Speaking of the Montreal Canadiens, The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier, is a Canadian classic must read. Take time to enjoy the wonderful illustrations that support the humour so well. This 24-page book is in the children’s fiction collection.

Everyone can use a little magic, especially if it comes in second-hand skates that have three brand new wishes. If you give it your all, wishes can come true. Yes, there are Canadiens jerseys in this book too.

The Magic Hockey Skates by Allen Morgan is also in the fiction section, but is a great 32 page read aloud, with large, colourful illustrations on every page.

Skating on the Rink of Dreams? Learn more about the Ottawa Senators, who contributed so much to it. Learn about the team, its history, records set, star Senators and try brain teasers too. This is a 24 page non-fiction book for young children. It has large font and photographs, as well as a glossary and index to teach research skills. You cannot start too early! Ottawa Senators by Don Cruickshank Juv 796.962 OTTAW-C

Hockey players dream of winning the Stanley Cup. Lizzy dreams of being a champion figure skater. It does not take long for Lizzy to realize, just as hockey players do, that she needs to practice, practice, practice! Bailey is another Canadian author with a passion for skating.

The Best Figure Skater in the Whole Wide World, a picture book by Linda Bailey.

Sam the Zamboni Man is a collaborative effort of American author James Stevenson and his artist son Harvey. Together they have created a warm story of a young boy’s visit with his grand-father. Grandfather is Sam, former hockey player, now Zamboni driver. Grandson Matt is in awe of both man and machine. But best of all, Sam promises to teach Matt how to skate!

What do you think of the new video from Tail-Wags?

Our family recently marked the end of our third month living in India. It has been quite the journey for us, especially for our little people. It continues to be an adventure, that both rewards and challenges our family on an ongoing basis. While it is in many ways just as we expected, there have also been a number of curves thrown our way. This move has certainly presented a number of instances where I have been extremely proud of my children and how well they have adapted, along with a few unanticipated parenting challenges.

We are really lucky, in that Woo, age four, and Goose, age three, never really balked at the idea of moving do far away from home. From the start, we made it seem like a great adventure to them. We made them feel like they were a part of the process by giving them “options” about what flights that we would take to get here, having them “help” us decide how long we were to live here, and where we might visit while we were on the other side of the world. They took to the idea of India when they felt that they were involved in the process. It helped to make the actual lead-up to, and the flights here pretty painless.

This involvement carried through packing for both the shipment and the airplane. They were each given some containers that they were allowed to pack on their own. I didn’t try to help, nor did I vet what they put in them. Sure, some crazy stuff landed in there, like cloth books they haven’t touched in years, or random drawings made on scrap paper, but it was deemed important for them to have, so it all came. Some things made me shake my head, like Woo’s ice hockey shin pads. I was certain they would never get used, and almost broke my rule and suggest that he take them out. I would have been wrong, as he uses them often playing road hockey when he is the goalie (yes we all brought hockey sticks. We are Canadian, after all)!

They took really well to their new house, their rooms and their school, better than we anticipated. It helps that we were able to show them pictures of the places before we arrived, and that we have found ways to make the new places unique. Their rooms here have a small shared playroom between them, where they can meet in the morning and play if they want. There is even a patio that they are allowed to go on, WITHOUT ASKING. We don’t have any regular old Canadian trees in our back yard, we have a PAPAYA tree. It doesn’t matter that none of us like papaya, there is a tree in our yard, so it is COOL. The new school is big and there are lots of new people there, but there is a SWIMMING POOL. We have become the masters at selling it to the lils, and this has helped us greatly.

My monkeys, making monkey faces. Excited for the first day of school

They are now extremely good travellers. We have endured several long flights and many long drives (more than I anticipated). It is fairly slow going getting anywhere in Bangalore, or travelling by car to other cities. Driving, even on the highways, is very slow and there is much construction to cause snarls and slow you down even further. Woo and Goose have taken this all in stride. Even the car trips that are ten hours long!

Adapting to the new and wonderful creatures we meet has also been a pleasant surprise. They had no qualms about having geckos living in their rooms, aren’t scared of the bugs that are the size of Goose’s fist, and report a cobra sighting with a nonchalence that would be inspiring if it wasn’t a wee bit bothersome. Both leapt at the chance to touch an elephant when it was offered, even though it was huge. They are also so enamoured with the monkeys that roam freely in the hills near our house that they want one as a pet. I was worried that some of these creatures would bother them, but presented them all (except the cobra) as new and interesting, and they were.

