Welcome Home! is a great country. It is very diverse in its people, landscape, climate, and way of life.

Canada is the world’s second-largest country (9,976,140 km2), surpassed only by Russia. More than 50 percent of Canada’s land is blanketed with rich forest ranges, accounting for 10 percent of the world’s remaining forests and 20 percent of the world’s remaining wilderness areas.

Canada is made up of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces from west to east are: , Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and furthest east, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The territories are the Yukon, the Northwest Territories (NWT), and Nunavut.

Canada’s terrain incorporates a number of mountain ranges: the Torngats, Appalachians and Laurentians in the east; the Rocky, Coastal and Mackenzie ranges in the west; and Mount St. Elias and the Pelly Mountains in the north. At 6,050 m, Mount Logan in the Yukon is Canada’s tallest peak.

There are some two million lakes in Canada, covering about 7.6% of the Canadian landmass. Canada shares four of the five Great Lakes, the largest sources of fresh water in the world, with the United States. The largest lake situated entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake (31,326 km2) in the Northwest Territories.

At 3,058 km long, the St. Lawrence is Canada’s most important river, providing a seaway for ships from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Despite the enormous size of this country, approximately 80 percent of all the people in Canada live in a concentrated area of cities and towns within 100 kilometres of the U.S. border.

Canada’s climate is varied and includes a collection of extremes. Much of the north, which is virtually uninhabited, has an arctic climate that is particularly harsh, and ground that is permanently frozen. Canada's most populous regions, which lie in the country's south along the U.S. border, enjoy four distinct seasons. In most of the country, winter lasts longer than summer but when summer comes, even in the north, it can be very hot, producing lush growth. Rainfall is light to moderate.

1. Location: Canada is located in North America. 2. Capital of Canada: Ottawa 3. Population: The population in Canada is approximately 35.16 million 4. Language: The two official languages of Canada are English and French. 5. Words/Terms: English speaking terms used in Canada: • Canuck – a Canadian • Loonie – a dollar coin • Toonie – a two dollar coin • Eh? – A term used at the end of a sentence to ask for a response of agreement or disagreement. Similar in meaning to “don’t you think?” or “right?” • Toque (pronounced “tuke”) - a knit cap worn in the winter. Words in French: • Hello – Bonjour • Goodbye – Au revoir • I love you – Je t’aime 6. Flag:

7. National Animal: The national animal of Canada is the Beaver. 8. National Sport: Ice Hockey is the national sport of Canada. 9. National Tree: The national tree of Canada is the Maple tree; the maple leaf is on the Canadian flag. 10. Known for: Canada is known for the production of , for having more lakes than any other country and for cold weather sports. Famous inventions by Canadians include insulin treatments for diabetes and standard time.

Hockey

Ice Hockey is the national sport in Canada. Here are various versions of hockey for different ages and stages:

Pom Pom Hockey

What you need:

• Wrapping paper roll or paper towel rolls • Paper plate • Scissors • Tape

What to do:

1. Cut straight across one side of the paper plate so there is a flat edge. 2. Tape the curved side of the paper plate to the roll. 3. Create two goal squares by marking two squares on the floor with tape. (You can decide the distance between the two squares) 4. Object of the game is to get as many pomp poms in the other players square.

Broom Hockey

What you need:

• 2 brooms or more • A light, soft, squishy ball • Laundry baskets

What to do:

1. Set up the laundry baskets to use as hockey nets. 2. Divide children into two even teams 3. Use the brooms as your sticks and try and get the ball in the other player’s basket.

Coin Hockey

What you need:

• A flat surface • Coins

What to do:

1. A player sits or stands at each end. 2. Using your fingers, try and score a goal by sliding the coin to the opposite end.

Canadian Flag Craft

What you need:

• White paper • Red paint • Paper plate • Paint brush

What to do:

1. Pour red paint onto paper plate. 2. Using the paintbrush, paint two thick red strips on both sides of the white paper. 3. Dip child’s hand into red paint. 4. Place hand onto the center of the paper between the two red strips to leave a handprint as the maple leaf.

The Four Seasons

The weather varies in Canada. In Canada, there are four seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn (fall).

In winter, the days are short and can be quite cold. When outdoors, people wear mittens or gloves, scarves, hats, warm coats and insulated boots. In summer, the days are long and are usually warm.

Help children learn about the fours seasons by making their own 4 Seasons Tree Book.

What you need:

• 4 Seasons Tree Book Printable (template link) • Spring cutouts • Summer cutouts • Fall cutouts • Winter cutouts • Markers or Crayons • Hole punch • Yarn • Glue • Scissors

What to do:

1. Print out the printable tree book and seasonal cutouts. Decorate each tree with markers, coloured seasonal cutouts, stickers and pictures that match the season named on the tree trunk. Children can draw pictures or cut them out of magazines and glue them on their trees. 2. Using supplies, decorate each tree, one at a time. 3. Cut out the trees, gather them together, punch a hole at the top, and use the yarn to tie the pages together.

