Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in vancouver, CN

Dance Day Camp

June 24, 2009

Another Day Camp alternative for this summer is a Dance and Arts camp for kids 3 to 11 running July 13 to 17. Noticing a substantial lack of summer programs in the downtown core for kids and teens, the Drive Dance Centre is now offering specialized Art and Dance Camps at an affordable price. Learning from well renowned professional instructors, kids and teens will develop their artistic skills in an environment conducive to both entertainment and education. This is a chance for your child to learn ballet and hip hop as well as make crafts and have story time.

The camps run from 9 am to 3 pm and you child will need to bring their own lunch; gym attire and water bottle, plus sun protection like hat and sunscreen. The cost is $150 per child and if 2 or more are registering, the cost is $125 per child. If you mention this post you will receive 10% off the tuition costs.

For more information about registration call 604.762.4232.

Favourite Lists

June 16, 2009

I have written for Being Savvy Vancouver for over a year now and I have loved finding new places to explore in the lower mainland. In looking over my tuesday list over the last year or so, there are a few that I think are especially relevant to the summer weather we have been having. So I have decided to do a best of list of my Tuesday lists.

The best and all encompassing list is my "99 Things to Do in Vancouver." This list has links to all kinds of activities you can do with your child in the lower mainland and a little bit beyond.

Another great list is "Kid and Parent Dates" where there is a list of some great restaurants to have a kid friendly meal with your child.

Looking for a place to have a playdate with another parent and your kids? "Playdate Anyone" is the list for you.

If you check out these lists you should have plenty of things to do over the summer. Have fun and play safe.

Summer Plans

May 18, 2009

As you start to panic about what you are going to do when preschool ends take note that many of the summer staples are registering now. Swimming lessons, day camps, Kerrisdale Play Palace, Splash Parks, Outdoor pools to name just a few.

Swimming Lessons are run by the park board in Vancouver. You can register for lesson online or by phone. If a pool has no spots left on their list online, call and put your child on the waiting list. Pools like Kits and Second Beach pools usually put in extra sessions to take care of those kids on the waiting list. Last year I was able to get my son into two sessions that had a waiting list.

Most of the Vancouver Community Centres run day camps for preschoolers during the summer. The camps cost around $100 per week. They generally run for about 4 hours. I have my son in one week and on a waiting list for another week at False Creek. If you are thinking about going this route with your child it would be a good idea to look into your local community centre asap. Some centres are already registering and other are opening in the next few weeks. The link above has a table of centres running camps and the ages they serve as well as registration dates.

The Kerrisdale Play Palace is now open in the Kerrisdale Arena. This is a great place for play-dates, especially during the really hot or rainy days. If you think you will use this a lot during the summer a play pass may be the ticket. If you don't end up using all your tickets this season you can keep them for next year. There is lots to do for preschooler and school age children from ride on toys to plenty of bouncy castle, obstacle course action. My son doesn't like the blow-up play equipment and there was still plenty to keep him busy.

While Granville Island Water Park is the only splash park open at the moment, a number are opening in June. Check the link for the hours of operation and opting dates.

Music Makes the Rainy Day Better

March 23, 2009

As a weekend of sunshine makes its way into another rain filled week I am working to make the days filled with fun, and maybe fitting a little work time for me. To this end I am making new play-lists to go along with the free play, track making and a barrage of "Whys."

There are a couple of kids albums that don't make me crazy and get put into pretty heavy rotation as well as tons of adult music that we love. My son is just as likely to be singing The Ramones or U2 or stuff from Fred Penner or a song he has made up on his own. I think the key to a good play-list is fun tunes that both you and you kids enjoy. Luckily a lot of the time preschoolers enjoy the music you like to play, especially if you take the time to get up and sing and dance with them.  Here are a few albums I would recommend for children and adults.

Games Preschoolers Play

March 16, 2009

I always remember game nights fondly from my childhood. As an adult I still love games and will make games nights a part of our family tradition. To this end I have some games for my 4 year old, and this guest post will help me to choose more.

In today's guest post, toy expert Jim Silver discusses features that parents should look for when choosing games for their preschoolers. Jim is a widely recognized and often-resourced authority on the toy and licensing industries, having worked within the publishing and toy industries for more than 20 years. He's also editor-in-chief for www.TimeToPlayMag.com, a great website parents can go to for toy, gaming and entertainment information. Read below to learn 5 things parents should look for in a preschool game, then check out Jim's list of top preschool games for 2009.

