One of my favourite places in Surrey is the Green Timbers Urban Forest, near the King George Skytrain station; or by car just off Green Timbers Way from 140th Street. It’s almost like a secret park – nestled behind big trees that hide it — and sound proof it — from the nearby Fraser Highway. For many families who live in towers or townhouses, this lovely park is their big back yard with lots of space for their kids to play, and for adults just to enjoy experiencing nature’s gifts. The expansive green space has hills and bushes that make for a perfect game of hide-and-seek, or just letting your energetic children run around to their heart’s content. There’s also an enchanted forest – well, the wooded area that can seem like one to a small child who will love to climb on the giant tree stump, or build a fort out of branch poles. At age two, my son Kingston had a wonderful time finding interesting little bugs on the forest floor. His curiosity about nature grew immensely and he still stops any time he sees a little insect on the ground and watches it intently.
Not only is the outdoor area a natural classroom, but the Park also has an indoor learning centre which can be used for social events as well. One year we reserved the large room for my son Warren’s eighth birthday. After he and his friends were worn out from all their outdoor games in the park, everyone came inside for cake and juice, and there were lots of indoor activities for the group as well.
During the school year, the Park offers a great choice of actual outdoor education courses to supplement regular school classes. Teachers can sign up their whole class for special elementary education, and there are even pre-school field trips for younger kids. There’s even something for teachers themselves. For the next Pro-D day, they might want to check out the outdoors teaching workshop offered at the Park.
This fall there are some great programs lined up at Green Timbers. Some are free and others that are longer and have more structure have a charge. For kids aged 3 to 5, there are Saturday morning sessions that are free. On October 20th and November 10 there are free Discovery Days for families with kids of all ages. Activities on these days are from 10 am to 2 pm and include a Nature Guide, books, puppets and other materials in the Sky Room before heading outdoors to explore the natural surroundings. If you have teenagers from 13 to 17 in your family, they can enjoy the Surrey Youth Stewardship Program, which has a collaborative art project and is also free on November 18 from 10 am to 2 pm.
Or there is the 24-session program on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting September 26 for about $400.00. This sounds like a great combination of day care and outdoor education. For older children aged 6 to 9, there are full day Friday classes on November 3rd and 9th which combine art with nature studies for about $50.00.
And I’ve saved for the last an event for what my own kids really love – Halloween! On Saturday October 28, there will be “Halloween in the Forest” from 10 am to 2 pm. This will be a free indoor and outdoor event complete with Halloween treats and a special Forest Fairy for young children.
You can find out more about the great times for families at Surrey’s Green Timbers Urban Forest by phoning 604-502-6065 or visiting the website at http://www.surrey.ca/culture-recreation/2311.aspx
Image via www.surrey.ca
Thanks for reading!
Sibo Zhang, REALTOR®