Halloween Fun with Foam

by Natasha Halloween is just around the corner and I have been doing a variety of Halloween crafts with my son.  His favourite so far is decorating foam pumpkin stickers.

I picked up a large container of Halloween themed foam stickers from Michaels.  It contains a variety of sparkly and non-sparkly foam pumpkins, masks, hats and grass.

To get started I took out a pack of construction paper and let my son choose what colour he would like for the background.  I laid out all of the different mask, pumpkin and hat choices to make it easy for my son to pick out.

My son chose a red background then immediately began placing his collection of sparkly pumpkins all over the page. He absolutely loved decorating the pumpkins with masks.  His favourite coloured masks were the white ones.

These foam stickers are my new favourite craft to do with my son because it requires no glue or scissors, you simply peel back the paper and stick.  This allows your child to create his own masterpiece without the messy clean up.

What is your favourite Halloween craft?

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.

Something Good

by Amy I am a huge fan of books and words and making learning fun, so when I heard about the Much More Munsch exhibit at the Children's Museum I was kind of excited.

And when I say kind of excited, I was very excited and I figured there was a chance I would have more fun than the kid.

It so happened that my husband and I were on vacation for the week of Thanksgiving and we had planned a Boughner Family Extravaganza. We had already taken a trip to Saunders Farm, visited the Museum of Science and Technology, and we were at a lost for what Friday would hold. A newsletter hit my inbox telling me about the Munsch exhibit and a plan was made.I love Robert Munsch, I love his stories, I love hearing him read them, and I have tried to introduce them into my daughter's life. (I believe The Paperbag Princess has taught a great lesson to girls of my generation).

The Munsch exhibit is inside the Children's Museum at the Museum of Civilization, so for one admission you can tour both. I was young enough to visit the Children's Museum when it opened so I have fond memories and was excited to take my kid for a visit. There is quite a bit to see, traveling around the world and playing all sorts of different games. When entering the Children's Museum they give you a passport that you can stamp at all the different places you can visit. We went through Japan, Egypt and India to name a few, then we travelled through Canada a bit before finding the Munsch exhibit.

The exhibit is supposed to be set up like Robert Munsch's house, so you walk into this room and there's a brick wall with words written on every brick so you can 'build a story' - once you put on your hard hat, of course. Inside there are stairs that stomp and clomp like Mortimer's (a story my mother used to tell me was about me), and different characters behind different doors in the hallway and kitchen.

My favourite part of the house was the velcro wall on one side with velcro letters that you use to create your own onomatopoeias like Robert Munsch does in all his stories. Since Onomatopoeia is one of my favourite words, I was excited that kids are learning about these words that are sounds.

I was a bit disappointed that the Much More Munsch exhibit wasn't bigger, but the kids that were there all seemed engaged, and many of them were sitting at a table near the house writing letters to Munsch. There was a mailbox set up next to the table to get letters straight to him. Combined with the rest of the Children's Museum there was plenty of activity to keep my kid interested for quite a while.

The Much More Munsch Exhibit is on at the Children's Museum inside the Museum of Civilization until April 9, 2012.

Amy is mom to 20 month old Maggie and a 5 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.

Upper Canada Village: You can't go wrong!

One of the things I enjoy as a parent is being able to take Liam places that I can remember visiting as a child.  One of those places that we chose to explore this summer was Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg.

We hadn’t planned on visiting the 1860’s pioneer village this summer as we knew that at only two and a half, Liam would not understand the significance.  However when booking a weekend of camping at Riverside-Cedar Campground, we discovered that The Parks Of St. Lawrence offers a 40% discount on admission to Upper Canada Village with your site reservation.  We quickly changed our minds and visited twice this summer.

Our first visit was just the three of us, but when we went back a couple of weeks ago, Liam brought his grandma and aunties too!  And that is one of the beauties of Upper Canada Village, there is something for everyone.

As adults, we enjoyed the physical beauty of the old building, the stories about the way of life in the 1860s and the antiques.

For Liam, it was the animals – horses going by no matter where you are, pastures of cattle, the pig pen and even little pig lets running around like puppies.

Be prepared for lots of walking as you check out everything from the village schoolhouse to the bakery, the church to the sawmill, the Tavern to the Doctor’s house.  If it was part of life in the 1860s, you are likely to find it along the roads of Upper Canada Village.

If you’re not up for walking there is a horse drawn wagon tour as well as a horse powered boat ride that will save your feet!

Along the way, the costumed interpreters are all happy to chat and share stories with you but as many of the buildings are actually working buildings they do have a job to do.

You may happen into the newspaper office in time to see them printing a poster for an upcoming event.

Cheese and bread are made daily in the cheese factory and bakery and sold in the gift shop.

There are lovely picnic areas around in the Village if you want to bring a picnic lunch or if picnics aren’t your thing, there is a cafeteria as well as a restaurant in the village.  The cafeteria has all the modern day choices of burgers, fries, sandwiches and of course, ice cream while the restaurant servers period meal choices.

Once you’ve walked all you can walk, checked out the gift shop on your way out and think that you are done for the day, there is one last thing left to do.  No, it’s not get in the car and hope that the kids sleep for the hour and a half drive back to Ottawa, it is to ride the Moccasin, or as Liam calls it, the Little Red Train.