Five things to look for in a Preschool Game

By Jim Silver, editor in chief, TimetoPlayMag.com

1. Easy to play right out of the box. Instructions should be very simple and easy, so that you can open the box and play right away. Set up should be minimal, which also means clean up should be too. Young children don't have the patience for long instructions, and parents don't want a lot of mess.

2. Appropriate levels of reading, colour matching, sequencing and memory for the age group. Playing the game should be fun...not frustrating. The great thing is that your children will let you know when they're ready for more advanced games. The child who loves Candy Land for months may suddenly realize he's too old for it, for instance.

3. Correct balance of chance and strategy. For younger children, the balance should be more chance than strategy. They're learning counting, memory, and matching among other skills. As they get older, strategy-thinking a few moves ahead-can be introduced. Kids also respond well to games that have a clear winner, even if it's not them. Children like the defined beginning and ending of a game with a clear objective.

4. 15 minutes or less. The younger the child, the quicker a game needs to be completed before a child gets bored or loses focus. For a three-year-old, a game should be completed in less than 15 minutes. As a child gets a little older, 20 minutes is the magic number. Many game companies are now putting game playing times on their packages; look for these to help gauge what's right for your child.

5. Motor skills. Many games greatly enhance motor skills through the need of hand-eye coordination. Many young children don't have enough opportunities to develop these skills, and games are a great occasion for younger kids to develop them through play.

Now where in Vancouver do you get good games for the family and the preschooler? Tomorrow I will give you a list of places with the best selection of preschool games.

Inspiration for Indoor Play

by Gwendolyn Floyd

January 20, 2009

Winter in Vancouver (in case you don't actually know) is full of rain and very little snow or sunshine. It may surprise you to know that I have not tried out any of the indoor playgrounds other than the community centre drop ins. I am not sure why this is. May it is because the  Read more...

Toys, Toys, Toys

by Gwendolyn Floyd

December 09, 2008

Today I am highlighting some more of the Savvy toy reviews with my own opinions tacked on. Please check out what other people are saying about these and many other toys on our main Savvy site. Letter Factory DVDs by Leap Frog : We started off with the Letter Factory  Read more...

Better With a Buddy

by Gwendolyn Floyd

September 23, 2008

Today we are talking about places and activities that are better with a friend. My son is still happy to play by himself but there are some things that he likes better with one of his friends, even if it is one of his imaginary ones. Going to the play gym at the community centre is a  Read more...

Play Date Anyone?

by Gwendolyn Floyd

September 09, 2008

Today we are looking at great places to meet friends for play dates in Vancouver. I look for places that are close to home so I don't need to take the car, though depending where the other friend lives we may need to be flexible on the transportation. To this end I have a list of playgrounds  Read more...

Carousel Theatre Company for Young People

by Gwendolyn Floyd

September 04, 2008

Carousel Theatre for Young People is dedicated to giving young people and their families an inspiring, enlightening and entertaining experience through accessible theatrical experiences that develop audiences and artists. They have performances fro ages 5 with the exception of special  Read more...

Scottish Dancing for Tots

by Gwendolyn Floyd

August 29, 2008

My son just finished four classes of his first dance class ever. When I was searching for some preschool enrichment classes this summer for Being Savvy Vancouver I came across Kinder-tartan dance classes for the 3-5 year old. My son loves to dance at home so I thought I would give it a try. I  Read more...

Making Tracks

by Gwendolyn Floyd

July 30, 2008

My son loves vehicles of all sorts, but he especially loves trains. This summer we have been out a lot because the weather has been beautiful, but sometimes we just need to stay home and recharge the batteries. Monday was one of those days, so instead of trekking around the city we stayed home  Read more...

Extra Classes for the Preschooler: Keeping Busy During the Summer

by Gwendolyn Floyd

June 17, 2008

There are a lot of extra classes and activities for your preschooler out there. It is hard to know what, if any you should be putting you child in. I am going to point out a few of the more interesting classes I have seen online, and some that I have taken with my son. I have a music background and I can't think of anything more enriching than music classes. That is not to say  Read more...

Top 5 Things to do in the Rain in Vancouver

by Gwendolyn Floyd

June 10, 2008

Those for you from Vancouver are laughing at me right now. Shouldn't this just be titled "Top 5 things to do in Vancouver?" I know, I know, it rains a lot. 1: My first piece of advice is to check out your local Community Centres. For a couple of dollars your children can bounce in a bouncy castle, play with some Flintstone cars, run around with other rambunctious kids and  Read more...