Give the Gift of Learning to Read with Ooka Island

Some kids seem to pick up reading at an early age and are motivated to practice and improve. Other kids? Well, let's just say the process is not so smooth. Reading can be a hard skill to master, and those active little people in your life may be resisting your attempts to get them reading on a regular basis.

This holiday season, you may be tempted to run out to the bookstore and pick a number of books you think your child would like to read. While this sometimes works, there are other (easier!) ways to get their noses stuck in a book.

Ooka Island is an adaptive, game-based learn-to-read program that develops strong early reading skills through 24 levels of educational activities and 85 ebooks. Share your love of reading with a budding bookworm in your life by gifting them a subscription to learn-to-read on Ooka Island! 

Wait, what? Reading can become a game?

Yes! And a fun game at that! Lara's daughter begs to play this "computer game," and has given us her review of the program:

I like it because I can get a package of little books to read and you can play games. I also like the previews free play because as a reward for reading the books, you get to choose what you play. I also loves the alphabet song and the characters. Two more things I like: when you are rewarded with stickers and money to buy stuff like dogs, shorts, and bears.

Ooka Island makes you a promise: send your child to Ooka Island for 30 minutes, three times a week and they’ll graduate a confident reader in ONE YEAR. That's pretty impressive! Ooka also sends parents weekly progress reports that provide a detailed picture of where their child is excelling or having difficulty in reading. This actionable information empowers parents to maximize their child’s learning and to have meaningful and productive dialogue with teachers. 

How can I give the gift of reading?

Parents, grandparents, and family members will love that instead of buying another toy for the special child in their life, that they can give them the gift of reading with a ticket to Ooka Island, where children become confident, fluent readers.  If you have an emerging reader in your family, click here to give them the gift of reading this Christmas!

Giving the gift of reading is easier than ever. Ooka Island now allows family and loved ones to purchase a gift subscription (3 month or 1 year program) that can be redeemed at anytime by the recipient.  Every ticket to Ooka Island can be printed or sent to the recipient by email. With three gift subscriptions to choose from, Ooka Island is the perfect holiday gift for early readers!

Starter Subscription ($34.99 CDN / $29.99 USD)

Gift a 3 month starter subscription to Ooka Island and jumpstart them into reading. An excellent choice for any child!

1-Year Program ($99.99 CDN / $89.99 USD)

Gift a 12 month subscription and watch them become a confident reader! Recommended to complete program.

1-Year Program + Books* ($149.99 CDN & USD)

Gift little learners their first paperback library with a colorful collection of 11 Ooka books bundled with the 1-Year Program

*Shipping is free.
 

So if you are looking for a gift that will encourage a child's love reading a subscription to Ooka Island is perfect!

And don't forget to enter our Holiday Giveaway, where you get a chance to win a one year subscription to Ooka Island and a set of books!

This post is part of our 2016 Holiday Campaign, with support from Tag Along Toys, The Canadian Museum of Nature, Saunders Farm and Ooka Island. Make sure to enter our giveaway!

Give the Gift of Experience: The Canadian Museum of Nature

The Canadian Museum of Nature is known at our house as "the castle." Every time we pass the stately structure on the 417, my girls catch a glimpse and cry "the castle, the castle!"

Although it does not house any royals (of the human kind,) the Museum of Nature takes children on a wild ride through natural history, with world-class galleries featuring dinosaurs, mammals, birds, dazzling minerals and rocks, live invertebrates, and a water gallery with a 19 metre-long blue whale skeleton!

The 100 year-old museum building is 4 stories high, and children love to climb the stairs or ride the giant elevators. Each floor has permanent exhibits, as well as special exhibits that are open for months at a time (one of our favourites was Bugs Outside the Box, and we're excited to check out Reptiles).

In the fossil gallery, travel back in time to meet the dinosaurs

The water gallery holds a skeleton of the largest animal in the world, and is a family favourite.

The beautiful dioramas in the Mammal Gallery create life-like scenes of animals' habitats.

The Bird Gallery is my daughters' favourite

That's where they get to play "veterinarian" to all the sick birds. While they're distracted, I get to sneak over and read a bit about some of my favourite birds.

Bug-loving kids will love Nature Live, where they can view live insects and participate in scientific activities.

