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

Spring Weekend

April 23, 2009

This Saturday the 25^th is a busy day in False Creek. Two major events are happening, one on Cambie and another on Granville Island. I am hoping we will attend both, though the one on Granville Island has more appeal for my truck loving son.

Ocean Concrete will be having their annual open house. Made for kids of all ages you can climb into big concrete mixers, big and small earth moving machines and play in the huge sand pit with all the other children. We go every year and my 4 year gets more excited every year. The first year he was a little intimidated by the huge trucks up close, but last year was running to line up to get into those bad boys. Open from 9 am to 5 pm this is a great chance to get up close and personal with the big trucks.

Best Buy and Canada Line are celebrating the completion of local Canada Line Construction with a huge street party, "Cambie All Access." Merchants from Broadway to the Cambie Street Bridge will be celebrating with food, concerts (including 54-40 at 3:30 pm) and other fun activities. Come and celebrate the relief that is an open Cambie Street. Festivities start and 11 am and go till 5 pm.

Have fun in False Creek!

Crazy For Counting?

by Gwendolyn Floyd

February 03, 2009

There are lots of fun things you can count in Vancouver and in this post I will list some of the most kid friendly suspects.

Garbage trucks. When I asked my son what he loved to count around Vancouver his immediate reaction was garbage trucks. As we live in a city with alleys there is no shortage of trucks of all kinds and we always see garbage and recycling trucks all over the place. How many do you see every day?

Math Time at Savvy Source

by Gwendolyn Floyd

February 02, 2009

This month at Savvy Source we are exploring pre-school Math Literacy. How and why do you teach your child math beyond rote counting? What are some good ways to teach basic geometry, or addition? How do you teaching counting on, or counting backwards? What about ordinals, or time?  Read more...

LEGO Exhibition at Science World

by Gwendolyn Floyd

January 30, 2009

Would you like to be part of something huge? Wheels, Wings and Waves a LEGO World of Transportation opens today Friday January 30, 2009 at Science World . This isn't just an exhibition, it is a world premier exhibition. This exciting exhibition showcases the history of ground, air and water transportation as seen through the eyes of LEGO builders. From the days of the Titanic ship to  Read more...

Book Reviews on Savvy Source

by Gwendolyn Floyd

November 24, 2008

Did you know that there are hundreds of book and toy review on the Savvy Source main site? You can browse through the different themes and find all kind of different toys and books. Feel free to leave your comments on your favourites, or let people know where some might fall down on the  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...

What's Up for 23-24 August

by Gwendolyn Floyd

August 22, 2008

We again have a lot of activities that might interest you for this weekend, especially if we can get rid of the rain. The events are happening all over the lower mainland so there should be something for everybody. There is still The Fair at the PNE Vancouver . Open from August 16 th to September 1, 2008 from 11 am to 11pm or so. Fair Gate passes are free for those under 6 and  Read more...

Sea Shanties Galore

by Gwendolyn Floyd

August 21, 2008

I am excited to share some of my favourite sea shanties, though I am not entirely sure what makes them a sea shanty over a folk song. After looking it up it makes perfect sense, a sea shanty was a rhythmic song sung by sailors to make the work go faster. With that in mind I will take you  Read more...

We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo, How About You?

by Gwendolyn Floyd

August 13, 2008

Unless you live in Langley or Abbotsford, the Greater Vancouver Zoo is a little bit of a trip to get to, but I think that for a great day trip it is worth it. There is a lot to see, a few great places to eat lunch, and a miniature train to boot. Make sure to pack a picnic lunch and some drinks and snacks because like all zoos I have been to the concessions are very expensive.  Read more...

Weekend Activities

by Gwendolyn Floyd

August 08, 2008

Happy 08/08/08! There is, as always, a lot going on this weekend all over the lower mainland. The Kitsilano Community Centre is hosting its annual Picnic in the Park on Saturday from 12-4. Tickets are $2 and there should be lots to do for children of all ages including games, a  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...

Biking Around the Seawall

by Gwendolyn Floyd

July 23, 2008

Living in the city there are not a lot of people that have a backyard to play in. Since I am one of those without a backyard, my family and I have to make do with all the great outdoor activities that are just around the corner. One of our favourite things to do as a family is to bike around the seawall around False Creek. We pack the boy on the back of the bike in his bike seat and go  Read more...

Favourite Summer Reads

by Gwendolyn Floyd

July 15, 2008

I am a bibliophile, and my love of books is well addressed in our very small house. Of the hundreds of books there are a few hundred that are my son's. At three he is now trying to read some of them himself, but he still loves to be read to. I fully expect to be reading aloud to him for many, many years to come. He is not quite ready to stay still for some of my favourites yet, but if you  Read more...

Three Days In and Around Vancouver: Day 2

by Gwendolyn Floyd

July 09, 2008

For day two we go across the Lion's Gate Bridge and explore the North Shore and Bowen Island. The North Shore is know for great skiing and hiking and beautiful homes. During the summer most of the snow comes off the mountains, though this year it is being a little stubborn. Photo by: Anthony Floyd Start off day two by going to Capilano Suspension Bridge and Tree Tops  Read more...

Take the Train! Stanley Park Miniature Train

by Gwendolyn Floyd

June 18, 2008

This weekend my son asked if we could go on a small train ride. Since we didn't have any other plans for Father's day we thought why not? If was a fabulous decision to make. The Stanley Park Miniature Train is located in the middle of the park with lots of parking nearby. The miniature train is the one place in the park where it was easy to find parking. The train itself isn't  Read more...

What to do Outside when the Sun Shines (Finally!)

by Gwendolyn Floyd

May 29, 2008

I live a 15 minute walk from Granville Island so my son and I spend a lot of our time there. On a sunny day, or even a cloudy day there are lots of things to keep us both busy. On a typical day there are several things we might do and a few that we always do. 1: The first place we need to stop is the playground and waterpark. During the winter the waterpark is not turned on but it  Read more...

Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Things that go Vroom Skytrain Edition

by Gwendolyn Floyd

May 28, 2008

While all the adults may be upset at all the delays and havoc the new skytrain line construction is causing, if your children are anything like my son all the construction vehicles make any walk along the route an adventure. Anytime we take the bus instead of walking or taking the car my son loves the adventure. I love that I don't have to find parking in a busy city. The other day  Read more...