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

Class Trips with Preschoolers

by Katie

June 01, 2009

Today I was a class parent on a trip to a local farm and if there is one thing I’ve learned in this first year of having a school-age child, it’s always pack for the unexpected. But of course, I only just learned that lesson today with the unexpected things being the weather and a food shortage.

You see, I felt very cocky this morning when we left pretty much on time to catch our bus to the farm and felt confident that I was prepared with the selection of items in my backpack. Oh how wrong I was to feel so confident.

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What's Going on in Toronto This Weekend

by Katie

May 14, 2009

Zellars Discovery Zone opens this weekend at the Toronto Zoo

I'm not sure if it's going to be warm enough for the water park but the weather is right for getting up close to the animals. Kids can meet goats, prarie dogs, pigs, and more friendly animals in this kidcentric zone of the Toronto Zoo.  Included in admission to the zoo, the Discovery Zone opens this Saturday and will continue to be open on weekends only until mid June when it switches to seven days a week.

Harbourkids: Impact at the Harbourfront Centre

This weekend the Harbourkids program theme is all about what impact kids can have on the world. There will be LEGO, there will be juggling, there will be circus acts, there will proof that one small act can make a difference. Program runs May 16 - 18, 11am to 5pm and check the Harbourkids website for detailed events.

Saturday Afternoon Movies at Sanderson Library (327 Bathurst St)

Family friendly movies are show at Sanderson Library from 2 to 4pm and everyone is welcome to enjoy some free entertainment. Call ahead for movie specifics 416 7653

Schad Gallery of Biodiversity opens at the ROM

Nature takes over the ROM starting this Saturday; Learn all about biodiversity at the new Schad Gallery and what we can do to conserve our eco-systems.

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What's Going On This Weekend In Toronto

by Katie

April 16, 2009

Riverdale Farm is hosting an Earth Week event. This Saturday morning, between 9:30 and 11:30, the Buildings & Grounds Committee and volunteers are planting two hundred trees and shrubs on the property. Gigi and I were just there today and I just love that this farm is right in the heart of the city for everyone to enjoy.

Also going on this weekend is Sprockets, The TIFF For Children.  Movies this weekend start at 10 am and end late afternoon. At the Canada Square location there will be additional activities available for film patrons; hands-on stations including make-up and Green Screens are there to inspire junior film makers and stars. Schedule information (including recommended age groups for viewing) and ticket purchase can be all done online.  Festival runs until April 24th.

And not this weekend but coming up on April 28th, 29th, and 30th, is Dora The Explorer: Search for the City of Lost Toys at the Canon Theatre and I'm sure this is going to be a popular show. Because it's Dora, live and in person which may make my child's head explode. And of course Dora will be appearing with Boots, Swiper and I sense Tico might drop by (oh and Benny because it’s not a party until Benny arrives.) While it pains me to be so familiar and fluent in Dorology, I can concede that this spunky, yet annoyingly perky, and goody two-shoes girl is a better role model than many of the other commercial offerings out there. I may draw the line at dressing my child in Dora gear from head to toe, but I do have a soft spot for her show. In fact, I’ve learned more Spanish since becoming a parent than any courses I took in school.  For ticket information on the show visit the Ticket King website.
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99 Things To Do With My Daughter Before She Grows Up

by Katie

March 02, 2009

Way back when I started blogging for Savvy Source Toronto, I started a list of 100 things to do with my daughter in Toronto before she got too old to want to spend a weekend or evening with me. You just know that any day now she's going to figure out I'm not cool at all and ditch me for her friends.  So before that time comes, I've got to get cracking at this list.  The first thing I've done is update it.

I decided to break the activities into categories like Classes, Touristy, Festivals to be all organized (which for me is a major accomplishment these days).  Some a bit closer to the five and up age categories but it's nice to have this be a reminder.  Maybe I should print this off and put it on the fridge for those days when we are all saying "there's nothing to do."  In Toronto, there is always something to do.  I think my favourite category in here is the Farms for City Kids, we hit a few last year and had a blast.  Gigi loved the hayrides, I loved the fresh produce, and we both loved the animals.  Nothing beats escaping the city, even if it is only for a couple of hours.

