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21 March Break Activities for the Family

March Break is quickly approaching, and for many families, it's a scramble to fill a week full of school-free days. Whether you’re looking for a day camp for kids, exciting day trips for the family, or evening adventures to make the most of the time change, Simcoe County is chock full of events to help you have an awesome March Break.  We thought we would put as many of them in one place as possible. 

 

March Break Day Camps

This is just a short list of some awesome camps offering March Break programming:

Willow Creek Day Camp 

MacLaren Art Centre camps 

Simcoe County Museum Day Camp 

City Of Barrie

 

Daily Outdoor Adventures 

The nice thing about March Break is that you’ve usually got at least a few decent days to spend outside. It shouldn’t be too cold, and there is still plenty of snow to experience. What’s even better? Outdoor activities typically don’t cost much, either! 

Geocaching There are tons of spots just waiting to be discovered!

Blue Mountain is offering a full week of events, sponsored by Family Channel

Park Place has activities every day between 12-2

 Moonlight Snowshoe at Snow Valley 

Evening Cross-Country Skiing at Scenic Caves 

 

Daily Indoor Adventures 

We’re not all outdoorsy people, and even if you are, sometimes time indoors isn’t a bad thing! There’s a wide range of inside events to check out this week. 

Smart Moves Play Place 

Cineplex March Break Movies 

Barrie Public Library 

Maple Fest at the Haliburton Highlands Museum 

Bulldog Fitness 

 

Evening Activites For Working Families 

Spring Forward used to be the bane of my existence...until that handy change in clocks meant my kids slept in until a ‘reasonable’ hour. Coupled with no school, there’s an opportunity for kids to stay up a little later than usual! Make the most of the extra sun (and some later bedtimes) and try out some of these great evening activities.

Blanket forts: Gather your supplies, convene in the living room, and construct the biggest, coziest blanket fort you can. Have a picnic with your dinner, watch a movie, or snuggle up and chat. 

Dollar Store Gift Exchange: Do a dollar store run, and let everyone choose a present for the person younger than them. The youngest chooses for the oldest. When you get home, wrap the gifts up and exchange! 

The Skittles Game - This is an amazing game to play to reconnect and learn new things about your family members. Everyone takes a handful of Skittles (or M&Ms, Smarties, etc). For every colour of candy, you tell a different fact about yourself: 

  • Red: a favourite memory
  • Purple: an achievement you're proud of 
  • Yellow: a favourite hobby
  • Orange: a goal you have
  • Green: favourite food/colour/animal/etc

Games Night - Spend some tech-free time together, playing board games and chatting. You'll be amazed at how much closer you feel after being present, and intentionally spending time together.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Let each member of the family pick one thing they want to do that night. You can spread it out over a few evenings, or make the choices simple like what to have for dinner, what flavour of ice cream to get, which movie to watch, or which pyjamas everyone wears. 

Movie night - Plain and simple, there isn't much better than curling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watching a new movie. 

Plan a summer vacation: This article talks about the importance of family vacations, whether it's a pricey trip to a resort, or a laid-back staycation. Spend some time over March Break planning an adventure for the summer.

12 Things To Do To Maximize Your Family Day

Photo by shironosov/iStock / Getty Images

I don't know about you, but the moment I see a long weekend coming up on my calendar, I get excited about checking extra things off my to-do list.   And if you are like me, many of these hopes are never realized (for one reason or another) and you head back to work feeling no farther ahead. In some cases, you've thought so much about what didn't get done that you didn't even enjoy the weekend.  

What if this weekend could be different?

 What if you used this Family Day weekend to further your family and not your to-do list? 

Imagine what could happen in the life of your family if you choose to intentionally spend this Family Day together, as a family.  

When you pause and connect relationally, you have the potential to laugh together, to make new memories that can last into the future, to form deeper bonds and connections to your kids, and to continue to set the tone for what you want the culture in your home to be. 

Sure you may have to referee the odd fight or two, and might even have to issue a few time outs. But at the end of the day, when you choose to be intentional and invest your time positively with your family, you never lose.  

Spending a whole entire day together as a family sounding a little daunting? 

We're here to help. 

FAMILY DAY EVENTS IN SIMCOE COUNTY

  1.  The Simcoe Muskoka YMCA opens its doors with free programs and activities all Monday. You can check them out here. 
  2. How awesome does Snowmania sound? These are just some of the events happening around Simcoe County.
  3. Lace up your skates at one of the many outdoor rinks, or maybe you want to head north to Arrowhead Provincial Park for the day and skate there. Have you seen their outdoor skating trail? 
  4. While you're up north anyhow, why not check out Camp Mini Yo We. They have a variety of Family Day activities for all ages.   
  5. Now's the perfect time to get in a family ski or tubing session at Snow Valley or Horseshoe Resort, or try Blue Mountain or Mount St. Louis for some different scenery. 
  6. Like the outdoors, but aren't great on the slopes? Try geocaching - the closest you'll get to treasure hunting without commandeering a ship!

LOOKING TO STAY CLOSER TO HOME?

  1. Make a special meal as a family! Pizza is a great option for this.  Head to the grocery store together and let everyone pick an ingredient that they love. Work together to build your family pizza (or pizzas). 
  2. Plan meals ahead to take the stress out dinner while you're out adventuring.  The crockpot is your friend in situations like this!
  3. Decide to go tech-free for the day. This may be tough but the results can be monumental when you are truly present. 
  4. Try things like building a blanket fort and watching a movie, or building a snow fort and eating a picnic outside. 
  5. Use this as a chance to be for the people in your life, teaching your kids to care for those around you. Make cookies or muffins and deliver them as a family.
  6. Take the time to FaceTime or Skype a family member who is far away and catch up.  Just because you're not physically in the same space, doesn't mean you can't spend the day together!

No matter what you decide to do this weekend, I hope you decide to use your Family Day to further your family and not your to-do list.