A Day at the Museum
I finally decided to make good on my promise to visit all of the museums in Ottawa this year. I realize I can't do them all in one day but I got started by visiting the Museum of Civilization / Children's Museum / Postage Museum on Sunday. The museums are altogether in the same building - a really neat architectural building that's located right across the river next to Jacques Cartier Parc in Gatineau. It has a great view of the Parliament buildings across the river and I actually spent some time just wandering around down by the water taking some pictures before going into the museum.
I bought a pass for all 3 museums plus the IMAX show ($18 total) and started in the Children's Museum. It is an awesome museum for kids! As they enter, they are given a passport to collect stamps at each of the different areas. There is a playhouse where they can dress up and put on a skit on the stage, there's an arts and crafts centre, a kitchen/cafe, an interactive music and writing centre, a place to send a postcard to a friend, a huge recreated boat and little village that the kids can go through and explore. Each area has a history lesson to it, but it involves the kids in a fun way and let's them participate. Museum employees run a lot of the stations so parents are able to enjoy the activities too. I walked through it watching the kids and their parents doing the activities and playing in the learning centres. It was very cool (I even managed to collect about half the stamps! I got a lot of strange looks because I was trying to do it nonchalantly and I think that just made it look sketchy...)
I bought a pass for all 3 museums plus the IMAX show ($18 total) and started in the Children's Museum. It is an awesome museum for kids! As they enter, they are given a passport to collect stamps at each of the different areas. There is a playhouse where they can dress up and put on a skit on the stage, there's an arts and crafts centre, a kitchen/cafe, an interactive music and writing centre, a place to send a postcard to a friend, a huge recreated boat and little village that the kids can go through and explore. Each area has a history lesson to it, but it involves the kids in a fun way and let's them participate. Museum employees run a lot of the stations so parents are able to enjoy the activities too. I walked through it watching the kids and their parents doing the activities and playing in the learning centres. It was very cool (I even managed to collect about half the stamps! I got a lot of strange looks because I was trying to do it nonchalantly and I think that just made it look sketchy...)
I intended to head to the Postage Museum next, but on the way, I was attracted to a special exhibit on the Canadian Fur Trade and the formation of the North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company. It was a history lesson I know I have had in the past but I enjoyed learning about it again (probably more this time to be honest) and seeing all of the artifacts and different clothing and furs that were prominent in those days. I saw the beaver fur and immediately thought of Aunt Marie. Flashbacks to our trip to Prague and that beaver fur winter hat she wore... good times.
Postal Museum
My next stop was the Postal Museum to check out the Postage through the Pops special exhibit. I probably spent a good half an hour looking at the evolution of the stamp throughout time though. Did you know it used to cost less than a half penny to sent something anywhere in Canada? Now the price seems to increase every time I go to the post office... They had some pretty cool stamps though especially the years that Canada held the Olympic Games. Some featured different Canadian stars as well and other sights and symbols of Canada. For you older generation, the museum provides handheld magnifying glasses that you can use to better see the stamps so don't let your sight (or lack thereof) deter you from going!
IMAX - Sharks
The feature IMAX for the month was Sharks in 3D. I had a ticket for the 2pm show and made my way there (getting lost only once!) in time for the show. The movie was very cool and told from the perspective of a turtle swimming in the ocean and seeing all of the different types of sharks.
An interesting shark fact I learned: Whale sharks have mouths that are up to 1.5m wide, but they only swim at speeds of 5km/h and humans are not part of their diets.
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An interesting shark fact I learned: Whale sharks have mouths that are up to 1.5m wide, but they only swim at speeds of 5km/h and humans are not part of their diets.
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