The Canadian Children's Museum

Krysta Veenstra recently visited the Canadian Children’s Museum inside the Canadian Museum of History and is shared her experience with Kids in the Capital!

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We recently had a chance to visit the Canadian Children's Museum, located inside the Canadian Museum of History, in Gatineau, Quebec. It was a very short drive from Ottawa and had plenty of indoor, pay parking (which is great during winter and bad weather!)

We haven’t taken the kids to this museum in years, so we were excited to see what has changed and what has stayed the same. If you’ve ever been to the Children’s Museum before, you know there are a few things that are classic, kid favourites. Luckily, the classics are still there!

My kids’ favs were the camel, the pyramids, the theatre, the bus and of course, the passports.

If you are not familiar with the passports, let me explain. As you enter, the kids are each given a passport. They take it along with them, to all the different country exhibits. At each country exhibit, there is a stamping station. I can’t say I understand the big draw of the stamps, but I can’t deny that it is taken very seriously by the kids. Trust me, you are not leaving this museum without every stamp! So keep your eyes peeled for these golden landmarks, because like it or not, you will be going back in to find any missed ones.

Another thing that has not changed, is that the Children’s Museum is very hands on. There is lots to see and do and touch. There is a craft room, a theatre with a stage and dressing room, music, blocks, a ship to climb on, stories to hear, etc. I will warn though, that most of these activities are aimed at a young crowd. My 6 year old was somewhat still interested in the activities, and my 9 year old was mostly uninterested. Except for the passports. Never too old for those apparently! If bringing small kids, there will be lots for them to do and explore. Keep a close eye on them though, because this is a popular museum and can get quite crowded.

After the Children’s Museum, we decided to take a look around the rest of the History Museum.

The Imax is no longer an Imax, but movies are still played. They show both English and French movies. We saw one of the educational short films and loved it. They were also playing a full length Disney movie, included in the price of our admission. A great addition for families wanting to spend the whole day out, but also want to sit back and relax a bit.

We also checked out the new Medieval exhibit. My 9 year old was much more into this exhibit than the Children’s Museum. The adults quite enjoyed it too!. In this part of the museum, there is less to touch and feel, but we still managed to find one hands on activity!

Overall, we found something for everyone at this museum and would recommend it to anyone with young kids or families that want to spend a whole day exploring different activities all in one place.

Disclosure: Kystra and her family received passes to the Children’s Museum and the Canadian Museum of History for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are her own.

Easter Activities in Ottawa

It may still feel like chilly outside, but warmer weather will be here before we know it - which means Easter will be too! Easter is towards the middle of April this year, which may mean outdoor egg hunts are possible. Only time will tell!

Ottawa has many family-friendly Easter activities happening throughout Easter weekend including Easter egg hunts, decorating and ample opportunities for little ones to meet the Easter Bunny! Here's where to go in the Ottawa area for the very best in Easter activities the entire family can enjoy:

Bell’s Bunny Hop at Fairfields Heritage House

Celebrate Easter with a traditional egg hunt on the grounds of Fairfields Heritage House! Before, or after, your child collects their treats, help them explore the museum with a scavenger hunt or plant seeds to help jump start the growing season. Note: Activities will take place both outdoors and indoors (rain or shine). Please dress for the weather and wear appropriate footwear for mud/snow and grassy terrain. Registration is required.  
Saturday April 11th, 10am- 4pm, $6.82 per child.

Canadian Agricultural Museum- Easter at the farm

Celebrate Easter at the Canadian Agricultural Museum from April 19th to April 22nd. The barns are sure to be alive with newborn animals, and what better way to celebrate Easter than with real live cute baby chicks and bunnies!

Valleyview Animal Farm – Easter Fun  

Easter egg hunts with hundreds of coloured eggs take place throughout Easter weekend at Valleyview Animal Farm. This farm is a great place for younger kids, who may want to stop and feed a goat or two while they hunt for eggs

Billings Estate Museum – Easter at the Estate

On Saturday April 11th (9am to 3pm) Billings Estate hosts an Easter egg hunt as well as other fun and educational Easter activities. For more information visit the Billing Estate Museum website by clicking here.

