Give your kids a sensory treat on March Break. Getting outside and exploring the natural world is a chance for kids to balance virtual with real.
According to research, that’s a good thing for a child’s overall health, development, creativity and joy.
Join one of our special events or create your own exciting park adventure.
Below are five March Break ideas to get you started:
Go “sugaring off”
“Sugaring off” is a tradition at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. The park’s annual Maple Syrup Festival begins the first weekend in March and runs every weekend in the month plus the week of March Break.
Staff dressed in 19th-century attire show kids how maple syrup is made the traditional way. For kids, the best part is when they pour the hot syrup on ice to make fresh maple taffy.
Families can also enjoy a Pancake House meal, take a wagon ride, or visit the farm animals at Bronte Creek’s Spruce Lane Farm.
Experience the thrill of migration
Every spring, tens of thousands of ducks, geese and swan arrive at Presqu’ile Bay on Lake Ontario. For 40 years, the staff and Friends of Presqu’ile Provincial Park volunteers have invited visitors to their annual Waterfowl Weekend to witness this spring phenomenon.
This year, the event is March 19-20. Volunteers and their telescopes will be at park viewing points to help families identify up to 25 species of waterfowl.
Kids will enjoy learning at the Presqu’ile Lighthouse Interpretive Centre, where they can make a waterfowl craft or join the fun during a guided nature programme. A BBQ lunch fundraiser hosted by the Friends of Presqu’ile will be served both days.
Hear the tundra swan “whistle”
At the first sign of a spring thaw, tundra swans leave their winter home in Chesapeake Bay and head to their summer nesting grounds in the Canadian Arctic. Close to 10,000 swans stop every year to rest and feed near The Pinery Provincial Park on Lake Huron.
“If you’re lucky enough to be here during a Tundra Swan migration, you’ll never forget it,” says The Pinery Natural Heritage Education leader, Alistair MacKenzie.
When thousands of swans take flight, their powerful wings beat to create a distinct whistle-like sound. The tundra swan migration generally occurs mid-March so this year’s event “March Break at The Pinery” (March 12-20) may be perfectly timed.
Join park staff at the Visitor Centre for daily programming inside and out and get the latest swan reports on Twitter.
Make a March Break campfire treat
Ready to take your campfire cuisine beyond s’mores? Ontario Parks staff member, Sheila Wiebe, uses her late grandmother’s tea biscuit recipe to make dough boys, a delicious treat that has become a Wiebe campfire tradition. Here’s the recipe!