British Colombia

Celebrates Canada 150 – British Colombia Welcome to British Colombia, also known as B.C. British Colombia is Canada’s most westerly province – a mountainous area whose population is mainly clustered in its southwestern corner, Vancouver. British Colombia is Canada’s third largest province after Quebec and Ontario, making up 10% of Canada’s land surface. B.C. is a land of diversity and contrast within small areas. British Colombia has two main regions, “the coast” and “the interior”; these two regions both have numerous contrasts and variations within them. Coastal landscapes, characterized by high, snow-covered mountains, contrast with the broad forested upland of the central interior and the plains of the northeast. Mountains cover most of this westerly province. The Rocky Mountains rise abruptly about 1,000–1,500 m above the foothills of Alberta, and some of their snow- and ice-covered peaks tower more than 3,000 m above sea level. Two other mountain systems lie west of the Rocky Mountain Trench: the Columbia Mountains to the south, and the Cassiar-Omineca Mountains to the north. The Interior Plateau made up of broad and gently rolling uplands, covers central British Columbia. There are wide variations in climate within small areas of British Columbia. The major climate contrast is between the coast and the interior, but there are also significant variations between valleys and uplands, and between the northern and southern parts of the province. Relatively warm air masses from the Pacific Ocean bring mild temperatures to the coast during the winters, while cold water keeps coastal temperatures cool in the summer. The barrier of the Coast Mountains keeps these moderating conditions from moving inland. Click here to view a photo gallery of British Colombia http://bit.ly/2fsK3QO Fun Facts – British Colombia 1. Date of entry into Confederation: British Colombia, also known as B.C, became part of Canada on July 20, 1871. 2. Motto: “Splendor sine occasu” (Splendour without diminishment). 3. Provincial Capital: Victoria is the capital city of British Colombia, located at the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island. 4. Origin of the Name: The province's name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858, reflecting its origins as the British remainder of the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company. 5. Population: The population in British Colombia is 4.631 million (in 2014) 6. Provincial animal: The provincial animal of British Colombia is the Spirit Bear, aka Kermode Bear. A rare black bear with white fur. 7. Time zone: Most of British Colombia is part of the Pacific Time Zone, which means it is three hours behind us here in Ontario. Parts of far eastern B.C are on Mountain Time, which means they are two hours behind us here in Ontario. 8. Provincial Bird: The provincial bird is the Stellar’s Jay. 9. Half of British Colombians live in Vancouver. 10. Among all provinces and territories of Canada, British Columbia has the mildest climate. It has the longest frost-free periods in Canada and flowers often start blooming as early as February. 11. Provincial Tree: The provincial tree is the Western Red Cedar. 12. The wettest city of Canada is Prince Rupert on the west coast of British Columbia. With an average of 239.7 days of rain per year and a total amount of 2593.6 mm of rain per year, it was given this title by The Weather Network. 13. Provincial Flower: The Pacific Dogwood is the Provincial flower. 14. Vancouver Island is also home to the highest waterfall in Canada. The Della Falls in Strathcona Provincial Park are 440 meters high, which is more than eight times the height of Niagara Falls. 15. The great sport of Bathtub Racing was started in Nanaimo, BC in 1967. 16. British Colombia has 27, 000 km of coastline. 17. The highest point in British Colombia is Fairweather Mountain at 15, 299 ft. 18. BC’s Osoyoos Lake is the warmest freshwater lake in Canada. Play & Learn – British Colombia The Rocky Mountains The Canadian Rockies mountain range is the Canadian portion of the North American Rocky Mountains. The Canadian Rockies spans the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. With jagged, ice-capped peaks, including towering Mt. Robson, it's a region of alpine lakes, diverse wildlife and outdoor recreation sites. Egg Carton Snowy Mountains What you need: • Egg cartons or cardboard drink trays • Grey or brown paint • Paintbrushes • Fake snow or white paint • Different shades of green cardstock • Scissors • Popsicle sticks • Tape What to do: 1. Paint the bottom of your egg carton or drink tray brown or gray. 2. While the paint is still wet sprinkle some fake snowflakes over the “mountains”. If you are not using fake snow, wait till the paint dries and paint snow on the “mountains” using white paint. 