Island Parent Magazine April-May 2022

APRIL/MAY 2022 

FREE COPY 

Vancouver Island’s Parenting Resource for 34 Years 

Learning 

the Love 

Languages 

The 

‘Pandemic 

Effect’ 

Go Outside! 

A Breath of Fresh 

Air for Families 

Bringing Home Twins

AN EXPERIENCE THAT LASTS A LIFETIME! 

Register for Summer Camp 

Before May 1st and Save 15%! 

Summer Camps for Children, Youth, Families & Leadership 

• Community & Corporate Retreats • 

Registration is open for summer camps 

and family cabin rentals. 

CampPringle.com • 250-743-2189 • info@camppringle.com 

Want to join our team? Visit our website for info on available staff and volunteer positions. 

2 Island Parent Magazine IslandParent.ca

Try Canoe-Kayak! 

Paddle for fun, fitness and friendships! 

Nanaimo Canoe & Kayak Club 

Building Paddlers for Life since 1988 

Located at Loudon Park, Long Lake, NCKC offers 

diverse paddling opportunities to people of all ages 

and abilities. As a not-for-profit sport organization, 

NCKC promotes healthy, active living and offers quality 

programming focused on sport skill development, 

water safety, and outdoor recreation. 

SPRING PROGRAMS 

in May and June 

SUMMER CAMPS 

weekly in July and August for children 6–13yrs 

• Registration Opens Online May 1 @ 6am 

• Come learn the ‘FUN’damental paddling skills on Long Lake! 

Spend time in a variety of different boats, learn about the sport, 

practice new strokes, try some rescues, develop balance, boat 

control and play games on and off the water. Participants must 

be able to swim 25m with a PFD or be at Swim Kids Level 4. 

Adult & Youth Programs 

Sprint Canoe-Kayak 

Birthday Parties 

Development Racing Program 

Group Sessions 

School Field Trips 

Adaptive Programs 

Ongoing Registration 

information@nckc.ca 

www.nckc.ca 

IslandParent.ca 

April/May 2022 3

APRIL/MAY 2022 

FREE COPY 

Vancouver Island’s Parenting Resource for 34 Years 

TABLEOFCONTENTS 

Features 

In Every 

Issue 

5 

Fast Forward 

SUE FAST 

6 

Need to Know 

16 

Moms’ POV 

SERENA BECK 

18 

Nature Notes 

LAUREN SHERWOOD 

10 

Bringing Home 

Twins 

From the first night 

to the first month. 

NATASHA MILLS 

20 

The ‘Pandemic 

Effect’ 

Has being born 

during a pandemic 

affected babies? 

ANYA DUNHAM 

34 

Befriend 

the Birds 

Being a good 

neighbour to 

backyard birds. 

LINDSAY COULTER 

12 

Learning the 

Love Languages 

How to create 

deep connections. 

SARAH SEITZ 

14 

When ‘Good Enough’ 

Is Just Fine 

Haunted by another mother. 

JULIA MAIS 

32 

Alexa, How Do 

I Teach My Kids 

About Money? 

The ABCs and 123s 

of how to talk about 

money with your kids. 

VIVIAN LEUNG 

36 

Scavenger Hunt 

In the City 

Find the items, sing 

a song, read some 

books and have fun 

learning together. 

GREATER VICTORIA 

PUBLIC LIBRARY 

22 

Dadspeak 

GREG PRATT 

24 

What’s for Dinner 

EMILLIE PARRISH 

26 

Family Calendar 

28 

Kids’ Reads 

CHRISTINE VAN STARKENBURG 

30 

Preschool & 

Child Care Directory 

38 

Cut It Out! 

ALLISON REES 

38 

Businesses You 

Need to Know 

On the 

Cover 

Matteo (3 months) 

Photo by 

Chris Higginbottom 

Photography 

chrishigginbottom.ca 

Bringing Home Twins 

Learning 

the Love 

Languages 

The 

‘Pandemic 

Effect’ 

Go Outside! 

A Breath of Fresh 

Air for Families 

Jim Schneider Publisher publisher@islandparent.ca 

Sue Fast Editor editor@islandparent.ca 

Kristine Wickheim Account Manager kristine@islandparent.ca 

RaeLeigh Buchanan Account Manager raeleigh@islandparent.ca 

Island Parent Magazine, published by Island Parent Group Enterprises Ltd., is a 

bimonthly publication that honours and supports parents by providing information on 

resources and businesses for Vancouver Island families. Views expressed are not 

necessarily those of the publisher. No material herein may be reproduced without 

the permission of the publisher. Island Parent is distributed free in selected areas. 

Annual mail subscriptions (7 issues) are available for $21 (GST included). 

Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement 40051398. ISSN 0838-5505. 

Island Parent Magazine 

250-388-6905 islandparent.ca 

518 Caselton Place, Victoria, BC V8Z 7Y5 

A proud member of 

BC 


FASTFORWARD 

Why We Have Kids 

Full. Human. Experience. 

That’s how one dad, in a post on Humans of New 

York, described his reason for having kids. 

The father of one recalled how he and his wife decided 

over dinner at a rib joint that they would start a family. 

“We actually took out a piece of paper and made a pros 

and cons list,” he said. At the top of the “pro” list: Full Human 

Experience. 

“After our daughter was born, that became an inside joke 

with us,” he recalled. “Every time she was screaming at bath 

time, my wife and I would look at each other and say: ‘Full 

Human Experience.’” 

Those words will mean something different to each of us. 

And no doubt we all have our own reasons for having kids. 

But chances are, we had no idea how we’d feel until after 

our baby was born. 

Take, for example, the moment they put your baby in your 

arms. Speak of a full human experience. Nothing compares. 

And seeing the world through your child’s eyes? It’s magic. 

Sure, it’s exhausting, too. And if you worried about the 

cost—in dollars, sanity and hours of sleep—you likely 

would’ve stopped at “Should we?” But if you didn’t stop 

there, you’ll know that the highs shadow the lows and the 

pros definitely outweigh the cons. 

“Honestly we wondered if we’d made a mistake—it was 

like a bomb dropped and eviscerated everything in our 

lives,” the dad recalled. “But then our daughter started 

growing up, and learning to do things on her own, and we 

kept taking small steps back and getting more of our own 

time back.” 

And that was bittersweet. 

“It’s like getting laid off slowly from an equally grueling 

but joyful job.” 

Here’s to finding the joy in raising children, to laughing as 

often as they do—300 times a day for a toddler, and only 4 

for a 40-year-old!—and to believing in the magic. 



NEEDTOKNOW 

Mother’s Day 

Afternoon Tea 

Treat Mom to a stroll through Butchart Gardens on 

May 8, followed by afternoon tea in the Dining Room 

where she’ll be treated to house scones, savoury sandwiches 

and delicacies, house-made sweets and a selection 

of loose teas. Reservations recommended. Ask for 

a seat at the window for a view of the flowering bulbs, 

shrubs and trees—a celebration of spring and Mom. 

butchartgardens.com 

Family Jam at 

Hermann’s Jazz 

Enjoy an afternoon of jazz at Hermann’s Jazz Club in 

Victoria on April 17 at 1pm and help raise funds for Arts 

on View at the same time. Lelolai FAM (Family Arts Music) 

is a family-focused, music-centric project, honouring 

creativity and inclusivity of people of all ages and 

cultures. Their original music is a tropical fusion of 

sound blending Folk, Funk, Jazz and Latin Rhythms in 

English, Italian and Spanish. Songs like “Big Feelings,” 

“Wash your Hands” and “Magic Words” will delight your 

little ones. Special guest appearances include kid 

artists and the Easter Bunny. Join this interactive 

and family friendly afternoon of music and fun. 

Tickets $10 at hermannsjazz.com. 

Brant Wildlife Festival 

A spring celebration of nature from April 1–10, 

the Brant Wildlife Festival celebrates nature, 

springtime and the annual migration of Brant 

geese. See them rest and feed on the shores of 

mid-Vancouver Island before continuing their 

migration to their northern breeding grounds. 

This year’s festival features a mix of outdoor 

and indoor events at various locations. 

brantfestival.bc.ca 


Summer FUN at GNS 

Glenlyon Norfolk School is offering a variety of fun summer camps 

for students age 5 to 17. Arts, cooking, baking, field hockey, day camps, 

kayaking, outdoor education and overnight camps, entrepreneurial 

camps and more—our summer programs offer something for everyone! 

Two Book Launches: 

Anne’s Adventure 

and Fermenting 

Made Simple 

Island Parent’s own Kids’ Reads columnist, 

Christina Van Starkenburg, and What’s for 

Dinner columnist Emillie Parrish are releasing 

books in May. Christina is releasing her first 

picture book, Anne’s Adventure: A Pirate’s 

ABCs on May 4. Follow Anne, a “fiercely bold 

pirate” as she sails her way through the 

alphabet in search of cheese, fending off 

monsters and cats! A rollicking good read, 

Anne’s Adventure is available on amazon.ca. 

Fermenting Made Simple: Delicious Recipes to 

Improve Your Gut Health is being released on 

May 17 and includes everything you need to 

know to make your own fermented foods and 

beverages with 80+ entirely vegetarian recipes, 

tips, tricks and recipes for serving fermented 

foods. Available at local bookstores and online: 

fermentingforfoodies.com/cookbook. 

www.mygns.ca/summer-fun 

IB CONTINUUM 

CONTINUUM DE L’IB 

CONTINUO DEL IB 



Run to Restore Nature 

A fun, family-friendly event where you can go 

the distance for wildlife at your own pace from 

May 7–15. Walk, run, wheel or even skip your 

way to the finish line from wherever you are. 

Do the entire distance in one go or take it one 

day at a time. The distance is up to you—5km, 

10km or half marathon from wherever you are 

while raising funds to restore and protect vital 

ecosystems across Canada. To register, 

visit fundraisers.wwf.ca. 