Seasonal Cut-outs:

SPRING

SUMMER

FALL

WINTER

Playing in the Snow

Canada is known for its wintery months, cold and snow. So get outside and play in the snow.

Build the perfect Snowman

Step 1: Choose the right snow. Snowman snow must be packable. Packable snow has more moisture than the dry, flaky stuff. That’s what helps hold it together. Fresh snow that falls just above or just below freezing temperatures usually works best. To test if your snow is packable, pack it into your hands and make a ball. If it sticks together, you are good to go. If the snow seems too dry, spray it with a little water to add moisture.

Step 2: Take a handful of snow and shape it into a ball. Pack the ball with snow until it’s too large for you to hold in your hands.

Step 3: Roll the ball across the lawn away from you. As you do this, your ball will gain girth. This is your first ball and should be largest, as it will serve as the base for your snowman.

Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3, twice. Your second ball should be a bit smaller and will serve as the midsection. Your third ball will be slightly smaller than your middle ball and serve as the head.

Step 5: Stack your snowballs from largest to smallest. Use a shovel to lift the midsection and head in place. Pack additional snow between the balls to help hold them together.

Step 6: Bring your snowman to life. Add eyes, a nose and a mouth. Use sticks for arms. Dress him up with a hat and scarf to reflect your personal style and taste.

1. Why I Love Canada by Daniel Howarth

2. ABC of Canada by Kim Bellefontaine

3. Good Morning Canada by Andrea Lynn Beck

4. A Day in Canada by Per Henrik Gurth

5. Z Is For Zamboni: A Hockey Akphabet by Mat Napier

Canada is made up of 10 provinces and 3 territories. Locate, label and colour each one province and territory.

The national animal of Canada is the Beaver. Beavers are known to build dams by chewing trees and wood. Colour the picture and help the beaver find his way to his damn.

Welcome to kids kitchen…

The “Kids Kitchen” section is an exploration of food and cuisine around the

world, each month we will discover a new country.

“Kids Kitchen” includes the following:

• Kitchen/food/cooking activities: Each month complete new

kitchen/food/cooking related activities that will teach children important

life skills.

• Activity books: Each child has received a “Together Wee Can Taste the

World” activity book, which include different food related activities. Each

month help children work on a new activity in their books.

• Local Food: You will find information about local food in each country

along with some popular recipes. Explore new foods by making some of

these recipes with the children.

• Favourite Recipe: The children’s activity books

include blank recipe pages, one for each country. You

can use these pages to record a favourite recipe; pictures of

children cooking/eating local foods, or children can draw or

cut and paste pictures of local foods.

December is the holiday season not only in Canada but around the world. Advent calendars are often used to count down the days until Christmas, each day a special treat is revealed.

December is also a season of giving, what better way to give than to start your own reverse advent calendar – an advent calendar of giving. Instead of revealing a treat each day, donate a food item each day. When your calendar is full, deliver all the food items collected to your local food bank.

It is a great way to remind children and all of us that the season is truly about giving.

What you need:

• Two empty wine boxes, which will give you 24 spaces for food items. You can ask for these at your local LCBO. • Markers • Paper • Scissors • Tape/glue

What to do:

1. Collect two boxes with dividers that divide the box into 12 slots. 2. Decorate your box using paper and markers. 3. Let parents and children know what you are doing and ask them to donate a couple of food items if they can. 4. Have children add one food item each day until December 24th. 5. You can use this link to find a local food bank to deliver your food donations http://tinyurl.com/qah9srg

The holiday season also means baking cookies. During the holidays cookies come in all shapes and sizes. You can cut cookies into fun holiday shapes using cookie cutters. Make some festive play dough and practice using cookie cutters.

What you need:

• Variety of holiday themed cookie cutters • Play dough

Candy Cane Play Dough

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of plain flour • 1 cup of salt • 3/4 cups of cold water • 1 tbsp of vegetable oil • 3-5 drops of peppermint extract • Red water colour paint or food colouring

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine the flour and salt. 2. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Continue to knead until the play dough is formed. If the dough is a touch sticky add a bit of flour. If it is dry add a touch more water. 3. Once the play dough is formed divide it in half. Colour one half red using food colouring or washable watercolours. Watercolours will give you a richer colour. If using food colouring you will need to use a lot of it. Once the dough is coloured marble the red and white play dough together to create a candy cane effect.

Gingerbread Scented Play Dough

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour • 1 Tbsp. oil • 1 cup water • ½ cup salt • 2 tsp cream of tartar • 2 Tbsp. Allspice (adds colour) • 1 Tbsp. Cinnamon • 1 Tbsp. Ground Ginger Note: double the recipe for 4 or more children

Directions:

1. Pour all dry ingredients, flour, salt, and cream of tartar, all spice, cinnamon and ground ginger together in a saucepan. 2. Add water and oil to dry ingredients. 3. Whisk together before heating. 4. Cook over medium heat constantly stirring until it becomes a thick blob. 5. Turn out onto a clean surface allow to cool and then knead into a smooth ball. 6. Use a little bit of flour if the play dough is sticky. 7. Store in a plastic zip lock bag or airtight container.

