Family Resource Guide 2016/17

Island Parent Family Resource Guide Celebrating

28 Years

2016-2017

Over 900 Listings from Victoria to Parksville

2

Now With Victoria Locations!

Experience the precision of customized vision

Dr. Joslin, Dr. Morin & Associates Doctors of Optometry

STrollerS • hiGh ChairS • Car SeaTS • SleeP aidS CarrierS • SWinGS • CloThinG • ShoeS • ToyS • BookS PlayardS • SkinCare • diaPer BaGS • FurniTure

Langford: #105–814 Goldstream Ave 250-474-4567 www.langfordoptometrists.com

Hillside Location Mattick’s Farm Location 1581 Hillside Ave, Victoria 5325 Cordova Bay Rd, Victoria 778-265-5651 778-265-5432 shop online & create your gift registry at momease.ca

New Patients Welcome

Curiosity • Diversity Exploration • Nature Play-Oriented Learning

Half Day & Full Day Early Learning Programs

3905 Haro Road, Victoria BC

250-477-3731 arbutusgrove.ca

Sooke: #5–6726 West Coast Rd 250-642-4311 www.sookeoptometrists.com

Pregnant?

Pregnancy is a state of health. Midwives recognize what an extraordinary time this is in your life and we are available to support you through your childbearing year.

Covered by Your BC Health Care BC’s Medical Services Plan pays for midwifery care, including in-home check-ups in labour and after you’ve had your baby. You can self-refer to a midwife.

Quality Care Studies show that midwifery clients have lower rates of episiotomies, infection, Caesarean sections, forceps and vacuum deliveries and newborns that require resuscitation.

‘Resource-full’ Parenting

R

aising kids is a big job.

And it’s one of, if not the,­most important jobs we’ll ever tackle. There’s no training, no user’s manual, no annual review to let you know how you’re doing—not to mention any time off or regular coffee breaks—but the position offers a surprising amount of job satisfaction, plenty of challenges, and lots of room for advancement.

More than just a “job,” though, parenting is an immense responsibility, an honour, a privilege and, if all goes well (granted, not according to plans) it’s an absolute joy.

One thing’s for sure, parenting is easier, more rewarding and enjoyable with support from and connection to community.

You’ll find that community—other parents, childcare providers, teachers, health care professionals, family-centred businesses and services, and many other kidfriendly comrades—in the pages of this year’s Family Resource Guide.

You’ll also find resources for new parents along with information on family support, education, classes and programs, health and wellness, legal and financial services, family fun and entertainment, party planning, retail products, family restaurants and food markets, overnight camps and family travel. There are articles on topics including Low Carbon Adventures, Child Proofing, Making Waves with Ocean Literacy, Island Hopping During the Off Season, An Ode to Kale, A Good Enough Mom, Sleep, or the Lack Thereof, Encouraging Social Skills in Your Child, and Playtime with Baby. And for listings on birthday party ideas and things to do, check out the Party Directory and the calendar of Annual Family Events.

We hope the listings, articles and resources in this guide—along with Island Parent’s monthly magazine—help you in your job raising healthy, happy kids. Keep this issue on hand so you can refer to it throughout the year. And for a comprehensive list of where you can pick up a free copy of Island Parent every month, visit islandparent.ca and click at the top of the home page “Where to Pick-Up a Copy.”

Here’s to “resource-full” parenting.

Choice of Hospital or Home Birth Continuity of Care Comprehensive Care Breastfeeding Education & Support We would be pleased to schedule an appointment to answer your questions about midwifery care.

midwivesinvictoria.ca 4 IslandParent.ca

Sue Fast

Linda Frear

RaeLeigh Buchanan

Mark Warner

Editor editor@islandparent.ca

Office Manager & Sales sales@islandparent.ca

Advertising Consultant raeleigh@islandparent.ca

Publisher/Owner publisher@islandparent.ca

Design & Layout Eacrett Graphic Design

Distribution Ray Cutts & Ted Dawe

Printed by Black Press

ISSN 0838-5505

Next Issue:

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Island Parent Magazine 830–A Pembroke Street Victoria, BC V8T 1H9 250-388-6905 islandparent.ca

NOVEMBER

Advertising Booking Deadline: OCTOBER 19

Island Parent Magazine, published by Island Parent Group Enterprises Ltd., is a monthly publication that honours and supports parents by providing information on resources and businesses for Vancouver Island families. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. No material herein may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Annual mail subscriptions (12 issues) are available for $35 (GST included). Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement 40051398.