We are very proud of how well they have handled all the change they have faced and the culture-shock that comes with moving from a multi-cultural society where you are part of the visible majority to one where you are in the very small minority. They have been curious but respectful, and very eager to learn about all aspects of Indian culture and the children of other ethnicities that they meet at school. Language and accent have been the biggest barriers for them, but they have been able to catch on very quickly, and are now learning words in Hindi, Spanish, French, German, and Afrikaans!

Exploring at the zoo

What has gone well for us has gone really well, thankfully. We have experienced a number of rough patches too, and my next post will talk about those.

Krista is married to Willy and mom to a 4 year old son, Woo, and 3 year old daughter, Goose. A capital family, they are currently living in Bangalore, India for a year.  You can find her at Life in the Hutch or on Twitter @kgraydonald

It’s hard for me to believe that it’s already been two years since I first had to register my son for school, or that I’m only a year away from doing it for my twins.  But we all get there and suddenly our babies are ready to go to school!

February tends to be the time that most schools start accepting registration for September – are you prepared?

There are four public school boards to choose from and most have open houses where you can go in and meet the teachers and ask questions about the programs.  The boards are:

English Public:
Information on Kindergarten registration.  To find the school in your area.

English Catholic:
Information on Kindergarten registration.  To find the school in your area.

French Public :
Open house list for 2012 (some have already passed but many haven’t yet)
To find the school in your area.

French Catholic:
Information on registering.  To find the school in your area.

For some the choice on which school to send their kids to is clear, for others there’s a little more decision making involved.

We chose to send our son to the French Public board. Although my husband doesn’t speak much French and we only speak English at home, I learned French by attending elementary school in French and felt it was the best way for my children to learn as well.  Although it took almost six months for Kiernan to really start feeling comfortable in French, in his second year of full-day French school he is thriving.

Are you ready for school registration? What school board did you choose for your kids?

We signed our daughter up for indoor soccer this winter because she has lots and lots of energy, she loves running around and she loves chasing balls, and throwing balls and kicking balls. Sometimes she’ll kick a ball around the house and tell us she’s playing soccer.

If you have never watched two university-age women try and coral ten 2-year-olds in a high school gym I highly recommend it.

The best part of the class was when the instructors asked them all to stop moving and playing, sit in a circle and introduce themselves. Turns out 2-year-olds can’t do really do that, and some of them will cry because they want to play soccer and they don’t understand that these nice, patient instructors are trying to facilitate that.

Once they brought out the balls and everyone got their own and partnered with  a parent to pass it back and forth the fun began. They ran around, chasing balls, wasted some energy – which was exactly what I wanted to get out of it.

The parents taking part had a great time running around with their smiling kids, and those of us on the sidelines got to laugh and take great pictures.

Acting like a goalie

Strategizing with Daddy

Have you heard of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)? If not, here’s a little information from their Web site for you:

OLPC’s mission is to empower the world’s poorest children through education.

We aim to provide each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop. To this end, we have designed hardware, content and software for collaborative, joyful, and self-empowered learning. With access to this type of tool, children are engaged in their own education, and learn, share, and create together. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.

I think this is a wonderful initiative. It’s been going on for several years – I think I first heard about it around five years ago – back when they were still doing the give one, get one program (it’s now ended and is donations only). The latest news out of OLPC last week was the introduction of a tablet and I was so excited about that. Knowing how well my own son uses a tablet and how much he’s learned from it, I am thrilled that OLPC is working to supply them to kids all over the world.

If you’re interested in contributing to the OLPC cause, there are numerous ways to do so. From monetary donations, to time and expertise, to spreading the word.

*****

Next month’s KIC Gives Back is going to be in conjunction with Kindness Week. We’ll be highlighting a local program that is doing some great work! Check back in a few weeks to read all about it and learn how you can help.

We’re hoping you’ll want to join us more regularly to share your stories of being a family in the Ottawa area.

In just a few months we’ll be celebrating our 2nd Anniversary. We’ve covered many great activities in and around Ottawa, but we’re nowhere near done! There are many more stories to tell and a never-ending list of activities to do around homes and communities all over the city.

If you’re interested in writing for Kids in the Capital, please email us at kidsinthecapital@gmail.com! We’ll be updating our regular contributors page over the next few weeks and we’d love to see your name added to the list!

