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When it comes to planning the layout of our backyard, I keep in mind the focal points. Simply put, focal points draw the eye and give you something nice to look at when you enter the yard or when you are relaxing in it. Our main focal point is a made in Canada  vignette that I created with a bird feeder and a bird bath. These are at the bottom of the yard, in a tiny wooded section, perfect for birds and other backyard wildlife! We can see them when we are sitting in our little gazebo and, truthfully, it is better than cable! The drama that goes on between the grackles, the squirrels and the blue jays, is enough to keep us on the edge of our Muskoka chairs, sometimes!

Our birdfeeder 

The ingredients for these live daily shows are quite basic: a good bird feeder that will withstand squirrels, sunflower seeds for the blue jays and cardinals and mixed seeds for the sparrows and chickadees, a birdbath and a field guide to Canadian or North American birds. A pair of binoculars are invaluable and, of course, your camera, too, makes for perfect bird watching gear. A notebook or journal can be really useful if you want to keep track of the birds that you identify. Plus, you will need committment. Once you start feeding the birds, they will come to expect it, so keep those feeders full! It is worth it!

 A great way to learn about backyard birds from Outset Media! 

Field guides are the books on my What to Take to a Desert Island list. I have had a collection of field guides since I was a little kid. You can get them for anything and everything, including birds, wildflowers, herbs, stars and fish, at Chapters-Indigo . I know you are waiting for me to bring my iPhone into this, so let me tell you about the amazing and free  Peterson's Guide  to Feeder Birds of North America app that allows you to identify birds, keep track of them and even play their calls with your smart phone! I have several Peterson field guides but having one that plays the bird calls has made a huge difference of my understanding of who is who back there!

 Heavenly!

Our reward this Summer for putting up a feeder  is a blue jay family! They made their nest above our gazebo and put on the most amazing aerial battles against marauding squirrels that I have ever seen! The mated pair split up to attack the squirrels from each side in a very dramatic show of teamwork! Sometimes it all happens too fast to take pictures and I can only sit back and enjoy! I will never forget the splat of that squirrel as he bounced off the top of the gazebo! (He's okay!).

What birds put on a show in your back yard? 

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First member, Outset Media and Wendy Gibson

I have been reading the most fantastic book. The Practical Naturalist, by Chris Packham, available from DK Canada, instructs the reader on how to create a naturalist's kit, where to really find nature (hint: it starts in your own backyard!), and how to record it.

Since I will be starting a nature journal with my two three year old boys, we won't be breaking the bank on any special equipment. We will be using what we have at home and purchasing a few items to get us going. I love this Jumbo Journal from Ecojot and I think it would be perfect for a nature journal.

To get a closer look at nature you need a few basic items:

• recording tools such as notepads, pen and pencil, tape measure, container for samples, magnifying glass and a net if you'll be catching any insects
• appropriate clothing such as a hat, solid shoes or boots and a knapsack for your tools and gloves
• safety gear such as maps, a watch, a GPS device and first aid kit if you're heading deeper into nature
• camera, if possible, to ensure you don't miss any details (don't forget the camera bag)

This is a picture of what we've gathered for our naturalist's kit so far.

As suggested by The Practical Naturalist, the first place that the boys and I will start at is our own local habitat - we tend to forget that our own homes, yards and local parks are teeming with wildlife in every form. Around our home, there's  been a surprise house guest or two. We have been visited by spiders, flies, bees outside the door, birds right outside our window and even that tricky raccoon in the garbage can. Even a flower pot on the deck, such as these by DCN Plastics, are teeming with life.

 DCN Plastics - Flower Pots

In the park, you'll likely catch a few glimpses of squirrels, groundhogs, birds and water fowl. At night, owls can be heard, and possibly a fox rushing by and moths in the moonlight.

The best way to attract more wildlife to your local habitat is to make inviting spots - a bird bath for our bird friends, leaf piles and nesting boxes for small mammals, a brush pile for insects and maybe a frog or two, and flowers to interest bees, ladybugs and butterflies.

Composting is a really interesting project that can be done with the kids and recorded in their nature journals. First, pick up a Kitchen Compost Pail, such as those found at Lee Valley Tools, to collect organic household waste such as egg shells, coffee grounds and vegetable peels, for storing outside in a clear container. If you then layer the compost with sand and soil and add earthworms, you'll be able to monitor the earthworms burrowing into your compost, creating a tunnel system that adds oxygen and nutrients to the soil.

The boys and I have already started studying the birds at our feeder and looked at the different shapes and sizes in the flowers and vegetables we've sprouted from seeds earlier this month. We are all looking forward to continuing our nature journals.

