Spring 2021 Reading List from the Ottawa Public Library

The Ottawa Public Library is back to share some great spring-themed books with us. This month’s post is by Andrea Gowing, Centennial Branch, Ottawa Public Library.

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While Spring does not technically begin until March 20, I think we want to begin to see signs of renewed life with hopes for warmer days and getting outside to marvel at our amazing world.  The Life Cycle themes in these books should help, especially during these pandemic days.

The Bat by Elise Gravel

Who doesn’t love an adorable little bat?  This delightful beginning reader has cute illustrations that take the scary out of bats.  Informational and full of humour, this little bat narrates the text, so children stay engaged.   He is chatty while telling children about his uniqueness: that he hibernates, sleeps hanging upside down, and his special gift of echolocation.   Set out some evening this spring and summer to see if there are any bats in your neighbourhood!

Seed School, Growing up Amazing by Joan Holub

It’s March, time to start planting seeds!  This lovely story is not only a wonderful introduction to the science of seeds; but, a good introduction to diversity.   Children learn that seeds come from different plants; however, they are very similar in many ways.  The seeds follow a very similar day to young school aged children, and they will feel it is familiar.  A good pick for an one on one read so little ones will have time to look at the pictures and ask questions.  There is even a information page about plants and photosynthesis!  

A Drop of the Sea by Ingrid Chabbert

Grandmas and their grandchildren have such a special bond.  Young children always see their grandparents as “old” and young Ali is no different.  He knows his grandmother must have one wish that he can grant – she does.  Grandmother has never seen the sea.  Ali sets out on a four-day journey to bring back some of the sea to his grandmother.   Ali carefully collects a pail of water and heads home.  Grandmother is overjoyed even though there are but a couple of drops of sea left.  Sure to be a favourite story to share between grand parent and grandchild.

Life Cycles, Everything from Start to Finish by Steve Setford

What is a life cycle?  In this richly illustrated book, we discover how life cycles are interconnected.  From the new life of the seeds of the Giant Sequoia to the emerging dragonfly nymph.  From a Penguin march across the frozen Antarctica to human evolution.  We are all here together affecting each other.  Volcanoes, fossils, tornadoes and galaxies of our solar system – “everything from start to finish.”  This would be a wonderful addition to any library.  Children of all ages can simply look at the pictures or read all the small bits of information.  A good choice for a reluctant reader who enjoys facts!

Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord

Summer at the lake!  Who wouldn’t love that?  Lucy, that’s who!  She and her parents have moved to the lake permanently and Dad has gone off on a long photography shoot, so it is just Mom and Lucy.   As Lucy becomes friends with her neighbour Nate, he encourages her to enter her photographs in a contest judged by her dad.  As the summer goes on, Lucy discovers many things through her lens, and follows her dad’s advice to always “find the story” through the lens.  Through her lens, Lucy discovers beginnings and endings and about catching that perfect moment in time.   These include Nate’s grandmother’s life slipping away due to dementia, the protected nesting loons, and learning to kayak.  A special read for Ages 10 plus.  Budding photographers – take note! 

Sugar Bushes in Ottawa 2021

It’s that time of year when the sap starts to run and fresh maple syrup is available for all to enjoy! Maple syrup season is the sweetest part of winter for many reasons and visiting local sugar bushes has become a family tradition for many. Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, many Ottawa sugar bushes are celebrating a little differently this year, so make sure you visit their websites before visiting.

Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush

Maple Season is open
399 Sugar Bush Road
Pakenham, ON
https://www.fultons.ca/

The Maple Farm Store is open daily from 10-3 pm for takeout and pickup of orders and the grounds and their 8 km of trails are also open 10-5 pm daily.

