Bonding over video games

If you asked me if I would have spent an enormous amount of my time this spring and summer playing a game called Animal Crossing, I definitely wouldn’t have thought the answer would be yes.

But several months ago, my teen asked me if I wanted to play, and when I said yes, we proceeded to spend more time talking and having something in common to bond over then we have in a long time.

Animal Crossing

Photo of Nintendo Switch with Animal Crossing Game

Animal Crossing has a lot of fun ways that you can have special moments with folks. If you’re playing with people on a different island, you can go for visits and you can mail them presents. If you’re in the same family/playing on the same Nintendo Switch you can also send mail or do what I do and drop off gifts in front of the kids’ houses.

We’ve been able to plan out parts of the islands and figure out how to create hybrid flowers together, making for lots of opportunities for great conversations and time spent together.

It’s not really about the game

The thing is, the video game was the topic, but it’s really about meeting them where they’re at. We don’t have a lot we both want to do any more. Animal Crossing turned out to be a blessing because I really do enjoy the game. And since then I’ve been introduced to quite a few other games (most of which I am not particularly interested in ) and the kids get really invested in trying to show me how to play or being amused at just how many times I can NOT land that jump in Celeste or at how confused I am about what I’m supposed to be doing in Paper Mario or trying to get me to take on my Rhythm Heaven Fever challenges with them. ;)

It works beyond video games too

My husband has been watching a lot of anime with our teen lately on Crunchyroll (and Netflix has many of the Studio Ghibli films available). He enjoys Anime but hasn’t really spent time watching any since he was in his twenties. This gives them something that is for them and gives them a reason to hang out together.

I have another friend who chooses and watches a show regularly with their teen - it’s not always a show they particularly want to watch, but it’s really not about that, and we need to remember that when saying yay or nay.

Next time you see an opportunity to connect on something, even if it wouldn’t be YOUR choice of things, it may make for the perfect chance to bond with a kid who seems more inclined to hang out by themselves in their room than with you any more.

In case you’re here for the Animal Crossing part, I want to share a few of my tips for the game ;):

• There is a money rock on your island every day. Hit it with your shovel (not your axe) as fast as you can after creating a way to not bounce away (I dig holes or bounce against a flat surface) and you’ll get more bells (this works for getting more resources too - you can get up to eight).

• Save all the fish and bugs in your storage for the days that Flick and CJ come to buy them from you. You’ll get more bells that way.

• You can catch the wasps almost every time if you’re holding your net when you’re shaking a tree, facing the tree from the front and immediately turn in the directly the nest falls and swing. The wasps are worth at least 2500 bells so it’s worth it.

• There is at least one item hiding in a tree on your island every day, sometimes more. I like to shake the trees looking for items and wasps.

A family night out at the Wesley Clover Parks Drive-In Theatre

KITC would like to welcome back, guest blogger, Stephen Johnson. Stephen Johnson is an Ottawa writer who loves to write about family travel.  During the summer, when there isn’t a pandemic, you will most likely find him and his family at a local fair or festival.  During the winter, a beach in Mexico is a likely bet.

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I have not been to a drive-in movie since 1990. At the time, I was eighteen years old. We were seven teenagers stuffed into a car that fit four (a few may have been crammed in the trunk!).

Fast forward thirty years, drive-ins are making a comeback during this time of social distancing. Our family learned there was a drive-in taking place at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa’s west end and couldn’t wait to see what our son thought of this unique experience! 

This time, our family of three, easily fit in our vehicle which comfortably seats five. There was no need to hide anyone under car seats or next to the spare tire. 

I have to admit, I was somewhat nervous to go to the drive-in. Like most Ottawa families, for the past three months, our family excursions consisted of taking a walk or bike ride through our local park. 

Once we arrived on-site my fears were quickly allayed. All staff were wearing face masks and social distancing was maintained at all times. There was plenty of space between vehicles and people could even order concessions online via their smartphone. 

We had a few minutes to spare before the movie started so our son, David, and I walked around the site while maintaining our social distance from others. It felt like people were coming out of their cocoons. Hatchbacks and truck flatbeds were turned into viewing areas. We even saw one family bring a mattress for the young ones in case their dozy eyes could not last for the entire movie. 

The night we visited, Thor: The Dark World was on the bill. I am usually not a superhero fan but enjoyed the escapism of the film. The fact that it was a perfect summer night added to the ambiance. The night went by quickly but was definitely memorable.

Our motto this summer will be to keep it local. The drive-in experience at Wesley Clover Parks was the perfect place to start. 

