a few simple lists. What did they do for the first time? What places did they visit? Which relatives did they see? Who did they meet? They'll exercise their memories, be prepared for the perennial question "what did you do this summer" and might even reflect on how lucky they are!

My kids rode for the first time:

a horse (at their cousins, Pam and Pat)
a camel (at Granby Zoo)
a sailboat (in Chester, thanks to friends)
an ATV (thanks to my Mom's neighbours in Halifax - yes they said it was the best day of their life)
a steam train (at the Science and Technology Museum)
a gondola (at Mont Tremblant)
a luge run (also at Tremblant)

They visited Mont Tremblant, Halifax and Quebec City.

One did a tennis/sailing camp and one did a hockey camp. They spent 2 days at a Cosmic Adventures camp and went to Karters Korners.

They saw their cousins Cameron, Nathan, Megan, Karyn, Katie and Curtis, Nana Mary, Grampy Eldon and Nanny, Aunt Diny, Uncle Larry, Aunt Nancy, Uncle Ron, Aunt Denise and Uncle Erik.

They went to Mont Cascades water park, the Botanical Gardens in Montreal, the Quebec Aquarium, the New Brunswick Botanical Gardens, the Halifax International Buskers Festival and Granby Zoo.

And the summer's not over yet!

City of Ottawa Registration

2010-08-10T22:33:00.000-04:00

I often forget about City programming (especially skating) until it's too late. It just doesn't seem to be on my radar, but this year (thanks to Ottawa Start) it is! The 2010-11 calendar is available online at http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/parks_recreation/programs/index_en.html. Online / touchtone registration for aquafitness and swimming started on August 9th at 10pm and for all other programs started on August 10th at 10 pm. In-person registration starts a day later. Be sure to have your family identifier and pin ready (they are free and you can obtain them by calling the city).

Sundaes for Sunday - Today - Don't Miss It!

2010-08-08T09:22:00.001-04:00

Today is Sundaes for Sunday at Dovercourt (411 Dovercourt Avenue, Ottawa) from 1-4 pm. The event will benefit the Sunday-Sayer family who typically reside in the Hintonburg neighbourhood. If you haven't yet heard their story, they were in a terrible car accident early this year and the parents are still in recovery mode. Their 3 young children are being cared for by extended family and

As you can imagine, this time has been incredibly hard for them. As you can imagine, they need all the support they can get!

And for the fun part....let your children make their own Sundaes, enjoy the bouncy castle, wading pool, play structures, face painting and barbeque!! If that's not perfect for a Sunday afternoon in August I don't know what is.

For more information visit http://www.dovercourt.org/ or the Sunday-Sayer facebook page.

Fall (!) Registration

2010-07-29T00:56:00.002-04:00

OK, this caught me by surprise. I knew it was coming, but still! I know there will be plenty of updates, but for now....

July 21st - fall and kindergym registration began at the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre. You can now register online though there's a bit of a process to it. Walk-ins have priority over phone. http://www.ottawagymnasticscentre.ca/

Ottawa School of Speech and Drama - registration is also ongoing and they have also introduced an online process. http://www.ossd.com/

Nepean Minor Hockey Association - registration has been ongoing since April and early bird pricing ended at the beginning of July. See http://www.nepeanhockey.on.ca/ for more information.

August 10th - Dovercourt fall registration begins online at http://www.dovercourt.org/, by phone or in person. For more information see http://www.dovercourt.org/.

Event Listing - July and August (Updates ongoing)

2010-07-26T13:28:00.004-04:00

Saturday, August 14 - Westboro Beach kids triathlom, duathlon and fun duathlon. For detailed information on the event and the courses visit http://ottawakidstri.ca/pdf/2009_Westboro_Beach_Event_Details0001.PDF

Hintonburg Community Association free movie night featuring The Spy Nextdoor at 6:30 (inside) and It's Complicated at 8:30 (outside unless it's raining - bring a lawn chair), at the Hintonburg Community Centre.

Friday - August 20th - Radical H2O in the Dovercourt Pool. Join in for an evening of evening of science fun, experiments and crazy activities.

Sunday August 22nd - Westboro wading pool will host the 16th annual dog swim from 5 - 6 pm. Come watch the fun or bring your own pooch for the biggest bath its ever had!

Home

2010-07-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

We are back in our house, our home, after 2 months of reno. We are happy to be here....though surprisingly, on leaving our 2-bedroom apartment the boys said "but we liked living here...". That's good, but I like more space. I almost wrote "need more space" but we learnt from our sojourn away that in fact it's quite possible to make do with less and that our family would still be our family one way or another - warts and all. What were the best things about living in a 2-bedroom apartment with 3 kids?

having less stuff - it's surprisingly liberating;
the big boys shared a room without a fuss!
no child felt lonely when they went to bed - we were all too close by
there was a school bus stop right outside the apartment and my kids had playdates with kids they hadn't really played with before;
we could walk to Carlingwood;
Malak pastries - baklava!
"Survive!" by Parker Brothers (circa 1982), a game my husband hauled out of the closet before we moved.

