If you have some young kids at home who are getting bored during their school break there are some day camps at Milner Gardens and Woodland in Qualicum Beach to keep them busy.
Shoots with Roots is a hands-on education program for children of all ages where they can spend some time exploring the wonders of winter with friends in the Milner old growth forest, historic gardens and the “Ursus” Den. Shoots with Roots coordinator Charlene Forrest said they have openings in the winter day camps on December 29 and 30 which run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
With natural science learning, crafts and movies she said it is a great way to add some fun to the winter break before school starts again.
“Parents can get pretty antsy with kids in the house and a lot of what we do is about the forest,” she said.
The “Ursus” Den is where Santa has been hanging out while Christmas Magic is on at Milner Gardens but she said he will be gone soon and the den is a nice warm dry place where they do a lot of table top activities.
She said although it is winter there are still a lot of forest ecology-themed activities they can do and they also have a secret path to the beach where they do some foreshore exploring.
The ocean theme was front and centre for the Shoots with Roots holiday party at the Deep Bay Marine Field Station Monday, Dec. 19. A group of kids spent the day participating in all kinds of activities including making Christmas crafts and their own personal pizzas.
Forrest said the Deep Bay party was supported by a Youth Recreation grant from the RDN.
She said anyone wanting information on the winter camps can go to the Milner Garden website at www.viu.ca/milnergardens to view the program calendar.
She added there is a Facebook link on the site where people can see comments and photos of all of the fun activities that take place in the Shoots with Roots programs.