UBC Gymnastics Drop-In

6 / 25 / 136 / 27 / 13

The upside to a very rainy June is that we’re crossing things off of our rainy day idea list that I thought we wouldn’t get to do before leaving Vancouver in July. Today, we headed out to UBC to do something we’ve been meaning to do for a long while – attend a drop-in gymnastics session! The class was held in Osborne Centre (where there is plenty of metred parking out front) and was a ton of fun. We walked into a gym filled covered in mats and soft, padded flooring with everything from balance beams to parallel bars, to trampolines, rings, and ropes and Miss G began exploring. Despite her very cautious nature, Grae had a wonderful time and actually asked if we could ‘flip the car around’ and go back to gymnastics while driving home. Sadly, today was the last day of the spring session, and starting July 4th when the summer session begins, drop-ins will be on Thursday nights from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. only, which really doesn’t work with young kids.

Find out more about UBC Gymnastics drop-ins here.

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Kerrisdale Play Palace is Back!

5 / 14 / 135 / 18 / 13

One of our very favourite rainy day spots, the Kerrisdale Play Palace, recently opened for another spring/summer season. It seems to be a bit of a hidden gem because although it does get busy, it never seems busy enough for what it is – a very reasonably priced GIANT indoor play space filled with fun inflatables. Miss G and I went this morning for the first time this season and whoa – did she ever have a blast. While she absolutely loved it last year, this year was even better. A little bit braver and a little bit bigger, she is now able to make her way to the top of all of the inflatables and down all of the slides – even the huge ones. She ran, climbed, and jumped the morning away until her hair was literally wet with sweat and it was time to go home for lunch and a nap. It was a good morning.

The Kerrisdale Play Palace is located at the corner of 41st Avenue and East Boulevard, in the arena directly behind the McDonald’s. When visiting, keep in mind that both you and your little one(s) will need socks and that weekday admission is divided by age groups. For the 2013 schedule and admission fees, click here.

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A Morning at 6 Pack Indoor Beach

3 / 14 / 133 / 20 / 13

Hello. My name is Jen and I’m a rainy day activity hoarder.

It’s true. For the last year and a half, I’ve kept a running list of awesome programs and places around the Lower Mainland to visit on rainy days. For some reason, however, I’ve been rationing them out very slowly. Does this classify as torrential downpour? Only the third day of rain in a row? Could we get away with just visiting one of our regular places? I have absolutely no idea what the reasoning behind this craziness has been. Was I afraid that I’d suddenly run dry of things to do with my toddler and we’d be stuck at home staring at the wall? Did I think that we couldn’t visit these awesome places again after the initial time? I have no clue. What I do know, however, is that now that we know we’re headed back to Kuwait in a short 5 months (and back to the Okanagan in just 3), there’s no more rainy day activity qualification system in place. Little Nest? We’re going. Maritime Museum? Yup, there too. Watermania? Absolutely. Art Gallery? Morning drop-in at Collage Collage? Salmon Hatchery? UBC Gymnastics? Cowboys and Angels? Let’s do it!

One of the other places that has been on my list forever is 6 Pack Indoor Beach. Located on the very industrial Mitchell Island, 6 Pack Indoor Beach is essentially a giant warehouse filled with sand (in the most awesome way possible). During the evenings and weekends, they’re host to volleyball leagues and tournaments, but during weekdays when it’s a lot quieter, families are welcome to come and enjoy their Lil’ Diggers drop-in program.

And that’s just what Miss G and I did today.

The beach was quiet… With a few teenagers practicing on the far court and two other moms with munchkins playing, Gracen and I had more space than we could ever want.

While we brought along a little bag of sand toys, 6 Pack already had all of the bases covered. From shovels to buckets, rakes, sand castle moulds, balls, frisbees, and tractors, it was all already there for us to play with. Or course laying and rolling around in the sand was just as much fun too.

As was burying ourselves.

We spent two and a half hours playing, and even then Gracen wasn’t ready to go. And I can’t blame her… She had just discovered this perfect jumping ledge and was working hard on her sand dives.

The nice thing about the indoor beach is that while you can get dirty to your heart’s content out on the sand, when you’re finished there is spacious foot washing ‘sink’ and full-on showers in the bathrooms. There’s also several picnic tables and comfy wooden loungers come lunch time.

I’m so glad we finally made our way to 6Pack. It was the perfect rainy day get away and we’ll definitely be headed back soon.

6 Pack Indoor Beach is open 7 days a week, with the Lil’ Diggers drop-in program happening weekdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The drop-in cost is $7 and they also offer a punch pass that gives you 11 sessions for $60. Plus, they do birthday parties!

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A Rainy Get Away: The Bloedel Conservatory

3 / 1 / 133 / 1 / 14

It may be another rainy, miserable day in Vancouver today, but Miss G and I got away from it all by spending our morning at the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park. Warm, humid, green, and echoing with the calls of birds, it’s the perfect get away from the gloom and grey of yet another rainy day.

Just see for yourself…

Beautiful, right? Not to mention that Gracen adores searching out birds, smelling flowers, and trekking along the paths.

During the winter months, the conservatory is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week. Adult admission is $6.50, children’s admission for ages 3 to 12 is $3.25, and children 2 and under are free.