FREE Summer Activities - updated a bit = )

2010-06-25T13:50:00.002-04:00

I'm not working this summer so we're all more foot loose and fancy free. The big boys didn't want to do too many camps but I know we still need to keep busy. Freebies seem like a good place to start. Thanks to Denise for recommending this topic - and please, if you know of other freebies, let me know!

The Carlingwoood and Rosemount Libraries are both hosting the TD Canada Trust Summer Read program complete with kick-off party, weekly events and materials to keep your kids focused and having fun. Registration for the individual events is required - sign up at your closest branch or at http://www.biblioottawalibrary.com/ with your (free) library card, or simply pick up the materials at your closest library branch
Mothercraft is hosting a free drop-in playgroup every Monday and Wednesday morning from 9:15 to 11:15 am at Champlain Park (140 Carleton Avenue). It is weather dependant so call (613) 728-1839 x.0 if you're not sure or if you want more information.
Wading pools - For a full listing as well as hours visit http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/parks_recreation/seasonal/ss/wading_pools/info_en.html. Local pools include, (from west to east) Woodroffe, McKellar Park, Westboro (Dovercourt), Hampton Park, Iona and Champlain Park. Each has different play structures and other facilites such as tennis, basketball or baseball so mix it up to keep it interesting. Parkdale is closed for renovation this season.
Westboro Beach - a personal favorite. Check the water quality before you go http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/health/inspections/beaches/updates_en.html but don't be too discouraged if it's closed - the sand is still great to play in!
Friday evening swims at Dovercourt free for children courtesy of Martin Elder of Keller Williams (and don't miss Survivor Island on July 30th and Radical H2O on August 20th. See my event listings for more details or visit http://www.dovercourt.org/.
The Hintonburg Community Association will be hosting one more free movie night on August 14th - The Spy Nextdoor and It's Complicated - see my event listing for more detail or visit http://www.hintonburg.com/. I think this is a fabulous idea - kudos (sp?) to the HCA!
Local Parks - for a list of park closures as well as some great alteratives see http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?mmp&name=20100330_Heads_up_Park_Closures

National Aboriginal Day Celebration at Dovercourt (Friday, June 18th)

2010-06-13T23:39:00.003-04:00

On Friday June 18th, aboriginal drummers, dancers and storytellers will converge at Kiwanis Park outside Dovercourt to begin their celebrations of the June 21st National Aboriginal Day. This family-oriented event is sponsered by Hintonburg's Odawa Native Friendship Centre (ONFC), Dovercourt Recreation Centre and several other native service organizations.

This is the 2nd year at the Dovercourt site but this year Odawa is expecting bigger crowds. Local schools are encouraged to attend as part of their end-of-year field trip roster.

At least 45 people of native, metis and inuit desent will participate. Metis dancers, inuit throat singers and circle dancers are just a few of whom you can expect to see. Pinock, a traditional woodworker and birch bark canoe maker from Maniwaki will be showing tradition tools, furs and possibly a tipi. Terry McKay of Port Simposon B.C. will lead the opening and closing prayer and share traditional storytelling. Greg Moekis will play the big drum and the women's hand drum group will also be on hand. The Inuit Community Centre will be demonstrating inuit crafts and Dion Mecalfe, a local inuit man who made headlines for turning his life around, will be demonstrating inuit games.

The sampler menu, provided by Wabano will include three sisters soup (with corn, beans and squash), wild rice salad, bannock and strawberries.

According to 2006 census data Kitchissippi's 35,000 population includes just over 1000 people with aboriginal origins - or about 3%, slightly above the city's average. The City Of Ottawa as a whole counted approximately 30,000 of aboriginal origin in its total population. Unlike other cities such as Winnipeg the aboriginal population is quite scattered and less visible. Ottawa's aboriginal population is growing quite dramatically and over half of all aboriginal people are young..

June 21st was first designated National Aboriginal Day in 1996 by then Governor General Romeo Leblanc, after requests from the Sacred Circle and the National Assembly. The day is designed to encourage Canadians to learn about and celebrate the contributions of native, metis and inuit Canadians.

To those organizing the event, Meegewatch. It means "thank you"

(Above, the Odawa emblem found above the main door at the Native Friendship Centre, b elow: a beaded medicine bag that my son made at the event last year)

Why Blog?

2010-06-13T00:04:00.001-04:00

Why am I blogging?

I'm not doing this for any particular reason
I've always wanted to write;
It's an escape
Some people actually read what I write!
Best of all

It's making me explore my neighbourhood and the city a lot more
I'm taking a lot more photos
I'm learning

I'll keep doing it until I don't want to do it anymore

Is this a blog?

I didn't iniitally fully understand what "a blog" is. It's a "web log" and what I'm doing is more information sharing. So am I blogging? Sort of?

