Come play, explore and discover this winter
As the cold, dreary days of winter wraps their tendrils around us, we hibernate away in the warmth of our homes like a bear in her den and wait for spring’s cheery arrival. During those one off, bright sunny winter days we emerge to enjoy the beauty of that gorgeous day. Re-energized we settle back to the warmth of our home and wait out winter’s release on us.
But there is no reason to hunker down for the duration of winter when there is so much to see and do in this beautiful city and the surrounding areas that we live in. Dress for the weather, pack the kids in the car and head out to a community museum, art gallery, interpretation or cultural centre near you. For ease of writing I will refer to these centres as museums for the remainder of the article.
Some of you may be saying, “Are you crazy! Take my kids to a museum.” But before you dismiss the thought, community museums are a lot smaller than their big city neighbours and therefore will hold their “short” attention span for the duration of the visit. Your kids will get a sense of history, culture, and environment through these visits and the great thing; it will not cost an arm and leg.
Like the Fraser River Discovery Centre, most community museums are run by non-profit organizations and their admission policies are “by donation”. Especially after the holiday season this is a nice relief on the wallet. Do keep in mind, that these donations help keep the doors open for visitors, so give what you can as every little bit helps.
Here at the Discovery Centre families will discover interesting facts about the Mighty Fraser River through fun hands-on interactive exhibits. Together you can learn about the Fraser River white sturgeon that lives on the Fraser’s muddy bottom, or dig through a simulated archaeological dig and uncover artifacts from the river’s shores. With our popular Pollution Model, kids can take turns being polluters, just for the day, and find out where these toxins go after a typical west coast rainy day. Visit our interactive Plants Alive! exhibit for loads of activities that engage young minds and hands with the world of native plants. Wrap up your visit with a film in our Canyon Theatre. No matter what the age, there is something for everyone.
The Discovery Zone's Wishing Tree & new puppet theatre
So shake off winter’s cloak and come down to the river and check out what the Discovery Centre is all about or take a visit to a neighbouring community museum this winter. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you discover!
