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Island Parent Magazine April-May 2022

Vancouver Island’s Parenting Resource for 34 Years • Bringing Home Twins • Learning the Love Languages • The ‘Pandemic Effect’ • Go Outside! A Breath of Fresh Air for Families



Vancouver Island’s Parenting Resource for 34 Years
• Bringing Home Twins
• Learning the Love Languages
• The ‘Pandemic Effect’
• Go Outside! A Breath of Fresh Air for Families

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APRIL/MAY <strong>2022</strong><br />

FREE COPY<br />

Vancouver <strong>Island</strong>’s <strong>Parent</strong>ing Resource for 34 Years<br />

Learning<br />

the Love<br />

Languages<br />

The<br />

‘Pandemic<br />

Effect’<br />

Go Outside!<br />

A Breath of Fresh<br />

Air for Families<br />

Bringing Home Twins


AN EXPERIENCE THAT LASTS A LIFETIME!<br />

Register for Summer Camp<br />

Before <strong>May</strong> 1st and Save 15%!<br />

Summer Camps for Children, Youth, Families & Leadership<br />

• Community & Corporate Retreats •<br />

Registration is open for summer camps<br />

and family cabin rentals.<br />

CampPringle.com • 250-743-2189 • info@camppringle.com<br />

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

2 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


Try Canoe-Kayak!<br />

Paddle for fun, fitness and friendships!<br />

Nanaimo Canoe & Kayak Club<br />

Building Paddlers for Life since 1988<br />

Located at Loudon Park, Long Lake, NCKC offers<br />

diverse paddling opportunities to people of all ages<br />

and abilities. As a not-for-profit sport organization,<br />

NCKC promotes healthy, active living and offers quality<br />

programming focused on sport skill development,<br />

water safety, and outdoor recreation.<br />

SPRING PROGRAMS<br />

in <strong>May</strong> and June<br />

SUMMER CAMPS<br />

weekly in July and August for children 6–13yrs<br />

• Registration Opens Online <strong>May</strong> 1 @ 6am<br />

• Come learn the ‘FUN’damental paddling skills on Long Lake!<br />

Spend time in a variety of different boats, learn about the sport,<br />

practice new strokes, try some rescues, develop balance, boat<br />

control and play games on and off the water. Participants must<br />

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

Adult & Youth Programs<br />

Sprint Canoe-Kayak<br />

Birthday Parties<br />

Development Racing Program<br />

Group Sessions<br />

School Field Trips<br />

Adaptive Programs<br />

Ongoing Registration<br />

information@nckc.ca<br />

www.nckc.ca<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 3


APRIL/MAY <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 />

16<br />

Moms’ POV<br />

SERENA BECK<br />

18<br />

Nature Notes<br />

LAUREN SHERWOOD<br />

10<br />

Bringing Home<br />

Twins<br />

From the first night<br />

to the first month.<br />

NATASHA MILLS<br />

20<br />

The ‘Pandemic<br />

Effect’<br />

Has being born<br />

during a pandemic<br />

affected babies?<br />

ANYA DUNHAM<br />

34<br />

Befriend<br />

the Birds<br />

Being a good<br />

neighbour to<br />

backyard birds.<br />

LINDSAY COULTER<br />

12<br />

Learning the<br />

Love Languages<br />

How to create<br />

deep connections.<br />

SARAH SEITZ<br />

14<br />

When ‘Good Enough’<br />

Is Just Fine<br />

Haunted by another mother.<br />

JULIA MAIS<br />

32<br />

Alexa, How Do<br />

I Teach My Kids<br />

About Money?<br />

The ABCs and 123s<br />

of how to talk about<br />

money with your kids.<br />

VIVIAN LEUNG<br />

36<br />

Scavenger Hunt<br />

In the City<br />

Find the items, sing<br />

a song, read some<br />

books and have fun<br />

learning together.<br />

GREATER VICTORIA<br />

PUBLIC LIBRARY<br />

22<br />

Dadspeak<br />

GREG PRATT<br />

24<br />

What’s for Dinner<br />

EMILLIE PARRISH<br />

26<br />

Family Calendar<br />

28<br />

Kids’ Reads<br />

CHRISTINE VAN STARKENBURG<br />

30<br />

Preschool &<br />

Child Care Directory<br />

38<br />

Cut It Out!<br />

ALLISON REES<br />

38<br />

Businesses You<br />

Need to Know<br />

On the<br />

Cover<br />

Matteo (3 months)<br />

Photo by<br />

Chris Higginbottom<br />

Photography<br />

chrishigginbottom.ca<br />

Bringing Home Twins<br />

Learning<br />

the Love<br />

Languages<br />

The<br />

‘Pandemic<br />

Effect’<br />

Go Outside!<br />

A Breath of Fresh<br />

Air for Families<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 />

Why We Have Kids<br />

Full. Human. Experience.<br />

That’s how one dad, in a post on Humans of New<br />

York, described his reason for having kids.<br />

The father of one recalled how he and his wife decided<br />

over dinner at a rib joint that they would start a family.<br />

“We actually took out a piece of paper and made a pros<br />

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

Experience.<br />

“After our daughter was born, that became an inside joke<br />

with us,” he recalled. “Every time she was screaming at bath<br />

time, my wife and I would look at each other and say: ‘Full<br />

Human Experience.’”<br />

Those words will mean something different to each of us.<br />

And no doubt we all have our own reasons for having kids.<br />

But chances are, we had no idea how we’d feel until after<br />

our baby was born.<br />

Take, for example, the moment they put your baby in your<br />

arms. Speak of a full human experience. Nothing compares.<br />

And seeing the world through your child’s eyes? It’s magic.<br />

Sure, it’s exhausting, too. And if you worried about the<br />

cost—in dollars, sanity and hours of sleep—you likely<br />

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

there, you’ll know that the highs shadow the lows and the<br />

pros definitely outweigh the cons.<br />

“Honestly we wondered if we’d made a mistake—it was<br />

like a bomb dropped and eviscerated everything in our<br />

lives,” the dad recalled. “But then our daughter started<br />

growing up, and learning to do things on her own, and we<br />

kept taking small steps back and getting more of our own<br />

time back.”<br />

And that was bittersweet.<br />

“It’s like getting laid off slowly from an equally grueling<br />

but joyful job.”<br />

Here’s to finding the joy in raising children, to laughing as<br />

often as they do—300 times a day for a toddler, and only 4<br />

for a 40-year-old!—and to believing in the magic.<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 5


NEEDTOKNOW<br />

Mother’s Day<br />

Afternoon Tea<br />

Treat Mom to a stroll through Butchart Gardens on<br />

<strong>May</strong> 8, followed by afternoon tea in the Dining Room<br />

where she’ll be treated to house scones, savoury sandwiches<br />

and delicacies, house-made sweets and a selection<br />

of loose teas. Reservations recommended. Ask for<br />

a seat at the window for a view of the flowering bulbs,<br />

shrubs and trees—a celebration of spring and Mom.<br />

butchartgardens.com<br />

Family Jam at<br />

Hermann’s Jazz<br />

Enjoy an afternoon of jazz at Hermann’s Jazz Club in<br />

Victoria on <strong>April</strong> 17 at 1pm and help raise funds for Arts<br />

on View at the same time. Lelolai FAM (Family Arts Music)<br />

is a family-focused, music-centric project, honouring<br />

creativity and inclusivity of people of all ages and<br />

cultures. Their original music is a tropical fusion of<br />

sound blending Folk, Funk, Jazz and Latin Rhythms in<br />

English, Italian and Spanish. Songs like “Big Feelings,”<br />

“Wash your Hands” and “Magic Words” will delight your<br />

little ones. Special guest appearances include kid<br />

artists and the Easter Bunny. Join this interactive<br />

and family friendly afternoon of music and fun.<br />

Tickets $10 at hermannsjazz.com.<br />

Brant Wildlife Festival<br />

A spring celebration of nature from <strong>April</strong> 1–10,<br />

the Brant Wildlife Festival celebrates nature,<br />

springtime and the annual migration of Brant<br />

geese. See them rest and feed on the shores of<br />

mid-Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> before continuing their<br />

migration to their northern breeding grounds.<br />

This year’s festival features a mix of outdoor<br />

and indoor events at various locations.<br />

brantfestival.bc.ca<br />

6 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


Summer FUN at GNS<br />

Glenlyon Norfolk School is offering a variety of fun summer camps<br />

for students age 5 to 17. Arts, cooking, baking, field hockey, day camps,<br />

kayaking, outdoor education and overnight camps, entrepreneurial<br />

camps and more—our summer programs offer something for everyone!<br />

Two Book Launches:<br />

Anne’s Adventure<br />

and Fermenting<br />

Made Simple<br />

<strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong>’s own Kids’ Reads columnist,<br />

