Day 5 - A well-run city

Trivia Question: How many hours of sunshine does Calgary on average get a year?
a) 100 hours
b) 2,300 hours
c) 1 million hours

Mindfulness Activity:

• Put your palms together at chest height.
• Push your hands together against each other as hard as you can.
• Which muscle gets tired first?

Supplies:

• Paper
• Crayons or markers
• Envelope
• Stamp

The Mayor is an important person who makes sure that Calgary is well run. Help your child write a letter to the Mayor to share one idea about how to run the city. Decorate your letter.

Put it in an envelope and address it to:
Office of the Mayor,
The City of Calgary
P.O. Box 2100, Station M
Calgary, AB, T2P 2M5

Supplies:

• White paper
• Coloured paper
• Paint
• Glue
• Markers

Watch the Well Run City video

Help your child cover their hand with red paint. Press their hand onto white paper.

Cut out 5 circles for fireman faces and glue each one to a finger on your handprint.

Cut out 5 little firemen hats and glue them to the faces.

Decorate your page.

Write the poem below on your page or write your own poem.

"Five little fire fighters sleeping in a row Ring goes the bell, down the pole they go They jump on the engine and put out the fire Now they're back home, but they sure are tired."

Drop off or mail your poem to the fire house nearest you.

Supplies:

• Outdoor items (sticks, leaves, pinecones, rocks, etc.)

Have your child create a city for fairies. Think about what types of buildings and homes the fairies will need. What types of laws will your fairy city have? What is your city’s name? What kind of flag would your fairy city have?

Tour your family through your city and point out each structure you’ve built.

Ask your child:

• How does it feel to share an idea with the Mayor? How do you think the Mayor feels when he receives letters? (Feel)
• What do you think are the most important parts of a good city? (Think)
• How can you show appreciation for people who work on running the city? (Act)

Answer: 2,300 hours (it's Canada’s sunniest city!)​​​​

Trivia Question: In Calgary, we elect City Councillors who represent wards. Wards are specific local regions. How many wards are there in Calgary?

Mindfulness Activity:

• Find your pulse on your neck or your wrist.
• Count how many times your heart beats for 15 seconds (use a clock or have your family or friends count down for you).
• Now breathe fast 10 times.
• Take your pulse again. Which time was higher?

Supplies:

• Paper
• Construction paper
• Colouring items
• Scissors

What would your perfect city look like? What makes a city great?

Have your child create their own perfect city. Think about the things you need, want and love. Write down all the characteristics of your city: name, population, weather, flag, laws.

Then draw a map of your city: how are the roads? Does your city have lakes or rivers? Are there buildings, houses or both?

Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to think outside the box to make your city perfect.

Supplies:

• Paper
• Pen/pencil
• Magazines
• Scissors
• Glue

Calgary is one of the most livable cities in the whole world and we are lucky to live here.

Have your child pick the 3 best things about Calgary and 3 things Calgary could improve.

Create a trifold brochure by folding a white piece of paper into three sections. Use the trifold to show Calgary's best features and areas for improvement.

You can create a cover page, fun titles and use images to make it look nice.

Supplies:

• Paper
• Colouring items
• Poster

What would you do if you were the Mayor of Calgary?

Have your child run a campaign to be the Mayor of Calgary.

Write a speech to the citizens of Calgary. In your speech, identify:

• The actions you would take as a Mayor. Would you build things? Help people?
• Who you are, your intentions, your goals and your plans. Make sure to be direct, honest and simple.

You can also create a political campaign poster with your ideas.

Ask your child:

• How do you feel about living in Calgary? (Feel)
• What do you think is the best part of living in Calgary? (Think)
• What are some of the things you can do to keep making Calgary awesome? (Act)

Answer: 14

Trivia Question: How many muscles does a cat have in each ear? See Answer at bottom of page.
A: 2
B: 32
C: 47

Mindfulness Activity:

• Put your palms together at chest height.
• Push your hands against each other as hard as you can.
• Which muscle gets tired first?

Supplies:

• 3 sheets of different coloured paper
• Blank paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue

The City of Calgary is known for its beautiful downtown skyline and unique buildings in the downtown core. Iconic buildings such as the Calgary Tower, The Bow, and The Saddledome are part of what you can see when looking at downtown.

Search on the internet for a picture of Calgary's skyline.

Create an outline (silhouette) of the Calgary skyline. Use one colour of paper for the lowest buildings on the skyline, a second colour of paper for the medium-sized buildings and a third colour for the tallest buildings.

Cut out the three skylines and glue them in layers onto a blank piece of paper to create a full picture of Calgary’s skyline.

Share you picture with friends and family.

Supplies:

• Camera/cell phone camera

What about Calgary really makes sense for you? It could be the way your neighbourhood was designed, a local bus route, your favourite restaurant or parks and pathways. It could also be landmarks such as Telus Spark, the Calgary Zoo, Glenbow Museum and Heritage Park.

Use a camera to capture one picture a day for the next five days. They should be of things in your neighbourhood that help you participate in city life.

Post and share your pictures on social media, or text them to a friend. Explain why you chose each photo.

Supplies:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Phone camera

Every year, the Mayor's Youth Council accepts and reviews applications for their Mayor for a Day video contest. The Mayor for a Day contest asks youth to submit three ideas they would want to be implemented to make Calgary an even better place to live.

Create a video addressing Mayor Nenshi and why you think you should be Mayor for the day explain your three ideas. Submit your video on the Mayor’s Youth Council website.

Because of COVID-19, the Mayor for a Day deadline has been extended to June 17, 2020. The selected Mayor for a Day will have their opportunity to be Mayor in the fall of 2020.

• Do you feel connected to your city? (Feel)
• Why do you think its important to have a well-run city? (Think)
• What services do you benefit from in Calgary? (Act)

Answer: B: 32