i know shin pads are mandatory so are shirts boots shorts and socks

Skating isnt a popular past time in the UK nor is skiing..cricket is cheaper than baseball to my knowledge and rugby is cheaper than Amercian football and field hockey cheaper than ice hockey..swimming is more expensive i have found in Canada not by much though

i dont own a Piano so cant comment or have ever been to the YMCA..I agree the libaries here are fanstastic compared to the UK

I'm confused. I thought people moved to Canada to get away from the kids.

All you seem to read on here is that people can't stand all the kids, being kids, loudmouthed, drunk, shagging in skips, spitting and generally being chavy chop yobbos.

Boat. At least you can sell it, or let it sink.

A cost not mentioned so far is that of sending the children home once or twice a year. Granted they can typically stay with relatives but still a couple of flights a year per child is not an inconsiderable bill.

I thought of you last night when we passed a stretch of chemicalized wasteland. There, next one of those motorized buggy things people cart their beer and sticks about on, was a man in a lilac polymer shirt and pink shorts. This ludicrous vision screamed "Cadillac Owner".

Well said

We skate and ski because thats what there is to do, if we were in the UK the kids would be doing who knows what, probably field hockey and golf as thats what I used to do.

None of which is really relevant is it, Im not quire sure what you mean by Rugby is cheaper than american football etc? To play? To buy equipment? To sign kids up for?

The bottom line is what counts. What activities to parents in the UK have their kids doing, and what do they cost. So far I seem to the only one to give hard numbers for what my kids activities actually cost.


As a teen playing hockey in the UK (the grass kind) the match fees were about £5 a game, and I had to but shirts and track suit, etc etc, plus annual subs that were about £100 a year. That was 30 years ago, I doubt its got much cheaper since.

I wouldnt be caught dead owning a cadillac

yeah costs a lot more here than the UK..in a nut shell

In fact if you compare countries to school kids..Canada is the kid that has all the kit and the richest parents..but they're still shit at sport and no wants them on their team.

Seems to cost quite a bit less here, some of the prices in your list shocked me! For instance you said school karate was $30 a month, but here most after school clubs are free - my daughter does drama club and dance class for free, and my son does cricket for free too. The only one our school charges for is cookery, and that's £1 per week, presumably to cover the cost of the ingredients.

Piano lessons are £5 a time, as are most other things i.e. ballet/rugby. Swimming passes for the entire year for my two are £20 per year (each, so £40 in total) so also quite a bit cheaper than the $90 a month you mentioned, and they can swim anytime for free with that - lessons are extra though.

The only thing that I consider expensive is horse riding - £15 for a private lesson.

Obviously not got a comparison for skiing or skating!!

I should point out that Karate at school is not a teacher doing it, its a professional Sensei that comes in for an hour at a number of different schools through the week.


He does alright from it though at a guess... he is a cadillac driver!

Frilly shoes?

No, that's everybody else's kids apparently

Ditto for here - the dance/drama/cricket are all run by outside companies, it's just hosted at the school.