On the Cover

Photo by Sarah Booth Photography, sarahboothphotography.com

Proudly providing flexible High School & Career Training courses for over 3000 Adults & Youth since 1986

Get your High School Diploma Build-up your resume with Career Training On-line, Face-to-Face, or both!

Year-round registration Call today to customize your Education Plan

250-391-9002 101–814 Goldstream Ave, Victoria, BC 250-391-9002

www.westshorecentre.com

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 5

Important Phone Numbers South Island (Greater Victoria, Saanich, Sidney, Westshore, Sooke) POLICE (NON-EMERGENCY)

East Sooke 250-642-4411

Central Saanich 250-652-4441

Esquimalt 250-414-7126

Sooke (East Sooke, Jordan River, Otter Point, Port Renfrew, Shirley) 250-642-5241

Highlands 250-474-1773

Esquimalt 250-995-7654

Metchosin 250-478-1307

Oak Bay 250-592-2424

North Saanich 250-656-1931

Saanich 250-475-4321

Oak Bay 250-592-9121

Sidney (includes North Saanich, Willis Point) 250-656-3931

Otter Point 250-642-6211

Victoria 250-995-7654 Western Communities (Colwood, Highlands, Langford, Metchosin, View Royal) 250-474-2264

Langford 250-478-9555

Saanich 250-475-6111 Sidney 250-656-2121

OTHER IMPORTANT NUMBERS Emergency Fire, Police or Ambulance 9-1-1 BC Association of Family Resource Programs frpbc.ca Child Find BC 1-888-689-3463 Options Pregnancy Centre 4-855 Caledonia Ave 250-380-6883 HealthLink BC HealthLinkBC.ca 8-1-1 Help Line for Children 250-310-1234 Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 Poison Control Centre 1-800-567-8911 Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness Campaign jessieslegacy.com 604-988-5281 Sexual Assault Crisis & Information Line 250-383-3232

Sooke 250-642-5422

The Representative for Children & Youth rcybc.ca 1-800-476-3933

Victoria 250-384-1122

Vancouver Island Crisis Line 1-888-494-3888

View Royal 250-479-7322

Women’s Transition House 250-385-6611

FIRE (NON-EMERGENCY) Central Saanich 250-652-4444

AMBULANCE (NON-EMERGENCY)

Colwood 250-478-8321

All areas 250-727-2400

Make sure your children know to call 911 for Emergency Police, Fire or Ambulance

1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre

offers a revolving selection of life skills and parent development programs that are scheduled from September to June. Programs include topics such as: • Relationships and Boundaries • How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk • Anatomy of Anger • Dads with Dads Support Group • Surviving Grief, Loss and Other Life Changes • Anxiety Reduction • Personal Transformation: Designing Your Life • Lighthouse Parent • Tools to help you ‘move on,’ and more!

Our courses are open to everyone in the community and fees are on a sliding scale.

For more information and to view a full course schedule, visit our website at www.1-up.ca 250 385 1114 info@1-up.ca 602 Gorge Rd East, Victoria BC V8T 2W6 Generously funded by

6 IslandParent.ca

Listings 6 Important Phone Numbers

New Parent Resources 8 South Island

9 Cowichan Valley 10 Mid-Island Family Support 16 South Island 21 Cowichan Valley 22 Mid-Island Education 26 South Island 30 Cowichan Valley 31 Mid-Island Classes & Programs 44 South Island 49 Cowichan Valley 50 Mid-Island Health & Wellness 60 South Island 62 Cowichan Valley 62 Mid-Island Legal & Financial Services 62 South Island Family Fun & Entertainment 64 South Island 66 Cowichan Valley 66 Mid-Island

