Question of the Month: Baby, it's HOT outside!

This year has got to be some kind of record for heat advisories in Ottawa! It makes it challenging to keep kids active and safe too. (Water, sunscreen, hats - they're all absolute essentials this summer.)

Since you can't possibly stay home day in and day out, what are some ways you're keeping busy this summer without getting overheated outside?

Are you going to indoor attractions? Cozying up to friends with pools? Installing your own pool? Haunting the local splash pad?

Tell us how you're coping in the comments!

Out of town activities: The Granby Zoo

by Lara A few weeks ago we took our first overnight road trip with the kids in two years to go and check out the Granby Zoo with some friends.  The zoo is literally a 5 minute drive from where I lived when I was in highschool so heading to the zoo was also an opportunity for me to catch up with old friends which very nice :)

The zoo was fabulous!  Not so huge that we felt run off our feet (especially with little kids) but lots of stuff to see and do.

We started in the South Pacific where we got to touch/pet Rays (optional - I chose not to :) and see some very cool other sealife. We then headed into the Kaila show, which is a very cool sound and light show.  I'd heard great things about it, but it costs extra and my three olds were more petrified than entertained so if you have nervous kids who don't like loud sounds, I don't think I'd recommend it.

We saw lions and hippos and zebras and giraffes (which apparently I didn't go much photographing of, hence this not particularly good shot of a rhino :)

The tram around the zoo was a huge hit with the kids, and so were seeing cool and different animals.

We ended the day in the water park where the kids got to enjoy the wave pool and lazy river (I forgot my bathing suit - sigh) which was the perfect way to cool down after a long day of walking in the heat.

A few tips:

If you have small kids, you can rent wagons or strollers there. If you (or your spouse) worry about your own strollers getting stolen, it might be worth paying for a rental you know nobody will steal. Also, I was grateful to be able to wear my son for part of the day, so bring carriers even for slightly older kids.

Food is, unsurprisingly, expensive. Bring food, snacks, drinks, etc.  I also like to bring electronics to entertain the kids during said meals.

Don't forget your bathing suit. (sigh)

I highly recommend it as a nice trip that isn't too far away (I know people who make it a day trip.) It was a great day! I wasn't even discouraged that the twins' favourite things were the slides and the ducks :)

Disclosure: the Granby Zoo did provide free tickets for my family.  All thoughts are my own (I always say that but I always also think - nobody would ever think I was fed the ridiculous things I write about as PR lines ;)

Flashback: Brewer Park

We love hearing about the great parks around the city. What's yours? by Sara

Despite several nearby parks, we regularly make the trek from Orleans to Old Ottawa South to take the boys to Brewer Park.  Its located across the street from Carleton University, tucked away behind the City of Ottawa Brewer Complex.  There is a large parking lot off Bronson Avenue but you can also park on the many shaded side streets off Sunnyside Avenue, which are right beside the park.  If you use the parking lot, you need to walk across two soccer fields to access the park.

Brewer Park is divided into five areas:

1) A  fenced-in (but not impervious to adventurous toddlers) area with two play structures suitable for the littlest members of the family.  The fire truck play structure is a big hit with my two boys.

2) A play structure on rubber mats for preschool children

3) A multi-level splash pad (there is a large ramp and bridge to access the upper level and water slide)

4) A larger play structure for elementary aged children

5) A sandy area with wheel-chair accessible sand tables, activity walls, and swings.

There are also several shady spots to set-up blankets for snack time and picnics as well as one large covered picnic area in the middle of the park.  The only disadvantage is that the play structure for older children is separated from the rest of the park (by the splash pad), which makes it hard to supervisor children of different ages.  One last important detail: there are (clean) washroom's located next to the toddler area.

What I love most about Brewer Park is the variety.  Both my boys have very different interests and Brewer is one of the few parks where they are easily occupied, entertained, and safe.  Their play structures have fewer death-defying drops and are generally safer for small kids, which is one of the drawbacks of our neighbourhood parks.  My 2-year-old can explore and climb without me hovering right behind him.  While my four-year old love splash pads, my 2-year old hates spraying water; however, at Brewer there is a splash pad and water slide, which means they're both happy to play in the water.

Unlike a lot of parks in new suburban areas, the play structures at Brewer are protected by shade (depending on the time of day), which makes it a great place to visit on really hot and humid days.  It's often busy because camps and daycare's frequent the park so be prepared to keep a close eye on your kids, as its easy to lose them in the melee of swim-suited bodies running around.

Sara is a photographer and mom to a 6-year-old ” firefighter”, 4-year-old “monkey”, and a third boy, “bug”, due in May.  You can also find her at her blog, My Points of View.

Messy Science Fun

by Amy In this house we have been suffering from a spate of "I want to do something else" syndrome. Nothing seems to keep the toddler entertained for more than a few minutes at a time, and it doesn't take long before this Mommy runs out of energy to think of new things. We go swimming, we bake together, she takes gymnastics, but her energy is constant so when we're just home I have to keep trying to entertain her.

Today, after going through a few of our normal activities it was "something else, Mommy!" again, so I logged on to Pinterest to see what else we could try. I came upon this on my Crafts board.

Fun! Messy! Science!

So I got out my corn starch and the food colouring and we mixed it all together and keep the kid occupied for a good little while.

The truth is, it looks messy but it actually washes off hands quite easily. I haven't tried to clean the pan yet.

We'll probably be doing this again.

Amy is mom to two year old Maggie and a 6 year old schnauzer named Henry. You can read her blog at amyboughner.ca where she writes about motherhood and anything else that’s on her mind. She also shares a blog with her husband at boughner.ca where they talk together about parenting a daughter.

Flashback: Backyard playstructures

by Lara We want to hear how you have your backyard decked out!  Will you write a post for us about your playstructure? Your swingset? Your climber? How you make your backyard kid friendly and safe?

We invested in the Costco one and we love it:

Here's a bit about it:

- Costs about $1400-1500 with tax included (I forget exactly now) so it's not cheap.  The wood is really nice quality though and the thing is really sturdy.

- It comes COMPLETELY disassembled.  It took two men two entire days to put together and it was a lot of work. My husband says it's not hard to assemble, just follow the instructions and lay out all the pieces by the number on them ahead of time and you'll be ok.  It's just time consuming.

- It's beautiful

-   My kids are 3 and 5 and they are so comfortable on this structure I get nervous.  The 3 year olds are already walking around the outside!

- Under the house portion is a sandbox that gets used a lot.

- It came with a matching picnic table.

-It takes up a lot of room so if you don't have a fairly large yard you will need to measure and make sure it will fit.

It gets a huge amount of use at our house and I totally feel it was worth our money; we'll get years and years of use out of it.

Lara Wellman is mom to 5 year old Kiernan and 3 year old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her personal blog at Gliding Through Motherhood, or get tips on how to simplify social media on her business site.