And Operating the Pipe Organ at St. Francois D'Assise Church

2010-06-06T13:59:00.001-04:00

What I liked the most about Doors Open Ottawa this year was that the sites we visited weren't busy and they weren't rushed. The volunteers really had time for us.

The organist - his name is Gilles - at St. Francois D'Assise Church on Fairmont allowed us to "play" the organ, he played us a piece by Bach, he showed us the inside where the pipes are and he brought out a pipe they don't use anymore for us to look at.

The organ is quite spectacular and I had to take a few photos.

Operating Heavy Machinery at Lemieux Island (Doors Open)

2010-06-05T16:44:00.001-04:00

If you (or your kids) have ever wanted to operate a backhoe or crane, look no further than Lemieux Island. A nice surprise in their Doors Open display is the "heavy machinery" display outside complete with volunteers who aren't just willing to let you sit in their machines, but will turn them on and let you operate them as well (shown here are the boys using the outside controls to operate a small crane). Both kids and adults welcome!

The tour itself was a bit too in depth for my 7 and 9 year olds BUT...when we asked if we could skip the tour and just have someone take us in side to see the water system, the volunteers were totally agreeable. We got a mini private tour!

Doors Open Ottawa - Kitchissippi Style, June 5th and 6th

2010-06-03T20:28:00.001-04:00

(For a paper list of Kitchissippi participants see my blurb in today's Kitchissippi Times)

In the spirit of discovering more of our own neighbourhood try out some of these local locations (photos appear at the end): Both Lemieux Island and Traffic Operations are on the city's "kid-friendly" list but don't let that stop you from visiting the others as well. Kids have a remarkable ability to appreciate unique environments whether they're deemed kid-friendly or not!

the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral at 1000 Byron Avenue, (closed Saturday, open Sunday noon-4)
the Keg Manor on Richmond Road, 529 Richmond Road (closed Saturday) and MapleLawn Gardens at the same location
Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant at 1 River Street.
the Ottawa Mosque at 251 Northwestern Avenue
St. Francois d'Assisse Church at 20 Fairmont Avenue
The Standard Bread Company Building which houses both the Enriched Bread Artists at 951 Gladstone Avenue and the Gladstone Clayworks Co-op Pottery Studio at 949b Gladstone Avenue
Traffic Operations Public Works at 175 Loretta Avenue (virtually across the street from the Standard Bread Co.)

My other further-afield picks from the kids' list are Sun-Tech Tomatoes together with Watsons Mill in Manotick (see my blog posts on these from 2 weeks ago), the Diefenbunker, the OCTranspo Walkely O-Train maintenance facility and the Ottawa Mail Processing Plant.

Child friendly locations are listed at http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/heritage/doorsopen/kids_en.html. A map of all locations can be viewed at http://ottawa.ca/residents/heritage/doorsopen/buildings/googlemap_en.html (though the location of the Ottawa Mosque is innacurate - it is on the north side of Scott St.). There will be a guide in the May 29th Citizen as well as at Bridgehead locations throughout the city. Most locations are open both days from 10-4 but there are a reasonable number of exceptions so check the guide before you head out.

June Events

2010-06-01T22:29:00.019-04:00

I cannot believe it's June, 4 weeks left of school, EQAO testing for grade 3s, reno hopefully done by end of month...

Friday, June 4th - Woodroffe Avenue Public School's Annual Spring Fling and Book Sale from 4:30 to 8 pm at 235 Woodroffe Avenue. This event has everything covered. We've seen the sign before but never gone in but this time I'm reading more about it....They will have pony rides, moonbounce (which is...?) bouncy obstacle course, bouncy slide, spinner ride, cotton candy, snocones, a bbq from 5-7, carnival games, face painting, tattoos (I assume not real), the surprise jar table (??) a bake sale, a book sale and some live demonstrations!!! Whew, now I will take a breath. We might need to check this one out!

Marmaduke released in theatres (PG, for some rude humour and language)

Friday and Saturday, June 4-5 - Devonshire Public School at 100 Breezehill Avenue in Hintonburg will be hosting a used book sale along with (on Friday night) a silent auction, BBQ, bake sale and live entertainment. The sale will be open on Friday from 3:30 - 8 pm and on Saturday from 9 -12 and there will be thousands of books to choose from.

Doors Open Ottawa - June 5th and 6th - this is my absolute must-do pick for this weekend. For a list of local locations and photos see my post from May 28th at http://kitchissippikids.blogspot.com/2010/05/looking-ahead-to-doors-open-ottawa-june.html.
I've scoped the locations and the best bet is to start at the Ukrainian Church, on to the Maplelawn (Keg) Manor and Garden, St. Francis D'Assise, Lemieux Island and then down to the Standard Bread Company and Public Works (or do it in reverse). If you need to cut that in half do either the first four or the last three. Don't miss Lemieux Island - it's not open often.