FEatures 13 Rachel Dunstan Muller: Low Carbon Adventure

25 Sarah Milligan: Child: Proof

32 Tina Kelly: Making Waves with Ocean Literacy

34 Serena Beck: Island Hopping During the Off Season

42 Emillie Parrish: An Ode to Kale

52 Diana Hurschler: Good Enough Mom

54 Tamara McNeil: On Sleep, Or the Lack Thereof

56 Cindy Knott: Encouraging Social Skills in Your Child 57 Dough Play 58 Susan Gnucci: A Grandmother’s Reading Pledge

61 Daniel Griffin: Learning to Drive

62 Rainy Day Boredom Busters

76 Playtime with Baby 78 Allison Rees: Take the Bull by the Horns

Party Planning 68 South Island 68 Cowichan Valley 68 Mid-Island Retail Products 68 South Island 71 Cowichan Valley 71 Mid-Island Family Restaurants & Food Markets 72 South Island 73 Cowichan Valley 73 Mid-Island Overnight Camps

72

Family Travel 74

In Every Issue Party Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,39 Annual Family Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 7

Island Parent Family Resource G20u16-id20e17 Celebrating

28 Years

m Over 900 Listings fro Victoria to Parksville

New Parent resources

West Coast Midwives 2823 Dysart Rd 250-384-5940

South Island

PreNATAL ServICeS

MATerNITY/FerTILITY

Aboriginal Prenatal Support 231 Regina Ave 250-384-3211

West Coast Fertility Connections westcoastfertility.ca 250-589-3270

Birthright Victoria 516–620 View St 250-380-0305

DIAPer ServICeS

Camosun College 250-370-3550

Happy Island Diaper Service happyislanddiapers.com 1-866-922-7377

Mothering Touch Centre 975 Fort St 250-595-4905 motheringtouch.ca Prenatal classes taught by certified childbirth educators. Pre- and post-natal yoga and fitness, breastfeeding education, parenting the newborn, baby groups.

DoULAS

Please visit any of our valued partners to pick up your latest copy of Island Parent.

GReAteR vIctoRIA Greater Victoria Public Libraries Vancouver Island Regional Libraries Greater Victoria Recreation Centres Thrifty Foods All 25 Serious Coffee locations Island-wide Victoria Gymnastics Country Grocer Chapters Vitamin Shop The Bay Centre (info booth) Scallywags Royal BC Museum Buddies Toys Crumsby’s Market on Yates Market on Millstream Victoria Conservatory JamTots Lifestyle Market Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre

DUncAn Duncan Mall (centre court) Indigo Red Balloon Cowichan Recreation Centre Cowichan Aquatics Centre Kinderbeez Duncan Tourist Information cHeMAInUS Chemainus Theatre SHAWnIGAn LAKe Community Centre LADySMItH Ladysmith Recreation Centre nAnAIMo Nanaimo Aquatic Centre Quality Foods Country Club Mall Regional Library – Boban Fairway Market Island Natural Health Foods Woodgrove Centre

For a complete list of where you can find a copy of Island Parent Magazine, go to

islandparent.ca 250-388-6905 8

IslandParent.ca

Western Communities Midwifery 287 Stewart Ave 250-589-3417

Victoria Doula Directory doulasofvictoria.ca VIDA Doulas vidadoulas.ca 250-661-2544

MIDWIveS Access Midwifery & Family Care 208–2951 Tillicum Rd 250-380-6329 Birthways Midwifery Service 2254 Belmont Ave 250-384-9062 Community Midwifery Care 130 McPhillips Ave Salt Spring 250-537-2243 Cook Street Community Midwives 101–1005 Cook St 250-386-4116 Dandelion Midwifery 709 Connaught Rd 250-590-7770 Midwifery Care 547 Michigan St 250-592-5407

Sooke Family Resource Society Prenatal Program sfrs.ca 250-642-5152 Vancouver Island Naturopathic Clinic Inc. 204–4480 West Saanich Rd 250-881-1806

BeST BABIeS ProGrAMS Esquimalt Neighbourhood House 250-385-2635 ext. 203 Peninsula Best Babies 2410 Malaview Dr 250-655-5300 Saanich Neighbourhood Place Best Babies 250-360-1148 Sooke Family Resource Society Best Babies Program 250-642-5152, ext. 237 Victoria Best Babies 1240 Gladstone Ave 250-381-1552 Victoria Native Friendship Centre 250-384-3211

