Kids in the Capital: Spring Call for Pictures

by Karen Have you been enjoying our winter collage at the top of our web site? We have. It's so fun to look at pictures of kids from the KIC community doing fun stuff in Ottawa when we come to the blog.

It's hard to believe that March isn't even over and the snow is practically all gone. But you know what the snow melting means? SPRING!

Last spring was a fun one for the Wilsons. Brandon turned 3 and we marked the day by visiting the Museum of Science and Tech. Not long after, we took him to the Agriculture Museum for the first time. We made a trip across the river on a ferry and drove to Manotick to see Watson's Mill, among other things.

One the the best parts of last spring was a little discovery we made in the top of the arbor over our gate. Three little robin eggs. We got to watch the eggs appear one by one, see the babies hatch and wave as they flew away.

What did you do last spring? Do you have memories you'd like us to consider including in the KIC banner? Email your photos (or links) to kidsinthecapital@gmail.com!

Thank you to everyone in advance for your help!

Kids in the Capital: Call for Events

by Karen We're calling on our community a LOT this year! We hope you enjoy and find the changes we're implementing to be very useful.

Our latest announcement is one that I am quite excited about. The Kids in the Capital blog focuses on events and activities that families have done and who want to share their experience with the community.

We want to enhance our offering to provide information about upcoming events in the Ottawa area so we've created a brand-new Events page!

This page is going to be community curated. If you know of something that's going on that would be of interest to families with children of all ages, we'd love for you to share it with us for the community. (There's a form below the calendar with all the fields of information we need to know.)

Given the awesomely active community that we have around Kids in the Capital, I'm certain that this calendar will become a go to resource for family-friendly fun in Ottawa!

And we thank you all for your help!

Blogging out loud

by Lynn

Ottawa has one of the most vibrant, active, and friendly social media scenes that I know. The online version of this city is a place where everyone is welcomed, where so many people have amazing things to say. There's twitter, there's facebook, and of course, there's an amazing community of bloggers. Kids in the Capital itself is a great example of how a blog can be a gathering place for people with similar interests, all of whom live in this great town of ours.

Blog Out Loud is an annual event for Ottawa-area bloggers - and, just as importantly, their readers - to gather and share. It's a chance to meet those people whose voices you've only heard online, to finally put sound behind the words. It's a fun evening and a great way to really feel a part of something. And as an added bonus, 21 Ottawa-area bloggers will be reading out loud their favourite post from the past year, a personal retelling of funny, moving, powerful stories; meanwhile, a dozen Ottawa-area photographers will be displaying their beautiful artwork.

I am amazed at how many people are coming forward this year to say that last year's event sparked their desire to start their own blog. That hearing the bloggers speak, and meeting so many great people, inspired them to add their own voices to the mix. And a few bloggers who started their own blogs after attending BOLO are even taking a turn at the microphone this year, reading their own story.

You could be one of those people, too.

This year's event is this coming Thursday, July 7, 2011. It starts at 7 p.m. and runs until around 10. It's free, although we will be asking for donations at the door to help cover costs (suggested donation of $2). It's at The Prescott (379 Preston Street), and we'll be down in the basement reception room, with our own private bar.

So expect things to get LOUD.

You're all invited, so hope to see you all there!

Lynn is the planning mastermind behind BOLO and she also has a personal blog over at Turtlehead.