This year Canada Day will be different. We can’t be physically together but we can still celebrate together as a community, city and country.
Do check out calgary.ca/CanadaDay for lots of ideas and resources on how to celebrate at home and online. All these are available for free.
We had so much fun trying out these ideas for a Canada Day celebration at home and want to share them here with you!
Canada Day Picnic at Home:
Make delicious Canada Day Fruit Popsicles by using this simple recipe from the Canada Day Celebration kit (O Canada Activity Pack) linked here. There are lots of other culinary activities and Canadian recipes there that you can also try!
Our popsicles turned out delicious, perfect for a picnic in the outdoors.
We also made some pancakes to enjoy with maple syrup and Canadian blueberries.
Bring out some red streamers and make an “O Canada” sign to really get in the spirit!
Crafts, Colouring the Flag and Games:
The Peace Tower activity pack in the Canada Day celebration Kit has fun crafts and games to test your Canadian knowledge and display Canada Day cheer. You can challenge your family and friends in a quiz, have a paper model build-off, decorate your house or share your story with other Canadians.
We downloaded the Colour Your Own Canadian Flag activity and had a great time.
We also did a wonderful Word Search activity from the same activity pack to learn about Indigenous words and their meanings.
Decorating the Entrance:
The Maple Leaf Activity Pack is all about arts and culture! Get creative by painting, dancing, producing your own stop animation film or sing along to some of your favourite Canadian tunes.
We loved learning about several of Canada’s vibrant cultures through simple and fun crafts developed by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
One of these was making carp kites. On children’s day (May 5th) in Japan, families with children hang carp kites outside their homes: one for each child. The carp in Japan represents strength and determination.
Zeynab and Hussein also made a carp kite each and we decorated the front of our house with these along with small Canadian flags.
Do check out the Canada Day Celebration Kit for many more free ideas, tools and resources.
More Canada Day Ideas:
- Do plan your outfits well before time to dress in red and white!
- Paint your face!
- Put up your outdoor lights. Turn them on by 10 p.m. (sunset) on July 1 to join the Calgary Tower in lighting up our city.
- Watch the premiere of the Virtual Canada Day Celebration presented by CBC Calgary at 5pm.
- To keep us all connected, share your at-home celebrations using #OCanadaYYC on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
- Support local businesses and order takeaway from your favourite restaurants!
Virtual Fireworks
Enjoy Canada Day fireworks from home! At 10 pm on July 1, point your smart phone or tablet to the night sky and a 3-minute show displaying 3D fireworks will begin. The augmented reality experience will give you the same visual and sound effects as a real fireworks display! Visit Calgary.ca/CanadaDay to see how.
Here is the link with all the details!
Do checkout all the activities on calgary.ca/CanadaDay especially the Celebration Kit, for interactive, creative and educational Canada Day activities for the whole family.
Stay safe and enjoy Canada Day at home! Happy Birthday Canada!
Disclaimer: This blog post is sponsored by the City of Calgary. All opinions are my own.