Celebrates 150 -

Bienvenue au Quebec (Welcome to Quebec)! Quebec was one of the original four provinces that formed Canada in 1867.

Known as “la belle province” (the beautiful province) to its locals, Quebec is the largest Canadian province (in terms of area). Quebec is a vibrant multicultural province, often recognized as the “Europe of ”. Quebec is also famous for its vast forests, rolling hills and countless waterways.

Quebec is the only province whose official language is French. The capital city is , with a population of nearly 800,000. Quebec is also home to Canada’s second largest city, and the second largest French-speaking city in the world, (more than four million people).

Continental air masses are common in Québec, the temperature is affected by marine currents. One of the most important of these is the cold Labrador Current. It moves southward from Labrador to Newfoundland. It is the main cause of cool East Coast summers and the Gulf Stream is responsible for humid heat waves during the summer. Because of the frequent meeting of warm tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico and cold, dry air from the north or west, the entire province receives heavy snowfalls during the winter.

Snowy winters in Quebec don’t keep locals and visitors from having fun. The Quebec area boasts fantastic terrain and exceptional conditions, with an average natural snowfall of over 400cm each year! You can ski or snowboard at any of the four resorts just minutes from Quebec City. You can also enjoy -skating, dogsledding, Nordic spas, snowmobiling, snow sliding, cross country skiing, and the famous Winter Carnival!

Click here to view a photo gallery of Quebec http://bit.ly/2fm5AbU

Fun Facts – Quebec

1. Date of entry into Confederation: Quebec was one of the original provinces to make up Canada in 1867. 2. What does Quebec mean? The name Quebec comes from the Algonquin word Kebec meaning, “where the river narrows”. 3. Capital: Quebec City is the capital of Quebec, it is the world’s snow capital. 4. Population: 8.215 million (in 2014) 5. The motto of Quebec is “Je me souviens” (French for “I remember”). 6. Provincial Flower: Quebec’s provincial flower is the Blue Flag Iris. 7. Time Zone: Quebec is part of the Eastern Time zone, the same as us here at home in . 8. Provincial Bird: The Snowy Owl is Quebec’s provincial bird. 9. Climate: Covering such a huge area the climate of Quebec has wide temperature variations. In the south, where most of the population lives, the weather is continental, with four seasons varying from hot summers (June to August) to cold, snowy winters and lots of rain. The central region has longer colder winters and shorter cooler summers, while the far north experiences a severe Arctic climate with a freezing winter and continuous permafrost. Winter can vary from five months in the south to eight months in the north 10. Language: The main langue spoken in Quebec is French. It is the only province that is primarily French speaking 11. The province of Quebec is Canada’s greatest producer of maple syrup. 12. Quebec is the largest Canadian province (in terms of area). 13. Approximately 150 days each year Quebec City has at least one-inch (2.5 cm) snow.

Play & Learn – Quebec Winter Carnival

The first large winter Carnival in Quebec City, the world’s snow capital, took place in 1894. The Quebec Winter Carnival or the Carnaval de Québec is a festival held in Quebec City. The Carnaval de Québec has been held annually since 1955, it begins at end of January to mid February.

Bonhomme – short for bonhomme de neige (“snowman”) is the mascot of the festival, made his first appearance in 1955. Bonhomme is a living replica of a snowman.

Learn more about Bonhomme 1. First name: Bonhomme 2. Last name: Carnaval 3. Date of birth: 1954 4. City of birth: Quebec City 5. Height: 7 feet 6. Weight: 400 pounds of compacted snow 7. Favourite colours: White and red 8. Favourite little treats: and sorbet 9. Distinctive movement: The leg raise 10. Best friends: Winter fans 11. Childhood friend: Santa Claus 12. Greatest quality: Joie de vivre 13. Famous words: Happy Carnival! 14. Biggest dream: Eliminate climate change 15. Notoriety: Public personality people associate with Québec City

The most famous attractions of this are the night-time and day-time parades led by the mascot, Bonhomme. The parades wind through the upper city, decorated for the occasion with lights and ice sculptures.

Many private and public parties, shows and balls are held across the city to celebrate the winter carnival.

Here are some of the activities and attractions that take place throughout the festival:

• Opening and closing ceremony • Snow/ contests • Outdoor Sporting events • Outdoor dance parties (snowboarding, snowshoe, hockey, • Vendors selling goods dog sledding, etc.) • Sleigh races • Free outdoor banquets (brunch, • Ice canoe races breakfast etc.)

Play & Learn – Quebec

Build a Snow Sculpture

One thing you see all over Quebec City during the Winter Carnival is snow and ice sculptures. They even have a snow sculpture contest!

Check out some of the snow sculptures you might see at the Carnival.

What you need:

• Warm cloths • Imagination • Snow • Shovels, buckets etc.

