Sat. July 25, 2009 - Illuminares Lantern Festival (Van.)

Illuminares Lantern Procession

Trout Lake at John Hendry Park, Victoria Drive & 15th Avenue

July 25, 2009 - 7 – 11 pm

As dusk falls over Trout Lake at John Hendry Park in East Vancouver, families and friends come together from far and wide to witness an extraordinary celebration of light.

On this night, the Illuminares Lantern Procession fills the air with music, and thousands of paper lanterns come alive with fire. A brilliant spectacle of weaving serpents, birds in flight, planets in orbit, schools of fish, and all sorts of glowing and shimmering creatures of the imagination.

Processional bands playing world and folk music encourage spectators on the sidelines to join in the journey through the park. Along the way, audiences pass brightly illuminated displays and engaging circus performances of juggling, dancing, clowning, and so much more.

The Illuminares Lantern Procession includes an amazing show of art, music, dance, fire sculptures, and torch choreography. Come and enjoy!

April 20 - Kids only swap meet - Port Coquitlam

Kids Only Swap Meet
Sunday, April 20, 2008
9:00am - 1:00pm

Location
Port Coquitlam Recreation Complex , 2150 Wilson Avenue (map & directions)

April 25 & 26 - Kids only swap meet - Port Moody

Kids Only Swap Meet

Port Moody Community Services are holding their Annual Kids Only Swap Meet on Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th, from 9:00 am -1:00 pm at the Port Moody Arena, 300 Ioco Road.

Don't miss this chance to get some great bargains. Whether it's children's outgrown clothing, toys, books, sports equipment, baby furniture or many other items, this is the place for you! Over 60 tables for each day of used items for kids of all ages and different vendors for each day to give you lots of items to choose from!

Mark Saturday, April 25th and/or Sunday, April 26th on your calendar and we'll see you there! For more information call 604-469-4556. Free Admission

Drop-if fun for kids - Coquitlam

When you need to find something fun to do for kids on a short notice, drop-in and chose some of these programs for children:

- Little Dippers at City Centre Aquatic Complex is a fun drop-in program with other kids, games, songs, toys and music for kids 6 and under.

- The Gym and Swim at Centennial Activity Centre offers a full day of sports and swimming and keeps them busy on a pro-d day.

- Get together with the girls for Friday nights at Centennial Activity centre and try some arts and crafts, beading, games and dancing.

- need a Friday for yourself? Drop your kids off for Swim, Snack and a Show at Poirier Community Centre.

For more information, visit activeCoquitlam.ca

April 23 - Healthy Kids Fair - Port Coquitlam

Thursday, April 23, 2009

9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hyde Creek Recreation Centre

1379 Laurier Ave (Off Coast Meridian) Port Coquitlam, BC (Bus Route: c37)

Port Coquitlam Healthy Kids Fair years for families with children 0-6

Admission is free. Non-perishable items are being accepted for the local food bank.

April 11, 2009 - Eggcellent Easter Blast - Coquitlam

Eggcellent Easter Blast! Henderson Place Mall, 1163 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam

Sat. April 11, 2009 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Easter Egg hunt,Egg Decorating Workshop,Balloon Twisting, Wiggle Cars, Meet the Easter Bunny!

For children ages 3 - 12 with minimum purchase of $20. of any Henderson Place store betweel March 30 to April 11, 2009.

April 10, 2009 - Easter Egg Hunt - Port Moody

April 10, 2009 (Good Friday) 10:30 a.m. sharp

Free

The Glenayre Community Association will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt near the water park behind Glenayre Elementary School for local residents.

April 11, 2009 - Easter Egg hunt - Place Maillardville

April 11, 2009 - Easter Egg hunt - Place Maillardville

1200 Cartier Ave., Coquitlam, BC

12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.

Get EggCited about Easter. Children 2 to 8 years old can participate in an Easter egg hunt, play egg games, decorate eggs and make Easter crafts. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Register early, limited space, no drop-ins.

Fee $5.00 per child call 604-933-6166

Visit http://www.placemaillardville.ca/

April 11 - Easter Eggstravaganza - Burnaby (Registration required)

April 11, 2009 - Easter eggstravaganza

10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Willingdon Centre - 1491 Carleton Avenue, Burnaby, BC

Families can have breakfast, create some Easter crafts and have a mini egg hunt! Children must be accompanied by adults. All adults and children attending the event must be registered. Registration starts March 11, 2009 - no drop-ins.

$7.00 per person, all ages.

