Out-of-province friends or family coming for a visit and you want to show off Alberta? My Toronto-based world-traveling cousin is (ahem – finally) visiting her Alberta relatives, and we have one week to tour the province. It’s going to be a whirlwind with highlights in Edmonton, Jasper, Banff, and Calgary to show off the best of what Alberta has to offer! Here’s my itinerary for 1 week in Alberta.
Updated Juky 2, 2023
Going to Banff is a fun experience for the whole family but sometimes it can be hard occupying the kids all of the time. This is especially true if you’re not familiar with what there is to see and do. We’ve got 10 kid-approved ideas on how to keep busy with the kids while visiting Banff!
This mix of cheap and free things to do in Banff should give you a wide range of activities in the National Park that your kids will love and talk about for years to come!
It’s going to be the summer of the picnic, and there’s no better (or fancier) way to picnic than a charcuterie in Alberta. Picture yourself on a hike in the mountains, your favourite hill, in a botanical garden, or even on a pasture (see Open Farm Days in August). Here’s where you can grab a charcuterie “to go” across the province.
Banff Graze Co. is great for those that live in the area, but also a terrific idea if you’re travelling to the Bow Valley and want to have something special for your lunch hike, or try a charcuterie board instead of eating at a restaurant while you’re in town.
Web: https://banffgrazeco.com/
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We left our bubble for the first time since March 14th, when COVID-19 shut Alberta down, to Banff last weekend. While we were anxious about filling the streets of the Bow Valley and hopefully, not adding to a problem of overcrowded streets, we really (really) needed to leave town and have a change of scenery. What better scenery than Banff?
Hands up if you base your hotel booking on how awesome the pools are? With 3 kids it’s definitely one of the top must-haves on our list. A standard two-loop waterslide isn’t enough to make it on this list – these pools all have more than your typical Best Western “cool” pool. Whether you’re still looking for a getaway during the summer or a fun “stay”-cation here is a list of hotels with awesome pools across Alberta!
Have you heard about Take A Kid To The Course?
This amazing program starts on July 2nd, 2023 and is available to kids under 16. Aimed at getting kids outside, away from their screens, and making lifetime memories, Take A Kid To The Course allows kids to golf free (often when accompanied by a paying adult, but rules vary by course). Whether you and your family are avid golfers or are just looking to try golfing out the Take a Kid to the Course program is a great way to try golfing with the family and save some money at the same time!
You know those real pants in the back of your closet? The ones without elastic waistbands or baby puke on them? Yes those ones shoved way back there between nursing bras and hoodies. They have been calling your name for months, screaming for a night out where you don’t have to cut up someone’s food before you can eat your own. A night where you can be out with your girlfriends for a while and just relax. A night where you don’t have to worry about bedtime routines. A night out with your girlfriends.
At the centre of my childhood were simple experiences rich with texture and wrought with meaning. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I was able to appreciate the beauty in the simple togetherness my mom wove into the fabric of our family. Our family didn’t have a lot of money so my mom got creative. I find myself using many of her ideas with my own children and I enjoy coming up with my own. Time is the precious gift our children want above all. Here are some of my favorite memory makers! I would love to hear about yours.
After what has seemed like a never-ending winter, summer has finally arrived! After being stuck inside all winter, Albertans definitely know how to take advantage of our short summer months. Along with longer days come festivals, food trucks, day trips and weekends exploring our beautiful province. The downside? All of these things can be financially draining for a family.
This week we made a bird feeder out of materials we had laying around.
With Earth Day being last weekend we have been talking a lot about the environment, recycling and nature. My 6 year old has been asking alllllll the questions. Why do people litter? Why do we throw away so much stuff? Why do we drive everywhere? You don’t realize the amount of waste you create until you have a kid in Grade One calling you out on every piece of plastic you throw away. I have been smuggling saran-wrap and ziploc bags into the garbage like a rum runner smuggling contraband booze in the 20’s.
So we decided to make a bird feeder with things we have laying around the house to a) give him something to do so I don’t have to answer questions about my non-compostable plastic containers and b) to show him that we can reuse and re-purpose things.
Gather supplies ahead of time before you tell your child you are making something. They are impatient and will ask you 10000000 questions while you are setting things up. Pour the bird seed onto a plate to make clean up easier. Don’t worry about cleaning off all the toilet paper off the roll. This isn’t Pinterest. No one has time for that. *not noted on the supplies list but this would be a good time to make sure you have a glass of wine ready for after you make a mess with the kids. If you sit and drink the wine until your husband gets home he may even clean up for you*
Get them to cover the roll with peanut butter. This works on their fine motor skills, grasping and pinching muscles which help with writing. That is what you say to your husband when he comes home and sees peanut butter all over the counter and you are on the couch with the wine we mentioned above. You may have to hold the roll for them at the end so it does’t slip onto the floor. No one has time to mop. Unless you have a dog that will come clean up the mess on the floor. Then let the kid do the whole thing.
Roll the peanut butter covered roll in the birdseed pressing down so the seeds stick. Notice how long your kids’ fingernails are and how much dirt is under them. Add “bath time” to the list of things your husband needs to do while you help your self to another glass of wine after he gets home.
Thread the string through the tube and tie a knot so it can hang in the tree. This is great practice tying knots with your kids so they don’t end up wearing velcro shoes for the rest of their life. Nothing wrong with velcro – it is just really really hard to find velcro shoes when they get past size 3. I’m saving you time and money.
Take the cute picture to post later on Instagram to show everyone that you craft with your kids. #goals #instalove #blessed
Hang it in the tree in a spot they can see out the window so they aren’t asking you to lift them up a million times. Make sure they are inside to watch the birds eat. No bird will come to the bird feeder when an excited kid yells “BIRD! A BIRD IS HERE EATING! MOM I SEE A BIRD!” every time they come close.
Check the time. The husband is probably home soon so get that wine ready.