Snowshoeing with kids

by Joanne Winters

Ottawa can be cold, and when you factor in the windchill it can be downright nasty!  Although the thought of hibernating indoors does sound very appealing we have had to find ways to keep ourselves active and have some fun outdoors in our frigid city.   

A few Christmases ago, before we had kids, I purchased snowshoes for myself and my husband. We lived in area with an open field nearby where we could go snowshoeing and enjoy the crisp cold air.  It was so beautiful being out there late at night, enjoying the star-filled sky as we trekked across the fields.    Now fast forward a few years… 2 kids and dog later, and we still enjoy it!   

When we first decided to take the kids out for a trek in the snow covered woods they were very excited.   We grabbed our snowshoes and a sled with a warm blanket, bundled ourselves up, packed a snack and headed to Mer Bleu.  The kids were so excited.  At first we stayed on the well established paths throughout the woods but then I decided to let the kids try out my snowshoes.  My daughter loved it – we strapped them on her boots and away she went.  She had no trouble going off the beaten path and staying above the fresh powder. My son also had a turn and away he went leading the way through the snow with ease.    Along the way we stopped to admire and feed many birds and explored the trails. If you bring bird seed with you and stay really calm the birds will come eat out of your hand. 

There are many opportunities to go out and snowshoe in Ottawa.  The National Capital Greenbelt offers a variety of trails to explore.  Also Gatineau Park offers 60 kilometers of trails for snowshoeing, ranging from easy to more challenging treks.  

A wonderful thing about snowshoeing is that it does not require a lot of equipment.  All you need is to dress for the weather and strap on some snowshoes.  If you want to give it a try and not invest in the snowshoes right away many places like Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), Trailhead and Gatineau Park do rent them.  I suggest calling ahead to check on the availability. 

The best conditions for snowshoeing are when there is about 10 centimeters of snow on the ground.  The more snow the more fun.  Snowshoes work on all types of snow and ice.  You also don’t need to head out very far for your first trek; you may just want to start in the backyard after a snow storm, your neighborhood park or any field nearby.    

So next time the weather office is calling for a dumping of 10 centimeters of snow, don’t just think about the snow blower or the shoveling, think of it as Mother Nature laying the base for an awesome family adventure!

Storyteller's favorites - recommendations from the Ottawa Public Library

This is the fourth post in a series of monthly blog posts by Ottawa Public Library children’s librarians! We hope you enjoy today’s post and remember to check back every month for great children’s books ideas. by Anne-Marie Miller, Children’s Librarian, Hazeldean Branch

When it’s  this cold outside maybe we’d rather just stay indoors and have a story about the winter.   Here I’ve introduced a few of my favourites.  Once you’ve had a chance to share these, check out the library for more stories by the same authors.  They will never disappoint you.  Especially if, like myself, you prefer your storybooks to be lovely, lively and humorous!

One of the liveliest newer winter-themed storybooks is Playful Little Penguins written by Tony Mitten and playfully illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees.  The story is told in rhyme and the text winds around the illustrations so both the oral and visual effect s are as playful as the penguins themselves.  The story has a suspenseful little plot involving the rescue of a baby seal and concludes with a family cuddle in a stunning double-spread illustration of a vast Antarctic penguin huddle.  With lots to see and discuss on every page you will want to read this one over and over.

In The Missing Mitten Mystery written and illustrated by Steven Kellogg one little girl, Annie, discovers that she has lost her mitten in the snow.   In the low light of the late afternoon, Annie searches everywhere finding only the sweaters and boots lost by her friends.  Maybe the birds took her mitten, she surmises; or maybe a mouse.  She dreams of planting the remaining mitten and growing a mitten tree.  She dreams of having so many mittens, she can give them away to her family and classmates.  Finally,  she goes inside for tea, but, as it begins to rain, the mitten emerges from the snow in a very special spot that Annie had never thought to check.  Annie is a delightful child  and the ending is a grand surprise.

In The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming the narrator dresses the first snowman of winter one item at a time and the text follows the format of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’.  So, on every page the list of winter wear is cumulative and repeated in the text.  The snowman in the illustrations becomes more and more colourful as he acquires one hat, two mittens, 3 scarves and so on.  At the end, there is a charming two page spread of the snowman in his full winter finery.  This is a book that your child can ‘read’ with you as the text is repetitive and the illustrations provide the visual clues for the next item of attire.   Denise  Fleming uses many different  mediums in her illustrations to create a rich visual experience as well as, a satisfying narrative.

