Brentwood Mall Indoor Playground

February 5, 2019 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: 4567 Lougheed Hwy, Burnaby, BC V5C 3Z6

Happy 2019 and Happy Chinese New Year!

We start the year with an indoor playground given the difficult weather outside, -4 and approximately 1cm of snow in Tricities, BC. Yesterday we went to Brentwood mall playground for the first time, a friend suggested the place and the children liked it a lot.

Although the mall and the entire area are under renovation, you can still access the playground without any problem. The place was clean and well lit, bigger than other indoor playgrounds we’ve seen, there is more room to store shoes and belongings, and another thing that was nice was the sitting area around the playground. You can actually use those spots to snack, but again we’re talking about a mall here. It’s easy to find a spot to sit in a mall.

The whole playground is school themed. You have a learning bus, a rubber, a glue, hopscotch and a pencil – car among others.

Since this is for 0-6 year olds, you need to carefully watch the little ones. It was pretty busy, but not excessively. Older kids run around, not always minding the younger ones. My daughter and my son decided to play in different corners all the time, with few exceptions and that made it difficult to watch them at times. If you’re a helicopter type of parent, better bring an extra set of eyes. We had grandma watching them as well.

Lots of parking and washroom available, just bring good mood and loootttss of energy

Go check it out and enjoy!

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Sorina

Happy Playground- Queenston Park Coquitlam

November 7, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: 3415 Queenston Ave, Coquitlam, BC V3E 3H1

I think this might be the last park review for this year, as the rain season is here, we won’t be seeing a lot of playgrounds anytime soon. Too slippery. Although if you put on your rain gear, I am sure there is something to do and be safe :).

This cute park has been around for a while, we simply haven’t got the chance to go visit and test out the gear. So a few weekends ago, we stopped by and took a few pictures. Because parking will be something you will need, unless you live walking distance from the park, I will go ahead and say that parking is extremely limited. If you get there at ‘rush hour’, not sure if playgrounds have such a thing, but if this play area had one, it might be challenging to find a spot. Sunny weekends could be considered rush hour I guess, right?

Also, no washrooms.

What you notice about the park the second you enter it, is that it is not your usual playground. It is meant for different age groups, however some area require a certain amount of strength, like the climbing area that you see in my pictures. Actually the whole park is a climbing area with a huge slide. Astrid loved it, which meant we had to go up and down those stairs lots of time. The slide is basically on a pretty steep sloped edge, which of course offers a nice view down the mountain.

Apart from the tall slide, there is another section for small children, up to 5 I guess, and another one for 6 and older, which a twisted slide and additional climbing structures. The entire playground is on a rubberized surface, which we personally prefer, to the wood chips and/ or sand/ rocks playgrounds. But it very much depend on the season too.

If you’re into swings, there aren’t any. And I don’t think there will be any in the future either, as we didn’t notice any intention for an extension.

There is a little seating area by the small slides and a tennis playground next to it. But the main attraction is the children play area.

That is it for now. Go check it out!

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Sorina

Jamie waiting for his sister to come down the slide

This was is gonna be hard to climb

Lots and lots of stairs!

Willow View Apple Pumpkin Farm Abbotsford

October 29, 2018October 30, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: 288 McCallum Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2S 8A2

With the wet season here already, an apple orchard might not be the best destination for you and your toddler. But here it is, our trip to Willow View Apple Farm in Abbotsford a few weeks ago before the rainy season set in. We’ve done farm trips before and our children love it, especially now that they are getting older and enjoying the excitement a farm can bring, a new playground, open place to wander, under close parent observation of course and hayrides or simply cart rides or wheelbarrows. This time it was a cart.

This farm offers a hayride to give you a tour of the place, it helps you identify where that exact type of apple you are looking for are. Farms are fairly large places, it takes a while to wander around and find something in particular if you are looking for that, or just enjoy the walk. If your toddler doesn’t really want to walk, you either hold her or carry her in a cart. The hayride was quick and a bit bumpy, but for sure fun.