Christina Van Starkenburg, and What’s for<br />

Dinner columnist Emillie Parrish are releasing<br />

books in <strong>May</strong>. Christina is releasing her first<br />

picture book, Anne’s Adventure: A Pirate’s<br />

ABCs on <strong>May</strong> 4. Follow Anne, a “fiercely bold<br />

pirate” as she sails her way through the<br />

alphabet in search of cheese, fending off<br />

monsters and cats! A rollicking good read,<br />

Anne’s Adventure is available on amazon.ca.<br />

Fermenting Made Simple: Delicious Recipes to<br />

Improve Your Gut Health is being released on<br />

<strong>May</strong> 17 and includes everything you need to<br />

know to make your own fermented foods and<br />

beverages with 80+ entirely vegetarian recipes,<br />

tips, tricks and recipes for serving fermented<br />

foods. Available at local bookstores and online:<br />

fermentingforfoodies.com/cookbook.<br />

www.mygns.ca/summer-fun<br />

IB CONTINUUM<br />

CONTINUUM DE L’IB<br />

CONTINUO DEL IB<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 7


Run to Restore Nature<br />

A fun, family-friendly event where you can go<br />

the distance for wildlife at your own pace from<br />

<strong>May</strong> 7–15. Walk, run, wheel or even skip your<br />

way to the finish line from wherever you are.<br />

Do the entire distance in one go or take it one<br />

day at a time. The distance is up to you—5km,<br />

10km or half marathon from wherever you are<br />

while raising funds to restore and protect vital<br />

ecosystems across Canada. To register,<br />

visit fundraisers.wwf.ca.<br />

Environmental<br />

Champions<br />

Nominations are open for the <strong>2022</strong> Saanich<br />

Environmental Awards. Some of the categories:<br />

individual, volunteer organization, business, and<br />

youth (individual/youth group/school). Past<br />

recipients have been involved in invasive species<br />

removal, environmental education, creating habitat,<br />

research, and inspiring others. Business awards are<br />

for leadership and practices that promote sustainability<br />

and climate action. Nominate anyone as long as their<br />

environmental work impacts Saanich. Submit by<br />

4pm on <strong>April</strong> 19, at saanich.ca/enviroawards.<br />

Sticks and Stones<br />

and Stories<br />

What could be more exciting than battling pirate weasels,<br />

or sailing with the moon, or hosting a tea party for zoo animals?<br />

Add a little wonder to bedtime, car-time or anytime with these<br />

fun original podcasts, written and narrated by children’s author<br />

Rachel Dunstan Muller. To celebrate the one year anniversary of<br />

the children’s podcast, Rachel launched a new website,<br />

sticksandstonesandstories.com.<br />

8 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


One Planet Living Student Challenge<br />

Grade 6-12 students in Greater Victoria are invited to submit<br />

their video or illustration to answer: How might we bring<br />

One Planet Living ideas into our communities and personal<br />

lives? Pick one or more of the 10 One Planet Living principles<br />

and show elements in your communities or personal lives that<br />

support One Planet Living. Submit one of the following:<br />

• Video—commentary, how-how, song (max. 3 minutes)<br />

• Illustration—map, photo collage, cartoon (1 image)<br />

Student submissions will be accepted until <strong>May</strong> 20.<br />

Winners will receive cash prizes—with $1,200 total prize<br />

money available and submissions will be judged on creativity,<br />

engagement, illumination and alignment with One Planet Living.<br />

Winners will be showcased on the One Planet BC website<br />

at oneplanetbc.com.<br />

Preschool for today’s child<br />

...and tomorrow’s inner child.<br />

Young children possess boundless<br />

imagination, perfect openness to the<br />

world and all its beauty, and the inborn<br />

idea that anything is possible. We<br />

believe that these wonderful gifts<br />

should not fade with age.<br />

With an innovative program enriched<br />

by music, dance, theatre and visual<br />

arts, our goal is to enable children<br />

to fully explore and express these<br />

gifts in an endless variety of ways.<br />

Inspiring and nurturing today’s child<br />

firmly implants their future inner child<br />

– that playfulness, creativity, vision and<br />

confidence that will enable them to<br />

realize their dreams.<br />

Preschool to Grade 12 www.ArtsCalibre.ca 250-382-3533<br />

“When I examine myself and my method of<br />

thought, I come to the conclusion that the<br />

gift of fantasy has meant more to me than<br />

my talent for absorbing knowledge.”<br />

– Albert Einstein<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 9


Bringing Home Twins<br />

All settled at home 5 days grown.<br />

Liam and Mila are officially back to their birth weight<br />

today and have made us so proud as we learn in baby steps<br />

how to navigate this new reality together. Despite being<br />

more comfortable in our beds, their dad, Mitch, and I barely<br />

slept a wink the first night home from the hospital, feeling so<br />

overprotective away from the reassuring call bell and medical<br />

support.<br />

As new twin parents on that first night, we felt so scrambled<br />

trying to understand all that goes into these night feeds<br />

and stay on top of every moving part—figuratively and literally!<br />

Last night however, was a success story, with a brokenup<br />

six hours of sleep for us, great feeding intervals (one<br />

three-hour stretch) and I’m feeling like a new woman.<br />

We’ve begun to streamline the process in our bedroom<br />

and have transformed it into our Zen sanctuary of comfort,<br />

white noise, meditation sounds playing continuously, a mini<br />

fridge stocked with water, snacks and room for milk storage.<br />

It takes a total team effort to get this job done and I’m<br />

so grateful for Mitch being so hands-on and how far we’ve<br />

come together already.<br />

Through the blur of it all, I am practicing patience and<br />

compassion for myself, for my older son Hudson adjusting<br />

to the change, and I’m learning to let go of everything out of<br />

my control.<br />

No matter how hard the journey gets, I feel complete,<br />

knowing that these twins chose me to be their mommy.<br />

Every passing hour we are growing and learning together.<br />

Every feed is a little more successful than the last because we<br />

are embracing flexibility. The teamwork I’ve established with<br />

their daddy has given me the needed confidence to press on<br />

along the unpredictable road ahead. It’s been scary and so<br />

very real with emotions running all over the place.<br />

My life is forever changed and I’m navigating a very liberating<br />

acceptance with that. I’ll be endlessly grateful for these<br />

tiny blessings and for my body for enduring all that it has in<br />

creating, delivering and nourishing them.<br />

One month in.<br />

As is the case with newborn parenthood, there often<br />

comes a time when the chaos starts catching up with you.<br />

No matter how hard you prepare for it and lower your ex-<br />

10 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


pectations, there it is. Unannounced and loud in your face<br />

like a freight train coming at you when you have nothing<br />

left.<br />

We’re only one month in with the twins but I met eyes<br />

with this place last night. Dad was there to save me. Without<br />

a moment to eat my dinner, surround-sound crying started<br />

up with Mila and Liam who are needing to cluster feed and<br />

be held in the evenings, all while we try to get our sensitive<br />

and sweet older boy to bed at a decent hour without him<br />

holding a grudge.<br />

Then, one twin won’t settle until the early hours and the<br />

whole schedule we’ve strived for all day is thrown off. My<br />

brain, already compounded with excessive sleep debt, finally<br />

gave up trying to fall into a slumber. I was up until 3am anticipating<br />

the next feed, and I felt very scared.<br />

I can’t function when it gets this bad. The morning rolled<br />

around and dad took over as best as he could, got Hudson<br />

to daycare and I finally settled the twins beside me, breasts<br />

painfully engorged, feeling guilty to sleep in with them until<br />

nearly 11am. But that’s what I needed to exist today.<br />

And I needed Mitch. I love him and the father he is to our<br />

three. I feel so grateful for the team that we have become on<br />

this journey. We pull each other’s weight when the other is<br />

lower, and so far, it’s been working.<br />

To any moms struggling with this kind of stuff, I see you.<br />

From no support to more support, we’re all fighting a different<br />

battle for our little blessings and it’s so important to<br />

remember that we’re in this together.<br />

The highs and lows of two newborns with a four-and-ahalf-year-old<br />

dynamic is insane. Some days we’re rocking<br />

it—or at least it feels like we’re not drowning. We’re loving<br />

the novel nuances of having this full, multi-faceted family.<br />

Other days feel like complete and total chaos in that we’re<br />

totally outnumbered as parents—by our six-week-old twins<br />

revving up equal parts cuteness and inconsolable evenings;<br />

and by our Hudson whose whole world flipped upside down,<br />

and whose parents are too exhausted to help him turn that<br />

world right side up again.<br />

Natasha Mills is a twin mom of three residing<br />

on the island now for nearly 30 years. She has found<br />

a creative outlet in documenting the real moments<br />

of parenthood—the relatable highs and challenging<br />

lows. She has also found a passion in writing her<br />

experience of motherhood and connecting with<br />

many like-minded parents in her community and<br />

abroad. @mommamillsblog<br />

STAGES<br />

Summer Programs<br />

Running This July & August<br />

Preschool Dance Camps<br />

For 3-5 year olds in Ballet, Jazz,<br />

Musical Theatre & Tap<br />

Youth Dance Camps<br />

For dancers 6-12 years old in<br />

Jazz, Hip Hop & Acrobatics<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 />

Come Dance With Us<br />

Call (250) 384-3267, email: stagesdance@shaw.ca,<br />

or visit us at www.stagesdance.com<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 11


