Island Parent Magazine December 2021 / January 2022
Vancouver Island’s Parenting Resource for 34 Years Holiday Happenings, Winter Solstice Rituals, Gift Ideas, Reclaiming Meaning in the Season of Stuff
Vancouver Island’s Parenting Resource for 34 Years
Holiday Happenings, Winter Solstice Rituals, Gift Ideas, Reclaiming Meaning in the Season of Stuff
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DEC <strong>2021</strong> / JAN <strong>2022</strong><br />
FREE COPY<br />
Vancouver <strong>Island</strong>’s <strong>Parent</strong>ing Resource for 34 Years<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
HAPPENINGS<br />
Winter<br />
Solstice<br />
Rituals<br />
GIFT<br />
IDEAS<br />
Reclaiming Meaning<br />
in the Season of Stuff
Active.<br />
Creative.<br />
Connected.<br />
Recreation<br />
for all.<br />
Opportunities for kids of all ages:<br />
Learn to Skate<br />
Tot Hockey<br />
Power Skating<br />
Swim Lessons<br />
Lifeguard Training<br />
Piano<br />
Ballet<br />
Dungeons and Dragons<br />
Plus,<br />
opportunities<br />
for adults<br />
of all ages<br />
too!<br />
Babysitter and Home Alone Classes<br />
Pro-D Day and Spring Break Camps<br />
WINTER REGISTRATION OPENS DECEMBER 6:<br />
victoria.ca/recreation 250.361.0732<br />
2 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 3
DEC <strong>2021</strong> / JAN <strong>2022</strong><br />
FREE COPY<br />
Vancouver <strong>Island</strong>’s <strong>Parent</strong>ing Resource for 34 Years<br />
TABLEOFCONTENTS<br />
Features<br />
In Every<br />
Issue<br />
5<br />
Fast Forward<br />
SUE FAST<br />
6<br />
Need to Know<br />
18<br />
Moms’ POV<br />
KELLY MCQUILLAN<br />
20<br />
Dadspeak<br />
DAVID LEACH<br />
10<br />
Holiday<br />
Gift<br />
Guide<br />
14<br />
The<br />
Gift of<br />
Song<br />
22<br />
The Season of Giving<br />
LORA MCKAY<br />
26<br />
Holiday Happenings<br />
16<br />
Winter<br />
Solstice<br />
Rituals<br />
LINDSAY COULTER<br />
28<br />
Creative<br />
Journaling<br />
NICOLLE NATTRASS<br />
24<br />
Family Calendar<br />
27<br />
Businesses You<br />
Need to Know<br />
30<br />
What’s for Dinner<br />
EMILLIE PARRISH<br />
32<br />
Nature Notes<br />
LAUREN SHERWOOD<br />
34<br />
Preschool &<br />
Child Care Directory<br />
36<br />
Kids’ Reads<br />
CHRISTINE VAN STARKENBURG<br />
38<br />
Cut It Out!<br />
ALLISON REES<br />
On the<br />
Cover<br />
Jules H (4)<br />
Photo by<br />
Cindy Finley<br />
weewoollies.com<br />
Reclaiming Meaning<br />
in the Season of Stuff<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
HAPPENINGS<br />
Winter<br />
Solstice<br />
Rituals<br />
GIFT<br />
IDEAS<br />
Jim Schneider Publisher publisher@islandparent.ca<br />
Sue Fast Editor editor@islandparent.ca<br />
Kristine Wickheim Account Manager kristine@islandparent.ca<br />
RaeLeigh Buchanan Account Manager raeleigh@islandparent.ca<br />
<strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, published by <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> Group Enterprises Ltd., is a<br />
bimonthly publication that honours and supports parents by providing information on<br />
resources and businesses for Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> families. Views expressed are not<br />
necessarily those of the publisher. No material herein may be reproduced without<br />
the permission of the publisher. <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> is distributed free in selected areas.<br />
Annual mail subscriptions (7 issues) are available for $21 (GST included).<br />
Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement 40051398. ISSN 0838-5505.<br />
<strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
250-388-6905 islandparent.ca<br />
518 Caselton Place, Victoria, BC V8Z 7Y5<br />
A proud member of<br />
BC<br />
4 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
FASTFORWARD<br />
‘Aim for Yes’<br />
These three words could change not only how you parent,<br />
but also how your kids approach life.<br />
More than just a path of least resistance when you’re<br />
at the end of your rope, saying yes can encourage kids’ curiosity,<br />
creativity, independence and learning.<br />
Sure there are the rules we all need to follow—be respectful<br />
of others, clean up after yourself, brush your teeth…and maybe<br />
even floss—but other than those, if kids want to give something<br />
a try, say yes.<br />
Drink the bathwater? Why not?<br />
Eat pancakes with ketchup instead of syrup? Go ahead, give<br />
it a try.<br />
Paint a picture with nail polish? Of course!<br />
Wear shorts in the snow? Brrr, but okay.<br />
Saying yes doesn’t mean you’re a pushover. Just the opposite,<br />
writes Alice Boyes, PhD, in Psychology Today. If you reserve<br />
saying ‘no’ only for times when there is a good reason for it,<br />
kids come to understand that.<br />
“If you say no because you can’t be bothered, the request is<br />
slightly inconvenient or messy, or it seems like a strange idea,”<br />
says Boyes, “then ‘no’ is more confusing. No could mean a variety<br />
of things.”<br />
Our knee-jerk reaction can be to say no—just take a bath,<br />
don’t drink it; just paint with the watercolours, not nail polish—but<br />
then if it’s not hurting anyone, who cares?<br />
In a study on the characteristics of families with highly<br />
creative adolescents, researchers found that the parents of socalled<br />
ordinary children had an average of six rules, like specific<br />
schedules for homework and bedtime, writes Adam Grant in<br />
The New York Times. <strong>Parent</strong>s of highly creative children had<br />
an average of fewer than one rule.<br />
“Creativity may be hard to nurture, but it’s easy to thwart,”<br />
writes Grant. By limiting rules, we encourage our kids to think<br />
for themselves. And to develop their own ethical codes.<br />
So with 2020 winding down, and <strong>2021</strong> gearing up, let’s aim<br />
for yes and encourage a creative and adventurous approach to<br />
the future.<br />
Happy Holidays and all the best in the New Year!<br />
– Sue Fast<br />
<strong>Island</strong><br />
Catholic<br />
Schools<br />
Christ centered<br />
communities of<br />
learning…educating<br />
the “whole” child.<br />
Registrations for <strong>2022</strong>–23<br />
being accepted.<br />
Keeps<br />
Christ in<br />
Christmas!<br />
St. John Paul II School, Port Alberni<br />
Queen of Angels School, Duncan<br />
St. Joseph’s School, Victoria<br />
St. Patrick’s School, Victoria<br />
St. Andrew’s Regional High School, Victoria<br />
250-727-6893<br />
www.cisdv.bc.ca<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 5
NEEDTOKNOW<br />
Holidays at the House<br />
The holidays Ronald McDonald are a special House time (RMH) of British year and Columbia all families and Yukon have ensures just that one families wish: to who spend must it travel under far one<br />
roof with from their home loved to seek ones. life-saving At Ronald medical McDonald treatment House for a child British have a Columbia place to celebrate and Yukon, the holidays we ensure and that<br />
families who create must lasting travel memories. far from To do home this, RMH to seek depends life-saving on support medical from community treatment groups for and a child donors. have a<br />
place to celebrate<br />
Here<br />
the<br />
are<br />
holidays<br />
a few ways<br />
and<br />
that<br />
create<br />
you can<br />
lasting<br />
support<br />
memories.<br />
RMH BC families this holiday season:<br />
Donate Online: Give today and help keep a family together under one roof this holiday season.<br />
Although Holiday this year Wish will List: look RMH a welcomes little different donations from of past new, unwrapped holiday seasons, toys and gifts the from House our will wish continue list. to<br />
be an uplifting Virtual place Wish List: for families Donate to who gift a are family away with from a special home holiday during moment these or experience difficult times. from our To do this,<br />
we depend on support from community groups virtual wish and generous list. donors. Here are a few ways that<br />
you can support RMH BC families this holiday season.<br />
Sponsor a Meal: Provide the gift of sharing a meal together to families at the House.<br />
Holiday Activity/Baking Kits: Put together holiday-themed activity or baking kits for families<br />
and help them to create a fun holiday memory together at the House.<br />
DONATE<br />
Donate Online: Give today and help keep a family together uner one roof this holiday season.<br />
Earth Day Animated<br />
Digital Cards<br />
For information visit rmhbc.ca/holiday-house.<br />
Holiday Wish List: We welcome donations of new, unwrapped toys and gifts from our wish list.<br />
Virtual Wish List: Donate to gift a family with a special holiday moment or experience from our<br />
virtual wish list.<br />
To help reduce our environmental impact<br />
during the holiday season, Earth<br />
Day Canada is offering digital greeting<br />
cards to download freely and to send to<br />
FAMILY MEALS<br />
Sponsor a Meal: Provide the gift of sharing a meal together to families at the House. Contact<br />
friends, family, colleagues and business<br />
Robert at ryoung@rmhbc.ca for more information.<br />
partners. By sending your wishes with<br />
these cards, you can reduce your paper<br />
Holiday consumption Activity/Baking and at the same Kits: time Put help together holiday-themed activity or baking kits for families and<br />
advance reforestation across Canada<br />
help them to create a fun holiday memory together at the House.<br />
through Earth Day Canada’s Tomorrow’s<br />
Forest tree planting program by<br />
making a voluntary donation. Download<br />
FUNDRAISE<br />
Home and for personalize Dinner: one Support of the three RMH virtual BC while you celebrate with your family and friends. Make your<br />
greeting cards at earthday.ca.<br />
Holiday dinner a Home for Dinner event and help our families celebrate together. Learn more at<br />
rmhbc.ca/home-for-dinner.<br />
6 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
Light the House: Sponsor one of 17 trees in the House and provide a family with the gift of<br />
decorating a tree together. You can also light up a Community Tree in your workplace, school or
Saanich<br />
E-bike<br />
Switch<br />
The District of Saanich is piloting<br />
a new program that offers a rebate<br />
to residents purchasing a new electrically<br />
assisted bicycle (e-bike).<br />
Saanich is the first local government<br />
in BC to provide rebates for<br />
A WHALE OF A TIME<br />
Save when you purchase a combo ticket<br />
to experience both the Orcas: Our Shared Future<br />
feature exhibition and the IMAX film Humpback Whales.<br />
GET TICKETS AT rbcm.ca/tickets<br />
The Kiddies Store<br />
Dedicated to providing Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> families<br />
with high-quality infant and toddler products<br />
at affordable prices for over 25 years<br />
Thrifty<br />
Thursdays<br />
A different<br />
sale each<br />
week!<br />
e-bikes aimed at helping residents<br />
switch to active and electric mobility<br />
in an effort to reduce local<br />
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.<br />
The incentive is easy to access and<br />
can be claimed by participants after<br />
the purchase or applied to the<br />
sale price of the e-bike at participating<br />
local bike stores. Applicants<br />
must be Saanich residents and can<br />
apply for one e-bike incentive per<br />
household. Incentives range from<br />
$350 to $1600 and residents can<br />
pre-register and find participating<br />
bike stores and additional program<br />
details at saanich.ca/ebike.<br />
Playsuits:<br />
WATERPROOF with<br />
Bionic-finish technology,<br />
BREATHABLE, ADJUSTABLE,<br />
STAY-ON HOOD, highly<br />
REFLECTIVE (lined or unlined)<br />
3045–C Douglas St.<br />
Victoria, BC<br />
Jan & Jul Kids Outdoor<br />
Gear for Rain or Shine!<br />
Boots: Made of durable natural rubber,<br />
free of toxic chemicals. Flexible<br />
rubber, lined with 100% soft cotton.<br />
Cotton lined insoles for spring and<br />
fall, plus bonus micro fleece insoles.<br />
Wide foot fit for growing little feet.<br />
tjskids.com<br />
250-386-2229<br />
Winter Boots: rain,<br />
snow, slush and puddle<br />
conqueror. Lightweight,<br />
insulated middle layer plus<br />
soft inner fleece liner,<br />
Me-Put-On style boot.<br />
Now Offering Curb-Side Pickups Current Hours: Tues–Sat 10am–5pm<br />
Douglas St.<br />
Finlayson St.<br />
Larch St.<br />
Winter<br />
Knit Hats:<br />
Warm cute baby,<br />
toddler, kid’s fall<br />
winter earflap and<br />
