With the population on the West Shore booming, it’s no surprise that much of that population now includes young families and kids.
Keeping your youngsters entertained can sometimes be a challenge, but in the western communities, there’s no shortage of new and fun activities for those of all ages and abilities.
For parents looking to bolster their young ones’ imaginations, I Want to Be Play Drop in Play and Sensory Centre at 1610 Island Hwy. in View Royal is a great place to take your kids for an afternoon of fun. Kids between the ages of one to 10 can drop in and play at one of 13 stations, which include a food truck, market, construction site, house, theatre and hospital, as well as a sandbox and mud kitchen.
The 3,000-square-foot centre, which officially opened in mid-November, also offers a sensory room and augmented reality box, which is one of the firsts of its kind in B.C.
“Kids can go anywhere and it’s up to them what they do,” said owner and Langford resident Jonas Jeque, who operates the business with his wife, Jeannet.
The centre also hosts birthday parties, family courses and family disco nights. I Want To Be is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information visit iwanttobe.ca.
For children who favour the arts, The Rising – Victoria Centre for Circus Arts offers a unique range of circus-style classes for those who aren’t afraid of heights.
Moving from Victoria to the West Shore and officially opening on Dec. 17, the facility offers aerial and acrobatic classes for toddlers aged two years old to adults. There are parent and toddlers classes, while those four years and older will have the chance to work with instructors and learn aerial silk, aerial hoop, lollipop lyra, trapeze, and circus ground-based acrobatic work in the roughly 2,600-square-foot space in Langford.
“They’ll get a little taste of what it’s like to join a circus,” said owner Sarah Scheunhage, who grew up in Langford, but only recently returned to her hometown after several decades of working as a professional aerialist and acrobat around the world.
“The circus for me, has always been a really magical place to go to. It’s highly creative, it’s very welcoming. Circus has a lot of the same movement, language and training techniques as gymnastics, however, it’s not competitive and I think that’s something that really gravitates towards a lot of people; and there’s opportunities to perform.”
The Rising Circus also offers circus-themed parties and corporate team building workshops. It is located at 140-1047 Langford Pkwy. For more information visit therisingcircus.com.
Find the entire holiday edition of West Shore Family online.