When we think of mammals, we think of cats, dogs, rabbits, wolves, lynx, etc. There are a large number of mammals in the world. Let's discover the mammals that live right here, in Canada!

What is a Mammal?

Mammals are vertebrate animals, animals that have an internal skeleton (a skeleton inside their body) that includes at least a spine and a skull.

These animals are called "mammals" because they nurse, they feed their babies with milk. The milk is produced by glands called "mammary glands". Mammals are the only animals that have mammary glands!

Mammals carry their babies inside them and give birth to fully formed offsprings. There are some exceptions such as monotremes, egg-laying mammals like the platypus.

The vast majority of mammals are quadrupeds, that is, they are four-legged animals. Their legs are adapted to their terrestrial (running, jumping, hopping, digging, climbing trees, etc.) or aquatic lifestyles. Aquatic mammals, such as whales, used to have hind limbs ("hind legs"), but these have disappeared over time.

In addition, most mammals have hairy bodies and often have three kinds of teeth (molars, canines and incisors). Mammals are also endothermic, warm-blooded animals. They are able to maintain their body temperature.

Mammals also have a larger and more complex brain that allows them to learn, react and adapt more quickly.

Can you name one or more mammals?!

Source: Mammal and Vertebrate from the Canadian Encyclopedia

Did you know that?

The human being is a mammal!

Mammals of Canada

In Canada, several mammals such as wolverine, caribou, moose, coyote, wolf, lynx, beluga whale, orca (or killer whale), etc. can be found.

One of the best known Canadian mammals is, without a doubt, the beaver. The beaver is the largest rodent in Canada. It is a herbivorous animal, an animal that eats leaves, buds and bark. It lives in a semi-aquatic environment (partly on land and partly in water). With the exception of humans, the beaver is the only mammal that intentionally shapes its environment. It is known for the construction of dams and lodges, which it builds using its large teeth.

To learn more about the beaver and other mammals in Canada, you can visit Hinterland Who's Who or the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Source: Beaver from the Canadian Encyclopedia

Did you know that?

The beaver is even one of Canada's national symbols. In fact, the beaver has occupied and had a great influence in Canadian history because of its precious fur.

In fact, it is believed to be a national symbol older than the maple leaf!

Source: Beaver from the Canadian Encyclopedia

Otterly Fun :)

The Montreal Children's Library offers various activities related to mammals.

Have fun with our friends, the mammals!

Mammals are amazing animals! To better understand mammals and their friends, the Ecomuseum Zoo, an outside zoo located in Montreal, invites you to participate in the Zoolympics. Will you be able to face all the challenges? Will you also be able to find the two animals that are not mammals?

Would you like more challenges? Check out the Zoo's website. It offers many activities on Quebec's wildlife to do at home.

With your parents, brothers and sisters, you can have fun doing imitations or riddles related to Canadian mammals.

You can also play various games and highlight the presence of mammals:

• Cat and mouse game (or the variant "Wolf are you there");

• Foxtail game;

• Donkey game (possibility to replace the donkey by another mammal);

• Game of "Simon says..." where you can change the wording and replace it with "The fox says..." (or use another mammal).

Books and songs related to mammals

Stories about mammals:

• Five Little Bunnies Jumping on the Bed

• Old MacDonald Had a Farm

• The Three Little Pigs

• Goldilocks and the Three Bears

• The Fox and the Crow

• The Boy who cried Wolf

Songs about mammals:

• Lily and the Hamster

• Lily at the Farm

Gourmet Challenge

It is important (and so good) to eat. So why not embellish your pancakes by giving them an animal shape. It is also possible to make animal-shaped toast!

If you like sandwiches, you can make a cat and mouse sandwich with one or more little mice!

Craft

For the craft activity, we found these cute origami rabbits!

Have fun!

Once Upon a Time, in a Far Far Away Place...

Have you ever heard of fire-breathing dragons? Sasquatch? Unicorns? Mermaids? Werewolves? These creatures, and many others, populate our imaginations and sometimes even our nightmares. They are what we call "mythical creatures".

What is a Mythical Creature?

A mythical creature, also called a legendary or fabulous creature, is a creature of legends. They say this is because their existence cannot be proven. These creatures often originate from the beliefs, legends, myths or folklore (cultural traditions) of a country.

There are several mythical creatures that are very different from each other. There are creatures that have an animal appearance such as the dragon or unicorn. Others have a hybrid appearance that is partly human like the mermaid (half woman and half fish) or the centaur (half man and half horse). Finally, there are also creatures that have a humanoid appearance, an appearance that is similar to our own, but differs slightly from it like the fairy or the giant.