beanie knit hats.<br />
T.J.’s<br />
Entrance off<br />
Larch St.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 7
The Woo-Hoo<br />
How-To<br />
For many Canadians, skiing and snowboarding is<br />
more than just a winter sport: it’s an iconic part<br />
of Canadian heritage that brings together friends<br />
and family during a time when our natural instinct<br />
calls us to hibernate. It’s a healthy way to<br />
chase the winter blues, but it has a funny way of<br />
hooking you for life. Find the Woo-Hoo How-to<br />
Guide and stay up-to-date with all of the latest<br />
news on skiing, snowboarding, and everything<br />
in between at goskiinggosnowboarding.ca.<br />
SPRING Study<br />
Seeking Participants<br />
Investigators of a study that’s testing how many young<br />
British Columbians have been infected with SARS-CoV-2,<br />
the virus that causes COVID-19, are seeking 1,500 additional<br />
participants. Over the next month, researchers aim<br />
to recruit any children aged 0–9—particularly those ages<br />
5–9—and young people aged 12–24 who have received at<br />
least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The study is being<br />
conducted by the Vaccine Evaluation Center at BC Children’s<br />
Hospital and the University of British Columbia. To<br />
participate in the study, visit bcchr.ca/vec/participate.<br />
<strong>2022</strong> Polar Bear Swims<br />
Brrrrave the cold and start the New Year off on the right—<br />
albeit frozen!—foot with one of the many <strong>Island</strong> polar bear<br />
swims. Usual venues include: Chesterman Beach in Tofino<br />
(tourismtofino.com) Goose Spit and Saratoga Beach in the<br />
Comox Valley (comox.ca), Parksville Community Beach and<br />
Departure Bay Beach in Nanaimo and area (rdn.ca), Transfer<br />
Beach in Ladysmith (ladysmithcofc.com), Cowichan Bay and<br />
Maple Bay in the Cowichan Valley (maplebayrowingclub.ca),<br />
Tulista Park in Sidney and Banfield Park in Victoria<br />
(tourismvictoria.com), and at Whiffen Spit Park in<br />
Sooke (otterpointfire.bc.ca).<br />
8 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Make sure you<br />
are a part of<br />
Vancouver<br />
<strong>Island</strong>’s Family<br />
Resource Guide<br />
Family Support<br />
Classes & Programs<br />
2 0 2 1 Vancouver <strong>Island</strong>’s <strong>Parent</strong>ing Resource for 33 Years<br />
Family<br />
Resource<br />
Guide<br />
Email info@islandparent.ca<br />
for more info<br />
New <strong>Parent</strong><br />
Resources<br />
Health & Wellness<br />
Family Fun &<br />
Entertainment<br />
NeW<strong>Parent</strong>ResouRces<br />
DOULAS<br />
Victoria Doula Directory V<br />
doulasofvictoria.ca<br />
Midwifery Care V<br />
VIDA Doulas V<br />
Birthright Victoria V<br />
250-661-2544 | vidadoulas.ca<br />
The Midwives Collective V<br />
MIDWIVES<br />
Camosun College V<br />
Access Midwifery & Family Care V Mid-<strong>Island</strong> Midwifery N<br />
208–2951 Tillicum Rd | 250-380-6329<br />
accessmidwifery.ca<br />
Born Healthy N Sooke Midwifery W<br />
630 2nd Ave, Ladysmith | 250-245-3079<br />
Community Midwifery Care G<br />
Victoria Midwifery Group V<br />
164 Kings Lane, Salt Spring | 250-537-2243<br />
Cook Street Community Midwives V<br />
West Coast Midwives V<br />
101–1005 Cook St | 250-386-4116<br />
cookstmidwives.com<br />
Cowichan Midwifery Group D Western Communities Midwifery W<br />
164 Station St | 250-709-2040<br />
cowichanmidwifery.ca<br />
Dandelion Midwifery V<br />
709 Connaught Rd | 250-590-7770<br />
dandelionmidwifery.com/<br />
547 Michigan St | 250-592-5407<br />
107–1120 Yates St | 250-590-7605<br />
2506 Maxey Rd, Nanaimo | 250-741-1294<br />
or 350 Stewart Ave, Nanaimo | 250-716-1366<br />
2050B Townsend Rd | 778-425-0780<br />
sookemidwifery.com<br />
35 Cambridge St | 250-381-1977<br />
2823 Dysart Rd | 250-384-5940<br />
287 Stewart Ave | 250-589-3417<br />
PRENATAL SERVICES<br />
Aboriginal Prenatal Support V<br />
231 Regina Ave | 250-384-3211<br />
515–620 View St | 250-380-0305<br />
birthrightvictoria.org<br />
250-370-3550 | ce.camosun.ca<br />
Cowichan Valley Craniosacral D<br />
Maternity, Lactation & Pediatric Clinic<br />
250-748-5551<br />
cowichancraniosacral.com<br />
Specializing in emotional<br />
and physical wellbeing for<br />
both mother and baby during<br />
pregnancy, birthing and breastfeeding. Newborn<br />
screening includes frenulum assessment<br />
for suspected tongue-tie. Lactation support is<br />
multilayered to address emotional and physical<br />
health components, as well as treat disruptions to<br />
your infant’s optimal suck, swallow and breathe<br />
physiology. This includes treatment of torticollis<br />
and faux tongue-ties, aka “posterior” and “submucosal.”<br />
Crossroads Crisis Pregnancy N<br />
Centre of Nanaimo<br />
1717B Kerrisdale Rd | 250-714-2191<br />
Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s Early Years G<br />
250-653-4465 | giearlyyears@shaw.ca<br />
Mothering Touch Centre V<br />
975 Fort St | 250-595-4905 | motheringtouch.ca<br />
BEST BABIES PROGRAMS<br />
Esquimalt Neighbourhood House V Campbell River Public Health C<br />
Peninsula P<br />
250-385-2635 ext. 203<br />
Peninsula Best Babies P<br />
Duncan D<br />
Port Alberni Health Unit N<br />
Saanich Neighbourhood Place V<br />
Best Babies V Esquimalt V<br />
Saanich V<br />
2410 Malaview Dr | 250-655-5300<br />
250-360-1148 | saanichneighbourhoodplace.com<br />
Sooke Family Resource Society W<br />
Best Babies Program<br />
250-642-5152, ext. 237 | sfrs.ca<br />
Ladysmith Health Unit N<br />
Victoria Best Babies V<br />
Sooke W<br />
Lake Cowichan Health Unit D<br />
1240 Gladstone Ave | 250-381-1552<br />
fernwoodnrg.ca<br />
Victoria Native Friendship Centre V<br />
250-384-3211 | vnfc.ca<br />
Nanaimo Health Unit N<br />
WestShore Best Babies W<br />
250-217-6787 ext. 204 | bgcvic.org<br />
PUBLIC HEALTH (<strong>Island</strong> Health)<br />
200–1100 <strong>Island</strong> Hwy | 250-850-2110<br />
islandhealth.ca<br />
675 Canada Ave | 250-709-3050 | islandhealth.ca<br />
530 Fraser St | 250-519-5311 | islandhealth.ca<br />
Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s G<br />
Salt Spring <strong>Island</strong> G<br />
250-539-3099 | islandhealth.ca<br />
224 High St | 250-755-3342 | islandhealth.ca<br />
58 Cowichan Ave | 250-749-6878<br />
islandhealth.ca<br />
1665 Grant Ave | 250-755-3342 | islandhealth.ca<br />
Nanaimo Princess Royal Family N<br />
Centre<br />
80 Chapel St | 250-739-5845 | islandhealth.ca<br />
Parksville/Qualicum Health Unit N<br />
249 W. Hirst Ave | 250-947-8242 | islandhealth.ca<br />
2170 Mt. Newton X Rd | 250-544-2400<br />
islandhealth.ca<br />
4201 6th Ave | 250-731-1316 | islandhealth.ca<br />
3995 Quadra St | 250-519-5100 | islandhealth.ca<br />
160 Fulford-Ganges Rd | 250-538-4880<br />
islandhealth.ca<br />
6672 Wadams Way | 250-519-3487<br />
islandhealth.ca<br />
Tofino & Ucluelet Public Health N<br />
& Coastal Family Place<br />
265 First St | 250-725-4020 | islandhealth.ca<br />
Victoria V<br />
1947 Cook St | 250-388-2200 | islandhealth.ca<br />
Prenatal classes taught by certified childbirth<br />
educators. Pre- and post-natal yoga and fitness,<br />
breastfeeding education, parenting the newborn,<br />
baby groups.<br />
Sooke Family Resource Society W<br />
Prenatal Program<br />
250-642-5152 | sfrs.ca<br />
V Victoria & Area<br />
P Peninsula<br />
W Westshore<br />
G Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s<br />
D Duncan & Area<br />
N Nanaimo & Area<br />
c Courtenay/Comox<br />
6 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
Family Resource Guide <strong>2021</strong> 7<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 9
Holiday Gift Guide<br />
<strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong>’s curated list of this year’s top toys guarantees hours<br />
of fun—from playtime to meal time to bedtime! Read on for gift ideas<br />
that will inspire kids to explore, be creative and have fun!<br />
Mushie Cleo Pacifier Clip<br />
Mushie pacifier clips are a favourite<br />
for parents and babies and come<br />
in a variety of unique, chic, and<br />
vintage-inspired colors that bring<br />
to mind a peaceful simplicity.<br />
mushie.com<br />
Blockaroo Magnetic Foam Building Blocks<br />
The easiest building system for young learners. Blocks never<br />
repel each other, creating endless possibilities for play.<br />
The non-toxic magnetic blocks also rotate 360-degrees when<br />
connected and click when they turn, providing even more<br />
opportunities for interactive and creative fun.<br />
blockarootoys.com<br />
MarvelBeads Water Beads<br />
Teeny non-toxic beads that when put<br />
in water, swell up and turn into a<br />
squishy cool sensory exploration.<br />
motlantoys.com<br />
Tommy Dinosaur Multicolour Nightlight<br />
Say hello to Tommy, a cute, rechargeable and multicoloured<br />
dinosaur— the perfect nightlight buddy to comfort your little<br />
dreamer at bedtime. With a tap on Tommy’s head, Tommy<br />
lights up instantly. Tommy is portable and can go anywhere.<br />
globe-electric.com<br />
10 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Radio Flyer Cyclone<br />
Zoom, spin and grin with this unique arm-powered ride<br />
on. Zooming forward? Sure thing. Racing backward?<br />
No problem. 360° spins? Absolutely! The Radio Flyer<br />
Cyclone can go every which way and deliver hours of<br />
entertainment and thrills.<br />
radioflyer.com<br />
Play-Doh Compound Variety Pack<br />
Get ready for a totally different Play-Doh experience.<br />
These oozy Play-Doh compounds come in oddly satifsfying<br />
textures and irresistibly fun colours. With varieties like<br />
classic, Krackle and Super Cloud, kids can squeeze,<br />
stretch and squish as much as they wish.<br />
playdoh.hasbro.com<br />
WWF Wild Socks<br />
Give a gift they’ll go head over heels for.<br />
Choose from 10 new wildlife designs or build<br />
your custom pack of three pairs for just $45.<br />
All proceeds help support World Wildlife Fund.<br />
wwf.ca<br />
3D Pen Set<br />
The award-winning 3Doodler Start allows kids<br />
to bring their ideas to life in 3D. Plastic extrudes<br />
and hardens rapidly allowing kids to literally<br />
create anything they can think of in 3D.<br />
robotixeducation.ca<br />
Mindscope Twister Tracks<br />
Build different tracks for these glow-inthe-dark<br />
cars that will go upside down<br />
in a 360-degree stunt loop.<br />
mindscopeproducts.com<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 11
Instax Mini 9 Polaroid Camera<br />
(or Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera)<br />
Snap instant photos and selfies with the Fujifilm Instax<br />
Mini 9 instant. With its built-in selfie mirror, this camera<br />
captures perfectly framed selfies without any guesswork.<br />
Automatic flash and a brightness adjustment dial let you<br />
shoot bold, vibrant photos in different lighting conditions.<br />
fujifilm.com<br />
Obuby Walkie Talkies<br />
Designed for kids ages 3 to 12, the walkie-talkies<br />
are perfect for games, hiking and parties. They are<br />
designed for easy use, with an ergonomic design, simple<br />
push-to-talk operation and a clear call alert function.<br />
12 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Victrola Eastwood<br />
Bluetooth Turntable<br />
A classic re-vamped, this 3-speed<br />
Bluetooth turntable with built in speakers<br />
and dust cover is a blast from the past.<br />
victrola.com<br />
GreEco Pop Up Soccer Goals<br />
Pair of ultra-portable goals (pack of 2) for<br />
training and small-sided games. No assembly<br />
required, Pop-up design, just take out of carry<br />
bag and unfold to open. Once done, simply<br />
twist/fold and put back in the flat oval carry bag.<br />
K’nex Thrill Rides Web Weaver Building Set<br />
This is one web you’ll want to get caught in with the Web Weaver<br />
Roller Coaster Building Set! Use the included parts and pieces to send the<br />
air propelled coaster car through horizontal and vertical thrills. Once done<br />
building turn off the lights—this coaster glows in the dark.<br />
knex.com<br />
Hatching Toothless<br />
Interactive Baby Dragon<br />
Hatch your own baby Dragon:<br />
agitate baby Toothless enough<br />
until he’s ready to hatch. With<br />
light-up eyes, you can see through<br />
his egg shell, rock it to make him<br />
growl, tap to hear him tap back,<br />
clap and he’ll respond. Shake and<br />
tilt the egg until he starts to hatch.<br />
PVO Mini Projector<br />
This mini pocket LED projector is lightweight<br />
and portable, easy to hold. Mini<br />
Projector, PVO Portable Projector for<br />
