Fed up with Netflix? Seen everything there is to see in your backyard? Never fear—I’m here with lots of new ideas for fun in Ottawa and beyond this week, including online concerts, science experiments for kids, an escape room challenge and forest snowshoeing. Remember to stay close to home and take all the usual safety precautions if you go outside. And have a great weekend!
Spark your kids’ curiosity (or your own)
Three Ottawa museums—the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum—are collectively known as the Ingenium Museums. And together, they’ve created a page of online resources for science at home. It includes everything from tips on experiments with eggs to a link to a smartphone game simulating a mission to Mars (see video above). You can even find out how to simulate an earthquake using Jell-O, mini marshmallows and toothpicks.
Over at the Canadian Museum of Nature, ideas for enjoying nature at home range from taking video open-house tours to playing bird bingo. The Canadian Museum of History’s suggestions for educational fun include scrapbooking, making pita bread and building a time capsule. And on a more serious note, the Canadian War Museum has Over the Top, an interactive virtual experience that helps participants imagine life in the trenches during the First World War.
Go snowshoeing in Warwick Forest
For those of you living southeast of Ottawa, here’s a tip. Warwick Forest—a demonstration forest near Berwick, which is southeast of Crysler and northeast of Finch—is a fun place to go snowshoeing. For photos and lots of details, see Peter Johansen’s great article in the latest issue of Fifty-Five Plus magazine.
Learn about Ottawa’s Black history—and present
Ottawa Black History Month has a packed schedule of virtual events coming up in the next week. Choices include a Zoom meeting with local Black artisans (February 7, 10am), two meetings focusing on the effect of HIV/AIDS on the Black community (February 7, 12:30pm and 2pm), and events for children and teens on February 8 and February 10.
Get your tickets for an online film festival
The Kingston Canadian Film Festival is the world’s biggest event dedicated solely to Canadian movies. This year, it’s happening online, and ticket sales open on February 5 (so this would be a great weekend to start picking out the flicks you want to see).
During the festival (February 26 to March 7), ticket holders will be able to stream the films at home. It’s a great chance to see the latest Canuck movies, which can be hard to find otherwise. The lineup includes Death of a Ladies’ Man (Gabriel Byrne plays an ill roué who reconsiders his life, to a Leonard Cohen soundtrack); No Visible Trauma (a documentary about police brutality and systemic racism in Calgary); and Restless River (Malaya Quanirq Chapman stars as a young Inuk woman in the 1940s raising her son alone, in an adaptation of a Gabrielle Roy story). Note that films may be viewable in Ontario only, due to licensing restrictions.
Have fun while supporting a good cause
Individuals, families, schools, workplaces and sports teams are all competing in the 2021 Snow Angel Challenge, a virtual fundraising event for the Snowsuit Fund. How does it work? You make your most creative snow angels, post photos of them on social media and encourage your fans to donate. The top fundraisers are eligible for prizes, and the challenge runs until February 28.
Meanwhile, Escape Manor has organized Hunt for Hearts, a fundraiser for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation. Register and you’ll get a kit filled with challenges, puzzles, riddles, trivia questions and more. You have all month to complete your assigned tasks and submit proof of your success. Earn a minimum of 25 points (out of a possible 250) and you’ll be eligible for prizes, too! The cost is $25 per person.
Enjoy Winterlude online
This year’s virtual version of Winterlude kicks off on Friday, February 5, when a show debuts on Canadian Heritage’s YouTube channel (it will be available there until the virtual festival ends on February 21). The show features a figure skating performance, lots of music, and a competition among ice carvers in seven cities across Canada (viewers will be able to vote for their favourite sculptures). The Winterlude website also features lots of ideas for at-home fun.
Celebrate WinterPride
The WinterPride celebrations of Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQ+ community (February 8 to 12) are always a lively part of Winterlude. This year, of course, they’re online, but that doesn’t mean the schedule isn’t busy, as usual. Events include a talk by Black artist-activist Rodney Diverlus (Monday, February 8), a Drag Family Hour (Tuesday, February 9) and a performance by local musician Kimberly Sunstrum (Thursday, February 11).
Enjoy the Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival
The Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival’s virtual edition this year—called Shiver ‘n Giver—challenges participants to cover 21 kilometres (it doesn’t have to be all at once!) on skates, skis, snowshoes or on foot, between February 5 and 21. Registration costs $50, and you can also raise additional funds for the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation’s charity efforts.
The festival, which is part of Winterlude, also includes a big list of free online concerts—in the next few days alone, you can enjoy Moonfruits (Friday, February 5), the Chinese Canadian Children’s Choir of Canada (Saturday, February 6) and Melo Griffith (Tuesday, February 9).
And if you’re wondering, “What the heck is an ice dragon boat?”, check out the video above. It was shot at last year’s (non-virtual) festival.
Catch a free NAC concert online
On Friday, February 5, at 8pm, the National Arts Centre will be livestreaming a Calgary performance by Canadian singer/songwriter KARÍMAH, nicknamed “The Queen of Soul” by Radio-Canada. The Facebook Live show is free.
Skate on the Rideau Canal
As I type this, the entire length of the Rideau Canal Skateway is currently groomed and open (but, as always, it’s weather dependent). Limited washroom facilities are available but all of the other usual amenities (change rooms, food stands, fire pits) are not. The NCC has set out extra benches for changing, but make sure to bring a backpack, as you’ll need to carry your skates and all your other belongings with you. The NCC also advises skaters to wear masks when out on the canal (masks are mandatory in the washrooms).
Make crafts with your kids
The Vanier Museopark’s Club CréActivité craft club is offering a free online craft workshop on Saturday, February 6, starting at 10am. Families will use simple supplies—such as card stock, paint and glue—to make a Valentine’s “love tree.”
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