Learning the Love Languages<br />

Wouldn’t it be great if kids came<br />

with a manual? Imagine the time,<br />

money and effort we could save if we had<br />

a handy little booklet that contained all<br />

of the nuances of your child’s personality.<br />

But our children aren’t refrigerators;<br />

there’s no index to flip to when we don’t<br />

know what to do next. There are, however,<br />

tiny clues. If we’re paying attention.<br />

I’ve always been a snoop, a Nancy<br />

Drew of sorts, but I don’t always see<br />

what’s right in front of me. One Christmas<br />

morning early on in my marriage,<br />

my husband and I were arguing as we<br />

drove with our two babies to a family<br />

dinner. My husband was trying to understand<br />

why we had to be at my sister’s<br />

house at 10 a.m. if dinner wasn’t until 5<br />

p.m.<br />

It was a fair question, but I’d noticed<br />

that anything related to Christmas<br />

seemed to change his easygoing demeanor<br />

to grumpy.<br />

At that moment, I didn’t really want<br />

to understand what was bothering him,<br />

I just wanted him to put on a happy face<br />

for my family. Using my sophisticated<br />

communication skills, I told him, “Cheer<br />

up. It’s Christmas, dammit, and Christmas<br />

is for kids!”<br />

You can imagine how well that worked<br />

to improve his mood.<br />

Later, while I complained to my friend<br />

about being married to the Grinch, she<br />

suggested that perhaps there was something<br />

bigger going on. She recommended<br />

the book The Five Love Language by Dr.<br />

Gary Chapman.<br />

In his book, Dr. Chapman writes about<br />

the five different ways that people express<br />

and receive love. After years of counselling<br />

couples, he noticed that couples were<br />

misunderstanding one another and their<br />

needs. He determined that we all have<br />

our own language, and that sometimes<br />

we struggle to express love in a way that<br />

speaks to your loved one’s heart.<br />

Chapman’s five Love Languages are:<br />

Quality Time, Physical Touch, Words of<br />

Affirmation, Acts of Service and Gifts<br />

His Love Languages are complex, but<br />

I’ll simplify them in a language most parents<br />

can understand:<br />

Quality Time: Let’s go for coffee.<br />

Physical Touch: Let me wrap my hands<br />

around you like a cup of coffee.<br />

Words of Affirmation: You make a<br />

great cup of coffee.<br />

Acts of Service: Here’s a cup of coffee<br />

in bed.<br />

Gifts: I got you a coffee.<br />

After I read the book, my husband’s<br />

foul mood that Christmas started to<br />

make sense. I realized that my husband<br />

doesn’t like Christmas because he doesn’t<br />

like gift-giving, which is often what<br />

Christmas centres around. Well, that and<br />

unnaturally long family visits.<br />

We took the book’s quiz and learned<br />

that his Love Language is Physical Touch<br />

mixed in with Quality Time of which<br />

there would be neither in the eight hours<br />

of family visiting we were about to embark<br />

upon that day.<br />

If I didn’t know this about my husband,<br />

I was probably stumbling through<br />

my relationships with the kids too.<br />

I already knew I was missing the mark<br />

with my daughter. For years I have been<br />

trying to figure out how to talk with her.<br />

I find small talk awkward and unsatisfying,<br />

but often this was all I could get<br />

from her. My questions were met with<br />

one-word answers. Car rides were silent.<br />

When we went out to dinner at a restaurant,<br />

we looked like those bored couples<br />

who have been together so long that they<br />

have nothing left to discuss.<br />

When I learned that there was a Love<br />

Languages book specifically for kids, I<br />

12 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


thought I had finally found the manual<br />

I was longing for. The original version<br />

had helped my marriage: making dinner,<br />

unclogging the shower drain and various<br />

other Acts of Service, had proven successful<br />

by my husband to make me happier.<br />

<strong>May</strong>be the kids’ version of the book<br />

was my shortcut to unlocking the mystery<br />

of how to connect with my daughter.<br />

I would be able to take a quiz, figure<br />

out what made her tick, and boom—we<br />

would be sharing secrets like best friends.<br />

The problem was, the child categories,<br />

when viewed from the lens of a parent,<br />

didn’t seem as clear. For example, isn’t<br />

being a parent one big Act of Service? I’m<br />

certainly not cutting off crusts and doing<br />

their laundry for my own benefit. As for<br />

Gifts, what kid doesn’t love a gift? Just<br />

take your kid to Toys ’R Us and you’ll be<br />

convinced this is their Love Language.<br />

My kids get ample Words of Affirmation,<br />

Quality Time (this especially peaked during<br />

Covid) and Physical Touch.<br />

What was clear was that my attempts<br />

to connect with my daughter through<br />

conversation were not working. I decided<br />

to take the emphasis off of talking and<br />

instead focus on when my daughter was<br />

trying to connect with me.<br />

She often asks me to play Rummy, to<br />

draw with her or play with Lego, but<br />

I never thought of these activities as a<br />

connection because we weren’t talking. I<br />

noticed that when we were side by side,<br />

playing calmly and quietly, a softness existed.<br />

Quality Time, sometimes wordless,<br />

was where our closeness lived.<br />

I’ve always assumed that connection<br />

came from communication and how<br />

much we “talk” in our relationships because<br />

that comes easily to me. I’m learning<br />

that it’s more about how we relate<br />

to one another in our relationships that<br />

creates the deep connection I seek.<br />

There may be no troubleshooting chart<br />

for children or a manual for how to love<br />

other people. But, if we pay attention,<br />

there are clues.<br />

Sarah Seitz is a working<br />

mother, writer and consumer<br />

of coffee and books—in that<br />

order. She writes about the<br />

messy and real parts of<br />

parenting and reveals<br />

her underbelly in her<br />

words. You can read<br />

more of Sarah’s writing<br />

at sarahseitz.ca.<br />

supports quality programming<br />

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<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 13


BYTE CAMP<br />

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When ‘Good Enough’<br />

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Some days, I am haunted by another<br />

mother who follows me around all<br />

day. She is there as I struggle to get my<br />

daughter’s pants on in the morning. She<br />

is there when we’re late for daycare—<br />

again. She is there when I see the other<br />

mothers in management positions, when<br />

I pack my daughter’s lunch and wonder<br />

whether my chopped carrots, peanut butter<br />

sandwich and Babybell cheese will<br />

make her feel as loved as the other kids’<br />

seven-course Yumbox meal with kiwi<br />

fruit cut into stars.<br />

when I look at my cluttered living room<br />

and cower in defeat.<br />

She is the mom at baby-and-me yoga<br />

who could maintain a squat while breastfeeding<br />

her baby. She is my friend who<br />

describes her meal plan of dahl, vegetarian<br />

lasagna and squash and barley chili.<br />

She is the woman with the UPPAbaby<br />

stroller and contoured cheeks I pass at<br />

lunch break. She is my colleague who<br />

said her body “just knew what to do”<br />

when she was pregnant. She is the mom<br />

who offered to hold my baby while she<br />

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She is there when I go to the bathroom<br />

and notice the indent on my stomach<br />

from my too-tight Lulus. She is there<br />

when I forget to bring snacks to the<br />

playground. She is there when I thought<br />

I had a change of clothing in the diaper<br />

bag. She is there when we’re at a restaurant<br />

without a colouring book, when my<br />

daughter kicks at the plexiglass dividers<br />

at the restaurant while the couple next to<br />

us enjoy their Roti Chanai. She is there<br />

cried at mom group because she knew<br />

a trick. She is the mom at music class in<br />

designer jeans and a leotard that doesn’t<br />

need to stretch at all. She is the YouTuber<br />

who described breastfeeding in three<br />

easy steps while her other children played<br />

contentedly in the background. She is the<br />

therapist with 7,000 Instagram followers<br />

who has “hacks” for mastering maternity<br />

leave. She’s all the other moms who were<br />

ready to have another child already while<br />

I was drowning.<br />

14 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


All the women who have come before<br />

me haunt me on my bad days. A neverending<br />

narration of Alyssa’s Christmas<br />

tree is already up, Mariam works out<br />

every day before work, Would Elizabeth<br />

’s living room ever look like this? Kristin’s<br />

daughter can spell her name already.<br />

Isabel would never have logged onto<br />

Oak Bay Rec’s online registration 15<br />

minutes late and doomed her daughter to<br />

six months without swimming lessons.<br />

Then other days, my daughter sings<br />

while we make pancakes with plenty of<br />

time before ballet class. She hugs me and<br />

says “I like you and I love you.” She never<br />

asks for a sibling. She tells me she likes<br />

my “cookie earrings” and could I please<br />

wear my “tutu” and dance with her. I put<br />

on my flowy skirt, she puts on her purple<br />

polka dot tutu and we have a dance party<br />

before bath time. Other days, she asks me<br />

to read Sasha and the Sloth over and over<br />

again and I pat myself on the back that<br />

my daughter gets so many books read to<br />

her. And how she’s learning math already.<br />

Most days, she tells me that the loves me<br />

to the moon. Other days she loves me to<br />

White Spot. Other days to “the great big<br />

city of Canada.”<br />

It is these times—the times when things<br />

are going well and I am truly in it with<br />

my daughter—that all the other ghosts of<br />

the mom I’ll never be disappear. I remember<br />

that my daughter doesn’t care if I<br />

can hold plank for two minutes or where<br />

I am on the career ladder. She doesn’t<br />

remember our breastfeeding struggles<br />

and the permanent scowl she wore until<br />

she was six-months old. She likes peanut<br />

butter sandwiches and considers their<br />

daily occurrence a treat not a failure. Our<br />

living room is messy because she has so<br />

many toys and because I’d rather cuddle<br />

with her than stress over cleaning up. She<br />

is healthy. When she jumps on the rainbow<br />

sheets on her bed, I smile to myself<br />

and marvel at how I never thought I’d<br />

have such a fun daughter with such a nice<br />

bedroom and I never knew how elated<br />

I’d feel when she jumps off the bed and<br />

into my arms.<br />

Most days before bed, after a bath and<br />

two books and setting the Gro clock, we<br />

list three “good things” that happened<br />

during the day. I say I enjoyed having<br />

dinner together, that I enjoyed our dance<br />

party and I’m thankful for a job that lets<br />

me work from home. My husband says<br />

he liked signing Radio Gaga on the way<br />

back from daycare and that he liked talking<br />

to his “work friends.” My daughter<br />

just says, “I had good feelings today.”<br />

She asks me to lie with her till the sun<br />

comes up and with that, I put my ghosts<br />

to sleep.<br />

Julie Mais is a policy<br />

and communications professional<br />

in Victoria. She looks<br />

for beauty in the everyday<br />

through writing, photography<br />

and the outdoors. She<br />

lives in a messy, cheesefilled<br />

home with her husband and preschooler.<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 15


