Kids in the Capital Blog Hop

Okay, we are trying this again. Sorry if you had tried to link through earlier this week. We had some problems with the link. But! We are trying this again.  There are some great bloggers in Ottawa. Blog Out Loud was a testiment to that. We have tech bloggers, food bloggers, photo bloggers, craft blogger and, our favorite, parenting bloggers!

A peek at the list of parenting bloggers that have contributed to Kids in the Capital since we started in April of this year will give you just a glimpse of some of the many, many Ottawa parenting bloggers. There are so many in fact, and we discover more all the time, that we thought it was time for us to all get together!

If you live in Ottawa and want to connect with other parent bloggers then welcome to our first Kids in the Capital Blog Hop! Make sure you add you name and blog link to the link up below. Then lock yourself in the bathroom (without the kids) and go discover some new blogs.  Don't forget to leave the blogger some comment love!

We can't wait to come and visit you all!

(Click on the Mister Linky to add your blog or see the list of contributed blogs)

Brie is the mom of a 3.5 year old daughter “the girl” and eighteen month old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Lara is mom to 3.5 year old Kiernan and 11 month old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her blog at Gliding Through Motherhood.

Playgroups are for playing, and community

by Krista We love mondays in our house. Mondays mean playgroup in the park day. Our park is Kingsmere park, in the neighbourhood of Glabar park.  It is one of the reasons why we bought our house, before we even had children.  It has all the bits you need - sand, a play structure, swings, a wading pool, lots of room to run around, big trees for shade, and benches for mom and dad when we get a minute to sit.  The community playgroup makes it all that much more perfect.

Most weeks we arrive at the park a little after 10:00 am.  There are a good number of wee ones and their moms or dads by that time, usually at the swings or in the sandy/playstructure area.  Most of the children in the group are under the age of four, but that changes in the summer and the older children come as well.  The parents tend to gather in little groups in the shade when not joining in the fun.  We talk over coffee about the week that has passed, the new things our little ones are up to, about the struggles we face, and life in general.  This was especially important when my little people were much younger and I NEEDED to talk to adults, about adult things.  Now I can offer that to the newest moms and dads in the group.

The older children tend to roam farther as the morning progresses, so the parents break up in small groups that follow. They don't often follow their own children, just the children that seem to need help at the time.  It's great that I can help out another parent and push their child on the swing, knowing that someone else pitches in with my children and plays with them on the slides.

Snack time is a free for all, with all the little monkeys dipping in to each other's snacks.  I know that it is safe for my peanut allergic son, as there are several moms who have allergies in their own homes, and we all look out for each other.  My guys love it, as they often find the snacks of others to be tastier than their own.  Even if we offer the same!! As an added bonus, it teaches them to share, and they love to do it.

Playgroup is free, and open to anyone, not just those living in our neighbourhood.  We meet as early in the spring as weather permits, and keep going until the snow flies.  We have met a local gym in previous winters, but when that is not available, we try to meet at people's houses. This isn't as successful, and makes us appreciate the times in the park all that much more.  For more information, or to get added to the mailing list, see the Community Alliance's website.

We are always sad when our friends start to drift home for lunch, but we know that we will see them the following monday, if not on one of our other visits to the park in the course of the week.

I think that the best part of the playgroup is that you get to know your neighbours, and build relationships in the community.  We are meeting the families that live in all corners of our community, regularly enough that we really know who they are. We are all building friendships that will hopefully last for a long time, as our children grow together.

Krista is married to Willy and mom to a 3 year old son, Woo, and 1.5 year old daughter Goose.  You can find her on twitter @kgraydonald

Paper boats

by Vicky Bored with the same old backyard kiddie pool, today we decided to change things up a bit with a paper boat race! I remember my nanny making these for us as birthday party hats when I was younger. Unfortunately I could not remember how to make a paper boat/hat, myself, but thankfully the Internet had many step by step instructions.

Here's a link to some instructions with photos, but you can also find how-to videos by googling 'paper boats'.

We made 5 paper boats out of construction paper, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but I quickly realized that construction paper disintegrates faster than most paper! I grabbed my tape gun and re-enforced one of the boats, then we headed out to the pool.

Joel had a great time launching his boats into the water and watching them float. He asked me to invite a friend over so he could have a paper boat race, but we couldn't reach anyone. I think we'll definitely have to repeat this activity with some friends. Can you just imagine the possibilities - boat making and decorating, adding a paper sail or two with straws, launching on the count of three, and seeing who's boat will reach the finish line first!

When I was a child I remember making a small boat with my cousin out of Kinderegg capsuls and popsicle sticks. We floated them down a creek near his house. I ran along the edge of the creek with so much excitement, urging my little boat along.

It's amazing how something so little can keep a child entertained for so long!

Vicky is the mom to 3.5 year old son named Joel and 1 year old daughter named Mieka. You can read her blog at blog Some Kind of Wondermom.