Have you started a nature journal to study your local habitat?

by Stacey Kazmir

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Ecojot, DCN Plastics and my own photo of our naturalist's kit.

          ~ Songs My Paddle Sings, E. Pauline Johnson

                     Photo courtesy of Clipper Canoes

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ACK!!! I mean how many weeks of summer vacation do our kids get, 8 perhaps 9 weeks? Are you panicking yet? Summer is here and once they eat breakfast they.will.not.be.going.to.school! Perhaps you have summer camps, art workshops, trips to the cabin and a week at grandma's house pre planned, but what can you do to ease the summer blahs for the rest of the season? Fear not brave parent for I will provide for your children a handy list of fabulous things that may keep them busy for minutes, hours and perhaps even days at a time!!

50 awesome things to do!

1. Go birding! Canada is filled with a wide variety of spectacular bird species of all shapes and sizes. Encourage young budding ornithologists to go into the yard open their ears and eyes and look into the skies. Arm yourself with a pencil, binoculars and a great notebook from Buy Canadian first Member EcoJot to log all of your discoveries. Check out bird canada. It is both a great blog with amazing links!

3.  Recreate a famous painting  in your own way ( like Big Raven by Canadian artist Emily Carr)

4. Do everything with the 'wrong arm'.

5. Make a doll but only use recycled materials

6. Enter a poetry contest.

7. Make a diorama of your favourite place in the world.

8. Plan an old fashion tea party, be sure to bring your parasol, manners and a pretty dress like the Poppy dress by Sweet Peanut from out member Apples n Oranges.

 9. Find all the pens in the house and make sure they all work.

10. Start a summer business 

11. Get your grandparents to dish out some dirt about your parents when they were young!

12. Learn how to walk the dog and go over the falls with a yoyo! Buy Canadian First member Toy Maker of Lunenburg makes fabulous Yoyo in great colours. Once you master the tricks you can show off to all your friends.

 14. Go for a walk and collect anything you wish (perhaps everything yellow, everything round, everything with letters) then create a mini museum with your objects.

15. Make a terrarium.

16. Study an ancient civilization or learn about many with Professor Noggin's Ancient Civilization Card Game.

17. Learn CPR.

18. Discover where the smallest bone in the body is.

19. Raise a tadpole into a frog.

20. Create lists of ten (ten foods I love,  ten types of trees in my neighbor hood, ten wierd habits my mom has etc.).

21. Find out how many of your favourite music artist are Canadian.

22. Learn to cook a new dish

23. Bake muffins  and deliver to a friend.

24. Teach an old dog a new trick with a little insentive. Give Fido a delicious natural treat made with holsitic ingredients from Fetch'erz Ballz.

25. Observe your neighbourhood everyday at the same time for a week. Log what is the same and what is different daily.

26. Start an ant farm.

27. Be a pirate for a day, ahhrrr or to the plank with Yee.

28. Rewrite the endings to your favourite fairy tales.

29. Set up a lemonade stand.

30. Learn to knit and make scarves to donate to shelters.

31. Create your own world. Make maps, civilizations and local wildlife and plants.

32. Do fish pee? find out!

33. Negotiate a new privilege for yourself.

34. Start a 2000 piece puzzle

35. Spend the day with a younger sibling  on purpose.

36. Do a chore without being asked first.

37. Discover why your shadow is longer or shorter depending on the time of day.

38. Make a sun dial.

39. Tie-Dye T-shirts

40. Dedicate a song to someone over the radio.

41. Practise a new skill (skateboarding, catching popcorn in your mouth after you toss it in the air or juggling).

42. Are you prepared? Get your family prepared for an emergency.

43. Create a scavenger hunt for your friends and bake a cake for the winner.

44.  Make posters and hang them up in the neighbourhood.

45. See if you can follow a bee back to her hive, be respectful and give her space. Later find out why bees dance.

46. Start a collection.

47. Go fly a kite. 

48. Become a master of origami.

49. Plan activities for your whole family.

50. research  all the mythical creatures of the world and write a story about your all time favourite!

The possibilities are endless. Fortunately, should all else and your children are still bored and you are there with them, know that the laundry, dishes, dinner, and lawn can wait a few minutes, hours and (this is pushing it) days. Your children grow fast and time is fleeting so forget the work and go hang out with your little muffins. We'll always have dishes but we won't always have our babies as little ones.

Here is the last instalment in my 4-part series on Canadian-made stocking stuffers from the Dollarama. Yes, that's what I said; you can find Made-in-Canada items that retail for $ 1.00 (and a few for $2.00)!

