The Canadian Canoe Museum

We recently decided to take advantage of the free admission on Thursday nights at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario.   We are parked near by with our RV and were wondering what we could do that evening  after we drove for a week-end of camping.

This unique museum can be taking at you own pace and offers an out-of-the-ordinary view of Canada’s history as seen from a canoe. 

This upcoming year as part of our homeschool we will be studying explorers and I thought that visiting this museum would be a great addition to our upcoming learning experience in September.

At the entrance of the museum we could take a some pictures with a setting especially made for the museum.    (Note: I played with a photo app to make it a bit more antique.)

The museum had an interesting search and find sheet for the kids to do while visiting.   My kids had a kick in trying to find everything on the list in order to get a free pin that they could pick and choose at the end.    Some items were easy to find while others not so much – like the red wings on a canoe…  My sweet daughter went to the main desk to ask where it was and we were just next to it.   Here’s a hint if you go visit: they are not bird wings drawn on a canoe…

The kids had a blast at the puppet theater where they were able to play with Canada’s wildlife creatures.  We also sat in a wigwam and enjoyed a fire at the same time.   My daughter dressed up as a voyageur using a Hudson Bay Company capotes.  And we learned quite of bit of the history of canoe, how a canoe is birth and so much more.

In a special section, the kids discovered how the canoes at the museum were taken care of as well as talked with an artisan who was making something special for the museum.

At the end the kids were able to use a training machine to learn to do competitive kayaking.

There is also a section in the museum where the kids can do miniature canoes.  We didn’t do the crafts on site but I grabbed a few of them to make at home.  However, they were fully equipped with scissors and glue for the kids to make them at the museum.  If you can’t visit this museum – no worries because the three hands-on crafts are available to download on their website as well.   Click here to download the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Dugout Canoe, the Sanikiluarmiut Kayak and the Ojibway Bark Canoe.  I strongly suggest that you print it on cardboard so that the craft is more sturdy.

In all, we had a great time walking through the museum and learning more about how canoes are part of our heritage and history.  The Canadian Canoe Museum is worth discovering whether you are homeschooler or not.

The Canadian Canoe Museum is located at 910 Monaghan Road, Peterborough, Ontario.   The museum is open daily except for December 25 and 25, January 1 and 2.  Note that the museum closes at 2:00 pm on December 24th.    Hours of operation are Monday to Wednesday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm,  Thursday from 10:00am to 8:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00pm and Sunday from noon to 5:00pm.    Admissions are 10.50$ for adults, 8.25$ for seniors (65+), 8.25$ for students ages 5-17, kids under 5 are free.   If you have a family (up to 2 adults and 4 children ages 5-17) the price will be 25.00$ 

Favorite yearly calendar

My favorite yearly calendar has arrived!

I have discovered this calendar a few years ago and I always look forward to the new edition.   Why is it my favorite calendar you ask?  Simply because I can have everyone’s schedule at a quick look.

This calendar runs a full 17 months – starting at August 2015 until December 2016.  The grid is fabulous to write down numerous activities that could happen on the same day.  Five columns run across the top which means all or four kids have their own column and parents share one.  A drop-down storage pocket is included as well as a magnetic phone list for the fridge (which we don’t use but still I can see how it could be useful for other families).   Also the whole calendar is decorated with Sandra Boynton’s distinctive and colorful illustration – crooning dinosaurs, ballet-dancing hippos, cool cows, and a chorus line of adorable bunnies.    And to top it off, the calendar has two full pages of stickers (over 500 of them) to highlights things such as dentist appointment, sports, music, party, birthdays, haircut, and more.    I especially love the animal stickers as they are funny and bring a smile on your lips.

And I just realized this year that the August to December pages of the calendar use the same images found in the previous year’s calendar.  

All I have to do now it to sit down at our table and prepare the new 2015-2016 calendar for our wall in the kitchen.  

If you are looking for a fun calendar to track down ALL the activities of your family I strongly recommend the Mom’s Family Calendar by Sandra Boynton.

The calendar is available for purchase at your favorite store like amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Bonhoeffer Student Edition

Bonhoeffer Student Edition – Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Written by Eric Metaxas
Published by Thomas Nelson

About the book

In his New York Times bestseller Bonhoeffer, author Eric Metaxas presents the fullest account of Bonhoeffer's heart-wrenching 1939 decision to leave the safe haven of America for Hitler's Germany.

Now abridged and adapted in student-friendly language, Bonhoeffer, Student Edition tells the story of one of Christianity's most courageous heroes. The student edition will share Bonhoeffer's inspirational testimony with children in a compelling and relatable way. Young readers will enjoy learning about the fascinating life of the man who had the courage to follow his convictions into Nazi Germany and stand up for others because of his radical faith.

Who is Eric Metaxas?

Eric Metaxas is the author of the New York Times bestseller Amazing Grace, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (But Were Afraid to Ask), Everything Else You Always Wanted to Know About God, and thirty children’s books. He is founder and host of Socrates in the City in New York City, where he lives with his wife and daughter. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, Washington Post, Books & Culture, Christianity Today, Marks Hill Review, and Fist Things. He has written for VeggieTales and Rabbit Ears Productions, earning three Grammy nominations for Best Children’s Recording.

My Thoughts

Love the simplicity of the book compared to the adult version.   It is perfect to introduce your teenager to the life of Bonhoeffer and what he did during the second world war.    As I read this book I discovered the truth behind the atrocities of that war and the events surrounding the rise of Hitler as the leader of Germany. The more I read the more I realized that the people of Germany were duped and manipulated to the desire of one single man.   For example, the military were called to take an oath when Hitler became president of the country and the regular oath was changed at the last minute without their knowledge.  

Throughout the book, the student who is reading it will find boxes with information that will help to understand some words, the situation, the second World War and more.  You will also have the opportunity to visualize a timeline at the beginning of each chapter.  This timeline will help the reader to visualize when the event covered in a chapter happened.   Finally, a map of Europe during WWII at the beginning of the book the Bonhoeffer family tree , a list of key words and people located at the end of the book as well as questions to help your student to ponder of what he/she has read complete the book. 

There is much to discover about Bonhoeffer in this book and it could be a great springboard for the adult version of the book as well.   This book will join the list of things to read from my oldest son for his grade 9 level and I am planning to ask him to jolt down his answers to the questions as well as write a paper on Bonhoeffer when he is done the reading.   This book covers not only history but also missionary study for your homeschool.   The reading is easy for kids and I think that even my grade 5 and grade 6 kids would benefit from reading it.

Bonhoeffer Student Edition is available for purchase at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Nelson for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.