The Great Backyard Bird Count

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by Josee This is for the Birds!

The Great Backyard Bird Count is on this weekend, from Friday February 18th to Monday February 21st. This activity has captured my imagination - I just love it when learning, frugal fun, and the great outdoors collide!

The purpose of the GBBC is to create a snapshot of where birds are located across the continent. Everyone is encouraged to participate, and the GBBC's wonderful website makes it easy for children to get involved.

Here's how it works:

  • Pick your bird-watching spot. It can be your back yard, a park, a forest...anywhere you're likely to spot some birds.
  • Spend at least 15 minutes keeping track of the largest number of birds you spot at one time. For example, if you see three Canada Geese together at 10:00 a.m., then spot six Canada Geese together a few minutes later, you will need to record the six Canada Geese for your tally. Don't add the three and six together, since you might end up counting the same bird twice. You can spend as long as you like at your location watching for birds.
  • If you decide to participate on different days or in more than one location, keep a different tally sheet for each day and each location.
  • Enter your results on the GBBC website.
  • Watch the on-line maps develop as more and more people enter their results.

Don't know the first thing about birds? If you're like me, the only birds you can identify off-hand are Canada Geese, Blue Jays and pigeons! No worries - that's where the GBBC's amazing website comes in. Enter your location here, and a list of bird species native to your area will come up. You can then click on each type of bird to get information and photos. You can also search birds by name here. The GBBC's kids' page also has a link to an application that will teach you and your child different bird calls, as well as numerous other fun, interactive games, colouring pages, and puzzles.

I think my four-year old daughter will love bird watching. I'm just trying to decide where we'll go to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Come to think of it, we could even count the Rock Pigeons in our downtown neighbourhood - there are always plenty of those around!

Josée is 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.

Valentine's Day love

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by Brie and Lara Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! We hope that you are giving and getting lots of hugs and kisses from family today. Because that (not chocolate) is what Valentine's Day is all about.

Since it is a day for love, we want to say thank you to all our lovely readers and contributors that took the time to complete our survey. It was great to find out what you like about Kids in the Capital and to know what you want to see more of.  You love reading about Ottawa-based activities, events, attractions and services. You also want to read more about Ottawa-based activities, events, attractions and services.

We will be working on incorporating your feedback and suggestions into upcoming posts. You know, as soon as neither of us are sick. Don't worry, we won't wait until the kids are all healthy. Then it would never happen!

What we love about Kids in the Capital, though, is that it is a blog about what you love. Not just us. So if there is something you love to do with your kids or that your kids love to do, please email us at kidsinthecapital(at)gmail(dot)com to blog about it here! We want to share what you love with other Ottawa parents whose kids might love it too.

In the spirit of love, please leave a comment letting us know what your family is doing to mark Valentine's Day today. Are you eating heart shaped pancakes for breakfast? Tucking notes in lunch bags? Scrambling to finish addressing twenty Valentine's Day cards for one of your kids that "forgot"? Getting a babysitter and sneaking out without the kids for dinner?

Whatever it is, we want to hear about it!

The best thing about Winterlude: Beavertails

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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.

Valentine Day Sweets

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 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.

Family fun at Winterlude

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by Laura This Friday marks the first day of Winterlude in Ottawa.  It is an excellent festival starring the largest outdoor skating rink (7.8 kms long!), the frozen Rideau Canal.  The Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Estimates of over 700,000 visitors come to Canada’s capital to celebrate winter and unique events and activities.

 If you have never been to Winterlude, this is the year to consider visiting. The conditions are perfect. It is freezing!  Therefore, the canal is nicely frozen and we have plenty of fluffy white snow to make the city a perfect winter wonderland.

Although skating is a wonderful attraction at Winterlude, there are many other activities to enjoy , often free of charge. Some examples include Aboriginal storytelling and dance performances.  Visitors can watch ice carvers from around the world create magnificent sculptures. There are learn to skate lessons or an opportunity to visit a real arctic ice camp and meet with experts in glaciology, climatology and seismology.  A local blog called OttawaStart has an excellent guide to Winterlude for a comprehensive list of events and activities.

My family loves to visit the Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Park.  There are giant ice slides, a snow labyrinth, furry mascots, ice sculptures and other fun.  

It would be a gastronomic crime to neglect mentioning Winterlude food.  Skating, sliding and enjoying the outdoors make for good appetites. Last year I wrote about my weakness for BeaverTails.  If you have not experienced this sweet pastry before, I highly recommend sampling one. For those with a real sweet tooth, maple taffy poured over snow is something different to try.  My husband is partial to his once a year steaming bowl of poutine.  Either way, Winterlude  is not the time to count calories.  Trust.

This season the Dows Lake gallery, an outdoor space presents an exciting exhibit of original art from young photographers.  The theme is the environment. This eco-art exhibit sponsered by the National Capital Commission (NCC) runs from January to February 2011.   I am looking forward to checking that out.

If you are looking for a fun weekend getaway this February, consider coming to Winterlude.  I suggest calling your Ottawan friends/family and tell them about your need to spend quality time together.  Earn extra points if you own an air mattress and offer to shovel some snow. (Sorry, we have visitors already booked!)

Some of my advice for Winterlude enjoyment.

  • Don’t ask where Bonhomme is – wrong winter carnival.
  • Put aside all vanity and wear long underwear, snow pants, real winter boots (no heels ladies!), hats, neckwarmers and waterproof mittens.  Dressing for the elements makes it waaay more enjoyable.
  • Knapsacks are an easy way to cart around skates, a camera, drinks etc.
  • If the selection of Beavertails has your head spinning, go for the Killaloe Sunrise.  It is delightful.
  • Try to skate on the canal after sunset.  It is a very different experience…romantic actually.
  • For up-to-date skating conditions, check out this webcam. 
  • If you have an iphone you can even download a free app to help plan the perfect Winterlude outing.

 Hope to see you out on the canal.

Laura is a wife and Mother to beautiful 8 and 10 year old girls.  She describes herself as an eco-advocate and moderate neat freak with a recessive frugal gene.  Laura provides light-hearted commentary for every day, practical green living on her blog the Mindful Merchant.

Kids in the Capital is conducting a survey this week to learn more about our readers and better understand what kind of information you’d like to see here.  Please take 5 minutes to answer, and you’ll be entered into a draw for a free photo from Sara McConnell Photography at the Red, White and Love event on February 12. Click here to take survey