On a recent trip to British Columbia, we decided to stop at Fort Steele which is located on Highway 93/95, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Cranbrook east of Kimberley.

There were family events for the Easter holiday and the kids enjoyed the Easter Egg hunt, wagon ride and watching the animal farm on a beautiful sunny day.

The highlight of our visit was watching a live show based on the stories of Robert Munsch at the Wild Horse Theatre. It was a very funny show and the actors did an awesome job.

The library has several books on the history of Fort Steele - Fort Steele: Gold Rush to Boom Town and Fort Steele: Here History Lives.

We also have some great guidebooks for visiting British Columbia. Just search "British Columbia Guidebooks" in our catalogue.

I was very impressed with this historic park. This would be a great place to visit in the summer!

When I saw The Lego Ideas Book: Unlock Your Imagination by Daniel Lipkowitz arrive at Calgary Public Library, it brought back memories of when Lego ruled our world. I’m nostalgic for the days when a Lego magazine’s arrival in the mail was a major event. All activity would halt as the magazine was devoured cover to cover. The required money was tallied, the piggy bank counted, and all upcoming birthdays and holidays taken into account. Then quick to the phone to sweet talk Grandma! All hands were on deck as 1000 pieces of Lego were spilled on the dining room table; parents in charge of sorting Lego by colour, while the chief builder did the assembly without a break until it was done.

Legoland Florida opened in October on the site of the old Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven. We haven’t visited this one, but looking at the map shows they’re using some of the popular features from other Legolands. Our first visit was to Legoland California in San Diego. My strong memories are not the rides, but the clever Lego statues that dotted the park. In the medieval section there was a little pink grunting pig. Down a darkened tunnel was a menacing polar bear. For a photo op, you could stick your head in the jaws of a roaring lion.

We also visited the Legoland in Windsor, England. You can take a train from London for a day trip. Getting off the train, you grab a bus or taxi, skirting around the Queen’s Windsor Castle. There are two huge colourful dragons on the Viking’s River Splash. Trolls dump water on you at the end of this water ride. We all enjoyed the Kid Power Tower in which two people pull their seat up in the air with a rope to get a good view. As in all Legolands, there’s a model miniland in the middle of the park with some architectural highlights of the surrounding country. Miniland is my favourite part of Legoland. It’s fun to look back at places you’ve been, and to look forward to the next destination.

The library’s Lego books are very popular, and sometimes you need to place holds to get the latest titles. We scoured the books on the history of Lego. The little yellow headed people are important; a friend’s child dressed up as one for Halloween. Standing Small: A History of Thirty Years of the Lego Minifigure chronicles their story. There are lots of X books too- easy readers with limited vocabulary for those learning to read.

Books devoted to specific Lego collections are also popular. Right now, Harry Potter is flying off the shelves. Harry Potter: Building the Magical World has colour photos of the sets no longer available. The Star Wars book is also great, and a lot easier to flip through than poking through E-bay!

Lastly, we recommend the DVD Lego: the Adventures of Clutch Powers. Clutch is an action hero minifigure in this animated movie suitable for young kids. There are five Legolands to visit: in Florida, California, England, Germany, and Denmark, the original. Block on!

Are you staying in Calgary with the family for Spring Break? There are many opportunities in the city for fun family activities, starting with Calgary Public Library.

Our libraries are always great places to spend a few hours, browsing for books, CDs, and DVDs. As well, many of our branches are offering special programs during the week, starting on March 23rd.

PD Day Movie at Central in the John Dutton Theatre.

Come watch a feature film on your day off! Call branch for movie title.

Kids - with a parent/caregiver, 1:30 - 3:30 on Friday, March 23rd. No registration required.

Chess in the Library at Forest Lawn Library

Join members of the Calgary Chess Club and Calgary Junior Chess Club for the opportunity to play chess, supported by coaching. Children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.

Kids & Teens - Ages 6 to 20, Sunday March 25^th, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Registration Not Required

Spring Break Movies at Signal Hill Library

Join us on your school break for a selection of short, funny films from the Library's collection.
Ages 5 to 12, Tuesday, Mar 27, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. No registration required

ESL Teen Talk at Fish Creek, Nose Hill & Saddletown Library

ESL teens and tweens can practice English language skills and enjoy a variety of fun activities at the Library.

Ages 10 to 14, Monday, Mar 26, Tuesday, Mar 27, Wednesday, Mar 28, Thursday, Mar 29, Friday, Mar 30, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Gaming For all ages at Nose Hill Library

Bring your friends and enjoy video games with the Nintendo Wii, such as Beatles Rock Band, Wii Sports, and selected Mario games. Wednesday March 28^th, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Kids & Teens - Ages 7 and up Registration not required

LEGO Club at Fish Creek & Shawnessy Library

Join us to build, create, and explore! Legos provided.