As one can expect,  there are a few restrictions in place during this time of COVID-19.  People are asked to not bring in any outside food or drink other than sealed bottled water.  It is okay to sit in the hatchback or flatbed of your vehicle. Only one person per vehicle is allowed to go to the bathroom at a time with the exception of young kids who can be accompanied by one adult.  There are outdoor portapotties on-site with very good hand-washing facilities.  

Our family found all the measures to be reasonable and they did not impede our enjoyment of the event.  We understood they were for our safety and the safety of all participants.  

Films are being offered that will appeal to adults and children. Check the bill ahead of time to make sure the film and screening time are age-appropriate. All ticket sales are done online. For more information, visit, www.thedriveinottawa.ca

Celebrate your birthday with Dexter the Dinosaur

Because we know how important celebrating birthdays are (for the young and for the young at heart), we recently shared some Pandemic Birthday Party ideas. And while we may not be able to gather in groups right now and celebrate with big parties, there are many things we can still do to celebrate, including receiving a free special message from the City of Ottawa’s favourite dinosaur, Dexter!

Get started by messaging Ottawa Recreation and Culture on Facebook with your child’s birthday information and name to receive a personalized message from Dexter! Please give at least two days’ notice. If you're not on social media and want a birthday message from Dexter you can email rcfssocialmedia@ottawa.ca.

#DinoChallege

Not celebrating a birthday, but still want to have some dino-sized fun? Alongside the colouring pages that have been posted to their social media pages every Friday, Ottawa Recreation and Culture have also started the Dino Challenge (with more to come). Keep an eye on their page for more Dexter antics!

After all, who doesn’t love a dancing dinosaur?

Kids in the Capital Celebrating Ten Years (A Belated Anniversary)

Kids in the Capital turned TEN on March 30th! We were right in the early weeks of what I like to call “pandemic-land” and the anniversary got forgotten. Now that we’ve all settled in to a bit more of a routine, I thought it was time to belatedly celebrate a HUGE milestone in Kids in the Capitals’ existence.

On March 30th, 2010 I (Lara) launched Kids in the Capital with my friend Brie. I wanted to create a space where parents, who knew there was lots to do with their kids but were overwhelmed trying to figure out WHAT to choose, could get advice from other parents based on their experiences.

We had lots of people who regularly contributed content giving parents ideas on where to go, crafts to try, foods to cook, and so much more.

This is what the blog looked like when we launched (and our very first post!)

Kids in the Capital’s very first blog post and original layout - a header of a school bus going down my street wasn’t the very first header, but it was one of the first!

In those early days we ran playdates (mostly because I had a 3 year old and not even 1 year old twins and I needed to get out of the house) and photography challenges in addition to posts on places to go. Since then we’ve grown, we have a team that runs the site, and we’ve worked with a lot of great sponsors to help us keep the site going.

Thank you

I want to take a moment to thank the wonderful ladies who have made this blog possible over the years. Brie McManus who put so much love in to the blog in those early days (and hours of work!), Karen Wilson who was my second partner running the blog, Ali Goldfield who was our first community manager, Misty Pratt who has been helping run the blog for over 6 years now, and Tracy Noble who joined us in 2016. All of these ladies have helped run this blog as more of a passion project than a way to make an income, and I so appreciate their time and energy and commitment to helping create great content that parents in the National Capital value.

I also want to thank the Kids in the Capital audience who have always been so respectful, supportive and friendly. Thank you for still being here, engaging on our social channels and sharing our content.

Some of our most popular content

I wanted to do a list of our most popular content over the years and you know what - the content all feels like an in your face list of things we can’t do right now while COVID-19 still impacts us. So instead, I will share our most popular post ever (so you can work on a bucket list) and ask you to share in comments what kind of content you’d like to see from us for a summer that is not going to look like other summers.

Most popular post of all time: 50 things to do in Ottawa

Some of the promo images from 2010

What’s next

I don’t know what’s next for Kids in the Capital other than we’re not going any where. As the blog has aged a lot of the content has aged with my kids, making the content for older kids and not toddlers. We’d love to have more toddler content so are always looking for contributors. We don’t have a budget for paying for posts at the moment, but can often get people free tickets in to attractions so we can write about them (once we can get back in to places again!).

In the first weeks of the pandemic we held our first workshop on becoming an unexpected homeschooler and we are open to having more workshops over the summer, some for parents and some for kids (I know we’re all looking for ways to keep the kids busy right now!) If you have thoughts or ideas on what you’d like to see, please comment and let us know!

Thank you for being a part of the Kids in the Capital community!

