Scavenger Hunt: Remembrance Day

How good are you at surfing the net?  Start by going to Google Search.


1.    What day is Remembrance Day this year?  Next year?




2.   Name a place in Toronto where there is a Remembrance Day Ceremony.




3.   Write the first two lines of the famous poem, In Flanders Fields.




4.   The author of  Flanders Fields is John McCrae. Tell me something about this man.




5.  What is an important symbol for Remembrance Day? Draw a picture.








6.   Find a Remembrance Day photo you like with a caption. Write the caption or the words under the photo.






7.   Ottawa has one of the largest gatherings on Remembrance Day. Find a video of the parade or ceremony on youtube.






Finished?  Type the title of your video in "comments".

How old is Canada?

By Green Wellies

Happy Canada Day!
Originally uploaded by Green Welliesa

Canada Day is July 1st. That means this Friday is the start of a long weekend. This weekend there will be lots of celebrating around Toronto. There will be free music at all the city squares and some of the parks..........and don't forget the fireworks! Some people buy fireworks and have private parties. Others go to public fireworks at different locations in the city.


Here's a quick quiz to see what you know about Canada. Do you know which ones are true or false?


1. Canada became a country in 1867.

2. The first prime minister was John A MacDonald.


3. Canada started with ten provinces.


4. The last province to join Canada was British Columbia.


5. The first immigrants in Canada were from Britain and Spain.


How did you do? Ask your teacher about the last one.  Would you like to know the  other answers and more about Canada? Go to an earlier post, Happy Canada Day .  




Related Posts:

• Happy Canada Day
• What is Canada?

Ontario:Trivia and Facts

Yes, it's spring and I am a gardener, but these are wild flowers. In fact, this is Ontario's official flower, the trillium. It grows at the edge of the woodlands in May. These photos are from High Park near Grenadine Pond. If you are in any big parks or in the Ontario countryside, look into the forest. You will see these small white flowers scattered under the trees. If you are really lucky, you will see a dark red trillium which is rare. One warning! Please don't pick the trilliums. It is illegal to pick our provincial flower.

To celebrate this Ontario flower, here is a trivia quiz about the province. Are you an Ontarian? Then you should know the answers to most of these questions.

Remember, if you do not understand a word, double click the word. Then you will get the meaning and more information.

1. The capital of Ontario is

a) Toronto b) Ottawa c) Kingston

2. Ontario is between

a) Alberta and Quebec

b) Nunavut and Manitoba

c) Quebec and Manitoba

3. Ontario is beautiful, but is does not have

a) Niagara Falls b) Rocky Mountains c) Algonquin Park

4. Toronto is the biggest city. Tourists will not find

a) CN Tower b) Casa Loma c) Banff

5. The premier of Ontario is

a) Dalton McGuinty b) Stephen Harper c) Jack Layton

6. The large body of water to the south is Lake Ontario and to the north is

a) Atlantic Ocean b) Lake Erie c) Hudson Bay

7. Which Canadian singer was not born in Ontario

a) Shania Twain b) Celine Dion c) Justin Bieber

8. This Canadian actor or actress was not born in Ontario

a) Jim Carrey (The Mask, Dumb and Dumber)

b) Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future, Stuart Little)

c) Ellen Page (Juno, Inception)

9. The official bird of Ontario is the

a) Canadian Goose b) Loon c) Blue Jay

I have lived most of my life in Ontario, so the first questions are easy for me to pull from my head. The next questions are Ontario statistics and I got some help from "Ontario Travel". Try these questions. Then check your answers below.

10. Ontario has 250,000 lakes or

a) 20% of the world's fresh water

b) 1/3 of the world's fresh water

c) 1/10 of the world's fresh water

11. The population of Ontario is 12 million or

a) 1 in 5 Canadians

b) 1 in 10 Canadians

c) 1 in 3 Canadians

12. Spring is from March to May. The average spring temperature is 8 Celsius (46 Fahrenheit) to

a) 18 degrees Celsius (64 Fahrenheit)

b) 22 degrees Celsius (72 Fahrenheit)

c) 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit)

Would you like to learn more about Ontario? Try these sites.

• About Ontario
• Ontario Travel
• Government of Ontario

Answers: 1a, 2c, 3b, 4c, 5a, 6c, 7b, 8a, 9b, 10b, 11c, 12a

Canada Gets 14 Golds

I wanted to present a look back at the Vancouver Olympics 2010 via a video, but the Canadian Broadcasting Station, CTV, 'owns' all the best moments. Here's the best I could do which is a link to OlympicsCTV. This video shows some of the greatest moments and the collective energy felt by all Canadians. Press here

The final gold metal was from the Canadian Hockey Team. Hockey is our national sport, so it was important to Canadians to win this final gold. The arena was one big mass of red as so many fans dressed in their Canadian colour or wore their favourite hockey players sweater to cheer on Team Canada..... a tie breaker that ended in overtime. What a storybook ending!