Easter at the Farmer’s Markets

It’s still a little early for fresh produce (unless you hit up one of the farms with a greenhouse!) but markets will still hold some fun activities over Easter weekend, and you can shop for locally made goodies and all those root veggies that get stored throughout the winter! Check out Carp Farmer’s Market on Saturday and the Ottawa Farmer’s Market on Sunday.

Cumberland Heritage Village Museum - Hop Into Spring

On Saturday April 20th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. celebrate Easter with "Hop into Spring" - unscramble an easter puzzle, dye eggs and learn how people used to prepare for spring. For information and to register, visit the museum's website.

Diefenbunker – Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Located in Carp, the Diefenbunker has held an easter egg hunt on Easter weekend for the past few years - this year it is on Saturday, April 11th. With hundreds of places to hide in the 100,000 square foot bunker, it makes for a fun Easter egg hunt for all ages! For more details, click here.

What activities do you enjoy sharing with your kids at Easter? Or is there an Easter activity in Ottawa we should know about? Leave a comment and let us know. 

Books to Celebrate Spring from the Ottawa Public Library

The Ottawa Public Library is back to share their top 10 most notable 2019 books for young kids. This month’s post is by Ann-Marie Miller, Supervising Librarian, Children’s Department, Ruth E. Dickinson Branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

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Wake Up! poem by Helen Frost; photographs by Rick Lieder

This rhythmic poem imagines a spring day and the luscious nature photographs take us there. Baby birds, frogs, fawns and more will surely delight and the poetry challenges us to wake up and take note of these wonders.  Captions for each photograph are given under thumbnail pictures in the final pages.

Duck and Hippo in the Rainstorm by Jonathon London; illustrated by Andrew Joyner

A rollicking day in the spring rain with friends, Duck and Hippo.  Duck has an umbrella but is Hippo too big to get under it?  Will he be able to ride down the stream in it?  Will he be able to hold onto it when the wind comes along?  No matter what befalls the duo, they stick together to end the day with a warm cup of tea.  

Little Blue Truck’s Springtime by Alice Schertle; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

The little blue truck and his friend toad are on the road once more.  On this beautiful spring day who will they see along the way? Open the flaps to find all of the cute little baby animals on the farm.  Your little ones will go back to this story again and again.

Early Readers

It’s Spring!  by Samantha Berger and Pamela Chanko; illustrated by Melissa Sweet 

First Robin arrives to announce that spring is here and then each animal rushes to tell the next. From the new Story Play series, this story is told in rhyming text suitable for the beginning reader. There are questions throughout to prompt discussion and a two-page spread of related activities on the endpapers.

Pig and Goose and the First Day of Spring by Rebecca Bond

On the first day of spring, Pig sets out to have a picnic and meets a new friend, Goose.  The story of their day together is told in three little chapters as Pig tries to fly, shares her picnic and invites Goose to join her friends for their spring party.  A delightful tale suitable for grade one or two.  

Mouse Loves Spring by Lauren Thompson; illustrated by Bucket Erdogan

Mouse and Momma go exploring on one windy spring day and meet up with a butterfly, a snail, a bird and many more forest friends.  The simple, repetitive text and delightful illustrations will encourage your beginning reader.

Early Novels

Heartwood Hotel: Better Together by Kallie George; illustrated by Stephanie Graegin.

The Heartwood Hotel is having a festival – the Spring Splash.  There is a competition for the cutest egg, a talent show for the insects, a race to find the best blossom and a big finale planned.  At the festival finale the owls swoop in and Mona, the mouse, must try to save the staff and guests.  An engaging story with sympathetic characters and plenty of action for your grade two or three reader. 

Stink: Hamlet and Cheese by Megan McDonald; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

This time, the popular Stink, has no plans for Spring Break so his friend Sophie invites him to join her at Shakespeare Camp.  On the first day, Stink finds he is the only boy in camp!  Will this one-sided group ever put together the play planned for the last day of camp?  With oversized font and humorous illustrations, this is a great story for the grade two or grade three crowd. 