The Midwives Collective 107-1120 Yates St 250-590-7605 Midwifery Services of Victoria 2000 Beach Dr 250-592-0099

WestShore Best Babies 250-217-6787 ext. 204

PUBLIC HeALTH (vIHA) Esquimalt 530 Fraser St 250-519-5311

Sooke Midwifery 2050B Townsend Rd 778-425-0780 Victoria Midwifery Group 35 Cambridge St 250-381-1977

Gulf Islands 250-539-3099 Peninsula 2170 Mt. Newton X Rd 250-544-2400

Saanich 3995 Quadra St 250-519-5100

Peninsula Best Babies Program 9860 Third St, Sidney 250-656-0134

Yoga, Support and Fun!

Saltspring Island 1-137 Crofton Rd 250-538-4880 Sooke 104-2145 Townsend Rd 250-642-5464

HappyBaby Sleep Solutions 250-857-1408 happybabysleepsolutions.com

Victoria 1947 Cook St 250-388-2200

Oyaco Products Inc. oyaco.com 1-866-272-7864

West Shore 345 Wale Rd 250-519-3490

Tender Care Nannies & Manpower Services Ltd. 410-620 View St 778-432-2073

BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT Breastfeeding Matters breastfeedingmatters.ca

Vancouver Island Baby Fair vancouverislandbabyfair.com

La Leche League of Greater Victoria 250-727-4384

Vancouver Island Multiple Birth Association vimba234@hotmail.com

NEW PARENT SUPPORT

Victoria Pregnancy Centre 4-855 Caledonia Ave 250-380-6883

Aboriginal Infant Development Program 231 Regina Ave 250-384-3211 BC Association of Family Resource Programs 604-738-0068

Welcome Wagon welcomewagon.ca 1-866-518-7287

ADOPTION SUPPORT Adoption Support Program 2400 Arbutus Rd 250-721-6751 Choices Adoption & Counselling Services 100–850 Blanshard St 250-479-9811

The Cridge Young Parent Outreach Program 1307 Hillside Ave 250-995-6421 This dynamic service for young parents, parentsto-be, and their children offers support, mentoring and advocacy to young parents as they endeavor to have healthy babies, develop their parenting skills, and pursue their education and employment goals.

Family Eyecare Centre familyeyecarecentre.com 250-383-2411 Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society 250-479-7450 Infant Development Program 3970 Haro Rd, Victoria 477-1826 International Nannies & Homecare Ltd. internationalnannies.com 250-383-9566 Island Parent Magazine 830A Pembroke St 250-388-6905 Island Parent Online Islandparent.ca

Family Services of Greater Vancouver 1616 West 7th Ave 604-736-7613 Fernwood Foundation bcadopt.com 1-877-236-7807

October 2016 Schedule 975 Fort Street,Victoria | 250-595-4905

We have lots of classes, activities and support groups for Parents, Babies and Toddlers.

All classes are drop-in.

Come on down and tryy them out!

Sunday

Prenatal Yoga 10:30am Family Yoga 12 noon

(all ages, all genders)

Monday

Motherhood Circle 11am(by registration) Mommy & Baby Yoga 1pm Baby Massage 2:30pm Yoga for Labour & Birth 5:15pm

Tuesday

Songs & Rhymes for Babies & Toddlers10:15am Mobile Baby Group (9-18mos) 11:15am Mom & Baby Strength & Stretch 1:00pm Prenatal Strength & Stretch 5:15pm

Wednesday

Fun in French 10:15am Listening Mothers 11:15am Older Baby Group (4-9mo) 1:00pm Prenatal Yoga 5:15pm

Thursday

Toddler Yoga 10:15am Mom & Baby Yoga 11:30am New Baby Group (0-4mos) 1:00pm Prenatal yoga 5:15pm

Options Pregnancy Centre 4-855 Caledonia Ave 250-380-6883

Friday

Origins Supporting People Separated By Adoption originscanada.org 250-419-1200

Prenatal Yoga 10:15am Sing and Sign with Baby 12 noon Pregnancy Happy Hour 5:00pm

Cowichan Valley DOULAS Cowichan Birthwise 250-748-8493 Cowichan Childbirth, Prenatal & Doula cowichanchildbirth.com 250-510-0805

MIDWIVES Cowichan Midwifery Group 164 Station St 250-709-2040

Find more information on all of our classes and groups, on our website at www.motheringtouch.ca.