604-299-1446

Ongoing until April 30 - Toddler Time - Port Moody Public Library

Toddler Time (drop-in) - Port Moody Public Library
(100 Newport Drive, Port Moody, BC)

Stories and songs for young children and their parent/caregiver.

Ages 18 months to 3 years.

Thursdays ***January 22 - April 30, 2009

10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Storytelling Circle

***No program Mar. 19 or Apr. 16

Call 604-469-4577 for more information

April 11 - Easter Egg Hunt - Coquitlam

Sat. April 11, 2009 - At Blue Mountain Park

This will be the 11th annual Burquitlam Lions Easter Egg hunt.

Registration is free and done the day of the event at the park.

Event begins at 10 a.m. (registration), 11:00 a.m. egg hunt begins

There will be a entertainment - Rick Mearns "the roving musician", face painting and a concession.

For more information call 604-931-0729

Our family went last year and had a blast!

Mondays - ongoing to May 11 - "Night time Nutties" - Cameron Recreation Center - Burnaby

Mondays - 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Ongoing to May 11th (no class April 13, 2009)

$3.85 drop-in fee

Night time Nutties

For children 10 months to 5 years (with an adult)

Kids got lots of evening energy? No space to play inside? Well, drop on in - It's an hour of supervised playtime in a fun and safe environment. The sports hall will be set up with balls, hoops, sports equipment, tunnels, planned parachute games and more!

April - Storytime at Cameron Public Library - Burnaby

Storytimes at the Cameron Public Library - Burnaby (9523 Cameron St) #604-421-5454



No Registration Required - Parent/Caregiver must attend with children



Bouncing Babies

Age: Newborn to pre-walkers

11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Thursdays, April 23 through May 28, 2009



Toddler Time

Age: Walkers to 36 months

10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Thursdays, April 23 through May 28, 2009



Family Storytime

Age: 3 to 5 years

7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays, April 22 through May 27, 2009



For more information visit http://www.bpl.bc.ca/

April 29 - Family Learn & Play night - Coquitlam Centre

Date: April 29, 2009 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Coquitlam Centre, the Coquitlam Public Library, and School District 43 have embarked on a new collaborative venture. Started last January, we have been co-hosting a monthly literacy fair at the mall. It is held on the last Wednesday of each month from 6pm to 8pm outside of the Bay, lower level. The Fairs target families with children 3-10 years of age. The focus for all activities will be on building basic skills in language (reading, writing, speaking and listening), numeracy, physical development, social/emotional development.

The structure of each session will be:
6:00-6:45 Stations
6:45-7:15 Storytime/fingerplays/songs by the public librarians
7:15-8:00 Stations/passport stamps/pick up of take home bags

Apr. 25 - Earth Day fior the whole family - North Vancouver

Sat. Apr. 25, 2009 - 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve (North Vancouver)

Celebrate International Earth Day by participating in stewardship activities at the LSCR. Help maintain the natural integrity of our local ecosystem while we manage this land for storage and treatment of our drinking water.

Engage in activities that work to free the natural ecosystem from the influence of invasive plants and establish habitat for native wildlife.

Meet at the Rick Lake Gate.

For further information call 604-451-6506

The LSCR is located about 3km north of Capilano University on Lillooet Road in North Vancouver.

April 13 - Critter Capers - Case of the Missing Fish - Surrey

Drop-in program. No registration required. Free.

Critter Capers - Case of the Missing Fish!

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tynehead Regional Park

Use your detective skills to solve the mystery of the missing fish. Meet prime suspects along the trail and weigh the evidence against them. Was it the heron, the kingfisher, or the muskrat? Learn to read clues carefully and examine tracks left at the scene of the crime.

Allow one hour to complete the program.

Meet at the 96th street entrance.

April 11 - Easter Egg hunt swim - burnaby

April 11, 2009 - Easter egg hunt (swim) - Burnaby

C.G. Brown pool

12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.

Rumour has it that the Easter Bunny is stashing treats at the pool! Seven-year-olds and younger must be accompanied by an adult in the water; bring your bathing suit.

$2.60 per person

April 26 - Take another look! - Vancouver

Take Another Look! Sunday April 26, 2009

1-4 pm

Pacific Spirit Regional Park

Now you see it, now you don't! Take another look and see where the little creatures who live in the forest eat, sleep and just hang out. For children this is a game of finding the spot where the deer mouse has been' for adults it's a game of locating habitats of small park creatures. You will be given a page of picture clues; see how many matches you can make.