For a list of all locations that are said to be best for children see http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/heritage/doorsopen/kids_en.html. There was a guide in the May 29th Citizen and guides should also be available at Bridgehead locations throughout the city. Most Doors Open locations are open both days from 10-4 but there are a reasonable number of exceptions so check the guide before you head out.

My other further-afield picks from the kids' list are Sun-Tech Tomatoes together with Watsons Mill in Manotick (see my blog posts on these from 2 weeks ago), the Diefenbunker, the OCTranspo Walkely O-Train maintenance facility and the Ottawa Mail Processing Plant.

Saturday, June 5th - the 2nd annual Wild Westboro Garage Sale will be held from 8 - 11 outside (around the pool) at Dovercourt Recreation Centre, 411 Dovercourt Avenue. For more information visit http://www.westborovillage.ca/ Unfortunately, the 16th annual Music in the Park featuring local school bands has been CANCELLED due to the rainy forecast.

Monday, June 7th from 10:30-11:30 am - "Balancing School, Life and Family" is put on by Canadian Mothercraft at the Bethany Hope Centre, 1140 Wellington Street West, contact Cathy Cadieux at (613) 728-1839 x0
Friday, June 11 - "Karate Kid" released in theatres (PG for some bullying, martial arts violence and mild language)

Friday - Sunday, June 11 13 - WESTFEST. What more can I say? Just don't forget about it! LOTS to do for parents and kids alike. If it's a hot day take children early on before it gets too hot and crowded and have some food and drink with you in case line-ups are long at lunchtime. For more information check out http://www.westfest.ca/

Friday, June 18th from 10:30-2:30 - come and celebrate Aborignial Day at Dovercourt with the Odawa Native Friendship Centre. This event was very enjoyable last year and suitable for all ages. Learn about aboriginal culture, listen to storytelling, enjoy the drumming and dancing and sample aboriginal food together with face painting, games & activities.

Friday, June 18th - Toy Story 3 released in theatres - 3D and IMAX

Saturday, June 19th - City beaches - including our own lovely Westboro beach - officially open and will be liveguarded, though do always check the water quality in advance.

Saturday, June 26th - the Teddy Bear's Picnic at Rideau Hall in support of CHEO. If you have a child who cares for a stuffed animal with "medical issues" support this excellent cause, complete with a M*A*S*H* style care centre for the soft and cuddly among us. For more information visit http://www.cheofoundation.com/tbp-2010.cfm. It can get busy so I recommend going early (as I do with everything) and take some of your snacks. The mini train ride can get particularly lined-up.

Community for Kate / Hope for Kate

2010-05-31T22:26:00.000-04:00

For more information about this family and the fundraiser see http://hopeforkate.com/, the article in the May 20th edition of the Kitchissippi Times (available till Wednesday) or the segment that recently aired on CTV at http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100518/OTT_ILLNESS_100518/20100518/?hub=OttawaHome or got to http://ottawa.ctv.ca/ and search for "kate drury".

PLEASE NOTE that fundraiser tickets are only available in advance - they will not be sold at the door. ALSO, because there are a limited number of tickets available to the event, if you wish to donate but do not plan to attend, please select the "donate" button rather than purchasing tickets that you won't use.

This promises to be a highly enjoyable evening for a very lovely family and a very lovely girl!

Some background if you haven't read previous posts: the Community for Kate initiative to raise funds for 2 1/2 year old Kate Drury demonstrates exactly how friends and neighbours in a community can pull together to make a difference. Kate is a lovely little girl who suffers from a number of severe health problems including developmental delays and complete hearing loss. On June 7 from 6:30 - 9:30 the Blue Cactus restaurant in the market will be hosting an evening of hors d'oevres, cocktails, a silent auction and raffle in an effort to support her and her family.

Calling Kitchissippi Bloggers - are you out there?

2010-05-26T23:32:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to find out who in kitchissippi is blogging...and about what. Are you blogging? Do you know someone who is? Would you let me know? You can either comment by clicking on the comments button below or e-mail me at the address above. I'm curious.....

Bieber Fever and Yo Gabba Gabba

2010-05-25T11:56:00.000-04:00

Ok, they really aren't my thing. Well, actually, I can't comment on Yo Gabba Gabba because I don't know what they are...but what I do know is that tickets for the August 24th Justin Bieber concert and the September 19th Yo Gabba Gabba appearance go on sale on May 27th (Thursday!). For Sens Insiders (something anyone can become simply by registering online), there is a pre-buy opportunity for Yo Gabba Gabba's tickets starting tomorrow at 10:00.

The little I know of Justin Bieber is that he is 13 years old, born in Stratford Ontario and a teen phenom. Ticket prices range from $32 to $52.

All I know of Yo Gabba Gabba is that they are brightly coloured, there are 5 of them, they have apparently been to the White House (which is further than I ever expect to get!) and they appear to be for the preschool set and have two concerts, one at 1 pm and one at 4 pm. Ticket prices range from $20-$40.

