Ahoy Mates! Sailing with Pirate Adventures

Pirate Adventures is no longer located in Ottawa but you can check out Pirate Life instead! Our bloggers last visited Pirate Life in 2020 right in the height of Covid protocols.  

by Valancy

In search of adventure to entertain and delight a pair of four-year-old boys, we recently set sail with a band of pirates on the stormy seas. Okay, they were only pretend pirates. And, it wasn’t the sea, it was the Rideau Canal. But it was stormy before our trip was over, and it was an adventure that did entertain boys and girls young and old.

Pirate Adventures offers passengers a chance to immerse themselves in an imaginary pirate adventure, with a theatrical and interactive ride along the Rideau Canal aboard the vessel the Grey Ghost. My four-year-old son gets a kick out of all things pirate-related, so we thought this might be quite a treat for him to experience with his friend and little sister. The boys were very excited about the trip, and it was hard for them to wait all day until our 4 o’clock departure.

When we arrived, however, my reserved and often-shy little guy wasn’t so sure about the small crowd of about 40 passengers and the energetic pirate crew. He hid behind my legs, scowling and wanting nothing to do with the pirate costumes provided, the face painting, or the pirate name tags. The rest of our little troupe was undaunted and cheerfully donned vests, belts, and bandannas and submitted to some creative face painting. Little kids running around with painted-on beards and moustaches was an adorable sight to see. We couldn’t let our reluctant pirate off without a name-tag at least, and suggested that “Angry Andrew” would be fitting. I was dubbed “Vicious Val” - argh, beware mateys!

On board the ship we met our crew and captain, and were entertained with stories about their pirate pasts. The little pirates on board were all invited to gather at the front of the boat to listen to the stories and take part in the action, while we older, er, more seasoned pirates settled ourselves on benches. Angry Andrew stayed sitting with me, watching the performers and the passing scenery with interest, but still refusing to crack a smile. At least our two-year-old daughter, “Eagle-eye Ella”, was having a good time, fascinated with being on a boat and somewhat mystified by the theatrics of the pirate crew.

Just when I was starting to wonder whether Angry Andrew would have any fun at all on this trip, dastardly Pirate Pete arrived to save the day. After Pirate Pete shot at us with a water gun from his dinghy, the Captain announced it was time to man the cannons! Angry Andrew laughed with glee watching Pirate Pete get pelted with water from cannons fired by other kids on the boat, then eagerly rushed to have his turn on the starboard side. The captain and crew made sure that every little pirate on board had a chance to fire a cannon at Pirate Pete before he was finally vanquished, falling ever so melodramatically backward into the water. 

From that point on, even Angry Andrew thoroughly enjoyed the show and the rest of the trip. Before we returned to dock there were songs, sword-fights, and treasure found and divvied up. While it had been hot and sunny when we set out, it clouded over and we were cooled with a bit of rain before a looming thunderstorm forced our captain to cut our voyage a little short from the standard 75-minute trip. I can’t complain about missing a bit of time on the boat, however, since for our younger group, I think that the slightly shorter ride was just right.  As we disembarked and returned our costumes to the crew, everyone was smiling, and the kids were excitedly showing each other the loot that they’d chosen from the treasure chest.

While Pirate Adventures is definitely not cheap ($10 for kids 2 and under, $18 for everyone else), it is a fun special outing worth doing at least once. Kids slightly older than ours would probably enjoy the adventure the most, as they would be more able to really listen to the pirate tales and get immersed in the imaginary world. But with the mix of story-telling, jokes, action and slapstick there is definitely something to entertain would-be-pirates of any age. The crew on shore and on the ship were all friendly and full of enthusiasm. They did a great job hamming up the pirate “arrghs” and making sure all of the little pirates on board had a good time.

And us big pirates got a kick out of the experience too. Who doesn’t want to dress up like a pirate and shout “arrrrrgh!” at least once in their lifetime?

For more information, visit www.PirateAdventures.ca. The ship sails several times daily, Tuesday through Sunday, and reservations are strongly recommended.

Valancy Reynolds is an Ottawa mom of two - soon to be three - little ones. She journals about day-to-day life with her family, motherhood, and her crafting exploits on her blog, The Daily Meow .

A Company of Fools: Shakespeare for everyone

by Coreen Last summer we spent an evening in the park with four enchanted lovers, a fairy or three, a king, queen and a donkey.

A Company of Fools dropped by our neighbourhood park for a performance of Midsummer Night's Dream, and as we've come to expect it was entertaining for kids and adults alike. They certainly have a knack for 'de-stuffing' Shakespeare and appealing to everyone. The physical comedy (popping balloons anyone?) appealed to the younger children and the little things like the MC describing one of the actors as a long-form census taker (unemployed) got the adults chuckling. But back to the popping balloons:

These are all-ages shows. Our 2.5 year old was captivated by the whole thing, and we brought her the year before, and even when I was pregnant *g*. Last year she watched the audience, she watched the picnickers (note to self: Bring a snack this time. She was watching two boys behind us so intently they finally offered her one of their crackers - little mooch!), and she even watched the show. She stood on my lap and clapped every time they popped a balloon. I was amazed that she didn't lose it during the 1.5 hour show. We sat back far enough that she had room to play in front of us, and that kept her happy. She was finally moved to the point of using one of her purses as a prop for her own re-enactment:

This year between July 4th and August 20th they are putting on 'Shakespeare's funniest tragedy' Antony and Cleopatra and I cannot wait to attend a show! Chances are there's an Ottawa performance near you, their schedule is in that link above. Since we missed the show in our new neighbourhood, I'm torn between the one they're holding in our old neighbourhood, and the one in Hintonburg...maybe we'll hit both!

