Spring Break

March 2015

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C M Y K Page 2 March27-April4 Open:10:00-8:00 April5 Open:10:00-5:00 DifferentThemeseachdaywithprizesforthebestcostume! Purchaseyourliftticketinadvanceonlineandsave$$. www.HolidayMountain.com 204.242.2172 Ap A 10days spring of March27-April4 Celebratesthe C M Y K WINNIPEG FREE PRESS | SatuRday, MaRCH 7, 2015 www.fargohi.com f hi 3803 13th Ave. S. ~ Fargo, North Dakota Reservations at 1-877-282-2700 Details:*Thisratemaynotbeusedinconjunctionwithany otheroffer,discountorcoupon. ExpiresMay31,2015. AcrossfromWestAcresShopping Center • HomeofShipwreckBayWaterPlayland • KIDSEatFreeProgram • Restaurant/Lounge/Casino • $ 30 off our "Best Flex" Rate The Holiday Inn ~ Fargo is a 310 room hotel & convention centre located directly off of I-29. We offer excellent accomodations & services to make your stay in Fargo a great one. Please call us at 1-877-282-2700tomakeyourreservations! C amps for kids are supposed to be fun and educational. At the Winnipeg Humane Society confirmation on the fun part is easy – smiles on young faces enjoying time with dogs and cats says it all. As for the education part, Laina Hughes learned last summer just how much her young students were paying attention when, following a camp day, a young boy who was showing off some cats to his parents, caught Hughes in violation of 'the apron rule.' "We have a policy if you're handling the animals you have to wear an apron and then you'll clean that off at the end of the day to help prevent spreading germs. But I was just taking a picture (of a cat) so I didn't think to put an apron on, then the boy walked by with his parents," Hughes recalled. "He said 'she needs to be wearing an apron, that's not the rules!' So I got caught." She laughed about the cute story, but said it also demonstrates the kids are listening and learning. "They are, and they're teaching others and putting me in my place," Hughes said. The Winnipeg Humane Society will host its Paws for Adventure spring break camp this year from March 30 to April 2 for kids aged 7-11. Aileen White, director of communications and public affairs for the Humane Society, said they've been hosting day camps for kids since before the human society moved into its new location. In their former space they had to host them in a trailer, but the new facility has a multi-purpose classroom built with the educational camps in mind. "The most important element is that we're teaching them humane education, so this generation of children are learning how to be around pets, and that's including dog safety," White said. "Also how to be an advocate for these creatures that really, actually do need us, but they can't speak for themselves. So children learn all about spay and neutering, so they're little advocates." White said they play games and use role-playing to teach the kids about animals. "They're involved with the animals. We make sure they have some playtime with animals everyday," she said. The camps don't often lead to pet adoptions, she said, because most of the kids who come already have pets at home. Adoption isn't really the goal in this case. "That's not really the objective as much as if we can make the difference of where someone now knows why spaying or neutering their pet is important," White said. "It's about pet overpopulation, or how to handle a cat more safely so that cat doesn't turn around and scratch them severely, or anything else that may teach them how to be better towards animals." Hughes said they know the kids leave the camps eager to spread their newfound knowledge. "We've gotten feedback from parents who say when the kids come home at the end of the day they're teaching the parents something about how to interact with the animals," Hughes said. To register for Paws for Adventure spring break camp, for a day or the entire four days, call 204-982-2046 or email education@winnipeghumanesociety.ca. Another fun-filled animal and nature- based camp takes place this spring break at Assiniboine Park and and the zoo. From March 30 to April 2 kids from grades 1-6 can come for the day or the entire week and take part in days with themes including Polar Plunge and Outdoor Explorers Laura Curtis, manager, brand and communications for Assiniboine Park and the Assiniboine Park Zoo, said each day has a different theme and the kids get an education they wouldn't get on a regular visit to the zoo. "It's a lot of fun. Our staff here who run the camp are great," Curtis said. "And the kids get to do some really cool stuff that you wouldn't get to do if you're just coming to the zoo. There's lots of behind the scenes-type stuff, interactive and hands on. It's really neat, it's really an experience that isn't offered anywhere else in the city." The Polar Plunge takes the kids through the Journey to Churchill exhibit where they learn things like bear bio facts and how to hunt like a polar bear. On Into the Jungle day, the kids explore Toucan Ridge, the zoo's tropical house, as well as the Discovery Centre and the Conservatory. "It's a mix of indoor and outdoor, mostly zoo but they also spend a bit of time in the park. If you were to do the whole week, over the four days you basically explore every aspect of the zoo and every aspect of the park, it's just sort of mixed up into theme days," Curtis said. To register go to assiniboineparkzoo.ca. The FortWhyte Alive spring break camp also runs March 30 to April 2 and also features theme days: Voyageur, Forest, Fish and Space. FortWhyte Alive education programs co-ordinator Katrina Froese said the kids spend a lot of time outside learning through fun games, songs and other activities and said there's typically some kind of food cooked over a fire during the day. "It's everything that you would expect from a summer day camp, but just in spring," Froese said. She said since most activities are held outdoors, they make sure their day campers are prepared for anything Manitoba's weather might deliver. "We're always very adaptable here. We plan our programming so that it will work out no matter what the weather," Froese said. "Any camper that comes to our camp is provided with a list online of what to bring and that list includes winter boots, rubber boots, extra pairs of socks and mitts, extra layers of clothing or extra changes of clothing because we never know what the weather's gonna throw at us." The camps are for kids aged 6-11. You can register online for the camp at fortwhyte.org. Wild education Programs offer fun learning about animals, nature By Donna Maxwell For the Free Press Kids have some fun at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. Assiniboine Park Conservatory photo Located 10 minutes west of downtown at 575 Berry Street 5785 Berry Street 204-774-5278 www.speedworld.ca SPRINGBREAK SPECIAL! It's Not Like Racing... Winnipeg's Best Racing Track It IS Racing! It IS Racing! Speedworldistheperfectplaceforindividualswhohavetheneedfor speed!Greatforbirthdays,stags,corporateorteambuildingevents, ChristmasParties,teamwind-upsandmore!Inspireyourteamtonew heightsorjustcomeoutforsomegreatfunwithyourfriendsorfamily. Opendailyfrom12:00noonto11:00pm! MONDAY - THURSDAY Buyyourfirstraceatregularprice andyouradditionalracesare •27,500squarefeet •Quarterkilometretrack •40kmSPRINT&50km RACEKARTS •Computerizedtiming •Group&Corporate Racing •Walk-inswelcome •Minimumheight4'10" andyouradditionalracesare 1/2 PRICE! Speedsfro m40-60k m /hr! Winnipeg Humane Society communications co-ordinator Laina Hughes (right) walks six-month-old Belgian shepherd-malinois mix Onyx. The humane society will host its Paws for Adventure spring break camp again this year, and Hughes says kids will learn about being good pet-owners and proper animal care as well as take part in craft-making sessions. Photos by Jason Halstead

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