Hey {{first_name | Friend}}! 👋

Every summer reminds me that there’s no such thing as work-life balance, when kids are doing parkour around you while you mute and un-mute through a Zoom call. Two weekends left, parent! Y’all superheroes! 🦸

Two free inclusive community days, brand new sensory rooms at the Ex, and hawks and owls flying free at Mountsberg. Down at the bottom, apple season opens and there is a steam train you can ride for the afternoon.

Note: This is your HALTON Edition. Reply YORK to switch. Or BOTH to get both editions.

PS: See all events on our event page.

Fresh finds for the next two weeks

📍 Toronto Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place · FRI Aug 21 to MON Sep 7 · 💰 Free to use. 50% off admission on self-declaration of a disability

New this year. Soft lighting, seating and sensory tools, and you check in with the Lost and Found staff. Sensory bags with headphones and fidgets are $15 on site. A support person gets in free with an Access 2 Card. → Details

📍 Hamilton TB McQuesten Park · SAT Aug 29 · 10 AM – 3 PM · 💰 Free, registration required

An outdoor pop-up market built for families with disabilities and neurodivergent kids. Vendors, entertainment and activities, spread across a park so there is room to step away. → Register

📍 Hamilton Hamilton Italian Centre · SAT Aug 22 · 11 AM – 4 PM · 💰 Free

A community festival built around disability inclusion. Accessibility organisations exhibiting, indoors at the community centre. → Details

Exclusive offers for our community. See full list on our perks page

Sat Aug 22 and Sun Aug 23

📍 Dundas RBG Arboretum, 16 Old Guelph Rd · SAT Aug 22 and SUN Aug 23 · 9 – 11 AM · 💰 $45 per person plus fee

Two hours on the water in RBG's own canoes. Paddles and lifejackets provided, two people per canoe. Ages 10 and up with an adult. → Register

📍 Milton Deer Clan Longhouse, Crawford Lake Conservation Area · Daily to MON Sep 7 · 10 AM – 4 PM · 💰 Included with park admission

Indoor exhibition of work by four Indigenous artists, built around Crawford Lake itself, with holographic recordings of Elders and scientists. Quiet gallery space, go at your own pace. → Details

📍 Milton Mountsberg Conservation Area, 2259 Milburough Line · FRI 1:30 PM, SAT and SUN 2 PM and 3:30 PM, to SUN Sep 6 · 💰 Free with park admission

Hawks and owls fly free in an open field. The show runs 15 minutes. Seating is limited and first-come, and the path takes sturdy strollers and all-terrain wheelchairs. → Details

📍 Burlington Elemenoe, 845 Harrington Court #200b · WED Aug 26 · 9:30 – 11 AM · 💰 Free

Storytime built for neurodivergent kids from the start, run by an autism therapy team. Ages 0 to 8. → Register

📍 Oakville Valleybrook Park, 1150 Valleybrook Dr · WED Aug 26 · Entry 6:30 PM, film at 8 PM · 💰 Free

Last one of the season. Free popcorn while it lasts. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs, and bug spray. Parking is limited. → Details

📍 Milton Milton Mall, 55 Ontario St S · SAT Aug 29 · 11 AM – 2 PM · 💰 Free

Mad Science demonstrations and hands-on activities in the mall common area, near the Slime Lab. Indoor and drop-in. Note: the demos involve the odd bang. → Details

📍 Hamilton The Westdale, 1014 King St W · SAT Aug 29 · 1:30 PM · 💰 $9.25

Run with the Centre for Diverse Learners. → Get tickets

📍 Dundas RBG Arboretum Nature Centre, 16 Old Guelph Rd · SUN Sep 6 · 8:30 – 10:30 AM · 💰 $20 per person plus fee

Twelve registrants per session. Binoculars provided if you don't have a pair. One child plus one adult minimum per booking. → Register

And on the horizon:

Close to home or worth the drive.

📍 Stouffville 12416 McCowan Rd · Apple picking opens SAT Aug 29 · WED to FRI 10 AM – 5 PM, SAT and SUN 9 AM – 5 PM · 💰 Picking prices on site

Ginger Golds first. Wagon rides, farm animals, a playground and a market. Last admission is an hour before close, and no pets. → Plan a visit

📍 Brighton 328 Presqu'ile Parkway · Open daily · 💰 Day-use fee, paid at the gate

A 2.5 km sandy beach and a 1 km boardwalk over the biggest protected marsh on Lake Ontario. Two visitor centres, one of them in Ontario's second-oldest working lighthouse. All-terrain wheelchairs available at the park. → Plan a visit

📍 Tottenham 28 Mill St W · SUN and holiday Mondays to Thanksgiving · 💰 $17 adults, $9 ages 3-15, $14 seniors

A one-hour return trip through the Beeton Creek valley in restored 1920s coaches. → Book

These run every week, see the full list on our sensory hours page.

🏊 Sensory Swim: SAT 4 – 5 PM @ Tansley Woods CC, Burlington (new time) | SUN 3:45 – 4:45 PM @ Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, Oakville | SAT 3 PM @ Milton Leisure Centre ($0-$3.40)

Oakville Trafalgar CC restarts THU Sep 10, 2 – 3 PM, then weekly.

Thank you for reading all the way through! This list only exists because of you. Hit reply and tell me what you liked or hated, places we should include.

If this landed in your Promotions tab, drag it over to Primary so you never miss a scoop. ☀️

Stella

Sensory Scoop · sensoryscoop.ca