Source: Legendary creature from Wikipedia

Myth or Reality?

Mythical creatures are mostly derived from legends or beliefs of a country. However, there are a large number of mysterious animals that come to us from legends as well as from testimonies and which lead us to believe in their existence. Creatures such as the Abominable Snowman, Sasquatch (or Bigfoot) or the Loch Ness monster (also called Nessie). Did these creatures really exist? We can't say for sure yet. Only time will tell...

Did you know that...

"Cryptozoology" is the scientific study of animals whose existence has not yet been proven because we do not have enough evidence to say that they actually existed.

Source: Cryptozoology from the Canadian Encyclopedia

Have Fun with Mythical Creatures!

The Montreal Children's Library offers various activities related to the theme of mythical creatures.

As you know by now, there are many mythical creatures, each with their own peculiarities. Would you like to explore and learn about some of them? Then join the Curious Critters Club and explore!

If you want to learn more about a particular mythical creature, you can check out the list of legendary creatures on Wikipedia.

You can also hunt for mythical creatures at home! Ask your parents to hide toys shaped like mythical creatures (or monsters). Once you've done this, have fun looking for them as soon as possible.

You can also play the game "Simon says...", but use the phrase "The dragon says...". (or use another creature you love!).

Source : Les monstres from Éducatout

Stories and Songs about Creatures of the Imagination

Discover stories about mythical creatures

• • The Hero and the Dragon

  • Peter and the Mermaid

  • Rose has lost her Friend

  • Cinderella

  • The Animal of Legend

Listen to songs about mythical creatures

• • Fairy Lullaby

  • Unicorn Song

Gourmet Challenge

Unicorns love colorful food, so why not make a rainbow layer cake. If unicorns aren't your thing, you can also make marshmallows ghost or ghost cupcakes!

Epic Craft

Have you ever dreamed of having a dragon, unicorn or mermaid as a friend? Why don't you come and make your own dragon! You can also come and make your own little mermaid or unicorn!

If you've got imagination, why don't you make your own creature?!

Have a good time!

Comic books, manga, graphic novels...

Comic books are a very popular category of books for both children and adults.

What is a Comic Book?

Comic books, also called comics and sometimes comic strips, are a category of book that is composed of images, but also of text. The images can be in colour or in black and white, the choice is up to the author. In any case, images occupy a very important place in the comic strip since it is through the succession of images that the story is told. The text is found inside the images, either in bubbles (also called "phylacteries") or in boxes. These elements make it possible to convey words, thoughts, feelings and narration.

There are a large number of comic strips for all tastes and from all over the world. In Quebec, we have a large selection of children's comics. You may have already seen or even read Quebecois comics such as Jon LeBon, Dragouilles, Aurélie Laflamme’s Diary, The Complicated Life of Lea Olivier, The Bellybuttons.

Do you know what a manga is? Manga is the name given to Japanese comics. The term "manga" is taken from two Japanese ideograms, the "ma" and the "ga", which means "derisory images" (funny or ridiculous images). Manga does not read like a traditional comic book (from left to right), it is read in the Japanese reading direction, i.e. from right to left, and is mostly published in black and white. Can you name one or more comics and/or manga?!

As you now know, drawings occupy an important place in comics. It is thanks to them that the story is told. But you can't create a comic book simply without thinking about the story you want to tell.

Source : Bande dessinée (BD) et Manga de Larousse

Did You Know That...

We can attribute the pre-invention of the comic strip to the 19th century by Rodolphe Töpffer, a Swiss. Indeed, it was Rodolphe Töpffer who was the first to associate texts with images. However, it was in the United States that picture boxes with text bubbles were first published in newspapers.

Source : Bande dessinée (BD) de Larousse et Qui a inventé la bande dessinée de 1jour1actu

Comics Books & Cie

There are several products derived from comic books, that is, products that take inspiration from comic books to make something else, something new. There are animated films and animated series inspired by comic books, such as Asterix and Obelix, The Sisters, One Piece, My Hero Academia, etc. There are even films with real actors who are inspired by them. You can then think of the Marvel studios' films (Iron Man, The Guardians of the Galaxy, or Avenger) to name but a few. There are also video games inspired by comic books like Naruto, My Hero Academia, Spiderman, etc. In other cases, video games are the source of a comic book, and sometimes, other derivative products! You can think of Sonic the Hedgehog or Zelda. There are even novels that are at the origin of comic strips such as Aurélie Laflamme’s Diary or The Complicated Life of Léa Olivier.