cartoons, an outdoor movie projector,<br />
LED Pico Video Projector for home theatre<br />
movie projector with HDMI USB TV<br />
AV interfaces and remote control.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 13
Moss St.<br />
Market’s<br />
26<br />
th<br />
annual<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
MARKET<br />
Est.<br />
1992<br />
MossSt.<br />
Farmers<br />
Market<br />
Saturday and Sunday<br />
Dec 11+ 12, 10am to 4pm<br />
Over 70 vendors!<br />
Cards, crafts, clothing, toys,<br />
jewelry, purses, pottery,<br />
glassworks, woodworks,<br />
bath products, preserves,<br />
chocolates, baked goods,<br />
hot food, winter veggies,<br />
treats, beer, wine, cider,<br />
and much, much more...<br />
Sir James Douglas school &<br />
Fairfield Community Centre<br />
1330 Fairfield Rd<br />
MossStreetMarket.com<br />
The Gift of Song<br />
There’s nothing like music to get you into the spirit of the season.<br />
Here are five toe tappin’ finger snappin’ selections that’ll get you<br />
and your family singing along in no time!<br />
Macaroni Birthday Time<br />
Macaroni Birthday Time is bursting<br />
with songs that are punch-driven, lighthearted<br />
electric rock riffs mingled with<br />
silly themes and even sillier lyrics, (yes,<br />
they say “booger” on “My Body Is So<br />
Loud Today”). The 15-track LP is chock<br />
full of odes to the nagging responsibility<br />
of eating vegetables and having to take a<br />
bath. The tunes are punchy, fun, catchy<br />
and short. From just 30 seconds on some,<br />
to less than three minutes on others,<br />
Macaroni Birthday has created ditties<br />
that kids love, at just the right length to<br />
keep them entertained. thatericalper.com.<br />
Esperanza<br />
Sonia De Los Santos line-up is filled<br />
with 12 original songs about joy, community,<br />
togetherness, curiosity and<br />
celebration inspired by rhythms such as:<br />
son jarocho, salsa, bullerengue, cumbia,<br />
chotis, funk, as well as the North American<br />
folk traditions. Sonia was born with<br />
a smile on her face (that’s what her mom<br />
says) and has been singing music for children<br />
and families for more than a decade.<br />
Nominated for a Latin Grammy with<br />
her album ¡Alegría!, De Los Santos has<br />
been hailed by Billboard as “one of the<br />
Latin Children’s music artists you should<br />
know.” soniadelossantosmusic.com<br />
14 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Big Shiny Spoons<br />
Will Stroet of Will’s Jams, a JUNOnominated<br />
children’s musician, educator<br />
and dad, recently released his 11th album,<br />
Big Shiny Spoons features the rockin’<br />
songs “Sushi Roll,” “Friendship Built<br />
on Rock” and “Les mathématiques.”<br />
Indigenous storyteller and author Kung<br />
Jaadee shares a couple of Squamish stories<br />
followed by a few lively songs by<br />
new musical act Penny Pom Pom, who<br />
also sings backing vocals live and on the<br />
album. willsjams.com<br />
Seconds<br />
Ben Tatar and the Tatar Tots’ Seconds<br />
piles on the variety, with a swinging<br />
big band-flavored baking number, a ’70s<br />
Latin-style “Peanut Butter Rat Pack”<br />
concoction, a pizza song that dishes out a<br />
tribute to both Bob Marley and Michael<br />
Jackson, and plenty more. Whether it’s<br />
jiving to a jazzy New Orleans second<br />
line strut or grooving, Motown-style,<br />
to a cool funk broccoli song or perhaps<br />
savoring sweet nectarines on a riverboat<br />
cruise, Seconds will satisfy everyone.<br />
ben-tatar.squarespace.com<br />
Sing Your Song<br />
Sing Your Song revolves around the<br />
theme of being yourself. The primary<br />
message could be summed up in a line<br />
from the title song: “You may not sound<br />
like everybody else/But you sound just<br />
like yourself.” In other words, be yourself<br />
because you’re the only one who can<br />
sing the song that lives inside your heart.<br />
Silly and sweet, Sing Your Song is for<br />
everyone from age zero to grandparent.<br />
harmonicapocket.com<br />
STAGES<br />
Performing Arts School<br />
since 1980<br />
Come Dance With Us<br />
• Offering classes for Teens & Pre-Teens in Jazz,<br />
Ballet, Lyrical, Tap. Musical Theatre, Acrobatics &<br />
Hip Hop, in a non-competitive atmosphere.<br />
• Not sure which class to take?<br />
- Try a Drop-In: No hassle, No Obligation.<br />
Daytime Pre-School Classes<br />
for the little angels...<br />
STAGES Performing Arts School<br />
#301 1551 Cedar Hill X Rd<br />
Call 250-384-3267 Email us at: stagesdance@shaw.ca<br />
Or visit our website: www.stagesdance.com<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 15
Winter Solstice Rituals<br />
Nurture a magical relationship with our living world<br />
Does bringing greenery indoors and gathering around a<br />
fire bring you joy as the days darken? These are ancient<br />
rituals from a time when our ancestors called back the sun.<br />
Practices, ceremonies and reverence for light and our living<br />
world have always been in our bones. They are also yours to<br />
reclaim.<br />
What is winter solstice?<br />
Winter solstice marks the beginning of winter.<br />
Today, we know the science behind the shortest day and<br />
longest night of the year. The Earth’s axis tilts away from<br />
the sun, leaving the northern hemisphere with less light (and<br />
heat) than the southern hemisphere. Before humans understood<br />
the Earth tilts and moves around the sun, many cultures<br />
performed special rituals and ceremonies to bring back<br />
the light. Some believed evil spirits made the sun go away.<br />
They looked to their gods and ritual.<br />
Winter solstice is full of mystery and wonder. It was a time<br />
to communicate with the elements and all living things, a<br />
day of the sun’s rebirth.<br />
Why is ritual still important?<br />
We know why the days grow shorter, changing position of<br />
the Earth in relation to the sun. And we can still be bound<br />
by a magical relationship to bring light to the darkest day of<br />
the year.<br />
“Ritual and ceremony save us from having to rely on<br />
concept to understand what we are doing or explain what<br />
we mean. When we perform a ceremony, we enact what we<br />
mean. Having performed our ritual, we can see what we are<br />
invoking in this very present moment. When we perform a<br />
heartfelt ceremony or ritual, we cannot distinguish the symbolism<br />
— the chant, the gesture, the shrine — from what<br />
it symbolizes. In fact, ritual is always how we join heaven<br />
and earth in our lives.” Acharya Daniel Hessey and Walker<br />
Blaine<br />
If you haven’t yet embraced a specific winter solstice ritual,<br />
it’s okay. How you mark <strong>December</strong> 21 may be like traditions<br />
already alive in your home and family.<br />
Eight winter solstice rituals to try this year:<br />
Evergreens. Bring the outside in. Plants surviving winter<br />
were symbols of life! Use evergreens to make wreaths to<br />
hang on doors and adorn mantles. Celts added mistletoes on<br />
altars.<br />
Light. Bonfires signaled the rebirth of the sun. Some traditions<br />
sang and danced around them to drive the dark away.<br />
Find ways to celebrate light. Make lanterns from ice or mason<br />
jars. Eat supper or host a games night by candlelight.<br />
Make your own beeswax or soy wax candles. Watch my DIY<br />
YouTube video, “Make your own (non-toxic) candles” when<br />
I was David Suzuki’s Queen of Green. In some traditions,<br />
candles (and golden apples) were placed on bare tree branches<br />
outside. Sound familiar?<br />
Food. Some cultures had feasts while others fasted. Try<br />
an early wake up to greet the sunrise. Find a great vantage<br />
point to enjoy tea or hot chocolate. Bring a friend or another<br />
family.<br />
Nature. Offer a gesture to give back to nature, like feeding<br />
the birds. Black oiled sunflower seeds (in the shell) attract<br />
chickadees, finches and nuthatches. Shelled peanuts are a<br />
Steller’s Jay favourite!<br />
Walk. Find a local labyrinth or make one in the snow,<br />
with stones or lanterns. A spiral walk can be meditative,<br />
allowing you to go inward. Make it meaningful by setting<br />
an intention as you walk or name what you want to let go.<br />
Make it kid-friendly. Invite kids to notice the warmth of<br />
the sun on their face or tune into how the sun lights up the<br />
world around them.<br />
Lore. Research how your ancestors and culture celebrated.<br />
Learn the lore. Don’t know where to start? Look up books,<br />
poems, and stories of The Deer Mother. At winter solstice,<br />
16 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
this female reindeer drew the sleigh of the sun goddess. She<br />
flew through the darkest night with the life-giving light of<br />
the sun in her horns.<br />
Stories. We are storied people. A friend shared a ritual<br />
of staying up weaving stories to keep each other company<br />
through the night—a way to celebrate, hold reverence and<br />
watch the light return in community. Early stories were<br />
kid-friendly, with children participating. After kid bedtime<br />
adults told deeper, more layered stories to air grief, pain,<br />
joy, and transformation. The evening buzzes with magic and<br />
shared company. The stories help us find belonging in the<br />
world and with each other.<br />
How will you celebrate winter solstice?<br />
Book Recommendations:<br />
The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy<br />
Pfeffer<br />
We Learn from the Sun by David Bouchard<br />
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper<br />
Lindsay Coulter is a dedicated mother of<br />
two, naturalist, community catalyst, soul activist,<br />
mentor, writer and horse lover. Find her<br />
@SaneAction on Instagram and Facebook.<br />
She’s also the Director of Communications,<br />
Culture and Community of EPIC Learning Centre,<br />
a forest and nature school in Victoria, BC.<br />
Happy Holidays<br />
from the educators at<br />
Lexie’s Little Bears Child Care!<br />
“The best way to spread Christmas cheer<br />
is singing loud for all to hear!” – Elf<br />
lexieslittlebears.ca<br />
Waitlist: 250-590-3603<br />
Programs for Infants/Toddlers/Pre-school Age.<br />
BC Award of Excellence in Childcare & Prime Minister’s Award of Excellence in Early Childhood Education.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 17
MOM’SPOV<br />
Reclaiming Meaning<br />
in the Season of Stuff<br />
The decorations started appearing<br />
during the lazy, hazy days of summer—glints<br />
of tinsel and multi-coloured<br />
lights, side-by-side with water toys<br />
and Halloween candy, a chilling reminder<br />
that “winter is coming,” and with it, The<br />
Holiday Season.<br />
But isn’t it, “the most wonderful time<br />
of the year?”<br />
Well, not for everyone. For many<br />
people it can be an incredibly stressful,<br />
triggering, and even grief-laden ordeal to<br />
be survived. Even those of us who don’t<br />
have any specific dark or sad association<br />
with The Holidays can find it anxietyprovoking<br />
to see our social schedules fill<br />
up and to-do lists grow. And, of course,<br />
this whole global pandemic situation isn’t<br />
helping stress levels!<br />
Over the years, I’ve felt myself grow<br />
cynical in the face of rampant consumerism<br />
and the artificially inflated expectations<br />
of this time of year. I know I didn’t<br />
always feel this way, and while my son<br />
was younger and experiencing many<br />
“firsts,” I reconnected with a sense of<br />
magic and wonder through his eyes. But<br />
now he’s reached an age where he’s focused<br />
on toys, toys, toys. I feel like any<br />
kind of meaning is slipping away, chased<br />
out by an avaricious Gimme Monster.<br />
I can’t let that happen, so I’m digging<br />
deep this year, trying to reclaim some<br />
meaning (and hopefully, joy!) in the season<br />
that is fast-approaching, for myself<br />
as well as my son.<br />
<strong>December</strong> and early <strong>January</strong> host important<br />
celebratory days for a number<br />
of religions. My family is not religiously<br />
affiliated, but there is still plenty to celebrate,<br />
and ways to help my son learn<br />
to embrace a sort of magic that brings<br />
even better gifts than Santa. This magic<br />
includes the tenacity of hope, new beginnings,<br />
connection with others, comfort<br />
during uncertain times, the pleasure of<br />
giving, and the nostalgic continuum of<br />
collective family memory.<br />
Winter, as the literal (and often psychologically)<br />
darkest time of the year,<br />
actually heralds brighter days ahead—the<br />
return of the sun. Acknowledging the<br />
Winter Solstice always reminds me that,<br />
as dark as things might seem, better times<br />
will return, as surely as the sun rises and<br />
sets. Festooning our home with bright<br />
lights and colours both celebrates this<br />
and makes the dark days more bearable.<br />
Several years ago we had a beach fire<br />
on the solstice. A lady walking by asked<br />
us if we were letting go of things to prepare<br />
for the new year. We were, in fact,<br />
introducing my son to the culinary brilliance<br />
of S’mores, but it sounded like a<br />
great idea. We each wrote down several<br />
feelings, circumstances, or ideas that we<br />
wanted to leave behind and threw them<br />
into the flames. It felt wonderful! A solstice<br />
beach fire this year is definitely in<br />
the cards.<br />
Another thing I genuinely look forward<br />
to is decorating our tree. Not the<br />
putting-up-the-lights-part (gak!), but the<br />
annual reunion with our lovingly stowedaway<br />
ornaments and their attached nostalgia.<br />
Sharing these memories with my<br />
son passes on family culture and history,<br />
and also presents an opportunity to remember<br />
loved ones who have passed on.<br />
I eagerly anticipate the moment when he<br />
holds up one of the ornaments to which<br />
he has an attachment and says, “Mama, I<br />
remember….”<br />
Decorating is one of many winter rituals<br />
in our home, undertaken in a similar<br />
way each year. There is something deliciously<br />
comforting about knowing what<br />
comes next, even for a short time. Other<br />
family rituals at this time include baking<br />
cookies, snowshoeing, reading certain<br />
18 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Get your tickets at<br />
imaxvictoria.com<br />
stories, sharing yummy food, and watching<br />
favourite seasonal movies (Christmas<br />
Vacation, anyone?).<br />
Engaging in these activities together<br />
triggers memories of happy times past<br />
and creates new memories for the ‘bank’<br />
that we can draw from in years to come.<br />
The holidays are known, and often disparaged,<br />
for their excess, especially at a<br />
time of year when those who struggle to<br />
get by are really struggling. I am so grateful<br />
for what we have and try to vocalize<br />
this often in front of my son. I want us to<br />
exercise the ethic of gratitude, and pair it<br />
with the spirit of giving.<br />
I’m not sure exactly how it will look<br />
this year, but I think it’s important to include<br />
my son in the planning of how we<br />
can share some of our abundance. How<br />
we can give to others to help make their<br />
lives better in some way, even for a little<br />
while? I have a feeling that even considering<br />
this question together will be a powerful<br />
exercise, and I’m looking forward<br />
to hearing some of my son’s ideas.<br />
In fact, after writing this, I find that<br />
I’m actually looking forward to the upcoming<br />
holiday season. After all, experiences<br />
are what we make of them.<br />
<strong>December</strong> 4 to 31, <strong>2021</strong><br />
Kelly McQuillan is a<br />
writer, musician, teacher and<br />
fledgling mother living in<br />
Comox, BC. Writer:<br />
kellymcquillanwriter.<br />
weebly.com;<br />
Music Teacher:<br />
kellymcquillan.com.<br />
Flush only the 3Ps:<br />
pee, poo and toilet paper.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 19
DADSPEAK<br />
High School Confidential<br />
I’m likely not the only parent to experience a Rip Van<br />
Winkle moment recently. You know the feeling. That<br />
strange sense during the first few months of the pandemic<br />
that time had slowed nearly to a stop. Then suddenly you<br />
wake up one morning, shake the cobwebs out of your CO-<br />
VID beard and realize the world around you has changed.<br />
For our family, it was this September. After we returned<br />
from summer holidays up-<strong>Island</strong>, I looked up from my<br />
breakfast and noticed we now had two high-schoolers in the<br />
house—which explained all the empty cereal boxes scattered<br />
around the kitchen.<br />
Yes, I know. I should have seen it coming. It’s the one<br />
pearl of wisdom that every experienced parent offers to firsttimers:<br />
“They grow up so fast.” Hospitals ought to print<br />
that slogan onto birth certificates because it still seems to<br />
surprise new dads and moms.<br />
It certainly tripped me up. During the day, my Facebook<br />
feed recirculates “memories” of our kids as chubby-cheeked<br />
toddlers in short pants and as sporty adolescents stumbling<br />
across a ball diamond or soccer pitch. Above my desk, I’ve<br />
pinned similar adolescent moments frozen on corkboard.<br />
Then—boom!—the door swings open and in walks two<br />
tall and lanky teens to take over our backyard with a posse<br />
of friends, or to empty our fridge and flick through their<br />
phones and gossip and gab. Their worlds are busy and selfcontained<br />
and increasingly alien to my ears and eyes.<br />
As a parent, we’re used to being the rock-solid centre of<br />
someone else’s world. And yet with every year, our gravi-<br />
20 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
tational pull weakens and our kids spin away further into<br />
orbits of their own. In a blink, it seems, I’ve gone from pedaling<br />
the kids to daycare in a double bike-trailer, to being<br />
the on-call Uber driver for endless after-school activities and<br />
birthday-party drop-offs, to watching as they now ride off<br />
on their own to school and sports and new jobs.<br />
Part of my ambivalence at this new stage in their lives<br />
comes from my own checkered experience of high school.<br />
The first day of grade nine, I remember sitting nervously in<br />
an auditorium, forced to watch an upbeat ‘80s film about<br />
how high school was going to be “the time of our lives”—<br />
and then spending the first few weeks fleeing in terror from a<br />
gang of grade-twelves who wanted to haze me with shaving<br />
cream or worse. Good times!<br />
I also remember years of teeter-tottering between boredom<br />
and excitement, between the anxiety of due dates and peer<br />
pressure, and the joys of meeting new friends and overcoming<br />
new challenges. And I know, for better or worse, I didn’t<br />
tell my parents half of what I was going through. So why<br />
should I expect a flurry of teen confessions now?<br />
<strong>Parent</strong>s of high-schoolers must negotiate an ever-changing<br />
balance between Need to Know and Too Much Information.<br />
Teens need the independence to solve their own problems<br />
and to advocate for themselves—and yet parents can’t help<br />
wondering what is going in their heads, in their lives, or<br />
even in the undergrowth of their messy bedrooms. (That last<br />
mystery only applies to one of our kids.)<br />
As parents, we all survived (more or less) the rollercoaster<br />
of high school—minus the new pressures of social media, a<br />
climate crisis and a global pandemic. So we must have some<br />
wisdom to compensate for our aching backs? But finding the<br />
right time and the right way to impart these life lessons can<br />
be tricky.<br />
For now, our high-schoolers seem all right. I don’t know if<br />
they’re having the “time of their lives” yet… whatever that<br />
might be. But they’ve found camaraderie with friends and<br />
inspiration from teachers and outlets for that restless teen<br />
spirit in the post-vax re-opening of after-school activities.<br />
All they seem to need, at least for now, is some shaving<br />
cream—and only so they can start shaving. Come to think of<br />
it, so do I.<br />
David Leach is a professor in the Department<br />
of Writing at the University of Victoria and author of<br />
Chasing Utopia.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 21
The Season of Giving<br />
Healthy Families, Happy Families<br />
Child, Youth<br />
& Family<br />
Public Health<br />
South <strong>Island</strong> Health Units<br />
Esquimalt 250-519-5311<br />
Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s 250-539-3099<br />
(toll-free number for office in Saanichton)<br />
Peninsula 250-544-2400<br />
Saanich 250-519-5100<br />
Saltspring <strong>Island</strong> 250-538-4880<br />
Sooke 250-519-3487<br />
Victoria 250-388-2200<br />
West Shore 250-519-3490<br />
Central <strong>Island</strong> Health Units<br />
Duncan 250-709-3050<br />
Ladysmith 250-755-3342<br />
Lake Cowichan 250-749-6878<br />
Nanaimo 250-755-3342<br />
Nanaimo 250-739-5845<br />
Princess Royal<br />
Parksville/Qualicum 250-947-8242<br />
Port Alberni 250-731-1315<br />
Tofino 250-725-4020<br />
North <strong>Island</strong> Health Units<br />
Campbell River 250-850-2110<br />
Courtenay 250-331-8520<br />
Kyuquot Health Ctr 250-332-5289<br />
‘Namgis Health Ctr 250-974-5522<br />
Port Hardy 250-902-6071<br />
islandhealth.ca/our-locations/<br />
health-unit-locations<br />
Changes with BC Medical Services Plan<br />
premiums mean that families eligible for partial<br />
payment of some medical services and access<br />
to some income-based programs now must<br />
apply for Supplementary Benefits through the<br />
Government of BC. Applications can be done<br />
online and take approximately 15 minutes.<br />
Families who previously qualified for MSP<br />
Premium Assistance should not need to re-apply<br />
if taxes are completed yearly. It is advised to<br />
confirm coverage before proceeding with<br />
treatment to avoid paying out of pocket.<br />
For more information, visit gov.bc.ca/gov/<br />
content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/<br />
bc-residents/benefits/services-covered-bymsp/supplementary-benefits<br />
The holiday season is upon us.<br />
From October onward, the stores<br />
are packed with related merchandise, and<br />
we are bombarded with the message to<br />
buy more, more, more. Expressing love<br />
has become synonymous with gift giving.<br />
A few years ago, I stopped to think<br />
about why I was blindly participating<br />
in this practice, and how I wanted to intentionally<br />
create our family experience<br />
at this time of year. I asked myself some<br />
questions. What kind of traditions do I<br />
want to establish? What messages do I<br />
want share with my child? How do we<br />
want to share this time of year together?<br />
For me, spending quality time together<br />
is very important. I want to fill my child<br />
with love and lasting memories. These<br />
are gifts she can carry with her forever<br />
and they don’t not end up in the landfill.<br />
I also want her to learn the value of community<br />
and the importance giving over<br />
receiving.<br />
To try to achieve these goals, we have<br />
established some traditions that we look<br />
forward to sharing at this time of year.<br />
Giving<br />
• Santa’s Anonymous: Take part in this<br />
year’s Santa’s Virtual Tree of Wishes at<br />
cfaxsantas.com/collections. Choose a gift<br />
category for a child: infant, toddler, child,<br />
young teen, teen. See the sourced list and<br />
choose a gift for a registered local child<br />
and Santa’s elves will purchase the gift<br />
for you ($40 value). Food hampers are<br />
also an option. Download the printable<br />
Tree of Wishes ornament to display on<br />
your tree.<br />
• Donations instead of gifts: Instead<br />
of giving gifts to the adults in our family,<br />
I choose to make donations to charities<br />
close to my heart. I ask them to do the<br />
same for me.<br />
• Volunteering: There are many local<br />
not-for-profits looking for help at this<br />
time of year. In our family, we help a<br />
local chocolate maker prepare for a fundraiser<br />
to raise money for men’s mental<br />
health. For volunteer opportunities, visit:<br />
Oak Bay: oakbayvolunteers.wordpress.<br />
com<br />
Victoria: volunteervictoria.bc.ca<br />
Sooke: sookeregionvolunteers.org<br />
Cowichan Valley: volunteercowichan.<br />
bc.ca<br />
Nanaimo: volunteernanaimo.ca<br />
Campbell River: volunteercr.ca<br />
Southern Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s: sgicommunityresources.ca<br />
Home Activities<br />
• Baking: It is really fun to spend<br />
time together in the kitchen. There are<br />
22 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
so many great sweet treats that you can<br />
make at this time of year and you can<br />
then gift the goodies to friends and family.<br />
We like to make shortbread and sugar<br />