Kids & Teens, Registration not required

Create Fantastic Creatures! at Alexander Calhoun

Create creatures a la Parrototter or Rhinostrich inspired by "Mixed Beasts" by Wallace Edwards, learn pencil crayon shading, and read, write, and share rhymes. Presented by Pinkmittens2.

Kids - Ages 9 to 12, Saturday, Mar 31, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Other Venues

Heritage Park's Gasoline Alley Museum is offering Spring Rally in the Alley from March 23 - April 1, 9:30am-4:00pm.

The Calgary Zoo offers daily programs and special programs and has to be a great place to be with all this great spring weather. What a great chance to see the new penguin exhibit. (Of course, it is snowing as I write this! Spring in Calgary!?!)

Spring is an excellent time of year to visit the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. My bird-watching friends tell me that you have a better opportunity to see the birds before the leaves are on the trees.

Star Night - And speaking of viewing, why not take advantage of a great opportunity to view the stars. Clear or cloudy skies, The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and Fish Creek Provincial Park are offering viewing of the night sky with telescopes, astronomy presentations, interactive games and displays. Everyone welcome, no charge!

Telus Spark, the new science centre, is offering special programs for spring break.

Fort Calgary is open every day through the spring break, offering a chance to see where Calgary first started at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers.

Mom, Tot and Kids' Show website describes itself as a fun and interactive tradeshow for Alberta Families. More than 100 exhibitors will be present showcasing the latest in technology, apparel, furniture, products and toys. they invite you to come and play with your kids, be entertained, explore and just have fun!

The kids will be off for 5 fun-filled days during Teachers' Convention and Family Day Weekend. What do you do with them in the middle of February?

Calgary Public Library is always a great place to take the kids to spend a few hours, looking for great books and movies. What is better than time spent browsing through the children's collection? For information on locations and hours, visit our webpage.

Movie Night at Crowfoot Library - Thursday, February16th at 6:30, a new release, with a very popular action star.

On Friday, February 17^th from 2:00 - 3:30 pm, Southwood Library will be offering Flipbook Animation for Kids, between the ages of 8 to 12. Kids can make their own cartoons by learning simple animation through creating flipbooks.

On Sunday, February 18th from 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Shawnessy Library will be offering LEGO Club – Create, and explore! Legos provided. No registration required

City of Calgary – Recreation

Family Golf Celebration - The City of Calgary Golf Courses, National Golf Academy and Boston Pizza invite you to join them for free indoor golf activities, pizza, giveaways and more alongside award winning CPGA golf professionals at the NGA Dome.
Free, all ages, drop-in, Saturday Feb 18, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Free Public swim and free Public skate on Family Day at select locations

Canmore Nordic Centre

Enjoy the best of winter with your family at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Along with 60km of groomed cross country ski trail, (trail fees in effect), enjoy free ice skating, tobogganing and a ski obstacle course. Free hot chocolate and music for will be offered at the Family Snow Zone, (toboggan hill).

Family Day Weekend at Heritage Park

Take part in a fun-filled family quest! Work together as a family or group to complete five hands-on challenges as you explore Gasoline Alley Museum. Answer the five key questions with each challenge and discover funny, memorable stories that make your family unique. Bring your camera for some fun photos!

TD Winterfest Free Family Day Fun 2012

TD Winterfest is back.
Bring the whole Family down to the Olympic Plaza. There is a lot to do for all!

• Live Music.
• Live Ice-Sculpting.
• Snowman and Ice Castle Building.
• Ice Café.
• Enter our RESP contest for your chance to win one of three $250 cash prizes.
• Meet, skate with and have your photo taken with Calgary Hockey Greats Jamie Macoun and Colin Patterson.
• Bring your skates and bundle up!

Royal Tyrrell Museum

Join them February 18 - 20 for some family fun as they celebrate Family Day Weekend with programs, activities, and more!

FREE Admission on Family Day - Monday, February 20, 2012!

Banff National Park has planned a fun-filled month of activities from January 14 - February 12 to celebrate winter. Check out their website for all the fun activities that are planned.

Once you have checked out the special events that are planned, visit our previous blog on Banff to find out about the many ongoing activities in the area, such as horse-drawn sleigh rides, outdoor skating and tobogganing.

And then check out these great guidebooks on Banff from Calgary Public Library: