I would like to say we were so busy for March Break I did not have time to write this week, but that would be a lie. We were busy, but I also had plenty of time to play my new Angry Birds Star Wars game for several hours most evenings. I could have used this time more constructively to write for my blog, but I decided to take a mental break. It is challenging to write something every other day. I spent most of the week trying to come with ideas for subsequent entries. In effect, I was working on the blog mentally, just not physically producing anything.
This year, for March Break, we did our usual trip down to my parents, in southern Ontario. Essentially, we had a little "staycation", but still left our home for the week. We were busy for our stay near Toronto. My dad showed me the Globe and Mail article with ideas of what to do each day of the week with your kids in the Toronto area. Many of the suggestions were plays (like Potted Potter: all the books condensed into a short play) and shows like Disney on Ice (which we saw at Christmas). A couple of years ago we visited the ROM. This year, we checked out Wizard's World on Tuesday. It is an indoor midway/fair for families, only on during March Break.
There was one happening at The Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto, and another located in Hamilton. For $25 your child got unlimited access to the rides. Most of the "rides" for my younger children (aged three and five) ended up being bouncers, but at $3 a turn and $8.25 entry fee it made sense to get both kids a ride bracelet. We bought the family pass online, and saved $6. There was an option for four unlimited ride bracelets, but there were only three big midway type rides for the adults, and neither my husband nor I had the urge to go on them. The kids were too small, even with an adult.
There was an animal show put on by the Bowmanville Zoo. I have mixed feelings about zoos, but I do appreciate it allows my children to see animals they would not normally see. The show was humane, and they did not make the animals do things they would not normally do in the wild, except wear leases and harnesses. We did not like the trainer doing a handstand on the elephant's head, but otherwise the animals were treated well. We did not pay the extra $8 for an elephant ride. And, for some reason, all the goats in the petting zoo were giving birth. They had three babies in the first three days. The show was finished off with a plea to help protect the animals' habitats and be conscious of our purchases, so we did not have to feel as bad about being entertained by wild animals living in captivity.
My kids enjoyed the other carnival rides. My son was crazy for the Orient Express roller coaster. Towards the end of the day, after the daycare groups had left, the operators were letting the rides run longer. He could have spent half an hour just riding the mini coaster. The bouncers were a huge hit, and many of them had short lines. The most time consuming rides were the bouncers with a time limit. Only five or six kids could go in for three minutes, so it made for long waits and very little pay off. I tried to encourage my daughter to use the giant slide or the bouncers with a circuit, as kids were constantly leaving and making the wait shorter.
Overall, it was an entertaining way to spend the day with the kids. It was only 3C outside and raining, so this was an active option for our children to spend the day indoors. Plus, kids were allowed to scream and run. It was acceptable. Everyone was there for their chidren to let off some steam. No dirty looks from older couples wondering why parents are not controlling their children or camp leaders are not controlling their charges.
Both my kids fell asleep in the van two minutes after we left for home. My husband and I were happy for the slience we experienced upon leaving the building. It is a fair with noisy rides and there is a constant din throughout the building. The city was quieter, and a relief at the end of a busy day, even with the traffic on the QEW.
Other things we did this week included painting pottery at Crock a Doodle and visiting the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. Reviews to follow in the next few days.
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