City Guide 2014 | Page 9

Calgary Zoo - What toddler does not love animals of some sort? The Calgary Zoo is back and as amazing as ever. They offer great programs for preschool aged children including story time, dig a dino, as well as a butterfly and penguin program. The zoo is open 364 days a year so check it out in all four seasons. Telus Spark - Located on the main level the Creative Kids Museum is a fantastic place to allow inquisitive toddlers to explore. This room is designed for hands on play for children under the age of 9. Children’s Play or Theatre - If you or your child has a heart for the theatre taking in a play or performance based around one of their favourite characters or show is a must. Plays that come to Calgary include The Backyardigans, Disney on Ice or My Little Ponies at the Mom and Tot Show. The variety changes every year so check out the Southern Alberta Jubilee, the Stampede Grounds and ticketmaster.ca to see what is coming up. Swimming lessons - Many places offer swim lessons and the prices really range. You can do private or public. Great places to inquire about swim lessons are the community pools, rec centres and the YMCA in your area. Kinder Gyms - There are many different types of kinder gyms depending on what your little one is interested in. The YMCA offers a swim and gym class as well as and R3 class, which is gym time, story time and music time. Southland Leisure Centre also offers many kinder gyms including a drop in class for $5 on Thursday mornings. Day Out with Thomas - Heritage Park offers a fun filled day for all the Thomas the Train fans young and old. Children will get to meet Sir Topham Hat and get their pictures with Thomas. This runs the first and second weekend of May and costs $22 per person. Tickets sell fast so check out heritagepark.ca for all the details and times. Corn Maze - A great place to have children walk unassisted or to push a stroller through for them to explore the world around them. Toddlers seem to love new environments and a corn maze is a fantastic new environment. The Calgary Corn maze always sets up a baby corn maze for the younger kids to be able to explore. Farm - Visiting a farm is a wonderful experience. If you can visit a petting farm or petting zoo that is even better. Children love to be able to touch the animals and if you time it right, in the spring your little one may be able to meet some new born animals. Firefighter museum - If someone in your family loves fire trucks or fire fighters this a great place to visit. Currently under renovations there are many things to look forward to when this does open again. For now they are taking the show on the road and you can find out where they will be by checking out their website caglaryfirefightersmuseum.com www.modernmama.com | CALGARY | A RESOURCE GUIDE | 2014 • 09