cookies. Decorating them together is the<br />
best part!<br />
• Host a Gingerbread Party: Invite a<br />
few of your child’s friends over to the<br />
house and decorate gingerbread houses.<br />
If you do not want to make them yourself,<br />
there are simple pre-packaged options<br />
available at the grocery store.<br />
• Trim the Tree: We love to choose<br />
our tree together and spend an afternoon<br />
decorating it while enjoying festive music<br />
and treats. My daughter really enjoys<br />
putting the star on top at the end.<br />
Community Events<br />
There are so many great events taking<br />
place across the <strong>Island</strong> and many of<br />
them are low cost or free. Here are a few<br />
events to look forward to this year:<br />
• Gingerbread Showcase: The Parkside<br />
Hotel & Spa presents the 13th annual<br />
Gingerbread Showcase in support of<br />
Habitat for Humanity. New features<br />
this year include contactless voting and<br />
donation options for in-person and online<br />
viewing options—vote and donate<br />
for your favourite in the People’s Choice<br />
Award. Daily until <strong>January</strong> 2, <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
habitatvictoria.com.<br />
• Festival of Trees: The Bay Centre in<br />
downtown Victoria presents the Festival<br />
of Trees in support of the BC Children’s<br />
Hospital. This free event will be held at<br />
the Bay Centre during opening hours.<br />
Come down, show your holiday spirit<br />
and virtually vote for your favourite tree.<br />
All in support of mental health and BC’s<br />
Kids. Daily until <strong>January</strong> 4, <strong>2022</strong>. bcchf.<br />
ca.<br />
• Christmas in Old Town: The Royal<br />
BC Museum will transform their old<br />
town into a Christmas wonderland with<br />
sights and sounds of Christmas long ago.<br />
Visit the wood-cobbled streets lined with<br />
festive garlands and see the shops decked<br />
in seasonal finery. On until Dec 31. royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.<br />
• Christmas at Butchart Gardens: Colourful<br />
lights, carollers, ice skating and<br />
festive fare are all on offer at the gardens.<br />
It runs until <strong>January</strong> 6, <strong>2022</strong>. I like to<br />
take my daughter after Christmas, as it is<br />
quieter, and it is nice to have something<br />
seasonal to look forward to after all of<br />
the <strong>December</strong> fanfare is over. butchartgardens.com.<br />
Celebrate Diversity:<br />
• Learn and Grow: There are so many<br />
wonderful celebrations taking place during<br />
<strong>December</strong> in addition to Christmas.<br />
In our family, we enjoy learning about<br />
how this special season is celebrated by<br />
cultures across the world. A few of them<br />
include: Hanukkah (Nov 28-Dec 6);<br />
Winter Solstice (Dec 21); St. Lucia Day<br />
(Dec 13); Kwanzaa (Dec 26-Jan 1, <strong>2022</strong>);<br />
and Omisoka (Dec 31). You can do this<br />
by taking books out from the library,<br />
researching information online, and/or<br />
speaking with friends in your community<br />
who celebrate these special holidays.<br />
Every year we add new traditions to<br />
our list. It is fun to try out new things,<br />
spend quality time together, and explore<br />
this beautiful season in our own special<br />
way. It is the greatest gift we can give to<br />
one another.<br />
Lora McKay is a Victoria writer and<br />
mother to an amazing daughter and a rescue<br />
dog named Lucky. You can read more of her<br />
work at breath-by-breath.com.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 23
DEC/JANFAMILYCALENDAR<br />
For more information and calendar<br />
updates throughout the month<br />
visit <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
V<br />
P<br />
W<br />
Victoria & Area<br />
Peninsula<br />
Westshore<br />
CV<br />
N<br />
CX<br />
Cowichan Valley<br />
Nanaimo & Area<br />
Comox Valley<br />
PR<br />
G<br />
O<br />
Pacific Rim<br />
Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s<br />
Online<br />
DECEMBER<br />
2 THURSDAY TO 5 SUNDAY<br />
Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> Market<br />
N<br />
Various times, Old Sears Bldg,<br />
Nanaimo North Tower<br />
Discover your new favourite local vendors selling<br />
scrumptious holiday treats, handmade gifts,<br />
all-natural bath and body products, sustainable<br />
crafted artwork and more.<br />
vancouverislandmarket.com<br />
4 SATURDAY<br />
Wild Reuse: All Ages<br />
V<br />
Outdoor Craft Camp<br />
Noon–1:30pm, Vancouver Street<br />
(between Caledonia Ave & Green St)<br />
Using found items and repurposed art supplies,<br />
you’ll get your hands dirty in nature and learn<br />
some crafts that you can do with your friends and<br />
family. Try upcycling activities, complete nature<br />
walks and create fun, hands-on art projects. All<br />
ages.<br />
npna.ca<br />
IEOA Truck Light Convoy + Food Drive V<br />
5:45; starts at the Breakwater, Ogden Point<br />
Experience the joy of a rolling convoy as it winds<br />
through Victoria and out to Western Speedway<br />
in Langford, collecting food donations along the<br />
way.<br />
ieoa.ca<br />
Stuff the Bus for Charity<br />
V<br />
9am–3pm, Save-On-Foods, Tillicum Centre<br />
Donations benefit the Salvation Army and Mustard<br />
Seed.<br />
bctransit.com<br />
5 SUNDAY<br />
Esquimalt Celebration of Lights V<br />
5pm, starts at Esquimalt and Canteen Roads,<br />
ends at Esquimalt Plaza<br />
This parade of lights includes community caroling<br />
to ring in the holidays.<br />
esquimaltlights.ca<br />
Sooke Santa Parade<br />
5pm, downtown Sooke<br />
Bringing Santa Back! On a holiday float amid<br />
marching bands and Christmas music.<br />
sookelions.com<br />
8 WEDNESDAY TO 12 SUNDAY<br />
Holiday Jubilation:<br />
CV<br />
A Christmas Concert<br />
Various times, Chemainus Theatre<br />
An unapologetically joyful, unabashedly simple<br />
and somewhat sentimental holiday concert.<br />
chemainustheatrefestival.ca<br />
11 SATURDAY<br />
Magical Stories for Magical Kids O<br />
9–10:30am, World Listening Party<br />
An inspiring storytelling experience that is fun for<br />
the whole family.<br />
majikkids.com<br />
11 SATURDAY & 12 SUNDAY<br />
Moss Street Holiday Market V<br />
10am–4pm, Sir James Douglas School<br />
The Holiday Market features over 80 vendors<br />
offering locally-made crafts, cards, art, clothing,<br />
jewelry, household items, plus meat, fish, winter<br />
vegetables, coffee, apple cider and more.<br />
mossstreetmarket.com<br />
19 SUNDAY<br />
O Christmas Tree<br />
V<br />
3pm and 7:30pm, Royal Theatre<br />
Fans of Monty Python, Mr. Bean, and Dr. Seuss…<br />
grab your teacups! Off-Broadway comedians and<br />
London’s 3-time IMPRESARIO Award-Winners,<br />
James & Jamesy, bring their funny and inventive<br />
P<br />
Christmas comedy classic O Christmas Tea tour<br />
to Victoria.<br />
jamesandjamesy.com/o-christmas-tea<br />
JANUARY<br />
2 SATURDAY & 3 SUNDAY<br />
Christmas Tree Chipping<br />
V<br />
10am–2pm, McKenzie Elementary School<br />
Trees are chipped by donation, with all proceeds<br />
going to the creation of Outdoor Learning Spaces.<br />
11 TUESDAY<br />
Book a Librarian<br />
CV<br />
2–3pm South Cowichan Branch (Mill Bay)<br />
Have questions on online books, movies or magazines?<br />
Ready to do some research? Schedule a<br />
30-minute session with a librarian.<br />
250-743-5283 | southcowichan@virl.bc.ca<br />
16 SUNDAY<br />
Bach to the Future<br />
V<br />
2:30pm, Farquhar Theatre at UVic<br />
While working on her project on classical music,<br />
Corky accidentally combines ingredients of a<br />
magical musical spell making her tumble through<br />
time to meet some of the world’s most fascinating<br />
composers.<br />
victoriasymphony.ca<br />
20 THURSDAY<br />
Selkirk Montessori<br />
V<br />
Virtual Open House<br />
6pm, Selkirk Montessori School<br />
Explore Selkirk’s offering of contemporary Montessori.<br />
24 MONDAY & 25 TUESDAY<br />
Evergreen Independent School CV<br />
Open House<br />
Find out why families choose Evergreen. Call<br />
250-743-2433 to book your private socially-distanced<br />
tour. Virtual tours may also be available.<br />
evergreenbc.net<br />
24 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
ONGOING<br />
Orcas: Our Shared Future<br />
V<br />
Daily until Mar 31, Royal BC Museum<br />
Dive deep into the stories and science that surround<br />
the magnificent orca, spirit of BC’s wild<br />
coast and apex predator of all oceans. Combine<br />
your visit with the IMAX: Humpback Whales.<br />
royalbcmuseum.bc.ca<br />
Polar Express<br />
V<br />
Various times, Dec 4–31, IMAX Victoria<br />
Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis reunite<br />
for The Polar Express, an inspiring adventure<br />
based on the beloved children’s book by Chris<br />
Van Allsburg.<br />
imaxvictoria.com<br />
Pure New Zealand Merino<br />
Wool for little adventurers.<br />
Newborn to 12 years.<br />
Made in Canada.<br />
weewoollies.com<br />
@weewoollies<br />
BACH to the FUTURE<br />
Sunday, <strong>January</strong> 16, 2:30 pm<br />
Farquhar at UVic<br />
MAESTRO JOEY, conductor<br />
Tinsel Tunnel<br />
V<br />
9am–10pm, Ponds Landing Plaza,<br />
Bear Mountain<br />
Surround yourself with holiday magic as you take<br />
a walk through Tinsel Tunnel, snap a few photos<br />
that will literally sparkle! Located in the Ponds<br />
Landing Plaza at Bear Mountain.<br />
langford.ca<br />
Corky’s eccentric Uncle Siegfried is the obvious<br />
person to help her with her project on classical<br />
music. While poking around in his peculiar workshop,<br />
she accidentally combines the ingredients of a magical<br />
musical spell making her tumble through time to meet<br />
some of the world’s most fascinating composers.<br />
Tickets can be purchased by calling<br />
Farquhar at UVic at 250.721.8480 or online<br />
by visiting victoriasymphony.ca<br />
Anamalia Art Show <strong>2022</strong> CV<br />
Daily, Portals Gallery, Duncan<br />
Wild or domestic, mythological or real, mammals<br />
or insects, large or small, animals play an important<br />
role in our ecosystems and our lives. Join the<br />
menagerie.<br />
cowichanvalleyartscouncil.ca<br />
South Cowichan Family Storytime CV<br />
Mill Bay Branch Library<br />
Bring the whole family for stories, songs, and fun<br />
at the Mill Bay Centre playground, rain or shine.<br />
For ages 0–5 and their adults. Each Monday until<br />
Nov 1, except for Oct 11, Thanksgiving. Free.<br />
virl.bc.ca<br />
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<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 25
HOLIDAYHAPPENINGS<br />
Gingerbread Showcase<br />
Daily until Jan<br />
Habitat for Humanity Victoria’s premier fundraiser, The Gingerbread Showcase,<br />
is back for its 13th year. The theme for this year’s Showcase: The<br />
Future of Home Bakers have taken a look forward, beyond the build to<br />
consider how we might live and what changes we could make to create a<br />
brighter future for everyone. Come and see the exciting possibilities and<br />
celebrate the season. Donate-to-Vote, in-person or online, for your favourite.<br />
habitatvictoria.com<br />
A Christmas Carol<br />
Christmas brings a return of Blue<br />
Bridge’s version of the perennial<br />
favourite A Christmas Carol starring<br />
Sanjay Talwar running from <strong>December</strong><br />
7-19. Performed in the manner<br />
that Charles Dickens presented his<br />
own work in 1853, Mr. Talwar will<br />
effortlessly walk his way through<br />
the dozens of characters contained<br />
in this classic with merely a shift in<br />
his voice. Live-streamed and inperson<br />
performances.<br />
bluebridgetheatre.ca<br />
Butchart Gardens<br />
Christmas<br />
Daily until <strong>January</strong> 6, <strong>2022</strong><br />
The Gardens’ Christmas hours<br />
begin November 26, <strong>2021</strong> and<br />
continue through <strong>January</strong> 6,<br />
<strong>2022</strong>, with admission from<br />
3:30pm – 9:00pm and viewing<br />
until 10:00pm. General<br />
admission and 12 Month Pass<br />
Holder tickets will be available<br />
online effective Wednesday,<br />
October 6 through to <strong>January</strong><br />
6, <strong>2022</strong>. Reserve your time to<br />
visit at butchartgardens.com.<br />
Breakfast with Santa<br />
10am, Saturdays & Sundays throughout <strong>December</strong><br />
This family-style brunch service at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel includes cookie<br />
decorating at each table, a visit from Mr. Claus himself, as well as on-sit<br />
