Five Fun Apps for kids for the Holidays

Flying or long road trips with kids can be rough when they get bored. A tablet loaded with your kids’ favourite apps can help keep them entertained. We asked our community what some of their kids’ favourite apps are. Below, we list five of those apps. Note: some apps are free with in-app purchases or pop-up ads, and some offer a paid version.

Knowledge Kids

Perfect for ages two to eight, Knowledge Kids is commercial free shows your children will recognize from television. Knowledge Kids offers hundreds of episodes of various popular kids shows including, Paw Patrol, Wild Kratts, Kate and Mim-Mim, Zerby Derby, Mister Maker, Astroblast, Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave, Annedroids and more. It’s all kid-friendly and episodes are refreshed weekly.

Libby App

Forget packing all your kids books with you when you travel! Download the Ottawa Public Library App and the Libby App and download your kids’ favourite audio books and e-books! Libby, by OverDrive allows you to instantly borrow and download hundreds of titles for all ages! Works on your cell phone or tablet.

Subway Surfers

Dash through the holiday themed tracks and collect coins and points. Fun for the entire family.

This app is fun and action packed.

Toca Life: World

Toca Life: World is where users can create their own world and play out any story you like. This mega-app brings all of the Toca Life apps (City, Vacation, Office, Hospital and more) together in the same space. That’s right. Appeals to kids of all ages and interests.

Santa Tracker and Status Check

Stay up to date this Christmas, and see where is Santa Claus and what he is up to! Kids can track Santa's location on the map - the Santa Tracker shows you Santa's real-time location and the distance to your home. Follow Santa's sleigh while he delivers gifts around the world on December 24th! There is also a Christmas Countdown - how many sleeps until Christmas? See the countdown happen in real-time. You can also check what Santa is up to - how many cookies did he eat? How much milk?

Do you have any app suggestions that your kids love? Leave a comment and let us know.

Watch our CTV Ottawa Morning Live Segment that explains more about these apps.

Looking for holiday activities the entire family can enjoy? Check out: The Holidays in Ottawa: 25 things to do under $25.

Glow Ottawa - A Visit to Glow Gardens

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.  

Christmas may be my favourite time of year. Between all the holiday traditions and of course, the cookies, what is there not to like.

This year, our family found a new way to celebrate the season. We visited Glow Gardens at the EY Centre. 

Being the first year for Glow Gardens in Ottawa, I was not sure what to expect. We picked up our tickets and entered the hall. We were treated to a visual feast for the eyes. There were sparkling lights everywhere.

The first thing we saw was an illuminated moose. Being from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, I needed to have my photo taken with the moose. My son, David and wife, Sandy also got a snapshot. 

Glow Gardens features much more than just life-sized creatures of the Canadian forest. The main premise of Glow Gardens is a visit to six different countries, China, India, France, Netherlands, Mexico and the United Kingdom. There are amazing light exhibits themed around each country. For instance, there is a spectacular Taj Mahal for India and a windmill for the Netherlands. Everyone is also given a passport where they can collect stamps from each country. Collect all six stamps and there is a prize at the end. 

With passports in hand, China was our first stop. David wanted to have his photo taken next to the traditional Chinese architectural arch. Equally important was to get our first passport stamp. 

Over the course of the next several hours, we were able to visit all six countries and collected all the stamps. The light displays for each country were truly memorable. My personal favourite was the windmill from the Netherlands while Sandy loved the pinãta from Mexico.

Besides the various country displays, Glow Gardens has many interactive light displays perfect for any Instagrammer. We explored the hanging light gardens and got a family photo in the oversized letter o saying JOY. 

Being so close to Christmas, you would expect there to be displays based around Christmas. Glow Gardens did not disappoint. There was a huge snowman that David could fit inside. There was also a huge Christmas tree made out of gifts. 

Now that David is eleven, his interests are certainly different than when he was four. The papa in me still has an eye on what there is for young kids to do at an event. There were plenty of activities geared towards young kids at Glow Gardens. There was a huge playground with slides, a small train (that actually ran on time and worked!), LED swings and hopscotch, and a chance to visit Santa. 

Adults were well-served as well. There was a licensed area where you could purchase adult beverages. My favourite was the glow in the dark light bulbs that also doubled as beverage glasses. We purchased three non-alcoholic cranberry mocktails. Food could also be purchased on-site. 