Are you about to become a Dad? Are you a Dad with a baby under one year?

Come and join our Dads’ Workshop A workshop for new fathers and fathers-to-be to discuss new roles, expectations, life changes the joys and woes, challenges and the deep pleasure of being a DAD! Thursday, October 27, 7pm. $35 See our website for more information.

Theplace placefor fornew newand andexpectant expectantparents parents ||www.motheringtouch.ca www.motheringtouch.ca The

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 9

PUBLIC HEALTH (VIHA) Duncan 675 Canada Ave 250-709-3050 Lake Cowichan Health Unit 58 Cowichan Ave 250-749-6878

NEW PARENT SUPPORT Aboriginal Infant Development Program, Duncan 5768 Allenby Rd 250-746-6184 Island Mother, Cowichan 250 737-1687

The perfect setting for your outdoor adventures! ����d�n�a��and����d�rn�����amp�n����r� 

Youth and Adults



Sports Teams



School Groups



Church Retreats



�utdoor �duca�on



Weddings



Community Groups



 

�es��als and ��ents Music, art, and crea��e programs



Corporate Team Building and much more!

Margaret Moss Health Centre, Duncan 675 Canada Ave 250-709-3050 New Mom Centre, PostPartum Support & Education, Duncan newmomcentre.ca 250-510-2518 Sundrops Centre for Child Development, Duncan 5856 Celemnts St 250-746-4135 Y Young Moms Program 250-382-1004

Mid-Island MIDWIVES/DOULAS Born Healthy 630 2nd Ave, Ladysmith 250-245-3079 Jennifer Hewko, Registered Midwife 3799 Avolea Dr 250-760-1080 Mid-Island Midwifery, Nanaimo 2506 Maxey Rd 250-741-1294 or 350 Stewart Ave 250-716-1366 West Coast Doulas, Port Alberni, Parksville, Tofino & Ucluelet westcoastdoulas.com

PRENATAL SERVICES Crisis Pregnancy Centre of Nanaimo 1717B Kerrisdale Rd 250-714-2191

PUBLIC HEALTH (VIHA)

3202 Young L a

Campbell River Public Health 200-1100 Island Hwy 250-850-2110

ke Road,

Sooke, BC www.campb arnard.ca

10 IslandParent.ca

Ladysmith Health Unit 224 High St 250-755-3342 Nanaimo Health Unit 1665 Grant Ave 250-755-3342 Nanaimo Princess Royal Family Centre 260 Irwin St 250-755-3342

EDGE

Parksville/Qualicum Health Unit 249 W. Hirst Ave 250-947-8242 Port Alberni Health Unit 4227 6th Ave 250-724-1315

GIVE YOUR CHILD AN EDGE

Tofino and Ucluelet Public Health and Coastal Family Place 265 First St 250-725-4020

NEW PARENT SUPPORT Aboriginal Infant Development Program, Nanaimo 668B Centre St 250-470-2348 Central Vancouver Island Crisis Society, Nanaimo 250-754-4447 Family Resource Association, Parksville 198 Morison Ave d69fra.org 250-752-6766 Hands On Prevention & Education Centre, Gabriola Island 790 North Rd 250-247-8730 Healthy Beginnings Ladysmith, Nanaimo 250-755-6230 Island Parent Magazine 830A Pembroke St 250-388-6905 Island Parent Online IslandParent.ca Ladysmith Association of Family & Friends 250-245-6424 La Leche League, Nanaimo 409 Belmonte Place 250-754-5853 La Leche League, Parksville 250-954-2922 Nanaimo Infant Development Program 1135 Nelson St 250-753-0251

Math Made Easy!

BRIGHT FROM THE START!

Math Edge challenges your child to build overall math proficiency and increases confidence through practicing math concepts in anSCHOOL environment with like START THE YEAR STRONG minded students. Whether your child needs extra THE SCHOOL YEARto STRONG practice with certainSTART concepts, or wants extend themselves and move ahead, Math Edge is an If your child could a boost in school or struggled affordable and funuse program that engages your If your child could use a boost in school or struggled at allchild lastwith year, consider getting them support at the activities. at all lastdiverse year, consider getting them support at the

BRIGHT FROM THE START!

start of the GiveSylvan Sylvan a and call,help and help start of school the schoolyear! year! Give a call, themNow see success early the Build them see success early inin the year.

