Oh, Canada!

Looking for some memorable ways to celebrate Canada Day as a family? Here are seven sensational activities that will help to bring history to life for your kids.

1. VISIT A CEMETERY Kids can learn a lot about what life was like a century ago by studying old gravestones. According to Susan K. Perry, author of Playing Smart: The Family Guide to Enriching, Offbeat Learning Activities for Ages 4-14 (Free Spirit Publishing, 2001, $16.95 U.S.), kids can discover how long people lived in great-grandma’s time, how many children they had, how much first and last names have changed since then, and so on. Just make sure you coach your kids on the do’s and don’ts of cemetery etiquette before you schedule your visit. You don’t want your kids to inadvertently offend other cemetery visitors.

2. EXPLORE A MUSEUM Forget that old rule about not touching the exhibits. Today’s generation of museums are designed for plenty of hands-on fun. If you’ve already visited all the major museums in your area, hit the Web or your local tourism bureau for leads on other family-friendly museums that are worth checking out.

3. HIT THE (HISTORY) BOOKS Read some historical fiction together as a family. Start out by identifying a particular time period that you would like to learn more about and then ask your local librarian or bookseller to recommend some books that your kids are likely to enjoy.

4. RENT A MOVIE THAT WILL TAKE YOU BACK IN TIME Rent a history flick—either a true-to-life documentary or a fictionalized account of real-life events. Then, once you’re finished watching the movie, hit the Internet to see if you can find out more about the events depicted in the movie.

5. PLAY FAMILY TREE DETECTIVE Encourage your kids to play family tree detective by interviewing older relatives about your family’s history. These interviews can be done in person at your next family reunion, by telephone, or by e-mail. Your kids can start out by asking older relatives to share memories of their own growing up years—a powerful way to get a sense of just how much the world has changed over the decades.

6. TAKE YOUR COMIC GENIUS SURFING If you’ve got a kid who is crazy about comic books, get him hooked on Canadian history in a round-about way by letting him explore the history of Canadian comic books at the Guardians of the North web site: www.nlc-bnc.ca/superheroes/.

7. CREATE A TIME CAPSULE Create a time capsule that can be opened in five to ten years’ time. Toss in copies of the daily newspaper, the current issue of your kids’ favourite magazines, advertising flyers that showcase the current fads and fashions, a videotape of an episode of your kids’ current favourite TV show, and other bits and pieces of pop culture paraphernalia. Your kids will get a huge kick out of opening up the time capsule in a couple of years’ time.