The Little Dragon and the Lion

by Joanne When it comes to after school activities kids in Ottawa have many choices. It is often difficult to decide which activity to do and on which night. We don’t want to over schedule our kids but we want them to try different things with hopes that they will find something that they love to do. My kids get to pick one activity per season – Mathieu decided on Jiu Jitsu and Amélie wanted to follow in my husbands footsteps and joined the Ottawa Lions Sports for Kids programs.

My son adored his Jiu Jitsu classes – he is the perfect age for the Kinder Little Dragons program at 100% Martial Arts in Orleans. He is so proud of the skills he has learnt. In the 30 minute classes they learn various activities that encourage their balance and concentration. They also learn that fitness is hard work but can be a lot of fun. The instructors are great – they are energetic and keep the kids focused and motivated. They are also great at helping you reinforce issues you may have a home – one class the instructor overheard Mathieu complaining about the veggies we were going to eat for supper after the class. On the way out, he reminded Mathieu that he should eat all of the veggies on his plate so he can grow big and strong. That night he ate everything on his plate and was excited to let his instructor know at the next class! I don’t mind… I can use all the help I can to get them to finish their veggies!

Amélie is a runner! She takes after her father who runs marathons – she tried dance classes in the past and girl guides too but nothing compared to her session at the Ottawa Lions Sports for Kids program. She loved it – every moment. Before the program started, we headed off to Kiddy Kobbler at Place d’Orleans to get fitted for running shoes for the indoor track – she wanted special shoes just like her dad! The program is wonderful. It is held at the Terry Fox in the summer and fall and then at the Dome at Louis Riel High School in the spring and winter. The kids run around the track and do various drills to help them with their endurance. They get to try various different sports – long distance running, triple jump, long jump etc. They are currently accepting kids into the program for upcoming sessions. If you enjoy running, parents can join as well – the Parent Fit program is designed to get parents off the sidelines and running too!

We have one rule at our house when it comes to after school activities – once you sign up you can’t quit till the sessions are over…. with Little Dragons and the Ottawa Lions we never had a problem getting them out the door!

Joanne the proud mom of Amélie (8 years old) and Mathieu (5 years). She is new at blogging and you can find her at Our Money Pit.

Summer of Awesome - Changing of the Guard

by Lynn Before we get into today's event, a couple of quick updates on my Summer of Awesome list:

• AMC has announced the "mystery title" for the August 10th Tuesday morning show -- it's How to Train Your Dragon. I'll be there! (editor: that's today. Last minute, but not TOO late)
• We were going to head to the Biodome in Montreal this past weekend, but when we checked the website just before leaving, we found out it's closed indefinitely due to a strike. Close call, there!
• We did make it to the Museum of Nature a couple of weeks ago and it's wonderful. Chantal already did a great job covering it for KITC but I wanted to add that the crowds have thinned out - we went on a Saturday morning and it was pleasantly quiet - and also that they have a fantastic display on right now about frogs that is super cool.

And now, to the changing of the guard. We were headed downtown for the Busker Festival (great for kids, by the way - if you missed out, book it on your calendar for next year's Civic holiday weekend), and so we thought we'd catch the changing of the guard on Parliament Hill first. I was amazed when we took the kids to the Hill last year - they actually really enjoyed it. We didn't do the tour, but the kids loved running around on the huge lawn, checking out the Centennial Flame, going up the tower (there's a separate line for that, you don't need to be on a tour to go up), checking out the cats and the view from the back of the building, and imagining all sorts of princesses and knights that live in "the castle."

So adding really cool soldiers, pipers, and marching to the mix should only make it even better, no?

Um, no.

The kids were pretty excited for about three minutes. They liked the drums and the bagpipes and the marching in formation. The entrance parade, where they march up Wellington from Elgin street, captured their attention.

But what came next was about 30 minutes of standing around. There was occasional unexplained shuffling, and the odd yelling of unintelligible orders. A few bigwigs walked up and down, inspecting the bayonets and guns. It was pretty low key, to say the least.

After about 10 minutes, our kids were either asking for a snack, asking to leave, or poking the kid next to them.

After about 20 minutes, they were all begging to go home.

By the end, seven-year-old was swearing up and down that he was NEVER coming to this event again. It sure does make for pretty pretty pictures, though.

So overall, although Parliament Hill itself is a big hit with the kiddies, the changing of the guard was a flop. Not only were the kids bored witless, I had to deal with my husband telling me, "I told you so!" about 50 times. Gah.

The changing of the guard takes place on Parliament Hill every day in the summer at 10 a.m., up until August 27. My kids are young and fidgety, but you might be able to sell this event to kids that are more 10 to 12 years old, and more interested in Canadian history. If you do have older kids and decide to give this a go, be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes early, as two guides will give an English and French description of what the changing of the guard means, and what is going to happen. The best spots to view are along the Wellington Street side, closer to the East Block - so you can watch the entrance parade as it comes up the street - or up right in front of the Centre Block, where you can be close to the band and see the entire formation laid out in front of you.

Whatever the age of your kids, make sure you leave room for the tower, and the cats, and the running, and the princesses. Now that part of Parliament Hill, I can give a Summer of Awesome Should Do.

Lynn is mom to three tombliboos aged 7, 5, and 3, and blogs over at Turtlehead.