Tips For Camping With Young Children

Sometimes children may feel intimidated with the thought of sleeping in a camper or tent out in the wilderness. However, things don’t have to be that way for them. Most children love the outdoors when it comes to playing. Camping with young children doesn’t have to be scary – and it’s something every child should get to do at least once.

More often than not, adults fear nature more than children do. Therefore, it may come as a surprise when your child takes to nature quite easily. If camping in the woods does not sit well with you, then why not pitch a tent in the backyard. You will find all the activities and crafts that usually come along with camping right in your own backyard, except the campfire. Read more

ATV Tours in Ontario

Just 2 hours north of Toronto, ATVs rider’s heaven is found at the Seguin Recreational Trail. In Ontario, the Park-to-Park trail system links many existing or once established trail systems for public use. Whether you are an ATV enthusiast, a hiker or a biker, the Trans Canada Trail system is a self sustainable network for the public. The Sequin Trail is the major east-west spine of this vast system and covers about 75kms from from Highway 11 to Highway 400/69.

Originally, the trail bed was a base for a railroad system used to haul lumber from the Ottawa river to shipping yards on the Georgian Bay. The Sequin Trail is now maintained by the Parry Sound District Ministry of Natural Resources and managed by Park-To-Park Trail. This means the trail is kept clean and safe year round. No matter what the season, ATV and snowmobile enthusiasts can ride the trails of Ontario. Read more

Spring Break in Ontario

Spring break, or March break, is a great time to visit Ontario and enjoy the winter wonderland of the province. There are plenty of winter sports activities to enjoy and lots of ski resorts to cater to your needs.

Skiing in Northern Ontario’s ski resorts is something that shouldn’t be missed. Skiing, snowboarding and other winter sport can all be part of your spring break. Blue Mountain is Ontario’s largest ski resort and it has over thirty trails for you to try out. The Blue Mountain inn offers many package deals for March break that allow you to hit the slopes for a low price. Read more

Spring Skiing in British Columbia

While many people associate spring break with surfing and sunning on the beach, others prefer a winter wonderland. If you want crisp weather, spectacular natural views and a wide variety of activities, look no further than British Columbia. The entire province is full of fun things to do during March break. Skiing is obviously the first thing you think about for your spring break vacation in British Columbia.

Ski season is in full effect until early April so try out the North Shore slopes while you are there. The Whistler-Blackcomb site will be the location of the 2010 Winter Olympics. You can catch a preview by staying in Cypress, the largest of the North Shore ski resorts. Cypress Mountain is full of activities for visitors of all ages. In addition to downhill skiing, there is a cross-country area, snow tubing and other activities during the evening. Read more

Some Great Star Gazing Tips

Cost can be a prohibitive factor in many interests but not star gazing, because in the beginning it doesn’t have to cost you a cent – so if you are interested, read on. Now that the thought of a free hobby has peaked your interest further, just what do you need to start it? Luckily there is nothing much but it could really help if you got yourself a Star Chart, available in books or any thing which talks about the Zodiac.

Initially you will need to obtain a star chart from a book or try the internet although some people just use a book that contains images of the astrological zodiac. Try to find a simple one to begin with as some can be very complex and may contain too much information when you are just starting. These are readily available from planetarium or any observatory and you need to get hold of the cheapest one if possible, as the only need you have of it is to locate the brightest star and the rest can be done by yourself.

If you intend to spend any money on a telescope, do not buy a cheap one – it really will be waste of money and won’t help you enjoy your new interest at all. Even if you buy one, the revolving earth would make the star disappear in such a split second that you would continue your search from the beginning all over again. This will frustrate you and before the night is over the telescope will be back in its box.

My second tip is a far cheaper option but one that will bring many nights of star gazing and all you need to do here is lend, borrow or buy a normal 10×50 set of binoculars. This could your viewing the complete constellation including star groups, the moon and other planets as well a reality. Luck is also on your side as almost every school, but certainly each town has a library and this is your best resource for free literature on the stars, star gazing, the Universe and the Solar System.

Look for books that contain star charts, preferably pull-out versions and don’t worry if the book is quite old because the stars won’t have changed. Before you go into too much depth, locate the Southern Cross or Scorpio in the book and then see if you can find it in the night sky. As it’s name suggests, the Southern Cross is situated in the south while Orion can be found moving from East to West as the night progresses. Remember that it may not always be noticeable because it may appear early or later in the morning.

Do you need to read a lot I hear you ask? Not really, but the moment you start to explore the stars, you will want to know more about them, where they come from and probably where they are going. Strangely, some of the best books to study with in the beginning are those written especially for children as they do not overcomplicate the subject. So in reality all you need to start start gazing is a star chart in the early days which should present you with enough to peak your interest. Do not buy a decent telescope until you are sure about your interest but once you do it will open up a whole new world for you.