You know spring is here once the sap starts running from the maple trees. If you’ve been thinking of taking the kids out to visit a maple sugar shack but don’t want to drive off the island and spend the better part of a day on your outing then you are in luck. There’s a small sugar shack right in the West Island.

At the Cap St. Jacques park you can visit a maple sugar operation every weekend until April 20th, 2008. It’s open Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the site which includes a tractor ride out to the shack and back. They also have a maple pull for a few extra dollars.

Don’t forget to visit the animal farm which includes geese, horses, cows, sheep and goats. There’s no charge for visiting the farm.

To find out how to get to Cap St. Jacques Park check out the interactive Nature Parks Map and click on the Cap St. Jacques entry.

When was the last time you sat down to play some card games with your family?

Families often played card games together before technology crept in and took us away from some of the simpler activities. There are many advantages to rediscovering this social pastime.

First of all it’s inexpensive and can be played anywhere. You can buy a pack of cards for a couple of dollars. Since it’s a social activity it’s a fun way to increase your family time. For children it teaches them strategy, patience and dexterity. There are games suitable for almost any age.

Some games you may have played as a child include Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Concentration, Old Maid, Rummy and Hearts. If you need to refresh your knowledge of some of these childhood favorites or want to learn some new games you can find the rules to hundreds of card games at this Card Game Directory site.

Take advantage of a great opportunity to spend time with your family and provide your children with lasting memories.

Credit: Santa wants to hear from you.

This holiday season, if your child wants to write a letter to Santa, it can be addressed to:

SANTA CLAUS
NORTH POLE H0H 0H0
CANADA

or in French at:

PÈRE NOËL
LE PÔLE NORD H0H 0H0
CANADA

If your child does send a letter to Santa, you’ll get a nice reply in the mail. Don’t forget to include your child’s name, a return address and send it at least a few weeks before Christmas if you want to ensure a timely reply.

More information can be found at Canada Post’s Santa Letter Wrting Program site.

If you want your children to give their wish list directly to Santa, here is where and when Santa Claus will be arriving in local shopping malls on the West Island: