Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants

By Andrea In the summer months we aim to keep them out of our homes. At picnics we do everything to avoid them. On the front patio stones the kids catch and examine them. We consider them a pest but is there more than meets the eye? Yes!

If you've ever watched ants at work you discover their behaviour, anatomy and purpose is more complex than we generally understand. This spark of interest is satisfied at the Canadian Museum of Nature's new visiting exhibition, Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants on loan from the Smithsonian.

When the opportunity to preview and blog about a new feature at the CMN presented itself, I gladly accepted. Our membership allows us to foster our children's education and this exhibit is a compliment to junior elementary science curriculum where insects are studied.

When you enter the gallery you notice the large, colourful photos of magnified ants. Through the eyes of a child, this is what macro photography was meant for: seeing bugs up close and in detail. Mark W. Moffet, an award-winning photographer for National Geographic, lends 39 large-sized photos of ants which capture their behaviour, their roles in their ant-heap and their habitat.

In addition to the images there are two aquarium-like encasements at a child's eye-level allowing them to observe ant colonies at work. My children were especially interested in the honeypot ants but also intrigued by having poisonous ants carry seeds to feed their young beneath their fingertips. An effective visual was the casting of an ant colony's underground habitat. When you consider that we only see the small hill of dirt and a hole, it opens their eyes to a whole new underground world!

The exhibition opened July 26th and runs until January 5, 2014. It can be found to the left of the stairs behind the main desk at the front entrance. The cost of admission and/or membership includes access to this exhibit as well as several fun activities held throughout the summer. The following activities are for visitors of all ages and run until September 2nd.

IT'S A TRAP! INSECT TRAP MAKING WORKSHOP

• Daily at 10AM, 11AM, 2PM and 3PM

ANT SCAVENGER HUNT

• 
Daily

ANT CRAFT

• Saturdays and Sundays, 9:30AM – noon

PICNIC TIME

• 
Daily 11AM - 2PM

ARTIST IN THE GALLERY

• Irena Lyubchenko, August 19 - 23, 1PM - 4PM
• Dinorah Catzalco, August 26 - 30, 1PM - 4PM

I found this exhibit to be accessible, appealing and informative to my three children of different ages. Enjoy your visit!

Andrea is a happily married stay-at-home mother of three amazing children who loves her friends, family, art, music and takes too many photographs. She blogs here.

Mosaika: The Canadian Light and Sound Spectacular

  If you’re looking for some really cool things to do this summer, don’t forget about Mosaika.

What is Mosaika?

Mosaika is an amazing light and sound show set against the stunning backdrop of the Parliament buildings. It’s the story of Canada and takes, the audience on a spectacular journey of sound and light as you learn all about Canada’s physical, historical and cultural landscapes.

Last summer, I took my girls to see this incredible show. It runs late, 10 pm in July, 9:30 pm in August and 9 in September but it was a special occasion and they were both really excited to be up and out at night. We brought blankets and snacks and set out for the lawn in front of Parliament Hill around 8:30. I’m glad we got there early because it was actually really crowded and as it got dark, it was harder to move around to find empty patches of grass. The weather was beautiful and it was fun watching all the people around us as we waited for the show to start.

The show started on time, which is always a plus. The lights and lasers lit up the whole face of the Parliament Buildings and it really felt like the whole area was actually moving and dancing with the words and music. The way they merged the words with the music and light was really remarkable.

What was even more impressive than the lights and music was that my girls and I left knowing a great deal more about our country, how it was founded and some of the hardships we faced in the early years. It was presented in a way such that we didn’t even mind the lessons on a warm summer night. This show is great for all – young kids will enjoy the lights and sounds and older kids will be able to relate to the story.

The bilingual show is free and is presented nightly from July 10 through September 7, 2013. Bring your blankets, chairs and snacks and get ready for the show. It truly was a magical experience.

With the Greatest of Ease: SkyZone Indoor Trampoline Park

"This is fun!" my daughter yelled as she moved from trampoline to trampoline. When I heard this place was opening in Ottawa, I suspected she would like Sky Zone and I was correct. We spent 45 minutes there moving from the trampolines to the foam pit and the basketball – which proved to hard for either of us. I took pictures. I didn't get a single clear one.

Sky Zone offers the misnamed 'Toddler Time" for kids up to age 6 on weekdays so that's when we went in. For the period we were there it was us and a little boy with his dad.

My kid did somersaults and pratfalls, she threw herself around and bounced and flipped and spent the whole time laughing.

