Financial Literacy for Children: Books available at the Ottawa Public Library

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The Ottawa Public Library is back to share some of their favourite books for children with us. This month's post is by Kristina Roudiy, Children's Program Assistant at the Alta Vista Branch.

This month's booklist showcases various fun and helpful juvenile titles on Financial Literacy. There are also some workshops families can attend this month at the Ottawa Public Library! Special guest Tecla Kalinda from ZalaSmart will be visiting six branches (Manotick, Nepean Centrepointe, Ruth E.Dickinson, Blackburn Hamlet, Stittsville and Alta Vista) to talk about money with children ages 9-12. Other presentations, such as those about cyber fraud, bank accounts and savings, might be of interest to tweens & teens. Happy Financial Literacy month!  

Series of picture books: A Moneybunny book / Cinders McLeod

Save it! (2019) https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1187703026

Spend it! (2019) https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1149444026

Earn it! (2017) https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1163747026

Ages 4-6. Through these three titles, we follow the financial adventures of three different rabbit characters. The first one, Honey, is intent to save money to buy a playhouse, to find peace and quiet away from his five siblings. The second one, Sonny, learns that he has to make choices with his allowance and that he can't buy everything he wants. The third one, Bun, has a passion for singing and thinks she can get rich quickly through her music -but as her mother explains, it takes time and hard work to get successful. A sweet, simplistic introduction to financial literacy. 

Picture book: Arthur's pet business / Marc Tolon Brown. 1990

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/337863026

Ages 4-7. This is adventure #14 in a classic series. In this book, well-known, well-loved character Arthur attempts to start a pet business. His objective is not so much to earn money (although his sister D.W. begs to differ!) as it is to prove that he is responsible enough to get a puppy.


Picture book: My rows and piles of coins / Tololwa Mollel. 1999

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/200380026

Ages 4-8. This is the story of a Tanzanian boy, Saruni, who has been helping his mother at the market and saving coins with the hope to, one day, have enough money to buy a bicycle. But when will he have enough coins? With stunning watercolour paintings of a contemporary village. 

Chapter book: Nancy Clancy seeks a fortune / Jane O' Connor. 2016

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/962878026

Ages 6-8. This is volume seven in a series of books with a grown-up (now in grade three) version of “Fancy Nancy”. Nancy Clancy still adores everything fancy, and also likes to play detectives with her friend Bree. In this book, they learn all about the California Gold Rush in school and decide to make their own fortune, one way or another. But they soon learn that money isn't everything... A fun, informative story about the perks and challenges of being an entrepreneur. 

Chapter book: The unlucky lottery winners of classroom 13 / Honest Lee. 2017

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1059225026

Ages 7-9. The humorous tale of an unlucky teacher who suddenly wins twenty-eight billion dollars and, as previously agreed, shares the lottery money with her students. Each chapter focuses on a different child and shows the crazy ways in which they spend (or lose!) the money.

Chapter book: Cleo Edison Oliver, playground millionnaire / Sundee Tucker Frazier. 2016

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/957650026

Ages 8-11. Meet Cleo, an African-American -Filipino fifth-grade entrepreneur! She is determined to follow in the footsteps of her TV idol, Fortune Davies and has lots of fun ideas (why not sell avocadoes? Or make a teeth-pulling business?) but soon starts to neglect her best friend Caylee.

Graphic novel: The Finance Smurf: a Smurfs Graphic Novel / Peyo. 2014

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/794017026

Ages 8-12. Volume 18 in this graphic novel series. This time, Papa Smurf got badly injured in a lab accident and sent a Smurf to get a cure from a nearby wizard. The smurf witnessed the exchange of money among human beings and decided to introduce money in his own village.
 

Non-fiction : Canada Up Close : Canadian Money / Elizabeth MacLeod. 2011.

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/602013026

Ages 7-9. This non-fiction title by award-winner author Elizabeth MacLeod is an informative read on Canadian Money. Children will learn about the money used by First Nations, The Royal Mint, Bank of Canada, how money gets printed, circulated and disposed of... and much more! 

