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! 🦸

Fifty acres of rescued dogs and horses you can walk among, a dinosaur hunt through the forest, and brand new sensory rooms at the Ex. Down at the bottom, goat races, apple season and a steam train you can ride for the afternoon.

Note: This is your YORK Edition. Reply HALTON 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

📍 King City 1405 19th Sideroad · SUN Aug 23 and SUN Aug 30 · 💰 $5 per ticket

Fifty acres of fields and trails, a dog rescue and a horse sanctuary on the same property. Tickets must be bought ahead and arrive by email as a PDF. Leave your own dog at home. → Get tickets

📍 Stouffville Memorial Park Multi-Use Trail · THU Aug 27 and THU Sep 3 · Sessions 6 – 6:45 PM and 7 – 7:45 PM, grades 7-12 at 8 PM · 💰 Free, skates included

No registration, just turn up. Wheelchairs, strollers and manual scooters are welcome on the trail, and helmets are encouraged but not required. Note: there is a live DJ. → Details

Sat Aug 22 and Sun Aug 23

📍 Port Hope Haute Goat Farm, 1166 5th Line · SAT Aug 22 · 11 AM – 4 PM · 💰 $10, plus $5 for mini shmurgles or an alpaca meet and greet

Goat and pig races, wagon rides, chicken bingo and a craft zone on a big farm property. Note: live music and vendor stalls make the middle of the site loud, but there is room to walk away from it. → Details

📍 Toronto Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W · SAT Aug 22 10 AM – 8 PM, SUN Aug 23 10 AM – 6 PM · 💰 Adults $15, everyone 17 and under free to Sep 7

The Canada Strong Pass free window for under-18s closes Sep 7, so this is the stretch to go. A support person accompanying a visitor with a disability gets in free. → Details

📍 North York Gravitate Studio · MON Aug 24 · 6 PM · 💰 Kids' trial class free, $25 per adult

A parent talk and a fitness class for you while your child tries a class. → Register

📍 Nobleton Cold Creek Conservation Area, 14125 11th Concession · WED Aug 26 · 2 – 3:30 PM · 💰 Free

An EarlyON special event. Families search the forest for hidden dinosaur clues. Movement and imaginative play rather than sitting still. → Details

📍 Newmarket 1206 Ringwell Drive, Unit 2 · THU Sep 3 · 5 – 8 PM · 💰 Free

Walk the gym, meet the coaches and talk to other families. No class to join in on, so kids can look around at their own pace. The club runs a fully inclusive program for children with physical, cognitive, social or developmental needs. Also on that evening in Uxbridge. → Details

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 across York Region and Toronto, see the full list on our sensory hours page.

🦁 Toronto Zoo Sensory-Friendly Early Admission: SAT + SUN early entry at 9 AM, before the 9:30 general open. Sensory bags at the Accessibility Hub.

Thank you for reading, genuinely. This list only exists because people keep replying and telling me what their kids actually liked.

So hit reply and tell me one thing that's already sorted for September, however small. I read every single one.

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

Stella

Sensory Scoop · sensoryscoop.ca