If you missed the previous posts, you can read them here:

Part 1 (stocking stuffers for kids)

Part 2 (stocking stuffers for Mom)

Part 3 (stocking stuffers for Dad)

And of course, let's not forget about our beloved pets at Christmastime!  They provide us with joy and unconditional love all year long, so why not fill a special stocking just for them? Here are a few things they will appreciate on Christmas morning:

Clockwise from top:

1. Just for Me dog biscuits (340 g)
2. Loving Morsels dry cat food (800 g)
3. Rex dog treats (pig ears)
4. My Buddy sunflower seeds
5. Just for Me dog treats (113 g)

Total cost (before taxes): $ 6.00

And of course, the treat your pet will enjoy the most is free: a nice long walk or a good scratch or an invitation to join you on the couch!

I hope this series has shown that buying Canadian does not always mean spending more money. But it always does mean spending money more wisely, as it contributes to our local economy, keeps jobs in this country and cuts down on our carbon footprint. Now that's a good deal!

From all of us here at Buy Canadian First, we wish you a very Happy Holiday Season filled with joy, peace, family and love!

Blog post written by: Kirsten Bartel

Ah! Fall has arrived at last! A season when dog owners, and all Canadians across the country, can still rush to get outdoors without multiple layers of clothes and coats, or fear of sinking belly deep in snow ... Just yet. The joys of hiking in the wilderness, exploring the countryside and enjoying nature at its best with your canine friend is sure to put smiles on every face. Dog lovers across the country will attest that there is nothing quite like it.

Preparing for an outing is important, even if you don't have far to go. Five kilometres from home is still a fair hike if you find yourself in need of something which is laying on your kitchen table.

Some basics for a pleasant trek in the country with your pup:

( ) A Hat. Personally I love my "Handcrafted in Canada with Care" Tilley hat for sun protection, however, you can find others. Perhaps a made in Canada Blurr Flora Cap or a MEC Rover Hat from Mountain Equipment Co-op is more to your liking?

( ) Bio bags. Try eco-friendly bags such as those from Sacsmunger, Epi-global or Natursac.

( ) Rubber boots. I use the traditional Canadian Marshland Red Sole Rubber Boots from Canadian Tire, but you can also try these Waterproof Rainboots available from Buy Canadian First member Rallye Footwear Inc.

( ) Quality sunglasses

( ) Water. If you haven't done so already, get a refillable aluminium water bottle, like Otterbottles. Otterbottles are not Made in Canada (nobody seems to make aluminium or steel bottles in Canada) but they are a great Canadian company - They even received a thumbs up from David Suzuki!

( ) Waist / Backpack

( ) Basic first-aid items

( ) Sun screen

( ) Lip balm. Try Buy Canadian First member's products like the Clear Lip Saver by Aroma Crystal Therapy, Tuscan Farm Gardens Organic Lavender Honey Lip Balm, or Pursea Lip Balm.

( ) Natural bug repellant. I make my own but try the Natural Insect Repellent by Glengarry Gardens for yourself and maybe the Tuscan Farm Gardens Lavender Body Spray for your dog.

( ) Natural doggy treats (not essential but always appreciated)

( ) Leather leash and collar. I really like this leather dog lead and leather dog collar from Buy Canadian First member Roots.

And don't forget your camera! Even during short walks just this past week, I was able to sight a red-winged blackbird flying over the crop fields, a deer feeding in the early morning sunlight and a rainbow arching across the sky. You just never know what is in store for you, even in your own backyard.

Explore, discover and enjoy!

A camera is also handy to capture any antics your dog may decide to throw your way. Dogs In Canada magazine often has a photo contest and, who knows, you may just get that winning image!

Being prepared makes all adventures more enjoyable and that includes learning about your area and what natural wonders you can find. Summer to early autumn, as even urban lovers know, is a time when wildlife is in abundance. An encounter we all dread is one with our friendly neighbourhood striped skunk. You can't get more natural than a skunk, however, there are some things in nature we may like to live without.

 Image sources: Flickr Creative Commons, Jesse Yardley (Fotographix.ca), BuyCanadianFirst.ca

If you have not read the first installment of this series, please read it here before you continue...

In a nutshell, I am trying to deconstruct the myth of "I can't afford to buy Canadian". To this end, I filled 5 stockings with Made-in-Canada items from my local Dollarama. Here is the second one, which cost under $ 10.00 (taxes included), for the pet lover:

In the picture above, clockwise from front left:

• My Buddy wild bird seeds (1 kg)
• Pet Lovers' odour eater (227 g)
• Just for Me dog biscuits (340 g)
• Skeena cat food (156 g)
• Just For Me dog treats (170 g)
• Percara cat litter deodorizer (200 g)
• Rex Products dog treats (pigs' ears)

Surprised? Stay tuned for the third installment: stocking fillers for the man in your life...