We went to the opening day of our Favourite Winter Festival, Nutrien Wintershines in Saskatoon on Saturday. We had signed up for the Inuksuk building workshop so we made sure to get there in time to do a little exploring before we made an Inuksuk. Once again, we were very happy with everything. We will definitely stop by again this week to discover some more.
Standing behind the Skye Snow Sculpture. (Not on it!)
We walked by the curling area and my son was so happy to see the Paw Patrol characters made out of snow! Although he doesn’t watch it as much anymore, Skye will forever be his favourite. We had to stop for a quick photo. We decided not to try out the curling that day though. There was too much to check out.
Ice Blocks
While we were waiting for the Inuksuk building workshop, we found a little area for the kids with colourful ice blocks. My son (of course) decided to make some robot ice blocks. It was the perfect distraction while we waited for our workshop.
Creating Inuksuks
My son has been intrigued by Inuksuks for years. We’ve frequently seen them made by rocks along a highway in Ontario. He’s recognized and known what they are for years. We’ve read books about them and he even has an Inuksuk necklace he “borrowed” from my room. Inuksuks are structures of rough stones (or ice as we worked with) stacked in the form of a human figure. They are traditionally used by Inuit people for varied purposes but sometimes for a landmark. The workshop was run by Xiao Han, a local Saskatoon artist and by local artist Qiming Sun. All the groups that were participating grabbed their ice and tools and then watched an example of an Inuksuk being created. After that, we were free to create the Inuksuk as we wanted to create. I worked with my son and my sister to make our very own beautiful Inuksuk. I hope to be back to visit at night because they will have them lit up in the dark in an Inuksuk art installation.
Our Inuksuk
My son spent a lot of time adding to it and he loved adding the slush to it to keep it together. We went on a beautiful day and we were lucky to be able to work without getting too cold. He was soaking wet by the time he was done but that didn’t stop him from finding more fun!
Trying out kicksledding.
Three-four people ski
Climbing Rope
Our next stop was a section with Olympic-type activities. Nutrien Wintershines this year was Olympic-themed and many of the areas had an Olympic focus. This was a fun spot for the kids to run off some steam as well. We loved trying out the skis with room for more than one but we fell a lot! I was really excited to finally try out kick sledding and I’m hoping to do more soon. It was a great stop.
Other Creations
We had a wonderful time exploring the area. There will be new things every day and I can’t wait to get back there to see more. We ended our day with some hot chocolate and a bit more block building in the colourful ice area. If you haven’t been to Wintershines yet this year, make sure to check out the fun. They’ve got something for everybody.