MOM’SPOV<br />

We’re that House<br />

cat is that?” asks my daughter’s friend’s<br />

mom as a cat darts through our open front<br />

“Whose<br />

door.<br />

“That’s Thomas, our friend’s cat,” I reply.<br />

“Wow, so not only do you take in everyone’s kids, but<br />

their pets, too?” she says.<br />

I smile and reply that this cat is not the first cat to frequent<br />

our house. Charlie was before Thomas until he moved<br />

out of the neighbourhood with his family. Both of these cats<br />

enjoy visiting us through our cat door. Initially, our cat,<br />

Jack, did not appreciate all the feline guests, but just as our<br />

introvert daughter gets used to guests, so did our cat. Our<br />

family does enjoy our loaner cats. We always let the cat<br />

owners know when their cats are having a sleepover or a<br />

snack at our house, too.<br />

Our open-door policy doesn’t stop at pets. It includes<br />

humans, too. I want our children and their friends to feel<br />

welcome and safe at our house. We’re that house: the house<br />

where all the kids hang out. We’re that family that you can<br />

count on for help, a meal, or a shoulder to cry on. When<br />

parents are running late after school, they can pick up their<br />

kids at our house. It’s convenient that we are steps from our<br />

school and often home after school.<br />

I’ve often been asked if I run a daycare. I’ve also been<br />

asked on numerous occasions to provide before- and afterschool<br />

care for children. I can see why people would ask this<br />

as I often pick up my own kids and three or four of their<br />

friends after school. We have watched a few of our friends’<br />

children for one or two days a week after school. Even when<br />

our kids no longer attend the elementary school that is steps<br />

16 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


from our door, I am confident we’ll still be the house where<br />

they hang out the most often.<br />

My son sometimes asks why we always have to be that<br />

house and have everyone over. He prefers to branch out and<br />

go to other people’s houses, too. Although, he’s just happy<br />

to socialize anywhere. I think it comes down to many factors.<br />

I am glad adults, kids, and pets feel comfortable in our<br />

home. I leave our children and their friends to their own<br />

devices during their playdates, but I am around to fix snacks<br />

and help reach compromises when there are disagreements.<br />

I think our availability, willingness, and love of entertaining<br />

also helps. I enjoy the sound of kids being kids, running<br />

through our house and playing hide and seek together. The<br />

fact that my husband and I both work from home and can<br />

adjust our work hours throughout the week helps us with<br />

our frequent playdates. It’s nice to know what your kids are<br />

up to and to be able to keep an eye on them, too.<br />

I believe our open door and open communication with our<br />

children and their friends will help them communicate openly<br />

with all their parents as they reach the ’tween and teen<br />

years. I remember sitting up at sleepover with my daughter’s<br />

friend when she couldn’t sleep because she was worried.<br />

Sometimes it’s challenging to know what your own kids need<br />

let alone another family’s child, but we’ve managed to make<br />

it through.<br />

I love that our home is that house. We feel connected to<br />

our community and our neighbourhood. I love that our<br />

kids can play outside and walk across the street to see if<br />

our neighbours’ kids want to go to the park. My parents’<br />

house was also that house while I was growing up. Some of<br />

my brother’s friends lived with us while they were in high<br />

school. We would often have our friends over for supper or<br />

sleepovers, too. I guess it really stems from my roots and<br />

the foundation my parents set for me. I enjoyed it when our<br />

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

Grandma is not home in time, my mom said my brother and<br />

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

“Of course! Any time.”<br />

Serena Beck works full-time as a Technical<br />

Writer. She loves to write, travel and swim at the<br />

beach with family and friends.<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 17


NATURENOTES<br />

A Breath of Fresh Air for Families<br />

Ahh…spring…blue skies, bees<br />

buzzing, birds calling….one of<br />

the best times for families to head<br />

outside to parks. A change of scenery can<br />

be a much-needed breath of fresh air. But<br />

Why to go:<br />

No matter your age, spending time in<br />

nature has mental and physical benefits.<br />

You can walk, hike, run, bike, or roll<br />

your way along designated trails in parks<br />

wren singing in the bushes or a river otter<br />

playing on the beach. You can build<br />

memories for the whole family while out<br />

in nature.<br />

How to have a great time:<br />

Being prepared to head outside is the<br />

first step to having a great time. Here are<br />

some quick tips:<br />

• Dress in layers and keep a blanket<br />

handy in case the weather cools.<br />

•Bring a hat or umbrella to provide<br />

shade.<br />

• Carry a daypack with the essentials,<br />

such as water, snacks, whistle, flashlight,<br />

and raingear.<br />

• Plan your trip and know where you<br />

are going—bring a map in case your cell<br />

phone battery dies.<br />

• For more tips, check out AdventureSmart.ca<br />

or the Capital Regional<br />

District’s website (crd.bc.ca).<br />

What to do:<br />

Even young babies can enjoy being<br />

outside. Here are some ideas for activities<br />

for the youngest members of your family:<br />

• When out with your stroller, sling,<br />

or carrier, narrate your walk on the trail.<br />

Pick up leaves from the ground and let<br />

your baby feel them.<br />

• Lay on the grass and point out the<br />

different sights and sounds. Bring a book<br />

and have story time with a picnic.<br />

•If the baby is old enough to sit up and<br />

crawl, explore with them in a safe area<br />

such as a large field or beach in a park.<br />

• Have your baby feel items in nature<br />

like leaves, bark, moss, lichen, sand,<br />

and dirt. Talk about the differences in<br />

texture—soft, hard, rough, dry, wet, etc.<br />

Watch that your baby doesn’t eat anything!<br />

• Inspire care for nature by leaving<br />

plants in parks and observing animals<br />

from a distance.<br />

why is it so important for us to spend<br />

time in nature? How can you be safe<br />

and have a great time? We have some<br />

answers!<br />

all over Vancouver <strong>Island</strong>. It can feel<br />

daunting to get kids ready and gather<br />

everything you and your family might<br />

need for time outside, but it is well worth<br />

it. You never know what you might see<br />

or hear out in parks—perhaps a Pacific<br />

Where to go:<br />

Check out which parks are in walking<br />

distance from your home. Find out<br />

if there’s a nature centre in your area<br />

where your family can learn more about<br />

the plants and animals. You can also<br />

look online for local hiking groups for<br />

18 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


families. If you’re in the Capital Regional<br />

District, CRD Regional Parks offers free<br />

registered guided programs for all ages,<br />

including some five years and under specific<br />

programs.<br />

Some CRD Regional Parks with user<br />

and stroller-friendly trails are:<br />

• Francis/King Regional Park—the<br />

universally accessible Elsie King Trail is<br />

a short loop trail that meanders through<br />

Douglas-fir and Garry oak trees providing<br />

a shaded forest cover. Listen for the<br />

sounds of Pacific tree frogs calling. You<br />

can also visit the nature centre on weekend<br />

afternoons.<br />

• <strong>Island</strong> View Beach Regional Park—<br />

the user-friendly trail parallel to the<br />

beach offers prime birding opportunities<br />

with shorebirds in the ocean and songbirds<br />

in the bush.<br />

• East Sooke Regional Park—from<br />

Aylard Farms parking lot to just above<br />

the beach is a user-friendly trail with easy<br />

access to a picnic shelter and field area.<br />

Or leave your stroller in the car and head<br />

down to the beach for some sand castle<br />

building.<br />

No matter your age, being outdoors<br />

brings numerous benefits and builds our<br />

connection to nature. Children are full<br />

of curiosity and parents and caregivers<br />

shape how children will interact with nature<br />

throughout their lives. By modelling<br />

respectful behaviour in parks—like staying<br />

on trail, keeping dogs on leash or under<br />

control, and leaving things you find<br />

where they are—adults can show children<br />

from a very young age how to care<br />

for nature. Instill a sense of wonder with<br />

excitement and stories, inspire a sense of<br />

care with kindness and compassion and<br />

we will have a future generation that values<br />

and protects the natural world.<br />

Learn a new sport or refine<br />

your skills: come join our<br />

rock climbing teams!<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 />

Be on the lookout for <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong>’s<br />

Family<br />

Fun<br />

Guide<br />

Lauren Sherwood is a<br />

Parks Naturalist with the Capital<br />

Regional District. She enjoys<br />

being out in nature with family<br />

and friends of all ages, rain or<br />

shine. For more information<br />

about Regional Parks programs<br />

visit crd.bc.ca/park-events.<br />

Your guide for Attractions,<br />

Activities and Family Fun<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 19


The ‘Pandemic Effect’<br />

My youngest was born in the summer<br />

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

they learned previously. For example, I believe such conclusions are prema-<br />