Sunday Excursion - the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Lansdowne

2010-05-23T13:10:00.001-04:00

My youngest guy regularly gets up around 5:15 a.m. My husband was kind enough to let me sleep till 6:30 but then he was done. I'd wanted to go to the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Lansdowne Park http://www.ottawafarmersmarket.ca/ for some time so out the door the rest of us were by 7:30. The market runs from 8:00 until 3:00 on Sundays and, starting June 17th, from 1:00 till 6:00 on Thursdays. It;s located in parking lot 4 of Lansdowne Park (there are lots of signs) and we just parked nearby along Bank Street.

At least early on it wasn't busy and there are many things to look at. The worm farms were of particular interest as were the metal sculptures and wood carvings. Each "big" boy was allowed to buy a baked treat and we also got a bag of apples. I had been looking for farm-fresh eggs but they were all sold out by 9:00. It's not necessarily a cheap place to go - the food is local and homemade but presumably also low-volume and the prices reflect that. A 2- litre basket of apples was $5, we had a cinnamon bun for $1.50, a very tiny but beautifully decorated (though not so tasty) piece of cake on a kebob stick for $3 and a 1/2 dozen (delicious) tea biscuits for $6.

The best part of the visit? On leaving we thought we'd visit the horses we'd seen being hitched up to a wagon when we arrived and give them an apple. Not only did we feed them, but the boys gave them their water buckets, sat on them and we then took a free wagon ride (though we did leave a donation in the box). We even met someone we knew and realized that a lot of other people on the ride were very friendly regulars. The drivers have a friendly joke and song routine going and the ride is long enough to make it worthwhile. You get on and off on Holmwood Avenue - there's a gate leading from the market near the big tents - and theride takes you on a jog around the blocks of Holmwood and Fifth Avenues in the Glebe.

If you're searching on the web, do not confuse this market with Lansdowne Farmers Market which is in Pennsylvania! (and is open on Saturdays, not Sundays)

Sunday Excursion Part II - Watson's Mill, Manotick

2010-05-17T19:49:00.000-04:00

This was our second stop after Sun -Tech Greenhouses (see previous post) and it was the perfect choice. I was surprised that we had not heard much of the mill before - it's a beautiful building in a beautiful setting and well worth the visit.

We'd learned things here too. Sunday's are the best time to visit - (1) the mill is operated between 1:00 and 3:30 every Sunday afternoon; (2) the mill is child friendly and has a variety of hands-on exhibits; (3) the mill will be part of Doors Open Ottawa on June 5th and 6th the same dates as Dickinson Days, the annual Manotick festival; and (4) one can buy duck feed - $1 for a decent sized bag - and feed the ducks off the bridge outside. A number of people were also fishing.

For more information visit http://www.watsonsmill.com/

Sunday Excursion - Sun-Tech Tomatoes

2010-05-17T17:42:00.000-04:00

On Sunday we went to viisit the Sun-Tech greenhouses (http://www.suntech.ca/). I had thought of it a while back in the context of learning about local produce and researching where to buy fresh food - they grow tomatoes, cucumber, eggplant and beans. We learnt a few things (1) Sunday is actually the worst day to go because very few people are working and so there is really no one who can show you around. Any other day is better - Saturdays are fine. That being said the 1 person who was working was willing enough to leave the shop and take us into the greenhouse...and she knew what she was talking about.. (2) Don't go if you're allergic to bees. There are hundreds of bumblebees in the greenhouse. They're friendly bees because they live in a great bee environment with lots of plants, but they are bees. (3) Sun-Tech will be part of Doors Open Ottawa on June 5th and 6th.

If your children want to run around outside there is lots of space but I would still recommend combining this outing with something else - our choice was Watson's grist and flour Mill in Manotick (http://www.watsonsmill.com/).

Eating our way down Carling from Churchill to Sherbourne

2010-05-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking of ways to make our 2 month apartment stay more exciting. I'm also thinking of ways to avoid cooking. There are 16 restaurants/food outlets on Carling between Churchill and Sherbourne (a 1 km, 4 block strip), representing a variety of cuisines. Our goal is to eat at each one of them and particularly those that we have never tried before. Our goal is also to ensure that we all find something to eat at each one. My boys are picky eaters, both with very different tastes, who don't typically appreciate dining out . Meals for them are sustenance but after that they'd rather go do other things. Skip the conversation!

If you have any recommendations let me know!