Environmental 

Champions 

Nominations are open for the 2022 Saanich 

Environmental Awards. Some of the categories: 

individual, volunteer organization, business, and 

youth (individual/youth group/school). Past 

recipients have been involved in invasive species 

removal, environmental education, creating habitat, 

research, and inspiring others. Business awards are 

for leadership and practices that promote sustainability 

and climate action. Nominate anyone as long as their 

environmental work impacts Saanich. Submit by 

4pm on April 19, at saanich.ca/enviroawards. 

Sticks and Stones 

and Stories 

What could be more exciting than battling pirate weasels, 

or sailing with the moon, or hosting a tea party for zoo animals? 

Add a little wonder to bedtime, car-time or anytime with these 

fun original podcasts, written and narrated by children’s author 

Rachel Dunstan Muller. To celebrate the one year anniversary of 

the children’s podcast, Rachel launched a new website, 

sticksandstonesandstories.com. 


One Planet Living Student Challenge 

Grade 6-12 students in Greater Victoria are invited to submit 

their video or illustration to answer: How might we bring 

One Planet Living ideas into our communities and personal 

lives? Pick one or more of the 10 One Planet Living principles 

and show elements in your communities or personal lives that 

support One Planet Living. Submit one of the following: 

• Video—commentary, how-how, song (max. 3 minutes) 

• Illustration—map, photo collage, cartoon (1 image) 

Student submissions will be accepted until May 20. 

Winners will receive cash prizes—with $1,200 total prize 

money available and submissions will be judged on creativity, 

engagement, illumination and alignment with One Planet Living. 

Winners will be showcased on the One Planet BC website 

at oneplanetbc.com. 

Preschool for today’s child 

...and tomorrow’s inner child. 

Young children possess boundless 

imagination, perfect openness to the 

world and all its beauty, and the inborn 

idea that anything is possible. We 

believe that these wonderful gifts 

should not fade with age. 

With an innovative program enriched 

by music, dance, theatre and visual 

arts, our goal is to enable children 

to fully explore and express these 

gifts in an endless variety of ways. 

Inspiring and nurturing today’s child 

firmly implants their future inner child 

– that playfulness, creativity, vision and 

confidence that will enable them to 

realize their dreams. 

Preschool to Grade 12 www.ArtsCalibre.ca 250-382-3533 

“When I examine myself and my method of 

thought, I come to the conclusion that the 

gift of fantasy has meant more to me than 

my talent for absorbing knowledge.” 

– Albert Einstein 



Bringing Home Twins 

All settled at home 5 days grown. 

Liam and Mila are officially back to their birth weight 

today and have made us so proud as we learn in baby steps 

how to navigate this new reality together. Despite being 

more comfortable in our beds, their dad, Mitch, and I barely 

slept a wink the first night home from the hospital, feeling so 

overprotective away from the reassuring call bell and medical 

support. 

As new twin parents on that first night, we felt so scrambled 

trying to understand all that goes into these night feeds 

and stay on top of every moving part—figuratively and literally! 

Last night however, was a success story, with a brokenup 

six hours of sleep for us, great feeding intervals (one 

three-hour stretch) and I’m feeling like a new woman. 

We’ve begun to streamline the process in our bedroom 

and have transformed it into our Zen sanctuary of comfort, 

white noise, meditation sounds playing continuously, a mini 

fridge stocked with water, snacks and room for milk storage. 

It takes a total team effort to get this job done and I’m 

so grateful for Mitch being so hands-on and how far we’ve 

come together already. 

Through the blur of it all, I am practicing patience and 

compassion for myself, for my older son Hudson adjusting 

to the change, and I’m learning to let go of everything out of 

my control. 

No matter how hard the journey gets, I feel complete, 

knowing that these twins chose me to be their mommy. 

Every passing hour we are growing and learning together. 

Every feed is a little more successful than the last because we 

are embracing flexibility. The teamwork I’ve established with 

their daddy has given me the needed confidence to press on 

along the unpredictable road ahead. It’s been scary and so 

very real with emotions running all over the place. 

My life is forever changed and I’m navigating a very liberating 

acceptance with that. I’ll be endlessly grateful for these 

tiny blessings and for my body for enduring all that it has in 

creating, delivering and nourishing them. 

One month in. 

As is the case with newborn parenthood, there often 

comes a time when the chaos starts catching up with you. 

No matter how hard you prepare for it and lower your ex- 


pectations, there it is. Unannounced and loud in your face 

like a freight train coming at you when you have nothing 

left. 

We’re only one month in with the twins but I met eyes 

with this place last night. Dad was there to save me. Without 

a moment to eat my dinner, surround-sound crying started 

up with Mila and Liam who are needing to cluster feed and 

be held in the evenings, all while we try to get our sensitive 

and sweet older boy to bed at a decent hour without him 

holding a grudge. 

Then, one twin won’t settle until the early hours and the 

whole schedule we’ve strived for all day is thrown off. My 

brain, already compounded with excessive sleep debt, finally 

gave up trying to fall into a slumber. I was up until 3am anticipating 

the next feed, and I felt very scared. 

I can’t function when it gets this bad. The morning rolled 

around and dad took over as best as he could, got Hudson 

to daycare and I finally settled the twins beside me, breasts 

painfully engorged, feeling guilty to sleep in with them until 

nearly 11am. But that’s what I needed to exist today. 

And I needed Mitch. I love him and the father he is to our 

three. I feel so grateful for the team that we have become on 

this journey. We pull each other’s weight when the other is 

lower, and so far, it’s been working. 

To any moms struggling with this kind of stuff, I see you. 

From no support to more support, we’re all fighting a different 

battle for our little blessings and it’s so important to 

remember that we’re in this together. 

The highs and lows of two newborns with a four-and-ahalf-year-old 

dynamic is insane. Some days we’re rocking 

it—or at least it feels like we’re not drowning. We’re loving 

the novel nuances of having this full, multi-faceted family. 

Other days feel like complete and total chaos in that we’re 

totally outnumbered as parents—by our six-week-old twins 

revving up equal parts cuteness and inconsolable evenings; 

and by our Hudson whose whole world flipped upside down, 

and whose parents are too exhausted to help him turn that 

world right side up again. 

Natasha Mills is a twin mom of three residing 

on the island now for nearly 30 years. She has found 

a creative outlet in documenting the real moments 

of parenthood—the relatable highs and challenging 

lows. She has also found a passion in writing her 

experience of motherhood and connecting with 

many like-minded parents in her community and 

abroad. @mommamillsblog 

STAGES 

Summer Programs 

Running This July & August 

Preschool Dance Camps 

For 3-5 year olds in Ballet, Jazz, 

Musical Theatre & Tap 

Youth Dance Camps 

For dancers 6-12 years old in 

Jazz, Hip Hop & Acrobatics 

Dance Intensive 

For dancers 11 years old & up with 

Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop & Acrobatics 

Little Dancers Classes 

Are running through the summer for 

those 18 months to 3 years old 

Come Dance With Us 

Call (250) 384-3267, email: stagesdance@shaw.ca, 

or visit us at www.stagesdance.com 



Learning the Love Languages 

Wouldn’t it be great if kids came 

with a manual? Imagine the time, 

money and effort we could save if we had 

a handy little booklet that contained all 

of the nuances of your child’s personality. 

But our children aren’t refrigerators; 

there’s no index to flip to when we don’t 

know what to do next. There are, however, 

tiny clues. If we’re paying attention. 

I’ve always been a snoop, a Nancy 

Drew of sorts, but I don’t always see 

what’s right in front of me. One Christmas 

morning early on in my marriage, 

my husband and I were arguing as we 

drove with our two babies to a family 

dinner. My husband was trying to understand 

why we had to be at my sister’s 

house at 10 a.m. if dinner wasn’t until 5 

p.m. 

It was a fair question, but I’d noticed 

that anything related to Christmas 

seemed to change his easygoing demeanor 

to grumpy. 

At that moment, I didn’t really want 

to understand what was bothering him, 

I just wanted him to put on a happy face 

for my family. Using my sophisticated 

communication skills, I told him, “Cheer 

up. It’s Christmas, dammit, and Christmas 

is for kids!” 

You can imagine how well that worked 

to improve his mood. 

Later, while I complained to my friend 

about being married to the Grinch, she 

suggested that perhaps there was something 

bigger going on. She recommended 

the book The Five Love Language by Dr. 

Gary Chapman. 

In his book, Dr. Chapman writes about 

the five different ways that people express 

and receive love. After years of counselling 

couples, he noticed that couples were 

misunderstanding one another and their 

needs. He determined that we all have 

our own language, and that sometimes 

we struggle to express love in a way that 

speaks to your loved one’s heart. 

Chapman’s five Love Languages are: 

Quality Time, Physical Touch, Words of 

Affirmation, Acts of Service and Gifts 

His Love Languages are complex, but 

I’ll simplify them in a language most parents 

can understand: 

Quality Time: Let’s go for coffee. 

Physical Touch: Let me wrap my hands 

around you like a cup of coffee. 

Words of Affirmation: You make a 

great cup of coffee. 

Acts of Service: Here’s a cup of coffee 

in bed. 

Gifts: I got you a coffee. 

After I read the book, my husband’s 

foul mood that Christmas started to 

make sense. I realized that my husband 

doesn’t like Christmas because he doesn’t 

like gift-giving, which is often what 

Christmas centres around. Well, that and 

unnaturally long family visits. 

We took the book’s quiz and learned 

that his Love Language is Physical Touch 

mixed in with Quality Time of which 

there would be neither in the eight hours 

of family visiting we were about to embark 

upon that day. 

If I didn’t know this about my husband, 

I was probably stumbling through 

my relationships with the kids too. 

I already knew I was missing the mark 

with my daughter. For years I have been 

trying to figure out how to talk with her. 

I find small talk awkward and unsatisfying, 

but often this was all I could get 

from her. My questions were met with 

one-word answers. Car rides were silent. 

When we went out to dinner at a restaurant, 

we looked like those bored couples 

who have been together so long that they 

have nothing left to discuss. 