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Save a year. spot today! study habitsand and increase increase confidence. skills, skills, study habits confidence.

Sylvan of Vancouver Island Serving, Victoria, Westshore, Duncan, Nanaimo, Sylvan of Vancouver IslandBC V8N 1A6

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1-800-EDUCATE Serving, Victoria, Westshore, Duncan, Nanaimo, BC V8N 1A6

1-800-EDUCATE

Don't wait until it's too late. Start now.

SYLVANLEARNING.CA

Victoria, Westshore, Duncan, Nanaimo Don't wait until it's too late. Start now. sylvanlearning.ca SYLVANLEARNING.CA Preschool & Kindergarten Spaces Available

• preschool to grade 2 • before and after

school care

• small class sizes • supportive and

Welcome Wagon welcomewagon.ca

caring staff

• excellent academic

foundation

• Kodaly music

A local non-profit for all children (Since 1973) 5575 West Saanich Rd info@islandmontessori.com 250 592 4411 www.islandmontessori.com

program • lovely rural location connecting children to nature

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 11

Low Carbon

Adventure T

he world has changed beyond recognition since the Colony of Vancouver Island was established 150+ years ago. Distances that took many weeks or months to cover by ship now take hours by plane.

And we like to travel by air: according to StatsCan there were more than half a million passenger flights in B.C. alone last year. But as exciting as our 21st century mobility is, it comes at a cost. Air travel is responsible for about six per cent of the climate change impact attributable to human activity, while transportation in general accounts for 14 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Happily for those of us who live on Vancouver Island, we don’t have to travel far to seek adventure. We may not have any large theme parks, but we do have a mountain range, 3,400 km of coastline, and an extensive network of rivers and lakes. These geographical features form the backdrop for an impressive mosaic of marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, which in turn offer endless opportunities for exploration.

Rachel Dunstan Muller My online dictionary defines adventure as a “daring and exciting activity calling for enterprise and enthusiasm.” A low carbon adventure takes this a step further, relying on human power, and beginning as close to home as practical to limit transportation emissions. Look around your own corner of the Island, and chances are you’ll find many options suited to your family’s abilities and appetite for thrills. A copy of the 7th Edition Vancouver Island Backroad Mapbook is an invaluable resource when searching for local ideas. Here are a few to get you started: Climb a Mountain. There’s something extremely satisfying about reaching a summit after a challenging climb—and it’s excellent exercise. I don’t know of a single Island community that doesn’t have a mountain or two somewhere nearby, and many of these mountains have trails to the top.

Set realistic goals based on your children’s ages and family fitness level. Start with a smaller hill if your children are young, or aim for a viewpoint partway up a higher mountain. Ready for a serious climb? Try Mt. Finlayson (415 m) in Victoria, Mt. Tzouhalem (536 m) in Duncan, Mt. Benson (1,019 m) in Nanaimo, or the Judges Route to Mt Arrowsmith (1,819 m) in the Parksville/Port Alberni area. Be prepared and check the weather before you head out, and be aware that many Island summits will be unreachable during the winter.

Take an Epic Bike Ride. While our steep geography often makes cycling challenging, the Island’s many converted railway trails offer ideal routes for even the youngest riders. In the Victoria area cyclists can choose from sections of the Lochside Trail, which stretches 29 km from Saanich to Swartz

Come Swim With Us! www.pacificcoastswimming.com

SwimBC Club of the Year!

Pacific Coast Swimming is an athlete focused, professionally led and parent supported swim club, committed to having swimmers at all levels achieve their full athletic potential. PCS swimmers range in experience from our youngest beginners to high performance international athletes. We are proudly affiliated with the University of Victoria Vikes Swim Program through the Ages 4 & up University of Victoria – Pacific Coast Swimming Association.