photo printing by Four Frames Photo Booth to bring the merry memories<br />
home. Adult $68, child (3-12 years) $36. oakbaybeachhotel.com<br />
Christmas Movie Night<br />
7:15, Tuesdays & Wednesdays<br />
throughout <strong>December</strong><br />
Watch your favourite holiday films accompanied<br />
by freshly popped popcorn, hoiday<br />
sweets, bottled water and complimentary<br />
parking. A portion of each ticked sold will be<br />
donated to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.<br />
Dec 7, A Christmas Story; Dec 8, White Christmas;<br />
Dec 14 & 15, Home Alone; Dec 21 & 22,<br />
Love Actually; Dec 28, Bridget Jones Diary.<br />
oakbaybeachhotel.com<br />
Maritime Museum of BC’s Holiday Workshops<br />
Get ready for the holidays, while learning a thing or two about knots, at the<br />
Maritime’s Nautical Wreath Workshop. Transform a single piece of rope into<br />
a beautiful holiday wreath. Wreath workshops run from 2-4:30pm on Dec<br />
7, 9 & 18. Or try your hand at making Sea Glass Ornaments. Learn various<br />
wire-wrapping techniques to make beautiful sea glass ornaments, while<br />
sharing stories of some of British Columbia’s local beaches and the legends<br />
of “mermaid tears”. Seaglass workshops run from 2-3:30pm on Dec 11 &<br />
14. All supplies provided and your ticket includes admission to the Maritime<br />
Museum (valid for 24 hours). mmbc.bc.ca<br />
26 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Summer Programs<br />
BUSINESSES<br />
YOUNEEDTOKNOW<br />
Running This July & August<br />
ms will be running (hopefully) in<br />
person, These or online... local businesses are family-focused and committed to our community and helping you.<br />
eschool Dance Camps<br />
Showcase your<br />
business to<br />
thousands of<br />
or 3-5 year olds in Ballet, Jazz,<br />
Musical Theatre & Tap<br />
h Dance Camps<br />
ncers 6-12 years old in<br />
Hip Hop & Acrobatics<br />
MOMS!<br />
info@islandparent.ca<br />
Dance Intensive<br />
For dancers 11 years old & up with<br />
Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop & Acrobatics<br />
Little Dancers Classes<br />
Are running through the summer for<br />
those 18 months to 3 years old<br />
STAGES Summer Programs<br />
Come Dance With Us<br />
Summer Programs<br />
Running This July & August<br />
Call (250) 384-3267, email: stagesdance@shaw.ca,<br />
Running or visit This us July at & www.stagesdance.com<br />
August<br />
Come Dance<br />
With Us<br />
Through these times<br />
let’s be careful &<br />
kind out there<br />
Come Dance<br />
With Us<br />
Call (250) 384-3267,<br />
Email: stagesdance@shaw.ca,<br />
or visit us at<br />
www.stagesdance.com<br />
STAGES<br />
Summer Programs<br />
Running This July & August<br />
Through these times<br />
let’s be careful &<br />
kind out there<br />
STAGES<br />
Come Dance<br />
With Us<br />
Call (250) 384-3267,<br />
Email: stagesdance@shaw.ca,<br />
or visit us at<br />
www.stagesdance.com<br />
Through these times<br />
let’s be careful &<br />
kind out there<br />
FREE services are open to ALL single<br />
parents in Greater Victoria who are<br />
caring for children at home ages 0–18<br />
• Market Day – Weekly Food Support<br />
• Free Clothing Room<br />
• 1-1 Counselling & Coaching<br />
• Support Groups & Courses<br />
250-385-1114 | 1-Up.ca<br />
Milner Christmas Magic <strong>2021</strong><br />
Milner Christmas Magic <strong>2021</strong> returns this year as an outdoor stroll to experience<br />
the magic of thousands of holiday lights and festive window displays<br />
0) 384-3267,<br />
stagesdance@shaw.ca,or visit us at www.stagesdance.com on <strong>December</strong> 3-5, 10-12 and 17-19 from 5-8pm with viewing until 8:30pm.<br />
Wonderheads Christmas Carol<br />
Wonderheads present their delightfully captivating reimagining of Charles<br />
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with giant masks, whimsical puppets, and<br />
wondrous theatrical invention. A feast for the eyes, ears, heart and funny<br />
bone, this astonishing production features larger than life characters, glowing<br />
ghosts, and larger-than-life puppets— to name just a few of the treats<br />
in store for audiences as they are whisked away with Ebenezer Scrooge on<br />
his magical Christmas Eve adventure. <strong>December</strong> 14 at 7:30pm, Sid Williams<br />
Theatre in Courtenay. sidwilliamstheatre.com<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 27
Creative Journaling<br />
Journal writing can help kids explore<br />
and process feelings, build writing<br />
skills, and communicate their ideas.<br />
Here—excerpted from Just the Two of<br />
Us: A Soft Place to Land for Tender<br />
Hearts by Nicole Nattrass—are a few<br />
ideas to help you get started.<br />
1. Find a large journal or a<br />
scrapbook that will lie flat on<br />
the table.<br />
I suggest very large so that there is<br />
ample room to be free. You have one<br />
page and the child has the other. You<br />
can often find these not only in art<br />
stores but dollar stores.<br />
2. Find a special place to<br />
store this journal, somewhere<br />
reachable for your child.<br />
This journal is something to share<br />
only between the two of you, not something<br />
to Show and Tell. It is a sacred<br />
trust. Your child will be the guide; this<br />
is based on their process. It can also be<br />
helpful to put a date somewhere on the<br />
page.<br />
3. Let your child take the lead,<br />
making this journal their own.<br />
They may want to decorate the front<br />
cover of the journal, do not push. Best<br />
not to jump to teaching moments. This<br />
is not homework. For example, if your<br />
child draws on your side of the page,<br />
let them explore the boundary. Talk<br />
about it. Once trust and interest have<br />
been firmly established, engage in a<br />
positive, mutually inclusive conversation<br />
about consent/permission or other<br />
topics that may arise.<br />
4. All mediums are welcome<br />
on the page—pencil, felt,<br />
tape, paint, glue, multimedia,<br />
collage—anything goes.<br />
Let your child lead, incorporating<br />
any of their “stuff” onto the page. They<br />
might find ways to add sparkles or mud<br />
or other “treasures.” It is also okay to<br />
let them explore destroying a page, it<br />
is just a page of a journal. Reminder,<br />
there are no journal police.<br />
28 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Learn a new sport or refine<br />
your skills: come join our<br />
rock climbing teams!<br />
5. The journal is always there<br />
when you need it.<br />
If you are upset or struggling with<br />
something or when you need a break<br />
from day to day routine, take it out.<br />
You are the model for this process.<br />
Your child learns from your attitude<br />
and approach. Remember that the process<br />
is enough. Your child may or may<br />
not join you. Do not force participation.<br />
No punitive measures or pressured<br />
outcomes should interfere or be connected<br />
to this activity.<br />
Try your best to not comment on<br />
what is “good” or what appeals to you<br />
instead become curious and ask questions:<br />
What colours did you use? Do<br />
you like that color? What is that? Tell<br />
me more about that. It’s important to<br />
be present. Sometimes the non- verbal<br />
can be more supportive than vocal<br />
praise because it does not stop the<br />
process. Remember, the value is in the<br />
“doing”, the process is more important<br />
than words.<br />
Registration<br />
for recreational<br />
and competitive<br />
teams open now.<br />
All levels<br />
welcome!<br />
Ages 6–18.<br />
Details and registration at climbtheboulders.com<br />
The Boulders Climbing Gym<br />
1627 Stelly’s Cross Road | Saanichton, BC | 250.544.0310<br />
BC Transit’s<br />
Santa Bus is<br />
coming to town!<br />
<strong>December</strong> 10 & 11, <strong>2021</strong><br />
} Ride free } Holiday decorations and music<br />
For Santa Bus routes and schedules, visit bctransit.com<br />
Stuff the Bus for Charity!<br />
<strong>December</strong> 4, <strong>2021</strong><br />
9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.<br />
Save-On-Foods, Tillicum Centre<br />
Donations benefit the Salvation Army<br />
and The Mustard Seed<br />
Nicolle Nattrass is a proud mom and<br />
creator of Creative Journaling programs with<br />
a trauma-informed lens. During Covid-19, she<br />
wrote Just the Two of Us (a soft place for tender<br />
hearts to land) a book on how to use journaling<br />
with children to process stress, anxiety and<br />
trauma. nicollenattrass.com<br />
Transit Info 250·382·6161<br />
bctransit.com<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 29
WHAT’SFORDINNER<br />
The Warm Comfort of Soup<br />
A<br />
bit<br />
pot of hearty soup is the ideal winter meal. It’s something<br />
you can turn whenever you have very little time or<br />
energy to make a healthy dinner.<br />
Flexible: Soups can be put together with whatever you happen<br />
to have in your fridge or cupboard.<br />
Nourishing: Warm broths are comforting on a cold winter’s<br />
day.<br />
Simple: They usually only involve one pot and a bit of chopping.<br />
Connecting: Having your kids help with chopping up soup veggies<br />
not only makes it go quicker, it’s also a great way to connect<br />
at the end of a busy day.<br />
Plentiful: It’s easy to make a double-batch and freeze the leftovers<br />
for an instant meal.<br />
Here are three simple soups, that are ready in less than 45 minutes.<br />
While I’ve suggested particular vegetables, feel free to use<br />
whatever you have in your fridge. They are quick, easy and delicious.<br />
What more could you want?<br />
Taco Minestrone<br />
This dish combines the heartiness of minestrone with taco spices. The<br />
result is a soup that your family is sure to love. Corn pasta is a delicious<br />
and affordable gluten-free pasta. You can find it at many grocery stores,<br />
including Save On and Superstore. The toppings are optional, but I<br />
recommend having all of them!<br />
Soup Base:<br />
1 onion<br />
4 cloves of garlic<br />
2 Tbsp oil<br />
1 Tbsp chili powder (or smoked paprika for a less spicy option)<br />
1 ⁄2 tsp ground cumin<br />
4 cups of broth<br />
1 can 540 ml diced tomatoes<br />
1 Tbsp oregano<br />
1 can 540 ml of black beans<br />
200g of corn pasta<br />
1 ⁄2 tsp salt, to taste<br />
Hearty Miso Soup<br />
A hearty miso soup is warm and comforting. I particularly enjoy it when<br />
I have a cold, as it packs a lot of nutrients into a bowl. Garlic, ginger and<br />
miso have immune-boosting properties. Fresh red peppers are packed<br />
with vitamin C.<br />
Broth:<br />
4 garlic cloves<br />
2-inch piece of ginger<br />
11 cups of water<br />
1⁄4 cup of soy sauce<br />
1 tsp salt, to taste<br />
1⁄2 cup of miso paste, stirred into 1 cup of water<br />
Soup:<br />
1 lb. rice noodles<br />
3 carrots<br />
1 bunch of kale<br />
1 block of tofu<br />
Garnish:<br />
2 spring onions, sliced<br />
1 red pepper, finely diced<br />
Mince the garlic. Peel and grate the ginger.<br />
Combine all the stock ingredients except for the miso in a large pot.<br />
Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.<br />
While the broth comes to a boil, thinly slice the carrots. Wash and rip<br />
the kale into bite-sized pieces. Slice the tofu into small cubes.<br />
Once the broth is simmering, add the carrots. Cook for 5 minutes,<br />
then add the kale, tofu and noodles to the broth. Turn off the soup<br />
and let it sit until the noodles are tender (about 6 minutes for flat rice<br />
noodles.)<br />
Once the noodles are soft, stir in the miso.<br />
Serve with the garnishes.<br />
Toppings:<br />
1 red pepper, finely diced<br />
2 tomatoes, chopped<br />
3 spring onions, chopped<br />
1 ⁄4 cup of cilantro<br />
Chop the onion and finely dice the garlic.<br />
Saute the vegetables in the oil until the onions are sweating, about 2<br />
minutes.<br />
Add in the spices and toss to coat the vegetables.<br />
Pour in the broth, tomatoes and the oregano.<br />
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add in the black beans and pasta.<br />
Simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 6 minutes.<br />
Add the salt, taste, and add more salt if needed. The exact amount will<br />
depend on the saltiness of the broth.<br />
Serve with your choice of toppings.<br />
30 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Spiced Red Lentil Soup<br />
Red lentils cook really fast, perfect for a hearty soup that doesn’t take a lot of time. Since this<br />