Batcat and the Seven Squirrels by Eric Walters; illustrated by Kasia Charko

Would seven motherless baby squirrels and a homeless cat all in one backyard spell trouble?  Not this time as the cat, called Batcat, adopts the babies and joins in the quest to raise them.  A heartwarming story drawn from the childhood experiences of the author. The large well-spaced font and the black and white illustrations make this book a solid choice for those just stepping up to novels. 

Children’s Novels

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech is a master of the heartwarming story and this book is a great introduction to her list.  Winslow is a pitiful, motherless, miniature donkey born on Uncle Pete’s farm and brought home to Louie wrapped in a blanket.  Winslow’s mother has fallen ill and cannot care for him.  Louie has a disastrous track record as a pet owner.  Yet Louie is determined to save Winslow and, with his friend Nora’s help, he just might be successful. 

Vanished: A Framed! Novel by James Ponti

Florian has a particular knack for noticing small details. He names it TOAST – The Theory Of All Small Things. Florian and his friend, Margaret, use TOAST to solve big mysteries. They are so successful with this that they have been engaged by the FBI as Special Agents.  Their assignment is to find out who is pulling pranks at the prestigious private school which the President’s daughter attends.  A thoughtful, but still adventuresome, mystery.  Check out Framed by the same author with the same characters. 

Elephant Secret by Eric Walters

For those who love animals, this story is set in an elephant sanctuary where Samantha and her Dad care for their herd.  Many of their number have come from unfortunate circumstances.  When the newest baby comes along, it is not exactly what they were expecting.  They have a secret to keep and their territory to defend – even when a generous benefactor comes along.  What begins as an idyllic nature story becomes a rousing adventure.  Suitable for those in grades five or six.

Non-Fiction

Spring after Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement by Stephanie Roth Sisson

When Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in 1962 she inspired the modern environmental movement.  Here we learn how Rachel grew up loving the natural world, eventually becoming the biologist who changed how we think about the impact of pesticides on nature.  An interesting introduction to this field for those in grade four and beyond.

Family Friendly Hockey with the Ottawa 67's!

KITC would like to welcome back guest blogger, Stephen Johnson. Stephen Johnson is an Ottawa writer who loves to write about family travel.  During the summer, you will most likely find him and his family at a local fair or festival. During the winter, a beach in Mexico is a likely bet.  

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The playoffs are always my favourite time to watch hockey. The Ottawa 67’s have had a record breaking year and it looks like they could go deep into the playoffs.  Sandy, David and I decided to check out a game between the Ottawa 67’s and Hamilton Bulldogs.  

One aspect I like about attending a 67’s game are all the activities taking place inside and outside the arena. We arrived early and had time to check out the Ottawa Farmers Market. We also wandered around the restaurants and shops enjoying the colour and passion of the Ottawa 67’s fans.   

Once inside the arena,  we still had a few minutes before game time started.  The 67’s have done a great job at creating a family-friendly atmosphere.  There was a bouncy castle, face-painting and Jenga blocks to keep the young ones entertained.  At ten years old, David felt he was too old to partake in those activities but was excited to watch the hockey game.

The first period started and the 67’s quickly jumped out to an early lead with a short-handed goal.  The Bulldogs responded by playing aggressively but the 67’s answered with another goal. By the end of the first period, it was 2-0 for the good guys.

In keeping with the family-friendly entertainment theme,  the first period intermission featured a contest between uncle and nephew to see who could get the most pucks in the net.  I am not sure if the uncle was just being nice but the nephew won by a wide margin.

The second period started with physical play on both sides. Hamilton started with a power play goal but the 67’s came storming back with two quick goals before the second period ended.

The second period intermission featured a game of musical chairs on the ice.  The highlight was seeing a young participant out-jumping the 67’s mascot to grab one of the remaining chairs.  I think that kid might have a future in sports!

For the third period,  the 67’s held on to their lead earning a 5-2 win.  The atmosphere for the entire game was great with most of the crowd only looking at their phones to take photos of the 67’s goals.

How to get there

Planning to leave your car at home, the 67’s have got you covered.  A pre-purchased game ticket gives you access to OC Transpo three hours before and after the game. There is also a free park and ride shuttle from Carleton University to and from the game. All transit options can be found here  http://ottawa67s.com/transportation. If you do take your car, I would recommend to buy a game-day parking pass ahead of time.  It is for the underground garage at Lansdowne and is eight dollars which is quite affordable for a sporting event nowadays.  