To register please contact:

5 Time Provincial Champions!

Commonwealth Place

250-727-5300

Gordon Head

Oak Bay Rec

250-475-7100

250-595-7946

UVic

Esquimalt, Panorama

250-727-9243

250-727-9243

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 13

Bay, or the Galloping Goose Trail, which runs 55 km from Victoria to Sooke. (The Galloping Goose Trail from Matheson Lake through to the Sooke Potholes is especially beautiful, but be alert for sharp drop-offs on the side.) Further north, the Cowichan Valley Trail offers easy riding, and some gorgeous pastoral views. The Kinsol Trestle is one of six historic trestle bridges along this trail, which stretches from Shawnigan Lake all the way to Lake Cowichan. The northern section of Port Alberni’s Log Train Trail is another option for a family cycling trip. To access the northern section of this 25 km trail, start from the McLean Sawmill National Historic Site. If your family’s taste runs to more rugged cycling adventures, visit trailforks.com/region/vancouver-island/ for an ever-expanding guide to the Island’s best mountain biking.

Sit back, relax and let the beach take over...

Treat yourself to a fun family getaway!

Feel at home in a two bedroom cottage with full kitchen and fireplace Private oceanfront property on sandy Rathtrevor Beach Indoor pool and hot tub, tennis, basketball and a kids’ playground Be sure to check www.BeachAcresFamilyFun.com for specials Parksville BC 1-800-663-7309

RESORT The way life was meant to be…

twitter.com/BeachAcresResort facebook.com/BeachAcresResort

www.beachacresfamilyfun.com

Community Living Victoria If you are a family raising a child with developmental disabilities or autism, we can connect you to resources, information and services that meet your child’s needs.

Autism Services offers: · 1:1 Behaviour Intervention · Social Skills Groups · Day Camps – winter, spring and summer breaks · Specialty Camps – computer camps, physical literacy and more To learn more, contact 250-477-7231 extension 237 or e-mail Autism@clvic.ca Visit www.communitylivingvictoria.ca to explore our wide range of services.

14

IslandParent.ca

Visit an Ancient Forest. There’s nothing like standing beside an ancient giant hundreds of feet high and centuries old to make you feel a sense of wonder. Vancouver Island is the perfect place to commune with these venerable conifers. With a circumference of over 18 metres and an estimated age between 2,000 and 3,000 years old, the Cheewhat Lake Cedar is considered to be Canada’s oldest and largest tree. We can also claim Canada’s tallest known tree, a 96-metre Sitka spruce known as the Carmanah Giant. To find out where the old growth is in your area, visit vancouverislandbigtrees.blogspot.ca, and click on the ‘See Big Trees’ tab.

Explore the Water. Vancouver Island is a premier destination for every kind of water sport and every level of experience,

from ocean, lake or river swimming in the summer, to paddling year-round. You don’t need to make a big investment to get your family out on the water—many Island businesses offer canoe, kayak, and paddleboard rentals, as well as beginner classes.

Happily for those of us who live on Vancouver Island, we don’t have to travel far to seek adventure. We may not have any large theme parks, but we do have a mountain range, 3,400 km of coastline, and an extensive network of rivers and lakes.

Use Google to see what’s available in your area. For family-friendly destinations— from sheltered coastal waters to glacier-fed lakes—consult the Paddling Adventures section of the Backroad Mapbook.

Take it Up a Notch! For the real thrillseekers in your family, a visit to the nearest eco-adventure business might be in order.

Guided tours of the Horne Lake Caves range from one to two hours for participants ages five and up, all the way to the five-hour Extreme Rappel Expedition for ages 15+.

Two of the wild caves are also accessible for self-guided tours during opening hours. If you’d prefer to stay above ground, consider a ziplining adventure in Sooke or on the highway to Tofino, or a challenging obstacle course high in the trees of Nanaimo or Victoria. For adventure on the water, consider family surfing lessons in Ucluelet or Tofino.

Try Something New. Not all adventures need to take place outside or involve adrenaline. Every time you introduce your children to something new, you expand their horizons. Visit a new bakery, or an ethnic grocery store. Try a new vegetable, a new recipe, or a new restaurant. Learn a new craft or skill. Read aloud a classic adventure story. Participate in a community or cultural event. Take your kids to a family-friendly concert or an art gallery opening. Bring home interesting music from the library—the Putumayo Kids series is a great place to start. Most of all, teach your kids to keep their eyes open. With the right attitude, every day can be an adventure!