soup is pureed at the end, you don’t have to be fussy when you chopped the vegetables.<br />
Serve this soup over rice or with a piece of bread, for a complete meal that is warm and filling.<br />
Soup:<br />
2 Tbsp oil<br />
1 medium onion<br />
2 medium carrots<br />
2 celery stalks<br />
3 cloves of garlic<br />
1⁄2 tsp ground cumin<br />
1 ⁄2 tsp ground coriander<br />
1 ⁄2 tsp ground black pepper<br />
8 cups of broth<br />
2 cups of red lentils<br />
1 tsp salt, to taste<br />
Toppings:<br />
1⁄4 cup of cilantro<br />
2 tomatoes, diced<br />
Coarsely chop the onion, carrots and celery. Peel the garlic.<br />
Heat the oil and saute the vegetables until the onion starts to sweat, about 3 minutes.<br />
Add the spices to the pot, and toss to coat the vegetables.<br />
Pour in the broth and add in the lentils.<br />
Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the lentils are<br />
cooked.<br />
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to a smooth consistency. Add the salt, taste and<br />
adjust as needed. The exact amount will depend on the saltiness of the broth.<br />
Serve with cilantro and chopped tomato.<br />
Emillie Parrish<br />
writes from Victoria and<br />
Saturna <strong>Island</strong>. She is<br />
the author of the Pacific<br />
Northwest lifestyle blog<br />
BerriesAndBarnacles.com.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 31
NATURENOTES<br />
At Risk, But Not<br />
Because of Winter<br />
What do you think of when you<br />
hear the word “winter”? Does<br />
the word invoke visions of<br />
crunching through snow, a toque low<br />
on your head, a scarf tucked carefully<br />
in your jacket, and your toes warmed<br />
by thick socks? Do you picture walking<br />
through the forest in a regional park,<br />
hearing rain patter on the ground and<br />
children laughing as they explore?<br />
When I think of ‘winter’, I think of<br />
all those things and how we’re lucky to<br />
be living on Vancouver <strong>Island</strong>. Southern<br />
Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> has the mildest winter<br />
climate in Canada. We don’t have metres<br />
of snow or bitter winds. The Olympic<br />
Mountains in the United States help<br />
shield intense winter weather. This means<br />
we can generally go for walks in our regional<br />
parks year-round!<br />
Even with mild winters, animals in<br />
our regional parks have to adapt to the<br />
changing climate in different ways. Some<br />
of these animals are so few in number,<br />
they’re considered to be at-risk. How can<br />
Townsend’s bats, sharp-tailed snakes, and<br />
Marbled Murrelets survive winter in our<br />
Regional Parks? And how can we help?<br />
Bats, the only true flying mammals,<br />
either migrate south to warmer climates<br />
or hibernate here during the winter.<br />
Townsend’s bats are one of the few bats<br />
that consistently overwinter in BC. They<br />
have a wingspan of about 30 cm (almost<br />
one foot) and enormous ears that are<br />
half their body length. They spend their<br />
winter hibernating in a cave, where they<br />
hang by their 10 toes, fold their wings in<br />
tight, and then coil their ears tight like<br />
a spring to reduce surface area and heat<br />
loss.<br />
Easily woken up, these bats waste precious<br />
fat reserves relocating if their hibernation<br />
place is disturbed. Without these<br />
fat reserves, they may not survive the rest<br />
of hibernation. Since they only have one<br />
offspring a year, their population is slow<br />
to recover if numbers decline. While we<br />
may not see the bats when we’re out in<br />
regional parks in the winter, we can help<br />
them by staying on the trail to protect<br />
hibernation sites and wetland areas that<br />
provide homes for the insects the bats eat<br />
in the summer.<br />
Snakes, on the other hand, don’t have<br />
the luxury of flying south for winter. As<br />
thick as a pencil and a bit longer than a<br />
ruler, the sharp-tailed snake is the smallest<br />
snake on Vancouver <strong>Island</strong>. They<br />
have a sharp scale at the end of their tail<br />
(hence their name). Being elusive nocturnal<br />
creatures, these snakes are hard to<br />
find.<br />
In BC, these snakes are found only<br />
on Southern Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> and the<br />
Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s in open woodland habitats,<br />
which are found in some regional parks.<br />
While the snakes do hibernate during the<br />
cold months, more research is needed<br />
about their winter habitat. In one study,<br />
researchers found one snake had a home<br />
range only the length of two school buses<br />
(25 metres)!<br />
With encroachment from development,<br />
these snakes live in increasingly fragmented<br />
habitat. If you think you’ve seen<br />
a sharp-tailed snake, take a picture and<br />
report it to the BC Conservation Data<br />
Centre. These sightings help researchers<br />
know where these snakes live and therefore<br />
which areas to better protect.<br />
One of my favourite birds, the<br />
Marbled Murrelet, is a black and white<br />
robin-sized seabird that is usually found<br />
foraging within a few kilometres of the<br />
shore in winter. While some migrate<br />
south for winter, others stay in protected<br />
waters in the Salish Sea, such as Witty’s<br />
Lagoon Regional Park. These sheltered<br />
coves and bays provide protection from<br />
the cold winds and high waves of the<br />
ocean—important when you’re a tiny<br />
seabird!<br />
While diving for schooling fish, these<br />
birds can reach up to 100km/hr and “fly”<br />
underwater using their wings. While<br />
32 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Marbled Murrelets feed in the ocean,<br />
they have a surprising summer breeding<br />
location—old-growth forests up to 80km<br />
inland. But with old-growth forests disappearing<br />
due to logging, these birds can<br />
have trouble finding large mossy branches<br />
to lay their eggs. For the Marbled<br />
Murrelets, protection of the ocean and<br />
forests is vital.<br />
These animals are just three of the<br />
over 1,800 plant and animal species<br />
considered at-risk in BC and it’s not the<br />
challenges of surviving winter that put<br />
them at risk. Habitat fragmentation and<br />
human development means their small<br />
numbers could get even smaller. That’s<br />
why regional parks are so important.<br />
While they provide a place for recreation<br />
for us, they also provide homes and food<br />
for species we may not even see. Balancing<br />
recreation and conservation is everyone’s<br />
responsibility and teaching this to<br />
our families today allows future generations<br />
to also appreciate regional parks.<br />
So when we’re out in regional parks in<br />
the winter, we can still crunch through<br />
the snow on the trail, but we can also be<br />
mindful of our family’s impact on other<br />
animals that rely on the park. By reporting<br />
sightings, respecting hibernation sites,<br />
and supporting the protection of habitat<br />
in regional parks, we can all help ensure<br />
these bats, snakes, and birds can survive<br />
many more winters to come.<br />
Give Wonder!<br />
975 Fort Street, Victoria BC - 250-595-4905 - motheringtouch.ca<br />
Lauren Sherwood is a Park Naturalist<br />
with the Capital Regional District. For information<br />
on upcoming programs and events, visit<br />
crd.bc.ca/parks and follow us on social media:<br />
instagram.com/crd_bc, facebook.com/<br />
CapitalRegionalDistrict.<br />
Marbled murrelet photo: Andrew Reding<br />
Sharp-tailed snake photo: Christian Engelstoft<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 33
PRESCHOOL&CHILDCAREDIRECTORY<br />
v Comprehensive programs for<br />
Preschool through Grade 11<br />
v Delivering academic excellence through<br />
music, dance, drama and visual arts<br />
v Outstanding educators,<br />
locations and facilities<br />
www.ArtsCalibre.ca 250.382.3533<br />
Castleview Child Care........... 250-595-5355<br />
Learning Through Play & Discovery.<br />
Licensed non-profit, ECE staff. Since 1958.<br />
Morning or full-time care.<br />
castleviewchildcarecentre.com<br />
Christ Church Cathedral Childcare<br />
& Jr. Kindergarten..................250-383-5132<br />
ECE and specialist teachers provide an<br />
outstanding all day licensed program for<br />
2.5–5 year olds at our Fairfield and<br />
Gordon Head locations.<br />
cathedralschool.ca<br />
Emmanuel Baptist Church Child Care<br />
We offer all-day Day Care<br />
for 3 and 4 year olds.<br />
We also offer an After School Care<br />
Program for Kindergarten to 12 years<br />
old for Campus View and Frank Hobbs.<br />
250 598 0573 2121 Cedar Hill X Rd (by entrance to UVic)<br />
daycare@emmanuelvictoria.ca afterschool@emmanuelvictoria.ca<br />
<strong>Island</strong> Kids Academy<br />
Esquimalt..............................250-381-2929<br />
High quality child care (ages 1-5). Enriched<br />
Curriculum. Includes Music Classes and<br />
Character Development using the Virtues<br />
Project. Wait list being taken. <strong>Island</strong>kids.ca<br />
La Pré-Maternelle<br />
Appletree Preschool...............250-479-0292<br />
French immersion preschool. Group child<br />
care programs. 30 months to school age.<br />
Christian centre.<br />
prematernelleappletree.com<br />
Nightingale Preschool &<br />
Junior Kindergarten Ltd........ 250-595-7544<br />
We offer education through creativity and play, providing<br />
rich learning experiences through a well sourced<br />
and stimulating indoor and outdoor environment. Early<br />
years reading programme. nightingalepreschool.com.<br />
Arts/Drama programme. kidsworks.ca<br />
Pre-School<br />
Junior Kindergarten<br />
PacificChristian.ca<br />
250-479-4532<br />
Educational Excellence to the Glory of God<br />
Rainbows<br />
& Dreams<br />
Preschool<br />
Offering small classes, creative 3–5 year<br />
and kindie programs. Safe, fun, nurturing<br />
environment to learn and grow.<br />
250-479-1966 4184 Keewatin Place, Victoria<br />
Ready Set Grow Preschool.....250-472-1530<br />
Join our learning through play preschool located<br />
in Hillcrest Elem. Our caring ECEs offer<br />
an enriched Program for 3-4 hour, 2-5 days a<br />
week and help with kindergarten transition.<br />
heoscmanager@gmail.com<br />
St. Margaret’s School Jr. Kindergarten<br />
Apply now for our Early Learning (JK and<br />
Kindergarten) Programs. Early learning at SMS is<br />
a curriculum-based program for 3 and 4 year olds.<br />
St. Margaret’s School<br />
250-479-7171 | admissions@stmarg.ca<br />
SEEDLINGS<br />
Forest Education<br />
Where nature becomes the Teacher!<br />
Seedlings Forest Education is a Nature based program<br />
that includes After School Care, Nature Preschool, <strong>Parent</strong><br />
Workshops, Saturday Seedlings, Summer Camps and more!<br />
250-880-0660 seedlingsforesteducation.com<br />
Sir James Douglas<br />
Preschool.............................250-389-0500<br />
Fun, creative and educational ECE program<br />
for 3-5 year olds to grow and develop life<br />
long skills. Come play and learn in our bright<br />
and modern centre in Fairfield.<br />
sjdoutofschoolclub.com<br />
Victoria Montessori.............. 250-380-0534<br />
Unique, innovative learning environment<br />
combining the best of Montessori and<br />
Learning Through Play. Open year round.<br />
30mths–K.<br />
victoriamontessori.com<br />
722 Johnson St,Victoria,BC<br />
604.366.7080<br />
willowbraeacademy.com<br />
9006admin@willowbraechildcare.com<br />
We implement<br />
a play-based<br />
curriculum where<br />
our trained professionals<br />
develop<br />
and adapt individual<br />
programs<br />
by observing<br />
and listening<br />
to your child.<br />
Call your local CCRR for free referrals and resources.<br />
Victoria & Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s: 250-382-7000 or 1-800-750-1868<br />
Sooke: 250-642-5152 West Shore: 250-940-4882<br />
Cowichan Valley: 250-746-4135 local 231<br />
PacificCare (Ladysmith north): 250-756-<strong>2022</strong> or 1-888-480-2273<br />
34 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
Victoria & Area Peninsula Westshore Cowichan Valley Nanaimo & Area<br />
Carrot Seed Preschool...........250-658-2331<br />
Where children can discover, imagine,<br />
construct and learn through play.<br />
Wondrous natural playground.<br />
carrotseedpreschool.com<br />
<strong>Island</strong> Montessori House....... 250-592-4411<br />
Inclusive, integrated and nurturing Preschool<br />
