What to Do With the Kids This Weekend (April 6-8)
Welcome to the weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by help plan your time together this week. There’s lots going on, so let’s get to it!
There’s still time to enjoy New Brunswick’s favourite spring ritual – a trip to the maple sugar camp. The City of Moncton runs its own sugar bush, open daily to the public from 11am to 4pm, with weekend guided tours at 11am and 2pm. You might also enjoy a visit to the Stilesville’s Pancake & Pure Maple Syrup Brunch, Renton Brothers Family Sugarbush, and Trites Maples. More on all of these options on our M is for Maple post!
This weekend is also the annual Maple Festival in Riverview! On Friday night, enjoy Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle on the big screen at the Riverview Community Hall. This is a free event, starting at 6:30pm, with limited seating. Saturday morning features a pancake breakfast at the Dan Bohan Family Centre (adults $7, children $3.50), a Rise & Maple self-guided morning hike on the Dobson with maple coffee, s’mores and more at the Junction, free all ages skateboarding at the Riverview Skatepark, and a special themed open swim in the afternoon. On Sunday you can enjoy a maple bath bomb workshop and play a life-sized game of Candy Land – free for families with children ages five to 12, with (cash only) maple taffy, cotton candy, and BBQ on site.
In addition to the events, you can grab a specially-priced growler of Celtic Knot’s Maple Porter, book a maple pedi at LaSpa, indulge in a Buddha Briggs Maple Cappuccino at Buddha Bear, grab maple goodies at Terry’s Bake Shop and Briggs Maples (free maple taffy on the snow on Saturday and Sunday, 11am-3pm), and feast on a maple bacon scallop linguine at Five Bridges. Check out the Town’s site for more details & ideas!
The Magnetic Hill Zoo is now open for the season, daily from 10am until 4pm; enjoy off-season rates until the long weekend in May!
Saturday morning in Salisbury children ages 10 and older are invited to the library to get creative with old t-shirts (not provided). Members of Community Gems will help turn the shirts into shopping bags, dog toys, head bands, and more. To register for this free event, call 372-3240.
Michael’s is changing up its Kids Club workshops, now listing events on Friday afternoons, Saturday mornings, and Sunday afternoons. Check it out!
Scholar’s Choice will be celebrating siblings at its Smart Saturdays in-store hands-on activities this week.
Cineplex’s Family Favourite feature this Saturday is Paddington 2. (Wednesday mornings you can enjoy Stars & Strollers – a new release, shown with lowered volume, dimmed lighting, bottle warmers, stroller parking, and more.)
Is there a pup in your family – or your future? Stop by Dog Days at Bass Pro Shops on Saturday; free photos, treats, and demonstrations, including a best dog trick contest at 1pm.
Toys R Us is holding an Autism Sensory Friendly Event on Sunday; for the first hour the store is open, enjoy in-store activities without music or announcements, dim lighting, and designated quiet areas.
The Kids Celebrate! traveling exhibit will soon be leaving Resurgo Place – this is an incredibly fun interactive display that the whole family will love. You have until April 15 to catch it! This is also a great weekend to visit, as you can catch the Homarus mobile lab on Saturday between 10am and noon. This hands-on tank of underwater creatures is included with admission.
It’s Make Something Sunday in Sackville, with kids learning to make stickers at the Owen Art Gallery. This is a monthly free, drop-in event.
You can find lots more ideas for places to go and things to do with the family on our Mega List, but here are a few highlights:
Creative juices ready to flow? Check out what’s happening at The Clayspace or pop in to DIY Studio.
The Dieppe Aquatic Centre has a preschool swim on Friday mornings, and public swims Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening, and Sunday afternoon. The Pat Crossman Aquatic Centre in Riverview offers open swim times on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Moncton YMCA holds public swims sessions on Friday evenings, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The Sunday swims are subsidized by the City of Moncton and cost $2 per person. You do NOT need a membership to swim at these times. St. Pat’s Family Centre in Moncton offers public family swim times, as does the pool at Universite de Moncton.
Bowling can always be a blast and Fairlanes in Moncton, Bowlarama in Dieppe, and Parklane Bowling in Riverview all offer gutter blockers for kids.
Looking to entertain older kids? You can enjoy arcade fun and more at Crystal Mountain Party Palace, test out the virtual reality capsules, lazer maze challenge, and funky climbing walls at Hop Skip Jump! (it’s not just for little kids!), jump it out at Skyzone Moncton and Get AirMoncton, and challenge yourselves at FitRocks Climbing Gym. Room Escape Atlantic has theme rooms suitable for ages eight and up, while Mystery Moncton Mystere welcomes children ages 14 and older.
And be sure to check your local libraries and the Family Resource Centre and its outreach playgroups for more family fun, especially for little ones during the week!
