If one of your resolutions for 2011 is to get out and enjoy the city more as a family, this is the perfect weekend to get started! From theatre, to environmental education, to cross-country skiing and tobogganing, to a sleepover at the ROM, Toronto is bustling with fun for the whole family.
Fairy Tale Ending (The Big Bad Family Musical)
Wednesday, January 5th – Sunday, January 16th, see website for showtimes, Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street, Toronto
“Into the Woods” meets “The Usual Suspects.” Jill’s favourite fables are ending in tragedy, and she needs to figure out why. With the help of a hard-boiled detective and a trio of storybook characters, she confronts the Big Bad Wolf, Goldilocks, Troll, and the infamous Jack, on her way to uncovering the truth. Fairy Tale Ending is a topsy-turvy yet touching tale of a young girl coming to grips with loss and the reality of growing up: www.fringetoronto.com
Partners In Protection: High Park Nature Centre
Friday, January 7th, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Royal Ontario Museum, 955 Lakeshore Blvd. West, Toronto
The Nature Centre aims to offer an enriched educational experience that will have a long-term impact on individual attitudes toward the natural environment and contribute to the protection of High Park’s rare and significant natural areas: www.rom.on.ca
ROMkids Sleepover: Dinos
Friday, January 7th, 5 pm – Sunday, January 8th, 10 am, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto
Experience the ultimate backstage museum pass at the ROM. Start the night off right with a special movie screening. Then get up close and personal with the ROM’s biggest residents as you enjoy exclusive, after-hours access to the James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs. Speak to experts, touch real fossils, dig for dinosaur bones, and make your own dino creations for home. Sleepovers are for children 5 years and up. Children are required to be accompanied by an adult (19 years or older) throughout the sleepover: www.rom.on.ca
Fiesta & Carnival!
Saturday, January 8th, 11 am & 2 pm, Solar Stage Children’s Theatre, 100 Upper Madison Avenue, North York
It’s time to fiesta with the rhythms of Latin America! Get ready to have fun with this energetic and interactive performance, which features joyful songs and plenty of audience participation for an upbeat experience of music and festivities from around the world. For kids from three to 10: www.solarstage.on.ca
The Jewish Family Library Programming
Sunday, January 8th, 11 am – 1 pm, The Jewish Family Library, 44 Edinburgh Drive, Toronto
Join the arts and crafts program held on the first Sunday of each month. The Jewish Family Library was founded to serve as a hub for vibrant Jewish family life, serving children (& adults) with a well-stocked library of books for borrowing, plus toys and games: www.chabadbjl.com
KidSpark: Storytime
Friday, January 7th, 3 pm, Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Road, Toronto
Enter a world of imagination and wonder as the storytellers bring tales from around the world to life. For kids from two to five: www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
KidSpark: Plasticine Art
Saturday, January 8th & Sunday, January 9th, 2 pm, Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Road, Toronto
Learn how to use plasticine in fun and creative new ways. Become your own artist and take your masterpiece home! Ages five and up: www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
Farther Afield:
Cross-country Skiing, Tobogganing & Snowshoeing
December – February, Open weekdays 9 am – 4:30 pm & weekends 9 am – 5 pm, Albion Hills Conservation Area, 16500 Highway 50, Caledon
Hit the trails with your family and friends! Albion Hills Conservation Area has great groomed trails for cross-country skiing, perfect tobogganing hills, and excellent terrain for snowshoeing — the whole family can stay active this winter while enjoying the outdoors! Weather conditions apply: trca.on.ca
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
November 25th – February 14th, showtimes vary, Stage West Mississauga, 5400 Dixie Road, Mississauga
A musical masterpiece packed with incredible dance numbers and catchy tunes. A retelling of the Old Testament story with a few Technicolor twists. Follow Joseph’s journey from bleak circumstances to become one of the most powerful men in Egypt, and the transformation of his family to a happy ending: www.stagewest.com
Winter Wagon Rides
Saturday, January 8th – Monday, February 21st, 11 am / 1 pm / 3 pm, Mountsberg Conservation Area, 2259 Milburough Line, Campbellville
The kids will love the jingle of the harness on a crisp winter’s day! Enjoy a wagon or sleigh ride through the fields and forests of Mountsberg. Rides are approximately 20 minutes: www.conservationhalton.on.ca
Do you have an event you would like to see in our weekend guide? Then send us your details and we’ll help you get the word out. Looking for a feature listing? Contact Erin, our Director of Sales and Marketing, for more information.
And we wanted to remind you to always call or visit the website for event info before you head out just in case any changes have been made since we posted it. And of course, have fun!