and Before/After School Care programs.<br />
Lovely rural setting with a focus on nature<br />
and outdoor environmental activities.<br />
islandmontessori.com<br />
Sidney Preschool<br />
We are a licensed co-operative preschool<br />
with a philosophy of learning through play!<br />
Four hour program, four days per week, for<br />
children ages 2.5-5 years. Celebrating 49<br />
years! sidneypreschoolteacher@gmail.com,<br />
sidneypreschool.com<br />
w ild c h ild<br />
e a r l y l ear n i n g c e n t r e<br />
• Licensed program for<br />
3–5 year olds<br />
• Nature focused<br />
• 3 hour morning classes<br />
Exciting new learn-throughplay<br />
program in Saanichton,<br />
ideal for Peninsula families<br />
www.wcelc.ca<br />
The first steps in<br />
your child’s education<br />
Call for more information today: 250.746.3654<br />
Queen Margaret’s School........250-746-4185<br />
Early Childhood Education Program. Co-ed<br />
nurturing curriculum to develop the whole<br />
child. Healthy snacks and lunch provided.<br />
qms.bc.ca.<br />
• Licensed programs, for children 3–5 years<br />
• Flexible part-time schedules • Supported spaces available<br />
• 3 and 4 hour morning classes<br />
Encouraging your child’s development and<br />
learning through play and exploration<br />
Fullobeans.ca 250-360-1148 E: fullobeans@snplace.org<br />
Sunrise Waldorf School<br />
Preschool...............................250-743-7253<br />
In a warm environment, this nature and<br />
play-based program enlivens and<br />
nurtures the growing child.<br />
sunrisewaldorfschool.org<br />
<strong>Island</strong> Kids Academy<br />
View Royal........................... 250-727-2929<br />
High quality child care (ages 1-5). Enriched<br />
Curriculum. Includes Music Classes and<br />
Character Development using the Virtues<br />
Project. Wait list being taken. <strong>Island</strong>kids.ca<br />
Metchosin Co-Op Preschool<br />
A Co-operative preschool in<br />
the heart of rural Metchosin.<br />
The best place to be.<br />
Take a virtual tour today!<br />
metchosinpreschool.com<br />
250-478-9241 metchosinpreschool@gmail.com<br />
Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12<br />
Learn more today! 250-390-2201 AspengroveSchool.ca<br />
NANAIMO’ S JK–12 INTERNATIONAL<br />
BACCALAUREATE WORLD SCHOOL<br />
Little Star Children’s Centre...........250-752-4554<br />
Little Gems Infant & Toddler Care..250-228-5437<br />
Mother, Daughter owned and operated. Earth<br />
friendly preschool education inspired by nature.<br />
Infused with fun and creative daily yoga<br />
practices! Licensed group care. Enthusiastic<br />
ECE instructors. littlestardaycare.ca<br />
Nestled on 4 acres of lush west coast forest, our Award<br />
winning, Nature based program will not disappoint!<br />
While firmly embracing the Reggio-Emila (Italy) Philosophy<br />
our dedicated team of educators use the environment<br />
as the third teacher as we encourage your child<br />
throughout their day.<br />
Our purpose built facilities have been handmade using the<br />
trees from our forest. Come take a virtual tour on our website!<br />
lexieslittlebears.ca<br />
Waitlist: 250-590-3603<br />
Programs for Infants/Toddlers/Pre-school Age.<br />
BC Award of Excellence in Childcare & Prime Minister’s Award of Excellence in Early Childhood Education.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 35
KIDS’READS<br />
If You Give a Kid a Book…<br />
If they’re anything like my kids, they will love them. While<br />
my boys definitely have their favourite stories that we<br />
read over and over again, like Neon Leon, or any of our<br />
Berenstain Bear books, they love checking out new books<br />
and finding fresh favourites. So, when I asked my oldest if<br />
he wanted to snuggle up and pick out five books for this column,<br />
he jumped at the chance. After looking through some<br />
books, we decided to go with funny books, because funny<br />
books make great gifts. If you are looking for any books to<br />
give away as gifts this year, here are five kid-approved books<br />
to check out.<br />
Sloth & Squirrel in a Pickle by Cathy Ballou Mealey and<br />
illustrated by Kelly Collier (Kids Can Press, <strong>2021</strong>). Squirrel<br />
really wants to have a bike so he and Sloth can go so, so<br />
fast. But bikes cost more money than the two friends have.<br />
But before Squirrel can cry Sloth sees a “hiring” sign and<br />
suggests they get a job canning pickles. This isn’t as easy<br />
as either of them thought it would be, but their attempts to<br />
can pickles is hilarious. And Collier does an excellent job of<br />
bringing Sloth and Squirrel to life with her illustrations. For<br />
ages 4 to 8.<br />
Napoleon vs. The Bunnies by J.F. Fox and illustrated by<br />
Anna Kwan (Kids Can Press, <strong>2021</strong>). You might think you<br />
know everything there is to know about Napoleon, but did<br />
you ever hear about the time he battled bunnies? I hadn’t,<br />
but I’m so glad I’ve heard the story now, and I bet you will<br />
be too. As an added bonus, the book also has some other<br />
facts about Napoleon in the back if you or you child would<br />
like to know even more. For ages 4 to 8.<br />
Arnold the Super-ish Hero by Heather Tekavec and illustrated<br />
by Guillaume Perreault (Kids Can Press, <strong>2021</strong>).<br />
Arnold comes come a family of superheroes and he really<br />
wants to be a superhero too, but he’s not strong, or fast,<br />
or bouncy. He is really good at taking notes, so he spends<br />
his days answering the superhero phone. But one day a call<br />
comes in and none of the superheroes are around. After a<br />
little pep talk to himself, Arnold grabs his great-grandmothers<br />
outfit and tries his best to save the day. For ages 4 to 8.<br />
This is a Dog Book by Judith Henderson and illustrated<br />
by Julien Chung (Kids Can Press, <strong>2021</strong>). This might be a<br />
dog book, but there’s definitely a bunny on the cover. The<br />
bunny claims to be a dog, but the dogs just aren’t sure about<br />
that. To determine the truth, they give the bunny a series of<br />
tests including the “doo doo” test. The minimalist style of<br />
illustrations are really captivating and easily showcase many<br />
different types of dogs—and one bunny—throughout this<br />
book’s pages. For ages 4 to 8.<br />
36 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
WELCOME TO THE LANGFORD<br />
We are a new location serving<br />
Families and Individuals on the Westshore<br />
We are a part of the Christmas Giving Network and offering<br />
Christmas assistance to Families and Individuals on the<br />
Westshore. Apply in person, by phone or online.<br />
The Nut that Fell from the Tree by Sangeeta Bhadra and<br />
illustrated by France Cormier (Kids Can Press, 2020). In the<br />
same style as the song There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the<br />
Sea, this book follows the journey of a nut as it falls from a<br />
tree and passes throw the paws and beaks of different animals.<br />
My son got a real kick out of me stumbling over the<br />
tongue-twisting text, and it was even more funny when he<br />
tried to read it for himself. For ages 4 to 8.<br />
And there you have it. Five kid-approved funny books<br />
that you can use as gifts for the children in your lives. And<br />
I know the books say that they’re for ages 4 to 8, but if you<br />
have younger or older children, I bet they’d find these books<br />
funny too. I know I did.<br />
We are here all year long to support our community.<br />
Tuesday to Friday 9:30am to 3:30pm<br />
Check our website or facebook for a list of family friendly<br />
events happening in <strong>January</strong> such as:<br />
• Connect N Craft (ladies Craft Group)<br />
• Play Cafe (time for parents and children aged 0–5)<br />
• Lil Miss & Brave (an empowerment program for girls)<br />
• Lil Grunts (a mentorship program for boys)<br />
778-817-1141<br />
saconnectionpoint.ca<br />
Unit 103 – 737 Goldstream Avenue, Victoria BC<br />
Christina Van Starkenburg lives in<br />
Victoria with her husband, children, and cat. She<br />
is the author of One Tiny Turtle: A Story You Can<br />
Colour and many articles. To read more of her<br />
work and learn about her upcoming books<br />
visit christinavanstarkenburg.com. Facebook:<br />
facebook.com/christinavanstarkenburg<br />
and Twitter: @Christina_VanS<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 37
CUTITOUT!<br />
High-Intensity Praise<br />
We need to flip our discipline<br />
around and bring more intensity<br />
and focus to positive<br />
behaviour. This concept isn’t new but if<br />
you think about it, how much intensity<br />
do you give to children when they don’t<br />
follow instructions or when they make a<br />
mess.<br />
“How many times do I have to tell you<br />
to empty your knapsack when you get<br />
home!”<br />
When we yell, roll our eyes, or have a<br />
look on our face it sends a message. Body<br />
language is powerful and looks of disdain<br />
or contempt can speak volumes to a<br />
child. So can our tone of voice no matter<br />
how great we are at making I Statements.<br />
Who do children think they are when we<br />
talk like this? Not very smart? Incapable?<br />
Bad?<br />
No child wants to be somebody’s disappointment.<br />
Bring the volume down on<br />
corrective feedback. Say it softly, with<br />
few words and low energy: “Sam, I notice<br />
your backpack hasn’t been emptied,<br />
can you take a moment to do that now<br />
please.” When you do this, you avoid<br />
promoting intense, negative feelings in<br />
the child such as fear or humiliation.<br />
These feelings activate a child’s nervous<br />
system and create defiance, defensiveness<br />
or self-criticism.<br />
Turn up the volume on positive feedback.<br />
We need to find much more genuine<br />
and creative ways to praise children. The<br />
boring and often meaningless, “Good<br />
job!” doesn’t really mean much. Not only<br />
that, empty praise or gushy praise can<br />
be manipulative and insincere. Children<br />
feel this and it can bring about resistance.<br />
Or, if they buy into the verbal tick of<br />
good job, they become approval junkies<br />
and take fewer healthy risks. This sugarcoated<br />
form of control backfires and the<br />
more you give, the more they need.<br />
Instead, be specific, sincere and show<br />
expressed delight. “Sam, you just walked<br />
right in and emptied your knapsack<br />
without being asked.” This takes a lot of<br />
memory power. How did you remember<br />
to do this? The key is to be sincere and<br />
genuinely notice the child’s efforts or<br />
choices. You can also match your child’s<br />
temperament. If you have an intense<br />
child, put some volume and zest into the<br />
feedback. If you have a child who is more<br />
of a mild reactor, get alongside them and<br />
show expressed delight with quiet enthusiasm.<br />
Keep it real and not a form of<br />
manipulation Show authentic, in the moment,<br />
positive regard to your child and<br />
watch them flourish.<br />
Dr. Allison Rees is a parent<br />
educator, counsellor and coach at<br />
LIFE Seminars (Living in Families<br />
Effectively), lifeseminars.com.<br />
Giveaway:<br />
This elaborate layered<br />
winter wreath will create<br />
a beautiful wall or door<br />
feature. Paints, brushes,<br />
wood glue and step<br />
by step instructions<br />
included. Over 20 accessories:<br />
Birds, candle,<br />
presents, bells, bow,<br />
pinecone, ice skate,<br />
candy cane, mix, scarf,<br />
mushroom, snowflakes,<br />
toque, gingerbread<br />
people, poinsettia, foliage<br />
and warm wishes words.<br />
Designed, laser cut<br />
and packaged locally<br />
by the team at McTavish<br />
Academy Of Art in<br />
North Saanich, BC.<br />
Enter now for your<br />
chance to win this<br />
Winter Wreath Art Kit at<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
38 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />
<strong>December</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2021</strong>/22 39
The sweetest holiday event in town!<br />
Visit our four hosts in Victoria as we<br />
imagine the Future of Home.<br />
Tap to donate & vote for your favourite !<br />
Every donation will help Habitat Victoria<br />
build a brighter future for families.<br />
Our thanks to<br />
media sponsor<br />
Habitat for Humanity Victoria’s<br />
Nov. 20 , <strong>2021</strong> – Jan. 2, <strong>2022</strong> I donate & vote for your favourite<br />
www.habitatvictoria.com/<br />
gingerbread<strong>2021</strong>
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