08 Oct, 2009
Exotic butterflies in Ottawa? You betcha!
Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Ottawa for kids|Easy ways to make kids happy
If you’ve been reading along here at the Fishbowl for any length of time you’ll know that I really enjoy our family traditions: summertime camping adventures, feeding the birds, making our own pizza for movie night, birthday cakes and breakfast in bed, half-birthday celebrations … I could go on and on.
Kids love family traditions. They really do. They thrive on routine and they feel comfort and love in these routines too. Kids will even try to make traditions where there aren’t any (“can we get into the bathtub with all of our clothes on again mummy?”) so be careful. Take it from me!
In today’s SavvyMom I offered up a few easy things to do if you’re looking to adopt a couple new Thanksgiving-related traditions outside the house. (G’wan and read it here.)
One of the things I wrote about was the butterfly exhibit at Carleton University. I wrote about it here last year as well. If you’re looking for something the whole family will enjoy, this is it. (That is, unless you suffer from severe insectophobia, in which case I don’t think this is quite the thing for you.)
I’ve seen every kind of person, from babies in strollers to elderly seniors, having a wonderful time and making great memories. This is the stuff traditions are made of.
I had the opportunity to check out the butterflies again recently, but this time as a volunteer for Sarah’s class trip, which she declared was the The Best School Trip EVER.
I asked her what the highlights were:
- Taking the bus (we took the city bus to the O-train, and the O-train to Carleton.)
- Taking the train (“We crossed a bridge over the river and went THROUGH A VERY DARK TUNNEL WHICH WENT UNDER THE LAKE!”)
- Holding a butterfly in her hand
- Having a butterfly land in her hair (where it remained until it was blown off à la big bad wolf). Check it out:
She was quite pleased! No insectophobes here!
Anyway, yes, it was fun for me too. Happily, I didn’t lose any kids – or bus tickets – and I even managed to snap a few photos:
After we looked at the butterflies we ate our lunch outdoors nearby. The kids welcomed the opportunity to let off some steam and they chased each other around the grass, laughing and shrieking like only 8-year olds know how to do.
My highlight? Removing a huge wet clump of burrs out a little boy’s hair. I never did get the story straight, and am still not sure if he rolled into the burrs himself or if someone launched them at him. Oh well. Just another day at school, right?