extended family or left Vancouver <strong>Island</strong>;<br />

he has never seen his pediatrician without<br />

a mask or visited a play group. He is<br />

our pandemic baby. Like other parents,<br />

I wondered if being born into the pandemic<br />

could affect early development, so<br />

I turned to science for answers.<br />

The pandemic has affected everyone<br />

but, although we are all in the same<br />

storm, we are in different boats. The toll<br />

dropped objects fall down, so a floating<br />

balloon is likely to surprise them.<br />

Fortunately, your home environment<br />

provides many opportunities for seeing<br />

patterns and noticing new things. It’s perfect,<br />

actually. Your baby can learn about<br />

physics (“My ducky floats in the water…<br />

but this heavy spoon from the kitchen<br />

does not”), emotions (“When my brother<br />

cries he is usually sad…and sometimes<br />

stranger wearing a face covering; I imagine<br />

some pandemic-born babies may have<br />

felt in this environment what you and I<br />

would feel if we were abducted by aliens.<br />

(I don’t think I would perform my best<br />

on an IQ test from an alien spaceship!).<br />

And other babies might have struggled<br />

to concentrate on tasks the researchers<br />

were asking them to do because the lab<br />

environment was so novel and interesting<br />

on health, finances, medical care and<br />

available support has been much greater<br />

for some families than others, and its<br />

effects on babies, direct and indirect,<br />

are challenging to measure. So I chose<br />

to focus on one aspect: reduced interactions<br />

with the outside world. Will our<br />

pandemic babies be disadvantaged? Will<br />

their cognitive or social-emotional development<br />

be affected?<br />

Cognitive development<br />

During the first year, babies gradually<br />

get better at gathering and organizing<br />

information, remembering, problem solving<br />

and predicting events. Did you know<br />

babies use universal learning methods<br />

that resemble scientific research? Their<br />

brains constantly look for patterns in<br />

the world around them, making mental<br />

maps: “When I see this happen, I can<br />

expect that.” They also look for surprise<br />

events that don’t fit into patterns<br />

frustrated”) and relationships between<br />

people (“When I smile, daddy smiles<br />

back…but not if he’s looking away”).<br />

And novelty? Well, everything is new to<br />

babies, so they see plenty of surprises<br />

even in the calmest of homes. In fact, a<br />

calm, consistent home environment helps<br />

babies stay rested and protects them from<br />

overstimulation which, in turn, helps<br />

learning: it’s easier for a well-rested baby<br />

to notice new things and, when he goes<br />

to sleep, to integrate experiences into<br />

memory. Being at home more may help<br />

babies learn.<br />

But you might have heard of a recent<br />

study led by Dr. Sean Deoni, in which<br />

babies born during the pandemic showed<br />

a significant reduction in scores on cognitive<br />

development tests. The Guardian<br />

reported that pandemic babies had<br />

“shockingly low” scores, at levels not<br />

typically seen outside of major cognitive<br />

disorders. This is concerning. However,<br />

to them. Without measures of cognitive<br />

development taken in babies’ homes we<br />

cannot draw definitive conclusions from<br />

this study.<br />

Social-emotional development<br />

In supportive environments babies get<br />

better and better at communicating their<br />

needs and feelings, understanding emotions<br />

and carrying forward a sense of<br />

competence and trust.<br />

Our babies are born capable and<br />

aware. Newborns can already tell if<br />

someone is looking at them or away from<br />

them. One-month-olds perceive facial<br />

expressions: when a parent assumes a<br />

sombre face showing no emotion, baby’s<br />

heart activity changes in a distinct way<br />

that indicates distress and active coping.<br />

By six months babies learn to anticipate<br />

actions they see and experience regularly<br />

and can even recognize whether behaviours<br />

of others are helpful or unhelpful.<br />

20 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


What babies accomplish in their<br />

first year—how much they learn and<br />

change—is truly astounding. We, parents<br />

and caregivers, can do a lot to support<br />

their social-emotional development. But<br />

science suggests that diverse interactions<br />

with the outside world are not critical.<br />

According to the theory of attachment,<br />

most important for healthy<br />

social-emotional development is a close,<br />

committed relationship with one or more<br />

adults. One or more. It is, of course,<br />

wonderful for a baby to be part of a<br />

loving community, but not having that<br />

during the first year still allows for secure<br />

attachment.<br />

What about mask-wearing? Having<br />

been surrounded by people in masks,<br />

could our babies have trouble connecting<br />

with others? A recent study by Dr.<br />

Ed Tronick and Nancy Snidman suggests<br />

that babies don’t mind when mom puts<br />

on a mask. Dr. Tronick is widely known<br />

for the Still Face Experiment: when<br />

moms stopped mid-play and assumed an<br />

unemotional “still” face, babies showed<br />

surprise followed by distress. Did mask<br />

wearing result in a similar response?<br />

Happily, the researchers found it doesn’t.<br />

Almost all babies reacted in some way<br />

to their mom putting a mask on and<br />

taking it off, but mask wearing did not<br />

disrupt their ongoing interaction. As Dr.<br />

Alison Gopnik wrote in her analysis of<br />

this study, “Babies can look through the<br />

masks and just see the love underneath.”<br />

Our son is now 19 months old. Has he<br />

done and seen less than his sisters by this<br />

age? Yes. Do I wish he got to spend time<br />

with our extended family? Yes, absolutely.<br />

But he got to do more in other ways:<br />

he snuggled with his working-at-home<br />

dad more; he saw his sisters giggle (and<br />

squabble) more; he explored every inch<br />

of our small backyard at his own pace;<br />

his sleeping and eating habits developed<br />

against the backdrop of the slow, predictable<br />

days at home. I can’t wait for him to<br />

experience more of the world. For now, I<br />

trust that he will be okay.<br />

Anya Dunham is a research<br />

scientist with a PhD in Biology,<br />

a mom of three young children,<br />

and the author of a parenting<br />

book, Baby Ecology<br />

(Encradled Press, Jan <strong>2022</strong>).<br />

Visit Anya at kidecology.com.<br />

3045–C Douglas St.<br />

Victoria, BC<br />

GET CLOSER<br />

the-raptors.com<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 40 years<br />

tjskids.com<br />

250-386-2229<br />

Douglas St.<br />

Finlayson St.<br />

Larch St.<br />

T.J.’s<br />

Thrifty<br />

Thursdays<br />

A different<br />

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Built for performance, the all-terrain RIDGE jogger goes more places, at all paces.<br />

• Extendable canopy with mesh window and zipper pocket<br />

• Disc hand brake system<br />

• Adjustable handlebar with wrist strap<br />

• Included water bottle holder<br />

• Five-point harness with lumbar support<br />

• Deep, comfortable seat with webbing recline<br />

• Patented two-stage suspension system<br />

• Reflective accents<br />

• Large basket with included cover<br />

• Swivel-locking front wheel and adjustable tracker<br />

• 12" and 16" never flat tires<br />

• One-handed fold, stands when folded<br />

• From birth compatible with Bassinet, MESA and other<br />

infant car seats with the addition of adapters<br />

Now Offering Curb-Side Pickups Current Hours: Tues–Sat 10am–5pm<br />

Entrance off<br />

Larch St.<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 21


DADSPEAK<br />

A Meconium<br />

Congratulations<br />

Good friends of mine told me the other day that they<br />

are having a baby. It’s amazing, hearing that news<br />

and seeing their excitement. I was still thinking about<br />

it that evening when I was changing a diaper and accidentally<br />

thrust my fingers into a mound of soft excrement.<br />

“Congrats, me,” I muttered to myself as I stared at my<br />

fingers, coated in what no human’s fingers should ever be<br />

coated in.<br />

It made me think I needed to warn my friends about the<br />

meconium poop. You know the one, the black ooze that<br />

your baby births not long after they’ve been birthed, the<br />

alien horror that can give heart attacks if arrived unannounced.<br />

Changing that diaper, I stopped and stared off into space<br />

for a minute, toddler staring at me confused, wondering<br />

what I was doing with fingers covered in poo and staring<br />

blankly at the wall, but truth be told by that point, I was<br />

wondering if my friends were going to use cloth or disposable<br />

diapers and wondering if we have old cloth ones we can<br />

give them.<br />

Poop slowly hardening on my fingers, I snapped out of<br />

it and tried to remember what was safer: leaving the kid<br />

on the bed and washing my hand (risk: him falling off the<br />

bed; reward: poo off fingers faster) or finish changing kid<br />

and then wash my hand (risk: good god man; reward: toddler<br />

lives to terrorize another day). Always one to make a<br />

half-assed decision that is somehow the worst of all worlds,<br />

I kinda literally popped half of my body into the neighbouring<br />

bathroom, while keeping one of my feet in the bedroom,<br />

as if prepping to steal a base, when really I’m just prepping<br />

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

involve the phrase “wanted to get poo off my fingers.”<br />

So, I kinda washed my fingers too quickly, if we’re being<br />

honest here, so I could whip the top half of my body back<br />

in the room as if none of this ever happened. Of course, I<br />

snapped my torso around so fast it felt like Andre the Giant<br />

had grabbed my skull and smashed it against the wall, which<br />

happens, because I forgot the wall was there because there<br />

was poo, and also there was a toddler in a maybe-precarious<br />

position.<br />

22 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


I tried not to swear, but probably did, re-adjusted my<br />

glasses, remembered the poo even though it was history,<br />

whipped my hand away from my face, and looked at my<br />

kid, who was just staring at me, not having moved an inch<br />

throughout the whole ordeal. I laughed like a complete maniac<br />

for no reason, then went blank as I caught sight of and<br />

stared at the crib next to our bed, the crib that these days<br />

gets used as...well, nothing, actually. It’s just been sitting<br />

there forever.<br />

Yeah, we’ve had that crib for a long time, so long that<br />

parts of it may no longer be legal to sell in Canada, so I<br />

started wondering about things like expiration dates on car<br />

seats and I wondered if there’s some weird underground<br />

black market for parents for stuff like this, but I really don’t<br />

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

a bizarre fact he was unaware of, but isn’t parenting in<br />

<strong>2022</strong> full of bizarre facts we were all previously unaware of?<br />

But the poo on the fingers, man, that goes back. Since the<br />

dawn of time, parents have accidentally rammed their fingers<br />

into piles of poo, and the sensation never fails to horrify me.<br />

It’s a horrifying, horrifying thing that no one ever warned<br />

me about. There absolutely will come a time when there is<br />

poo under your fingernails and you have to work to get it<br />

out.<br />

Oh man, I didn’t check under my fingernails.<br />

Uh, anyway, all of which is to say, congrats, you two. And<br />

watch out for that meconium poop.<br />

Greg Pratt is the father of three children and a<br />

local journalist and editor. His writing has appeared<br />

in, among other places, Today’s <strong>Parent</strong>, Decibel<br />

and Douglas. He is @gregprattwriter on Twitter.<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 23


WHAT’SFORDINNER<br />

Make Ahead Healthy Snacks<br />

It’s not always easy to eat healthy when you’re busy. Sometimes<br />

you just don’t have the time to whip up a healthy<br />

snack or even chop some vegetables. And when your kids<br />

are hungry, then they need food right away. Asking them to<br />

wait just doesn’t work.<br />

The secret to healthy eating in a hurry is to always have a<br />

few healthy snacks on hand!<br />

Here’s a few reasons why it’s worth stashing some healthy<br />

homemade snacks in your fridge, freezer and cupboards:<br />

• If you make it yourself, you get to control the amount of<br />

sugar and salt.<br />

• Homemade food is usually preservative free compared to<br />

their commercial counterparts.<br />

• The packaging on commercial snacks just adds up in the<br />

landfill, whereas homemade snacks are zero-waste!<br />

• It’s also a lot more affordable to make your own snacks.<br />

Coconut Almond Energy Balls<br />

(Prep Time 15 minutes)<br />

These energy balls were a treat that my mom made when I was<br />

growing up. We always had them to take on camping trips or for long<br />

walks. They are full of healthy, sustaining energy. Have your children<br />

help roll the balls and coat them in whatever topping they want.<br />

1 cup of Medjool dates, pits removed<br />

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes<br />

1 cup of almonds<br />

2 Tbsp of cocoa powder<br />

1 ⁄2 tsp vanilla<br />

Pinch of salt<br />

Toppings: flaked coconut, slivered almonds, cocoa powder<br />

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

a food processor, you can use a blender. Just keep scraping all the<br />

ingredients down so they get finely chopped.<br />

2. Once everything has been mixed into a smooth paste, scrape it<br />

into a bowl and place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.<br />