So first and foremost, I would say they have a good apple variety and if you are an apple lover, this is a good place to go. If you’re simply in for the photos and outdoor time at a farm, this is a good place too. We’ve seen a lot of people photo shooting, which we tried too, but with kids is not always easy to take a good picture, especially a family one.

They have two generous children playgrounds, to keep the toddlers and older children busy for a while. We got there around 2 pm and I found it crowded; like any other place, if you go there earlier, it won’t be that busy.

Washrooms and parking available onsite of course. We did enjoy some tasty popcorn that they have for sale, $2.5 if I recall well. And since this is a u-pick farm, you pay for what you pick.

A nice experience overall, for the entire family, which I highly recommend.

That is all for now!

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Also, share your experience if you happen to stop by!

Sorina

My son just loved this toy, took it very seriously and didn’t want to let go 🙂

This is the entrance for the petty zoo, make sure to wash hand on your way out!

Trying out an old tractor on the property

The hayride!

Lovely colour!

Sharing the ride with friends!

Nature in Hume Park New Westminster

October 17, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: 660 E Columbia St, New Westminster, BC V3L 3Y2

I never realized how big this park is until I went there a while back. A friend kept telling me about it during summer time, but I never organized myself to go, so one Sunday afternoon, we headed that way and it turned out to be a very pleasant walk and play time for the kids.

Of course our main focus becomes the children playground, which is very big and apparently can accommodate up to 60 kids, as per the official website. Actually when we got there, it was only us and a few other children, but it does look spacious enough to allow more kids to play freely. They have different play areas for older and younger kids, wood chips on the ground and a variety of swings and slides and monkey bars.

There is also a spray park, right next to it, which was of course closed at that time. They have an outdoor pool as well, open from June until Labor weekend, I am guessing the water park follows the same schedule.

As for the washroom, both upper and lower Hume Parks provide washrooms that are available from April to mid-October from 8:30 am to dusk. Upper Hume washroom is also available from mid-October to April from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.

It is a big park, that offers a lot of amenities such as tennis courts, lacrosse area, the playgrounds, picnic shelter, outdoor pool and sports fields.

What I liked a lot was that you can take long walks around and enjoy the view; at some point, we exited the park without realizing, we kept on walking and found ourselves outside the park.

The kids had fun and I think that summer time really brings out the best in this park. I will for sure head there during hot season, my children will definitely enjoy the spray park!

If you want to find out more about the park, including history, please click here.

That is it for now!

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Sorina

Cape Horn Park in Coquitlam

September 24, 2018October 29, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: 186 San Juan Place, Coquitlam

Well Coquitlam did it again, with another small and cute park in the neighbourhood. This time you can find it at San Juan place. A local mom was telling me there used to be an old park before.

You would think the location is not the ideal one when you think it is next to the highway, but that makes it unique actually. You don’t see a lot of park right next to the highway. Astrid and Jamie enjoyed seeing the train passing while we were there, and you know how kids are with trains. Or garbage trucks. But more about that in a different post.

Wood chips, slides, two swings and lots of natural grass and seating area awaits you. We’ve been there a couple of times and it wasn’t crowded, hardly anyone I should say. It’s nice when you find a new park or place to go, the kids are happy, you can’t really compare or describe their excitement or happiness.

It’s a good option until the rainy season starts.

Go check it out!

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Also, share your experience if you happen to stop by!

Sorina

Poirier Community Centre, Best Playground in Coquitlam for under 3 years old

September 8, 2018September 8, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: 630 Poirier Street Coquitlam, B.C. V3J 6B1

Small and cute playground, this is exactly what this is. This little park is located next to Poirier Community Centre. I don’t think it has a name because I am not sure if it’s marked like a regular park, it could be simply attached to the community centre, but what I know is that it is designed for children 2 to 5 years old. My children are both under 3 and did great playing with pretty much everything there.

