Pinocchio Play in the Park

Going to the theatre is a great family activity.  Theatre la Roulotte is putting on the play "Pinocchio" in French in parks around Montreal.  Here's a great opportunity to introduce your kids to theatre without having to spend any money.  These, like shakespeare in the park, are completely free.  The company is putting on shows until Aug. 23 around the city.

Price: Free!

Website: http://www.accesculture.com/activite/Pinocchio

Shakespeare in the Park: Macbeth

Free theatre in the park from July 28, 2011 - Aug. 21, 2011. Bring your older kids and teens to see a Shakespeare play right in your own neighborhood park. This year the repercussion theatre is performing the tragedy "Macbeth". It is absolutely free - although donations are accepted to help the troupe keep running. Just bring yourself a folding chair and enjoy the show!

Location: various parks around the city

July 28: Dorval, Parc Pine Beach, 7:30pm
July 29: Outremont, Mount Royal Cemetary, 8:00pm
July 30: Ville-Marie, Cabot Square, 8:00pm
Aug. 2-3: Westmount, Parc Westmount, 8:00pm
Aug. 4: Verdun, Parc George O'Reilly, 7:30pm
Aug. 5: Pierrefonds, East Community Centre, 8:00pm
Aug. 6: Parc La Fontaine, theatre de verdure, 8:30pm
Aug. 7: NDG, Parc NDG, 8:00pm
Aug. 9: Hudson, Parc Thompson, 8:00pm
Aug. 10: Kirkland, Parc Ecclestone, 8:00pm
Aug. 11: Cote St.-Luc, Parc Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 8:00pm
Aug. 12: Senneville, Parc Senneville, 8:00 pm
Aug. 13: Morin Heights, Parc TBC, 4:00pm
Aug. 14: Saint-Laurent, Parc Philippe-Laheurte, 7:30pm
Aug. 16: Parc Extension, Parc Howard, 8:00pm
Aug. 19: Beaconsfield, Centennial Park, 8:00pm
Aug. 20-21: Westmount, Parc Westmount, 8:00pm

Price: free!!

Dates: July 28, 2011 - Aug. 21, 2011

Website: http://repercussiontheatre.com/productions/shakespeare-in-the-park/

Place des Arts - Junior Theatre

Place des Arts has a whole range of programming geared for families with children of all ages for very reasonable prices. Known as 'PDA junior', families with kids as young as 3 can enjoy a fun, interactive play for just 8$ a person, or 25$ for a family of 4. I think it sounds like a great way to introduce children to theatre. It seems like most of the programming is only French but since a lot of families in Montreal are bilingual or want to expose their children to more French, it should be a great experience. Some things are a little more expensive but for the most part seem pretty reasonable.

Where:

• Place des Arts, various theatres
• 175, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montréal, QC H2X 1Z8

When:

• check the program on their site to see when the various shows are available.

Cost:

• 8$ and up

Ages:

• various shows have different age specifications but start at 2 and up.

Website:

• http://pdajunior.com/

Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec

The Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec is a neat little museum in St. Laurent that is offering creative art workshops for families.  Each weekend there are worskhops that last about 1 hour that explore a different artisanal art form.  The main series on right now is focused on glass.  Glass painting, beading, and mosaic will all be explored on different days.  Families with children 7 and up can participate for only 10$ for the whole family (2$ extra per person if more than 4).  Other projects allow families with children 5 and up to participate.  Please make sure to call to reserve first.  Should be a fun way to get creative with the kids!

When:

• Saturdays and Sundays
• 2 pm

Where:

• 615, avenue Sainte-Croix, Saint-Laurent, Montreal Qc H4L 3X6

Cost:

• 10$ for a family of 4, 2$ per extra person

Phone Number:

• 514-747-7367 ext. 7204

Website:

• http://www.mmaq.qc.ca/programme_famille_en.htm

Easter Farm - Plaza Pointe Claire

Here's another Easter Farm happening around the city. This time at Plaza Pointe-Claire.  A great chance for little kids (even toddlers) to see some of the animals they sing about in "Old MacDonald Had a Farm".  There will be goats, ducks, chickens, piglets, and more.  What makes this mini farm stand out from the others I've talked about is that on Friday, April 2nd you can actually get a free colour photo of your child with a baby animal (between 10 am - 3 pm).  What a great experience and a wonderful keepsake.

Dates:

• March 26 - April 3

Where:

• 269 Boulevard St-Jean, Pointe-Claire, Quebec, H9R 3J1

Cost:

• free!