When I learned that there was a Love 

Languages book specifically for kids, I 


thought I had finally found the manual 

I was longing for. The original version 

had helped my marriage: making dinner, 

unclogging the shower drain and various 

other Acts of Service, had proven successful 

by my husband to make me happier. 

Maybe the kids’ version of the book 

was my shortcut to unlocking the mystery 

of how to connect with my daughter. 

I would be able to take a quiz, figure 

out what made her tick, and boom—we 

would be sharing secrets like best friends. 

The problem was, the child categories, 

when viewed from the lens of a parent, 

didn’t seem as clear. For example, isn’t 

being a parent one big Act of Service? I’m 

certainly not cutting off crusts and doing 

their laundry for my own benefit. As for 

Gifts, what kid doesn’t love a gift? Just 

take your kid to Toys ’R Us and you’ll be 

convinced this is their Love Language. 

My kids get ample Words of Affirmation, 

Quality Time (this especially peaked during 

Covid) and Physical Touch. 

What was clear was that my attempts 

to connect with my daughter through 

conversation were not working. I decided 

to take the emphasis off of talking and 

instead focus on when my daughter was 

trying to connect with me. 

She often asks me to play Rummy, to 

draw with her or play with Lego, but 

I never thought of these activities as a 

connection because we weren’t talking. I 

noticed that when we were side by side, 

playing calmly and quietly, a softness existed. 

Quality Time, sometimes wordless, 

was where our closeness lived. 

I’ve always assumed that connection 

came from communication and how 

much we “talk” in our relationships because 

that comes easily to me. I’m learning 

that it’s more about how we relate 

to one another in our relationships that 

creates the deep connection I seek. 

There may be no troubleshooting chart 

for children or a manual for how to love 

other people. But, if we pay attention, 

there are clues. 

Sarah Seitz is a working 

mother, writer and consumer 

of coffee and books—in that 

order. She writes about the 

messy and real parts of 

parenting and reveals 

her underbelly in her 

words. You can read 

more of Sarah’s writing 

at sarahseitz.ca. 

supports quality programming 

for families with children facing 

disabilities within your community. 

supports quality summer programming for families with children 

facing disabilities within your community. 

COMMUNITY OPTIONS 

TODAY! 

Have you ever wondered about the future and 

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COMMUNITY OPTIONS OPTIONS 

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supports designating quality Community summer programming Options for for families Children with children and 

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leaving facing a gift disabilities through within your your will or community. any other gift 

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planning instrument (gifts of stock). Community 

OPTIONS 

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supports supporting quality summer a better programming quality of for life families for families with children 

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You For gifts more promotes information, kids being please kids this contact summer! 

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Kathleen Burton, Executive Director 

250.380.6363 ext 205 

TODAY! 

You gifts promotes kids being kids this summer! 

You gifts promotes kids being kids this summer! 






BYTE CAMP 

Creative 

Tech 

Summer me 

r Camps 

When ‘Good Enough’ 

Is Just Fine 

Some days, I am haunted by another 

mother who follows me around all 

day. She is there as I struggle to get my 

daughter’s pants on in the morning. She 

is there when we’re late for daycare— 

again. She is there when I see the other 

mothers in management positions, when 

I pack my daughter’s lunch and wonder 

whether my chopped carrots, peanut butter 

sandwich and Babybell cheese will 

make her feel as loved as the other kids’ 

seven-course Yumbox meal with kiwi 

fruit cut into stars. 

when I look at my cluttered living room 

and cower in defeat. 

She is the mom at baby-and-me yoga 

who could maintain a squat while breastfeeding 

her baby. She is my friend who 

describes her meal plan of dahl, vegetarian 

lasagna and squash and barley chili. 

She is the woman with the UPPAbaby 

stroller and contoured cheeks I pass at 

lunch break. She is my colleague who 

said her body “just knew what to do” 

when she was pregnant. She is the mom 

who offered to hold my baby while she 

Video Game Design 

3D Animation 

Claymation 

App Design 

2D Animation 

Music and Video 

Production 

1-888-808-BYTE 

www.bytecamp.ca 

She is there when I go to the bathroom 

and notice the indent on my stomach 

from my too-tight Lulus. She is there 

when I forget to bring snacks to the 

playground. She is there when I thought 

I had a change of clothing in the diaper 

bag. She is there when we’re at a restaurant 

without a colouring book, when my 

daughter kicks at the plexiglass dividers 

at the restaurant while the couple next to 

us enjoy their Roti Chanai. She is there 

cried at mom group because she knew 

a trick. She is the mom at music class in 

designer jeans and a leotard that doesn’t 

need to stretch at all. She is the YouTuber 

who described breastfeeding in three 

easy steps while her other children played 

contentedly in the background. She is the 

therapist with 7,000 Instagram followers 

who has “hacks” for mastering maternity 

leave. She’s all the other moms who were 

ready to have another child already while 

I was drowning. 


All the women who have come before 

me haunt me on my bad days. A neverending 

narration of Alyssa’s Christmas 

tree is already up, Mariam works out 

every day before work, Would Elizabeth 

’s living room ever look like this? Kristin’s 

daughter can spell her name already. 

Isabel would never have logged onto 

Oak Bay Rec’s online registration 15 

minutes late and doomed her daughter to 

six months without swimming lessons. 

Then other days, my daughter sings 

while we make pancakes with plenty of 

time before ballet class. She hugs me and 

says “I like you and I love you.” She never 

asks for a sibling. She tells me she likes 

my “cookie earrings” and could I please 

wear my “tutu” and dance with her. I put 

on my flowy skirt, she puts on her purple 

polka dot tutu and we have a dance party 

before bath time. Other days, she asks me 

to read Sasha and the Sloth over and over 

again and I pat myself on the back that 

my daughter gets so many books read to 

her. And how she’s learning math already. 

Most days, she tells me that the loves me 

to the moon. Other days she loves me to 

White Spot. Other days to “the great big 

city of Canada.” 

It is these times—the times when things 

are going well and I am truly in it with 

my daughter—that all the other ghosts of 

the mom I’ll never be disappear. I remember 

that my daughter doesn’t care if I 

can hold plank for two minutes or where 

I am on the career ladder. She doesn’t 

remember our breastfeeding struggles 

and the permanent scowl she wore until 

she was six-months old. She likes peanut 

butter sandwiches and considers their 

daily occurrence a treat not a failure. Our 

living room is messy because she has so 

many toys and because I’d rather cuddle 

with her than stress over cleaning up. She 

is healthy. When she jumps on the rainbow 

sheets on her bed, I smile to myself 

and marvel at how I never thought I’d 

have such a fun daughter with such a nice 

bedroom and I never knew how elated 

I’d feel when she jumps off the bed and 

into my arms. 

Most days before bed, after a bath and 

two books and setting the Gro clock, we 

list three “good things” that happened 

during the day. I say I enjoyed having 

dinner together, that I enjoyed our dance 

party and I’m thankful for a job that lets 

me work from home. My husband says 

he liked signing Radio Gaga on the way 

back from daycare and that he liked talking 

to his “work friends.” My daughter 

just says, “I had good feelings today.” 

She asks me to lie with her till the sun 

comes up and with that, I put my ghosts 

to sleep. 

Julie Mais is a policy 

and communications professional 

in Victoria. She looks 

for beauty in the everyday 

through writing, photography 

and the outdoors. She 

lives in a messy, cheesefilled 

home with her husband and preschooler. 



MOM’SPOV 

We’re that House 

cat is that?” asks my daughter’s friend’s 

mom as a cat darts through our open front 

“Whose 

door. 

“That’s Thomas, our friend’s cat,” I reply. 

“Wow, so not only do you take in everyone’s kids, but 

their pets, too?” she says. 

I smile and reply that this cat is not the first cat to frequent 

our house. Charlie was before Thomas until he moved 

out of the neighbourhood with his family. Both of these cats 

enjoy visiting us through our cat door. Initially, our cat, 

Jack, did not appreciate all the feline guests, but just as our 

introvert daughter gets used to guests, so did our cat. Our 

family does enjoy our loaner cats. We always let the cat 

owners know when their cats are having a sleepover or a 

snack at our house, too. 

Our open-door policy doesn’t stop at pets. It includes 

humans, too. I want our children and their friends to feel 

welcome and safe at our house. We’re that house: the house 

where all the kids hang out. We’re that family that you can 

count on for help, a meal, or a shoulder to cry on. When 

parents are running late after school, they can pick up their 

kids at our house. It’s convenient that we are steps from our 

school and often home after school. 

I’ve often been asked if I run a daycare. I’ve also been 

asked on numerous occasions to provide before- and afterschool 

care for children. I can see why people would ask this 

as I often pick up my own kids and three or four of their 

friends after school. We have watched a few of our friends’ 

children for one or two days a week after school. Even when 

our kids no longer attend the elementary school that is steps 


from our door, I am confident we’ll still be the house where 

they hang out the most often. 

My son sometimes asks why we always have to be that 

house and have everyone over. He prefers to branch out and 

go to other people’s houses, too. Although, he’s just happy 

to socialize anywhere. I think it comes down to many factors. 

I am glad adults, kids, and pets feel comfortable in our 

home. I leave our children and their friends to their own 

devices during their playdates, but I am around to fix snacks 

and help reach compromises when there are disagreements. 

I think our availability, willingness, and love of entertaining 

also helps. I enjoy the sound of kids being kids, running 

through our house and playing hide and seek together. The 

fact that my husband and I both work from home and can 

adjust our work hours throughout the week helps us with 

our frequent playdates. It’s nice to know what your kids are 

up to and to be able to keep an eye on them, too. 

I believe our open door and open communication with our 

children and their friends will help them communicate openly 

with all their parents as they reach the ’tween and teen 

years. I remember sitting up at sleepover with my daughter’s 

friend when she couldn’t sleep because she was worried. 

Sometimes it’s challenging to know what your own kids need 

let alone another family’s child, but we’ve managed to make 

it through. 