The list of restaurants, starting at the Sherbourne Carling intersection on the south side heading east to Churchill and then returning on the north side, is:

Manila's Best Supermarket
Tim Horton's
Mrs. Le Restaurant Vietnamese Cuisine
Amber Garden & Dalmacia
1000 Sushi Islands
Georgie's Pizza
Japanese Shogun
Ho Lee Chow
The Pizza Shop
Mr. Sub
The Rose Bowl
Silver Spoon Thai Cuisine
Pizza Pizza
Aladdin Convenience
Malak Pastry
S & G Fries and Burgers

Renovating

2010-05-02T08:24:00.000-04:00

I need to get up to date again with this blog. My excuse - we're renovating - gutting the first floor of our house and moving out for 2 months. We spent the last week packing (and for good measure we also all got the stomach flu).

In the process of packing we somehow managed to established what I'll call a "grafitti wall" in our kitchen. We all began writing to each other, to our house, to the contractors and to the world at large. My son's note to our kitchen gave me a good laugh. "Dear kitchen, See you soon old ugly kitchen or mabey never. P.S. Hope you don't get hurt".

Tomorrow we will have a mural painting party - why not? The walls are coming down. Contractors please don't cancel on us now!!

Broadview's Annual Jazz Cafe

2010-04-29T16:13:00.000-04:00

Jazz Cafe is at 7:00 tomorrow night (Friday, April 30th) at Broadview Avenue Public School, 590 Broadview Avenue. If you want to support music in our schools attending this event is both a great way to do it and a great evening out. There is a silent auction followed by performances by the Grade 8 jazz band, a debut of the Grade 7 jazz band and a grand finale with the Broadview Alumni Jazz Band. A free desert and beverage (served to your table in the gym transformed into cafe complete with intimate tables and mood lighting) are included.

The main reason to go - the music is good. Second of all, it's impressive to see the musical progression through the 7s and 8s through to the alumni. Clearly a lot is being accomplished as these bands have talent and the enthusiasm and good feeling of the event make up for any missed notes. It is of course also a great opportunity to see what your children and your neighbours children are doing, to realize what a contribution Ginger Jacobson and her team make to the school, and to catch up with your neighbours and neighbourhood. Advance tickets are $8 for adults and students $5 or $10 for adults at the door. You won't get a better deal on an evening out.

Hilson's Artisan Marketplace and Community Garage Sale

2010-04-19T21:58:00.000-04:00

Hilson Avenue Public School is hosting its annual Artisan Marketplace and Community Garage Sale on Saturday, April 24th from 9:00 till 1:00. Over 30 local artists will be displaying their wares together with neighbours displaying their own treasures. There will be a cafe, a barbeque, kids events and a silent auction. The silent auction includes a super cool chair made from hockey sticks, toys from Play Value, and Mrs Tiggywinkles, a gift basket from Kitchenailia, gift certificates to local restaurants, Dovercourt, an interior designer, and other fun stuff. Grown-ups can shop while face painting, cupcake decorating and crafts entertain their kids. For lunch, enjoy the barbeque with hotdogs $2, hamburgers $3 and drinks $1.

More importantly, if you bring your bike you can have it checked for spring safety and, even more importantly, if you have a bike (particularly a mountain bike in reasonable condition) that you're no longer using, bring it along as a donation for Bikes to Haiti. Focus on Development is a non-governmental organization based in Mississippi Mills that is running this project. They will also be selling some used childrens bikes in order to raise money for shipping costs. For more information see http://mmbicyclemonth.ca/mountain-bikes-to-haiti/ or e-mail william.barrie@sympatico.ca.

TV Turn-Off Week

2010-04-17T23:22:00.000-04:00

We periodically turn off our TV, hide the remote, ban the computer etc. - usually when behaviour (the kids', not ours) has hit an all-time low. Once we even put the TV in the garage for a week just to avoid the temptation of giving in! If you too are looking to lose some screen time, April 19th - 25th is the official "TV turn-off week" (also referred to as digital detox).

The first such event was put on in 1994 by Adbusters Magazine and a few other collaborators. The Centre for Screen Time Awareness (CSTA), based in Washington, is the current promoter. This isn't an event that's getting a lot of screen (or print) time though. Even the CSTA has almost nothing on its website. The best resource that I could find is published by the Media Awareness Network, a non-profit organization based in Ottawa that helps people understand how the media works and how the media may affect lifestyle choices http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teachable_moments/tv_turnoff_week.cfm. It's got some quick statistics, some topics to discuss with your kids and links to other resources as well. The event is also publicized in the April 2010 Scholar's Choice Toy Talk Newsletter and has in the past (though not this year) been promoted by the OCDSB.

Park Closures

2010-04-14T08:24:00.000-04:00

For a comprehensive list of summer park closures and alternatives (see both main text and comments sent in) check out Miss Vicky's blog at http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp. There's a March 30th post entitled "Heads Up - Park Closures"

Sunday Excursion - Parc Louis-Roy, Aylmer

2010-04-13T20:04:00.000-04:00

It's a milestone - my kids' feet reach the ground at Dovercourt from the monkey bars! We got a tip from a friend about a great play structure in Aylmer so we decided to hunt it down. This was not just any playstructure and was well worth the trip. It's located in Parc Louis-Roy in Aylmer (Gatineau). It was built a year and a half ago by a company called Landscape Structures and it is awesome for older kids (eg. 5 -12).

