Walking in the Capital

by Sasha As I write this, it is a beautiful sunny day in Ottawa. Spring has finally, truly arrived! And so baby and I were out enjoying one of our favourite pastimes: walking the bike paths.

CNN bills Ottawa as one of the world's most bike friendly cities. But the 170km of bike paths are not just a boon for cyclists: they are also great for the strollering set. And as an added bonus: it takes a stroller a lot longer to burn through all that pavement.

My favourite stretch of paths runs along the river, from Andrew Haydon Park up to Parliament Hill, partly because of where we live but the views are also lovely.

Although there are some sections that are designated pedestrian-only, it is important to remember that the path is shared between pedestrians and cyclists. Some rules of safety and etiquette for pedestrians to keep in mind:

1. walk on the right, and leave room to pass on the left
2. if you are using headphones, make sure you can still hear someone coming behind you
3. cyclists should ring their bell before passing - if they do, it's nice to give them a little wave so they know you heard them

But the number one rule: the nice weather is here, so get out and enjoy it!

Where do you like to go walking in the capital?

Sasha is mom to 2-year-old Miss Bea, and 4 month old Baby Em.  Her ramblings can also be found on her blog, The Rambling Stroller.

Spring at Petrie Island

by Cathy Spending time outside as the world is waking up again is one of the best parts of spring.

One of our favourite places to celebrate the season is Petrie Island– the perfect place for a Sunday morning ‘wonder wander’. And if you go in the next few weeks, you’ll get to see one of Petrie Island’s star attractions – turtles! – emerging along many of the Island’s trails.

Easily accessible from downtown Ottawa by turning north on Trim Road, the area is home to many wildlife species, including three different types of turtles. A small network of trails, each between 0.5 and 2.5 kilometres long, lace the property and are perfect for little ones to roam.

When they’re ready for a break, there is a small play area near the beach (with a train my 2 year old loves to ‘ride’) and lots of picnic tables for a welcome snack. There is also a small interpretation centre on site for those wanting to know more – or who’d like a closer look at some of the area’s most reptilian residents!

The area is considered a Class 1 wetland, which means we should have worn our rubber boots when we went last weekend. Some of the trails were still flooded but we saw 5-6 turtles enjoying the early sunshine, as well as a muskrat swimming quite close to shore. Everyone came home muddy, wet, and filled with excitement about what we’d seen. A perfect morning, I’d say!

Cathy is a blog-less but avid follower of Kids in the Capital. She has a 4.5 year old daughter and a 2.5 year old son who both love being outside as much as she does.

Rainy day scavenger hunts

by Brie With all the rain in Ottawa lately we have spent a lot of time indoors. We have painted. We have baked. Finally I had to get us out of the house!

One day last week I managed to get the kids dressed into their one piece rain suits (I love those!) and we headed to the park for a scavenger hunt. I made each kid a list with six colour boxes. Their job was to find as many things they could of each colour.

(This would be great to play with kids that are just learning to spell. When the girl is a bit older I am going to spell our some of the things to look for at the park, like "slide" and "swings". For younger kids you could also try drawing pictures of what you want them to find.)

My 4 year old started playing the game before we even left the house by looking out the window! She manged to find way more colours then her two year old brother. But they both had a good time so I consider it a success.

Best of all it got us outside to the park, even though it was raining!

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Going on an Easter egg hunt

by Brie I have fond memories of hunting for eggs on Easter morning. I was pretty sure my kids would like it too. One year I decided that instead of hiding little chocolate eggs or presents around the house, I would take the hunt outside and make a party of it!

I invited friends and neighbours to join us at our local park the Saturday morning before Easter. We had snacks and treats, but the real highlight was sending the kids on a hunt for plastic eggs hidden throughout the park. The eggs were filled with stickers that the kids could then sit down and use to decorate construction paper, along with some crayons we brought.

The Easter egg hunt can be made as easy or as hard as you'd like. The eggs can be hidden low to the ground for younger kids or tucked up high into branches or play structures for the older kids.

We had a great time with our Easter egg hunt. It was a fun way to get everyone together and kick off park season. If you have a big enough backyard you could try an outside Easter egg hunt there too!

Does your family have an egg hunt at Easter?

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Andrew Haydon Park

by Sasha Andrew Haydon Park is ready for spring.

The snow has melted from the paths. Well, almost.

And the geese are struting around in pairs, fiercely defending their territory.

Pretty soon, the chains will be off the gates. Water from the waterfall will fill the pond, and the delightful chaps at the shoreline will race their remote-controlled sailboats. And if you ask, they will be happy to show you how they work, perhaps even pluck one out of the water and point out the magical gears inside. (This has been known to happen.)

There will be kids on the play structures, and water in the water park. There will be concerts in the bandshell on Wednesday evenings, and fireworks on Canada Day. The geese will rule the ponds, but if you're lucky, you may spot a heron.

Are YOU ready for spring?

Sasha is mom to 2-year-old Miss Bea, and 4 month old Baby Em.  Her ramblings can also be found on her blog, The Rambling Stroller.