Arctic Alive! Giant Arctic Floor Map at the Museum of Nature

There is a giant map of the Arctic at the Museum of Nature. You can go check it out over the holidays and let me tell you: it's really cool. I got to see first hand the impact this map had on students' awareness and perception of the Arctic. It was impressive.

When we think of the Arctic we think cold, snowy, and quiet. Those are some of the exact words students from a grade 5/6 class used in the beginning. After spending 20 minutes walking over the map and learning about the plants, animals, fossils and minerals found in the Arctic, you know how they described it? Vibrant, colourful, and alive. Just how the plant scientist who collected specimens there did. Their understanding of the great white North had completely changed.

From December 26th to January 4th anyone visiting the Museum of Nature can take a stroll through the Arctic. Five copies of this 8mx11m map and real specimens will spend 2015 traveling across Canada to schools where students will learn about the Arctic. In fact, there are lesson plans available from kindergarten through grade 12.

While you're at the museum I strongly encourage you to check out the special exhibit called Arctic Voices. There were lots of great hands-on things for kids, beautiful images, and interesting info.

Arctic Alive! is a joint venture between the Canadian Museum of Nature and Canadian Geographic Education. The map and specimens will be available to the general public from December 26th to January 4th as part of the holiday programming at the museum.

Arctic Voices is a fascinating new exhibit at the museum that runs from December 5th, 2014 until May 3rd, 2015

Disclaimer: I was able to check out Arctic Alive! and Arctic Voices free of charge. All opinions are my own.

Pinterest Round-Up: Keep boredom at bay over the holidays!

I'm one of the lucky ones who will have time off in between Christmas and New Year's. And the way the holidays fall this year, my manager has given us an extra day so that we head back to work the same time the kids head back to school - Monday January 5th. So that's exactly 11 days we have at home as a family. I imagined us getting outside a lot - sledding, hiking and maybe even trying out some skiing. But alas, the weather man is predicting a very rainy Christmas in these parts. No snow, and possibly ice once temperatures drop again.

So I'm turning to Pinterest in an effort to plan some fun activities that will amuse my girls all week. We have no family visiting - no meals we have to cook (other than for our family of four), no outings scheduled and no "awww, Mom, do we hafta go?"

So here are several great Pinterest pins, appropriate for younger children:

Make your own play dough!

Get little bodies moving indoors

Indoor physical activities

Make a kazoo!

DIY Moon Sand

Tell me, what do you have planned for the holidays?

Cumberland Heritage Village Museum: Village of Lights!

Last weekend we finally got a chance to check out the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum - what a gem! Their village of lights is on for the final weekend THIS weekend, and I really urge you to get out there with your kids! We debated having an early dinner and then heading to the museum around 5:30pm (it's open from 3pm - 8pm so that you can experience the beautiful lights when it's dark out). But given that it was a Saturday and we expected the museum to be busy, we headed there for 3:30 pm. By the time we left at about 5:45 pm the place was packed!

We started off at the giant sled and reindeer, just as the sun was setting.

Village of Lights

My girls have no interest in Santa Clause, but he's there in one of the buildings if your children want to see him! Instead of Santa, we chose the sleigh ride with these beautiful horses.

Village of lights 2

To warm up, we snuck into the old schoolhouse where staff were handing out gingerbread cookies, icing and sprinkles for the kids to decorate.

Village of lights 3

Hot chocolate and a roaring bonfire finished out the night.

Village of Lights 4

We stayed for two hours, and still hadn't finished looking in all the buildings. There is TONS to do and see. If you'd rather not purchase drinks or snacks (they do have a little snack bar - be warned, the hot chocolate was deadly sweet), I saw one family bravely eating a picnic dinner outside!

And bonus, that I didn't even realize - small dogs are allowed on leash! So we could have brought my little pug, but I think she might have been cozier sleeping at home :)

You need to HURRY to catch this wonderful outing - this Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the last weekend for the Village of Lights!

Have you been to the Village of Lights?

Charlie Brown’s True Meaning of Christmas Brought to Life in the Living Nativity

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by Wendy

Remember when Peanuts’ Linus took the stage in the classic holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and explained “what Christmas is all about” to Charlie Brown? His monologue described the Nativity; the very first Christmas according to Christian tradition.

On December 12 and 13, you’re invited to “Step Into Christmas” to experience the Nativity with a tour of “Bethlehem” as Linus described in the words of Luke 2 of the Christian holy book, The Bible. Here’s a sample of what you’ll experience on the tour:

• See haggling merchants and their wares in the market place • Chat with the Innkeeper, but don’t expect to get a room – it’s super busy in Bethlehem tonight! • Meet the shepherds, pet their woolly sheep and donkeys, and hear about their amazing encounter with angels. • Experience the wonder and simplicity of the stable - first-hand!

Volunteers have been working since August to bring the Nativity to life: hand-sewing costumes for the 41 actors; gathering props; and constructing the town site. This has all been accomplished through donations and the personal investment of members of Redeemer Alliance Church, who will also be performing as part of “Step Into Christmas”.

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Why this labour of love?

Says Coordinator Heather Lamarre, “We want the community to not just have a concept of the first Christmas, but to truly experience the gift that it was to us all”.

And “Step Into Christmas” is, indeed, a gift: the 30-minute open air tours are FREE, as are the hot chocolate and sweet treats that will be offered afterwards inside the cozy warmth of the church building. Pay it forward by bringing a donation for the Ottawa Food Bank.

You’ll find “Bethlehem” at Redeemer Alliance Church at 4825 Innes Road from 6:30-8:30pm on Friday and Saturday, December 12 and 13.  Thirty-minute tours start every 15 minutes.

Celebrating the Nativity is a tradition observed by Christians during the holiday season. What traditions do you celebrate?

Curvy Board: Waldorf-inspired toys

If you've read any of my previous posts, you'll know that my dear husband has spent this last year as a stay-at-home dad, taking care of our girls and working towards an electrical apprenticeship. But what I may not have mentioned is that he is also a very talented woodworker. He's recently had some requests from friends to create several Waldorf-inspired toys - toys that are made from natural materials, aimed to inspire imagination, active play and are aesthetically pleasing (we all know how nice a handmade doll is compared to a hard plastic doll!) One toy that's been requested is a curvy board (or Waldorf Rocker Board). This is a piece of wood that's been bent (actually, it's many layers of plywood glued together), and can be used for balancing, rocking, sliding, and climbing. We've already found another use for it as a puppet theatre:

But of course, climbing is always fun:

It's hard to find toys that children will use again and again, and even harder to find something that's eco friendly! The curvy board seems to fit these criteria, and I'm really excited hubby has gotten into making toys - it feels like we have Santa in the house! :)

Tom's currently taking orders for curvy boards ($120 each), and you can contact him via his Facebook Page.

Tell me, what's the one toy your kids play with all the time?