As I type this, the Ontario government has just announced its stay-at-home order. That comes on the heels of Quebec’s curfew rollout last week. So this week’s “road trip roundup” is going to focus on virtual trips you can take via your computer, TV or phone, as well as outdoor fun you can enjoy in your backyard. We CAN get through this, my friends! Here are a few ways you can keep cabin fever at bay over the coming weeks, from free movies and online courses at your local library to birding, a livestreamed play reading and a virtual film festival.
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Learn a new craft
The Globe and Mail, of all places, is launching an online craft club. Every second week on a Tuesday night, the newspaper will be livestreaming a free craft class on Facebook. The definition of “crafts” is quite broad, encompassing activities such as cooking and soap-making as well as collage, embroidery and more. The first class isn’t happening until 7pm on Tuesday, January 19, but I’m mentioning it this week so you’ll have time to register and get the necessary supplies. That class will show you how to make ricotta cheese and homemade crackers. You can learn more about the series in this article from the paper, and you can also keep up with announcements by joining the craft club’s Facebook group.
Hear an Indigenous play
At 7pm on Wednesday, January 13, the National Arts Centre is livestreaming a reading of Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer on Facebook. Written and directed by Kevin Loring, NAC Indigenous Theatre’s artistic director, it tells the story of the last member of the Little Red Warrior First Nation and his attempt to stop development of his ancestral lands. The livestream will be available online for 24 hours after the event.
Get cycling inspiration at a film festival
The Bicycle Film Festival Ottawa (January 15 to 24) is completely online this year. For a reasonable fee (it’s a sliding pay-what-you-can scale), you’ll be able to stream a wide range of short films about biking—everything from female bicycle couriers’ views of New York City’s streets to a film about a BMX crew in Nigeria.
Learn all about snowflakes
Are you or your kids fascinated by snowflakes? Then check out this page about snowflakes from the Canadian Museum of Nature. It shows you how to make a digital or paper snowflake, and includes a three-minute video explaining the science of snowflakes.
Check out your library’s online offerings
Despite the photo I’ve used above, libraries provide much more than books. And the challenges of the last year seem to have prompted many of them to forge even further into multimedia territory—and we all get to benefit.
A friend’s Facebook post alerted me to the fact that the Ottawa Public Library has recently expanded its list of digital goodies. The newest additions to the list are Medici.tv (classical music, ballet, arts documentaries, opera and more), SOLARO (a home learning site for kids), Creativebug (arts and crafts videos) and Pronunciator (foreign language courses). They join a dizzying variety of other online resources, ranging from movies and jazz to magazines and genealogy databases (the Kanopy movie collection is one of my favourites). Of course, you can borrow ebooks as well. And all of this is free for anyone with an OPL library card.
Looking for similar resources in other library systems? Here are links to the “online resources” sections of some other libraries in Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais.
- Arnprior Public Library
- Bonnechere Union Public Library (Eganville)
- Brockville Public Library
- Carleton Place Public Library
- Chelsea Public Library
- Cornwall Public Library
- Bibliothèque de Gatineau
- Kingston Frontenac Public Library
- Merrickville Public Library
- Mississippi Mills Public Library
- Perth and District Union Public Library
- Petawawa Public Library
- Renfrew Public Library
- Smiths Falls Public Library (click on “Online Resources” at the top of the page)
- Wakefield Library (scroll down to “Research” at the bottom of the page)
Improve your birding abilities
Many of us—myself included—have become increasingly fascinated by birds over the last year. If you want to hone your skills in distinguishing a downy woodpecker from a yellow-bellied sapsucker, check out some of these websites (and put their tips into practice in your backyard or neighbourhood rather than ranging too far afield, for now).
- Birding in the Ottawa area, an online guide from the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club
- the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas’s list of online resources
- eBird, an extensive website run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York (I’m taking their Joy of Birdwatching online course right now and recommend it highly; their Merlin smartphone app is great, too)
- the info-packed website of Bird Watcher’s Digest magazine
- Les Oiseaux du Québec, a comprehensive online guide in French
Here are a few useful field guides. Bear in mind that the pocket-sized ones are best if you’re planning to take them with you, while the bigger ones are best suited to using at home.
- Common Birds of Ontario
- Lorimer Field Guide to 225 Ontario Birds
- Les Oiseaux du Québec/Quebec Birds (bilingual)
- Warblers of the Great Lakes Region and Eastern North America
- Waterfowl: A Guide to Native North American Species
If you’re seeking some literary inspiration to join the ever-growing group affectionately known as “bird nerds,” you could read the new book by Canadian author Julia Zarankin, Field Notes From An Unintentional Birder: A Memoir. I bought it just before Christmas, and I’m really looking forward to diving into it—the reviews are great.
And if you’re looking for bird feeders, seed, binoculars, books and more, Gilligallou Bird in Almonte, Wild Birds Unlimited in Ottawa, the Urban Nature Store in Kingston and Montreal-based Nature Expert all sell a wide variety of birding products online (many also offer curb-side pickup).
Looking for more ideas for things to see and do—even if you’re just daydreaming about where you will go when travel restrictions are lifted? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter.