Write a list of 43T from my childhood that are truly Canadian and make sure my children get to do the same

Who can forget fabulous nights in front of the TV with Hockey Night in Canada and the unforgettably flamboyant and outrageous Don Cherry?

Globetrotter reminded me of great Canadian Kids Television shows and I remembered the beloved Friendly Giant. This was one of my favorite shows as a kid, he had such a gentleness and warmness about him I guess that’s why he was known as the Friendly Giant. I can see the draw bridge coming down and here the opening music and you can too and even better you can also watch the end of the show and see Jerome the Giraffe and Rusty the Rooster

We used to watch Mr. Dressup all the time when we were kids. He had some pretty cool friends,(Casey and Finnegan)who lived in the backyard in a tree house. His tickle trunk was always full of neat costumes for putting on plays. We loved Mr. Dressup so much, that we begged our mother to let us use her old trunk as a tickle trunk. We kept it well-stocked with my Mom and Dad’s old clothes. We loved dressing up to watch the show.

My parents took us to meet him when he came to Perth one day. There were hundreds of kids waiting in line to meet him that day. I still have his autograph in my ‘tickle trunk’ back home.

I used to watch this Canadian show when I was a kid and I loved it. It’s about a German sheppard that would help people out when they were down on their luck. Everyone would want to keep him as their pet, but he never agreed to stay.

I remember the little colored tag I laced through my ice skates when winter came calling and there was a outdoor skating rink within walking distance at the local community centre. I wasn’t much of an ice skater; never learned the proper turning or stopping skills and could only ever skate forwards. But I loved it anyway. The crisp chill in the air on the days when it wasn’t unbearably cold, the outdoor speakers playing the hits of the 80’s, buying hot chocolate inside the community centre. Sometimes going in the early evening when it was dark enough for the outside lights to be on, but not too dark for me to be out. Usually I went by myself but sometimes I took my little brother with me. I remember one time, now this is a little embarrasing, I was being harrassed by some kids at the rink and I’ve always been a little timid so my little brother defended me! I will have to remember to ask him if he remembers this.

My parents took us to the RCMP Musical Ride when we were kids. We were really young and I remember being super impressed by the scarlet uniforms and beautiful horses. Everyone around the world can immediately connect a Mountie with Canada. They are almost as widely recognized as the maple leaf.

we had when we were kids. I loved sitting underneath the big old maple tree next door and waiting for my turn. My sister and I used to sit on it together and go as high as we could. Swinging is good any time of year, but I always loved fall and winter especially, because we’d gather up a big pile of leaves or snow and jump off into it.

I love this time of year. You’re never too old to enjoy a trip to the sugar bush.

I thought it would be interesting to compile a list of 43T from my childhood that are truly Canadian. Can you think of some more?

1. Visits to Ontario’s maple tree farms and learning how to tap the trees
2. Hot maple sap on snow. Mmmm….
3. Outdoor skating rinks and hockey tournaments in the ‘boonies.’
4. The first official snowfall and the beginning of snowmobile season.
5. Ice fishing
6. An annual horse-drawn sleigh ride for my birthday every year.
7. My cottage on Lake Nipissing
8. Grilled cheese with ketchup
9. KD
10. Hunting for trilliums every year with my Mom. (Ontario’s provincial flower)
11. Tim Horton’s chocolate milk and boston creams
12. Balderson cheese
13. Skating on the world’s longest outdoor skating rink, the Rideau Canal
14. Beavertails and hot chocolate
15. Snowshoeing
16. Cross country skiing
17. Ice tunnels and ice huts
18. Climbing the giant maple trees in front of my house every autumn when the leaves start to turn brilliant red.
19. Listening to Gordon Lightfoot and Anne Murray with my parents
20. Rideau Carleton Raceway and the Tragically Hip