Then the closing ceremonies brought the Vancouver 2010 Olympics to an end. The ceremonies showcased some of our most popular celebrities. It was fun to see Canadians make fun of themselves. Yes, we have the beaver, moose, mounties, maple leaves and yes, we tend to be polite and say sorry a lot. Did you see how many Canadian Olympic participants apologized for not winning a medal? Yes we say ,"I'm sorry" a lot, but we also say, "Thank you". So, thanks for blessing Canada with so many healthy determined young athletes. May we all strive in our own ways to be the best at what we do.

....and celebrate those moments.

Street Party Photographs, February 28, 2010: (bottom)Downtown Toronto by Scorlirk and (top) Downtown Vancouver by Ecstaticist,Flickr



Related Posts:

Who lit the flame at the 2010 Olympics?

Wanna Be Wednesday 6/3

Juno Awards 2009

Tim Hortons

Music Monday: The Olympic Song

Who is the singer?

Nikki Yanofsky was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1894. She's a jazz-pop singer who has her first album coming out soon. She sang Oh, Canada, our national anthem, at the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Olympics.

Whose in the video?

Past medal winners and this year's hopefuls.

Where did the song come from?

Steven Moccio is a Toronto composer and has written songs for Celine Dion and Josh Groban. According to the Globe and Mail, Maccio composed the song about four years ago after Vancouver won the Olympic Games. The lyrics were added by Allan Frew from the band, Glass Tigers. It's called I Believe or in French, J'Imagine.

What's it about?

The lyrics or words are at the bottom of this video. It's about believing in yourself and your abilities and I think a bit of team spirit is there too.

Who lit the flame at the 2010 Olympics?

Photo by erieliou, Flickr


Before the opening ceremonies of the 2010
Vancouver Olympics, Canadians were
wondering who would light the flame?
It had to be a great Canadian hero. But we
were all wrong. It was four of our
greatest athletes.



These are Canadians who lit the fire in the stadium:

1. Nancy Greene
2. Steve Nash
3. Catriona Le May Doan
4. Wayne Gretsky

These are their sports:

a) Basketball
b) Downhill skiing
c) Hockey
d) Speed skating

Now, can you match the sport and the superstar?


Look in "comments" below for the answer. Also, for some great photos of the opening ceremonies, press here.

Ottawa: 50 People One Question

This short film is an example of a participating YouTube video. The original film was done on a hot day in New Orleans, United States. The producers came up with the idea to ask as many people as possible the same question. It was called 50 People One Question and was posted on YouTube September, 2008.

Then people in different states used the same idea and posted their films on YouTube. Also, it went global. For example, there were films made in Canada and Australia. Here is response video that was filmed in Ottawa, Canada a year later.




.***Cultural note: The word, Beaver Tail, is pastry. It's a kind of flat donut in the shape of a beaver's tail. To see the animal, a beaver, check out the Canadian 5 cent coin.



How would you answer this question?

What is Canada?

What is Canada? Let's ask a Canadian. Nadine is a 21 year old university student from the province of British Columbia. She likes to do online videos and has done one for Canada Day. She speaks casually to people who are not from Canada.


Hear what she has to say about Canada. She talks about our geography, our money and what Canadians like to do in Canada. Enjoy!




July 1st is Canada Day. Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day!

rise up
Originally uploaded by 416style

Canada became a country on July 1, 1867. Not all the provinces joined then, but the federal government was formed. In fact, the western provinces didn't join until 1905 and the Canadian government welcomed Newfoundland in 1949. Also, there has been recent changes. The eleventh province, Nunavut, was formed up north in the 1990's. We also have two northern territories.

John A MacDonald was the father of confederation or the first prime minister of Canada. Canada used to be mostly farms and rural communities, but now there are many urban areas. Canada has several big cities and this is a picture of downtown Toronto. ' TO ' is the biggest city in Canada and one of the largest cities in the world. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has a population of over 5 million.

What do Canadians do for Canada Day? There will be lots of Canadian flags and free activities. Toronto has activities at the main squares. There is always live music and the best part is the fireworks at night. Ontario Place always has a grand show over Lake Ontario. And don't forget the backyard barbecues. Get out the cold drinks. It's summer!

Unfortunately, this year Toronto has a city strike. This means a lot of Canada Day celebrations could be cancelled, but the rest of Canada will not be affected. The capital, Ottawa, is fun place to visit around Canada Day. There's a parade and lots of entertainment downtown. It's hard to get a hotel that weekend because its such a popular holiday destination.

Strike or no strike, Torontonians and the rest of Canada will celebrate our national holiday. Tomorrow is Canada's birthday!