I love that our home is that house. We feel connected to 

our community and our neighbourhood. I love that our 

kids can play outside and walk across the street to see if 

our neighbours’ kids want to go to the park. My parents’ 

house was also that house while I was growing up. Some of 

my brother’s friends lived with us while they were in high 

school. We would often have our friends over for supper or 

sleepovers, too. I guess it really stems from my roots and 

the foundation my parents set for me. I enjoyed it when our 

neighbour’s son came up to me afters chool and said: “If my 

Grandma is not home in time, my mom said my brother and 

I can go to your house. Is that okay? Are you home?” I replied 

“Of course! Any time.” 

Serena Beck works full-time as a Technical 

Writer. She loves to write, travel and swim at the 

beach with family and friends. 



NATURENOTES 

A Breath of Fresh Air for Families 

Ahh…spring…blue skies, bees 

buzzing, birds calling….one of 

the best times for families to head 

outside to parks. A change of scenery can 

be a much-needed breath of fresh air. But 

Why to go: 

No matter your age, spending time in 

nature has mental and physical benefits. 

You can walk, hike, run, bike, or roll 

your way along designated trails in parks 

wren singing in the bushes or a river otter 

playing on the beach. You can build 

memories for the whole family while out 

in nature. 

How to have a great time: 

Being prepared to head outside is the 

first step to having a great time. Here are 

some quick tips: 

• Dress in layers and keep a blanket 

handy in case the weather cools. 

•Bring a hat or umbrella to provide 

shade. 

• Carry a daypack with the essentials, 

such as water, snacks, whistle, flashlight, 

and raingear. 

• Plan your trip and know where you 

are going—bring a map in case your cell 

phone battery dies. 

• For more tips, check out AdventureSmart.ca 

or the Capital Regional 

District’s website (crd.bc.ca). 

What to do: 

Even young babies can enjoy being 

outside. Here are some ideas for activities 

for the youngest members of your family: 

• When out with your stroller, sling, 

or carrier, narrate your walk on the trail. 

Pick up leaves from the ground and let 

your baby feel them. 

• Lay on the grass and point out the 

different sights and sounds. Bring a book 

and have story time with a picnic. 

•If the baby is old enough to sit up and 

crawl, explore with them in a safe area 

such as a large field or beach in a park. 

• Have your baby feel items in nature 

like leaves, bark, moss, lichen, sand, 

and dirt. Talk about the differences in 

texture—soft, hard, rough, dry, wet, etc. 

Watch that your baby doesn’t eat anything! 

• Inspire care for nature by leaving 

plants in parks and observing animals 

from a distance. 

why is it so important for us to spend 

time in nature? How can you be safe 

and have a great time? We have some 

answers! 

all over Vancouver Island. It can feel 

daunting to get kids ready and gather 

everything you and your family might 

need for time outside, but it is well worth 

it. You never know what you might see 

or hear out in parks—perhaps a Pacific 

Where to go: 

Check out which parks are in walking 

distance from your home. Find out 

if there’s a nature centre in your area 

where your family can learn more about 

the plants and animals. You can also 

look online for local hiking groups for 


families. If you’re in the Capital Regional 

District, CRD Regional Parks offers free 

registered guided programs for all ages, 

including some five years and under specific 

programs. 

Some CRD Regional Parks with user 

and stroller-friendly trails are: 

• Francis/King Regional Park—the 

universally accessible Elsie King Trail is 

a short loop trail that meanders through 

Douglas-fir and Garry oak trees providing 

a shaded forest cover. Listen for the 

sounds of Pacific tree frogs calling. You 

can also visit the nature centre on weekend 

afternoons. 

• Island View Beach Regional Park— 

the user-friendly trail parallel to the 

beach offers prime birding opportunities 

with shorebirds in the ocean and songbirds 

in the bush. 

• East Sooke Regional Park—from 

Aylard Farms parking lot to just above 

the beach is a user-friendly trail with easy 

access to a picnic shelter and field area. 

Or leave your stroller in the car and head 

down to the beach for some sand castle 

building. 

No matter your age, being outdoors 

brings numerous benefits and builds our 

connection to nature. Children are full 

of curiosity and parents and caregivers 

shape how children will interact with nature 

throughout their lives. By modelling 

respectful behaviour in parks—like staying 

on trail, keeping dogs on leash or under 

control, and leaving things you find 

where they are—adults can show children 

from a very young age how to care 

for nature. Instill a sense of wonder with 

excitement and stories, inspire a sense of 

care with kindness and compassion and 

we will have a future generation that values 

and protects the natural world. 

Learn a new sport or refine 

your skills: come join our 

rock climbing teams! 

Registration 

for recreational 

and competitive 

teams open now. 

All levels 

welcome! 

Ages 6–18. 

Details and registration at climbtheboulders.com 

The Boulders Climbing Gym 

1627 Stelly’s Cross Road | Saanichton, BC | 250.544.0310 

Be on the lookout for Island Parent’s 

Family 

Fun 

Guide 

Lauren Sherwood is a 

Parks Naturalist with the Capital 

Regional District. She enjoys 

being out in nature with family 

and friends of all ages, rain or 

shine. For more information 

about Regional Parks programs 

visit crd.bc.ca/park-events. 

Your guide for Attractions, 

Activities and Family Fun 




The ‘Pandemic Effect’ 

My youngest was born in the summer 

of 2020. He hasn’t yet met his by about 5 months babies learn that ture. Babies were tested in the lab by a 

they learned previously. For example, I believe such conclusions are prema- 

extended family or left Vancouver Island; 

he has never seen his pediatrician without 

a mask or visited a play group. He is 

our pandemic baby. Like other parents, 

I wondered if being born into the pandemic 

could affect early development, so 

I turned to science for answers. 

The pandemic has affected everyone 

but, although we are all in the same 

storm, we are in different boats. The toll 

dropped objects fall down, so a floating 

balloon is likely to surprise them. 

Fortunately, your home environment 

provides many opportunities for seeing 

patterns and noticing new things. It’s perfect, 

actually. Your baby can learn about 

physics (“My ducky floats in the water… 

but this heavy spoon from the kitchen 

does not”), emotions (“When my brother 

cries he is usually sad…and sometimes 

stranger wearing a face covering; I imagine 

some pandemic-born babies may have 

felt in this environment what you and I 

would feel if we were abducted by aliens. 

(I don’t think I would perform my best 

on an IQ test from an alien spaceship!). 

And other babies might have struggled 

to concentrate on tasks the researchers 

were asking them to do because the lab 

environment was so novel and interesting 

on health, finances, medical care and 

available support has been much greater 

for some families than others, and its 

effects on babies, direct and indirect, 

are challenging to measure. So I chose 

to focus on one aspect: reduced interactions 

with the outside world. Will our 

pandemic babies be disadvantaged? Will 

their cognitive or social-emotional development 

be affected? 

Cognitive development 

During the first year, babies gradually 

get better at gathering and organizing 

information, remembering, problem solving 

and predicting events. Did you know 

babies use universal learning methods 

that resemble scientific research? Their 

brains constantly look for patterns in 

the world around them, making mental 

maps: “When I see this happen, I can 

expect that.” They also look for surprise 

events that don’t fit into patterns 

frustrated”) and relationships between 

people (“When I smile, daddy smiles 

back…but not if he’s looking away”). 

And novelty? Well, everything is new to 

babies, so they see plenty of surprises 

even in the calmest of homes. In fact, a 

calm, consistent home environment helps 

babies stay rested and protects them from 

overstimulation which, in turn, helps 

learning: it’s easier for a well-rested baby 

to notice new things and, when he goes 

to sleep, to integrate experiences into 

memory. Being at home more may help 

babies learn. 

But you might have heard of a recent 

study led by Dr. Sean Deoni, in which 

babies born during the pandemic showed 

a significant reduction in scores on cognitive 

development tests. The Guardian 

reported that pandemic babies had 

“shockingly low” scores, at levels not 

typically seen outside of major cognitive 

disorders. This is concerning. However, 

to them. Without measures of cognitive 

development taken in babies’ homes we 

cannot draw definitive conclusions from 

this study. 

Social-emotional development 

In supportive environments babies get 

better and better at communicating their 

needs and feelings, understanding emotions 

and carrying forward a sense of 

competence and trust. 

Our babies are born capable and 

aware. Newborns can already tell if 

someone is looking at them or away from 

them. One-month-olds perceive facial 

expressions: when a parent assumes a 

sombre face showing no emotion, baby’s 

heart activity changes in a distinct way 

that indicates distress and active coping. 

By six months babies learn to anticipate 

actions they see and experience regularly 

and can even recognize whether behaviours 

of others are helpful or unhelpful. 


What babies accomplish in their 

first year—how much they learn and 

change—is truly astounding. We, parents 

and caregivers, can do a lot to support 

their social-emotional development. But 

science suggests that diverse interactions 

with the outside world are not critical. 

According to the theory of attachment, 

most important for healthy 

social-emotional development is a close, 

committed relationship with one or more 

adults. One or more. It is, of course, 

wonderful for a baby to be part of a 

loving community, but not having that 

during the first year still allows for secure 

attachment. 

What about mask-wearing? Having 

been surrounded by people in masks, 

could our babies have trouble connecting 

with others? A recent study by Dr. 

Ed Tronick and Nancy Snidman suggests 

that babies don’t mind when mom puts 

on a mask. Dr. Tronick is widely known 

for the Still Face Experiment: when 

moms stopped mid-play and assumed an 

unemotional “still” face, babies showed 

surprise followed by distress. Did mask 

wearing result in a similar response? 

Happily, the researchers found it doesn’t. 

Almost all babies reacted in some way 

to their mom putting a mask on and 

taking it off, but mask wearing did not 

disrupt their ongoing interaction. As Dr. 

Alison Gopnik wrote in her analysis of 

this study, “Babies can look through the 

masks and just see the love underneath.” 

Our son is now 19 months old. Has he 

done and seen less than his sisters by this 

age? Yes. Do I wish he got to spend time 

with our extended family? Yes, absolutely. 

