Keep The Kids Busy This Family Day With Some Bookish Activities

In many places across Canada we’re heading into a long weekend with Family Day on Monday. If you’re looking for something to keep the kiddos busy we’ve picked out a few fun reads that will inspire them to take on some other activities, leaving you to enjoy the silence of children busy elsewhere. Ah, the silence.*

The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1-19 by Jocelyn Brown (Coach House Books)The only thing Dree is interested in is crafting. And her fifteenth birthday. On her fifteenth birthday Dree will receive the special fund her father promised her and she’ll leave Edmonton behind for the Renegade Craft Fair in Toronto. Unfortunately things don’t turn out that way.Get crafty with Dree: the book includes instructions for various crafts or use your imagination!

The Rule of Thirds & Depth of Field by Chantel Guertin (ECW Press)Sixteen-year-old Pippa Greene is determined to be a photographer when she gets older. We first meet Pippa when she is getting ready for the prestigious Vantage Point photography contest. Her life becomes more complicated when her volunteering placement lands her at St. Christopher’s Hospital.We meet Pippa again in Depth of Field when she’s just about to go off to the Tisch Photography Camp.Practice your photography skills on your family or the family pet.

Submarine Outlaw Series by Philip Roy (Ronsdale Press)Young Alfred builds a submarine so that he can go exploring the world. In the series that now includes seven titles (Eco Warrior will be released next month), Alfred has travelled through the St. Lawrence River, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific, as well as to Africa and India, all with his trusted animals friends.Use your imagination and build a fort of your own and see what adventure awaits!

Power Plays, Face Off, and Break Away by Maureen Ulrich (Coteau Books)Fourteen-year-old Jesse moves to a new city and is having a hard time fitting in at school. When she joins the hockey team she finds a strength and skill she didn’t know she had. Follow Jesse from grade nine all the way to senior year in this series from Maureen Ulrich.Grab your family and friends for some friendly competition!

Charlie by Beryl Young (Ronsdale Press)In Charlie, Beryl Young delves into her father’s past and his life as a Home Child. Sent to Canada from England after the death of his father, Charlie works his way out of poverty to eventually become a high-ranking member of the RCMP.If you’re spending Family Day with your grandparents why not learn more about your family history?

If these activities don’t keep you busy there is always the old standbys of puzzles and hide and go seek!Do some puzzles with O Canada Puzzles for Kids by Jesse Ross and Ruth Porter (Nightwood Editions)Play hide & go seek with the adorable dogs in Find Scruncheon and Touton by Nancy & Laurel Keating (Creative Book Publishing)*Happy Family Day!