The 1 km loop trail begins at the Imperial Street park entrance at 29th avenue, vancouver. Parking is available along the street.

For further information call 604-224-5739 or visit www.pacificspiritparksociety.org

Presented by Pacific Spirit Park Society and Metro Vancouver

Apr. 9 - June 11 (Thursdays) - Baby Busy Bees - Cameron recreation center

Baby Busy Bees - Cameron recreation centre (9523 Cameron St, Burnaby, BC)



Thursdays

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. or 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.



April 9, 2009 to June 11, 2009



$32.00 for 10 weeks

$3.75 for drop-in



Babies and their parent/caregiver keep busy with table top games and floor toys, simple art activities and play stations will be available during this creative playtime. Painting and pasting, music and movement, stories and songs, finger plays and parachute games along with a short circle time are all designed to spark your child's imagination.

April 12 - Easter Egg Hunt - Port Moody

April 12, 2009 - Easter Egg Hunt

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Museum located at: 2734 Murray St., Port Moody, BC

Bring the kids to visit the Easter Bunny, hunt for eggs, face painting & receive lots of goodies!

Admission by donation.

April 19 - Good-bye Chums - Maple Ridge

Goodbye Chums! Sunday, April 19, 2009 11 am to 3 pm

Kanaka Creek Regional Park

Spectacular Kanaka Creek flows through Maple Ridge. Come to the Bell-Irving Hatchery and celebrate this community resource for watershed stewardship. Learn how to reduce your impacts on local salmon species and make your lifestyle more sustainable for creek critters. Become a creek-friendly neighbour by releasing salmon fry into the creek, meeting local stewardship groups, touring the hatchery, and more!

The hatchery is on 256TH Street, south of Dewdney Trunk Rd (east of Haney)

for more information call 604-530-4983

Presented by Metro Vancouver and Kanaka Education and environmental partnership society

April 5 - Family Day - Coq.

April 5, 2009 - Family Day

Place des arts, 1120 Brunette Ave, Coquitlam

1:30 p.m. - 3:39 p.m.

Take a tour of the exhibitions with guest artists and then participate in fun, interactive art activities with genial host Michael Fera. Don't be intimidated by art, get engaged in it!

Admission: $20 per family of 4 or $5 per person

for further information call 604-664-1636

April 3, 4, 5, 2009 - 2009 Home Expo - Port Moody

7th annual spring 2009 Home Expo

tri-city's building, renovation and decor show.

free admission

Port moody recreation centre - 300 ioco road, port moody

Friday - 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Saturday - 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Sunday - 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

visit http://www.homeshowtime.com/ for more details.

Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery - Abbotsford

Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery Visitors Centre

Visitor Centre Hours
The Visitor Centre will be open to the public Tues. - Sat.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Starting Feb. 17th, 2009

The centre provides a fun and educational experience for all ages. Facility offers self-guided tours including informative videos and live exhibits which showcase a variety of freshwater ecosystems and species native to B.C.

for further information call 604-504-4716

34345 Vye Road, Abbotsford, BC

Self-guided tour admission is by donation.

Honeybee centre - Cloverdale

Get busy with the bees at the Honeybee Centre. A fun and education spring break outing.

visit www.honeybeecentre.com for more information.

Mar. 28 - All-night Star Gazing - Aldergrove

Sat. March 28, 2009 - Aldergrove Lake Regional Park

8 pm to 6 am

This program is weather-dependent - complete cloud cover will result in cancellation by 4pm on the event day.

Celebrate the international year of astronomy. Join astronomers from the Royal Astronomical Society to find some stellar objects. Park interpreters will provide guided constellation walks from 8 pm to midnight. To take part in this open air, all-night event, participants must arrive before 11 pm.

Meet at the Aldergrove Bowl entrance on Lefeuvre Road on the Abbotsford side of the part. Wear warm clothing and footwear. Bring a flashlight, blankets and a snack if you plan on staying all night.

$2/PERSON drop-in fee (cash only)

for further information call 604-530-4983

Mar. 21 - Night Quest - Pacific Sprit Regional Park (Van.)

Sat. March 21, 2009 Night Quest

7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Pacific Spirit Regional Park

Experience the magic and mystery of the park transitioning from day into night.

Walk along a two-kilometre lantern-lit trail for fun and exercise. Visit discovery stations, see shadowy forms and glistening eyes, inhale the fragrance of cedars and listen to the night's sounds. Return to gather around the fire. Bring flashlights and allow at least one hour to complete the quest.