With diverse culinary influences ranging from European settlers to American neighbours to centuries of immigration, often proves difficult to define. While the overarching style of the country’s eclectic cuisine is almost impossible to describe, there are many local dishes that Canadians take great pride in. Here are some of Canada’s must-try meals.

1. Montréal Smoked Meat Sandwich: A popular dish served at Montréal delis, the Montréal smoked meat sandwich consists of slices of spiced beef served on thick rye bread, along with plenty of yellow mustard. 2. BeaverTails: BeaverTails are a deep- pastry that is stretched to resemble the tail of Canada’s national animal. The pastry is served warm, topped with butter and a choice of sweet toppings, such as candy, fruit, , or sugar and cinnamon. A staple at Canadian theme parks, sport venues, ski hills and festivals, BeaverTails evolved from a recipe passed down by the Founders’ family. 3. Tourtière: Tourtière is a meat pie that originates in Québec. It can be eaten any time of year, but it’s traditional for French-Canadian families across the country to enjoy it on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. There are numerous regional variations, with fillings ranging from minced pork to wild game, but the meat is always sandwiched between a top and bottom layer of flaky pastry. 4. Butter Tarts: Butter tarts are a sweet filled with butter, syrup, sugar, and egg in a small pastry crust. The tart can contain raisins or nuts as well and is baked until the filling is slightly firm. 5. : No other Canadian dish has gained such widespread fame across the country quite like this combination of hand-cut French fries, fresh cheese curds and well-seasoned gravy. 6. Nanaimo Bars: A Nanaimo Bar is a layered chocolate dessert that originated in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The dessert consists of a bottom layer of graham cracker crumbs, cocoa, coconut, and nuts, a middle layer of butter icing, and then topped with melted chocolate. The dish is chilled and cut into snack-sized squares.

Classic French Canadian Tourtiere

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground pork (extra fatty if you can get it) or unseasoned sausage meat • 1 small onion • 1 medium potato • 3 cloves garlic • 1 tbsp each fresh thyme and mint, chopped. • 1/8 tsp each of ground cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon • 3/4 tsp salt- start with 1/2 tsp and adjust to taste • 1/2 tsp pepper • 1 package of frozen pie dough- enough for a top and bottom crust

Directions:

1. Start by cooking the pork in a large skillet over medium heat. Be sure to break it up thoroughly as you don’t want large chunks remaining. 2. Peel and dice 1 medium russet potato, 1 medium onion, and 3 cloves of garlic. Place in food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. 3. When the pork is mostly cooked (about 10 minutes), add the onion mixture to the pan and stir. 4. Add 2 pinches each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, plus 3/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste. 5. Sautee the pork mixture for another 10 minutes, and add chopped thyme and mint. Stir well to combine and take off the heat to cool. 6. Roll out pie dough into 2 circles big enough to line a 12″ pie plate top and bottom. 7. Fill the crust with the cooled pork mixture and cover with top layer of dough. Crimp the edges and brush a beaten egg on top. 8. Bake at 375 degrees for approx. 1 hour until the top crust is golden brown. 9. Let Tourtiere rest at least 10 minutes before cutting into it to serve. 10. Makes 4 obscene portions, or 6-8 more reasonable sized ones.

Classic Canadian Butter Tarts

Ingredients for the Pastry (or you can buy pre-made pastry cups)

• 2 ¼ cups flour (pastry flour is best to use but all-purpose will do) • 1 tbsp brown sugar • ½ tsp salt • 1/2 cup shortening (Very cold and cut in cubes) • 1/2 cup butter (Very cold and cut in cubes) • 6 tbsp ice water (approximately, enough to bring the dough together)

Ingredients for the Filling

• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar • 1/2 cup corn syrup • 1/4 cup butter, melted • 1 egg • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1/4 tsp salt • ½ cup raisins (you can substitute with pecans or walnuts)

Directions to prepare the pastry

1. Pulse the cold butter and shortening into the flour sugar, and salt using a food processor until the shortening or butter is reduced to pea-sized pieces. 2. Sprinkle the water over the surface and toss with a fork until the water is just incorporated into the dough. Do not over work the dough; handle it only enough so that the dough stays together. 3. Form the dough into two rounds about an inch thick. 4. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for about a half hour. 5. Roll out on lightly floured surface. Cut into rounds with 4-inch cutter. Fit into muffin cups. Chill in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the filling. Cold pastry heading into a hot oven will always be flakier.

Directions to make the filling:

1. Combine all filling ingredients except raisins. 2. Mix well. 3. Sprinkle raisins in a single layer in the bottom of the pastry lined muffin cups. 4. Fill 2/3 full with syrup mixture. 5. Bake on bottom shelf of oven at 425 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. 6. Cool completely on a wire rack and remove tarts from pans.

Poutine

Ingredients:

• French fries • Package of gravy mix • Cheese curds or shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Cook fries according to package directions 2. Make gravy according to package directions 3. Shred cheese 4. Take cooked fries from oven and place onto plates. 5. Sprinkle cheese over hot fries and top with hot gravy