Music Monday

Did you watch the Juno Awards?

Sunday night, many Canadians watched the Juno Awards in Vancouver, British Columbia. Last year, more than a million television viewers watched our talented singers and musicians on stage. For the 38th Annual Juno Awards, the lighting, the sets and the performances were the best yet. The big names, Nickleback, Sarah McLachlan and Bryan Adams, performed. The duet by Bryan Adams and Kathleen Edwards was awesome! Presenters included multiple Juno Award winners, Buffy Saint-Marie and K.D Lang, Dianna Krall and her husband, Elvis Castello, as well as Michael Buble`.

Who won?

The two big winners were the band, Nickleback from Alberta and Sam Roberts from Montreal, Quebec. Nickleback got three Juno Awards, The Fan Choice Award, Group of the Year and Album of the Year for "Dark Horses". Sam Roberts received two Juno Awards, Artist of the Year and rock Album of the Year for "Love at the End of the World.

Who was the first Canadian artist chosen to sing at the Juno Awards?

Sarah McLachlan. So let's here one of her most popular songs, "In the Arms of an Angel".

Here's some English tips before you listen.

1. Relax and enjoy.
2. Don't try to hear all the words. You'll pick up some repeated phrases.
3. Songs have verses like stories have paragraphs. The repeated verse is called the chorus. Listen carefully and you might hear the chorus.
4. Songs are like poems and they can be difficult to understand. It is not important to understand every phrase
5. You should be able understand the main idea and the mood of the song.
   

What's special about this performance?

Sarah McLachlan sings "In the Arms of an Angel" as a duet. Sarah plays the piano and sings and the American singer, Josh Groban sings the song with her.





So, What is "Angel" about?

The song in about dying and going to heaven. You can listen to it again with the lyrics or words.





Would you like to know about Sarah McLachlan?

If you would like to hear some higher quality recordings, you can go to Sarah McLachlan's web site. Her latest album is "Closer, The Best of Sarah McLachlan". You can learn more about Sarah there and enjoy some of her songs. It has music, photos and her biography. Press to go to other music by Sarah McLachlan.




Did you like this post? Press subscribe on the right side bar and get lots more.


Related Post:

• Juno Awards 2009
• Music Monday: Disney Nature "Earth"
• Music Monday: Susan Boyle
• A Change is Gonna Come

A Love Story

Everyone enjoys a love story. Right? Do you know what Canadians think about sharing, caring or giving on Valentine's Day? The Retail Council of Canada and Pollara did a poll (or survey) just before Valentine's Day in 2007. Try this quiz based on the poll.

1. _____ of Canadians planned to show their spouses or partners they care on February 14.
a) 64%
b) 81%
c) 52%

2. The people from ______________ were more likely to give gifts to others.
a) Quebec
b) British Columbia
c) Prairie provinces and Ontario

3. The favourite gift was
a) cards
b) candy and chocolates
c) flowers

4. Canadians between the age of _______ planned to spend the most on gifts.
a) 18 to 24
b) 55 to 64
c) 35 to 44

5. _______ planned to go to a restaurant for a meal.
a) 27 %
b) 54 %
c) 34 %

The answers are at the end of this page.



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Related posts:

• Winter in Toronto 5
  

Answers: 1 a , 2 c, 3 a, 4 b, 5 a
These facts are based on the retail council news report from February 9, 2007.

Tim Hortons

I couldn't resist this video. Have you ever tried to order a coffee? How do you like your coffee? Black? Double, double? Regular? Now, try going to Starbucks. It gets more diffucult to know what to order. Okay, so what is a tall? Ordering a coffee takes on new meaning,doesn't it? According to a Star Bucks's employee, you can order a small, tall, grande (pronounced granday) or venti ( pronounced vahntee). In French, vent means twenty and a venti is twenty ounces. The company doesn't want you to order the smallest size which is the small. The small is not on the menu board and if you ask for a small, the clerk will correct you and suggest a tall. Are you still confused?

Okay, so now you are thinking why is this blog called Tim Hortons? Well, that's because there are so many Tim Hortons in Canada and there are so many Canadians who love Tim Horton's coffee. Tim Horton was a real Canadian hockey star. He started his career as a Maple Leaf hockey player in Toronto. He was still playing hockey in his early forties when he was killed in a car crash February, 1974. His widow eventually sold the coffee franchise, but Canadians continue to line up at the nearest Tim Hortons. There is even a Tim Hortons for the Canadian soldiers in Afghanastan. They requested one because they wanted to feel like they were at home. The next video is a Tim Horton's commercial that takes place in Scotland.






After watching this commercial, can you think of a food or drink that is very popular in your home country? Why do you think it is so popular? Can you get it here?