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Rainy Day Fun: A Visit to YVR Airport

11 / 30 / 1210 / 6 / 13

Visiting the airport {just for fun} has been on my mental rainy day to do list since last spring… And yet, somehow we only just made it there today. It was well worth the wait though.

We took the Canada Line over for few reasons…. Firstly, because Miss G loves it and thinks getting to ride the train is something very special in itself. Secondly, because riding the train means you don’t have to worry about paying an arm and a leg for parking, and thirdly, because it’s ridiculously easy.

Upon arriving to the airport, we made our way down to the domestic departures area on the third floor. From there, we headed to the food court area, and headed up the elevator to the Public Observation Area. (Just something to note – though the Canada Line brings you in on the 4th floor, you can’t make your way across to the viewing area without first heading down a floor.)

The observation area has floor to ceiling west-facing windows which allow for an amazing view of the tarmac and the Straight of Georgia. It’s filled with tables and chairs for those wishing to eat while taking in the view, and also has window front benches, telescopes of varying heights, touch-screen video podiums, and an interactive model of Sea Island for those wanting to play and explore.

For Grae, it was all about the hustle and bustle on the tarmac. She loved watching the runway operations and the planes take off and land, and was constantly asking, “What’s dat guy doing, Mama?”

Without a doubt, the other highlight was the telescopes. Though she’s still much too short for many of them, I held her up for part of the time and later she figured out that she could reach well with a chair pulled up close. I’m not sure how much she could actually see through them, but the adjusting, swivelling, and putting her eye up to the lens parts was plenty fun for her.

We stayed for over two hours and Miss G would have happily stayed longer if I didn’t have to drag her away for nap time. Luckily, another Canada Line ride was in the cards for her upon departure, so the sell wasn’t as hard as it could have been. ☺

After a little Google research, i learned that MANY airports around North America {and the world} have observation areas or viewing lounges similar to ours, so if you’re not located in Vancouver, be sure to check out your local airport… Chances are it has one!

♥

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Letting Loose, Play Palace Style

6 / 1 / 125 / 13 / 13

After waking up to yet another {very} rainy day, I decided it was time for some dry, indoor fun this time around… So off to the Kerrisdale Play Palace we went! I don’t know what it was about today (perhaps it was her nearly 13 hour sleep last night or it being her second visit – she’s a veteran now), but Gracen was absolute WILD woman! Walking into the rink was like letting a bucking bronco loose after keeping him in the gates for an abnormally long time. The moment she stepped foot onto the concrete, she was running and jumping and squealing and flinging her little body around like it was the last day she’d ever get to play in her life. Just a guess, but apparently she thinks the Play Palace is pretty awesome.

She didn’t waste any time getting down to business. First she hit up some old favourites…

And then it was off to try some new things… See that little monkey climbing up that inflatable ladder? Last time she got half way up, panicked, and we had to retrieve her. Not this time though. Apparently she’s a big girl now because she climbed up and zoomed down on repeat.

And then there was this. Never in her life has she ever gone down a slide on anything but her bottom, but today she was all about belly-down, face-first.

Oh, and going down with her little ‘yeehaw arm’ in full effect.

Later on, she saw a big girl climb up for a ride on the shark’s back, and she was desperate to do the same. After letting her try and try again to get on, I finally broke all the rules, climbed up onto the inflatable while the supervisor wasn’t looking, and helped her up. (Shhhhh… Don’t tell.)
Strangely enough though, today’s absolute favourite was the foosball tables. She kept going back to them again and again and when I told her we only had time to do one more thing, she picked going back for some more table football.

It was the perfect way to spend our rainy morning. I left with a dishevelled, tired little monkey who was more than ready for her nap when we got home.

♥

Kerrisdale Play Palace

5 / 3 / 125 / 13 / 13

This morning, as we stepped foot into a little old arena on the westside, I was transported back in time. A time in the late 80’s / early 90’s where I spent hours and hours in little old arenas, freezing my tush off while watching my brother’s countless hockey games. Only this was Kerrisdale. And it’s quite obviously 2012.

But despite the dingy smell, yellow lights, and chilly temperature, the Kerrisdale arena, which is transformed into the Kerrisdale Play Place each spring, is truly a hidden gem for those of us who live in a city that gets as much rain as we do. It’s filled with inflatable slides, obstacle courses, and bouncy castles, gym equipment, musical instruments, and ride-on cars and toys, making it much more than just your usual play gym drop in session. And let me tell you, Gracen LOVED it. I don’t think she stopped squealing for more than 5 seconds during our entire visit. Here our some photos from our visit…

On the pirate-themed ocean inflatable in the preschooler area:

Playing with floor toys and equipment in the preschooler area:

In the preschooler bouncy castle:

Riding plasma cars in the main area:

Shooting some hoops in the main area:

A couple of hours of squealing-good fun for a few bucks? You really can’t go wrong. My only advice if you plan to visit.. Firstly, dress warm (it’s chilly in there!) Second, wear or bring socks (they’re mandatory in all areas for children and in the preschool play area for adults). And lastly, don’t be fooled by the jumping jack/push up/karate choppin’ sit up-doing attendant… He’s surprisingly on his game and will catch and scold you if you sneak up the giant inflatable slide with your munchkin. ☺