Pandemic Summers: Routine or Free-for-All?

Just when you think you’ve got this homeschooling thing under control, summer arrives! With overnight camps being canceled, and day camps up in the air, parents continue to live under a cloud of uncertainty as we juggle work-from-home and childcare.

Going solo or getting help

Before we talk about routine, one consideration for summer is whether you need some help. We could fill this post with Pinterest-worthy activities to do with the kids, but that takes major planning and coordination by parents. If you aren’t working, maybe this is your jam. But if you’re still trying to work from home throughout the summer, a post with a million activity ideas might be overwhelming (although if you’re keen on activity lists, keep reading for a few ideas below, and stay tuned for our Summer Pandemic Bucket List post!)

One option depending on the situation in your own province would be to get some help with childcare. At this point it’s possible that day camps in Ottawa will go ahead, although they will look very different from past summer camps. Some facilities may take things outdoors, where there’s a better chance for kids to practice physical distancing. However, children will still need shelter during thunderstorms, to cool off in heat waves or to use the bathroom.

If a day camp isn’t something you want to risk, hiring a teenager may be the next best option. Having one person coming into your home, instead of having your children encounter multiple different people every day, may be preferable for you. A few things to consider would be:

• Where do the parents or siblings of the teenager work (outside of home? Front line?)

• Is the teenager fully aware of the risks, and willing to communicate openly about their own exposures (e.g. a boyfriend/girlfriend, other friends they are coming into contact with)

• How will babysitting work if you’re working from home? Will the babysitter be expected to take your children outside? Will you consider allowing them to go to museums or libraries if they are open?

Alternatively, some parents will rely on grandparents or an aunt/uncle to help out. Of course there are risks associated with that option as well, but that’s a personal decision you can make together as a family. It may also be easier to manage the number of people your family members come into contact with in your “bubble.”

New businesses are being launched as we speak, such as online babysitting and Rent-a-Counsellor, where you can hire a camp counsellor to come to your home and do activities with your kids (at a distance of course!) These are really cool alternatives, and we’d love to hear from you if you’re aware of these services being offered here in Ottawa.

Routine vs. Free Time

Whether you’re going it alone or asking for outside help, you will need to consider how to approach this unique summer situation. As a parent, you know your kids best. Some children thrive with a lot of structure, while others will balk at the idea of keeping a “schedule” over the summer months. The choice of how to pass these looong 10 weeks will depend on what works best for your family.

The case for routine

Many parents find that routine provides structure and sanity. Kids know what to expect, and screen time can be scheduled. Routines can include an educational component (but shhhhh, we won’t tell your kids they’re learning) - but they don’t have to. Check out the links for some fun ideas below. The first is from the blog A Little Bit of Momsense, and is a free printable for weekly themed “mom and dad” camp. The second is our Pinterest board for daily schedules, which we’ll be adding to as the weeks go by:

Weekly “themes”

Daily schedules

Some kids will push back against schedules, as it can feel too much like school or camp. TOO strict of a schedule and you risk stifling some of your child’s creativity. Try to include your children in writing up the schedule so that they have a say in what they’d like to focus on. Adjusting the schedule as you go may be helpful and necessary.

The case for Free Time

You may choose to do away with schedules and routines and just let your children roam. OR perhaps you do a bit of both!

Many children thrive when given the opportunity to focus on what they want. A surprising amount of learning takes place even when you think your child isn’t doing anything “productive,” and summer is the ideal time to reframe learning as fun. Also, mounting evidence shows that letting kids be bored leads to some awesome brain growth and creativity!

Of course, the downside is that they choose to do something that you don’t want them doing - like video games or other screen activities. It’s good to head into the summer with a realistic idea of how much screen time you’re willing to let your kids have - are you fine with unlimited time? One or two hours? None? It’s a personal choice and depends on your family situation. If you’re still working from home without any help, screen time will probably be essential for your sanity.

Another potential issue with free time is that kids will want to explore the neighbourhood, and will inevitably come into contact with friends. Maybe your street is already teeming with kids! Depending on how the situation unfolds, it may be possible to “bubble” with one other family that you’re close with so that your kids can play together. Or, maybe your kids are old enough that they will respect social distancing rules while still spending time with friends. Most research is showing that small group outdoor activities carry a low risk of the virus spreading (based on what we know so far) - check out this handy article for a risk assessment of common summer activities.

Regardless of how you approach this summer, remember to be gentle with yourself. Parenting in a pandemic is not regular parenting, and we’re in this for the long haul. Taking things one day at a time is our only way through.