Start anytime between 7 and 9 pm at the park centre on 16th ave. 400 meters West of Blanca Street in Vancouver. A concession will be provided by Girl Guides of Canada. This event is wheelchair and stroller accessible.

For more information call 604-432-6359

Presented by Metro Vancouver and Pacific Sprirt Park Society

Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve - Chilliwack

Looking for something to do over spring break, why not check out the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve - a 130 hector (325 acre) site located on the undyked floodplain of the vedder river. Managed by the great blue herons nature reserve society, the site is known for the breeding colony of great blue herons as well as a wide variety of wildlife and vegetation.

Hours of operation
Walking trails & site - Mon. to Sun. 8:00 am to dusk

Rotary Interpretive Centre
Feb. 1 until Oct 31 - Open daily 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Visit http://www.chiliwackblueheron.com for further details

Rainforest Reptile Refuge - Surrey

Looking for something to do over spring break ...why not check out the
Rainforest Reptile Refuge Society ...it is a shelter for unwanted, abused, etc. reptiles, amphibians and tarantulas. With 300+ animals, the Society is open to the public and set up with exhibits for viewing (exhibits as close to a natural setting as possible), with personal or group tours given.

Open year round. Closed Mondays (except some holidays) to allow the animals a day of rest.

Location: 1395 176 St, Surrey, BC

for more information call 604-538-1711

Mar.14-15 Celtic Village Festival - Vancouver (Mar. 15 - St. Patrick's Day Parade)

Celtic Village will be at the Vancouver Art Gallery (on W Georgia between Howe & Hornby) in downtown Vancouver.

Free live Celtic performances by renowned Celtic artists will be presented on the Street Market Stage throughout the weekend.

Market hours will be from 11 am to 5 pm on Sat. March 14

from 10 am to 5 pm on Sun. March 15

The St. Patrick's Day Parade (11:30 a.m.) on March 15 will march by the Celtic Village.

Celticfest - March 11 - 15th, for further information and ticket pricing for this event visit http://www.celticfestvancouver.com

Last Wednesday of each month at Coquitlam Centre - Family Play & Learn Night

Family Play and Learn Night

Coquitlam Centre, last Wednesday of each month
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

All children aged 3-10 are welcome. Parent supervision is required.

March's theme is "Munchkin Math", Children who participate receive a goodie bag filled with a book and lots of fun activities to try at home.

Mondays - ongoing to May 11 - "Night time Nutties" - Cameron Recreation Center - Burnaby

Mondays - 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Ongoing to May 11th (no class April 13, 2009)

$3.85 drop-in fee

Night time Nutties

For children 10 months to 5 years (with an adult)

Kids got lots of evening energy? No space to play inside? Well, drop on in - It's an hour of supervised playtime in a fun and safe environment. The sports hall will be set up with balls, hoops, sports equipment, tunnels, planned parachute games and more!

March 14 - 21 - Play Dome - Vancouver

March 14-21, 2009 (Spring Break) - BC Place stadium, Vancouver

Daily 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Canada's Largest Indoor Carnival over 45 rides and attractions.

One ticket allows you to stay all day and ride as often as you like. One day Dome passes are $20, multi-day passes are $35.

For parents and those who just like to watch, guest passes are $6.

Tickets are available at the door.

March 7-8 - Waters Edge Festival - Coq.

March 7-8, 2009 - Waters Edge Festival

Water's Edge is a 'round the clock convergence of contemporary and world music programmed indoors and out, on the shores of lafarge Lake and at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam City Centre.

Visit http://watersedgermusic.ca/ for more information and ticket pricing.

March 7-8 - Festival du Bois - Coq.

Festival du Bois - Mackin Park, Coquitlam (1046 Brunette Avenue)

March 7-8, 2009 (RAIN OR SHINE)

visit http://www.festivaldubois.ca/ for more information and ticket pricing


**We went a couple of years ago and had fun. There are different tents set up - Main stage, children's stage, workshop tent, food tents, etc. Great place to learn about the French Canadian Culture.

Ongoing until April 30 - Toddler Time - Port Moody Public Library

Toddler Time (drop-in) - Port Moody Public Library
(100 Newport Drive, Port Moody, BC)

Stories and songs for young children and their parent/caregiver.

Ages 18 months to 3 years.

Thursdays ***January 22 - April 30, 2009

10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Storytelling Circle

***No program Mar. 19 or Apr. 16

Call 604-469-4577 for more information