Families enjoy another year of March Break fun

From farm animals to ice skating to cool science experiments, OPG and its community organizations served up another week of family fun this past March Break.

Children and families in the Durham and Cornwall regions enjoyed the full line-up of free workshops and events March 11 to 15.

​“Once again, our March Break program was a huge success. Families had a blast enjoying the free, fun, and educational programs,” said Leah Bourgeois, a Communications Officer with OPG and one of the organizers of the March Break Madness week at Darlington and Pickering Nuclear Generating Stations (GS).

For over two decades, the Durham-area March Break Madness program has provided family-friendly activities designed for children six to 12 years of age during the annual spring break. It has grown from just a few days of events to eight programs over a five-day schedule that are attended by more than 4,000 people.

Kicking off the program line-up this year was a Forest Friends day at the Claremont Nature Area. Kids took the time to meet forest wildlife, learned about animal tracks, and explored the trails around the nature centre.

Meanwhile in Clarington, a Spring Water Surprise day was held at the Darlington Nuclear Information Centre. A team from the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority gave kids a crash course on fish habitat in local watersheds and conducted science experiments to demonstrate spring water safety.

Other activities included community skate and swim days, action-packed science workshops held at the Pickering Nuclear Information Centre, and the ever-popular day of fun at WindReach Farm. At the accessible farm in Whitby, visitors came out to pet animals, make crafts, and enjoy wagon rides and a campfire.

Further east in Cornwall, OPG staff put on a full slate of March Break events at the St. Lawrence Power Development Visitor Centre near R.H. Saunders GS.

A variety of fun and informative science-related drop-in workshops were held at the Visitor Centre every day between March 11 and 15, running from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. More than 1,300 people attended this year’s events.

“This year, we saw a huge increase in numbers compared to the past couple of years,” said Matt Mulvihill, a Communications Officer with OPG at R.H. Saunders GS. “People are really embracing the opportunity to come out, have some fun and learn about a variety of programs related to the environment and science within their own community.”

The interactive half-day sessions, held in partnership with the River Institute research organization and daily special guest presenters, included fun activities on bugs, wildlife, water conservation and water life, a lesson on endangered species, and a day focusing on Science, Tech, Engineering, Art and Math.