But he got to do more in other ways: 

he snuggled with his working-at-home 

dad more; he saw his sisters giggle (and 

squabble) more; he explored every inch 

of our small backyard at his own pace; 

his sleeping and eating habits developed 

against the backdrop of the slow, predictable 

days at home. I can’t wait for him to 

experience more of the world. For now, I 

trust that he will be okay. 

Anya Dunham is a research 

scientist with a PhD in Biology, 

a mom of three young children, 

and the author of a parenting 

book, Baby Ecology 

(Encradled Press, Jan 2022). 

Visit Anya at kidecology.com. 

3045–C Douglas St. 

Victoria, BC 

GET CLOSER 

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DADSPEAK 

A Meconium 

Congratulations 

Good friends of mine told me the other day that they 

are having a baby. It’s amazing, hearing that news 

and seeing their excitement. I was still thinking about 

it that evening when I was changing a diaper and accidentally 

thrust my fingers into a mound of soft excrement. 

“Congrats, me,” I muttered to myself as I stared at my 

fingers, coated in what no human’s fingers should ever be 

coated in. 

It made me think I needed to warn my friends about the 

meconium poop. You know the one, the black ooze that 

your baby births not long after they’ve been birthed, the 

alien horror that can give heart attacks if arrived unannounced. 

Changing that diaper, I stopped and stared off into space 

for a minute, toddler staring at me confused, wondering 

what I was doing with fingers covered in poo and staring 

blankly at the wall, but truth be told by that point, I was 

wondering if my friends were going to use cloth or disposable 

diapers and wondering if we have old cloth ones we can 

give them. 

Poop slowly hardening on my fingers, I snapped out of 

it and tried to remember what was safer: leaving the kid 

on the bed and washing my hand (risk: him falling off the 

bed; reward: poo off fingers faster) or finish changing kid 

and then wash my hand (risk: good god man; reward: toddler 

lives to terrorize another day). Always one to make a 

half-assed decision that is somehow the worst of all worlds, 

I kinda literally popped half of my body into the neighbouring 

bathroom, while keeping one of my feet in the bedroom, 

as if prepping to steal a base, when really I’m just prepping 

excuses in my head as to how he fell off the bed that didn’t 

involve the phrase “wanted to get poo off my fingers.” 

So, I kinda washed my fingers too quickly, if we’re being 

honest here, so I could whip the top half of my body back 

in the room as if none of this ever happened. Of course, I 

snapped my torso around so fast it felt like Andre the Giant 

had grabbed my skull and smashed it against the wall, which 

happens, because I forgot the wall was there because there 

was poo, and also there was a toddler in a maybe-precarious 

position. 


I tried not to swear, but probably did, re-adjusted my 

glasses, remembered the poo even though it was history, 

whipped my hand away from my face, and looked at my 

kid, who was just staring at me, not having moved an inch 

throughout the whole ordeal. I laughed like a complete maniac 

for no reason, then went blank as I caught sight of and 

stared at the crib next to our bed, the crib that these days 

gets used as...well, nothing, actually. It’s just been sitting 

there forever. 

Yeah, we’ve had that crib for a long time, so long that 

parts of it may no longer be legal to sell in Canada, so I 

started wondering about things like expiration dates on car 

seats and I wondered if there’s some weird underground 

black market for parents for stuff like this, but I really don’t 

want to know. I’ve already told my friend that car seats expire, 

a bizarre fact he was unaware of, but isn’t parenting in 

2022 full of bizarre facts we were all previously unaware of? 

But the poo on the fingers, man, that goes back. Since the 

dawn of time, parents have accidentally rammed their fingers 

into piles of poo, and the sensation never fails to horrify me. 

It’s a horrifying, horrifying thing that no one ever warned 

me about. There absolutely will come a time when there is 

poo under your fingernails and you have to work to get it 

out. 

Oh man, I didn’t check under my fingernails. 

Uh, anyway, all of which is to say, congrats, you two. And 

watch out for that meconium poop. 

Greg Pratt is the father of three children and a 

local journalist and editor. His writing has appeared 

in, among other places, Today’s Parent, Decibel 

and Douglas. He is @gregprattwriter on Twitter. 



WHAT’SFORDINNER 

Make Ahead Healthy Snacks 

It’s not always easy to eat healthy when you’re busy. Sometimes 

you just don’t have the time to whip up a healthy 

snack or even chop some vegetables. And when your kids 

are hungry, then they need food right away. Asking them to 

wait just doesn’t work. 

The secret to healthy eating in a hurry is to always have a 

few healthy snacks on hand! 

Here’s a few reasons why it’s worth stashing some healthy 

homemade snacks in your fridge, freezer and cupboards: 

• If you make it yourself, you get to control the amount of 

sugar and salt. 

• Homemade food is usually preservative free compared to 

their commercial counterparts. 

• The packaging on commercial snacks just adds up in the 

landfill, whereas homemade snacks are zero-waste! 

• It’s also a lot more affordable to make your own snacks. 

Coconut Almond Energy Balls 

(Prep Time 15 minutes) 

These energy balls were a treat that my mom made when I was 

growing up. We always had them to take on camping trips or for long 

walks. They are full of healthy, sustaining energy. Have your children 

help roll the balls and coat them in whatever topping they want. 

1 cup of Medjool dates, pits removed 

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes 

1 cup of almonds 

2 Tbsp of cocoa powder 

1 ⁄2 tsp vanilla 

Pinch of salt 

Toppings: flaked coconut, slivered almonds, cocoa powder 

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor. If you don’t have 

a food processor, you can use a blender. Just keep scraping all the 

ingredients down so they get finely chopped. 

2. Once everything has been mixed into a smooth paste, scrape it 

into a bowl and place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. 

3. Remove from the fridge. Using a teaspoon, grab a spoonful of 

the energy ball mix, then roll it into a small ball. (This is a great time to 

get your kids to help out). 

4. Then roll the ball in one of the toppings and set aside while you 

finish with the rest of the mix. You should have between 10–20 balls, 

depending on how large you make them. 

5. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy them. They should 

last for at least a month. 

Ranch Flavoured Microwave Popcorn 

(Cook Time 3 to 5 minutes) 

Did you know that you can make popcorn in a glass bowl in the microwave? 

You don’t need to spend money on wasteful and expensive 

packaged microwave popcorn. Just invest in a large bag of popcorn 

kernels! 

Microwave popcorn is a quick after school snack. Or you can pop 

a large batch and store it in an air-tight container in the cupboard. It 

should stay fresh for up to a week. 

1 ⁄2 cup of popcorn kernels 

1⁄2 cup of butter or oil (I usually do a 50/50 mix) 

1 tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp onion powder 

1 tsp dried dill 

1⁄2 tsp salt, to taste 

1. Add the popcorn kernels to a large glass bowl and top with a dinner 

plate. 

2. Microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, until most of the popcorn is popped. 

The exact timing will depend on the wattage of your microwave. 

3. Use oven mitts to remove the bowl, it will be very hot. 

4. Melt the butter in a small bowl. It will take about 20 to 40 seconds 

in the microwave. 

5. Drizzle the butter and/or oil over the popped corn. Then sprinkle 

on the seasonings. Toss to fully mix the seasonings. And enjoy! 

6. Ranch is our favourite flavour, but feel free to experiment with 

other flavour options. 


SKAM SUMMER CAMPS ARE BACK 

R A U L P O P B Y D 

N A M E D Grab and Go Vegetables 

(Prep Time 15 minutes) 

When my kids were young, my husband and I used to prepare a big 

bag of mixed vegetables. It was chopped up and ready in the fridge 

whenever we needed a snack. Now that my kids are older, they are 

responsible for preparing the grab and go vegetables. 

Wondering at what age you can get your kids chopping vegetables? 

I recommend starting early. My daughter was helping with her school 

lunch right from kindergarten. Though she still can’t chop carrots, she’s 

used to the expectation that she’s going to help out. So eventually, 

she’ll be able to prepare the grab and go vegetables all on her own. 

The secret to these make ahead vegetables is the seasoning! They 

won’t dry out and curl up at the edges like typical vegetable sticks. 

They’re also flavourful enough that they don’t need a dip! How easy is 

that? 

Carrots 

Celery 

Small head of cauliflower and/or broccoli 

Mushrooms 

Coloured peppers 

Green beans and peas 

1⁄2 tsp salt and pepper, to taste 

1 bunch of fresh herbs 

1. Wash and slice your favourite snack vegetables. I recommend a 

mix of whatever is seasonal. However, cucumbers don’t hold up well to 

being prepared in advance. So don’t include those in your mix. 

2. Lightly season the vegetables with salt and pepper, to taste. Place 

the vegetables in a large zip-top bag or a container with a lid. 

3. Wash and dry the herbs. Then scrunch them up and put them on 

top of the vegetables. They are just there to infuse the vegetables with 

flavour, so remove before serving. I recommend mint and basil; parsley 

and chives; or whatever you have that’s handy. 

4. Store the vegetables in the fridge and enjoy within 3–4 days. 

DRAMA CAMPS FOR 

AGES 5-8 AND 9-12 

ARE RUNNING JULY 

THROUGH AUGUST 

REGISTER AT 

SKAM.CA TODAY 

Emillie Parrish loves having adventures with 

her two busy children. You can find more of her 

recipes in her recently released cookbook Fermenting 

Made Simple. fermentingforfoodies.com 



APRIL/MAYFAMILYCALENDAR 

For more information and calendar 

updates throughout the month 

visit IslandParent.ca 

V 

P 

W 

Victoria & Area 

Peninsula 

Westshore 

CV 

N 

CX 

Cowichan Valley 

Nanaimo & Area 

Comox Valley 

PR 

G 

O 

Pacific Rim 

Gulf Islands 

Online 

APRIL 

1 FRIDAY TO 9 SATURDAY 

Spring Break Physical Literacy N 

Passport Challenge 

Upload your passport or drop off at either Ravensong 

Aquatic Centre or Oceanside Place Arena by 

Sunday April 10. 

rdn.bc.ca/recreation 

2 SATURDAY 

AGGV Public Open House 

V 

10am–5pm, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria 

Drop by the opening of Reverberations and enjoy 

a free day at the Gallery. 

aggv.ca/events 

Monthly Clothing Swap 

10am–1pm, Fairfield Gonzales Community 

Association 

fairfieldcommunity.ca/clothing-swap 

5 TUESDAY 

AGGV Admission by Donation V 

10am–5pm, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria 

The first Tuesday of the month is always admission 

by donation—all day long. 