More fine visuals await you and your child in Bear Snores On written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman.  The rhyming text brings some of the smaller forest animals out of the nighttime blizzard into the warmth of bear’s den.  Chapman’s acrylics are a delight and each little animal has lots of personality.   As the animals gather, they bring along a little food to share and before long there is a party going on.  But, as we learn on every page – Bear snores on.  When he finally awakes, there is only one tense moment before Bear himself  is ready to join party.  Get ready, though, for the surprise ending to this delightful story.

Lois Ehlert is another author who illustrates her stories in mixed media collages.  Her book, Snowballs, is pretty well a storytime classic and great introduction to her work.  With oversize text and double page illustrations throughout, this book will catch your child’s interest instantly.  There is an entire snowman family to see, including the cat and the dog, and each one is lavishly, uniquely  dressed.  Mom, for example sports a colourful  knitted purse full of peanuts!  In the end the snow family melts away, but Ehlert gives you a detailed spread of all the bits and pieces she has used to create her masterpieces.  Maybe this will inspire your next snow, or even paper creation.

This winter check out these and other fun titles at  biblioOttawalibrary.ca .

Social Media Monday : Flickr

by Angela So, it is Monday and you have some lovely photos from your wonderful weekend family foray...

...that you would like to share with your family

...that you can't wait to blog

...that you would like to crop and convert to black and white...and fix that red eye your son is suffering from;)

...that you would like some input on, to find out why your night shots are so shaky

Which photo sharing site can you join where  you can find all this and so much more?

Even a group dedicated to *kids in the capital* readers and contributors? Flickr of course.

Flickr.com is a photo sharing website, acquired by Yahoo, that offers sharing and storage services. Last year it was purported to have had  5 billion images uploaded to the site.

A menu of basic services are available with a Free account ( 300MB of photo uploads, 2 video uploads and participation in 10 groups ).

A Pro account can be had for 24.95 a year, providing unlimited online photo and video storage, tools to keep your photos organized, a choice of privacy levels, photo editing capability through picnik, online print services from snapfish and the ability to upload your photos directly from your Flickr stream to your blog or twitter. And more.

What Flickr also offers is a community. From beginner to specialized pro, there is a group for everyone...and everything. Regional groups are popular, like Positively Ottawa and Canon EOS Digital Ontario, as are theme or inspiration groups like Bench Monday, Face Down Tuesdays, Six Word Story or a number of groups dedicated to 365 projects ( a photo a day for a full year ).

There are also groups available specifically to women photographers, teen photographers, film shooters, Polaroid enthusiasts...any arena that a photographer could hope for. Some groups exist to showcase work only while others allow and encourage you to interact with fellow members. The Flickr Central group is a good place to start for general information.

Uploading to Twitter or posting a public photo your blog is as easy as clicking a tab above your photo, once you set up your profile. The embedded photo then links right back to your Flickr stream, where you can introduce your readers to more of your work.

Social media with a photographic twist. How awesome is that? There is flickrmail, tagging and commenting available on photos. You can also link your Flickr to your Facebook and get creative with  photo mosaics and so much more through * bighugelabs*.

The potential for fun with your photos on flickr is huge.

There are also several apps available for the iPad to make your Flickr experience that much more enjoyable.

And with thousands of photos being uploaded from across the world every minute...yes, thousands a minute...there is inspiration to be found at every turn.

Our own *kids in the capital* blog has had a Flickr group for a while now.

In it's original form, it provided a place to share photos taken for photo challenges designed to inspire our photo taking, introduced on the blog in the Spring of 2009. Now, for 2011, we are expanding the scope of the group. We are inviting all *kids in the capital* readers and contributors to join our Flickr group. The group is family friendly and welcomes photos of your families enjoying Ottawa area activities, celebrating holidays or just hanging around the house:). Looking to improve your photo taking skills? Ask questions in the group - there are several experienced photographers already in the group, happy to share tips and ideas.

The *kids in the capital* flickr group is  linked to the blog, allowing the group photos to be showcased in the sidebar. We have a great gang of writing contributors that share with the blog, and now the group has a place for it's photographers:).

Signing up with Flickr only takes only a minute or two and is a fabulous option for anyone looking to connect and learn and socialize, all around the the photographs you make.

See you in the group!

Angela is mom to a teen, tween and toddler, wife of an intrepid businessman, master of two big dogs and she loves her camera-baby very much. She is a displaced montrealer living in Long Sault, Ontario. She blogs at From the Dock.

Sesame Street Live - a giveaway (CLOSED)

by Lara CONGRATULATIONS JONATHAN - you won the tickets!