Most of the times we went it was empty, like you can see in the pictures, but it depends on the time of day and weather of course. They have 2 little houses to play in, a slide, musical instruments, rubberized surface, a few little tables when your little one can snack. The cute white fence really makes this playground adorable, a fairytale inspired place. Also, it is ideal for crawling babies, if that is what you are looking for.

My children love it, everything is their size and it makes everything more accessible for them. They are in control all the time, compared to the regular playgrounds, where the little ones sometimes get overwhelmed by the older kids. My rule whenever we are in a playground is that if you can’t climb or reach a specific slide or climbing structure, it means it’s not designed for your age. They require a certain amount of strength and coordination.

That is why this place is great for little kids and we should have more of this type of playgrounds in Coquitlam and not only.

We stop whenever we are in the area, and so should you!

Go check it out!

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Also, share your experience if you happen to stop by!

Sorina

Apple Barn farm trip in Abbotsford

September 2, 2018September 2, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: 333 Gladwin Rd Abbotsford, BC V2T 5Y1

September is here, the summer is gone. If you need an idea for this long weekend. you can check out Taves Family Farms. It was another first time experience today, going to Abbotsford and visiting the farm. We arrived there at 10 am, they opened at 9 as of today, but it was pretty quiet, not a lot of visitors in just yet, which was nice. They offer a lot of fun experiences if you’re into farm and countryside and if you have children. We went for apple picking and like a lot of farms these days, we discovered a lot of other things you can do once you’re there. Everything is customized for children. Everything.

We started with the petting farm and moved our way to the u-pick apple orchards area. At first we decided not to take a wheelbarrow, but once we transferred the kids into one, they were delighted and nothing else mattered. They just looooved the ride. They also offer a tractor ride/ hay ride if you and your family prefer that. We skipped the tractor this time. The wheelbarrow was way more fun.

My daughter enjoyed the farm, the country open space, the apple picking. My son as well, he loves animals.

There are two playgrounds for children, one free, and one with a fee. We only checked out the free one at the end, our kids were pretty tired and there was no time left. How much can a 2.5 yrs and 1 yr old last, right?

Check their hours of operation, they will be open 7 days a week for the next 2 months, and there is soooo much to do. Just to name a few: corn quest maze, jumping pillow and pumpkin pillow, petting barn and bunny town, pedal cars, tractor trail, slides and zipline, playground and farmville, hayride, of course depending on your kids age.

For sure we will go back again, the season has just started.

Here are some pictures and the link to the farm.

See you next time!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

If you have any comments, please feel free to add them. If you like this post and would like to be notified by email about similar articles, don’t forget to subscribe.

Also, share your experience if you happen to visit this location!

Sorina

Astrid enjoying the tractor

ready for the ride

Look mommy, I am picking an apple! 😀

Peekaboo!

Astrid not so convinced she likes the tractor haha

what happens every time you try to get everyone in a picture

Children’ Museum in Portland, OREGON

August 21, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Going on trips in new cities is fun and challenging at the same time, if you are travelling with small children and you’re not familiar with the area. What you would normally do is research before you go and plan ahead, but if time doesn’t allow to do that, then you kind of take everything as it comes, which is fun too, right, but kids work well with routine, at least mine and so it is better to plan ahead.

A few months ago we went on a road trip to Portland Oregon and for a few days I had the children for myself. One of the places we loved a lot and it turned out to be perfect for their age was the Children’ museum. It is THE ideal place for 0-12 years olds. We only got a chance to go there once, due to our schedule, but definitely worth going multiple times if you are visiting and need a way to keep your children busy and entertained.

They offer lots of play stations, your toddler can choose from multiple play options, more technical or more creative, there is a water station as well, a vet hospital, a theatre.

There is a cafeteria if you want to eat, and of course washrooms available along with parking. Please bear in mind the parking is not free.

We had lots of fun and you can too!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

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Also, share your experience if you happen to visit this location!