1. National Ballet of Canada (Art, Film, & Drama)
2. Art Gallery of Ontario
3. Solar Stage Children's Theatre
4. Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People
5. National Film Board Mediatheque
6. CN Tower (Be a Toronto Tourist)
7. Centre Island
8. Ride the entire subway system
9. Canada's Wonderland
10. Hockey Hall of Fame
11. Medieval Times
12. Ontario Place
13. Honest Ed's
14. Kensington Market
15. Toronto School of Circus Arts (Art/Pottery/Circus Classes)
16. Glitter Pie Art Studio
17. Art Garage Inc.
18. Messy Hands Art Studio
19. Avenue Road Art School
20. Academy of Artisans
21. Cedar Ridge Creative Centre
22. Gardiner Museum Pottery Classes
23. Andrews Scenic Acres (Farms for City Kids)
24. Chudleigh's Apple Farm
25. Downey's Farm Market and Winery
26. Forsythe Family Farms
27. Whittamore's Berry Farm
28. Black Creek Pioneer Village
29. Taste of the Danforth (Festivals and Special Events)
30. Word on the Street
31. Nuit Blanche
32. Festival of South Asia
33. Sleepover at Toronto Zoo Serengeti Bush Camp
34. Sleepover at the ROM
35. Sleepover at the Ontario Science Centre
36. Sprockets TIFF for Children
37. bunch family parties
38. March Break Spring Fling at the Rogers Centre 
39. Royal Ontario Museum (Museums)
40. The Ontario Science Centre
41. Riverdale Farm
42. Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre
43. Bata Shoe Museum
44. Campbell House Museum
45. Casa Loma
46. Crawford Lake (reconstructed Iroquoian Village)
47. Gibson House Museum
48. Fort York
49. Markham Museum
50. Toronto Botanical Gardens
51. Toronto's First Post Office Museum
52. Blue Jays game (Support the Home Team)
53. Toronto Maple Leafs Game
54. Toronto FC Game
55. Toronto Zoo (Animals and Zoos)
56. Bowmanville Zoo
57. High Park Zoo
58. Humber Arboretum  - Centre for Urban Ecology
59. Jungle Cat World Zoological Park
60. Mountsberg Wildlife Centre
61. Animals with Whimz
62. Richmond Hill Wave Pool
63. YogaBuds (Anything Active)
64. The Yoga Sanctuary
65. Plunge aquatic centre (Collingwood)

Obviously if you have made it down this far, you've figured out that I haven't made it to 99 yet.  I'm still working on it and am totally open to suggestions (help a girl out, would ya?).  Read more...

Toronto-centric kids books

by Katie

November 25, 2008

What better way to learn about Toronto than to read some kid-friendly books dedicated to the city. Toronto is a massive city, full of interesting places, natural wonders, and of course: hockey. Here are my top five picks for Toronto-centric kid books: The Lobster Kids' Guide to Exploring Toronto (Kids' City Explorer Series) is a Toronto Guide written for kids (okay,okay - parents are allowed  Read more...

What's going on in toronto this weekend

by Katie

October 31, 2008

Happy Hallowe'en everyone! I hope everyone enjoys a bit of tricks or treats this evening and that the weekend finds you in a pleasant sugar induced coma. Tonight is the Cadbury's Haunted House at the Gladstone Chocolate Factory (THINK: FREE CHOCOLATE). For each child that shows up in costume tonight, one dollar will be go Unicef. Can you think of a better place to do trick-or-treating than at a  Read more...

What's going on this weekend in toronto

by Katie

October 24, 2008

Tomorrow it's Boo Barn 2008 at Riverdale Farm from 9:30 to 3:30. There is a Hallowe'en Hoot Boo Barn decorated for the kids to walk through, a pumpkin patch in the garden, and toasty warm treats in the outdoor wood-fired oven - which based on weather in recent days, is a good thing. There will also be pumpkin carvings at the picnic table area in the park, no need to pack your carving knife,  Read more...

Finding Inspiration in Toronto

by Katie

October 14, 2008

Sometimes when all the books have been read, and all the local spots have been visited, Gigi and I hop on the subway or bus in search of adventure.  I like to find places that inspire Gigi to act out some of the books she has read, or movies she has watched.  Right now we have entered a really hardcore princess going to tea phase, so elegant places that call for dresses, tiaras, purses, and  Read more...

Toronto this Weekend: Fall Folk Festival & Environmental Fair

by Katie

September 12, 2008

Admit it, Fall is in the air. Night is coming faster, the mornings are refreshingly nippy, and only at high noon does summer seem to be still hanging on. Personally, I love Autumn; I was always excited for the start of school, I love the beautiful weekends full of changing leaves, long walks, and drives, and Hallowe'en is one of my favorite times of year. This weekend there is a cool  Read more...

What's going on this weekend in Toronto

by Katie

August 01, 2008

CARIBANA ! I can never resist saying the word Caribana without using lots of gusto. This weekend is the Caribana Parade on Saturday and the De Caribana Lime Island Party at Olympic Island on Sunday . Both are all day events (10am to 6pm) with the parade starting at Exhibition Place and travelling west on Lakeshore Blvd. The De Caribana Lime Island Party will include a food competition, which  Read more...

Three Days in Toronto: Day One

by Katie

July 08, 2008

Since arriving in Toronto years ago, many friends told me to go visit the Toronto Islands because it's the thing to do during the long hot summer days in the city. Yet for some strange reason, I've never made it over there. But when I created my list of things to do in Toronto last month, it was one of the first things to come to mind. Now I'm very pleased to say that I finally knocked that one  Read more...