Here are some 'pro tips' for first timers (and the perennially disorganized (aka me)):

-This ain't your high-school Shakespeare (in case you didn't get that from the pics), they are comedic interpretations (the 'Fool's twist') and all ages are welcome. -The shows start at 7, so for many of you, be prepared to ditch bedtime, but it's totally worth it. Shows are about 1.5 hours long, but it's an open air park, so leave if you need to. -Bring lawnchairs or blankets to sit on. Also, bugspray if there's no helpful breeze. -As I mentioned bring snacks, I plan on looking like the got-it-together parent this year. -Shows are free but they do suggest a donation of $10 - well worth it. V loved bringing the money to the actors as they pass the hat at the end of the show. -Prepare to be entertained by the great acting and choreography, all forms of comedy, lightning fast costume changes and always be on the lookout for that moment where the actors amuse themselves and lose it a bit on stage - my favourite part.

Hope you can make it out to a show!

Coreen is a geriatric mother living with her husband (hubby) and 3.5 year old daughter (V). She works in IT Security but doesn’t yet know what she wants to be when she grows up. She's a contributor at Losing It In Ottawa and she blogs at One Day this Blog will have a Snazzy Name (and is open to naming suggestions because - really.)

Ottawa parks: Springhurst

by Brie Do your kids like boats? Pretending to be pirates? Running around and having fun? Then I have a park for you.

In our house we call Springhurst park the pirate park. It has two good sized play structures, both of which are built to look like boats. My kids like to play pirate as they walk the gang plank and stand at the prow.

Here's what I like about the park. It is well shaded, which is great for hot summer days. The park is small and it is easy to keep an eye on both kids while they play. There are some fields beside the park area which is great for running or soccer. And finally, there are two sets (four in total) of the bigger kid swings. This means that if we are visiting the park with friends fights over the swings can usually be avoided!

Here are some drawbacks to the park. The park is geared towards younger kids. I think older kids (over eight) would find it a bit boring as the play structures are more for little kids. Also, there are no bathrooms at the park so keep that in mind when you visit.

Springhurst park is located off of Lees Avenue in Old Ottawa East, quite close to the  Queensway exit.

Have a favrotiepark in Ottawa? Let us know! Email us at kidsinthecapital(at)gmail(dot)com to blog about it for Kids in the Capital.

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Reading books at Rosemount Library

by Brie My four year old and I have been making weekly visits to the Rosemount Library before her art class and it has quickly become my favorite library!

The Rosemount library is in a lovely old building, one of the Carnegi libraries. At first I was surprised by how small the library is, especially the children's section, but I have come to love that. I feel like it is much easier to search through the books when I'm not overwhelmed by choice. It is also easy to sneak around the corner from the children's section into the adult section and grab a few books for myself while still keeping an eye on the girl.

There is a small play area for younger kids with puzzles and toys. The only complaint, and I am stretching here, is that it would be great if more seating could be fit into the small space. But the girl really doesn't mind. She is happy to sit on the floor and read her books.

I don't know if it is because of the small size of the library, but I have had some great luck findig some interesting kids' books as I search through the stacks. Here are three of my favorite.

A book by Mordicai Gerstein had me laughing as I turned the pages. I loved the story about the girl that lives in a book trying to figure out what her story is and isn't.

Dust Devil is a perfect tall tale. It chronicles the advertentures of  giant Angelica in her new home of Montana. And the illustrations are captivating.

Look! Look! Look! is the story of three mice and what happens when they discover a postcard sent to the big people that live in their house. It is a great introduction to the colours and shapes found in art.

Do you have a favorite library in Ottawa?

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Summertime at the park

by Brie

Our family spends a lot of time at our neighbourhood park. And I mean a lot. We are there once, usually twice a day. Sometimes the only reason we leave the park is because I need a break from all the activity and fresh air. The kids would be happy to never leave!

 Ottawa has some great city parks. Some of them have pools and splash pads, which are perfect for this warm weather (and look for pools to be opening in the next week!). Some parks are best for toddlers and some have great climbing structures for older kids.

What I love best about spending time at our park is that it is free, we meet some great kids and parents and it is about as free-range as my two and four year old kids can get living in the city. When they are playing with their friends they feel like they are off on their own, but I am still there to keep an eye on them.

Here are some of my tips for making the most of summer at the park:

1. Bring lots of water: on hot days my kids get so thirsty running around and they end up drinking a lot of water. Some parks have water fountains but it is good to pack extra just in case.
2. Pack snacks to share: Nothing tastes as good as other kids' snacks. My four year old is a snack scammer and wants to try everyone else's snacks but her own. But that is okay, because we end up sharing all of our snacks too.
3. Watch out for the sun: I have a hard time keeping hats on my kids' heads. They always get thrown off eventually and, a couple of times when it was really hot, I had to take them off myself because the kids were overheating. I try to combine hats with some sunscreen and encouraging the kids to play in the shade when possible. I am also planning to get some long sleeve swim shirts once the pool opens.
4. Go over the rules of the park: At the start of park season every year I go over the rules with the kids. Rules for us include always being able to see each other at the park, not talking to strangers and not going to the bathroom without a parent. As the kids get older the rules are getting more detailed (I can't wait for the day when no hitting doesn't have to be included as a rule anymore) and I am talking to them more about strangers.
5. Become a regular: One of the reasons that our park means so much to me is because of the people. I have met a lot of great parents at the park and consider a lot of them to be my friends. Part of the reason for this is that we are regulars. We visit the park at the same time every day, the same days every week. Because of this we see the same people and get to know them. I also try to talk to anyone that comes within five feet of me! I remember what it was like not to have a lot of adult conversation in a day and so I always try to connect with other parents I meet.

 Do you have any tips for making the most of summer at the park?

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 year old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.