Sorina

Tricity Family Place, Victoria Hall Coquitlam

August 17, 2018October 17, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Program: Tricity Family Place

Location: 3435 Victoria Drive, Coquitlam, British Columbia V3B 3H7

Cost: drop in, 1$ per child, parent participation required

When: 9:30am-1pm, Mon-Fri

Parking: yes, limited

If you are looking for an indoor place to hide your kids from the heat in the summer, you can check out Tricity Family Place at Victoria Hall in Coquitlam. I couldn’t find an official website, but you can search Tricity Family Place and it will lead you to their Facebook page.

I’ve been taking my kids this summer weekly, two or three days a week and they really enjoy it. They have a chance to meet other kids, play, socialize, they offer different play stations, I have to say it is the summer version of Strong Start for those who are familiar with that.

They offer snack, which comes from donations, as they are a non-profit society. You need to supervise your child at all times. There is a coordinator present as well, which will engage the children during circle time, with stories and songs.

Summer is almost over so if you want to check them out, they are open Mondays to Fridays from 9:30 am to 1 pm. The centre is open all through the year, except for when they close for building maintenance, this year it will happen from August 27-Sept 7th, not sure if this happens every year, since this is our first year.

A similar program is Tri city family place in POCO, same thing, different location!

That is all until next time! I hope you enjoyed this post!

If you have any comments, please feel free to add them. If you like this post and would like to be notified by email about similar articles, don’t forget to subscribe.

Also, share your experience if you happen to visit this park!

Sorina

Pop up play July Coquitlam

July 13, 2018July 13, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Program: Pop up play

Location: Westwood Alliance Church (In the gym downstairs) 3129 Ozada Ave, Coquitlam, BC

Cost: free

When: Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday from July 16th to July 27th, 2018 from 10- 11:30

For all the mommis looking for an indoor playground, there is a free drop in program available for the summer, three days a week, for the next two weeks in Coquitlam. For more information, click here. This is the July session, there is another one announced fr August.

We will check it out this coming Monday and see what it has to offer. If you want to get away from the heat a little bit, this is a good opportunity. I am not saying that sun and summer aren’t cool, but keeping your toddler (and your baby) in the heat for too long, it isn’t probably the best idea, hats and sunblock lotions considered.

Enjoy and see you around!

Sorina

Victoria Park in Coquitlam

June 24, 2018June 24, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: 3435 Victoria Dr, BC V3B 3H7

Parking available on the street

School is over and so is Strong Start, the program I take my kids on a regular basis. But summer is here and so is parks season, if I can call it that, when we go wondering thru the parks and enjoy the good weather. We went to Victoria Park this weekend, which happens to be a brand new park, opened June 13th 2017 and it was lovely. We didn’t spend a lot of time, but the first impression was good. It was worth the drive; beautiful quiet neighborhood.

The playground is for 0-10 year olds probably, swings and slides available, on a rubbery new surface. Surrounded by fence and a beautiful green area, the park offers a lot of seating areas and a nice spot to enjoy with kids. For sure your little one will not get bored; only my daughter had to chance to enjoy it this time, her brother decided to take a nap, but I am sure we will be back for more action.

Along with the playground area, there is also a super 8 soccer, a full-sized multi-sport court.

The park is near Victoria Community Hall, which hosts a summer drop in for children 0-5, which we will check probably soon and we’ll give a brief review like always. More details to come, I am not sure what kind of activities they offer at this drop-in.

There is washroom available as well, right next to the community hall.

That is all until next time! I hope you enjoyed this post!

If you have any comments, please feel free to add them. If you like this post and would like to be notified by email about similar articles, don’t forget to subscribe.

Also, share your experience if you happen to visit this park!

Sorina

Stanley Park and Beaver Lake in Vancouver, BC

June 20, 2018October 17, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Location: downtown Vancouver

Cost: free

Parking: paid parking available

Stanley Park is definitely the place to go, if you want to take a walk with or without kids. It took me a while to discover the full potential of this natural masterpiece, but I finally have and it is great. For a long time, we used to drive up to a certain location and park, but didn’t really ventured inside, on the trails. And there are a lot of them, that you can explore.