We agreed that we will have to take Daddy when we go back. It's possible that Daddy and I might go on our own to take part in one of the 3D Dodgeball games too...

Have you been to SkyZone Indoor Trampoline Park yet? What did you think?

The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head Giveaway - Closed

By Kamerine I don't think there's a single person who hasn't heard of Mr. Potato Head. Even if you didn't have one of these toys as a child, chances are you know someone who did or your kids now have one. At the very least you've seen him in the Toy Story movies.

Mr. Potato Head has been around for about 60 years and started out as pieces to stick into actual potatoes. Over the years, Mr. Potato Head has changed and is now bigger and comes with a plastic potato body. I didn't know this, but there was even a Mr. Potato Head show that aired in the 90s.

It's fitting that the Children's Museum has created a special Mr. Potato Head exhibit to celebrate this popular toy. I had seen the ads forThe Adventures of Mr. Potato Head and was excited to get the chance to take my kids, ages 2 and 3, to check it out. And wow, it was incredible!

We couldn't get more than 5 feet into the exhibit because right at the door is a section with 7 Mr. Potato Head bodies and loads and loads of pieces. The kids dug around and picked out eyes, mouths, feet, arms, and silly hats for their potatoes. When they were satisfied we moved farther into the room. There was so much to take in: to the left a section for digging for artifacts, flashing lights in the back left fighting for our attention, a jeep right in the middle for safari fun, and a spaceship in the back right beckoning us. In fact, each of these are special adventure-themed zones with clever descriptions you can read about on the museum's website.

We slowly made our way around the room, exploring the different parts with the help of museum employees. We checked out the light wall that is motion-sensitive and twinkles when you move in front or touch it and then fades away as you move away. We dug for artifacts and found the pieces to make a crown. We checked out the submarine and played with the underwater sounds. We sat in the spaceship and saw ourselves on the screen. We checked out the coral reef and read some books about going on safari. We sat in the jeep and played with the binoculars.

And on our way out the kids couldn't help but build more Mr. Potato Heads at the activity table near the door.

The exhibit was well done and bigger than I imagined. So many things to see and do, including some activities that we didn't try that are probably better suited for children a older than mine.

The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head is a special exhibit at the Canadian Children's Museum (inside the Museum of Civilization) and runs until January 5, 2014. On top of the exhibit, there are special events for more hands-on fun. I hope you get a chance to visit the museum. My kids liked digging for artifacts in Spud Quest best.

Have you visited the Adventures of Mr. Potato Head Yet? We're so sure you'll love it, we're giving away a family pass for the exhibit! Just tell us what you loved about Mr. Potato Head as a kid in the comments below and you're entered! Contest ends June 27th!

Kamerine is mom to 3 year old Little J and 2 year old  Little K.  She documents her life with two toddlers, a husband and a cat at The Life of K.

Step Afrika! at the Ottawa International Children's Festival

By Stephanie On Tuesday, May 28, my 4-year-old son and I attended the opening night event of the Ottawa International Children's Festival - thanks to Kids In The Capital. It was our first time at the festival and, I must admit, the first time I actually heard of the festival. I learned on Tuesday that its first edition was in 1985 and that this is the only festival dedicated to performing arts for children in Ontario.

The show we attended on Tuesday night was Step Afrika! from the USA. It is a dancing performance featuring stepping and African gumboot. There are no music instruments, but the entire human body is used as an instrument, which is very impressive. The performances were great, funny and VERY interactive. At one point during the show, a lesson of stepping was given, and the audience had to reproduce dance footsteps and hand claps. Everybody loved that part - although I must say I was a bit scared of the shaking seats in the stands. Both my son and myself really enjoyed the show and he danced the whole time. I would recommend it for any 4-year old kid and older, but no babies because the show is loud.

After the show, there was a reception to commemorate the opening of the festival. I was very impressed by the organizers' nice little touches to entertain the kids: snacks in a glass and bottles to make bubbles. You can tell their focus is really on the children.

The festival is on until Sunday on Breton flats and there are a lot of different shows, as well as many free activities on the site. Not all the exhibits were ready on Tuesday evening but I did have a peek at the Dynamic maze that was in the process of being built, and it seems pretty cool with dozens of big exercises balls. Even if you're not attending a show, it's definitely worth it to go to the festival to participate in some of the many activities and perhaps, if the weather is nice, to have a picnic on site.

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 4-year old boy (Paul) and 8 month baby girl (Emy).