Many parents are anxious when introducing their older child to the newest addition of the family. Although you have been preparing your child for their new role as big brother/sister, many younger children do not grasp the understanding that a baby will be joining the household. Their first meeting with the baby, if handled correctly, can be a positive stepping stone from which to build a healthy relationship between siblings.

• Consider the appropriateness of having your child at the birth. Some children enjoy participating in the birth, while others become upset at the sights/sounds/smells. Never force a child to stay at the birth if they are not comfortable, and have a trusted family member around to babysit.

• If your child has not attended the birth, have your partner prepare them well for what they will see. Explain that Mommy will be in bed, resting, and that a new baby will be with her.

• If you are planning a hospital birth, consider bringing your child in to see the hospital before the birth, so that they are familiar with the space.

• Have your child participate in picking out a special gift for the baby, and have a gift ready (from the baby) that is to be given to the older sibling. Handmade gifts are always special.

• When your older child is about to enter the room, put your newborn on the bed, in a neutral position. That way, everyone “meets” the new baby together, without Mommy cuddling or breastfeeding the baby when the older sibling walks in.

• If your older child has no interest in meeting the baby, don’t force the issue. He/she will become interested in the baby at some point, and will begin to ask questions.

Remember that patience and understanding are key. If your older child becomes upset, consider handing the baby off for a few minutes and cuddling with your child. Explain that you will need to do a lot of caring for the baby in the next little while, but that big brother/sister will have very important jobs to do to assist mommy. Kids like to feel important, and giving them small jobs to do is a great way to integrate them into baby care. Enjoy your “new” family, and remember that this stage of adjustment will only last a little while!

Misty Pratt is a doula in Ottawa, and supports families through birth and postpartum. You can find out more about doula services here (www.chickadeechildbirth.com).  In her spare time, Misty blogs at The Chickadee Tweet (www.thechickadeetweet.blogspot.com)

With technology advancing at the amazing pace that it is, it seems like kids are getting technology younger and younger.  This made me curious about cell phones and what kind of practices parents put into place for cell phone usage and how old their kids were when they let them have cell phones.

I put the question out on Twitter and got a lot of really interesting feedback!

- Some parents let their toddlers play with their cell phones (I do) but mostly for the smart phone features or to talk to people I have phoned on their behalf.  Kids are clearly going to know what to do with a phone at a very young age.

- A fairly common age I heard for getting a cell was 12.  The rules that apply to this are that the phone is owned by the parent and can be monitored at any time.

- Many people require their children’s phones to stay on the main floor at bedtime for charging, preventing them from all night texting habits (that definitely would have been me!)

- Some kids have regular phones, not smart, and also have iPods. I’ve heard of the internet being automated to turn off at 10 or 11 pm to prevent all night usage but still allowing kids to have music in their rooms.

I imagine that my kids will have phones (or whatever they are by then) relatively young.  I’ll want to be able to get in touch with them once they’re old enough to go out on their own.  I love the idea of spot checks and of them fully understanding that their parents have total rights into their technology. Fortunately I have a few years to figure this out since my oldest is only 5, but I feel like it’s an interesting conversation to start having now anyways

What do you do? What do you think you’ll do? Would love to get some discussion going!

I’m not great at remembering to take video of the kids, heck, some months I’m not good at remembering to take photos of the kids.  But every once in awhile, as I look back through the videos we HAVE taken I realize just what a wonder the videos are.

Memories

Videos are a great way to remember more than just what your kids looked like at that time in their lives.  The way they sounded, just how much they could talk or not talk, the excitement of learning to walk, etc.

It’s so lovely to just look back at those times and remember

Juliette at 13 months

Kiernan, 4.5, singing waving flag

For Christmas Kiernan got a very funny/gross gift. I recorded us trying it out

Entertainment

As much as I love the videos for the value of wonderful memories I sometimes wonder if the bigger memories isn’t the HOURS of entertainment we can have watching the videos again! The kids ADORE watching videos of themselves when they were younger!

Quinn, 6 months old, gets the giggles

Kiernan was an early talker – here he is at 13 months. I think he sounds clearer here than one of my 2.5 year olds

How

A lot of smart phones can take videos – does yours?
I have a flip camera which makes it very easy to take a short video and upload it without needing to download anything off cassette. Whatever way you use, just remember to capture the little moments. And share them – we’d love to see some of yours!

Do you take video of your kids?