If your kids are anything like 'Lil Peg over here, there'll undoubtedly have been one subject on their minds over the last few weeks. Shortly after we took her to the Planetarium at the beginning of the month, large, red X-marks began to appear on the calendar like landmarks on a treasure map, and sure enough, that treasure is lurking right around the corner in the form of Spring Break. Luckily, there's absolutely no shortage of things to keep her busy here in the city, and the Mrs. and I wanted to share a few of our plans with the rest of you that we're sure will keep your little ones entertained!
The 14th Annual Festival of Fools, an initiative of the Winnipeg International Children's Festival, will be kicking off at The Forks beginning this Saturday, March 29. Free foolishness can be had daily (if you don't already get enough at home!) from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. through to Sunday, April 6. Catch one (or all three of) the performances each day, where you can watch jugglers, clowns, acrobats, and hilarious shows, have your face painted, or visit one of the circus workshops (Monday through Friday) or swinging trapeze workshops (Saturday and Sunday). Mrs. Peg was adamant she sign up for the latter ("I'm this tall!"), but we agreed in the end not to steal the kids' proverbial thunder.
Sky Zone is another place you can take them, and here it's pretty much the closest a kid can get to walking on the Moon. With a special Spring Break camp from March 31 to April 4 (ages 6 to 15) with 50% off for siblings, children can participate in awesome games, activities and crafts, play ultimate dodgeball as well as age-appropriate SkyFitness, and enjoy the included daily snacks and beverages. If you're not familiar with it, Sky Zone Winnipeg is an awesome, all-trampoline, walled playing court offering Open Jump, Foam Zone, and even 3D Volleyball on trampolines. Yes, this is a real thing. Spending Spring Break at SkyZone is guaranteed to delight any kid—even if the park's act of simply existing does slightly disappoint astronauts everywhere.
If flying above trampolines isn't enough, flying down snowy hills is another option for adventure. Adrenaline Adventures has great packages to enjoy the extra daylight hours we're getting, stay active and have fun on a budget. Enjoy a cozy meal at their on-site restaurant, then zoom down hills to your heart's content with unlimited tubing! Let the kids choose from several lanes, featuring a variety of bumps and lots of speed, or indulge their inner daredevil ("inner", I suppose, is a relative term) with one of the extreme tubing lanes. With a tow-rope that brings you all the way to the top, nobody will get too tired walking up any hills, and the energy can instead be spent far more efficiently screaming in high-speed delight. Children of any age will enjoy the thrill of winter tubing—those as young as two have even been spotted taking a ride attached to parents' tubes.
For a combination of indoor and outdoor activity, the Children's Museum is offering fun-filled day camps that will get kids' bodies and imaginations running wild. From March 31 to April 4, campers can go on a journey of discovery where they'll meet new friends and take part in exercises, games, and a field trip all related to the museum's newest exhibition, The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head. Kids will do parents everywhere proud by not only becoming a scientist, but also an artist and archeologist—all in one week! At the end of the camp, they'll be able to choose props and accessories to make their own spud-venture come to life à la Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Well, almost. For more information, visit their website.
Winnipeg has a plethora of options to keep the little ones entertained this Spring Break—why not take the opportunity to bring out your inner kid and join them? I'm sure 'Lil Peg can't wait to see her old man with matching face paint or launching himself down mountains of snow!
Only in The Peg Chronicles the adventures of the Peg family–Missus, Mister and Lil’ Peg–as they discover everything there is to see and do in Winnipeg. Follow them at @tourismwpg on Twitter or visit them on Facebook. For even more info on Winnipeg, visit www.tourismwinnipeg.com.