3. Remove from the fridge. Using a teaspoon, grab a spoonful of<br />

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

get your kids to help out).<br />

4. Then roll the ball in one of the toppings and set aside while you<br />

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

depending on how large you make them.<br />

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

last for at least a month.<br />

Ranch Flavoured Microwave Popcorn<br />

(Cook Time 3 to 5 minutes)<br />

Did you know that you can make popcorn in a glass bowl in the microwave?<br />

You don’t need to spend money on wasteful and expensive<br />

packaged microwave popcorn. Just invest in a large bag of popcorn<br />

kernels!<br />

Microwave popcorn is a quick after school snack. Or you can pop<br />

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

should stay fresh for up to a week.<br />

1 ⁄2 cup of popcorn kernels<br />

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

1 tsp garlic powder<br />

1 tsp onion powder<br />

1 tsp dried dill<br />

1⁄2 tsp salt, to taste<br />

1. Add the popcorn kernels to a large glass bowl and top with a dinner<br />

plate.<br />

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

The exact timing will depend on the wattage of your microwave.<br />

3. Use oven mitts to remove the bowl, it will be very hot.<br />

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

in the microwave.<br />

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

on the seasonings. Toss to fully mix the seasonings. And enjoy!<br />

6. Ranch is our favourite flavour, but feel free to experiment with<br />

other flavour options.<br />

24 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


SKAM SUMMER CAMPS ARE BACK<br />

R A U L P O P B Y D<br />

N A M E D Grab and Go Vegetables<br />

(Prep Time 15 minutes)<br />

When my kids were young, my husband and I used to prepare a big<br />

bag of mixed vegetables. It was chopped up and ready in the fridge<br />

whenever we needed a snack. Now that my kids are older, they are<br />

responsible for preparing the grab and go vegetables.<br />

Wondering at what age you can get your kids chopping vegetables?<br />

I recommend starting early. My daughter was helping with her school<br />

lunch right from kindergarten. Though she still can’t chop carrots, she’s<br />

used to the expectation that she’s going to help out. So eventually,<br />

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

The secret to these make ahead vegetables is the seasoning! They<br />

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

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

that?<br />

Carrots<br />

Celery<br />

Small head of cauliflower and/or broccoli<br />

Mushrooms<br />

Coloured peppers<br />

Green beans and peas<br />

1⁄2 tsp salt and pepper, to taste<br />

1 bunch of fresh herbs<br />

1. Wash and slice your favourite snack vegetables. I recommend a<br />

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

being prepared in advance. So don’t include those in your mix.<br />

2. Lightly season the vegetables with salt and pepper, to taste. Place<br />

the vegetables in a large zip-top bag or a container with a lid.<br />

3. Wash and dry the herbs. Then scrunch them up and put them on<br />

top of the vegetables. They are just there to infuse the vegetables with<br />

flavour, so remove before serving. I recommend mint and basil; parsley<br />

and chives; or whatever you have that’s handy.<br />

4. Store the vegetables in the fridge and enjoy within 3–4 days.<br />

DRAMA CAMPS FOR<br />

AGES 5-8 AND 9-12<br />

ARE RUNNING JULY<br />

THROUGH AUGUST<br />

REGISTER AT<br />

SKAM.CA TODAY<br />

Emillie Parrish loves having adventures with<br />

her two busy children. You can find more of her<br />

recipes in her recently released cookbook Fermenting<br />

Made Simple. fermentingforfoodies.com<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 25


APRIL/MAYFAMILYCALENDAR<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 />

APRIL<br />

1 FRIDAY TO 9 SATURDAY<br />

Spring Break Physical Literacy N<br />

Passport Challenge<br />

Upload your passport or drop off at either Ravensong<br />

Aquatic Centre or Oceanside Place Arena by<br />

Sunday <strong>April</strong> 10.<br />

rdn.bc.ca/recreation<br />

2 SATURDAY<br />

AGGV Public Open House<br />

V<br />

10am–5pm, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria<br />

Drop by the opening of Reverberations and enjoy<br />

a free day at the Gallery.<br />

aggv.ca/events<br />

Monthly Clothing Swap<br />

10am–1pm, Fairfield Gonzales Community<br />

Association<br />

fairfieldcommunity.ca/clothing-swap<br />

5 TUESDAY<br />

AGGV Admission by Donation V<br />

10am–5pm, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria<br />

The first Tuesday of the month is always admission<br />

by donation—all day long.<br />

aggv.ca/events<br />

V<br />

9 SATURDAY<br />

Penny Pom Pom<br />

N<br />

1pm, VIU Malaspina Theatre<br />

Meet Penny Pom Pom, a colourful ball of energy<br />

who embodies creative confidence and artistic<br />

freedom. Her multi-media show for young children<br />

is colourful, musical and interactive and<br />

focuses on the importance of creativity and selfempowerment.<br />

theatreone.ca<br />

16 SATURDAY<br />

Easter Eggstravaganza<br />

V<br />

9:30–11:30am, Oaklands Community<br />

Association<br />

Drop by for a morning of crafts, egg hunting,<br />

petting goats and more! Two time slots, 9:30–<br />

10:30am and 10:30–11:30am. Tickets at OCA.<br />

oaklands.life/oca-events<br />

Daniel Lapp’s Joy of Life Concert V<br />

7:30–9:30pm, Alix Goolden Hall<br />

This Victoria event has a 20+ history celebrating<br />

the best the city has to offer in toe-tapping folk,<br />

fiddle and jazz music.<br />

vcm.bc.ca/programs/joy-of-life-choir<br />

17 SUNDAY<br />

AGGV Family Sundays<br />

V<br />

2–4pm Art Gallery of Greater Victoria<br />

An afternoon of exploring hands-on art-making<br />

ideas for all ages.<br />

aggv.ca/events<br />

22 FRIDAY<br />

Earth Day<br />

In addition to raising awareness of environmental<br />

issues among citizens and organizations across<br />

the country, this campaign aims to encourage as<br />

many people as possible to take action.<br />

earthday.ca<br />

30 SATURDAY<br />

Wigglers at Work<br />

V<br />

10–11am, The Compost Education Centre<br />

<strong>Parent</strong>-child workshop on red wiggler worms.<br />

Learn what goes into compost and get a chance<br />

to hold some live worms.<br />

compost.bc.ca<br />

MAY<br />

1 SUNDAY<br />

Annual Spring Fling<br />

CV<br />

1–3pm, Bowser Legion<br />

Food, fashion, a silent auction and games, including<br />

a balloon pop.<br />

250-738-0822<br />

26 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


Milner Gardens’ Spring Plant Sale N<br />

11am–4pm<br />

Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> University’s Milner Gardens<br />

features great discounts on heritage trees, shrubs<br />

and perennials.<br />

milnergardens.viu.ca<br />

2 MONDAY<br />

YES <strong>2022</strong> BioBlitz<br />

N<br />

Yellow Point Ecological Society’s 2nd annual<br />

BioBlitz is an “intense community engagement”<br />

to help identify as many species as possible in a<br />

designated area. Family friendly and lots of fun.<br />

yellowpointecologicalsociety.ca<br />

7 SATURDAY<br />

James Bay Community Market V<br />

9am–3pm, Saturdays,<br />

Superior and Menzies Streets<br />

This vibrant community market features fresh<br />

local produce and farm goods, artisan crafts and<br />

ready-to-eat foods.<br />

jamesbaymarket.com<br />

23 MONDAY<br />

Victoria Day Parade<br />

V<br />

9am–noon, downtown Victoria<br />

This free family event features entertainment,<br />

performances, building an awareness of our diverse<br />

cultures, creating safe, inclusive opportunities<br />

for everyone to participate.<br />

gvfs.ca<br />

28 SATURDAY<br />

Kellie Haines: A Birdy Told Me N<br />

1pm, VIU Malaspina Theatre<br />

Eight-year-old Kellie doesn’t feel like she fits in at<br />

school until she receives a birthday gift who can<br />

talk on their own. Kellie meets Magrau, a chatty<br />

confident bird puppet who has a flair for singing,<br />

dancing, and making people laugh.<br />

theatreone.ca<br />

COWICHAN BAY<br />

KAYAKING<br />

Canoeing Adventures<br />

Youth Programs<br />

OPEN FOR<br />

BOOKING!<br />

Book online or contact us<br />

by email or phone<br />

(minimum 24 hrs ahead).<br />

Visit our website for details.<br />

Wildlife Tours<br />

ADVENTURE<br />

CENTRE<br />

Kayak &<br />

SUP Rentals<br />

On the Dock at Bluenose<br />

Marina, Cowichan Bay<br />

cowichanbaykayaking.com 250-597-3031 info@cowichanbaykayaking.com<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 27


KIDS’READS<br />

Tourist in Your Own Town<br />

When you grow up in a city, or if you’ve lived there<br />

for a while, it can be easy to forget about all of<br />

the exciting things people want to come and see.<br />

After all, the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea is always there.<br />

