Winter activities in Ottawa: Feeding the Birds at Mer Bleue

While Misty is dreaming up ways to make things feel a bit more winter-y I'm all for embracing the warmer temperatures and doing some of the outdoor things I usually avoid because I don't like being cold. 

This weekend I thought we would enjoy the lovely weather and get outside and we headed to Mer Bleue Boardwalk to see if we could find some chickadees to feed. Mer Bleue is a few minutes down Anderson Road from the 417 so it's a short drive from a lot of the city.

What to feed the birds

I'm no great expert on this but we stopped at bulk barn and for $2 or so of the wild bird seed I got enough seed that we could visit at least 5 more times without running out. Someone else who recently went to feed the birds said the birds seemed to love black sunflower seeds even more (and you can get that at bird shops). I stopped for coffee for myself on the way and asked for three small empty cups for the kids so they could each have something to carry a reasonable amount of seeds in on their own.

Where to find the birds

I've only done this a couple of times but here's what I've found to be key (please leave a comment if you have other/better ideas :).... listen for the chickadee dee dee noises... they tend to be close to treed areas, and then put some seeds in your flat hand and wait to see if they show up.

It's not very scientific, we found the birds in quite a few different places around the boardwalk, including in the tree right next to where we parked in the main parking lot. In fact, the most photos I got that I love were taken within 10 feet of my van!

I learned something pretty quickly with my three though. While the birds will land in a completely flat hand that isn't moving, the sensation of having a bird land on your hand is kind of strange and the kids didn't love it so much. My daughter dealt with it best. The boys each tried it once and then wouldn't try it again.

So what do you do instead?

Birdseed on the head! The birds happily landed on all three kids' hats within a few minutes of me putting some seed there.

Birdseed on hat works well. Beware the six year olds who will take off their hat and dump the seed directly into their hair.

Enjoy the Boardwalk

The Mer Bleue Boardwalk is a nice 1.2 km walk that is completely flat. The three kids (9, 6 and 6) made it the whole way without anyone trying to convince me to carry them or having to be left behind (at least not for long). It's beautiful, there's a self-directed tour if you're interested and if you're lucky your kids will pose for a few pictures for you.

If you're more of a winter person than I am, you can go and check this out once there's snow on the ground too!

There are so many great activities in Ottawa, leave us a comment and let us know where you like to go out and enjoy nature with the kids.

Fringe Activities: Try Them!

With the fall schedule just around the corner, you've probably scoured the City of Ottawa Fall-Winter Recreation Guide and stayed up late to secure those perfectly timed swimming classes (yes, the ones where your different aged children have class at the same time).  Given the intense competition for your extracurricular dollars, some organizations are using free Come Try Events to spread the word on their programs.

Come Try Ringette

Four years ago, I was surprised to find myself a ringette mom after enrolling my eldest daughter in the City of Ottawa Ringette Association's Bunnies - Learn to Skate program.  She loved it, and I admit it was pretty adorable to watch.  

M & K have a little photo booth fun at the Purple Penguins Christmas party

As she graduated from Bunnies to Novice, I suspected her enthusiasm would wane with early morning practices.  It didn't.  In fact, this past season was her best yet - both on the ice and off the ice!  The constant improvement in her skills and knowledge of the game coupled with some amazing friendships that have blossomed have made ringette #1 in her world.  

My husband (Coach Dave) has even been known to extoll it's virtues at the risk of being shunned by hockey dads :)  

New players are welcomed at all ages in ringette, and my daughter's fun-loving, silver medal-winning team boasted four girls who had never played before.  If you think ringette might appeal to your child, several associations (CORA, Nepean, GCRA) have joined forces to promote the sport and with a free Come Try Ringette event.  It takes place Saturday, September 13th from 4-6 PM at the Jim Durrell Arena (1265 Walkley Rd).  As an added incentive, some associations have also introduced a New-to-Ringette discount.