Non-fiction: The history of money: from bartering to banking / Martin Jenkins. 2014

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/785357026

Ages 9-11. A book in which children explore the history of money in a fun way, from the early forms of money (shells, precious metals, etc.) to more contemporary types of currency. Did you know that, in 1946, a European currency kept changing value every hour? Do you know what hyperinflation means? The author's simple examples are accompanied by cartoonish drawings.

Non-fiction: Follow your money: who gets it, who spends it, where does it go? / Kevin Sylvester. 2013

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/715336026

Ages 10-13. Canadian authors Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka introduce young consumers to the way in which money flows in the Canadian economy, through twenty-seven two-page chapters. The examples include common items used by teens, for example MP3 players, pizza or sneakers, and explain concepts such as : store sales, taxes, minimum wage, gross vs. net profit. A unique approach to economics & money, hopefully enabling youth to be smarter consumers.

2019 Santa Claus Parades and Holiday Activities

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Are you ready to get into the holiday spirit? Many Ottawa communities have already set a date for their Santa Claus parades and we want to make sure you don't miss out on this popular festive event! Please note: We will be updating this post as more information and details become available. If you have a holiday event you would like to add - leave a comment and let us know!

2019 Ottawa Santa Claus Parades

Help Santa Toy Parade
http://toyparade.ca/
Saturday, November 16th at 11 am

This is popular Ottawa Santa Claus parade takes place downtown and is favoured by many in the National Capital Region. Firefighters collect new toys and cash donations along the route. Can’t bring your toy donation? They will also accept new toys at any Ottawa Fire Station until mid-December. Depending on your spot along the route it can get busy, so keep this in mind if your family doesn’t like crowds.

Santa’s Parade of Lights
paradeoflights.org
Saturday, November 30th at 6 pm

Hosted by the Ottawa Professional Firefighters Association, this parade takes place on St-Joseph, Blvd. in Orleans. Toys and cash donations will be collected by firefighters along the route.

Stittsville Parade of Lights
stittsvilleva.com
Saturday, November 30th at 6 pm to 8 pm

This parade is a favourite community event. The Lions Club will be collecting non perishable food and cash for the Stittsville Food Bank, and The Stocking Project will be collecting new stocking stuffers and gifts for local families who may be struggling.

Kanata Santa Claus Parade
http://khlions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Parade-Flier-2019-v3.pdf
Saturday, November 16th at 11 am

The parade begins at Terry Fox and Castlefrank and proceeds down Castlefrank to Abbeyhill to Hazeldean Mall. Food and money will be collected by Volunteer FireFighters along the route for the Kanata Food Cupboard.

Barrhaven Lions Santa Parade
santaclausbarrhaven.com
Sunday, November 17th at 5:30 p.m.

The annual Barrhaven Lions Club Santa Claus Parade runs down Strandherd Drive, west. Tim Hortons will be providing hot chocolate at various spots along the parade route.

Arnprior Santa Claus Parade
http://www.arnpriorlegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/SANTA-PARADE-FLYER-2019.pdf
November 30th at 6 pm

The Arnprior Legion Members and volunteers will be collecting change and non-perishable food items along the parade route. All proceeds to the Arnprior Food Bank.

Richmond Village Santa Claus Parade
http://richmondvillage.ca/event/santa-parade/
Saturday, December 7th starting at 5:30 pm

Lighting of the park starts at 4:30 – new banners unveiled and lights turned on. The Parade at 5:30 – starts at South Carleton and finishes at the arena.

Carp Santa Claus Parade
Date TBD
Parade route starts at The Diefenbunker, 3911 Carp Road, and follows Carp Road.

