Family Day Fun at Old Navy

Monday, Feb 18th, is Family Day and many of you are looking for things to do with your family. For the second year in a row, Old Navy is hosting a free party for families in their Rideau Center store to celebrate family togetherness. This Family Day event, which offers kids a day of crazy, creative, fun where they can invent anything they can imagine.There is tons of stuff for kids of all ages:

• 3 Craft Stations
• Cookie and Juice Bar
• Twister-style Dance Floor where kids can show off their dance moves!
• One-on-one wardrobe consultation with a stylist
• A gift with purchase while supplies last

Victoria Kirk, an Old Navy Representative, said that “This Family Day, Old Navy wanted to create an over-the-top special and super fun event, where kids can use their imaginations and families can enjoy the holiday together.”

If you’re in the area, stop by Old Navy in the Rideau Center between 1 and 4 pm and have some good, old-fashioned family fun!

*This post was sponsored by Bunch Family and Old Navy.

The Rideau Hall Winter Celebration

By Stéphanie

It can be challenging sometimes to find interesting and entertaining activities to for both my kids, and not die of exhaustion in the process. While I have a very energetic young boy, I am lucky to have a really easy girl who's happy to be carried around almost everywhere.

On January 26th, I decided to participate in the Winter Celebration day hosted by the Governor General of Canada at Rideau Hall. It was the weekend after that crazy freezing -40 celsius week we had in January and while the temperature was a bit warmer, I found it was still a bit too cold to bring the baby. My friend was just as happy (happier) to stay at home babysitting, while my boy and I headed to Rideau Hall well dressed, with our skates on my shoulders.

We had a blast! Embassies of Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the National Capital Commission (NCC) had kiosks where they distributed taffy, cookies, candies, hot chocolate and other hot beverages. We did some crafts at the Netherlands kiosk, we participated in an obstacle course organized by young reservists, took a horse-drawn wagon ride, skated - for a good 2 minutes! (my son is learning to skate this winter...) - on the beautiful historic Rideau Hall skating rink, and enjoyed Inuit dancing and throat singing in their beautiful cultural costumes.

Inuit Throat Singing

There were a lot of other activities for all ages, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding and a visit of the residence. The event was well attended but not crowded and the only activity with serious wait time was the dog sled rides (which we didn't do). Very well-organized day, all activities were bilingual, and there was something for all ages. And the Rideau Hall grounds are just beautiful!

The governer general often organizes days of activities like this one, so it is a good idea to monitor their website. Also, all winter weekends, and on family day, the outdoor skating rink is open to the public from noon to 5 and there is even a possibility for groups to reserve the rink during the week.

My son still carries around his little Norway flag that was given to him on that day! This annual event is definitely on my agenda.

Stéphanie moved to Ottawa about 10 years ago from the south shore of Montréal. She usually works as an analyst for the federal government but is currently on maternity leave to take care of a 3 1/2 boy (Paul) and 4 month baby girl (Emy).

Welcoming Our New Sponsor: The JCC of Ottawa Day Camps

Kids in the Capital is excited to welcome our new Sponsor: JCC of Ottawa Summer Camps.

The Jewish Community Centre (JCC), located in Nepean near Carling and Maitland Avenues, runs some pretty cool summer camps from July 2 – August 23. The JCC Camps include the Day Camp (age 2-15), the Traveling Sports Camp (age 7-15) and 16 amazing Specialty Camps (age 5-15). Instructional swimming lessons and a daily free swim in their huge outdoor pool are included in both the Traveling Sports Camp and Day Camp. The facilities, including their outdoor pool, grassy fields, full-sized gym and air-conditioned rooms are all kid-friendly, clean and pretty awesome.

Each week of Day Camp offers a fun and fabulous theme. This summer, the kids will Splash Into Summer, go on Captain Jack’s Pirate Adventure, have some Aloha Summer Fun with Silly, Slimy Silicon & Rocking Rhythms, find their Spirit, join the Circus discover Ottawa’s Next Top Chef.

In addition to the day camp, The JCC Traveling Sports Camp offers kids a truly unique summer experience. It’s the only camp in Ottawa that takes campers on a different action packed adventure trip every day. The campers spend each morning at the JCC where they learn about a variety of sports and have swim lessons. After lunch they travel by bus all around the Ottawa area going to water parks, going horseback riding, ice skating and more.

The JCC is also proud to offer a whole slew of specialty camps. Some new for this summer include Band Camp, You GLOW Girl, Boot Camp and The Directors Cut. Returning favourites include Radical Reactions-Chemistry and Crime, Girls on the Go, Powered Up LEGO Camp, Summertime Splash, Horseback Riding Camp, The Great Adventure, Tennis Camp, Soccer, You Go Girl, Basketball, Girl Power and Last Blast.