Parc Omega

399 Route 323 Nord,
Montebello, Québec
https://www.parcomega.ca/en/

Omega Park is located in Montebello and you can also enjoy Maple taffy tasting at the Sugar Shack (open Saturday sand Sundays only). Sold in individual cups to go! Learn about the traditional ways of making maple syrup and enjoy maple taffy on a stick. There are also trails you can explore. Admission to the sugar shack is included in the admission fee to the park. For more information on Omega Park, check out this blog post on everything there is to do while there.

Proulx Maple and Berry Farm

Proulx Maple and Berry Farm

Pancake house opens on Sunday, March 7th
1865 O'Toole Rd.
Cumberland (Ottawa), ON
https://proulxfarm.com/

Tickets need to be booked in advance for a 2-hour time slot; 75 tickets are available every hour to ensure social distancing. Enjoy a pancake breakfast in a rustic cabin in the heart of their sugar bush and explore their trails. There’s also a maple tour including a visit to the production shack.

Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm

Maple seasons now open!
2452 York's Corners Rd.
Edwards, ON
https://stanleysfarm.com/family-fun/sugarbush/

This year, Stanley’s is offering a “walkabout menu,” designed to be enjoyed as you explore the farm! The farm shop is also open on Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm.

Temple’s Sugar Bush

Temple’s Sugar Bush

Opens March 6th; Friday to Sunday 9 am to 2 pm
1700 Ferguson Falls Rd.
Lanark, ON
http://www.templessugarbush.ca/

Their dine-in option is closed this season, but Temple’s will be offering a delicious take-out menu as well as items from their store, available for pick up.

Wheeler’s Pancake House, Sugar Camp and Museum

Now open; Thursday to Sunday by Reservation only
1001 Highland Line, McDonalds Corners
(Lanark Highlands)
http://wheelersmaple.com/

Open daily all year from 9am-3pm, including Saturdays and Sundays. Maple products will continue to be available 7 days a week for curbside pick up by appointment, by calling 613-278-2090.

What you wished you’d been told about gardening with children

Today we welcome guest blogger Rochelle Johnston, the founder of Family Earth, a social enterprise that helps families heal their relationships with the natural world through mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis.

Last year we were one of the hundreds of thousands of families across Canada who planted a garden for the first time. COVID left me desperate for ways to engage my kids and not go insane while doing so. From working with children surviving trauma, I also knew that spending time with your feet in dirt and the breeze on your face, picking aphids off of spinach leaves, was medicine. And healing was what our COVID weary family needed.

While we experienced some of the expected benefits, I quickly learned that gardening with kids is not always a bed of roses. But let’s start with the roses.

Boosting veggie intake

Have you seen the new Canada Food Guide? Our family still has a long way to go to fill half of our dinner plates with fruits and veggies. But while in the garden my kids will put anything in their mouths (they are no longer toddlers, so “everything” is considerably less gross and dangerous).

Mindfulness

Watering lettuce as the sun goes down may be my idea of bliss. So, did my kids lose themselves in the greenery? Not so much. They did, however, see their mom doing just a little bit better.

Love for our planet

Between gardening and being outside every day playing in the forest, last year was the first time my kids… no, it was the first time I actually experienced the seasons. Mind. Blown. All of this deepened our relationship with mother earth and provided fodder for important conversations about why we need to take better care of her. And the eating more veggies (and less meat) thing? This is one of the most important individual actions we can take to reduce global heating.

Your kids become smarter than you

You want to know the difference between a radish, a carrot, a basil and a broccoli seedling? Ask my 5-year-old. Or how to troubleshoot a stalled rototiller? That would be my 8-year-old.

Now for the dark underbelly.

It’s not always fun

And guess who gets stuck with the not fun stuff?

It’s scary

At least for me. I’m used to being in control. It was stressful being a complete amateur and not knowing where to start. Gardening is just complex. Like going back to grad school in your 30s complex.

My kids were not always as motivated as I wanted them to be

Gardening requires discipline and physical labour. Did my kids excel at this? Not so much. Did they sometimes refuse to even come out to the garden with me? You bet. But I remember: they saw me and their dad spend all day pulling sod out of overgrown beds, shovelling manure in the sun, and struggling and sometimes failing to keep a regular watering schedule. Fingers crossed that “It’s not what you say as a parent that counts, it’s what you do.”