What to do: 1. Dress warm, head outdoors and see what kind of snow sculpture you can build.

Make Coloured Ice Sculptures

What you need: • Ice cube trays • Food colouring • Water bottles • Small plastic containers

What to do: 1. Mix food colouring in bottles of water. Ice will be too dark if you add food colouring directly to the water in the ice cube trays. 2. Pour water into ice cube trays, place in freezer overnight. 3. Once you are happy with the amount of ice you have, dump them into a plastic bowl or container and head outside to the snow.

How to build Ice Sculptures: Start by piling snow and forming a small "snow wall". This will be your building platform. You can build your ice sculpture directly on top of this wall or you can decorate the sides of the wall with your coloured cubes. The trick to get the cubes to stick together is to use a bottle of ice-cold water. Start out by dribbling a little bit of water on top of the snow wall and press the ice cubes into the snow, hold until frozen in place. Each time you add another cube, dribble some water over it and hold in place and count until ten.

Play & Learn – Quebec The Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl is Quebec’s provincial bird. The snowy owl winters throughout all of Quebec and nests in the northern tundra region during the summer. The Snowy Owl has pure white feathers during winter that turn brownish during the summer. Unlike most owls, the snowy owl hunts during the day as well as the night.

What you need:

• Small foam cups • Black permanent marker • Yellow and black construction • Glue paper • Scissors • White feathers

What to do:

1. Start by cutting out two 1-inch circles from the yellow paper and a black bill from the black paper. 2. Use the black marker to make markings on the foam cup for the owl. Also, color in black pupils inside the yellow eyes. 3. Glue the eyes and bill onto the foam cup. 4. Finish the owl by gluing one or two white feathers onto both sides of the foam cup.

Reading Fun – Quebec

1. F is for French – A Quebec Alphabet by Elaine Arsenault

2. The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier

3. Good Night Montreal by Adam Gamble

4. The Sugaring-Off Party by Jonathan London

Colouring Page – Quebec

The official flag of Quebec was proclaimed on January 21, 1948.

The flag is blue and features a white cross and four white fleur-de-lis.

The fluer-de-lis has been a symbol for France’s royalty since the 1100’s and represents the French heritage of the province.

Colouring Page - Quebec

= MAPLE LOLLIPOP

= MAPLE LEAF =

Kids Kitchen – Quebec

Maple Syrup

Canada produces 71% of the world’s maple syrup, 91% of which is produced in Quebec. Maple syrup has long been part of Canada’s cultural fabric. The country’s Amerindian peoples taught the early settlers how to harvest sap and boil it to make maple syrup. Today, Canadian maple syrup is exported to approximately 50 countries, including the U.S., which is the primary importer.

Maple taffy is part of traditional culture in Quebec. The sweet treat is easy to make at home in the winter, it is made by pouring boiling hot maple syrup onto clean snow. Once sufficiently hardened, the soft maple candy can be twirled around a wooden stick and enjoyed.

What you need:

• Real Maple Syrup • Popsicle sticks • Snow

What to do:

1. Boil maple syrup in a pot to about 112 degrees Celsius; it is best to use a candy thermometer to get the temperature right. Do not stir the liquid, as it will form grainy crystals.

2. Pour the boiling maple syrup over clean snow into multiple lines; the cold snow will cause the syrup to rapidly thicken.

3. Once the syrup has hardened slightly, press the popsicle stick to one end and roll up the maple syrup, forming a lollipop type treat.

Souvenir Shop – Quebec

Bonhomme Carnival Hand Puppet

Since Bonhomme is known worldwide and recognized as a symbol of Quebec, we are going to make our very own Bonhomme Carnival puppet.

What you need:

• Brown paper bags • Black construction paper or a marker • White paper • Blue and red markers • Glue • Scissors • Red yarn/wool

What to do:

1. Using black construction paper cut out a mouth and 5 circles to use as eyes and buttons. Glue them onto the bag. 2. Using the white paper cut out a circle for Bonhommes nose and two small circles for the inside of his eyes. Glue them onto the bag. 3. Cut a white rectangle out of white paper and colour in blue and red stripes to make Bonhomme’s sash. Glue the coloured sash on one side of the bag, across the opening. 4. Cut a few pieces of red yarn/wool and tie them together in a knot on one end, this will be the end of his toque. Glue the other ends on his head.

Postcard – Quebec

A postcard is a card with a photo on one side and a space to write on the other side. People sometimes purchase postcards while on vacation; they either collect them or send them to someone back home.

Below outlines what a postcard consists of. Use the template on the following page and have children create their own postcard from Quebec. Cut it out, fold it in half and glue the two sides together so it becomes a two-sided card.

Message: Stamp

Summarize the event, location, etc. Using:

• Who? Addressee • What? • Where? • When?

Front: Illustrate the event, person, place, or location. This can be hand drawn or use cut outs.