What you should know

Of course, one of the attractions of seeing a game at TD Place are all the restaurants open before and after the game.  There are also numerous food options available inside the arena. I have found them to be fairly priced when you consider all arena food has a mark-up.  One policy I also like is that you are allowed to bring empty water bottles into the arena. There are two refillable water fountain stations so you are not left thirsty.  No outside food or drink is allowed inside the arena.

If all goes according to plan, there will be many playoff games in the 67’s immediate future.  For all the details and schedule, www.ottawa67s.com

Disclaimer: Stephen and his family received free tickets for this Ottawa 67s game but all views and excitement are his own.

Maple Syrup Season in Ottawa - Temple's Sugar Bush

KITC would like to welcome back guest blogger, Stephen Johnson. Stephen Johnson is an Ottawa writer who loves to write about family travel.  During the summer, you will most likely find him and his family at a local fair or festival. During the winter, a beach in Mexico is a likely bet.  

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When I first moved to Ottawa from Saskatchewan nineteen years ago,  one of the things I loved about Ottawa was visiting a sugar bush every March and April to load up on pancakes and maple syrup.   Saskatchewan grows and produces many great things but maple syrup is not one of them.

Visiting a sugar bush has now become a tradition for our family.   This year, we decided to check out Temple’s Sugar Bush, located on Lanark County Road 15 - Ferguson Falls Road.

The first thing that had made me want to visit the sugar bush was the post and beam timber frame construction of the main building.  Built in 2007, the construction style does not use steel and girders with the giant pine beams held in place by hand whittled wood dowels.  Entering the main building, I was not disappointed. It felt like I had stepped into the Chateau Montebello or an elegant wood frame construction from a hundred years ago.   

Our son,  David, also liked the architecture but was more interested in the buffet.   We were seated at communal tables that allowed for easy conversation. The buffet was expansive and delicious.   There were the items you would expect like pancakes, sausages, beans and eggs. Other less obvious items included salad, breakfast biscuits  and yogurt giving variety to the traditional buffet Of course, the most important feature was the maple syrup which is made on-site.

The best part of the buffet was the taste! Nothing was from a can and tasted homemade. You didn’t see shrivelled up sausages that had been under a heat lamp for hours.  The chef brought out fresh items regularly keeping everyone happy.

I also appreciated the friendly and prompt service.   Even though there was a large crowd, there were enough staff on hand to make sure everyone’s coffee cups were full.  

One other aspect I enjoyed was that there was not loud music being played or over the loudspeakers allowing for conversation without having to yell.  My dad was visiting us from Saskatchewan so having an animated conversation together with David and my wife, Sandy is a memory I will treasure.

After our hearty meal,  we had a chance to meet Charles Temple who shared with us his story.  “I had dropped out of the University of Toronto and wasn’t sure what to do with my life,” offered Temple.  “I remembered fond childhood memories of making maple syrup at my mother’s family farm. I decided I wanted to set up my own sugar camp.  I started off modestly and eventually had my own farm with a sugar bush. Things evolved and we eventually purchased our current property with a vow to open a restaurant.  That has brought us to today with our restaurant.”

Mr. Temple or as he preferred to be called, Charlie, was also kind enough to show us where the sap from the maple trees was boiled and the process to turn it into maple syrup.   

We wrapped our time at Temple’s by walking the nature trail to try and burn off some of the calories we had gained at the buffet.  We walked long enough to probably justify two pancakes and one sausage. Oh well, that will mean just one more bike ride in the spring.

If you go - Temple’s Sugar Bush restaurant is typically open from March 1 -  end of April. The rest of the year, the facility serves as a popular wedding venue. The buffet is served weekends and holidays with the menu being offered Wednesday - Friday.  Expect larger crowds on the weekend but when we went, there wasn’t a lineup and people were served promptly. There is also a small store on-site selling maple products.

If you want to extend your trip, there is a cheese store and Amish furniture store in nearby Balderson.  The historic town of Perth is about a twenty minute drive from Temple’s.

Disclaimer: Stephen and his family were comped for their meal at Temple’s Sugar Bush, but all opinions are his own.