Calgary with Kids Archives - Fit Natural Family

Aggie Days this year will run April 4 – 5, 2020 at the Nutrien Western Event Centre and the agricultural barns which are located on the Stampede grounds here in Calgary. The event runs from 10am -4pm on both days.

Aggie days is a free event geared towards children and families with many hands on exhibits and animals to visit with. It is a great way for children to learn about where our food comes from and learn about the farm culture here in Alberta.

There are two competitions that run during this event which you can watch. Saturday is the Stock Dog Competition and Sunday is the Extreme Cowboy Races. Last year we attended the Extreme Cowboy Races and my kids really enjoyed watching the cowboys and cowgirls run through the obstacle course on their horses.

One thing we love is that they wrist band all children entering the event with a parents phone number, so if you do get separated they can find you.

My youngest has always wanted to be a farmer when he grows up and so he looks forward to this event every year. He loves being able to talk to cowboys, see the tractors and farm equipment and spend some time with the animals. He is so excited for this event that he plans his outfit out a week in advance to make sure it is all clean and ready to go. He wants to make sure he looks like a real cowboy!

The First Nations community also perform some of their dances and play music as well as have some artifacts on display. My daughter loves seeing these presentations and meeting the First Nations Princess.

If you plan to go, I would recommend being there just before they open the doors so you can get through some of the areas before the lineups get too long for some of the activities. Also make sure to take snacks and plan to be there for the better part of the day, if these are things your children really enjoy. The concessions stands are open during the event as well as a couple food trucks, but the lineups can be quite long.

For more information check out the Calgary Stampede where all of the days events and important information will be posted a couple weeks before the event. Parking is available on the Stampede grounds for $15, this is also accessible via Calgary Transit.

Have you been to Aggie days? For us this is how we experience the Stampede since our children are still fairly young for the main event in July and the crowds aren’t quite so big at this event.

View of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony Sundays with the CPO

By coachkatye

On March 4, 2020

In Alberta, Calgary

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is a great way to expose our children to the symphony and live music. I have fond memories of attending the symphony as a child and I wanted to continue this tradition with my children.

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra offers children’s programming on four Sundays throughout the year known as Symphony Sundays for Kids. You can subscribe to the season or individual tickets. If you subscribe for the season then you end up with one concert free. Season tickets price range is $72-$87 for children and $105-$120 for adults. Single concerts are $35-$40 per seat. We are subscribers and the nice part of this is that we are offered our same seats each year before tickets go on sale to the public.

For best seats we recommend the dress circle left or right. My kids decided they prefer these seats over orchestra seats since they enjoy being able to watch all of the musicians throughout the concert and it is much easier to see the musicians from this vantage point. For my youngest, being in the dress circle means he does not have to sit for the entire concert, but can stand or calmly dance at his place without disturbing anyone.

This years offerings are: Kids at the Opera which was performed in September 22, The Hockey Sweater on February 2, Presto Mambo March 8 and Beethoven lives upstairs May 31. We are especially looking forward to Beethoven Lives Upstairs as this is a story we have listened to while travelling many times. It was a story I grew up listening to on long road trips and it was nice I could share it with my children. We are interested to see how they perform this.

The symphony is great for all ages. The conductor is very animated and engages the children throughout the concert. Some past performances have included Fred Penner, Gershwin’s Magic Key, Peter and the Wolf to name a few.

We highly recommend going early to visit the Instrument Discovery Zoo which gives children a chance to try a variety of instruments prior to the concert. This is where my son developed an interest in Violin which he has now been learning for the past two years.

Do you attend the symphony? Have you considered taking your children?

The Children’s Reading Place – You need to visit

By coachkatye

On February 24, 2020

In Calgary

Did you know there is a magical home hidden in Inglewood that invites families to come and visit to spend some time reading?

The Children’s reading place is run by Calgary Reads. The Children’s Reading place is open to all and free to visit, but appointments must be booked in advance. Appointment booking is so that they can ensure everyone can find a quiet space and it won’t ever be too busy. They are open Thursday through Saturday weekly. Appointments can be booked online and you will receive an email confirmation. School groups are also welcome to schedule a time to visit.

The day of your visit you arrive at the home at your scheduled time, when you will be invited in. The Reader in residence will explain the home to you, and then leave you to explore and find a cozy spot to curl up with a book.

Lots of places to snuggle up with a book

Every inch of the home is decorated and there are so many neat things for children to discover. This includes the washrooms as well which my children thought was really neat. Upstairs there is a room with some activities for children such as Lego, drawing, colouring. One favourite spot was the closet in the hallway that has been converted into a doll house.

At the end of your visit, each child is invited to select a book to take home. There are some books on site that must remain at the home for all to be able to read, but these are clearly marked. Any other books throughout the home are for children to select from.

Lots of nooks and crannies for kids to explore

When you go, be sure to take any children’s books you are finished with to donate to help ensure there are always books for children to pick from. This is an excellent family activity and is easily accessible via public transit.

Our children love this place. We spent a couple of hours on our visit here and could easily have spent more.

Have you visited the Children’s Reading Place? What did you think?

Storybook Theatre is Great for Kids

By coachkatye

On February 19, 2020

In Alberta, Calgary

Our favourite local theatre is Storybook Theatre . One thing my kids and I love to do is to go to the theatre. My children have developed a real love for musical theatre and look forward to going throughout the year.

Storybook Theatre is a semi-professional musical theatre that has been around for over 40 years. Many of their performances are family friendly and they tend to span a wide range. They do post recommended ages for each performance which can be helpful when trying to determine which plays to attend.

Storybook theatre provides summer camps for children and they are also now offering adult musical theatre classes. They are often looking for volunteers to help with set creation and in return you would get a free pass to one of the performances.

We have been surprised at the high level of talent that is present in this community and the quality of the productions.

Ticket prices range from $22-$27 for children and $26-31 for adults depending on the length of the performance. The theatres they perform in are fairly small, so there are no bad seats in the house. We are season ticket subscribers and the added benefit is that we have access to tickets before they go on sale to the public and our tickets are slightly lower in price. I did notice they do also offer a payment plan for those interested in seasons tickets, but can’t afford it all at once.

Some of our past favourite shows have been Matilda the Musical based on the Roald Dahl book, Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz, Junior Claus, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

To be honest we have enjoyed all of the performances so it was hard to narrow down our list to just a few. This year they will be performing The Never-ending Story, Frog and Toad and Big Fish to name a few.

If you want to expose your children to theatre, but weren’t sure where to go, this is the place to try it out. They generally have a relaxed performance for each play. This is a great option if you aren’t sure how your child will react, or if they will be able to sit still for the performance.

After each performance the actors return to the stage for the audience to be able to get autographs and photos with them. My kids love getting a chance to chat with the actors after the show. They have a collection of all of the programs they have collected over the years with signatures.

Have you attended any plays at Storybook theatre? What are your favourites? If you aren’t in Calgary, do you have a great local theatre where you live?

Tag: Calgary with Kids

Aggie Days – The Best Way for Kids to experience Calgary Stampede

Symphony Sundays with the CPO

The Children’s Reading Place – You need to visit

Storybook Theatre is Great for Kids