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

BC Day Weekend

July 31, 2009

After the sleep I am planning to have this weekend there are quite a few things on the list to do for the weekend.

Science World is having from August 1 to 3 a celebration of 20 years and BC Day. Take the family to their air conditioned facility and take $20 off the family rate. No coupon is necessary.

Saturday the Powel Street Festival is moved for this year only while they are renovating Oppenheimer Park to Woodland Park. Starting at 11:30 and going till early evening this is the annual celebration of Japanese-Canadian arts, culture and heritage.

Sunday is the Pride Parade and Sunset Beach Festival. The Parade runs from noon until it finishes and goes along Robson (from Burrard), along Denman and around Pacific. The entire westend of Vancouver will be a party this weekend as the Pride weekend celebrates 30 years.

Check out Carousel Theatre's student production of MacBeth. Running from August 1 to 15 these free performances are not to be missed. Playing at the outdoor stage of Performance Works on Granville Island. For younger kids I suggest taking in one of the 2pm matinées.

The Celebration of Light finishes up on Saturday night. Get there early to find good seating and remember that a lot of streets will be closed. We usually avoid English Bay and goes across the water to Vanier Park. Make sure to bring lots of snacks to avoid the money sucking food vendors.

Have a fantastic long weekend!

Another Summer Weekend

June 04, 2009

With the warmer weather comes tons of fun for the weekends. With so much to choose from I will highlight a few things.

West Vancouver is having its community day with a parade starting at 9:45 am, and other activities in the Civic Centre. From personal experience the floats are very competitive, and a lot of the schools put together floats. For more information check the website.

There may still be tickets available for A Day Out With Thomas for this weekend, but there are definitely tickets left for next weekend. If you have a Thomas obsessed tot Squamish is the place for you next weekend. Make sure to get your tickets now so you are not disappointed.

I have already mentioned the Bowen Island Children's Country Fair, and that this is where we will be this Sunday. If you have a yearning to take a short ferry ride, Bowen is beautiful place to be.

In case you haven't heard the Vancouver Museum has been re-branded as the Museum of Vancouver. As part of the re-branding they have a new exhibition VeloCity, exploring the history of bicycle transportation in Vancouver. To celebrate the opening come take a self-guided Tour de France themed scavenger hunt and art activities that explore Vancouver's cycling revolution.

What are your plans for the weekend?

A Day Out With Thomas

March 09, 2009

Do you have a train mad preschooler? Does the name Thomas make them incredibly excited? Do you know the names of several very useful engines? "A Day Out With Thomas" may be just the ticket. With a life sized engine painted like Thomas your preschooler will be excited to meet the "real" train.

This year Thomas is coming back to BC and the West Coast Railway Heritage Park. For two weekends, June 6 and 7 and June 13 and 14 between 8 am and 6 pm, rain or shine. Tickets are $20 for ages 2 and up, and include entrance to the park and a 25 minute train ride pulled by Thomas himself.

Take pictures with Thomas and Sir Topham Hat, and enjoy the rest of the activities. Make sure to take a ride on the miniature train as well. A ride through the park on a small track is almost more exciting than the ride on the big train.

Having taken my son 2 years ago I can fully recommend the day. Make sure to get your tickets early and get to the site well before your train time. I also recommend bringing some drinks and snacks, though there will be food vendors there. Strollers are welcome and there is stroller parking for when you go on the train. Also make sure to bring rain gear because, well we are in BC. I would also recommend bring some cash as there is a big merchandise tent as well. This is where we bought his wheeled backpack 2 years ago. It has worn well as his swimming gear bag and has been right across the country at least 4 times.

Have you been with your children? What did you think? Would you go again? To check out where Thomas will be next, especially if you are reading from somewhere other than Vancouver, here is a link to his schedule all across North America.  If you can't make it to see Thomas the Railway park is well worth the trip to Squamish in itself.  We try to go a few times a year.

Math Activities Around Town

February 10, 2009

Math is all around us and it is easy to find many places that can spark learning math concepts. Where do you go for some mathy fun?

How about the Vancouver Art Gallery. With its many painting and sculptures you can have a shape scavenger hunt. Check out the new modern exhibit How Soon Is Now. This is a collection of art from this region. Or Enacting Abstraction which is starting Saturday.

How to Introduce the Constellations to your Preschooler

by Gwendolyn Floyd

August 27, 2008

When I was young we had a great book by H.A. Ray of Curious George fame on the constellations called oddly enough Find the Constellations. We loved the book, read it often and were always fascinated by the stars we could see. Because of where we lived and out bedtimes we knew the winter stars much better than the summer stars. We didn't have a planetarium where we could see simulated  Read more...

Pirates Pirates Everywhere

by Gwendolyn Floyd

August 07, 2008

I guess that you could say we are a little bit pirate obsessed in this family. When my son turned two I went all out and had a pirate theme for his party. I made pirate vests, and a Pirate pinata in the shape of Pa Grape as a Pirate. So in honour of pirates I will list some of our favourite  Read more...

Bonus Activities for the Three Day Guide to Vancouver: Kid Friendly Attractions

by Gwendolyn Floyd

July 09, 2008

In the three day guide to Vancouver the days were pretty packed with things to do. However there are still a number of other great things to do in Greater Vancouver and I thought I would list some of our favourites. Photo By: Anthony Floyd Greater Vancouver Zoo . Located  Read more...

Vancouver's History and Landmarks

by Gwendolyn Floyd

June 24, 2008

There are so many landmarks in and around Greater Vancouver that it was very hard to narrow down my list. I decided to try to include a bit of the North Shore so we could have both the water and the mountains included. The water and the mountains are such a big part of Vancouver that they both needed to be included. The following activities are both fun and family friendly. Photo  Read more...

Budding Art Critic: Vancouver Art Gallery

by Gwendolyn Floyd

June 16, 2008

The Vancouver art Gallery located right in the midst of downtown Vancouver is a beautiful spot. A lot of parents may be a little apprehensive about taking their children to a place where it is not encouraged to touch things. This is why Super Sunday may be the answer for you. Every third Sunday of the month the art gallery has a family program that runs hands on events for children under  Read more...

Best Day Trips Around Greater Vancouver

by Gwendolyn Floyd

June 03, 2008

Whether you live in Vancouver proper or in the Greater Vancouver Area there are lots of day trips within an hour. I am going to highlight five that we have done with our son and will do again. 1: Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, BC. Located on Westham Island the sanctuary is exactly that, a safe haven for both the birds and people. With lots of duck that will eat from your preschoolers  Read more...