You could go almost any day of the week (just don’t pick<br />

Wednesday). Or you might drive passed the Hatley Park<br />

Gardens every day during your commute, so they no longer<br />

seem so spectacular. But this summer, why not try to rekindle<br />

the excitement we feel for our own towns and become tourists<br />

in our own backyards, so to speak. I can even suggest<br />

some books that will teach you about the animals around us<br />

and give some suggestions on how you can remember and<br />

treasure the little adventures you go on.<br />

Let’s start with The Collectors by Alice Feagan (Kids Can<br />

Press, 2021). Winslow and Rosie love to collect natural<br />

wonders and display them in their tree house on the edge of<br />

the forest. Each item has a story that is carefully catalogued<br />

by Rosie in her field journal. But now, their treehouse is so<br />

full they only have one spot left. Rosie and Winslow set out<br />

to try and find something amazing to go there. While you’re<br />

learning about the items they collect, maybe you’ll get some<br />

ideas about items you can collect as well. For ages 4 to 8.<br />

<strong>May</strong>be while you’re exploring you can convince your child<br />

to use their ears to see if they can hear any bees buzzing or<br />

birds singing. And then, you can read Sounds All Around:<br />

The Science of How Sound Works by Susan Hughes and illustrated<br />

by Ellen Rooney (Kids Can Press, 2021) to talk<br />

about how we hear sounds and how animals hear sounds.<br />

For example, did you know elephants hear through their<br />

feet? For ages 6 to 12.<br />

If your children love the water and want to learn about<br />

some of the sea creatures that live in the area, there are several<br />

books by local authors that can help. Dive into Colours<br />

by Ann Donahue is a great first book about sea creatures for<br />

children ages 3 to 5 and her second book Reef Creatures:<br />

Weird and Wonderful has almost every possible answer to<br />

every question your 6- to 12-year-olds can think about for<br />

sea creatures that call reefs their home.<br />

And if your intrepid reader is concerned about the lack of<br />

orca information in Donahue’s books, there is always Orca’s<br />

Everywhere: The Mystery and History of Killer Whales by<br />

local author Mark Leiren-Young (Orca Publishing, 2019),<br />

which is full of information for preteens. For ages 10 to 14.<br />

If you’re not exactly sure what sorts of information you<br />

should record on your walk through the lagoon or along<br />

one of the other beaches around here, Beach Walk which<br />

was edited by Deanna F. Cook and Lisa H. Hiley (Storey<br />

Publishing, 2019) has you covered. The book comes with a<br />

magnifying glass, stickers, information about different sea<br />

creatures and plants and a beach log to record your findings.<br />

Let this book help you kindle your child’s inner explorer and<br />

28 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


help them find ways to connect with the ocean around us<br />

this summer. For ages 4 to 8.<br />

Or maybe you and your children aren’t so scientifically<br />

inclined and the idea of cataloguing what you see, hear and<br />

smell doesn’t sound so appealing. Then perhaps you can<br />

follow the lead of the child in Poem in My Pocket by Chris<br />

Tougas and illustrated by Josée Bisaillon (Kids Can Press,<br />

2021) and create a found poem from all the words you see<br />

fluttering in the breeze. For ages 6 to 12.<br />

I hope these books give you and your children some ideas<br />

for how they can explore their own neighbourhoods and local<br />

beaches this summer.<br />

Christina Van Starkenburg lives in<br />

Victoria with her husband, children and cat.<br />

She is the author of One Tiny Turtle: A Story<br />

You Can Colour and many articles. To read<br />

more of her work and learn about her upcoming<br />

books visit christinavanstarkenburg.com. Facebook:<br />

facebook.com/christinavanstarkenburg<br />

and Twitter: @Christina_VanS.<br />

Homestay Families Needed!<br />

Dedicated students in grades 6–12 come from<br />

28 different countries to attend academic<br />

programs in Greater Victoria Schools.<br />

Why Host?<br />

• Enjoy an unforgettable cultural experience.<br />

• $1100 per month will be provided to<br />

support a student in your home<br />

• Short Stay or Long Stay Hosting<br />

Opportunities are Available<br />

• 24/7 assistance is provided from<br />

the Homestay Office<br />

Questions?<br />

250.592.6871<br />

homestay@sd61.bc.ca<br />

studyinvictoria.com<br />

Connect your family to the world.<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 29


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 />

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. Christopher’s Montessori School<br />

Offering an enriched and<br />

nurturing Montessori programme<br />

Competitively priced independent<br />

school education<br />

Half day for 3 & 4 year olds<br />

Full day kindergarten<br />

stcmontessori.ca 250-595-3213<br />

Call your local CCRR for free referrals and resources.<br />

Victoria & Gulf <strong>Island</strong>s: 250-382-7000<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 />

30 <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 />

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 />

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 />

• 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 />

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 />

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 />

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>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 31


Alexa, How Do I Teach My<br />

Kids About Money?<br />

Something’s in the air and it’s not just the silent alarm of<br />

a much-needed diaper change. While you and your other<br />

half grapple with who’s taking the night shift and who gets<br />

some extra shut-eye, a conversation about money will feel<br />

like your last priority.<br />

Nevertheless, the sooner our kids are taught the basics of<br />

money, the sooner they’ll become financially literate.<br />

Some predict that Generation Alpha (born in 2010–2024)<br />

will be the most formally educated, tech-savvy and wealthiest<br />

generation in history. However, the lifelong lesson of<br />

money can’t be downloaded as an app and absorbed in an<br />

instant. Instead, real life teachable moments can be applied<br />

to the all-important financial literacy conversation.<br />

And, just as critical as the discussion with your children<br />

is, you and your partner need to be on the same page. Chartered<br />

Professional Accountants Canada (CPA Canada) recommends<br />

some areas to consider when teaching your kids<br />

about money:<br />

Partners in finance: While parents don’t always see eye to<br />

eye, money is a conversation that requires clear communication<br />

and compatibility before you talk to your child.<br />

ABCs and 123s: Start the conversation with your kids<br />

early. It’s never too soon to show them the value of dollars.<br />

Make it relatable: Use real life ‘teachable’ moments to<br />

kickstart lessons in financial education. With assistance,<br />

letting your child pay at the grocery store gives them confidence<br />

with transactions.<br />

Pennies to profit: Teach your kids the long game. By providing<br />

small allowances and exploring spending goals, your<br />

kids will learn from an early age the importance of budgeting.<br />

Continue the conversation: Financial lessons won’t be<br />

digested in a one-time talk. Keep checking in with your kids<br />

and encourage them to learn.<br />

It’s never too early to start implementing money lessons<br />

at home. CPA Canada has a range of tips and resources to<br />

help guide the money conversation with your future financial<br />

whiz kid. Download CPA Canada’s free financial literacy<br />

workshops or a copy of its Raising Money Smart Kids book<br />

at cpacanada.ca.<br />

Vivian Leung is a Senior Principal in CPA Canada’s Taxation group.<br />

She is passionate about advancing financial literacy amongst Canadians<br />

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

bundle of joy.<br />

32 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


SPONSORED CONTENT<br />

Inspired Summer Camps for Teens<br />

Summer camps are not just for young children, they’re a<br />

chance for teens to pursue passions and explore new interests<br />

with the Applied Skills for Teens series offered by<br />

St. Michaels University School (SMUS) in Victoria, B.C.<br />

These camps, taught by specialized teachers and including<br />

subjects such as digital fabrication, graphic design, robotics,<br />

math, physics, screenwriting, poetry, pottery, and photography<br />

are a perfect opportunity to keep teens focused, engaged and<br />

learning over the summer months.<br />

“We are offering students the chance to engage in subjects<br />

they are passionate about without the pressure of assessment<br />

and homework,” says Craig Kelley, Director of External<br />

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

that will spark their interest and keep them inspired through<br />

the rest of the year.”<br />

SMUS has partnered with the Victoria Conservatory of Music<br />

to offer the Summer Music Explorations Camp, with both day<br />

and overnight options. Students will explore the creative world<br />

of music, while broadening their knowledge of genres and<br />

strengthening their technical playing skill within our world-class<br />

facilities.<br />

To encourage the next generation of budding engineers,<br />

SMUS is offering Byte Camp U. During this two-week overnight<br />

camp, students will tackle real-world challenges to develop<br />

their problem-solving, engineering and technology skills.<br />

With more than 60 camps, there is something for everyone<br />

at SMUS. Day camps are open to all Greater Victoria families,<br />

and overnight options are available for music, engineering,<br />

sports and language programs.<br />

To learn more and to register, please visit our Summer<br />

Camps website: www.smus.ca/camps.<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 33


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 />

Befriend the Birds<br />

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

to local backyard birds.<br />

rain) where you can watch the action!<br />

This spring put out nesting material. Continue to restock and offer nesting<br />

See who prefers the fluff to the moss. materials March to July. It’s common<br />

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

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

comes thru.<br />

and raise a family of their own.<br />

Show passion for some part of our living<br />

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

Note: Shop for bird-nesting material<br />

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

help our non-human kin brings us a little bird seed and houses.<br />

more magic and helps make friends with<br />

mystery. Nature is potent!<br />

A mnemonic is a pattern of letters,<br />

ideas or associations to help you<br />

remember something. It aids the<br />

memory. (You use them all the time.)<br />

How to provide nesting<br />

material<br />

To “rewild” your yard, plant native<br />

trees, shrubs, and forbs. Trees species<br />

with the best downy-like fluff have catkins<br />

(a flowering spike) like cottonwood,<br />

maple, willow, and poplar. (Allergy sufferers<br />

will know exactly where these<br />

wind-pollinated trees are in the neighbourhood.)<br />

All types of bird nests need a combination<br />

of twigs, dried grasses, moss, hair,<br />

mud and even spider webs. It’s easy and<br />

fun to attract birds and enjoy observing<br />

them by putting out nesting material.<br />

My local hummingbirds chose the moss,<br />

while pine siskins preferred the cattail<br />

fluff!<br />

Other natural, biodegradable, pesticide-free<br />

materials:<br />

Dog fur (free from chemical flea and<br />

tick treatments), horsehair (clean their<br />

body brushes) or wool. DON’T use human<br />

hair.<br />

Moss<br />

Dry grass<br />

Cattail fluff<br />

Twigs and strips of bark<br />

Dried leaves<br />

Don’t use dryer lint (it’s a chemical<br />

soup), yarn or string and synthetic fibres.<br />

Human hair is also too thin and can cut<br />

or tangle birds.<br />

Take a handful of nesting materials<br />

and stuff a repurposed metal whisk or<br />

use a winter cage-like suet feeder. Then<br />

Keep a patch of bare ground with<br />

exposed soil to help swallows and<br />

robins. They need mud for their<br />

nests (you’ll help native mason bees<br />

and butterflies, too). Sounds silly<br />

but chances are you already have a<br />

place they use. It could be the corner<br />

of the yard that gets trampled or<br />

a low spot that puddles.<br />

Beginner bird mnemonics<br />

for common species<br />

Now that you’ve observed which birds<br />

are nesting in or near your yard, get to<br />

know them by song. You’ll learn which<br />

species love living near you and get to<br />

know the birds on your favourite walking<br />

routes, too.<br />

When I birded for a living in the boreal<br />

forest of Alberta, songs were the easiest<br />

way to identify birds. Songbirds were<br />

often hard to see in dense over- and understory<br />

or they were far away and high<br />

up. Luckily, birders train in mnemonics<br />

and you can too!<br />

Photo: Robert Fraser<br />

34 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


Jon Young, author of What the Robin Knows: How Birds<br />

Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World says the bravest<br />

to most secretive birds to reveal their presence to you<br />

are: chickadees, sparrows, juncos, thrushes, warblers,<br />

then towhees.<br />

Twelve phrases and clues to identify<br />

Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> birds by song:<br />

American Goldfinch says “po-ta-to-chip” while in flight<br />

Barred Owl says “Who-cooks-for you? Who-cooks for you<br />

all?”<br />

Chestnut-backed Chickadee says “Sika-dee-dee”<br />

Chipping Sparrow sounds mechanical, like a sewing machine<br />

Olive-sided Flycatcher says “Quick, three beers!”<br />

Ruby-crowned Kinglet says “Chubby, chubby, cheek, chubby<br />

cheeks”<br />

Song Sparrow says “Maids-maids-maids-put-on-your-teakettle-ettle-ettle”<br />

or “Hey! Hey! Put on the kettle, kettle,<br />

kettle”<br />

Spotted Towhee says “Tow-hee?”<br />

White-breasted Nuthatch sounds like a nasally French horn<br />

White-throated Sparrow says “O, sweet, Canada, Canada,<br />

Canada”<br />

Yellow Warbler sings “Sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet”<br />

