Children are encouraged to participate in all our activities. There have been many crafts, games and activities we've done over the past few years that children have enjoyed. In the summer of 2003, we made our own sailboats and set them to sail with secret messages. We hoped if anyone found them, they would send us a postcard. Luckily, we received a hello from a woman in Sudbury who happened to come across a sailboat in the Humber River while visiting Toronto. We're still hoping for a hello from the U.S.

Some of our favorite crafts include:

Paintings on canvas and murals
Painted glass fish bowls
Beach Glass Crafts
Erupting volcanoes
Plaster Casts
Woodworking.

New additions to this year's line up include:

Japanese Lanterns
Dragon Kites
Tye-Dye T-Shirts
And many more!

As we all know, summers in Toronto are too short. With that in mind, we try to do as much as possible outdoors, including crafts, group games, on site water play (slides and pool), scavenger hunts, mini-Olympics, penny carnivals, nature walks, community walks, trips to local parks and much more.

Children are unpredictable and change their minds all the time! Knowing that, please pack your child's swimsuit, sunscreen and towel. You never know when it will be a water play day. Also label all of your child's belongings with a permanent marker. This saves everyone a future headache.

To give you a better idea of what we do and when we do it; listed below are the days accompanied by their corresponding activities.

MONDAYS are our craft days. All day exploration of craft materials such as paper mache, plaster moulds, casts and so much more. In the afternoon, we have on-site water play with inflatable pools and water slides. Don't forget your swimsuit, towels and sunscreen!

TUESDAYS are "A Day in the Sun". We spend the majority of our day at a local park. We leave at 10:30 am and return by 3:30 pm. We have a picnic lunch, crafts, Frisbee, games (baseball, tag), water play (if applicable), flying kites, giant bubble blowing and much more! In the afternoon, we do our best relaxing lounging by a pool. We will be swimming at Annette Recreational Centre.

WEDNESDAYS are our major trip days (unless otherwise posted). We travel to fun and exciting destinations in and around the city (for a list of trips, look below). Our method of transportation is a yellow school bus or by public transit (T.T.C.). We leave the centre promptly at 9:00 am and return by 5:00 pm.

THURSDAYS are our Science & Nature days. Children will spend the day exploring local parks, bug catching, collecting, identifying, and talking about the world around us. If we're lucky we may even bring home a frog or two. Children will be asking questions, answering their own questions, exploring their world, testing theories, solving riddles, and much more. All this with a hands-on approach. Our goal is to create mad and crazed scientists.

FRIDAYS are spent at the beach. There couldn't be a better way to end the week. We will be visiting Sunnyside beach and the Toronto Beaches in the east end. We look forward to being buried, building foot-high castles with moats and rivers too! Other activities include: beach volleyball, capture the flag, crafts and more. We leave at 10:00 am and return by 4:00 pm. Our method of transportation is by public transit (T.T.C.) Children are allowed to bring a maximum of $5.00 to purchase a treat at the snack booth.

The scheduled trips for 2008 are as follows:

Session 1: JULY 2 - TASTE OF JAPAN
This week, we'll be exploring the many sides of the Japanese culture. We'll be going for lunch at a restaurant that promises to entice our senses with the exotic tastes and smells of Japanese cuisine.

Session 2: JULY 9 - BATA SHOE MUSEUM
This will be our first time at one of Toronto's newest landmarks. Children will be dressing up in costumes and shoes from many nations, participating in a treasure hunt and painting a Dutch clog to take home.

Session 3: JULY 16 - CANADA'S WONDERLAND
Wonderland continues to be our favorite destination for rides, rides, and more rides. So many of us are also looking forward to riding the newest addition, the BEHEMOTH rollercoaster.Children are allowed to bring a maximum of $10.00 for a treat from the variety of ice cream stands, etc.

Session 4: JULY 23 - ONTARIO PLACE*
Ontario Place continues to be a fun destination for rides, cinisphere movies, attractions, and most importantly their fun-filled water-park. The slides and water play areas are staffed with certified lifeguards. Children are allowed to bring a maximum of $10.00 to purchase a treat or souvenir.

Session 5: JULY 30 - BOWMANVILLE ZOO
We'll be visiting one of Canada's oldest zoos. There are over 300 animals on 42 scenic acres. Children will be amazed at the animatheatre and the opportunity to get up-close with the animals. Children are allowed to bring a maximum of $10.00 to purchase a treat or souvenir.

Session 6: AUGUST 6 - MAGIC & MYSTERY
For the first time, Treasure Island will be entertained on-site. A wonderful magician will amaze us, trick us and teach us our own magic tricks. We will also be visiting a city magic shop to encourage our newly developed talevt. We'll be adding to this theme with a visit to the Ex to see Illusionist Kevin Ridgeway and Escape Artist Kristen Johnson make their Ontario debut at the C.N.E.

Session 7: AUGUST 13 -MARINELAND
Marineland is always a fun place to visit and worth the trip. The children love the whale show, the rides and other exhibits.Children are allowed to bring a maximum of $10.00 to purchase a treat or souvenir.

Session 8: AUGUST 20 - CENTRE ISLAND*
We will be visiting one of the world's most beautiful city parks. Part of our day will include Far Enough Farm, The "Maze" (cedar hedge labyrinth), supervised splash pools, the boardwalk, and numerous picnic areas.

Session 9: AUGUST 27 - THE C.N.E.
We'll be hitting the streets and sights of THE EX again this year. There's so much to see and do, and we love ending the summer with a classic. We'll experience a magic show, a world renowned ventriloquist, Kidsworld which includes Kidsstreet, petting zoo, dog show, food and treats and so much more. Plus we pay for your child's lunch! No backpacks required. Children are allowed to bring a maximum of $20.00 to purchase a treat, souvenir or play the games.

* PLEASE BRING A SWIMSUIT AND TOWEL FOR WATERFUN.

Below are PDF versions of the July and August trip schedules. Feel free to print them out for personal use.