V 

9 SATURDAY 

Penny Pom Pom 

N 

1pm, VIU Malaspina Theatre 

Meet Penny Pom Pom, a colourful ball of energy 

who embodies creative confidence and artistic 

freedom. Her multi-media show for young children 

is colourful, musical and interactive and 

focuses on the importance of creativity and selfempowerment. 

theatreone.ca 

16 SATURDAY 

Easter Eggstravaganza 

V 

9:30–11:30am, Oaklands Community 

Association 

Drop by for a morning of crafts, egg hunting, 

petting goats and more! Two time slots, 9:30– 

10:30am and 10:30–11:30am. Tickets at OCA. 

oaklands.life/oca-events 

Daniel Lapp’s Joy of Life Concert V 

7:30–9:30pm, Alix Goolden Hall 

This Victoria event has a 20+ history celebrating 

the best the city has to offer in toe-tapping folk, 

fiddle and jazz music. 

vcm.bc.ca/programs/joy-of-life-choir 

17 SUNDAY 

AGGV Family Sundays 

V 

2–4pm Art Gallery of Greater Victoria 

An afternoon of exploring hands-on art-making 

ideas for all ages. 


22 FRIDAY 

Earth Day 

In addition to raising awareness of environmental 

issues among citizens and organizations across 

the country, this campaign aims to encourage as 

many people as possible to take action. 

earthday.ca 

30 SATURDAY 

Wigglers at Work 

V 

10–11am, The Compost Education Centre 

Parent-child workshop on red wiggler worms. 

Learn what goes into compost and get a chance 

to hold some live worms. 

compost.bc.ca 

MAY 

1 SUNDAY 

Annual Spring Fling 

CV 

1–3pm, Bowser Legion 

Food, fashion, a silent auction and games, including 

a balloon pop. 

250-738-0822 


Milner Gardens’ Spring Plant Sale N 

11am–4pm 

Vancouver Island University’s Milner Gardens 

features great discounts on heritage trees, shrubs 

and perennials. 

milnergardens.viu.ca 

2 MONDAY 

YES 2022 BioBlitz 

N 

Yellow Point Ecological Society’s 2nd annual 

BioBlitz is an “intense community engagement” 

to help identify as many species as possible in a 

designated area. Family friendly and lots of fun. 

yellowpointecologicalsociety.ca 

7 SATURDAY 

James Bay Community Market V 

9am–3pm, Saturdays, 

Superior and Menzies Streets 

This vibrant community market features fresh 

local produce and farm goods, artisan crafts and 

ready-to-eat foods. 

jamesbaymarket.com 

23 MONDAY 

Victoria Day Parade 

V 

9am–noon, downtown Victoria 

This free family event features entertainment, 

performances, building an awareness of our diverse 

cultures, creating safe, inclusive opportunities 

for everyone to participate. 

gvfs.ca 

28 SATURDAY 

Kellie Haines: A Birdy Told Me N 

1pm, VIU Malaspina Theatre 

Eight-year-old Kellie doesn’t feel like she fits in at 

school until she receives a birthday gift who can 

talk on their own. Kellie meets Magrau, a chatty 

confident bird puppet who has a flair for singing, 

dancing, and making people laugh. 

theatreone.ca 

COWICHAN BAY 

KAYAKING 

Canoeing Adventures 

Youth Programs 

OPEN FOR 

BOOKING! 

Book online or contact us 

by email or phone 

(minimum 24 hrs ahead). 

Visit our website for details. 

Wildlife Tours 

ADVENTURE 

CENTRE 

Kayak & 

SUP Rentals 

On the Dock at Bluenose 

Marina, Cowichan Bay 

cowichanbaykayaking.com 250-597-3031 info@cowichanbaykayaking.com 



KIDS’READS 

Tourist in Your Own Town 

When you grow up in a city, or if you’ve lived there 

for a while, it can be easy to forget about all of 

the exciting things people want to come and see. 

After all, the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea is always there. 

You could go almost any day of the week (just don’t pick 

Wednesday). Or you might drive passed the Hatley Park 

Gardens every day during your commute, so they no longer 

seem so spectacular. But this summer, why not try to rekindle 

the excitement we feel for our own towns and become tourists 

in our own backyards, so to speak. I can even suggest 

some books that will teach you about the animals around us 

and give some suggestions on how you can remember and 

treasure the little adventures you go on. 

Let’s start with The Collectors by Alice Feagan (Kids Can 

Press, 2021). Winslow and Rosie love to collect natural 

wonders and display them in their tree house on the edge of 

the forest. Each item has a story that is carefully catalogued 

by Rosie in her field journal. But now, their treehouse is so 

full they only have one spot left. Rosie and Winslow set out 

to try and find something amazing to go there. While you’re 

learning about the items they collect, maybe you’ll get some 

ideas about items you can collect as well. For ages 4 to 8. 

Maybe while you’re exploring you can convince your child 

to use their ears to see if they can hear any bees buzzing or 

birds singing. And then, you can read Sounds All Around: 

The Science of How Sound Works by Susan Hughes and illustrated 

by Ellen Rooney (Kids Can Press, 2021) to talk 

about how we hear sounds and how animals hear sounds. 

For example, did you know elephants hear through their 

feet? For ages 6 to 12. 

If your children love the water and want to learn about 

some of the sea creatures that live in the area, there are several 

books by local authors that can help. Dive into Colours 

by Ann Donahue is a great first book about sea creatures for 

children ages 3 to 5 and her second book Reef Creatures: 

Weird and Wonderful has almost every possible answer to 

every question your 6- to 12-year-olds can think about for 

sea creatures that call reefs their home. 

And if your intrepid reader is concerned about the lack of 

orca information in Donahue’s books, there is always Orca’s 

Everywhere: The Mystery and History of Killer Whales by 

local author Mark Leiren-Young (Orca Publishing, 2019), 

which is full of information for preteens. For ages 10 to 14. 

If you’re not exactly sure what sorts of information you 

should record on your walk through the lagoon or along 

one of the other beaches around here, Beach Walk which 

was edited by Deanna F. Cook and Lisa H. Hiley (Storey 

Publishing, 2019) has you covered. The book comes with a 

magnifying glass, stickers, information about different sea 

creatures and plants and a beach log to record your findings. 

Let this book help you kindle your child’s inner explorer and 


help them find ways to connect with the ocean around us 

this summer. For ages 4 to 8. 

Or maybe you and your children aren’t so scientifically 

inclined and the idea of cataloguing what you see, hear and 

smell doesn’t sound so appealing. Then perhaps you can 

follow the lead of the child in Poem in My Pocket by Chris 

Tougas and illustrated by Josée Bisaillon (Kids Can Press, 

2021) and create a found poem from all the words you see 

fluttering in the breeze. For ages 6 to 12. 

I hope these books give you and your children some ideas 

for how they can explore their own neighbourhoods and local 

beaches this summer. 

Christina Van Starkenburg lives in 

Victoria with her husband, children and cat. 

She is the author of One Tiny Turtle: A Story 

You Can Colour and many articles. To read 

more of her work and learn about her upcoming 

books visit christinavanstarkenburg.com. Facebook: 

facebook.com/christinavanstarkenburg 

and Twitter: @Christina_VanS. 

Homestay Families Needed! 

Dedicated students in grades 6–12 come from 

28 different countries to attend academic 

programs in Greater Victoria Schools. 

Why Host? 

• Enjoy an unforgettable cultural experience. 

• $1100 per month will be provided to 

support a student in your home 

• Short Stay or Long Stay Hosting 

Opportunities are Available 

• 24/7 assistance is provided from 

the Homestay Office 

Questions? 

250.592.6871 

homestay@sd61.bc.ca 

studyinvictoria.com 

Connect your family to the world. 



PRESCHOOL&CHILDCAREDIRECTORY 

v Comprehensive programs for 

Preschool through Grade 11 

v Delivering academic excellence through 

music, dance, drama and visual arts 

v Outstanding educators, 

locations and facilities 

www.ArtsCalibre.ca 250.382.3533 

Castleview Child Care........... 250-595-5355 

Learning Through Play & Discovery. 

Licensed non-profit, ECE staff. Since 1958. 

Morning or full-time care. 

castleviewchildcarecentre.com 

Christ Church Cathedral Childcare 

& Jr. Kindergarten..................250-383-5132 

ECE and specialist teachers provide an 

outstanding all day licensed program for 

2.5–5 year olds at our Fairfield and 

Gordon Head locations. 

cathedralschool.ca 

Emmanuel Baptist Church Child Care 

We offer all-day Day Care 

for 3 and 4 year olds. 

We also offer an After School Care 

Program for Kindergarten to 12 years 

old for Campus View and Frank Hobbs. 

250 598 0573 2121 Cedar Hill X Rd (by entrance to UVic) 

daycare@emmanuelvictoria.ca afterschool@emmanuelvictoria.ca 

Nightingale Preschool & 

Junior Kindergarten Ltd........ 250-595-7544 

We offer education through creativity and play, providing 

rich learning experiences through a well sourced 

and stimulating indoor and outdoor environment. Early 

years reading programme. nightingalepreschool.com. 

Arts/Drama programme. kidsworks.ca 

Pre-School 

Junior Kindergarten 

PacificChristian.ca 

250-479-4532 

Educational Excellence to the Glory of God 

Rainbows 

& Dreams 

Preschool 

Offering small classes, creative 3–5 year 

and kindie programs. Safe, fun, nurturing 

environment to learn and grow. 