Not only is this structure great to play on but it's a lesson in physics as well. Why do you stay on the super narrow slide with no sides? How do you climb the spinning corkscrew? Why do the tilted seats continue to spin without you pushing them?

The park is flanked by the charming older neighbourhood of Witchwood on one side and a new development on the other. Paved walking paths lead from the new development and there are plenty of comfortable benches. Toward Witchwood there is a wooded area if your children want to scamper down some short trails. You can park on either side. There is a playstructure and swings for the younger set as well. People were friendly and it will give you a chance to break out your French. Afterwards, have a walk through historic Aylmer, or drop by the beach/marina for some fresh air.

The park is about 20 minutes from Kitchissippi. Take Island Park Drive to the Champlain Bridge. Cross the bridge and turn left almost immediately on the lower Aylmer Road (Blvd de Lucerne). Continue to rue des Grandes Chateaux and turn left (the house on the corner does have a castle-like turret that you can't miss). Then take the first right onto rue Louis-Roy where there is street parking and paved pathways to the Park. If you want to park on the Witchwood side, continue to rue Pine and turn left. Turn left again at rue Juniper and you will be able to park at the barricade where the road ends (it continues as a paved pathway). You may not see the play structure right away from this side but it is right behind the trees. Have fun!

April Events

2010-04-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

Thursday, April 15th -

Weekly Storytime (Session 2) at the Carlingwood Branch of the OPL from 2:00-2:40 for 3-6 year olds. Sessions runs until Wednesday, May 19th. Registration not required.

Weekly Toddlertime (Session 2) for children aged 18-35 months from 10:30-11:00 at the Carlingwood Branch. The session is currently full and there is a waiting list.

Weekly Evening Storytime at the Carlingwood branch of the OPL from 6:30-7:00 with stories, rhymes and songs for children and their parents/caregivers. From past experience children (not adults!) should feel free to wear pyjamas and bring a stuffed toy! Session lasts until May 20th with no registration required.

Saturday, April 17th, 10:30-11:10 - Weekly Family Storytime at the Carlingwood branch of the OPL. We went to this for years with my older two boys - it brought some rhythm and structure to our Saturday mornings and ensured we saw some old friends. Session lasts until May 22nd, no registration required.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (rated PG) at the Ottawa Family Cinema http://www.familycinema.ca/.

Sunday, April 18th

Giggle and Stomp (a kids' take-off on the other "grown-up" version of Stomp) is showing at the NAC as part of its Kinderconcerts series. This musical journey of percussion starts in Africa, continuing through the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. If it's anything akin to the "real" Stomp, it's sure to be enjoyable. For more information visit http://www.nac-cna.ca/.

Tuesday, April 20th - Support the food bank at Gotta Paint and kids will paint for free from 10 am to 4 pm.

Wednesday, April 21st - The Page Turners at the Carlingwood Branch of the OPL, a bookclub for 9-12 year olds. This date appears to be full but if you're interested in future sessions check the OPL website and book ahead!

Thursday, April 22nd - Earth Day, Museum of Nature is Free

Saturday, April 24th

Come support Hilson Avenue elementary students at their school's artisan and community garage sale at 407 Hilson Avenue. Arts, crafts and basement treasures will be for sale along with a cafe/barbeque, children's activities and silent auction.
Also on Saturday, free painting at Gotta Paint from 9:30 to 5:30 for everyone who supports the foodbank!!!
And in the evening join Kitchissippi's Baobab Tree Youth with Keteke from Montreal at The Chamber, 101 Centrepointe Drive at 8:00.

Tuesday, April 27th - Support the food bank at Gotta Paint and kids will paint for free from 10 am to 4 pm.

April 26th - May 21st - Museum of Nature closed in preparation for grand re-opening on May 22nd.

Friday, April 30th at 7:00 pm

Jazz Cafe at Broadview Avenue Public School led by stellar music teachers Mrs. Ginger Jacobson and Ms. Leslie Bricker.
Kids Night Out at Gotta Paint for 7-13 year olds from 6-8 pm. $18 covers craft supplies, snack and beverage.

The Sugarbush Trail in Gatineau Park

2010-04-02T19:31:00.000-04:00

This is the best place in Gatineau Park for an easy hike with a baby. It's stroller accessible provided you have half decent wheels and is about 40 minutes long without any steep inclines. It's next to the Park's Visitor Centre with clean indoor bathrooms and water fountains! Outside there are picnic tables as well as a large field for some pre-hike soccer or frisbee. For colder weather there's a warm-up hut with wood stove.

For toddlers and older children the river is enticing. It's traversed by a small wooden bridge with railing high enough to keep your children safe provided both feet are on the bridge deck! You can easily see the beaver dam below and with some luck will even see a beaver (we did today!) or some deer. There are paths down to the water though they are probably unofficial.