You sometimes fail (a lot)

And about that regular watering schedule thing… turns out it’s important. Some seedlings shriveled and I grew more moths than cabbages. But my own failures helped to put the kid’s “failures” in perspective. The seeds that were planted too deep, or watered too much. The seedlings that fell out of their trays, or were stepped on or mistaken for weeds and pulled up. We all fail. We’re human.

Now here’s the thing…

Gardening with children is not a bed of roses (who grows roses with children anyways?). But it is a bed of growth of all sorts and plants that bear fruit, if not this season, maybe next.

If I haven’t scared you off gardening with your children, and you want to learn from my mistakes and (probably more importantly) from master gardening parents who really know what they are doing, then checked out my online workshop series Growing Families. In addition to the workshops you will receive a package with all the equipment, soil and seeds you need to start your first garden!

Choose your own adventure: a virtual magic trick!

Owen McNally is a student at Westboro Academy. He’s guest blogging today to introduce us to a special project he created - a virtual magic trick - that is fun for the whole family!

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Are you missing in-person magic?

The pandemic has changed much about the world, including the way we are entertained, magic included. With many meetings going virtual, I wondered whether there might be a way to perform magic virtually and maintain the interactive personal feel?

Combining two of the things I enjoy - math and card magic - I created an online choose your own adventure magic trick that anyone can do safely from their home! This was made possible using innovative software called H5P, allowing the creation of interactive games, videos and slideshows.

This trick is based on the number 27. First, you pick a random number between 1 and 27. Use any method you want - a favorite, roll three dice, or use a random number generator online. After this I will use an automatic card shuffler to pick 27 cards from the deck of 52. You will then be asked to pick a card, but only tell me the row. Through a sequence of only three videos, I will attempt to match your card with the number. This isn’t easy as there are over 700 card and number combinations.

Do you want to try?

If so, get started by clicking below! Alternatively you can visit this link: https://pediatrics.knack.com/cyoamagictrick

At the end of the adventure, there is a survey where you can tell me what you think, if you noticed any mistakes (please help me make it perfect) and whether I should make another adventure.

Thanking our teachers

Thank you to the teachers, who have done so much for us this year! We wanted to highlight these monumental tasks that teachers have taken on:

• They’ve worn incredible amounts of PPE to keep our kids and themselves safe. PPE that makes it hard for them to be heard, for them to breathe, for them to stay at comfortable temperatures. PPE that leaves them sweaty and with headaches and marks in their faces.

• They’ve adapted to the new rules of the pandemic even if that means completely changing their teaching style:
  - imagine classes in primary with no singing? No sitting on the carpet in circles and sharing toys and playing games together?
  - imagine having to teach what you usually teach at 2 or 3 times the pace without being able to encourage group work?
  - Imagine how much time is spent in managing COVID protocols and bathroom breaks and keeping cohorts apart?

• They adapted and went online, where regular schoolwork just doesn’t work the same way. Where the little ones don’t know how to use the tech and teachers have to spend half the time trying to get them to push the right buttons and stay off mute; to the older kids who won’t ever turn on their cameras and might actually be sleeping while “in class.”

• They have had to come up with unique ways to make online schooling “fun,” including activities for gym class and science class.

• They have taught online, while knowing that their own kids are in another room, dealing with their own challenges with virtual learning.

• They’re spending so much money out of pocket, for extra teaching tools that work online, tools that work when they can’t do group work, and some have even bought portable speakers so that the kids can hear them more clearly without them shouting through all the PPE.

• They have done ALL of this, only to go home at night and tend to their own children and families, who are also coping with the significant changes that have come with this pandemic.

We see you and all your hard work and appreciate how much you’re putting into teaching our kids in such difficult times.