I also recommend learning songs of the Pacific Wren, Darkeyed<br />

Junco, Brown Creeper and Yellow-rumped Warbler, too<br />

Don’t hear it? Don’t stress. Listen to a variety of bird song<br />

recordings online to train your ear. Prefer to learn in the field?<br />

Join a local naturalist group or register for a nature sanctuary<br />

guided birding walk.<br />

Lindsay Coulter is a writer, educator, facilitator,<br />

naturalist, community catalyst, soul activist,<br />

mentor, and dedicated mother of two. She’s the<br />

Director of Communications, Culture and Community<br />

at EPIC Learning Centre, a forest and nature<br />

school in Victoria. Find her @SaneAction on Instagram<br />

and Facebook.<br />

Photo: Kalene Lillico<br />

Swimming is a Life Skill<br />

Remember how much<br />

fun it is to swim!<br />

Now Registering<br />

Spring<br />

pre-competitive<br />

programs<br />

Coming Soon<br />

Summer intro<br />

programs—<br />

registered by the<br />

week<br />

Register online at<br />

www.islandswimming.com/program-info<br />

More information<br />

info@islandswimming.com (250) 744-5536<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 35


Scavenger Hunt<br />

In the CITY<br />

Things to<br />

Look for<br />

Something red<br />

A sign with the letter<br />

“A” on it<br />

A recycling bin<br />

10 blades of grass<br />

A mailbox<br />

A bus<br />

A bicycle<br />

A blue car<br />

Find scavenger hunt items,<br />

sing a song, read some books<br />

and have fun learning together.<br />

Rhyme “The Elevator Song”<br />

Oh, the city is big and the city is grand<br />

(stretch arms wide then stretch hands high)<br />

There are lots of people living on a little bit of land<br />

(pinch fingers close together)<br />

And we live way up on the 57th floor (point up)<br />

And this is what we do when we go out the door<br />

(pretend to open a door)<br />

We take the elevator up (reach arms up)<br />

We take the elevator down (reach arms down)<br />

We take the elevator up<br />

We take the elevator down<br />

We take the elevator up<br />

We take the elevator down<br />

Literacy Tip<br />

Make letters, words, and sounds part of your everyday activities.<br />

You could say, “I see something that begins with the same letter<br />

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

sign? What should we do?” Try applying these same strategies<br />

when reading books together. For example, ask your child to<br />

find a familiar letter or word on the page.<br />

And then we turn around (turn around)<br />

Booklist<br />

Look for these titles<br />

at gvpl.ca<br />

• Small in the City by Sydney Smith<br />

• The Digger and the Flower<br />

by Joseph Kuefler<br />

• City Mouse, Country Mouse<br />

by Maggie Rudy<br />

36 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


City Nature Challenge <strong>2022</strong><br />

Join nature lovers across the capital region in celebrating local species<br />

and ecosystems by participating in the <strong>2022</strong> City Nature Challenge.<br />

Over a four day period, <strong>April</strong> 29 through <strong>May</strong> 2, photograph and<br />

document local biodiversity in the capital region using the free iNaturalist<br />

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

us. More than 400 cities around the world will be participating in<br />

the City Nature Challenge this year, as a global celebration of biodiversity<br />

in and around urban areas.<br />

Participating in City Nature Challenge in the capital region is easy:<br />

• Find nature in your backyard, neighbourhood, favourite park or<br />

beach. Observations of plants, animals, fungi, insects, tracks, or even<br />

scat are all welcome.<br />

SPONSORED CONTENT<br />

• Photograph your observation from different angles and capture<br />

different features. Use a digital camera or smart phone.<br />

• Create an iNaturalist account using the app or website and upload<br />

your observation.<br />

• Identify your finding to the highest level that you can, or let the online<br />

iNaturalist community help with identification.<br />

• Repeat!<br />

Stay tuned for upcoming information about City Nature Challenge<br />

events offered by the CRD and its partners, and iNaturalist resources that<br />

will help you get started.<br />

crd.bc.ca/biodiversity | inaturalist.ca<br />

Calling all nature lovers!<br />

Join the Capital Region’s<br />

City Nature Challenge<br />

<strong>April</strong> 29 - <strong>May</strong> 2, <strong>2022</strong><br />

How many wild plants and animals can you find in<br />

the capital region? Join the CRD and its partners as<br />

we compete with cities around the world to document<br />

urban nature using the free and simple iNaturalist app.<br />

Get outside with your family to explore the capital<br />

region’s amazing biodiversity.<br />

Learn more at www.crd.bc.ca/biodiversity.<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 37


CUTITOUT!<br />

Not a Problem<br />

Children have problems with their<br />

feelings. Some, a little more than<br />

others. Although immaturity is<br />

a factor, a lot has to do with temperament,<br />

which is why a younger child can<br />

appear more flexible, calmer, and easier<br />

to handle. We come into the world with<br />

a genetic blueprint of nine traits. Is your<br />

child high in any of the following?<br />

· Active children often use their bodies<br />

to learn and to express themselves, so it<br />

isn’t unusual for this child to come out<br />

swinging when they are dysregulated<br />

or having a hard time managing their<br />

emotional response. Yes, even past the<br />

preschool years.<br />

· Perceptive children can quickly absorb<br />

other people’s stress; they see it,<br />

they feel it, they act it out.<br />

· Persistent children have difficulty letting<br />

go of their agenda. They grieve the<br />

loss of their ideas.<br />

· Cautious children experience strong,<br />

overwhelming emotions when they are<br />

faced with a new situation or person.<br />

· Children who aren’t adaptable like<br />

things to be fair, and of course, life<br />

rarely is.<br />

· Very regular children like routine<br />

and can easily be triggered by hunger<br />

and fatigue.<br />

· Sensory sensitive children often feel<br />

overwhelmed by their environment. This<br />

leads to depletion and an empty reserve<br />

of patience.<br />

· Intense children feel things in a big<br />

way and have difficulty keeping their reactions<br />

to a dull roar. Remember, adults<br />

have temperament too.<br />

· Some children come into the world<br />

with a more serious mood.<br />

What to do:<br />

Stop seeing a child’s eruptions as a<br />

problem to be fixed. Time will take care<br />

of this if handled well.<br />

Regulate yourself. Focus on your<br />

breath and your inner dialogue. “My<br />

child isn’t giving me a hard time; they<br />

are having a hard time.” (Dr. Ross<br />

Greene)<br />

Keep everyone safe and stand by without<br />

words, lectures, threats, or lessons.<br />

Breathe.<br />

Be present if you can, and if you can’t,<br />

say you will be back and that you love<br />

them.<br />

Your task is to protect your children<br />

from getting stuck in the bad kid role.<br />

It does not make sense to punish a child<br />

for dysregulation. Remember this is<br />

simple immaturity plus temperament.<br />

It’s normal.<br />

Children need to know you can handle<br />

their big feelings. If they see fear or<br />

helplessness in you, they will believe that<br />

there is something wrong with them.<br />

This will lead to more dysregulated episodes<br />

and low self-esteem.<br />

Remember to translate I HATE YOU,<br />

into HELP, I’M STRUGGLING.<br />

When it’s over, just connect. You don’t<br />

have to talk it out but show that you get<br />

it and you’ve got their back.<br />

Dr. Allison Rees is a<br />

parent educator, counsellor<br />

and coach at LIFE Seminars<br />

(Living in Families Effectively),<br />

lifeseminars.com.<br />

BUSINESSES<br />

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These local businesses are family-focused and committed to our community and helping you.<br />

Tired of packing lunches? Try a<br />

weekly delivery of school lunches!<br />

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CONVENIENT<br />

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ThisWeeksLunch.com/<br />

How-It-Works<br />

38 <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Parent</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca


SUMMER CAMPS<br />

AT<br />

UVIC!<br />

• RECREATION • SPORT DEVELOPMENT • HIGH PERFORMANCE<br />

• CLIMBING & OUTDOOR<br />

Develop skills, meet new friends, explore creativity<br />

and experience exciting activities in a fun, safe<br />

and positive environment!<br />

REGISTRATION<br />

OPENS APRIL 4.<br />

See complete camps listings online:<br />

vikescamps.com<br />

• Archery<br />

• Racquet Sports<br />

• Ball Hockey • Soccer<br />

• Basketball • Softball<br />

• Cheer<br />

• Sport Science<br />

• Cross Country • Swimming<br />

• Dance<br />

• Tennis<br />

• Fencing<br />

• Track & Field<br />

• Girl Power • Vikes Adventurers<br />

• Golf<br />

• Vikes Sports<br />

• Indoor Climbing • Volleyball<br />

• Outdoor Climbing • Yoga<br />

• Judo<br />

• and more!<br />

• Mini Vikes<br />

Join us for adventure-filled co-ed summer camps at SMS!<br />

Camp themes include tennis, robotics, nature & gardening, LEGO,<br />

Harry Potter, art, Minecraft, and more!<br />

Learn more at stmarg.ca/camps<br />

<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca<br />

<strong>April</strong>/<strong>May</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 39

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