At the hike's half way point is a bench perfectly timed for a quick snack. Just past that there's a sidetrail leading up to the bear cave (Bear cave?? It's probably just a regular cave...it was unoccupied today). The sidetrail reconnects with the main trail shortly after.

La Cigale, the ice cream shop (which has moved to Scott St., ) may be inevitable particularly as the months pass into summer....Yes, their ice cream is delicious (try the hazelnut...mmmh)

Childcare Centres in Kitchissippi

2010-04-02T15:37:00.000-04:00

For the central childcare list view http://childcareinformation.ca/ and on that site you will find a map of childcare centres in Kitchissippi at: http://childcareinformation.ca/forms/Download/Maps/15N_Kitchissippi.htm

The Play's the Thing!

2010-04-01T13:08:00.000-04:00

Did you know that there's a new kids theatre in Kitchissippi? It's the "New Star Childrens Theatre" http://www.newstarchildrenstheatre.ca/ operating out of the Westboro United Church at 450 Churchill Avenue (at Ravenhill right across from Churchill Alternative School). The musical theatre programs are for children aged 7 to 16. It is an inclusive program - all children are given parts in the production they work on. Students are taught through rehearsals (6-8 hours per week) over the course of a 6 months session. Melanie Walker, is the director of the Ottawa Theatre and Carole-Ann Walker is the theatre's producer. For more detail, and some pictures, check out their website or call them at (613) 523-3264.
If you try it out, let me know what you think!

Sunday Excursions - Five Arch Bridge in Pakenham

2010-03-28T22:46:00.001-04:00

If you have a grade 3 student they may be working on building a model bridge for a school project right now. My son is doing an arch bridge. On googling "arch + bridge + Ottawa" we found that North America's only operating five-arch stone bridge is in Pakenham so we went to see it.

There are parking spots on both sides of the bridge and you can go right down to the water - though be careful - the water is fast and there are undertows so watch your kids! If you stop on the east side of the bridge (pictured here) there is a plaque with the details of bridge construction (and reconstruction). On the western side there are picnic benches. The town itself hosts some small galleries (the Pakenham Studio Tour just happened to be on this weekend as well), several picturesque and historical churches, a General Store complete with fabulous smelling bakery and a restaurant with an enticing sign that reads "warm beer, bad food, come join us" (or something close). In June, July or August stop by Cedar Hill Berry Farm to pick strawberries, raspberries or corn. The town is also very close to Mt. Pakenham for skiing and Fulton's Sugarbush for when the snow is down or the sap is running.

Kitchissippi sites for City Wide Sports (activities and camps)

2010-03-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

City of Ottawa City Wide Sports programs have several locations within the Kitchissippi boundaries. Registration started on March 11, 2010 through the City (online, in person at the facility in question or via 613-580-2588 with family PIN and client barcode.

Skipping Club at Broadview Avenue Public School for girls aged 7-12 who want to learn new tricks and put on a show at the end of the season; Friday, March 26-May 28 from 6-7 pm
Can-Bike kids teaches bike handling and traffic safety to those between the ages of 9 and 13 at Fisher Park, 250 Holland Ave., on Saturdays from May 29 to June 19 from 9 to noon for a cost of $79.
A variety of summer camps - Burst of Energy (July 26-30, Aug 3-6, 9-13 and 16-20, ages 7-12), Lacrosse-Pro Star, (July 5-8, ages 5-9 and 10-14), Rope Skipping and Sports Just for Girls (July 19-23, 7-12) and Tennis 'n' Sports Just for Girls (July 12-16, 7-12) will run out of J.A. Dulude Arena at 941 Clyde.
Skating lessons at Tom Brown arena (limited spots) - for more information call 613-580-2596.

Kids on the Street

2010-03-26T22:05:00.000-04:00

A neighbour stopped me this week to tell me that I could be fined for allowing my children to play in the street. I checked out her story and this is what I found.....
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=4fe7fe90-8197-416b-b0a1-ea5fa91f5d2f&k=44813

The tension between protecting - or over-protecting - our children (and our neighbours, I suppose!) on the one hand (which by-laws and child protection agencies encourage) and, on the other, providing them with a healthy lifestyle and some element of independence and responsibility for self (advocated by child psychologists) continues.

Some things to consider if your children do play on the street:

are your children safe?
how heavy is traffic? is it a through street? are there particular times when traffic is heavier (rush hour or garbage pick-up for example)
are you supervising your children? how much supervision is adequate?
do your children know what to do when a car comes?
are there parked cars or anything else that can be damaged?
do your children have a boundary safely away from the corner of the street?
are your children polite to neighbours and pedestrians?
do your children play nicely with other neighbourhood children?
how loud are your children and how long are they playing outside (we all have our tolerance limits after all!)
are they playing outside a house with very young children who may be sleeping?