The rain did not stop us from having a great time at York Region’s annual Family Fun Day Open House last Saturday at the VIVA Bus Depot. What a wonderful event that the York Region organized to celebrate National Public Works Week. It was fun and educational for both kids and parents. We learned lots about the many different services operated by the York Region Government.
The best part of the day was exploring big trucks and emergency response vehicles. I have been to a few Touch-a-Truck events before but have never seen such a complete exhibit. Firetruck, ambulance, multi-patient ambulance bus, snow plow, bulldozer, street sweeper, and an armed truck from the York Region Police! Not only did we see them, we were able to climb into them to explore and talk to the wonderful people who drive them.
My six-year-old child is at the age that he is curious about how things work such as where do the garbage go, what happens when we flash the toilet and which items should be recycled. It was a perfect learning opportunity for him as we were able to talk to different Public Works staff that explained to us about all those things.
We ended our outdoor fun with a ride on the VIVA Bus and experienced a bus wash. The kids were so excited to see where the buses “live and shower” at night.
As the rain got bigger, we went inside of the building and there were many hands-on activities that were kids-friendly and educational. There were also at least 4 face painters onsite. My two-year-old was so happy to get her face painted and also insisted me to get one to match her. We also enjoyed meeting Barklay the Tree and Pylon Pete (two cute mascots) and the charity BBQ.
Thank you, York Region, for organizing such a great open house! We will be back next year.
