Plenty of fun on Family Day

MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR LETHBRIDGE FAMILIES

Many Lethbridge families took advantage of a day off from work and school to celebrate Family Day on Monday.

A number of free events took place at various locations across the city including the Galt Museum and Archives, the Helen Shuler Nature Centre, Casa, the YWCA Lethbridge and District and the University of Lethbridge.

Caroline Slingerland spent part of Family Day outdoors with four of her six children. The group kicked off their adventure at the Helen Shuler Nature Centre because Slingerland knew the Alberta French Canadian Association would have a Maple Sugar Shack set up outside the centre.

Slingerland explained they read that maple taffy could be made by drizzling boiling maple sap over packed snow from the children’s book “Sugar Snow” by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but they didn’t get to experience the sweet treat until Monday.

Susan Powell decided to stick to a Family Day tradition by taking her three children to the seventh annual Play Day event at the university.

“Life gets too busy so it’s always good to take a step back and spend time with the family,” she said.

Stations were setup on both the upper and lower level of the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness.

“I like how it’s wide-open spaces, so you’re not as congested as some of the other venues ... and there is a variety of things for everybody, from face painting to building things, crafts and some of the science stuff, too,” Powell explained.

Edna Asem was also impressed with the variety of activities at Play Day. She found some stations were “very intellectually stimulating,” while others were just “plain fun.”

Asem is a mother of four girls, ranging from eight to 19 years old.

With the eldest typically away at university, it’s not often they get to spend time all together, which is why it was important to spend Monday as a family.

“Oh my goodness, we are always on the run as a family and so on days like this we just like to hang out together and play together.”

Follow @TMartinHerald on Twitter

Herald photos by Tijana Martin Geneviève May, left, helps Logan Powell, 8, at the “Sonic Cannon” station during the seventh annual Play Day event at the University of Lethbridge on Monday. @TMartinHerald

@TMartinHerald Jediah Slingerland, 7, tries a taste of maple taffy from the Alberta French Canadian Association’s Maple Sugar Shack at the Helen Shuler Nature Centre as part of the Family Day festivities on Monday.