-
Victoria Pick: Beacon Hill Children’s Farm
Yesterday, one of Victoria, B.C.’s most wonderful (and affordable) little attractions reopened after a winter hiatus. Beacon Hill Children’s Farm’s menagerie of farm animals, peacocks and flamboyantly-crowned chickens offers an off-the-beaten path experience to visiting families. There are bunnies and donkeys to fawn over, plus a bird-filled building, where tiny finches flit from branch to branch. Many of these animals have restrictions on touch, so don’t feel disappointed if you can’t hug a pot-bellied pig. But then you arrive at the African Pygmy goat pen, a glorious exception to the rules. In this family favorite, baby and adult goats meander and mill about in a large enclosure. Children mingle with…
-
Surviving and Thriving at Vancouver 2010
8:00 a.m. We drove through the Canadian border. No lineups. Yes, it was a little eerie. After years of fearing the worst, the crossing ended up being no more problematic than a Starbucks’ drive-through at 9 p.m. 8:30 a.m. We parked at the King George SkyTrain Station (on the Metro Line), easily found a space, then paid the parking kiosk with our credit card (about $10 for parking). We boarded the first car, and the kids shared a lone forward-facing seat as the train weaved through housing, over bridges, past construction, and between stands of fir and cedar. “I’m driving,” my 4-year-old son whispered. Uh oh. 9:20 a.m. We arrived…
-
Mindport Art in Bellingham with Kids
Art galleries don’t usually welcome children with open arms. Or ask you to touch the art. But Mindport, in Bellingham, Wash., is a different sort of gallery. The wooden works inside are meant to be used by hands big and small. It’s an artistic explosion of science, music and movement. Rube Goldberg would love this gallery-museum-playspace. The light-filled entry gallery offers multiple workstations with awesomely odd contraptions, including a pneumatic ping-pong device that spins balls using forced air; a pun-riddled miniature train route; and a case with a hundred compasses — all controlled by the magnet in your child’s hand. The second gallery has subdued lighting and natural items to…
-
Portland Pick: Portland Children’s Museum
We’ve been to dozens of children’s museums around the country, but few are as innovative as the Portland Children’s Museum. The staff cleverly imported a creative educational philosophy from Italy — Reggio Emilia — to create a museum that subtly integrates texture and touch, light and learning. The Reggio Emilia philosophy believes that the environment is the “third teacher” for children; a child’s playspaces should be aesthetically attractive and interactive. Children experiment with color and light along the Twilight Trail, using clear Lego-type building blocks, puppets and light pens. Kids splash (themselves, the wall, their parents) in the large Water Works room, create in the Clay Studio, and scramble up a…
-
Victoria Clipper with Kids: 8 Tips for Families
One of my favorite ways between Victoria, B.C., and Seattle, Wash., is via Victoria Clipper.