Carleton Place Santa Claus Parade
https://downtowncarletonplace.com/santa-claus-parade-2019-an-old-fashion-christmas/
Saturday, November 23rd at 5 pm

Pakenham Santa Claus Parade
https://lanarkcountytourism.com/events/pakenham-santa-claus-parade-and-celebration/
December 7, 2019 at 1 pm

Aylmer Santa Claus Parade
https://www.facebook.com/paradehohoho/
Saturday, November 30th at 6 pm

The 25th edition of the Gatineau Santa Claus parade is in Old Aylmer on Saturday, November 30th at 6 PM from the marina to the mall.

Other Holiday Activities in Ottawa

Besides parades, there are many Christmas and holiday activities in Ottawa, including:

Magic of Lights Ottawa
https://wesleycloverparks.com/events/magic-of-lights-ottawa/
November 21st, 2019 - January 4th, 2020
5:00PM - 10:00PM

Now in its forth year, this event has quickly become a holiday tradition for many Ottawa residents and visitors, is comprised of LED displays celebrating the joy of the holidays. A “drive through” experience from the comfort of your own car, at every turn and in every direction the route is overflowing with spectacular light displays and animations. Online: $20 +HST & fees; Gate Monday - Thursday: $25; Gate Friday - Sunday: $30

Alight the Night
http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/events/alight-at-night/
November 29th, 2019 to January 4th, 2020
Upper Canada Village

Step back in time while walking around the beautifully lit heritage buildings, trees and fences of Upper Canada Village. There are festive activities and a chance to meet Santa Claus all throughout the month of December leading up to Christmas.

Almonte’s Light Up the Night!
lightupthenightalmonte.com
Friday, December 6th at 7 p.m.

Bundle up, this is an open-air concert and fireworks display on Main Street in Almonte. Now in its 29th year this night is full of music and memorable outdoor festivities.

Glow Ottawa - Christmas
https://www.glowgardens.com/ottawa-christmas/
December 5th, 2019 to January 4th, 2020

Glow Around the World" as you follow Santa on his journey to deliver presents in 6 different countries! Explore lighted trails, stroll through festive city streets and marvel at illuminated historical landmarks as you discover themed rooms in China, India, Holland, Mexico, France, and England. Reserve your spot online. Price starts at $14.99 for children and seniors during the week, $19.99 for adults during the week; children 3 and under are always free.

Manotick - Olde Fashioned Christmas
http://manotickvillage.com/event/olde-fashioned-christmas/
Saturday, November 30th

Horse drawn wagon rides with Father and Mary Christmas to sunset carolling, this wonderful weekend is full of traditional events not to be missed. 

Cumberland Heritage Village Museum Vintage Village of Lights
ottawa.ca/en/liveculture/museums/cumberlandmuseum

30,000 Christmas lights, decorations everywhere, a gigantic reindeer and sleigh and – of course – a visit with Santa Claus in his workshop! Kids will have fun sledding, playing broomball or street hockey, making a snow globe, decorating gingerbread, and sending your Christmas wish list to Santa via telegram. Regular admission applies. 

Goulbourn Museum Olde Fashioned Christmas
Sunday, November 17th from 10 am to 3 pm
https://goulbournmuseum.ca/event/old-fashioned-christmas-outdoor-artisan-market-5/

Get a head start on your shopping at this holiday celebration and Christmas market that features activities for the whole family. Write letters to Santa and pose for a photo with the jolly old soul, enjoy free hot chocolate and apple cider and buy one-of-a-kind handmade gifts from local artisans. Free admission.

The CP Holiday Train
November 25 to December 18, 2019
http://www.cpr.ca/holiday-train/schedule-canada

You may not see Santa here, but this is a great holiday event all the same. The CP Holiday Train started in 1999 and raises money and food for the Food Bank. Over the three weeks of the program, musicians will play more than 150 concerts from a boxcar that’s been turned into a travelling stage.

Family Travel: Touring Montreal, Quebec in the Fall

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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.

You know a city is cool when there is a huge mural of Leonard Cohen in the downtown. Of course, I am talking about Montreal. 

