Today we began our first session of Gymboree play & music classes. We signed up for the Level 3 Play & Learn class, which fit best with our schedule. The class features play as well as some songtime – there is, however, another class focused solely on music.
The level 3 class focuses on teaching babies to play together, to learn balance and co-ordination, and to enjoy interactive play. Some of the activities we did today included circle time songs, sliding side-by-side with another baby, passing the ball, climbing ramps and doing some walking against this fantastic inflated tube – it was the most Aiden had ever walked!
Some of the class became overwhelming for Aiden – lots of other babies can sometimes make him want to go off on his own to explore. That’s ok though – the class was very open to letting babies do what feels best for them.
Aiden loves the water. He’s been through one cycle of swim lessons and is registered for his second starting soon. However, we try to give him opportunities to play in the water, when we can. He has a little wading pool outside, though mostly he just wants to crawl in and out of the water. When we go to Whole Foods in West Vancouver, we like to give him a few minutes to splash in the fountain:
On Sunday, we took our first family trip to the West Vancouver Aquatic Centre. I don’t have any photos of our trip, but it was fantastic!! The pool facilities are fantastic – really open and lovely. The pool is kept warmer than most pools, and is treated with ozone as well as chlorine in order to minimize the use of chlorine.
As far as amenities goes, there is a section for toddlers that has shallow water for them to climb around in, as well as a little slide and some water spouts. They had out a series of toys during the family swim time as well.
The big feature of this pool (aside from the waterslide) is the “lazy river” – a series of currents that you ride on a tube (or in a suspended floatie for babies) taking you in a circuit around the pool and through a small section of “rapids”. We went through many times with Aiden, who was surprisingly happy to lounge in his floatie.
Great pool and a great way to spend a Sunday morning!
On Sunday, stymied by the rain, we decided to check out the Fun 4 Kidz activity centre at Park Royal. The centre is marketed towards kids of all ages, vs others that specify 12+ months, so we thought we’d give it a go. After looking at their website, I was encouraged by the presence of a “toddlers area”. Sadly, I was disappointed.
Turns out, the photo represents the toddlers area at the Richmond centre. The Park Royal toddlers area consists of a bunch of mats haphazardly tossed on the floor, a couple of rocking horses, some age-inappropriate computer programs (no way any toddler could use them) and some wall-mounted puzzle-type activities. There was a slide there too, but it was clearly not designed well for toddlers – it’s “steps” being too high to climb up for little babies.
Talking to another mother there with her older child playing in the well-designed kids zone, the toddler zone used to be better. It used to be gated off, which it isn’t now, and used to feature a padded ramp / stairs for toddlers to climb with a long slide at the end. She hypothesized that someone sold them on the idea of the computer programs, which needed ‘retail’ space on the walls.
I think we stayed about 15 minutes at Fun 4 Kidz before Aiden was bored. Our primary goal was to let him crawl and climb around – something he desperately needs on weekends but which is quite difficult to do outside the house (and he hates being at home).
You’ve seen me mention many times on this blog and on Twitter about the playgroups we attend. We try to take advantage of the many fantastic community resources offered in North Vancouver and Vancouver. Many of these playgroups are free, or very low cost, and they are a great chance for moms to socialize while providing the tots a safe and fun environment to explore.
Here are some of the community groups we’re a part of:
- Lower Lonsdale Drop-In – at John Braithwaite Community Centre (JBCC). Starts at 9:30 on Monday and you need to be there really early before it fills up. Includes playtime / crafts, snack & circle time. Free; Age 0-6 years.
- Cruisers Drop-In - at Commercial & 1st Ave in Vancouver. 1-3pm, with a talk starting at 1:30 on Monday. Has toys out and targets babies 6mo – 14mo. Free.
- Parent / Infant Drop-In / Breastfeeding Support - these are offered 3 days per week in North Vancouver at various locations from 1-3pm. They target babies under 12 months, though focus on new parent support. They have an hour-long social time where you can weigh your baby plus a talk. We go to 2 of these each week – great socializing. Free.
- Playgroup in the Park – during the summer, these are hosted by various parent associations at parks across North Vancouver. They bring toys, have coffee & snacks. We go to this on Tuesday mornings – locations can vary.
- Baby storytime – libraries hold these in North Vancouver. We go to the Thursday one, though we may alternate also adding in the Monday one depending on nap times / the JBCC drop-in. Free. Most libraries offer a 0-24mo day plus a toddler day.
- Lynnmour Family drop-in – indoor drop-in group starting at 9am. Unsure if this is year-round or summer only. We are only just going to begin this one. $1 / family + bring a fruit.
- Learning together through play – these are hosted at the 2 I Hope Family Centres in North Vancouver. They have lots and lots of toys, snacks & circle time. Free, age 0-6 years. Not available during the summer.
From other parents, I know there are some paid drop-ins that are held in school gyms as well as at centres such as Go Bananas (12+ months). Do you have any info on those I can add to this list?
We aren’t always able to attend all of these activities, and we often end up arriving late or leaving early, all depending on our nap schedule for the day.
If you are in North Van, there is a brochure (PDF) that lists many of these groups as well as others (we’ve never, for example, had the schedule open for a Mother Goose program).
This afternoon, after story time, Aiden took a lovely long nap. I started to present him with his lunch, but he’d have none of it. This food? Why, it belongs on the floor, I say!! Thinking my battle with finger foods was going to last a long time, I packed up Aiden’s lunch and headed to our regular drop-in at John Braithwaite.
There, Aiden “allowed” me to feed him a few pieces of food, but eventually tired of me. However, we discovered that he was completely ok with Jessica feeding him. I’m not sure if it was the novelty of the person feeding him and/or being fed with chopsticks, but he was all over his lunch… and Zayden’s lunch too!
New foods discovered today: tofu, peas, kidney beans, chickpeas, mozzarella cheese.