3. To make trees, cut different sized triangles out of different shades of green paper. Cut popsicle sticks in half, tape half of each stick to the triangles. Using scissors make slits in the cardboard so you can insert the popsicle sticks with the trees, allowing the trees to stay standing. Keep the trees off the mountaintops, as trees don’t tend to grow up there. Play & Learn – British Colombia The Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (Antarctica) in the south and is bounded by Australia and Asia in the west and the Americas in the east. The Pacific Ocean covers about 46% of the Earth’s water surface and about one-third of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth’s land area combined. The depth of the Pacific Ocean is 4, 280 metres, that’s 14, 042 feet deep. There are different levels (zones) within the ocean. 1. Sunlight Zone: This is the top layer of the ocean, nearest to the surface. More than 90% of marine life lives in this zone. Because sunlight reaches this area, plants are able to grow and live here. The sunlight zone goes down about 600 feet. 2. Twilight Zone: Only a small amount of light can penetrate the water at this depth. As the water becomes deeper, the pressure increases. Plants do not grow here. Only animals that have adapted to little light survive. Animals that live in the twilight zone include: lantern fish, rattalk fish, hatchet fish, viperfish and jelly fish. The murky part of the ocean begins at about 600 feet under the water and extends to the darkest part which begins at about 3000 feet. 3. Midnight Zone: Ninety percent of the ocean is in the midnight zone. It is entirely dark-there is no light. The water pressure is extreme and the temperature is near freezing. What you need: • Water bottles • Oil • Blue food colouring. What to do: 1. Fill your water bottle half way with water and the other half with oil. 2. Add blue food colouring. 3. Once the water and oil separate you can see the three ocean zones. Play & Learn – British Colombia Every November British Colombia has a Bald Eagle Festival in Fraser Valley. The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. They can be found in most parts of Canada, although they tend to spend more time close to large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and large old trees for nesting. The Bald Eagle eats mostly fish; it will swoop down and snatch fish out of the water with the claws on their feet. It builds the largest nests of any bird in North America and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 13ft deep and 8ft wide. Bald Eagles aren’t really bald, the name comes from an older meaning of the word, “white headed”. The adult is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The beak is yellow, large and hooked. Bald Eagle Handprint & Footprint Craft What you need: • Orange, white and brown paint • Paintbrush • Coloured paper What to do: 1. Paint the child’s toes orange, the sole of their heel white and the rest of the foot brown. 2. Press painted foot onto coloured paper. 3. Clean foot. 4. Paint child’s hand brown and press hand onto paper in the arch of the foot area. 5. Paint on eye and an orange beak. PROVIDERS don’t forget to take pictures and send them in! Reading Fun – British Colombia 1.Why I Love British Colombia By Daniel Howarth 2. S is for Spirit Bear: A British Colombia Alphabet 3. British Colombia by Vivian Bowers 4. Goodnight Vancouver by David J Adams and Anne Rosen Colouring Page - British Colombia The British Colombia flag was adopted in 1960. The flag is based on the shield of the provincial arms. • The Union Jack in the top portion • Below that are blue and white wavy bars, which represent B.C.’s geographical location between the Pacific Ocean (west coast) and the Rocky Mountains (B.C.’s eastern border). • And a setting sun Colouring Page - British Colombia The Rocky Mountains stretch some 3,000 miles from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and down to New Mexico in the U.S. Kids Kitchen – British Colombia Nanaimo Bar The Nanaimo bar is a dessert item of Canadian origin popular across North America. It is a bar dessert which requires no baking and is named after the west coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia, where it is believed to have come from.

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