Sherwood Park Indoor Activities

Vivid, cartoon-style illustrations cover the walls of the four theme party rooms at Kidz Quarterz, where sea animals look out from deep blue depths and woodland creatures peer around trees. However, partygoers don’t spend all their time in these rooms; instead they roam throughout the indoor facility, careening down a slide or crawling through tunnels. They hone hand-eye coordination with classic games in the arcade, where they earn tickets to trade in for prizes or to sew together to make a quilt. Toddlers play safely in their own exclusive soft-surface area, and families can refuel in the restaurant.

Noorish lines up a buffet of culinary and fitness resources meant to balance the body from every angle, lodging an organic vegetarian eatery, teaching kitchen, yoga studio, and health-centric retail store at a single locale. The Noorish Conscious Eatery’s entrees spring from raw and locally grown veggies to accommodate vegan and gluten-free diets. One such platter is the bodhi tree burger, a layered sandwich of chickpeas, tomato pesto, marinated zucchini, and greens which Avenue magazine lauds as a "spectacular vegan dish, both artfully presented and delicious" in its 25 Best Things to Eat 2012. Nearby, the elixir bar churns out salubrious juices, teas, and tonics designed to bolster particular attributes such as relaxation and detoxification; an interactive teaching kitchen demonstrates steps for prepping earth-friendly meals.

Below the café, instructors lead pose-heavy yoga classes in the Noorish Yoga, Meditation and Events Studio. Guests might flex into calming Hatha stances or take in a lecture on sustainable living, depending on the time of their visit and whether or not microphone trees are in season. They can round out their visit by perusing the books, specialty foods, and body products in the retail store.

A program created by the Edmonton Hispanic Cultural Society, Dancing with Little Stars introduces participants to salsa dancing during 60-minute classes that set easy-to-follow routines to fast-paced Latin beats. New moms can choose to dance with babes in arms or take to the dance floor alone while their newborns nap in cozy car seats or challenge other infants to do the worm. In addition to its fitness benefits, the program encourages socializing between moms both on the dance floor and after class.

"I couldn’t tell you what it was, but I knew about what was going on inside of people," writes Jackie on her blog, Empaths in Edmonton. From a young age, she felt highly attuned to the physical and emotional states of others. She is not only sensitive to the energy within people, but also to the energetic vibrations that surround them in the form of light, sound, and monkeys with cymbals. This empathy guides her yoga classes and healing treatments at Sukha Shack, where she works to keep her clients balanced and healthy. Her noninvasive sessions can help ease pain, break addictions, facilitate forgiveness, and make connections with the spiritual side.