250-479-1966 4184 Keewatin Place, Victoria 

Ready Set Grow Preschool.....250-472-1530 

Join our learning through play preschool located 

in Hillcrest Elem. Our caring ECEs offer 

an enriched Program for 3-4 hour, 2-5 days a 

week and help with kindergarten transition. 

heoscmanager@gmail.com 

St. Christopher’s Montessori School 

Offering an enriched and 

nurturing Montessori programme 

Competitively priced independent 

school education 

Half day for 3 & 4 year olds 

Full day kindergarten 

stcmontessori.ca 250-595-3213 

Call your local CCRR for free referrals and resources. 

Victoria & Gulf Islands: 250-382-7000 

Sooke: 250-642-5152 West Shore: 250-940-4882 

Cowichan Valley: 250-746-4135 local 231 

PacificCare (Ladysmith north): 250-756-2022 or 1-888-480-2273 


Victoria & Area Peninsula Westshore Cowichan Valley Nanaimo & Area 

w ild c h ild 

e a r l y l ear n i n g c e n t r e 

• Licensed program for 

3–5 year olds 

• Nature focused 

• 3 hour morning classes 

Exciting new learn-throughplay 

program in Saanichton, 

ideal for Peninsula families 

www.wcelc.ca 

Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 

Learn more today! 250-390-2201 AspengroveSchool.ca 

NANAIMO’ S JK–12 INTERNATIONAL 

BACCALAUREATE WORLD SCHOOL 

• Licensed programs, for children 3–5 years 

• Flexible part-time schedules • Supported spaces available 

• 3 and 4 hour morning classes 

Encouraging your child’s development and 

learning through play and exploration 

Fullobeans.ca 250-360-1148 E: fullobeans@snplace.org 

Metchosin Co-Op Preschool 

A Co-operative preschool in 

the heart of rural Metchosin. 

The best place to be. 

Take a virtual tour today! 

metchosinpreschool.com 

250-478-9241 metchosinpreschool@gmail.com 

St. Margaret’s School Jr. Kindergarten 

Apply now for our Early Learning (JK and 

Kindergarten) Programs. Early learning at SMS is 

a curriculum-based program for 3 and 4 year olds. 

St. Margaret’s School 

250-479-7171 | admissions@stmarg.ca 

SEEDLINGS 

Forest Education 

Where nature becomes the Teacher! 

Seedlings Forest Education is a Nature based program 

that includes After School Care, Nature Preschool, Parent 

Workshops, Saturday Seedlings, Summer Camps and more! 

250-880-0660 seedlingsforesteducation.com 

Nestled on 4 acres of lush west coast forest, our Award 

winning, Nature based program will not disappoint! 

While firmly embracing the Reggio-Emila (Italy) Philosophy 

our dedicated team of educators use the environment 

as the third teacher as we encourage your child 

throughout their day. 

Our purpose built facilities have been handmade using the 

trees from our forest. Come take a virtual tour on our website! 

lexieslittlebears.ca 

Waitlist: 250-590-3603 

Programs for Infants/Toddlers/Pre-school Age. 

BC Award of Excellence in Childcare & Prime Minister’s Award of Excellence in Early Childhood Education. 



Alexa, How Do I Teach My 

Kids About Money? 

Something’s in the air and it’s not just the silent alarm of 

a much-needed diaper change. While you and your other 

half grapple with who’s taking the night shift and who gets 

some extra shut-eye, a conversation about money will feel 

like your last priority. 

Nevertheless, the sooner our kids are taught the basics of 

money, the sooner they’ll become financially literate. 

Some predict that Generation Alpha (born in 2010–2024) 

will be the most formally educated, tech-savvy and wealthiest 

generation in history. However, the lifelong lesson of 

money can’t be downloaded as an app and absorbed in an 

instant. Instead, real life teachable moments can be applied 

to the all-important financial literacy conversation. 

And, just as critical as the discussion with your children 

is, you and your partner need to be on the same page. Chartered 

Professional Accountants Canada (CPA Canada) recommends 

some areas to consider when teaching your kids 

about money: 

Partners in finance: While parents don’t always see eye to 

eye, money is a conversation that requires clear communication 

and compatibility before you talk to your child. 

ABCs and 123s: Start the conversation with your kids 

early. It’s never too soon to show them the value of dollars. 

Make it relatable: Use real life ‘teachable’ moments to 

kickstart lessons in financial education. With assistance, 

letting your child pay at the grocery store gives them confidence 

with transactions. 

Pennies to profit: Teach your kids the long game. By providing 

small allowances and exploring spending goals, your 

kids will learn from an early age the importance of budgeting. 

Continue the conversation: Financial lessons won’t be 

digested in a one-time talk. Keep checking in with your kids 

and encourage them to learn. 

It’s never too early to start implementing money lessons 

at home. CPA Canada has a range of tips and resources to 

help guide the money conversation with your future financial 

whiz kid. Download CPA Canada’s free financial literacy 

workshops or a copy of its Raising Money Smart Kids book 

at cpacanada.ca. 

Vivian Leung is a Senior Principal in CPA Canada’s Taxation group. 

She is passionate about advancing financial literacy amongst Canadians 

and is the co-author of CPA Canada’s book Babies: how to afford your 

bundle of joy. 


SPONSORED CONTENT 

Inspired Summer Camps for Teens 

Summer camps are not just for young children, they’re a 

chance for teens to pursue passions and explore new interests 

with the Applied Skills for Teens series offered by 

St. Michaels University School (SMUS) in Victoria, B.C. 

These camps, taught by specialized teachers and including 

subjects such as digital fabrication, graphic design, robotics, 

math, physics, screenwriting, poetry, pottery, and photography 

are a perfect opportunity to keep teens focused, engaged and 

learning over the summer months. 

“We are offering students the chance to engage in subjects 

they are passionate about without the pressure of assessment 

and homework,” says Craig Kelley, Director of External 

Programs. “They will have a lot of fun and it’s a way of learning 

that will spark their interest and keep them inspired through 

the rest of the year.” 

SMUS has partnered with the Victoria Conservatory of Music 

to offer the Summer Music Explorations Camp, with both day 

and overnight options. Students will explore the creative world 

of music, while broadening their knowledge of genres and 

strengthening their technical playing skill within our world-class 

facilities. 

To encourage the next generation of budding engineers, 

SMUS is offering Byte Camp U. During this two-week overnight 

camp, students will tackle real-world challenges to develop 

their problem-solving, engineering and technology skills. 

With more than 60 camps, there is something for everyone 

at SMUS. Day camps are open to all Greater Victoria families, 

and overnight options are available for music, engineering, 

sports and language programs. 

To learn more and to register, please visit our Summer 

Camps website: www.smus.ca/camps. 



Healthy Families, Happy Families 

Child, Youth 

& Family 

Public Health 

South Island Health Units 

Esquimalt 250-519-5311 

Gulf Islands 250-539-3099 

(toll-free number for office in Saanichton) 

Peninsula 250-544-2400 

Saanich 250-519-5100 

Saltspring Island 250-538-4880 

Sooke 250-519-3487 

Victoria 250-388-2200 

West Shore 250-519-3490 

Central Island Health Units 

Duncan 250-709-3050 

Ladysmith 250-755-3342 

Lake Cowichan 250-749-6878 

Nanaimo 250-755-3342 

Nanaimo 250-739-5845 

Princess Royal 

Parksville/Qualicum 250-947-8242 

Port Alberni 250-731-1315 

Tofino 250-725-4020 

North Island Health Units 

Campbell River 250-850-2110 

Courtenay 250-331-8520 

Kyuquot Health Ctr 250-332-5289 

‘Namgis Health Ctr 250-974-5522 

Port Hardy 250-902-6071 

islandhealth.ca/our-locations/ 

health-unit-locations 

Changes with BC Medical Services Plan 

premiums mean that families eligible for partial 

payment of some medical services and access 

to some income-based programs now must 

apply for Supplementary Benefits through the 

Government of BC. Applications can be done 

online and take approximately 15 minutes. 

Families who previously qualified for MSP 

Premium Assistance should not need to re-apply 

if taxes are completed yearly. It is advised to 

confirm coverage before proceeding with 

treatment to avoid paying out of pocket. 

For more information, visit gov.bc.ca/gov/ 

content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/ 

bc-residents/benefits/services-covered-bymsp/supplementary-benefits 

Befriend the Birds 

Your family can be a good neighbour hang it in a tree or shrub (sheltered from 

to local backyard birds. 

rain) where you can watch the action! 

This spring put out nesting material. Continue to restock and offer nesting 

See who prefers the fluff to the moss. materials March to July. It’s common 

Then learn to identify birds by song with for pairs to have a failed nest and they’ll 

fun mnemonics, as they settle in to nest need to rebuild after a storm or if a predator 

comes thru. 

and raise a family of their own. 

Show passion for some part of our living 

world. It’s experiences in nature that with cotton, hemp and wool fibers at 

Note: Shop for bird-nesting material 

shape who we are and how we live. To wild bird stores or anywhere that sells 

help our non-human kin brings us a little bird seed and houses. 

more magic and helps make friends with 

mystery. Nature is potent! 

A mnemonic is a pattern of letters, 

ideas or associations to help you 

remember something. It aids the 

memory. (You use them all the time.) 

How to provide nesting 

material 

To “rewild” your yard, plant native 

trees, shrubs, and forbs. Trees species 

with the best downy-like fluff have catkins 

(a flowering spike) like cottonwood, 

maple, willow, and poplar. (Allergy sufferers 

will know exactly where these 

wind-pollinated trees are in the neighbourhood.) 

All types of bird nests need a combination 

of twigs, dried grasses, moss, hair, 

mud and even spider webs. It’s easy and 

fun to attract birds and enjoy observing 

them by putting out nesting material. 

My local hummingbirds chose the moss, 

while pine siskins preferred the cattail 

fluff! 

Other natural, biodegradable, pesticide-free 

materials: 

Dog fur (free from chemical flea and 

tick treatments), horsehair (clean their 

body brushes) or wool. DON’T use human 

hair. 