We saw the giant mural of Leonard as we headed towards the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. I tried to explain the greatness of Leonard to our eleven-year-old son, David. I cited songs like Suzanne and Hallelujah but to no avail. At least, my wife Sandy and I have similar tastes in music. 

David was much more interested to check out the Egyptian mummies at the museum. The temporary exhibition features six mummies from the collections of the British Museum. The British Museum has always had the policy of not unwrapping any of the Egyptian mummies since it would cause extensive damage. Through the enhancement of CT scanner technology, it is now possible to do a 3D scan of the mummies revealing their internal organs. 

Aside from the interesting technology, there were numerous artifacts on display from the time period of the mummies. There were also videos to provide a context of what life would have been like in Egypt during this time. By the end of the exhibit, a person feels like they have a far better understanding of Egyptian mummies and ancient Egypt.

One thing I love about Montreal is that it is possible to get a cup of coffee and desserts outside of the major chains. We discovered a local place, Cafe Vasco da Gama close to the museum. We enjoyed a warm coffee and delicious Portuguese dessert on the street terrace. For a moment, I felt like I was in Lisbon, Portugal rather than Canada. 

It was time to check into our hotel. We love the Residence Inn by Marriott Montreal Downtown for a number of reasons. First is the location. The hotel is located right on Peel Street and is about a two-minute walk to the metro. We can park our car and then walk or take the metro everywhere. Also, the rooms have an in-suite kitchen and fridge which can help save on food costs. Finally, the staff have always been very friendly and have even encouraged my sometimes broken French. 

Being Montreal, the night was still young. We hopped on the metro over to Parc Jean Drapeau. The park is home to a new space called Espace 67. The area serves as a location for many of the large festivals in Montreal. We had come to check out Feux Follets. A simple description of Feux Follets would be to call it a Chinese Lantern festival but it was so much more than that.

We arrived on-site and were greeted by Chinese drummers. There was a huge variety of illuminated structures ranging from pandas to a huge Chinese pagoda. We also enjoyed a Chinese cultural show that featured song and dance. Some of the entertainment was more high-tech including an illuminated drone show that was set to music. 

The highlight of the entire night was projections set against a huge water fountain in the middle of a lake. I have never seen anything like it. Images of lions and tigers danced across the water. It would be cool to see something like that in Ottawa perhaps at Dow’s Lake or the Ottawa River. 

Our night on the town was still not done as we headed back into downtown Montreal and visited Juliette & Chocolat The resto features everything crepes and chocolate. David chose a crepe that had hazelnut ice cream, Nutella, meringue and whipped cream. Needless to say, it was delicious. I was also impressed that he was able to sleep afterwards after ingesting so much sugar.

The next day, we started off with a huge buffet breakfast at the hotel. I saw a few tall young guys sporting the colours of my former alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan. They were members of the U of S basketball team and were in a match against Concordia. I am not sure the results of the match but I am sure the breakfast helped. 

After such a busy schedule the day before, we planned a more relaxed day. The only thing on the schedule was to visit a store that sold reptiles, Magazoo. David has loved reptiles since he has been three and that interest has not gone away. We took the metro to east Montreal and arrived at the store. The staff were very friendly and shared David’s love for reptiles. We also learned there is a large reptile show in Montreal every February so we are already planning our return trip. 

The best place to find out about the latest attractions and events in Montreal is at www.mtl.org.

As mentioned, we always stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott Montreal Downtown. For more information, visit, www.marriott.com/montreal.

Disclosure: Stephen’s hotel and attractions were covered but all views are his own.

Trick or Swim or Skate!

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Trick or Treeeeat” – the words that many little monsters and munchkins will excitedly scream as you open the door to their smiling faces on October 31st. Instead of candy, how about offering something a little different this Halloween?

The City of Ottawa offers Trick or Swim or Skate passes. You pay $10 and receive 10 vouchers to hand out. These can be used towards a swim or skate at a participating facility (not including wave swims or speciality skates). 

