If you've been following Bree and I on our blog Peaks and Harbours, you know that we like to get ourselves and the kids to the ocean as much as possible. It's a easy way to keep cool, and they can let their imaginations run wild as they play for hours in the water. We also like to mix it up, so this week we've got a few of our favourite water spots in and around town, as well as an amazing arts summer camp, and a music festival in Strathcona to keep you busy!
Pick one of our many shores, watch the Tide Schedule for Vancouver, and you've got your very own natural wading pool. Whether you're out in Boundary Bay or Locarno Beach, the kids will be thrilled get out further than usual into the waters, and explore some of the sea life that's inevitably hanging out there.
This idyllic beach is just around the corner from Horseshoe Bay, with all the amenities to encourage you to spend the whole day here. Space for BBQs, a concession stand, a playground, and of course, that beautiful beach. Watch those tide times again - if you're not staying for the whole day, you'll want to time it so the sand doesn't disappear on you.
There is always a lot of action happening in these waters throughout the year, but especially in the summer. You'll see kids setting up a picnic blanket and umbrellas right on the sand when the tide goes out, making sand castles all day until the water comes back in. There are groups of paddle boarders, kite-flyers, skim-boarders, and even horses that come through these shallow waters throughout the day. My kids' favourite thing to do is to take out the kayak, as the Bay gets so shallow they can easily paddle solo for quite a ways out.
Maybe you just need to get out of the sun for a while, but also keep the little ones busy. Collage Collage has an amazing Summer Camp going on right now called Crafternoons, and each week is a different arts and crafts project for 4 - 9 year olds. Right now, if you have siblings going together, you can enter the discount code SIBS for 15% off registration!
*photo by Lori Kiessling
Summer is also the time for tons of outdoor music festivals - but sometimes they're not for the whole family. East Van Summer Jam is! With each adult ticket, a child gets in for free – and you can even bring your dog!? Not only will the day & night be filled with incredible artists, bands, and musical acts (check out the event lineup here: East Van Summer Jam), but there is a vintage market, an art spot for kids, beer garden, BBQ, and a soccer cage match – calling all hipster dads!
Carina-Marie Nilsson is the co-founder of Peaks and Harbours, a Vancouver “not just for moms” blog that showcases everything our city has to offer the younger crowd. @carinamarienilsson
