KidSport: supporting sports in Ottawa

by Josée My husband is a middle school teacher who loves teaching gym and coaching various teams; he's seen first-hand the wonderful effects that participating in sports has on kids. Getting kids involved in sports definitely improves their physical fitness, but it also does much, much more. It raises their self-esteem, develops their leadership skills, teaches them to work as a team, instills discipline, and gives them a safe, positive outlet for all that energy. Needless to say, my husband insists that our children participate in a variety of sports programs. We first enrolled them in the City of Ottawa's Parent and Tot gymnastics program when they were six months old!

As physical education programs are slashed from school curriculum and our kids become increasingly addicted to computers and television, the prevalence of sports in their lives will only continues to diminish. More and more, we need to take active measures to make sure our children get the exercise that they need. My family is lucky that we can cover the costs of putting our kids in sports; not every family has the means, especially as registration fees and equipment costs keep increasing. I recently discovered that Ottawa has a wonderful non-profit organization, KidSport™ Ottawa, whose mission is to help disadvantaged children and youth overcome social and economic barriers preventing or limiting their participation in organized sport. They do this by providing grants for registration fees and/or equipment to eligible families. Their staffing and overhead expenses are funded through government grants, so every penny donated goes to help disadvantaged youth here in Ottawa.

KidSport™ Ottawa offers grants, SportShips and SportsCamp assistance programs. The deadline for grants for sports taking place between April 1st and August 31st is February 15th. If you know a child who faces social and/or economic barriers that keep him or her from participating in sports, KidSport™ Ottawa may be able to help.

KidSport™ Ottawa could use a little help, too. They have a great relationship with Play It Again Sports Ottawa- you can bring your used sports equipment to Play It Again Sports Ottawa and ask that the proceeds be directed to the KidSport™ Ottawa consigment account. You can visit their website and make a monetary donation; or you can volunteerat one of their many activities, like the 1st Annual Polar Bear Hockey Tournament and the KidSport™ Ottawa Skate-a-Thon that took place at Brewer Park on Saturday, February 12th.

I really love this organization's motto: KidSport™ Ottawa - So ALL kids can play! I think that says it all.

Joséeis mom to three-year old daughter B.G., and one-year old son Bonhomme.  She is always searching for fun and frugal Ottawa events and activities, and puts her research to good use at her website, www.frugalfunottawa.ca.

Pancake Fun

by Natasha On Sunday morning, Baby H and I made pancakes.  He is only 18 months old, and this was the first time I let him “help” me in the kitchen. I pre-measured all of the ingredients ahead of time and made sure I grabbed a sturdy bowl for the task ahead.  We had everything in front of us, and there was no chance for Baby H to raid my pantry.

As he isn’t tall enough to reach the counter yet, I had to push a chair against the counter and let him stand on it. When I placed him atop the chair, he looked at me with a funny face as thought to say, “I thought I wasn’t allowed to stand on chairs”. The double standard wasn’t lost on me, but maybe it’s time he learned to be a little less helpless.

First, I gave Baby H the bowl and the measuring cup filled with pancake mix.  He immediately dumped it into the bowl, without any instruction. Either it’s good child play, or he watched me do that one too many times.  He then poured the water into the mixing bowl and was happy with all the splashing noises made. Then came the mixing - and Baby H’s favourite – part. I gave him his very own wooden spoon and he began mixing with a grin from ear to ear. He mixed and mixed and occasionally looked up at me to make sure he was doing it correctly. With some “good job!” exclamations from me, he kept happily mixing until we had our batter ready.

I then sat Baby H in his highchair with a few cookie cutters and asked him to pick one to while I made the pancakes.  Every time I scooped the mix onto the griddle, Baby H would say “awww” and keep his eyes fixed to see what came next.

Once the pancakes cooled, the fun part came.  Baby H cut out dinosaurs into his pancakes.  I think he was a little amazed at the process of pushing down the shapes and ending up with animals he could eat.

We enjoyed our pancakes with strawberries and a bit of maple syrup. My son did really well and I was happy to see him partake in this particular activity. I think these small activities will help him become more independent in completing some tasks, and I’m hoping to instill in him some creativity especially when it comes to making up his own edible art.

I can’t wait for next weekend, because I’m going to do it all over again with him.

This is how new traditions are born in our household.

Natasha is a new mommy to her first born, Baby H. She runs ShopHaven, a blog that reviews products and profiles local businesses and individuals from the Ottawa area. Natasha is also the creative force behind ShopHaven Baskets; a highly customized gift baskets service.  Follow Natasha on Twitter (@shophaven) to keep up with her daily adventures and Baby H’s mischiefs.

