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Kids at home? Find family fun in and around Greater Victoria

In-person and online activities to pass the time until Jan. 10
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The Royal B.C. Museum is home to one of many family-friendly exhibits open this week. (Courtesy of Royal B.C. Museum)

Some B.C. students won’t return to class until Jan. 10, giving guardians another week of activities to plan before a new semester starts. With that in mind, here’s a list of some in-person and online activities for families looking to play, learn and pass the time this week.

Have a whale of a time at the Royal B.C. Museum

The Royal B.C. Museum’s feature exhibition, Orcas: Our Shared Future, closes March 31. The splashy showcase immerses viewers in the world of killer whales through live-size replicas, Indigenous cultural objects, videos and interactive games.

Starting Jan. 3, visitors can also catch a showing of award-winning documentary Saving Luna, about a young male orca in Nootka Sound.

READ MORE: Award-winning whale doc debuts Jan. 3 at IMAX Victoria

Discover hidden gems around Victoria

The City of Victoria has curated four self-guided heritage walks that lead you through the oldest parts of Victoria. The tours, which even have their own app for easy access, let you see the downtown core in new ways at your own pace.

Choose from four heritage walking maps – Mysterious Chinatown, Rollicking Boomtown, Haunted Victoria and Victoria’s Law and Order.

Learn more online at the City of Victoria website, victoria.ca.

Marvel at brick-made wonders in Sidney

The Sidney Museum is bringing back its popular LEGO Brick Exhibition until March 31. The exhibition, returning for its 16th year, features hundreds of LEGO building models.

The museum also has an online exhibit called Edible Artefacts, showcasing recipes and stories from Canadian history.

READ MORE: Sidney Museum to host popular LEGO exhibition starting Jan. 2

Check out online ocean activities

Ocean Wise, a Vancouver-based conservation organization, hosts an online resource called Online Ocean where kids ages two to 18 can take classes, make crafts, and watch videos related to ocean conservation.

Families can also learn about the impacts of plastic and other forms of litter on the ocean on the organization’s Shoreline Cleanup site, complete with both educational and fun activities for all ages.

Learn all about Emily Carr

Emily Carr: Seeing and Being Seen runs at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria until July 17, and features Carr’s work as well as interpretations of her legacy from other artists.

The gallery’s website also features an online platform for Canada-wide arts experiences, which includes children’s activities designed to be engaged with from home.

READ MORE: New Art Gallery of Greater Victoria exhibition explores work of Emily Carr

Explore the arctic with paper and pencil

The Bateman Foundation is running a four-week long junior nature sketch course online for those ages five to 13 who are interested in learning to draw arctic animals.

Students will learn art fundamentals like line drawing, understanding shapes and shading techniques while also learning about the creatures who live and play in the Arctic.

Learn more about the Bateman Foundation and its junior courses online at register.naturesketch.org.

READ MORE: B.C. schools to have a staggered re-start in January

READ MORE: Vancouver Island Regional Library releases list of top borrowed books for 2021


Do you have a story tip? Email: tegwyn.hughes@blackpress.ca.

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