Come Try Synchro

My youngest has tactile sensitivities, so ringette, with all it's gear, was out.  On the other hand, she swims like a mermaid and considers herself quite the performer.  Synchronized swimming seems like it might be a shoo-in, so we've signed her up to Ottawa Synchro's Dolphin program this fall.  If you think synchronized swimming might appeal to your child, there are several upcoming Come Try Synchro events.

• Ottawa Synchro will host free Try Synchro events on Monday, August 24th and Monday, August 31st.  These both take place from 7:30-8:15 PM at the Carleton Pool.
• Gloucester Cumberland Synchro offers free Try Synchro times throughout the season with three next week Tuesday, August 25th, Thursday, August 27th, and Friday, August 28th.  These take place from 7-7:30 PM at the Splash Pool (2040 Ogilvie Rd).

...and Join the Circus

Alright, neither of my kids have joined the circus and there is no try-before-you-buy event for the circus but it's so cool - I had to mention it!  Mini Cirque offers Circus Prop Manipulation Skills and Acrobatics on Tuesdays, from September 15th to December 15th, at the Glebe Community Centre.  Sophie Latreille is an engaging performer (for kids and adults alike), so I suspect this translates well for the program, which uses props and focuses on juggling, poi, flower-stick, hula-hooping and acrobatics.

There are so many great activities in Ottawa, but I really love the option to check it out prior to outlaying serious cash.  Some other considerations,

• Capital Wave is hosting an Open House on Saturday, September 12th at Carleton Pool.  It's an opportunity to try water polo, and meet and talk with returning athletes and coaches.
• Gloucester Cumberland Basketball Association is hosting an Open House Wednesday, September 9th 7-9 PM at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School.  
• Most martial arts studios around town offer some type of reasonably priced back-to-school or introductory offer.  In particular, Douvris and Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts seem focused on developing self-confident kids.

Do your kids participate in fringe activities?  Tell us about it in the comments below.

Adventures at sleep away camp

I have friends who spent their summers at sleep away camp as kids and I've always been kind of jealous. I went a few times, a week at a time, but the stories I heard from some of my friends who stayed a month (or more) were stories of amazing friendships, learning great skills and enjoying the outdoors in all its splendor.

I want that for my kids. I know there's no guarantee that they'll adore it, but I had high hopes based on how much they enjoy our time at the cottage every summer. This year, we took the plunge and our 8-year-old spent a week at sleep away camp.

He loved it.

He came home glowing and didn't stop talking for two hours, telling us all his stories. Here are a few of my favourite things about his experience.

He got to try new activities

My not-so-particularly physical kid spent every day swimming, kayaking, rock climbing and sailing.

His favourite activities were rock climbing (which he did almost every day) and sailing (which I'm told is SO FUN! and SO RELAXING! and we need a sailboat for the cottage NOW!). Archery, which he was quite excited about, wasn't really all he thought it would be.

They had campfires and they slept in a tent overnight in the woods. They build boats out of cardboard and got to test them out on the lake (apparently the only one that floated was the one that was too small for anyone to sit in.) He tried so many great things I can only imagine what he'll try when he's there for several weeks.

He was completely disconnected

I have no problems with technology for kids in moderation but I definitely think that being disconnected is important too. I was impressed that he had no hesitation leaving his iPod behind and I don't think he missed it at all while he was away. He read paper books and wrote us postcards during his down time.

He had to take care of himself

He had a lot of stuff he was responsible for managing

They may remind you to brush your teeth and put on sunscreen at camp, but even at 8 you're pretty responsible for yourself. He had to manage keeping track of his stuff and keeping it organized (which I think he only did moderately well).

I packed his bag because he had another activity the night before he left and I would definitely make him be more involved in future years, because there were a lot of things that got jumbled up. He had so much stuff in his huge bag that he never ended up using or wearing certain items, because he forgot he had them. I think it was a valuable lesson in being responsible for himself and not having someone to just go to when he couldn't find something.

Camp Otterdale

The camp we chose was based on a recommendation from someone I knew, but my son headed off without any friends or knowing anyone there. The camp was so great at making him feel welcome and all the counsellors made me feel confident that he would be in good hands when I left him there.

Located just outside Smith Falls, it's on a beautiful lake and the amazing variety of activities they have for the kids is quite incredible. All the camp counsellors have to have been campers to get jobs there, and the staff loyalty was clear - they could demonstrate how great a time kids have when they go to camp.

Next year my son wants to go for two weeks and my daughter (who will be seven) wants to go for a week. I'm still waiting to see if I think her twin will be ready at seven as well (here's a great post from Mabel's Labels about figuring out if your kids are ready for sleep away camp). They're already looking forward to it!

Have you considered sleep away camp for your kids? Have they been? Share what your experiences have been like in the comments!

Clip'n'Climb a great outing for your little climbers

My kids are climbers. Especially my daughter. I've been wanting to check out the Clip'n'Climb gym in Gatineau ever since my daughter scaled their wall in rubber boots at Kidfest this Fall and the experience did not disappoint.

The Clip'n'Climb is a part of Altitude Climbing Gym which is what you would think of more traditionally as a climbing gym. Located at 35 Boulevard Saint-Raymond in an old church (the high ceilings work well for them!) less than 5 minutes off the highway near the Casino, it was easy to get to and find. 

How it works

What's different about the Clip'n'Climb is that anyone can do it without any kind of formal training. When you arrive a staff person gives you all the information on putting on your harness and shows you how everything works. As opposed to more traditional climbing you don't need someone to spot you at the bottom because the pulley system does all the work.

You clip yourself in to the wall, wait for a staff person to ok you to climb, climb, and when you're done you simply push back from the wall slowly lower down.

The sessions are an hour and fifteen minutes, cost $15 and you need to book ahead of time. They're only open evenings and weekends as they keep full during week days with special groups and their own camp kids.

Climbing the walls

There are almost 30 walls (I think, I can't find the exact number) of all different levels of difficulty. All of my kids started out by trying the jungle wall and the bubble walls which we were told were the easiest.

Once they were comfortable on those walls they really got going, trying every different kind of wall possible and pushing themselves to (literally) new heights. Several of the walls have a button to push at the top. A couple of times my guys got nervous almost at the top and wanting to push the button is what got them all the way there.

She reached the button!

I also liked that they aren't all traditional walls. These green posts were the most popular climb in the gym for my kids - they all tried it several times over.

The staff were so helpful and friendly

What else do they do?

My daughter is such a natural climber I had several people come up to me and comment on it and ask how old she was. That started a good conversation with the staff about climbing programs in the other side of the gym and if they were a bit closer to us I would definitely sign her up.

They also host birthday parties (I'm definitely thinking of this for my daughter for next year!) and summer camps.

I put together a short video of our time at the gym. I'm so glad we had a chance to check it out. It's been on our list for a long time and instead of crossing it off we're just planning to leave it there because we want to go back soon!

Disclosure: We were given free passes to try out the Clip'n'Climb. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Minecraft Workshops at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

My eight year old loves Minecraft - can't get enough of it!  So when a friend told me that the Canada Aviation and Space Museum was having 3 hour Minecraft workshops in March, I signed him right up for one on Sunday morning.

As expected, he had a blast.  I sat down with him to get him to tell me a bit about the workshop from his point of view. Here's what we came up with together:

If you like Minecraft you should go to this workshop because you can work together with other people to build one big rocket ship. You go mining to get material and climb mountains to get quartz. 

The teachers will take a picture of the rocket ship with the players on it and they will put it on Facebook to compare other people’s rocket ships from when they did the workshop. (note from Lara: I went to their Facebook page and didn't see this but maybe they're coming. UPDATE:  here they are! ) 

It was fun to play with other players to build something.  It’s fun to see other people’s ideas and build something giant together to make something really creative, more creative than I could make alone. 

You can also make your own Golems which protect you.  Most of the kids at the workshop were great but some can be destructive and might destroy some of your work on the rocket and kill your Golems.  That part isn’t as fun.

I think this is a good workshop for anyone who likes Minecraft.  

Check out their web site - I know my son would be happy to attend again any time!

Here's a promo video from their web site if you want to see a bit more of what the workshop is like.