The best thing about Winterlude: Beavertails

by Brie We make a trip to the Rideau Canal every year for Winterlude. But we don't always bring our skates. We aren't big skaters (we just finally got my four year old a pair this week!). We do, however, bring our appetite.

My favorite part of Winterlude is watching other people skate past while I sit and eat a warm, gooey, yummy Beavertail. I think that is the girl's favorite part too.

In fact, she has been asking when we will be going for a Beavertail. I did manage to get both kids to the canal once this year, but I forgot my wallet at home. I don't think she saw any point of hanging out and watching the skaters after that.

My favorite Beavertail is the sugar and lemon one. We always get the kids a cinnamon sugar one to share. I'm sure that will only last until they realize we have been denying them a Beavertail smeared in hazelnut chocolate.

Mmm.

What's your favorite Beavertail? And if you are headed to the Winterlude this weekend, enjoy a Beavertail for me.

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.

Love and friendship: picture book recommendations from the Ottawa Public Library

This post is part of 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 Jessica Roy, Children's Librarian, Alta Vista Branch

One story that is often told in children’s books today is that of two oddball characters who are brought together, against all odds, to form an unlikely and heartwarming friendship. This is one of my favorite themes and, fortunately for me, these books are not hard to find. It is my guess that this is because people of all ages enjoy a story where love, friendship and togetherness rule the day. Here are a few favorites to share with your family this Valentine’s Day.

Hello My Name is Bob by Linas Alsenas.

Bob and Jack are two friends that couldn’t be more different. Jack is all about wearing loud colors and being rambunctious while Bob, the quintessential introvert, enjoys counting toothpicks, dusting plants and hanging out in empty parking lots. The story of these two wildly different personalities and their peculiar friendship is told with a deadpan humour that will appeal to both adults and children.

Smitten by David Gordon.

Sock and Mitten are lost and lonely singles.  The unusual pair set out on a perilous journey to find their other halves and end up helping each other through some tough times along the way. When Sock shrinks in the dryer, Mitten helps him cope and when mitten comes undone, sock knits him back together. In the end they discover that what they are really looking for is each other. 

A Circle is Not a Valentine by H. Werner Zimmerman

Alphonse, a well-intentioned but blundering artist, attempts to paint a valentine for his adorable mouse friend. Alas, our hapless hero manages to paint every kind of shape but a heart. Luckily, his rodent companion is able to help him out, and in the process, demonstrates what true friendship is all about. This is a great read aloud that begs audience participation.

Jennifer Jones Won’t Leave Me Alone by Frieda Wishinsky 

Jennifer Jones is crazy about her classmate who is less than crazy about her.  When Jennifer moves to Paris, however, the reluctant object of her affections is surprised to find that he actually misses her. The whimsical illustrations and humorous, rhyming verse are sure to be a hit with the whole family.

What About Bear? by Suzanne Bloom

Bear and Goose have a splendid friendship indeed but Bear feels left out when Fox tries to join in. Fortunately, Goose knows that more friends equal more fun and he finds a way to soothe Bear’s hurt feelings without leaving Fox out. “Bear is my big, old, sometimes grumpy friend,” Goose says to Fox, “You can be our new friend.” This story takes a sensitive and thougtful look at the sort of friendship conundrum that many kids can relate to.

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

When a boy tries to help a lost penguin find his way back to the South Pole he discovers that his little friend was not so much lost as he was lonely. Oliver Jeffer’s charming illustrations, uncomplicated text and loveable characters make for an endearing tale about the affection between a boy and his penguin.

Valentine Day Sweets

 by Alison This year my daughter and I decided to make Valentine lollipops for our friends and family. We purchased all the necessary supplies at the local Bulk Barn.

I recommend buying more than one mold if you plan on making a lot, as each mold we bought makes only four lollipops.

We chose milk chocolate wafers as well as red and pink. For our allergic friends we melted regular chocolate chips, as the Bulk Barn can be a dangerous place for cross contamination. The first step was to melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Depending on the size of bowl, this took between two and four minutes. Then we poured the chocolate into the molds using a spoon. We also tried using a squeeze bottle, and while my daughter enjoyed it, it was a bit slower and the chocolate hardened quickly in the bottle. This might have been more useful if we were using more than one colour of chocolate per lollipop.

Once the molds were full, we added lollipop sticks and made sure the sticks were covered in chocolate. Then the molds were put in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes. When they had hardened the lollipops came out easily.

My daughter insisted on taste testing our first batch.

After she declared them delicious, we packaged them up using lollipop bags and ribbon.

This was so fun and easy, that we may be making chocolate lollipops for every occasion!

Alison is a mom of two energetic children, ages 5 and 1. She doesn't yet have a blog, but may start one soon.