We’ve always enjoyed the seawall, on foot or by bike when we didn’t have kids, but this time we took the kids for half a day in the park. It was the first time we’ve done it with them. We started with the Aquarium and moved our way on the trails, our aim being to get to Beaver lake.

We’ve recently got equipped with a Thule, which is awesome for trails and off-roads. I truly recommend it if you’re into hiking and going with the kids in the parks. It is worth the investment and then of course you have the option to attach it to your bike, which is its primary scope. The bike trailer is actually meant to be attached to the bike, and if you want to turn it into a stroller, you have the option to add a third wheel in front and that’s it.

We haven’t used it as a bike trailer yet, as my son is under 1 yo and it is not recommended. And you won’t find a helmet that fits his head either for the reason mentioned above, so for now it is a stroller. A double stroller. Good for napping too.

I mentioned parks earlier and as most of us know already, most parks don’t have a lot of paved trails, it is more gravel roads. Having a stroller with good wheels comes in handy.

Coming back to Stanley park, we went on the seawall a little bit then entered a trail that led us straight up to Beaver lake. We walked for about 30 minutes, on a beautiful quiet trail. Beaver lake is pretty well hidden and covered, at some point you couldn’t tell it is a lake, more of a marsh actually.

We took a tour, the kids fell asleep. Soon we got to the Rose garden, beautiful flowers everywhere. A nice place to lay a blanket and have a quick snack.

I didn’t run into any playgrounds, there could be some, but I haven’t found them, I can’t tell for sure. Honestly, there are so many things to do and see , I wouldn’t really focus on that.

As for parking, there is plenty of paid parking available, washrooms too in certain location. The park is gorgeous if you want to take photos or simply enjoy nature. Definitely worth a visit. Although we don’t live that close, we try to see Stanley park as often as we can.

I hope you enjoyed this post, happy seawalling!

If you have any comments, please feel free to add them. If you like this post and would like to be notified by email about similar articles, don’t forget to subscribe.

Also, share your experience if you happen to visit the park!

Sorina

Franc Depart- the French StrongStart in Poco

May 2, 2018May 2, 2018 / Tricities Mom / Leave a comment

Program: Franc Depart or the Strong Start in French.

Location: 1618 Patricia Ave Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 4A8 and other schools in BC; see here for details

Cost: free, parent participation required

When: 9am-12pm, Mon-Fri

Parking: yes, limited

This is one post I wanted to put out there for a while, I remember some moms asking at some point if there is a version of the StrongStart in French, and yes there is. It is called Franc Depart and it takes place at Ecole des Pionniers-de-Maillardville in Port Coquitlam. I went with my kids there once at their temporary location. They were in the process of being relocated to a more final place, but shortly after we went they informed us by email that the program will be closed until the relocation is complete. And they are still closed. I believe we were supposed to receive an update on an estimate opening date somewhere beginning of May.

This time I don’t have any pictures to attach unfortunately, for some reason I can’t find them anymore, they would have been from the old location anyway. Nevertheless, once they re-open I will add some.

As for the program overall, it is indeed similar to Strong Start. The children need to be accompanied by an adult, age group is 0 to 5 years old. Activity wise they have free play in the beginning of the day, followed by snack and circle time. That time we went, they had no gym, but I am not sure if that was because of the location, or because in general Franc Depart doesn’t offer gym. I guess we will find out with our next visit.

The onsite educator welcomed us, she was very nice, took the time to explain to us what the program is about and handed us the form to fill out and some flyers. We need to get the form ready for next time I suppose.

Go if you have the chance. Good opportunity to practice your French!

I hope you enjoyed this post and like always, happy playing!

If you have any comments, please feel free to add them. If you like this post and would like to be notified by email about similar articles, don’t forget to subscribe.

Also, share your experience if you happen to visit this location!

Sorina