Exploring the Outaouais with kids: Eco Odysee

We love to explore the greater Ottawa area in the summer ,and sometimes we come across a gem! Eco-Odysée is one of those places. Beautiful scenery, boats, maps, clues, and puzzle solving! It can't get much better in my children's opinion.

My oldest son made a video about our trip there last summer - take a quick peek before I tell you more about it.

Water maze adventures

Hop in a paddle boat or canoe and spend a couple of hours going through the swamp maze hunting for animals!

All throughout the maze there are plastic statues of animals. Depending on which adventure you take, you can can move through the maze in a different direction (I love this because there are adventures for different skill levels, but you can continue to do the same level without getting bored).

If you'd rather not paddle or you're just pair, you can get a canoe (it's also a bit cheaper). We managed to get all five of us into one paddle boat, even though it said that the max was two adults and two kids. If your kids aren't too big they're happy to let all five of you in the same boat.

Beyond the maze

Once you're done in the water maze you get to solve puzzles and search for a final answer, which you can bring to reception at the end for a (very) small prize. The kids were really proud of themselves for having solved the entire adventure!

There is also a walking maze and a nice area to picnic.

If you're looking for something fun and a bit different to do this summer, make sure to check out Eco-Odysée!

Small word of warning: we were there on a day that wasn't too hot. I have heard that it can get really hot on the water, so make sure to stay hydrated and use good sun protection.

Exploring with the Spot App

by Kamerine

Kids are natural explorers. It starts with infancy - they want to touch and feel everything. Soon they are toddling around their environment. They put things in their mouths and get so dirty! Their desire to learn is insatiable.

It's no different with technology. I think they push all the buttons on remotes and iDevices because they aren't worried about breaking the thing. They just want to know what happens when they push THIS button or THAT button! And it's amazing what they can learn about devices in a short time. I swear my kids know how to work the remotes and my phone better than I do!

Screen time is part of our reality these days. Limited screen time is good but sometimes letting the kids watch a show or play on the iPad is what gets us through the day. The new Spot app is perfect for little explorers. The app opens to a white screen with a ladybug and then the exploring begins.

Little fingers pull apart to make the ladybug bigger... and bigger... and BIGGER! until a new world is uncovered. This goes on and on in the app, exploring what's inside cookies and papers and the table. The whole world can be explored and fun things found.

It was so much fun watching those little fingers going all over and the looks of excitement at discovering what there was to see next. The Spot app is very creative and fun, but it's no wonder when it was created by David Wiesner, a celebrated story teller. Spot allows kids to come up with their own story.

Without a specific task or bad guys to battle, my 5 year old son didn't stay interested too long, but my 4 year old daughter had fun exploring until it was time to turn off the screen. I love how this app encourages exploration and imagination.

This app is for iPads and is available for purchase in the App Store for $4.99. What apps are your kids loving these days?

Disclaimer: I was provided a code to download this app for free. All opinions are my own.