It’s early in the spring break holiday and many parents are already scratching their heads, wondering what to do with their kids on their two weeks off from school.
With the mixed bag of weather forecasted, the Tri-City News has a list of activities to keep children, youth and teens busy — and affordable for families on a budget.
INDOORS
Arts and Crafts at Coquitlam Centre
Kids can have fun with arts and crafts at Coquitlam Centre mall (2929 Barnet Hwy., Coquitlam) with staff from the city’s two main art hubs: Evergreen Cultural Centre and Place des Arts. Head over to Level 1 of the Centre Court on Saturday, March 22, from noon to 3 p.m., to create underwater jellyfish. And, on Sunday, March 23, from noon to 3 p.m., make some spring flowers and bugs with materials like paper, glitter and pipe cleaners. The stations are open while supplies last. Adult supervision is required for little ones.
Evergreen festival
Dufflebag Theatre is at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) this week with two family-friendly shows: The Three Musketeers and Sleeping Beauty. Tickets are $24/$16 by calling the box office at 604-927-6555 or visiting the facility’s website.
Skating, swimming
Lace up your skates or slip on your swimwear for a skate or dip at a public recreation facility. Coquitlam has the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex (633 Poirier St.) and the City Centre Aquatic Complex (1210 Pinetree Way) while Port Coquitlam has the newly built Port Coquitlam Community Centre (2150 Wilson Ave.) and the Hyde Creek Recreation Centre (1379 Laurier Ave.). In Port Moody, the rinks are open at the Port Moody Recreation Complex (300 Ioco Rd.) for a twirl with friends and family. Check the facility hours and times online. As well, the Bettie Allard YMCA (555 Emerson St., Coquitlam) has a pool and great workout rooms by the Burquitlam SkyTrain station.
Galleries, museums
The Tri-Cities is full of artists, so take some time to check out the local creations at galleries and museums. At the Art Gallery at Evergreen (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam), tour the space to see the exhibit Meera Margaret Singh: What We Hold, a series of photographic and sculptural still lives that trace familial histories and memories through art. In Port Coquitlam, there’s three shows up at Leigh Square and Port Coquitlam City Hall (2580 Leigh Sq.) as well as an exhibit from Nicole Melnicky at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre (2150 Wilson Ave.). And at PoMoArts (2425 St. Johns St.), the annual Art 4 Life is up with work from 33 artists including Sherida Charles, who recently retired as an art teacher at Centennial Secondary School.
SkyTrain adventures
Hop on the Millennium Line and ride SkyTrain to a new neighbourhood for you. There are six stations in the Tri-Cities — Burquitlam, Moody Centre, Inlet, Coquitlam Central, Lincoln and Lafarge Lake–Douglas — and each has shops and services to discover in Zone 3. A single fare is valid for 90 minutes on SkyTrain, a bus and SeaBus. The cost for one zone ticket is $3.20 or $2.15 for a concession ride. And, best of all, there is no cost for children ages 12 and under — including West Coast Express.
OUTDOORS
Go fish
Grab your rod and bait and head to a Tri-City lake to catch ad release a rainbow trout. There are plenty of fishers already out at Como and Lafarge lakes in Coquitlam as well as Buntzen Lake in Anmore and Sasamat Lake in Belcarra. The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC last restocked these four lakes in October 2024. Fishers ages 16 and older require a freshwater fishing licence. Anglers can buy an annual licence, or an eight-day or one-day pass, online via gofishbc.com.
Cycling
The Tri-Cities has some great urban and nature routes for people on bikes. Take the family along the new multi-use path on St. Johns Street in Port Moody, which just won an award from the HUB cycling advocacy group for its first phase and runs from Albert to Moody streets. Be sure to read Belcarra residents Colleen and Ian MacDonald’s blog Letsgobiking.net to get some ideas about where to head out in Metro Vancouver.
Photography
If you’ve got a couple of cameras collecting dust, put them in your kids’ hands and go explore the beauty and wildlife in the Tri-Cities. With spring officially starting on Thursday, March 20, there’s greenery on the plants. Our favourite spots to capture nature are at Mundy Park (641 Hillcrest St., Coquitlam), the largest park in Coquitlam at 176 hectares; the Deboville Slough nature preserve (4100 Cedar Dr., Coquitlam), where you can head north to the Minnekhada Regional Park or south to Port Coquitlam, past the Pitt River Boat Club. Port Moody also has 56 kilometres of trails and paths, so visit Bert Flinn Park on Heritage Mountain; the Alfred Howe Greenway (Glenayre and College Park neighbourhoods); and the upper paved portion of the Shoreline Trail (the lower gravel path and boardwalk are partially closed until this summer).
Volunteer
If your teen is looking for short-term volunteer opportunities for their graduation requirements, visit Community Volunteer Connections and scroll through the list of non-paid jobs available in the Tri-Cities. The current postings include volunteering with Big Brothers and Sisters of BC, Hyde Creek Watershed Society and Canadian Blood Services.
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