Tag: Ontario

Painting by Canadian artist Rocky Green, Redneck Arts.
Arts

Happy Holidays, From Your Team At TKN

Happy holidays!

Thank you for reading Teaching Kids News and using it in your home or classroom.

During the winter break, please enjoy our archives. There are more than 400 great articles on lots of topics.

Type a key word into our Search box or click on a topic in the “tag cloud” on our home page.

There are lots of articles kids will enjoy in categories like sports, animals, science, space, England, United States, Canada and yes, even politics.

Please also look at our new “In-Class Ideas” section (tab in the upper menu on the home page). There are some terrific ideas for in-class and homeschooling work based on articles from TKN. These are projects that other classes have done successfully with their students. Fun!

Have a great holiday season, and we’ll see you in the new year.

This beautiful, snowy image is by Canadian artist Rocky Green. (Copyright Rocky L. Green.)

Lighter

What’s In A Meme? Ikea Monkey Goes Viral

Who knows why something “catches on” through the Internet?

Somehow it sparks the collective imagination and before you know it, it’s gone “viral.”

That’s what happened last week with the “Ikea monkey.”

Bronwyn Page was in an Ikea (furniture store) parking lot in North York, Ont. on Dec. 9 when she saw something unusual.

A little brown monkey wearing a diaper and a tiny, expensive-looking coat.

News Politics

Ontario Teachers’ Strike Actions May Escalate In December

The “strike actions” that teachers are taking in Ontario may escalate in December.

In this case, “strike actions” refer to things the teachers and their union are doing to bring attention to the issues that are important to them.

In order to get that attention, many Ontario teachers have already chosen to not participate in extra-curricular activities as well as other things on certain days of the week.

Kids News

Introducing Ukes To Youths

The kids at one elementary school in eastern Toronto get to play ukuleles every week.

The ukulele lessons are thanks to Melanie Doane and James Hill, two musicians who helped launch the Ukulele in the Classroom program, an ongoing teacher-training program and ukulele teaching method.

A ukulele is a small string instrument that looks like a mini guitar.

It has a long neck and a hollow body, but instead of having six strings like a guitar, a ukulele only has four.

Making music with a uke is a good way for a big group of people to learn about and experience music.

“It’s a springboard into music,” says Doane.

A uke is small and affordable, so people of all ages can learn the basics of how to play, like plucking and strumming the strings.

From there, groups of ukulele players can learn how to play together to create harmony and layers.

After only a short time, even beginners can create melodies. “Because you can make music, it is so exciting,” says Doane.

Breaking News News Politics

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Removed From Office

A judge has ruled that the mayor of one of the largest cities in North America has to step down.

Toronto’s Mayor, Rob Ford, has been removed from office–in other words, forced to stop being the mayor.

The judge’s decision takes effect two weeks from now. That’s when Ford must be out of his office.

Ford was elected in 2010 and had another two years to go, in his term as mayor.

Ford was found to have violated “conflict of interest” laws.

That’s because when Ford was a councillor, he raised some money for the football team he coaches, using City Hall stationery.

The city’s integrity commissioner — the person who advises elected officials about ethics — told Ford he had to give the money back. Ford refused.

When he became mayor, Ford asked council to reverse the decision.

In other words, he asked councillors to vote to let him keep the money and not have to give it back. Ford also voted in that vote.

The judge said that the mayor voting in this way was a conflict of interest.

News Sports

Canada Gets Grey Cup Fever, Toronto Hotel Gets A Visit From A Horse

Excitement is building as Canadians everywhere are getting Grey Cup fever.

The fever is particularly high in Toronto. Not only will the game be played there, but the Toronto Argonauts are one of the teams vying for the championship.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Grey Cup championship, which decides which Canadian Football League (CFL) team is the best.

It is played between the winners of the CFL’s East and West Divisional playoffs.

The Toronto Argonauts are set to play the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday.

The winner will take home the trophy known as The Grey Cup.

Toronto was the site for the first Grey Cup, back in 1912.

The 2012 game will also be played in Toronto, at the Rogers Centre.

It’s unusual for the city hosting the Grey Cup to also have their team playing in the Grey Cup.

The last time Toronto won the Grey Cup while playing at home was in 1952.

News Politics

Toronto Mayor In Another Unusual Situation

Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford, is in the middle of another controversy.

It happened last week. He was on the field with the high school football team he coaches, the Don Bosco Eagles.

The coach of the other team got into a confrontation with the referee.

Police were called in to deal with the situation.

That’s where the situation gets confusing.

The police called the Toronto Transit Commission. Police asked the TTC to send a bus to the field to pick up Ford’s team.

Unfortunately, that meant kicking passengers off two buses—stranding them in the rain—and sending those then-empty buses to the field to pick up the high school football team.

The mayor said when the buses didn’t show up promptly, he called the head of the TTC and left him a message.

News

New Arts Centre Part Of The Rebirth Of Old Community

In September, Daniels Spectrum opened its doors.

Daniels Spectrum is a wonderful new 60,000-square-foot facility set up to help people learn art and business, including music and painting classes and moviemaking.

It even includes a Centre for Social Innovation where people with ideas for new businesses work with creative people to think up new ways to make communities better.

It is all part of the rebirth of Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood that has been taking place for more than 10 years.

Health News

Ontario Doctors Call For Strong Action To Help Children Maintain A Healthy Weight

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) wants the government to put higher taxes on junk food.

Doctors say that higher costs would make it harder for children to buy junk food.

They also want high fat and sugary foods that have little nutritional value, to have more information and even warnings on the packaging.

And they want less junk food advertising, especially targeting children.

These are just three strong actions doctors say will help children eat less junk food, keep their weight at a healthy level and live a longer life.

The Ontario Medical Association said that over the years strong actions like extra taxes and scary pictures on cigarette packages have helped to reduce smoking from 50 per cent, in the 1960s, to as low as 20 per cent in Canada today.

Doctors say this kind of action can help in the same way with junk food.

News Politics

Lincoln Alexander Was A Model For Young People

Lincoln Alexander was the lieutenant-governor of Ontario from 1985 to 1991.

He was the first black person to hold that post in the country’s history. He was also Canada’s first black Member of Parliament.

Lincoln Alexander died on Oct. 19, at the age of 90. He was given a state funeral, which is a high honour.

Alexander died in Hamilton, Ont., where he had lived for many years.

Throughout his career, Alexander supported youth leadership and he fought racism.

Alexander, born in 1922, was the child of a railway porter and a maid who came separately to Canada from the Caribbean to find a better life.

Their son, Lincoln, became one of Canada’s most inspiring leaders.

His firsts were many. He was the first black person elected to Canada’s House of Commons and the first black person to be named a lieutenant-governor.

He was the first black partner in a Canadian law firm and first black Minister in the Federal Government.