Savvy Parenting : Visiting the National & Provincial Parks with Preschoolers The Savvy Source for Parents

What is your favourite national park to visit with the kids? Have you ever camped with a preschooler? How can a parent make visiting a park or heritage site fun and interesting for the young ones? Parks Canada has some great resources in the online Teacher Resource Centre. There are fact sheets, ideas for activities, and print-outs like crossword puzzles for older children.

Our destination this summer is Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia. I've been camping there more times than I can remember and can't wait to share it with Gigi this year. Since I've always done back country camping (mostly canoeing and portages), we will adjust our itinerary to suit an almost four year old. Using the site, I was able to figure out what sites would be most suitable for our family and activities she can participate in while there.

We also plan on spending time in Algonquin Provincial Park this summer which will be a first for both Gigi and me. If it hadn't been for their website, I would have never known about the theatre and art centre in The Algonquin Room. Also, we might have to plan our trip around one of the Public Wolf Howls because howling with/at the wolves sounds very Dr. Doolittle.

So how about you? Will you be visiting any of the many magnificent parks in your province this year?