And that's just the beginning! There is the Stone Wall Gallery, Earth Gallery, Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year, and 3D movies. There are also the super popular adult programs, such as Nature Nocturne (with themes such as Chinese New Year or Halloween), and special brunches on New Year's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Easter.

So if you are looking for an experiential gift for your children (or pssst, grandparents! This makes a great gift for you and the kiddos too!) look no further than a yearly membership to "the castle."

And don't forget!! You have TWO MORE DAYS to enter our Holiday Giveaway, where you get a chance to win a yearly membership to the Canadian Museum of Nature!

This post is part of our 2016 Holiday Campaign, with support from Tag Along Toys, The Canadian Museum of Nature, Saunders Farm and Ooka Island. Make sure to enter our giveaway!

Our Favourite Holiday Traditions

Every family has their special way of celebrating the holidays. From favourite movies and songs on the radio, to family gatherings and special presents, traditions help create lasting memories for children.

The Kids in the Capital team is excited to share some of our favourite Christmas traditions with you, and we've invited our holiday campaign sponsors to join in!

Misty

Growing up, my mom would buy my brother and me a children's book each year, and sign the inside with a quote or message. Now I have a huge stack of books that I read to my own children. I cherish these books so much!

Other family traditions included watching the BBC's "A Child's Christmas in Whales" and tracking Santa's progress on the radio.

Lara

"Each child receives a Christmas ornament every year, so they'll have a collection when they move out. Each ornament commemorates things they liked that year."

Tracy

"Every Christmas morning we check outside to see if Santa's reindeers left any hoof prints in the snow... which they always do (and they often look a lot like a horseshoe)." ;)

Here are some holiday traditions from our Holiday Giveaway sponsors: 

Saunders Farm

"While not open to the public anymore, Saunders Farm once housed a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm. Hundreds of guests would visit us each December for a chilly hayride to find their perfect tree, and then enjoy some hot chocolate by the bonfire in our 180-year-old Log Barn. Cutting Christmas trees is our favourite holiday tradition!"

Patti, Tag Along Toys

"We always let our son open one gift the night before Christmas and it is always a new pair of pajamas and a book."

Ooka Island

"A favourite holiday tradition is gifting each child in our lives a classic hardcover children's book for Christmas and writing an inscription on the inside along with the date." 

Canadian Museum of Nature

"We love hiding tiny reindeer in the exhibits during the holiday season. Fun for the kids to find!"

The holiday season is full of so many traditions including putting up Christmas lights, baking and, of course, quality family time. The Kids in the Capital team also seemed to share similar traditions, such as opening the gift of pyjamas on Christmas Eve.

What are your family traditions? Leave a comment and let us know!

This post is part of our 2016 Holiday Campaign, with support from Tag Along Toys, The Canadian Museum of Nature, Saunders Farm and Ooka Island. Make sure to enter our giveaway!

Give the Gift of Saunders Farm

Ask my daughter what she likes the most about Saunders Farm and she will say "the jumping pillows!" And she's not alone. Thousands of kids flock to this unique family-run farm, which has been in operation since 1976. It is now considered a must-see destination for all things fun and fright! As part of our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide & Giveaway we are introducing you to some of our favourite local businesses, and today we are highlighting Saunders Farm.

What is Saunders Farm? 

Located in the small community of Munster in Ottawa’s west end, Saunders Farm is best known for their Haunting Season and Summer Mazes. Their mission is to create a space that provides fun, food, and memories for everyone, which they accomplish through opening their doors to tens of thousands of guests each year.

Between April and September, Saunders Farm welcomes guests to its Mazes Season (they have the world’s largest collection of hedge mazes and labyrinths), birthday parties, Farm Camps, Farm Dinners, and corporate events and team building. During this time, the Farm also hosts dozens of weddings where they provide an amazing experience for brides, grooms, and their families.

Each October, their Farm opens Haunting Season, Ottawa’s largest fall festival, where they delight and entertain guests through their numerous haunted attractions, live performances, and delicious farm fresh foods. The daytime Haunt is more child-friendly and still offers families the opportunity to explore the mazes and the rest of the farm, while the night time haunt, Fright Fest, is guaranteed to make you scream. 2016 celebrated 25 years and 1 million screams! Fright Fest makes for an unforgettable date night.

Saunders has grown one of the largest collection of hedge mazes in the world and their property is always clean, well kept and is a great space for kids to run, have fun and play. In addition to the mazes and jumping pillows, there is a unique farm-inspired play structure, a huge slide and a splash pad. Families can easily spend (many) summer days making memories at Saunders Farm. 

