Hydro ’s March Break Ideas

Read below for some indoor and outdoor activity ideas to keep the kids – and whole family – occupied while saving energy use this March Break. If you are staying in, put on your favourite sweater and fuzzy slippers – you may find you can lower the temperature in your home a little bit. Have fun and enjoy the many amenities Ottawa has to offer! Go unplugged

• Turn off the television, computer, video games and mobile devices and gather friends and family to play some board games. None around? Make your own! Hangman, charades, hide-and-seek, tic-tac-toe, hot potato, I Spy and Seven Up are popular options. Cook-less recipes

• Look no further than to easy cook-less recipes for a fun and educational way to spend an afternoon inside, while keeping your electricity use down. Niagara-on-the-Lake Hydro has a great cookbook devoted to such meal ideas, like the following: • Zesty bruschetta • 10-minute tacos • Slow-cooker chicken curry Skating

• Browse the city’s public skating schedules here or head outdoors to the Rink of Dreams. Look for the green flag outside City Hall for daily confirmation that the rink is open or click here for ice status. • After skating, enjoy a local favourite, Beavertails, and take a tour inside City Hall to visit the Barbara Ann Scott Gallery, Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame and the Karsh Masson Gallery.

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Swimming

• Search swim schedules at area pools here.

Nature walks

• Go for a walk along the canal or one of the Capital’s many trails or pathways.

Museums

• Museum is hosting drop-in activities from 11 am-4pm daily, like scavenger hunts. • Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is holding ‘Barnyard Break’ from March 1-16, where demonstrations will be held and children can visit the animals in the museums barns. • Canada Aviation and Space Museum is showcasing helicopters through daily demonstrations and workshops as well as hosting the 23rd annual LEGO contest and Zoom to the Moon tour. • Canadian Museum of History is hosting Snowvation – a celebration of snow. • Canadian Museum of Nature has its frogs, penguins and monsters exhibit, which includes 3D movies and hands-on activities. • Canadian War Museum is hosting strategy board games for both beginner and seasoned players. • The Diefenbunker is offering The Art of Espionage and Spy Camp for children interested in taking part in a massive spy-themed training program. • National Gallery of Canada is holding its hands-on workshop series, Artissimo. Visit a maple sugar bush

• It’s maple season in the Capital and this is the perfect time to head out with the family, learn what goes into producing the syrup you put on your pancakes, and enjoy some of the best the area has to offer. Click here for a link to popular Ottawa sugar bushes that promnise plenty of fun for all ages.

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