The day we visited Glow Gardens, your ticket gave you access to the Originals Christmas Craft show. Craft shows are normally not my thing but I have a new respect and appreciation after visiting. There were vendors selling a wide assortment of handmade crafts and products. David and I loved all the free food samples. Some were so tasty that we purchased the product. 

Soon enough, it was time to head back home to do our own Christmas decorating. I could see Glow Gardens becoming a part of our annual Christmas traditions just like those cookies.

Glow Gardens will be running at the EY Centre until January 4th. I have a feeling this will be a very popular event in Ottawa so it may be wise to purchase tickets online, in advance. Also, check their website for exact hours. For all information visit, www.glowgardens.com

Full disclosure, we received free tickets but all views are my own.

Arbraska Lafleche Caves

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.  

Our family has always tried to embrace the idea of exploring your own backyard. We are fortunate to have an abundance of natural and historic attractions in or close to Ottawa. 

Keeping with the idea of local tourism, my son, David and I decided to go check out the cave at Arbraska Lafleche. My wife, Sandy, decided to pass since she found out there are bats that hibernate in the cave. 

Bats hibernating in Arbraska Lafleche Caves

David and I arrived at Arbraska Lafleche and were treated to a nature sighting. We saw a group of wild turkeys eating and then slowly meander across the road. They were not bothered by our vehicle and seemed to be saying they had the right of way.

We entered the main building and were greeted by our guide, Marc Andre Dorval. Marc immediately made us feel welcome and introduced himself as the caveman. The nickname is well-earned as Marc has been exploring caves for the past forty years and started as a young child. 

Marc got us suited up with a helmet and showed us how to turn the headlamp on and off. We entered the cave and spotted a number of little brown bats hibernating. David was fascinated to see the animals in their natural environment and not just on a youtube video or zoo. The bats glistened as it had recently rained and they were wet from the dripping inside the cave.

Marc told us that the bats prefer a temperature of between 4-7 celsius when they are hibernating. We did not linger too long as not to disturb the bats.

For the next part of the cave, we descended a small ladder and entered a larger cavern. We made ourselves comfortable and Marc shared with us how the cave was discovered and the geologic history. The cave had first been discovered by a bear trapper in the 1800’s. Of course, the geologic history of the cave stretches back many more years than just the 1800’s. 

It was time to visit another section of the cave. We climbed a longer ladder to what I called the upstairs floor. After a short walk, I noticed two yoga style mats on the cave floor. I was intrigued but did not say anything. Marc shared more interesting information about the cave. I was listening but frankly could not get my mind off the mats. Was there a special yoga class offered in the cave? Perhaps some mystic had made the cave his/her permanent home? 

It all made sense when Marc asked us to shut off our headlamps. We were enveloped in total darkness. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. Marc shared that he slept in the cave three nights a week as it was too long a commute from his house to the cave. The only problem he mentioned was that sometimes the bats would disturb him in the summer. He truly is a caveman!

As we neared the end of the tour, Marc shared with us some of the future plans for the cave. We were also able to see a gigantic icicle that had already formed on the cave floor. Marc said by January, the exit would be filled with huge icicles. I can imagine it would be a very popular place for Instagrammers. 

David and I made a vow to return to Arbraska Lafleche in the summer when we can do the zipline course. I’m sure Sandy will join us as well. Just as long as she does not see any bats.

If you go - Arbraska Lafleche is located about forty minutes north of Ottawa along route 366. David and I chose to do the cave discovery tour which is about an hour. There is also a cave explorer tour for the more adventurous. For the explorer tour, you will be crawling through small spaces.

I would recommend the cave tour for slightly older children and those without mobility issues. There are some stairs to climb.

The temperature of the cave is 4-7 C year round so dress appropriately. 

Arbraska Lafleche also offers ziplining, an aerial game trek and hiking. In the winter, they offer a snowman adventure tour that includes a zipline, snowshoeing and the cave discovery tour. 

For more information, visit www.arbraska.com.

Full disclosure, we received free passes for the purposes of this review, but all views are my own.

Shine Bright: Christmas Lights Across Canada

We're very excited to welcome back our favourite holiday sponsors and the 34th edition of the Christmas Lights Across Canada program, presented by the Government of Canada in partnership with Manulife.

The official Illumination Ceremony will take place on Wednesday December 4th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at a NEW LOCATION - Confederation Park. The Kids in the Capital team will be there with the whole family, and we'd love for you to join us. The festivities will include performances by talented artists Kiesza, Damien Robitaille and Tomson Highway. You can also head over to Parliament to see the multimedia projection show (more on that below!)

