Aiden recently paid a visit to one of the City of North Vancouver’s Fire Departments for a little tour. Most fire departments offer free tours for kids and the firemen we see at the cafes often say to just drop by for a visit. Well, we finally took them up on the offer! Luckily, a fireman was able to show Aiden and his friend around the fire station for a while.
Aiden got a little shy at the fire station (which he often does for a few minutes in a new situation), so he didn’t sit behind the wheel of a fire truck. He got inside a couple of the trucks, had a good look around, and got to see a firetruck pulling in and then going out for another emergency job. He was a little frightened when the fireman pulled the air horn on one of the fire trucks (he has auditory sensitivities – his ears hurt with loud noises) and that kind of soured the end of our visit.
Aiden has subsequently talked a lot about the visit and how he didn’t sit in the firetruck; from past discussions of this kind, it seems to be his way of talking through his fears so that he can overcome them next time.
It was great to be able to show Aiden the fire station and all the details behind one of his favourite vehicles (according to Aiden, all sirens we hear are firetrucks).
See all our photos from the visit here.
We took Aiden to Science World for the first time a few weeks ago. Or the Science I-See-Um (Museum), as Aiden referred to it. It was a lot for Aiden to take in, but he was determined to see it all. His attention span wasn’t that great for any one activity, but he loved interacting with several of the activities in the Eureka gallery as well as in the Kidspace.
Science World is currently showcasing the Extreme Dinosaurs exhibit – a great display of animatronic dinosaurs that’s sure to leave an impression. Indeed, it left quite an impression on Aiden. We had to quickly carry Aiden through the exhibit, as the dinosaurs were “very noisy” and a little scary for Aiden, but his sheer love of dinosaurs kept him from crying. Indeed, if you ask him about his trip to Science World, he’ll pretty much only talk about the dinosaurs.
See all our photos from the trip here.
We went to Parkgate Family Days last weekend to listen to music and enjoy the beautiful weather. We were there a little early, so missed many of the festivities, but enjoyed listening to the children’s music performer, playing at the dried beans table and getting a balloon. Aiden also had his first ‘painting’ experience.
I wasn’t sure how he’d react to having something on his face, so I asked the artist to paint a ladybug on Aiden’s hand. Quick and fun and he loved it.
Last Sunday we took Aiden out for Lynn Valley Days. Despite some toddler difficulties in getting him from the car to the park (ugh, tantrums), it was worth the difficulty. He was mesmerized by the parade. Though the parade was not very tightly clustered (bad flow), he sat for all of it. I’m sure the popcorn and his first freezie helped. The close-up fire engine noise did scare him a bit, but he loved the bands and anyone who was dancing or riding on bikes.
We tried to take him into a bouncy castle, but that was a fail. He freaked out. He rode the mini train alone without freaking out too much. We browsed a few booths and called it a day. The parade was enough.
Really, parades must be made with toddlers in mind. I can’t think of any other age group more “into” the parade than the young toddlers.
Do your toddlers like parades too? At what age did your kids begin to find parades “boring”?
It’s almost been a year since Aiden paid his first visit to Maplewood Farm. We have since bought an annual pass, covering our immediate family and the grandmothers for a full year. I’ve taken Aiden several times in the last couple of months and just last week we went as a family for the Sheep Shearing Festival. So fun!
After checking out some of the regular animals and a visit with the goats, we all checked out some of the dogs herding ducks through a series of obstacles. We then got a spot on the hay bales to watch the sheep shearing. Still Mr. Cuddly, he was totally ok sitting on my lap for the duration of the shearing. And was completely mesmerized by the action.
I narrated what was happening for him and, when it was all done, he clapped (with his thumb still in his mouth, of course). He was so fascinated by the whole process. Definitely going to be a yearly family event for us! Continue reading →
