Jump into June
A One-a-Day List of Things to Do June 1st. Rent a single or tandem kayak, hourly or by the day, at Oak Bay Marina and paddle among the seals. Then cool off with a gelato from the nearby Dockside Eatery. 2nd. Wash the car. Or decorate your bike. 3rd. Be transported to the otherworldly frozen landscapes of North America, Europe and Asia 10,000 years before modern civilization at IMAX’s Mammoths: Titans of the Ice Age. Visit imaxvictoria.com. 4th. March along with the Oak Bay Tea Party parade, leaving Windsor Park at 10:30am and ending up at Willows Beach 45 minutes later where you’ll find a weekend’s worth of fun, including rides, midway games and summer treats—all by the seashore. 5th. Celebrate World Oceans Day with free marine-themed activities in Sidney’s Beacon Park from 11am-3pm. 6th. Swim, skate or sweat at a Saanich recreation centre with a free drop-in pass—available at your library when checked out on an adult card. The family pass is for 2 adults and up to 4 children, valid for 7 days. 7th. Twirl along at the Victoria Harbour Ferry Water Ballet, a 12-minute show on Sundays at 10:45am throughout June, then on Saturdays, too, in July and August. 8th. Host a neighbourhood water fight. 9th. Stroll Sidney’s Street Market, Thursdays from 5:30-8:30pm along Beacon Avenue where you’ll find over 150 vendors along with a myriad of musical performers. 10th. Celebrate Cowichan Lake Days (June 5-12) with kids’ activities, a fishing derby, a soap box derby, and the Grand Parade (June 11). Visit cowichanlakedays.com. 11th. Go on a “Constellation Walk” during a night sky viewing at the Dominion Astro-
physical Observatory’s Summer Star Party from 7:30-11pm, rain or shine. victoria.rasc. ca/summer-star-parties-2016-dao. 12th. Go on a Ghostly Walk, a spine-tingling 90-minute tour of downtown Victoria’s haunted hangouts, leaving the Visitor Information Centre, 812 Wharf St, nightly at 7:30 and 9:30pm. 13th. Order pizza—and picnic in the park. 14th. Roam among the giants at Royal BC Museum’s Mammoths: Giants of the Ice Age, an exhibit that explores the ancient landscapes where mammoths and mastodons lived. Visit royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. 15th. Race balloon rockets. For instructions, visit discoverexplorelearn.com/balloon-rockets/ 16th. Journey through time and wake-up centuries ago at Fort Rodd Hill’s Historical Timeline (June 16-19), to discover how women of the Second World War contributed on the home front. Visit pc.gc.ca. 17th. Celebrate the Aboriginal Cultural Festival (June 17-19) with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations at Royal BC Museum from 11am-6pm where you’ll find music, dance, food and the arts. 18th. Drop by FernFest (June 17-18) for the Kidical Mass Bike Parade (decorating at 10am), followed by family activities in the Field of Dreams (Victoria High School field), an artisan’s market, and live entertainment. 19th. Get creative at Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s Family Sunday from 2-4pm. Explore art-making and ideas connected to the current exhibition, Trans-Pacific Transmissions: Video Art Across the Pacific. 20th. Stay up late and celebrate the summer solstice and full moon. 21st. Using glow-in-the-dark paint, dab dots on the inside of a mason jar. “Charge” under a light at night then set outside to glow.
22nd. Grow your garden. It’s not too late to plant sunflowers—or marigolds, cosmos, zinnias, and nasturtiums. If you do it now, you’ll have a back-to-school bloom. 23rd. Visit the library and sign up for the free Summer Reading program, starting today
Editor’s Note Sue Fast (registration starts June 15). 24th. Search for fairy houses at VIU’s Milner Gardens 6th Annual Fairy House Surprise (June 23-26) in Qualicum Beach. 25th. Drop by Ladysmith’s Make it, Bake it, Grow it Market on Saturdays at Transfer Beach from 1-3pm and gather ingredients for a picnic at the nearby seashore. 26th. Paddle Elk/Beaver Lakes during CRD’s Morning Mist Canoe Adventure, a guided paddle for ages 5+, from 8-11am. Pre-register: $20+GST (15 yrs+); $10+GST (5-14 years). 250-478-3344. 27th. Drop by Tuff City Bike Park in Tofino where riders of all skill levels can try dirt jumps, stunt trails, and challenging log rides. 28th. Play FootGolf and kick a #5 soccer ball into a 21" cup at Cedar Hill Golf Course, instead of using a golf ball and clubs. $9 for 9 holes. saanich.ca/golf. 29th. Grab some grub at the Food Truck Festival, running Sunday to Thursday from 11am-6pm, Friday to Saturday from 11am7:30pm outside Royal BC Museum. 30th. End the month with a bang at the Musical Fireworks Extravaganza in Sidney at 10pm on the waterfront. (Then celebrate Canada Day at Family Fun Fair the following day in Iriquois Park from 12:30-4pm). Happy Summer.
See the IMAX film Mammoths: Titans of the Ice Age with the new Mammoths Exhibition June 3 – Dec. 31, 2016 at the Royal BC Museum - it’s combination you won’t soon forget! 250-480-4887 imaxvictoria.com IslandParent.ca
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