“Spring” break seems to have snuck up on us! With snow on the ground, and more to come today, March break sounds like a more accurate name for next week, when our kiddos get a break from their regular school routines.

Looking for things to do? Here’s a few things happening around the Greater Toronto Area:

• For current U of T students, staff or faculty, check out the Family Care Office and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics’ Pi Day event on March 14. Learn how astronomers and space scientists use this special number to learn about the universe and travel through our solar system. Learn more about our Pi Day Family Event. Bring your kids, register early, spaces limited!
• Of special interest to those of us with kids going through a dinosaur-obsession stage, the Royal Ontario Museum’s T.rex: The Ultimate Predator opens tomorrow, March 11.
• Indigenous Ingenuity continues at the Ontario Science Centre. The interactive exhibit explores Indigenous science and ways of knowing. Visit before it closes on April 16, 2023.
• On March 15, OISE alumni families and friends are invited to join OISE and U of T Engineering for a ground-breaking theatrical adaptation of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s bestselling children’s book, The Darkest Dark. Young People’s Theatre, 1 pm. Recommended for ages 6-12.
• One of the first signs of spring is the flowing of maple syrup. Bring your family to learn about maple syrup production, eat pancakes dripping with maple syrup, and bring some bottled maple syrup home. Here are some of the places to check out: Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival at Kortright and Bruce Mills Conservation Areas, Sugar Shack TO (downtown!) and Black Creek Pioneer Village: Maple Syrup At The Village.
• The 1st Annual Taste of the Middle East Winter Festival 2023 is March 17-19 at the Mississauga Convention Centre. Celebrate Arabic music, art and culture. The festival showcases a mix of new and “emerging local artists, old favorites, and some of today’s most prominent performers in Toronto’s Canadian Arabic community.” Vendors and food! Children can enjoy games, activities and shows at the Kids Carnival. @tasteofthemiddleeasttoronto
• Learn about our provincial Parliament. Free two hour interactive Family Fun Program is designed for families with kids ages 6 to 12, to experience and learn about Ontario’s Parliament. Tour includes a scavenger hunt, dress-up in a traditional robe, and a mock debate.
• March Break at the McMichael Art Gallery in Kleinburg includes Family Story Telling Tours: “storytellers will regale you with tales of creativity and wonder that will transport you inside the artist’s mind and to the outer reaches of your own imagination.” Tours are free with gallery admission.
• While St. Patrick’s Day is March 17, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Sunday the 19^th. The route starts at St. George and Bloor and heads east on Bloor, south on Yonge.

Wishing you all a family- and fun-filled March break!