Website:

• http://www.plazapointeclaire.com/en/

Easter Farm at Carrefour Angrignon

I have been waiting to find out if Carrefour Angrignon is holding an Easter Farm again this year and I am happy to see that they are!  It's a great activity especially for toddlers because they get to see animals up close and, for the parents, it's free so you don't have to worry about spending a lot of money just to have your two year old throw a tantrum and have to leave.  As soon as I mention the word animals to my toddlers they become good as gold and are very excited to go on this adventure.  You can see the usual mini farm animals, rabbits, chicks, sheep.  Bring some change to get food to feed the animals.

When:

• March 24 - April 5
• ** closed on Easter Sunday (April 4)

Time:

• Regular store hours
• Monday - Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  
  
  Wednesday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  
  Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  
  Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Place:

• Carrefour Angrignon
• 7077 Newman Boulevard, LaSalle (Quebec), H8N 1X1

Cost:

• free!

Website:

• http://www.carrefourangrignon.com/nouvelles_evenements.aspx?lang=en-CA

Butterflies Go Free

The Botanical Gardens is once again having the wonderful exhibit "Butterflies Go Free".  It's a great chance to get to see a great variety of butterflies live and flying around.  It's presented in the main greenhouse of the botanical gardens and should be a fun activity for children and parents alike.  It's quite hot in the greenhouse (about 29oC) so it's important to bring layers of clothing that can be removed.  To really pique the interest of the older kids, you might consider renting "The Blue Butterfly", a beautiful movie about a boy in search of the rare blue butterfly.  It was filmed partly in Montreal!

Dates:

• February 18 - April 25, 2010

Hours:

• Tues. - Sun. : 9 am - 5 pm
• ** Will be open Monday, April 5 (Easter Monday)

Cost:

• Adults: $12.00
• Seniors and Students: $9.00
• Children 5 - 17: $6.00
• Children 2 - 4: $1.75
• Children under 2: free
• ***  Note: fees are reduced by 15% because the insectarium is closed due to labour disputes.
• *** These are the rates before the reduction

Address:

• 4101, rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal (Québec), Canada, H1X 2B2

Phone:

• 514-872-1400

Website:

• http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/propos/papillon.htm

Parents and Kids Fair 2010

Here's an activity that should be fun for both parents and kids.  For the 18th year in a row Jean Coutu is hosting a Parents and Kids Fair at Place Bonaventure from April 8th to 11th 2010.  It's actually a consumer show for parents with exhibits showcasing different products, resources and services for families with children from 0 - 6 years old but it's also full of fun activities for the kids.  That's great because you can enjoy learning about all the new and innovative services for parents of little children without worrying that they will be bored. There's even free babysitting for children 2 and up if you want to be able to listen to a special speaker.  Some of the other activities at the site will be a giant indoor sandbox, colourful playground for babies, kids shows and concerts, and a kid-friendly food court.  It's free for kids 12 and under and 12 per adult but you can find some coupons for the event in your Jean Coutu flyer.

 

Dates and Times:

• Thursday, April 8 : 10 am - 8 pm
• Friday, April 9 : 10 am - 8 pm
• Saturday, April 10: 10 am - 8 pm
• Sunday, April 11 : 10 am - 5 pm

Where:

• Place Bonaventure, Montreal
• Mansfield and de la Gauchetiere entrance

Price:

• adults: 12$
• seniors and students: 10$
• kids 12 and under: free
• *** 1$ coupon available from March 25 and April 8 Jean Coutu flyers

Website:

• http://parentsandkidsfair.com/index_en.php 

Art Workshops at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Here's a great oppurtunity to explore your creative side with your kids. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is offering free family art workshops one Sunday per month.  All workshops are bilingual and are first come, first served.
Price:

• free!

Location:

• Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Jean - Noel Desmarais Pavillion, 1380 Sherbrooke St. W, Mtl, QC H3G 1J5
• --> Cultural Corridor, level S1

Phone #:

• 514-285-1600 ext. 440

Website:

• http://www.mmfa.qc.ca/en/activites/activite_32.html

Montreal Science Center and Imax

The Montreal Science Center is located in Old Montreal. It is a museum filled a wide variety of with science related interactive games and displays to completely engage both children and adults. The science center is also the place to watch the latest IMAX 3D movies. The current movies are "Under the Sea 3D" (where you can explore the deep waters of Australia, New Guinea and other exotic South Pacific regions) or "U23D" (a live U2 concert in 3D).

Location:

• located on King Edward Pier, in the Old Port. The Pier is essentially the extension of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, south of de la Commune Street.

Phone #:

• 514 496-4724

Price:

For exhibits and Under the Sea 3D movie:

• 4-12: $15.00
• 13-17: $18.00
• 18-59: $20.00
• 60 +: $18.00
• *** other prices for only IMAX movie
• *** rebates available (info on website)

Hours:

• Mon- Sat: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
• Sun: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
• ** Check IMAX schedule online

Website: http://www.montrealsciencecentre.com/en/index.htm