Take a ride (the short ride is about 17 minutes and the long ride is about 45 minutes) along the St. Lawrence River, listening to the story of the battle of Crysler Farm.  The scenery is gorgeous and if you are so inclined, you can get off the train at Crysler Beach for a few hours before taking the train back to your car.

Although there is an extra charge for the train, it is well worth it as it was the highlight of Liam’s day both times.

Fun, family oriented, educational, outdoors, exercise . . . where can you go wrong with Upper Canada Village?

*****

Nicki is a working mom of one two-year-old boy, Liam. She is an Early Childhood Educator and in her spare time, volunteers for New Moon Rabbit Rescue and as a Brownie Leader with Girl Guides of Canada. She loves to garden, scrapbook and write! You can read more about Nicki on The Perils of a Working Mom.

Halloween Activities for Families

by Natasha There are so many great Halloween activities that you can do with your whole family in Ottawa.  Here are the ones that our family loves to partake in.

Saunders Farm has a variety of activities for children of all ages.  You can go through the corn maze, visit the Big Sky Ranch animal display and explore their giant play structures.  For the younger kids, Saunders Farm has an interactive discovery barn.  Take the kids on the wagon ride and see what spooky things await for you in the forest.  The daytime cost is $18; you can save $2 if you purchase your advance tickets at Independent Grocer in Stittsville, Ross' Your Independent Grocer in Barrhaven and all three CD Warehouse locations.  Kids 2 and under are free.

Cannamore Orchard is a great place to bring your family and enjoy a wagon ride, the fog maze, the spooky village and they have a special kid’s spooky house.  Visit the Cannamore store to try an assortment of baked goods, apples and candy.  The have a special section for younger kids that has a special kiddie maze, play structures and an animal farm.  You can purchase a package deal or individual activities.

The Agriculture Museum is having a Barnyard Halloween party (for members only) from 10am to 2pm on October 29 and 30^th.  Get the kids dressed up in their costumes and enjoy a scavenger hunt through the barn and learn how to make candy apples and other delicious fall treats.  Kids can also decorate their own pumpkins to take home.  Admission is $2.00 and children under 3 are free.   You must pre-register for this event.

Gymboree is having their annual Pumpkin Patch Party on October 21, 22, 23 and 28. Get the kids dressed up and join the costume parade.  Enjoy some delicious Halloween treats and create a fun Halloween craft that the kids can take home.  You will need to call and reserve your spot.  If your child is enrolled in Gymboree classes the cost is $12, if you are not enrolled the cost is $15.

Miller’s Farm and Market has a great selection of fall fruits and veggies in their market.  Jump on the wagon ride and take the kids to pick their own pumpkin. It is also a great place to take some fall family photos.

Do you have any additional Halloween activities that you do with your family?

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.

Hockey: Senators Puck Drop

by Amy My kid likes hockey.

She’s not even two but she’s been well exposed. We’ve taken her to two Sens games so far, we watched the Olympics with her, I’ve taken her to the rink to watch her Daddy coach. She owns three jerseys (Sens, Team Canada and the Jets, if you’re wondering).

We were in Canadian Tire not that long ago and she pointed to a picture of a kid in goalie equipment and said ‘hockey!’ We were listening the Sens Hockeyville game on the car radio on the way home and she pointed and said ‘hockey.’ Any time she sees a Senators logo, she points and says ‘hockey.’

Her Daddy taught her to say Alfie – It was one of her first words.

So when we heard about the Senators Puck Drop, a season kick-off that included an open practice and the unveiling of their new heritage jersey, we decided it was a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

When we drove into the parking lot and Maggie started yelling ‘Hockey! Hockey!’ and then ran through the parking lot yelling ‘Hockey! Hockey!’ we thought just maybe it was a good decision.

Outside Scotiabank Place, there was a tent set up with used equipment for sale. Inside, Sensations was open so people could look at the new jerseys. Upstairs on the second concourse there were activities for kids: accuracy shooting; face painting; an inflatable slide shaped like Spartacat and even a man making balloon animals.

There was no charge to get in, but the team was collecting donations for the Food Bank.

We went straight out to the first concourse and found some seats right behind the net and waited for the jersey unveiling and the open practice. There were quite a few people in attendance and Maggie had a good time just looking around at all the activity before the team came out on the ice. She did start getting a little impatient, we had to wait about half an hour from the time we arrived, but once the players came out and started skating around she was drawn right in.

The Senators don’t hold a lot of open practices, so it’s not something I’ve ever gotten to see either and I had a good time too, watching the drills and seeing the new players and my old favourites.

Before we left we stopped in the front entrance where they had camera and bright green cloth set up, so you could get a picture of your kids ‘in action.’ We got a pretty great one.

For future Ottawa Senators events, check their web site events listings here. I highley recommend the Sens Skills which will take place in mid to late February. Tickets are inexpensive, the players have a lot of fun with it and the ticket money goes to charity. It's a great time to get out and see the team in person if you can't afford tickets to a game.

Amy is mom to 20 month old Maggie and a 5 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.