I, like many of you I'm sure, grew up on Sesame Street - I can still sing along to countless tunes from my youth and Sesame Street Old School was at the top of my Christmas list the year it came out.  It's nostalgic for me and I admit that when Sesame Street is on for the kids, I pay a little bit more attention than I do to most of the other shows ;)

When the opportunity to tell you about (and give you a chance to win tickets to!) the Sesame Street Live show that's coming to Ottawa came up, we jumped on the chance.  Here's a little information about it, and make sure to scroll down to the end to enter to win a 4-pack of tickets! Brie and I will be there - we hope to see you too!

The Red Monster with a Green Thumb Arrives in Ottawa for four shows beginning Jan. 22, 2011

(Ottawa) - Sunny isn’t just the weather forecast on Sesame Street - it’s also the name of Elmo’s sunflower friend! Join all your favorite friends on an amazing musical adventure as they help Elmo find a new home for Sunny when Sesame Street Live “Elmo’s Green Thumb” performs at Scotiabank Place on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online at Capitaltickets.ca; by phone at 613-599-FANS (3267) or 1-877-788-FANS (3267); in person at The Sens Store at Rideau Centre and Place d’Orléans, any Ottawa Sports Experts location, Les Galeries de Hull and at the Scotiabank Place box office.

Sesame Street Live “Elmo’s Green Thumb” tickets are $55 (Sunny Seats, which are located in the front row and include a pre-show meet and greet with two Sesame Street friends), $35, $28, $22, and $15 for all shows. Prices include all taxes but exclude CRF and convenience charges.

Elmo has raised his sunflower, Sunny, from a seed, but his floral friend has outgrown the flower pot. Elmo and friends find Big Bird’s garden the ideal place for Sunny to flourish and grow but they are too excited to wait. Rather than let Sunny follow nature’s course, Abby Cadabby, Sesame Street’s fairy-in-training, casts a spell to make Sunny grow. The spell does just the opposite and, instead of growing, Elmo and all of his friends shrink. While Abby searches for just the right words to reverse the spell, Elmo, Zoe, Telly and friends explore Big Bird’s garden from a smaller perspective and learn some big lessons about patience, overcoming their fears and appreciating the role that each creature plays in our ecosystem – from dancing ladybugs and beautiful butterflies to grouchy beetles that scavenge the garden floor. Will being small help Sunny grow tall? It’s a fresh, original Sesame Street Live on a whole new scale.

Like television’s Sesame Street, each Sesame Street Live production features timeless lessons for all ages. The universal appeal of each Broadway-quality musical production continues long after preschool. Adults will appreciate the high-tech stagecraft, cleverly written script, and music they’ll recognize and enjoy sharing with children, such as “Ladybug Picnic,” “Inch by Inch” and “I Love Trash.”

WIN IT!

We have a family four pack of tickets in the 100 level to the Saturday January 22 at 11 am performance to give away! Simply leave us a comment telling us who your favourite Sesame Street character is and you'll be entered.

Contest closes January 14 at 11pm.  Good luck!

December - what you might have missed

December almost seems like a lifetime ago to me now - the flurry of the Holidays and then trying to settle back into a normal routine.  For those of you who didn't have a chance to check Kids in the Capital regularly last month - here's what you might have missed (a lot of great ideas for next year for Christmas!!) Activities for Kids

The other day when I couldn't think of anything to do with my toddlers someone suggested I give them a box- it's almost full-proof! An easy outdoor activity with the kids is painting with snow. If you don't feel like venturing outside, try this fun snowman craft.  Joanne also took her kids to a 67s game and they loved it!

Holidays

The majority of our posts centered around the Holidays in December.  We have a great post about Holidays classics from Carly and another from the Ottawa Public Library.

We had two great posts about gift ideas for teachers, one from Shawna and another from Angela.

We talked about getting a tree, decorating the tree, stockings, giving back during the Holidays, taking a trip down Taffy Lane, getting Santa photos done, favourite holiday movies, and holiday traditions. And that's not all! We talked about the 25 days of Christmas - a great activity for kids for the entire month of December.  We baked with Krista, our contributors talked about how they celebrate,  we talked about buying gifts second hand and we visited the Cumberland Museum during their holiday festivities.

Services

LMNOP is a great little toy store in Orleans you should check out. Alicia tells us about a great Christmas craft, but Gotta Paint is fun for the kids all year round.

Sponsors

We welcomed three great sponsors this month: Empire Theatres, Starr Gymnastics (stay tuned for a great event and giveaway from them soon!) and 4Cats. Our sponsors help keep Kids in the Capital going - please support them by visiting them and letting them know we sent you :)

There is just as much fun stuff to do in January as there is in December! Do you have any favorite winter activities? Share them with other Kids in the Capital parents! Email us at kidsinthecapital@gmail.com to blog about your winter fun.