Another very nice derivative to mention is the artistic works that arise from comic books. Street art is art that you see on certain buildings when you walk down the street, in Montreal for example. Sometimes it's inspired by comic books! On this site, you can see different comic book drawings on walls in Belgium.

Do you know any comic book derivatives?

So Popular!

Comics are very popular, there are even museums dedicated to them, including The Belgian Comic Strip Center in Belgium!

Activities related to Comics

The Montreal Children's Library offers various activities related to comics.

Superhero Training

Comic book heroes must be well prepared to achieve their goals. To do so, we suggest that you follow heroic training!

With your parents, brothers and sisters, you can have fun doing imitations or riddles related to comic books.

Comics to Read and Listen to!

You can find lots of comic books, manga and graphic novels by going to your local library or bookstore. There are also sites like Webtoon where you can read webcomics online!

If you're interested in reading comic books and manga and want to share your interest with other enthusiasts, the Montreal Children's Library invites you to join Tricoté serré, The reading Club (for teens 13-17 years old) every Monday at 2 p.m. Interested? Contact us by email at info@mcl-bjm.ca

You can watch some great short animations on YouTube, such as Hair Love, Jinxy Jenkins & Lucky Lou or In a Heartbeat. You can also find children's animations on the NFB website.

Gourmet Challenge

In manga, we often see the characters eat ramen. So why not make your own ramen at home?! You can make beef, pork, chicken or tofu ramen.

Crafts

With all you've learned about comics, do you want to create your own comic book? To do so, you can draw the comic book drawings yourself. You can also make a personalized comic strip using photos, pictures from magazines, newspapers, etc. The white foam and pompoms can easily be replaced with coloured construction paper or white paper.

And why not create your own bookmark so you don't lose your page anymore?

Let your imagination run wild!

Have fun!

Zero Waste... can be fun!

Every day we produce a lot of waste. This waste pollutes enormously, it is not good for the environment. The oceans are heavily polluted with our waste, so much so that we sometimes speak about as if it were the "eight continent".

So it's important to reduce our waste production. To do this, it is important to adopt good habits to take care of our planet, such as the "zero waste" approach.

What is the "Zero Waste" Approach?

The aim of the zero waste approach is to reduce our waste production as much as possible and thus have a positive impact on the environment. To achieve this, the zero waste approach is based on five principles (the "5Rs"):

1. Refuse. Refuse all objects that are not needed, such as plastic utensils, plastic bags, advertising flyers, over-packaged products in grocery stores, single-use products, etc.

2. Reduce. Reduce consumption by buying only what is really necessary and use alternatives to reduce our consumption. To do so, you can use reusable washable cloth bags for groceries instead of plastic bags, use a washable and reusable lunch box and containers for your lunch instead of plastic bags and Ziploc bags, use recyclable batteries instead of disposable batteries, etc.

3. Reuse. Reuse anything that can be reused to give objects a second life! In fact, an old t-shirt or boxer shirt can be transformed into rags or made into something else with it. Wax crayons (the ones that are too short to use!) can be melted to make candles and glass jars or cans can be used to store small objects or pencils or other things.

Did you know that you can do crafts with discarded objects?! Yes, you can! You can use toilet paper rolls, Kleenex boxes, fallen leaves from trees, etc. to make lots of interesting crafts! Some people even make art out of the garbage you throw away!

Small challenge: choose an item from the house that no one uses anymore and try to give it a second life!

It is possible to make recipes with zero waste, i.e. recipes that reuse different parts of food. So there is no waste! The parts of food can be recovered to make other recipes: vegetable scraps can make broth, strawberry tails can make syrup, orange peels can be used to perfume the house, etc. It is also possible to give a second life to certain foods. It is possible to regrow green onions, celeri, lettuce and even carrots from scraps.

4. Recycle. Recycle as much as possible of the materials that can be recycled such as paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and metal by using your recycling bin.

Little challenge, will you be able to correctly answer all the questions in this short quiz on recycling?

Now, can you tell the difference between what goes in the garbage and what goes in the recycling bin?!

5. Rot. Compost food and other organic waste instead of throwing it in the garbage. This will greatly reduce the size of your garbage cans. But composting also allows you to make compost that will eventually be used to make fertilizer, a product that makes the soil more fertile and helps plants grow.

With all that you have just learned, think about how you can apply these principles in your everyday life and at home with your family, because every little step you take has a positive impact on helping our planet!

Do you have any other tips to share with other families (and the very curious staff at the library :D)? If so, email them to info@mcl-bjm.ca or comment on our FB and IG Zero Waste publication.