We know it's a busy time of year, so if you can't make it, you can join in LIVE on Facebook. The evening's festivities will broadcast from the Capital Experience Facebook Page. 

What IS a magical winter lightscapes multimedia show?

I had no idea what to when I first attended four years ago - I was thinking something along the lines of the summer multimedia show that plays on Centre block each year. But this show is a bit more engaging for the entire family, from young to old! The fairy tale story follows the exciting journey of Grizzli, Fox and Snowman through imaginary landscapes on their quest for light. The show is inspired by Canada’s nature, climate and culture, and there is so much to take in! And for extra effect this year, the show will use the entire building.

When can I see the show?

The official Illumination Ceremony takes place December 4th. There will be free Beaver Tails pastries and hot chocolate. And some live musical performances!

A warning: do NOT promise your kids a Beaver Tail. I made this mistake one year, and when we arrived the lineup was about 500 people long (and then they ran out.) If you're hoping for a sweet treat, you'd be best to arrive as early as possible. Or follow our lead, and pack hot chocolate in a thermos and stop off for some Timbits on the way!

If you miss the opening night, the magical winterscapes multimedia show runs every evening until January 7th, 2020 (presented on loop from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., except for New Year’s Eve when it runs until midnight.)

Tips for Going

We drove downtown last year, because it's a long bus ride and we knew the kids would be tired. We had to park about 2km away from the Hill, as there were A LOT of people. Things should quiet down a bit after the Illumination Ceremony, and street parking is free in the evenings.

Make sure kids are bundled up really well - it's surprising how fast you get chilly standing around. You may want to consider a stroller if you have a long trek from the car, although it may be a tiny bit snowy (I'm not sure about this weather this year!!) Prepare your kids for the crowds, or consider attending another night if your child has sensitivities to a lot of people/noise/lights.

Anything else I should know?

In addition to the show, don't forget all the lights! Go for a walk in Confederation Park to see thousands of holiday lights on display. Another awesome NEW addition this year are interactive public pianos!! Amateur pianists, apprentices or professionals can come and play your favourite holiday classics on pianos installed in Confederation Park and along the way to Parliament to amplify the Christmas enchantment.

Did you see the Christmas Lights Across Canada last year? Will we see you there on Wednesday?

Inside the Dr. Seuss Experience

When we got word of the new Dr. Seuss Experience in Toronto, we knew we needed an inside look at this one of a kind exhibit. One of our readers got in touch and shared some amazing photos and tips with us, in case you’re feeling like a spontaneous trip this holiday season! Read on to hear all about her experience.

The exhibit is an imaginative and interactive immersion into the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss. The sensory spectacle takes each guest on an awe-inspiring journey through nine different Dr. Seuss books, allowing visitors a chance to magically step into the pages of each of the books.

But first off: the tickets. We bought the “super-stoo-pendous” tickets (which reserves your date and time) to make sure it was quieter when we went in (for my sensory-sensitive kid), and for us it was definitely worth the extra price. The timed entries for both the general admission and the super-stoo-pendous tickets means they limit crowd sizes, but we really felt like we almost had the place to ourselves. General ticket prices start at $29 for children and $35 for adults; children under 3 are free but do require a ticket to get in.

The first room we visited is the Lorax room, where you get a token to ask the Once-ler to tell his story. You can choose to listen and save the Truffula trees, and go for a swing among the trees!

All of the rooms are completely interactive, from building towers out of books, balls, teapots, phones with the Cat in the Hat, to a fully functional carousel in the If I Ran the Circus room (children under 4 must be accompanied by a parent walking beside them.)

Because it’s almost Christmas, there is a Grinch room where you can fish for presents to bring back to Whoville.

But our favourite room was the field of clovers from Horton Hears a Who- the clovers are about 4 feet tall, and your kids can listen in to all of them to find the Whos.

They have a beautiful gift shop (all Dr Seuss books and collectables) and some tables for drawing and crafting for before and after the exhibit.

They recommend setting aside 1-1.5 hours to experience it all. My youngest (3) started feeling tired after an hour, but my oldest (5) could have spent another hour there!

In all, this was definitely worth the drive to Toronto. The adults who grew up with Dr Seuss will have just as much fun as the kids!