Moss 

Dry grass 

Cattail fluff 

Twigs and strips of bark 

Dried leaves 

Don’t use dryer lint (it’s a chemical 

soup), yarn or string and synthetic fibres. 

Human hair is also too thin and can cut 

or tangle birds. 

Take a handful of nesting materials 

and stuff a repurposed metal whisk or 

use a winter cage-like suet feeder. Then 

Keep a patch of bare ground with 

exposed soil to help swallows and 

robins. They need mud for their 

nests (you’ll help native mason bees 

and butterflies, too). Sounds silly 

but chances are you already have a 

place they use. It could be the corner 

of the yard that gets trampled or 

a low spot that puddles. 

Beginner bird mnemonics 

for common species 

Now that you’ve observed which birds 

are nesting in or near your yard, get to 

know them by song. You’ll learn which 

species love living near you and get to 

know the birds on your favourite walking 

routes, too. 

When I birded for a living in the boreal 

forest of Alberta, songs were the easiest 

way to identify birds. Songbirds were 

often hard to see in dense over- and understory 

or they were far away and high 

up. Luckily, birders train in mnemonics 

and you can too! 

Photo: Robert Fraser 


Jon Young, author of What the Robin Knows: How Birds 

Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World says the bravest 

to most secretive birds to reveal their presence to you 

are: chickadees, sparrows, juncos, thrushes, warblers, 

then towhees. 

Twelve phrases and clues to identify 

Vancouver Island birds by song: 

American Goldfinch says “po-ta-to-chip” while in flight 

Barred Owl says “Who-cooks-for you? Who-cooks for you 

all?” 

Chestnut-backed Chickadee says “Sika-dee-dee” 

Chipping Sparrow sounds mechanical, like a sewing machine 

Olive-sided Flycatcher says “Quick, three beers!” 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet says “Chubby, chubby, cheek, chubby 

cheeks” 

Song Sparrow says “Maids-maids-maids-put-on-your-teakettle-ettle-ettle” 

or “Hey! Hey! Put on the kettle, kettle, 

kettle” 

Spotted Towhee says “Tow-hee?” 

White-breasted Nuthatch sounds like a nasally French horn 

White-throated Sparrow says “O, sweet, Canada, Canada, 

Canada” 

Yellow Warbler sings “Sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet” 

I also recommend learning songs of the Pacific Wren, Darkeyed 

Junco, Brown Creeper and Yellow-rumped Warbler, too 

Don’t hear it? Don’t stress. Listen to a variety of bird song 

recordings online to train your ear. Prefer to learn in the field? 

Join a local naturalist group or register for a nature sanctuary 

guided birding walk. 

Lindsay Coulter is a writer, educator, facilitator, 

naturalist, community catalyst, soul activist, 

mentor, and dedicated mother of two. She’s the 

Director of Communications, Culture and Community 

at EPIC Learning Centre, a forest and nature 

school in Victoria. Find her @SaneAction on Instagram 

and Facebook. 

Photo: Kalene Lillico 

Swimming is a Life Skill 

Remember how much 

fun it is to swim! 

Now Registering 

Spring 

pre-competitive 

programs 

Coming Soon 

Summer intro 

programs— 

registered by the 

week 

Register online at 

www.islandswimming.com/program-info 

More information 

info@islandswimming.com (250) 744-5536 



Scavenger Hunt 

In the CITY 

Things to 

Look for 

Something red 

A sign with the letter 

“A” on it 

A recycling bin 

10 blades of grass 

A mailbox 

A bus 

A bicycle 

A blue car 

Find scavenger hunt items, 

sing a song, read some books 

and have fun learning together. 

Rhyme “The Elevator Song” 

Oh, the city is big and the city is grand 

(stretch arms wide then stretch hands high) 

There are lots of people living on a little bit of land 

(pinch fingers close together) 

And we live way up on the 57th floor (point up) 

And this is what we do when we go out the door 

(pretend to open a door) 

We take the elevator up (reach arms up) 

We take the elevator down (reach arms down) 

We take the elevator up 

We take the elevator down 

We take the elevator up 

We take the elevator down 

Literacy Tip 

Make letters, words, and sounds part of your everyday activities. 

You could say, “I see something that begins with the same letter 

(or sound) as your name. Do you see it?” or “Do you see the 'Stop’ 

sign? What should we do?” Try applying these same strategies 

when reading books together. For example, ask your child to 

find a familiar letter or word on the page. 

And then we turn around (turn around) 

Booklist 

Look for these titles 

at gvpl.ca 

• Small in the City by Sydney Smith 

• The Digger and the Flower 

by Joseph Kuefler 

• City Mouse, Country Mouse 

by Maggie Rudy 


City Nature Challenge 2022 

Join nature lovers across the capital region in celebrating local species 

and ecosystems by participating in the 2022 City Nature Challenge. 

Over a four day period, April 29 through May 2, photograph and 

document local biodiversity in the capital region using the free iNaturalist 

Canada website or app, and help to build a record of the nature that surrounds 

us. More than 400 cities around the world will be participating in 

the City Nature Challenge this year, as a global celebration of biodiversity 

in and around urban areas. 

Participating in City Nature Challenge in the capital region is easy: 

• Find nature in your backyard, neighbourhood, favourite park or 

beach. Observations of plants, animals, fungi, insects, tracks, or even 

scat are all welcome. 

SPONSORED CONTENT 

• Photograph your observation from different angles and capture 

different features. Use a digital camera or smart phone. 

• Create an iNaturalist account using the app or website and upload 

your observation. 

• Identify your finding to the highest level that you can, or let the online 

iNaturalist community help with identification. 

• Repeat! 

Stay tuned for upcoming information about City Nature Challenge 

events offered by the CRD and its partners, and iNaturalist resources that 

will help you get started. 

crd.bc.ca/biodiversity | inaturalist.ca 

Calling all nature lovers! 

Join the Capital Region’s 

City Nature Challenge 

April 29 - May 2, 2022 

How many wild plants and animals can you find in 

the capital region? Join the CRD and its partners as 

we compete with cities around the world to document 

urban nature using the free and simple iNaturalist app. 

Get outside with your family to explore the capital 

region’s amazing biodiversity. 

Learn more at www.crd.bc.ca/biodiversity. 



CUTITOUT! 

Not a Problem 

Children have problems with their 

feelings. Some, a little more than 

others. Although immaturity is 

a factor, a lot has to do with temperament, 

which is why a younger child can 

appear more flexible, calmer, and easier 

to handle. We come into the world with 

a genetic blueprint of nine traits. Is your 

child high in any of the following? 

· Active children often use their bodies 

to learn and to express themselves, so it 

isn’t unusual for this child to come out 

swinging when they are dysregulated 

or having a hard time managing their 

emotional response. Yes, even past the 

preschool years. 

· Perceptive children can quickly absorb 

other people’s stress; they see it, 

they feel it, they act it out. 

· Persistent children have difficulty letting 

go of their agenda. They grieve the 

loss of their ideas. 

· Cautious children experience strong, 

overwhelming emotions when they are 

faced with a new situation or person. 

· Children who aren’t adaptable like 

things to be fair, and of course, life 

rarely is. 

· Very regular children like routine 

and can easily be triggered by hunger 

and fatigue. 

· Sensory sensitive children often feel 

overwhelmed by their environment. This 

leads to depletion and an empty reserve 

of patience. 

· Intense children feel things in a big 

way and have difficulty keeping their reactions 

to a dull roar. Remember, adults 

have temperament too. 

· Some children come into the world 

with a more serious mood. 

What to do: 

Stop seeing a child’s eruptions as a 

problem to be fixed. Time will take care 

of this if handled well. 

Regulate yourself. Focus on your 

breath and your inner dialogue. “My 

child isn’t giving me a hard time; they 

are having a hard time.” (Dr. Ross 

Greene) 

Keep everyone safe and stand by without 

words, lectures, threats, or lessons. 

Breathe. 

Be present if you can, and if you can’t, 

say you will be back and that you love 

them. 

Your task is to protect your children 

from getting stuck in the bad kid role. 

It does not make sense to punish a child 

for dysregulation. Remember this is 

simple immaturity plus temperament. 

It’s normal. 

Children need to know you can handle 

their big feelings. If they see fear or 

helplessness in you, they will believe that 

there is something wrong with them. 

This will lead to more dysregulated episodes 

and low self-esteem. 

Remember to translate I HATE YOU, 

into HELP, I’M STRUGGLING. 

When it’s over, just connect. You don’t 

have to talk it out but show that you get 

it and you’ve got their back. 

Dr. Allison Rees is a 

parent educator, counsellor 

and coach at LIFE Seminars 

(Living in Families Effectively), 

lifeseminars.com. 

BUSINESSES 

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How-It-Works 

38 Island Parent Magazine 

IslandParent.ca

SUMMER CAMPS 

AT 

UVIC! 

• RECREATION • SPORT DEVELOPMENT • HIGH PERFORMANCE 

• CLIMBING & OUTDOOR 

Develop skills, meet new friends, explore creativity 

and experience exciting activities in a fun, safe 

and positive environment! 

REGISTRATION 

OPENS APRIL 4. 

See complete camps listings online: 

vikescamps.com 

• Archery 

• Racquet Sports 

• Ball Hockey • Soccer 

• Basketball • Softball 

• Cheer 

• Sport Science 

• Cross Country • Swimming 

• Dance 

• Tennis 

• Fencing 

• Track & Field 

• Girl Power • Vikes Adventurers 

• Golf 

• Vikes Sports 

• Indoor Climbing • Volleyball 

• Outdoor Climbing • Yoga 

• Judo 

• and more! 

• Mini Vikes 

Join us for adventure-filled co-ed summer camps at SMS! 

Camp themes include tennis, robotics, nature & gardening, LEGO, 

Harry Potter, art, Minecraft, and more! 

Learn more at stmarg.ca/camps

Island Parent Magazine April-May 2022

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