Source: The "5’s" of Zero Waste : A Practical Guide from Zero Waste X Change

Activities related to the Zero Waste Theme

The Montreal Children's Library offers various activities related to the theme of zero waste.

Have Fun Discovering Nature and Animals!

Nature and animals are important. We must take care of them. So we invite you to discover nature and animals... with yoga postures.

Will you be able to do all the yoga postures?

Let's Sing and Read!

Stories

• The Best Thing Ever

• Wet or Dry

• Rose and Rocky go Green

• A Cloud of Trash

• A Stitch in Time

Songs

• Recycling Song

• Clean Up Trash Song

• Earth Day Song

Cooking Challenge!

Eating is really good, but eating without wasting anything is even better! So why not make a zero waste recipe like healthy banana and date muffins. If you don't have a sweet tooth, Ricardo has lots of other zero waste recipes!

Crafts with Reusable Items!

As you now know, it is possible to do crafts, decorations and more, by giving another life to objects that you no longer use at home. You can find objects you have at your disposal (such as empty bottles, toilet paper rolls, buttons, empty plastic containers, old socks with holes, etc.) and use your imagination to make all kinds of things. For example, a decoration made with a bottle and corks! Or follow the movement of the famous cloud that gives hope in this quarantine (it's going to be ok).

Have a great time!

Insects Are... Disgusting, Fascinating and Delicious!

When we think of insects, we immediately think of bees, butterflies, ladybugs, ants, etc. They come in all shapes and colours. Insects are fascinating creatures!

But what exactly is an insect?

Insects belong to the animal group Arthropods. This name was given to them because, as adults, arthropods have jointed legs. Arthropods also have a different skeleton from ours. They have an "exoskeleton", a kind of shell on the outside of their body that protects them.

Insects are invertebrate animals, animals without a backbone, whose adult body is divided into three parts (head, thorax and abdomen). Their body has three pairs of legs and sometimes wings.

Not all insects eat the same thing. You can learn more about how and what insects eat by going to this website. Espace pour la vie Montréal website contains a section on insects and other arthropods and articles that are very informative.

Many animals eat insects, so insects have had to develop ways to defend themselves in order to avoid being eaten by other animals. For more information on this subject, you can watch the Granby Zoo's video (with English subtitles) on the different ways insects defend themselves.

Source: What is an arthropod? and What is an insect? from Espace pour la vie Montréal

Bees, Butterflies and Other Pollinating Insects

Bees, wasps, bumblebees, butterflies, hoverflies, bombyliids, etc., are pollinating insects. These insects have an essential role to play in biodiversity and, more specifically, in the pollination of plants. If you want to learn more, go to this site which will explain how pollination works and the role of insects in this process.

Source: Pollinators from Espace pour la vie Montréal

Can We Eat Bugs?

Yes, it is possible to eat some insects! This is not yet a widespread custom in the Western world, but it is in many places around the world, and has been around for centuries, and is slowly starting to take its place, as this video explains. Indeed, it is now possible to find cricket flour and certain products made with insects in grocery stores.

Source: Insects, the New Superfood! By CBC kids

Crawling Activities

The Montreal Children's Library offers various activities related to the theme of insects.

• Insects Are Fun!

There are a wide variety of insects, as you now know. If you go outside for a walk with your parents, try to see if you can find one or more insects. Look around carefully, because sometimes insects hide on the ground, in trees or bushes. Can you name the insects you see? Ask your parents to help you if you need it or check out this site that has lots of information about insects.

With your parents, brothers and sisters, you can have fun doing insect imitations or riddles.

You can also have a caterpillar race or play the donkey game, but replace the donkey with a ladybird (put its peas on it) or a bee (put its sting on it).

• Stories and Songs About Insects

Here are different stories about insects:

• • Bally-Beetle looks for his ball

  • Tom bothers the bugs

  • The grasshopper and ant

Here's a song about bugs:

• • Bug’n roll

• Cooking Challenge!

To add to your child's snack, why not suggest making insects with vegetables and fruit! For those with a sweet tooth, it is possible to make honey and carrot small cakes or butterfly-shaped cookies.

• Crafty Bees

Would you like to have your own pet bug? Why not make your own bee or caterpillar! If you don't have paint or pipe cleaners, you can use coloured felt-tip pens and construction paper.

Check out this short tutorial from the library to make a caterpillar (that reads!) with... toilet paper rolls (haha)!

You can also make a majestic butterfly or if you have a lot of imagination, you can come and make your own insect!

Have a great time!

Hi little bunnies! 🐇 🥕

Here are some ideas for a fun Easter day with the family. 🥚🐰