I don’t know about you, but we like to have a separate bucket from candy treats so we can offer non food treats to those with allergies and we love the idea of slipping a voucher in to their buckets.

Other non-food Halloween ideas include stickers (what child doesn’t love them?), slime, Playdoh, colouring pads, pencils, and erasers. Walk into any craft/party store and you will find a huge variety of offerings. 

Of course, we are not saying that you should give up the candy completely… ;)

CONTEST

We have a book of 10 Trick or Swim or Skate vouchers from the City of Ottawa to give away to one lucky reader! Trick or Swim or Skate vouchers are available in limited quantity until October 31st. They can be redeemed until January 31, 2020. Please check for participating facilities prior to using.

To enter: Visit our Facebook Page and leave a comment on this post letting us know what your child is planning on dressing up as for Halloween!

Contest runs until Friday, October 25th at 12 noon. Winner will be notified via Facebook Messenger.

Fright Fest at Saunders Farm (The perfect scare for older kids!)

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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.  

I first started visiting Saunders Farm about fifteen years ago for Halloween. I heard it was the scariest thing to do in Ottawa. They were right. In between the haunted hayride and other attractions, I was scared out of my wits. 

Fast forward to today. We had taken David when he was seven to Saunders Farm during the day for Halloween. It was perfect at the time. David is now eleven so his fear quotient has gone up. He wanted to check out the evening FrightFest festivities. 

We arrived at Saunders Farm and were immediately treated to a scare. Various farm employees were dressed up in their best Halloween gear. The first attraction we saw was the Barn of Terror. This was a test to see if the scare factor was too high for David or not. We walked through the barn and enjoyed various scares and thrills. I probably held my wife’s Sandy hand tighter than David did. 


We then were treated to a parade of witches as they walked to their Coven. David bravely posed for a photo as the witches passed by. 

It was still somewhat light outside so not all the hauntings were open. This gave us some time to visit other areas of the farm including the bouncy pad and playground. It brought back a flood of memories as we have been visiting Saunders Farm since David was a baby. 

After visiting the bouncy pad, it was finally dark so all the attractions were open. Circus macabre was located close to the bouncy pad. I have always found clowns to be somewhat creepy and circus macabre only reinforced this idea. We had to find our way through a maze while being greeted by various clowns. There were numerous other elements but I don’t way to give away too much. 

One thing that has changed about Fright Fest since I visited fifteen years ago is that there are also busker-style performers. We caught a fire show that added to the ambiance of the evening. 

It was now time to visit the witches in their coven. We were greeted by a friendly witch who invited us to visit. I doubted her friendly exterior and the cackles coming from inside the coven gave it away. One really cool part was entering a room with a fog machine and a laser display. The effect made one think they were walking through a soupy swamp. Again, I don’t want to give away all the scares but let me just say, look around all the corners.

David, Sandy and I needed a break so we relaxed in the central area. There are multiple food options on-site so no one will go hungry. We also took a family photo in front of a large display of pumpkins. This spot may be one of the most instagrammed in the Ottawa area. 

It was now time for the Haunted Hayride. All of the attractions at Saunders Farm are great but the Haunted Hayride is the classic. We boarded the wagon and the tractor was off like a shot. It took a few minutes to get to the main area which only built up the anticipation. We were scared in multiple ways including masked performers and loud noises. The Haunted Hayride was everything I remembered and more. It was fun to share the experience with David and Sandy. 

It was now time to head back to Ottawa. I thought I saw a number of ghouls or goblins along the highway driving back home. It was probably just my imagination or was it?

For more information about all the scary things going on at Saunders Farm, visit www.saundersfarm.com


*Please note, Fright Fest is not intended for younger kids. We thought David was the perfect age at eleven but this may not be for all kids. The fright factor is much more young kid-friendly during the day.*


Full disclosure, Stephen’s tickets were covered by Saunders Farm but all opinions are his own.