Canada Day

Celebrate our beautiful nation!

On July 1st every year, we come together as Canadians to honour the history of our country and the day of Confederation or sovereignty (independence) from England. It’s the first official holiday of summer and is marked with picnics, barbecues, outdoor activities and usually an evening of fireworks.

Red & White: our national colours

Our Canadian flag honours our national tree, the maple, with a maple leaf and the colours red and white. Bring these celebratory colours into your centre or celebration with the following ideas:

•    Decorate the room—use flags or make your own to adorn the room in red and white
•    Dress in red and white—get everyone wearing matching colours and take a group photo!  
•    Facepaint—paint red maple leaves on cheeks or arms
•    Red & white ribbons or flags—make theme crafts to fly in the air and wave around 
•    Learn about Canada—talk about our history as a country from our indigenous populations to settlers from Europe and the eventual establishment of the nation of Canada
•    Sing and play—stand up to sing our national anthem O Canada and consider adding instruments or marching like a band

Fun, healthy foods for Canada Day:

•    Make red and white food—from strawberry & yogurt parfaits to tomato & bocconcini skewers, be sure to choose the colour red from the bounty of red vegetables and fruit 
•    Frozen treats—make your own popsicles! Freeze diluted yogurt or milk in popsicle molds, mason jars or paper cups with strawberry chunks or raspberries in them
•    Barbecue/picnic fun without the hotdogs—enjoy classic foods like corn-on-the-cob, potato salad and deviled eggs