Speaking as a mom who sent my girls to the JCC Day Camps for many years, the JCC’s mature and highly qualified staff is chosen for their ability to work with children . I saw this every day as my girls ran to greet their counselors each morning and were hugged back in return. The songs, crafts, games and stories they came home with each day was proof to me that I made the right choice in sending my girls to the JCC Day Camps.

I know the snow is still on the ground but the fabulous camps at the JCC fill up early so if you haven’t started thinking about summer yet, you may want to start.

A big welcome to the Soloway JCC!

The Soloway JCC welcomes everyone, regardless of race, religion, or ability. Anyone can be a member and take advantage of our fantastic facilities and outstanding programs.

Super Bowl Sunday

I don’t know about you but I’m not really a football fan. In fact, watching football kind of makes me want to gag. So it really was a surprise to me when my girls decided they wanted to have a Superbowl party.  To me, it means that I’ll actually have to tune into the game - at least enough to know when it’s okay to serve food! It did take some convincing on their part but we decided to go ahead with it. We’ve invited a few family friends over to help us watch the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII Sunday night. While my girls think it may be just about watching the game, I thought that I’d plan a few activities to keep the younger kids entertained and some great food ideas to keep the adults happy and fed. We have some younger guests coming so I came up with two really easy crafts that will, hopefully, keep them occupied:

Pom Pom Craft:

Cut 24 pieces of party streamers (12 in each color) into 2-foot strips. Spread the strips out in a circle. Gather in the middle and twist to make a handle. Wrap tape around the handle to secure, then cheer for your team.

Pennant Craft:

Have some felt pieces in brown and the team colours. Cut one piece of felt into a large triangle. Cut brown felt into the shape of a football. Glue football to triangle and decorate with puffy paint.

For food, we decided on standard fare, like pizza, wings and munchies but my girls, for some reason, are in love with the idea of pigs in a blanket so pre-game we’ll be stuffing those piggies. There are likely a lot of ways to make them but this way has always worked for me:

Pigs in a Blanket

For the meat filling, you can use regular hotdogs, little cocktail wieners, all beef or veggie dogs. Really anything will work.  A can of crescent roll dough or biscuit dough will be the “blanket.” Preheat oven according to the dough directions. Separate the uncooked crescent rolls or biscuits. Roll the pieces of meat in the dough and bake according to the dough directions.

For the older kids (and adults who aren’t into football), we’ll put out some board games and set up the Wii or Playstation. With lots of food, drink and activities, hopefully this Super Bowl party will be a hit, even for people like me who didn’t  know who was playing until my girls told me.

What are you doing for Super Bowl Sunday?

Music Under a Midnight Moon: A Children's Theatre Review

I decided that for my birthday I would like to take my son to see some cultural and educational performances.  Naturally, I started by perusing the National Arts Centre website.  I was pleased to find a series of three performances including orchestral and theatrical components directed specifically to children.  Prices were also reasonable $20 per adult ticket, $12 per child ticket.  Total cost for us was just under $100 for 3 performances. This past Saturday January 12th, I took my 5 yr old to see Music Under a Midnight Moon at the National Arts Centre.  This was our first experience with children's theatre and we both could not have enjoyed it more!  We arrived a little early to ensure we could find parking, visit the washroom, and make a wish in the fountain.  We were prepared for a bit of a wait before the scheduled start time, but to my surprise there were activities for the wee ones set up in the lobby to keep them occupied!  At this performance there were tables set up with all kinds of homemade musical instruments. Kleenex box guitars, water bottle shakers, bottle cap percussion instruments, the kids could bang, strum, and shake to their hearts content!  It was kind of a mad house but so much fun!  Kids could also line up and take turns winding the wheel of a street organ!  My son thought it was the coolest thing ever and made me take his picture with it.

All too soon it was time to go find our seats for the main event! The lights dimmed, the orchestra played it's opening piece and the performance began.  It did not matter what language you spoke, this performance was all done in mime so language was not a barrier.  The players took you through each piece the orchestra played in a funny way that all the kids understood.  They played some fun pieces like "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" and "Turkey in the Straw".  Their focus was any kind of home made instrument that could be played by anyone.  Bottles of water, wooden spoons on flower pots, stomping with buckets on your feet.

I also found it very intriguing how the music affected my son's mood.  During up tempo pieces he was excited, dancing and bouncing in his seat.  At one point they played a lullaby and he was telling me how he was tired and wanted to go home soon!  Once the moved on to another piece of music, he was back to bouncing again.

The performance itself was exactly an hour.  Put that together with the activities in the lobby, it made for a perfect early afternoon outing.  We were home by 3:00 and enjoyed ourselves immensely!  We can't wait to see the next show in February, Green Eggs and Hamadeus.

Amanda was born and raised in Ottawa where she continues to live with her husband and son “J”. Amanda is bilingual and interests include reading, blogging, socializing, and advocacy on children and teen issues.