Alice came to town last weekend! Well, to the Village actually. I caught the action on Saturday when the weather was iffy, but everyone was having a lot of fun.

Alice teaching a group of children how to curtsy to the Queen of Hearts

Toronto's Quickening Theatre presented "The Mad Hatter Tea Party" during the Alice in Wonderland weekend.

Alice (in Wonderland) in action

How often have I heard that? I just want to make my child’s world a little bigger, but he just wants to stay at home and play Xbox.

Whenever he’s being a homebody, I think about our trip to Nova Scotia last summer when I was watching him at the beach in the water. Other than our friend’s baby daughter, there were no other children there, and yet he spent hours splashing, swimming, and laughing in the waves. Sure there was a lot of “Dad, watch me do this,” and “did you see THAT?” but it was a joy to watch and see how much fun he is able to have when I do get him out of the house.

The youngest Philpott at play in the Nova Scotia surf

We spent Sunday afternoon cycling on the Leslie Spit. It’s a remarkable thing: a bird sanctuary built upon years and years of building rubble. There’s a nice wide, paved roadway for cycling or roller blading, but you can also go off the road. There are post-apocalyptic wastelands of broken concrete in some places (which my youngest son thought that was really cool, of course!) and there are also beautiful wetlands teeming with birds, and lots more. Yes, you have to be careful in places, but it made for a very enjoyable afternoon out for all of us. The path ends at a small lighthouse on a little hill. From there you look back at Centre Island and Ward’s Island, and beyond that the Toronto skyline. Yes, that’s right: at the end of the Leslie Spit, you are actually out on Lake Ontario, beyond the Toronto Islands!

We had a lovely afternoon. Sometimes all you have to do is get out of the house with the kids it all just works out fine!

My parents, God love ‘em, weren’t always the best advocates for family outings and I have to admit, I was not always a willing participant. Well that’s a lifetime ago now and I’ve had some time to think about it and a few kids of my own to practice on. Here is the distilled wisdom of all that experience:

1. Let them bring a friend
   This one is such a no-brainer and you’ll know that if you have ever tried it. Planning a long hike on the Niagara Escarpment and don’t know how to sell it to little Suzie? Tell her she can choose a friend to bring along. Chances are, they’ll be happy and laughing the whole way. Too easy!
2. Always plan a treat
   Whether it’s ice-cream at the end of the cycling tour, or their favourite baked goodies as part of the picnic basket. Every outing should have a little treat included. It’s a basic principle of happy family trips. My parents usually said things like “we have perfectly good water to drink at home, so there is no reason to spend more money now …” Not a good strategy.
3. Let them chose the destination
   It’s easy: pick three things to do this weekend and ask them which one they’ll want to do. If you have more than one child, let them take turns choosing, or let one choose the destination, and the other chose the treat (see brilliant tip #2 above).
4. Look at the map together
   or read about the place you are going, or do a little research on the internet together. It’s amazing how a little bit of information beforehand will pique their curiosity (and ours) and make even a paperbag lunch outing into exotic cuisine (ok, enough with the metaphors, but you get my point. You might walk through a totally average suburb in order to find the oldest building in the area, for example. Knowing something about the building makes the walk into an adventure.
5. Use bribery
   You had to know this one was coming, dear reader! There is nothing wrong with saying, “of course we can go see Iron Man 2, right after our hike this morning” – or similar to that effect. Treats can be a subtle form of bribe, as well, but it might be best to keep them out of any bargaining process. Probably best to just say, “let’s get our fresh air and exercise before we … [fill in the blank].”

The other thing I enjoy when I go out with the kids is when we talk about something we’re looking at or doing. That’s one of my favourite things about the Village: there are so many things to look at and wonder about and talk about with my kids. I remember a long talk about nails, because we had read the part in Little House on the Prairie (yes, the BOOK, not the cheesy TV show) where Laura was picking up the nails that fell on the ground when pa was putting on the roof. We were wondering how they were made, what they cost, how strong they were compared to our nails, how hard it must have been to nail them in straight and so on. It was a long conversation and it all started with one little nail.

The animals have always been a favourite for young and old at Black Creek Pioneer Village, but perhaps none more than the lambs in spring.

Hi, my name is Eric. I am a parent and I have done work for Black Creek Pioneer Village at various times over the past four years. I love the Village most of all because it is real, and that is something that children don’t get enough of these days. When my kids were very young I used to be very concerned about all the artificial experiences we give them, like television, computer games, riding in cars instead of walking … (and the list goes on). Now that I have a few more parenting years under my belt, I am less anxious about those “empty calorie” experiences. I just think kids should get to spend more time with the real world.

The beauty of a place like Pioneer Village is that everything is real: the homes, the tools, and the work that people do there. Unlike me, who sits at a computer typing for much of the day, the work people do in Black Creek is entirely visible, from simple things like sweeping the floor (with broom made of actual natural materials, of course) to complex things like grinding grain in the mill. Lots of children don’t really get what mom or dad does for a living, but everyone understands the work that the pioneers did, especially when they see it right in front of them. And best of all, of course, is when the kids can try their hands at some of these activities themselves.

What do you think? Do kids these days need more experiences of real things? We’d be delighted to hear your thoughts!