Award winning family attraction

Saunders Farm has won numerous awards for their innovation, marketing, leadership, and overall excellence.

How can you give the gift of Saunders Farm from Christmas?

This holiday season, Saunders Farm will be offering its guests special discounts on Annual Passes. Annual passes include the Summer Mazes Season and the Haunting Season!

Make sure to enter our giveaway - one of the prizes is an Annual Pass (which, don't forget, includes Haunting Season!) to Saunders Farm. The good news is that you don't have to wait until spring to learn more about Saunders Farm. You can follow their fun all year round online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saundersfarmfun/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaundersFarmFans
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saundersfarm 

Disclaimer: this post is part of our 2016 Holiday Campaign. Make sure to enter our giveaway post before the end of November!

Unique Gift Ideas for the Holiday Season

The holidays are a season of giving, but it can be hard to find that perfect gift for a friend or loved one. Many times our kids are overwhelmed with presents, and parents spend the year trying to purge and organize. We want to cultivate gratitude in our children, which is hard to do when gift giving gets out of control! The same goes for the adults – when we’re buying something because we feel like we have to (and not because it’s meaningful) it can make the holiday season stressful.

To take the stress out of shopping, we’ve come up with unique gift ideas for the whole family. Thanks to our readers and sponsors for providing such cool ideas!

FOOD

Everyone has that foodie in the family, or the kid that’s going to become a “Cheffer” (as my 7 year-old puts it) when they grow up. For little ones you can buy mini kitchen items for pretend play. Older kids would love a cookbook for children, and adults may be lusting over a new kitchen gadget. OR, you could just get them food! Treats on Christmas morning is the best:

“In our opinion, food always makes the best gift! The challenge is knowing what to get for your friends and loved ones that is truly unique and amazing...that's why we LOVE fudge! It's gourmet, creative, and can be personalized for the recipient. Plus, it's fudge!!!” - Mark Saunders, Saunders Farms

BOOKS OR MAGAZINES

Have you heard of the holiday tradition “something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read?” I love that idea! Maybe you have a "bookoholic" in the family that’s provided you with a list of no more than 36 books they would like. Or maybe you have the child who needs a bit of encouragement. Pairing books with electronics may be your ticket to success:

“With a ticket to Ooka Island you’re not only giving a child the gift of reading for life, but they’ll have access to 80 hours of educational games and 85 e-books anywhere, anytime – it’s a gift for Mom and Dad as well,” said Kelly Shaw, CEO, Ooka Island.

Some of our readers also suggest a good ol' magazine subscription, which can be full of fun activities, craft ideas and short stories. Kids love getting mail!

EXPERIENCES

In my mind, there's nothing better than the gift of an experience. Last year I bought my mom a mom-daughter pedicure at my favourite spa; concert or theatre tickets would also go over well with Grandma!

For the little ones, you have ample choice here in Ottawa for experiential gifts. We're known all over Canada for our fantastic museums! We are partial to our fantastic sponsor, The Canadian Museum of Nature.

"A membership gift certificate is the perfect gift!" says manager Laura Sutin. Enjoy the museum all year long, and enjoy special perks as a member - discounts on museum programmes, and discounts on purchases at the Nature Boutique (another great place for gift items) and Nature Cafe.

GAMES AND PUZZLES

We've just implemented game night at our house, and although my 4 year-old is still a little young, she can still take part. Once she's bored, we send her off with a puzzle and she's happy to sit on the floor beside us. My 7 year-old is into all kinds of card games, and recently discovered Monopoly. She's playing the original with me, but I'm thinking Monopoly Junior might be a good choice for a gift under the tree!

UNIQUE TOYS

The best toys are the ones that spark imagination and creativity. They are usually quieter (ahem, no batteries) and allow children to create their own worlds of play.

"We love the Fairy Cottage. The Fairy Cottages and Tree Hollows are popular as the children can look after their own Garden indoors by watering it and maintaining it at home and moving the small Fairy Figurines inside the garden." - Patti Taggart, Owner of Tag Along Toys

Disclaimer: this post is part of our 2016 Holiday Campaign, with support from Tag Along Toys, The Canadian Museum of Nature, Saunders Farm and Ooka Island. Make sure to enter our giveaway post before the end of November!