Little girls with dreams become women of vision.

Leaders in Early Childhood Education Empowering girls’ leadership program Small school benefits: safe, supportive, high engagement Canada’s first girls’ STEM school: an inquiry-based, interdisciplinary approach to learning Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 (Boarding: Grades 7–12)

ST. MARGARET’S SCHOOL Victoria, BC | Confident girls. Inspiring women.

WATCH OUR NEW VIDEO ABOUT LITTLE GIRLS WITH BIG DREAMS

CONTACT US TO VISIT OUR CAMPUS 250.479.7171 / admissions@stmarg.ca www.stmarg.ca

SEPTEMBER 12 TO NOVEMBER 21

Rachel Dunstan Muller is the mother of five, and a children’s author. Her previous articles can be found at islandparent.ca.

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 15

Is Your Child’s Face Developing Well?

Does your child breathe through his/her mouth?

Does your child suffer from allergies?

Does your child have any oral habit such as thumb or finger sucking?

Does your child have an untreated tongue tie?

Does your child have crowded teeth?

Does your child have jaws that seem too far forward or back?

Early Intervention can have far reaching benefits.

Family Support South Island COMMUNITY CENTRES Beacon Community Services 9860 Third St, Sidney 250-655-5313 Blanshard Community Centre 901 Kings Rd 250-388-7696 Braefoot Activity Centre 1359 McKenzie Ave 250-721-2244

Straight Teeth the Natural Way

Myobrace® treatment focuses on addressing the underlying causes of poor facial and dental development and can unlock your child’s healthy growth and development.

HOW MYOBRACE® WORKS • Promotes breathing through the nose

Before

• Corrects tongue positioning • Retrains the lips and cheeks • Corrects poor swallowing habits

After 6 months

Saanich Dental Group Free Consultation: 250-477-7321 info@saanichdentalgroup.com (for children under 12)

We bring the Fun2U! • Laser Tag • Foam Party • Video Game Theatre • Hamster Balls • Bumper Ball Soccer • Inflatables ‘Like’ us on Facebook – Games2u Victoria

Birthdays, Teen Lounge/parties, fundraising events for school groups, sports teams or Grad.

Alicia 250-661-2219 games2uvictoria@gmail.com www.g2u.com Games2u Victoria 16 IslandParent.ca

Burnside/Gorge Community Centre burnsidegorge.ca 250-388-5251 Esquimalt Neighbourhood House 511 Constance Ave 250-385-2635 Fairfield Community Association fairfieldcommunity.ca 250-382-4604 Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group 1240 Gladstone Ave 250-381-1552 Inter-Cultural Association 930 Balmoral Rd 250-388-4728 James Bay Community Project 547 Michigan St 250-388-7844 Oaklands Community Association 1-2827 Belmont Ave 250-370-9101 Saanich Neighbourhood Place 3100 Tillicum Rd 250-360-1148 Sooke/Westshore Early Years Centres sfrs.ca 250-217-9243 Victoria Immigrant & Refuge Centre 637 Bay St, 3rd Floor 250-361-9433 Victoria West Community Association 521 Craigflower Rd 250 590-8922 YM-YWCA of Greater Victoria 880 Courtney St 250-386-7511

COUNSELLING Discovery Youth and Family Substance Use Services Island Health 2nd Fl–530 Fraser St 250-519-5313 Dr. Allison Rees 250-595-2649 Esquimalt Neighbourhood House 511 Constance Ave 250-360-0644

Hertford Therapy hertfordtherapy.com 778-350-0774 Life Dances Counselling lifedancescounselling.com

Nurture Your Natural Curiosity

Maxine Fisher, M.Ed., RCC, MTA victoriafamilycounselling.com 250-686-7582 Men’s Trauma Counselling Centre 250-381-6367 South Island Centre for Counselling & Training southislandcentre.ca 250-472-2851 Vancouver Island Naturopathic Clinic Inc. 204-4480 West Saanich Rd 250-881-1806 Victoria Counselling Service 420-1105 Pandora Ave 250-418-0550 Photo William Ng

GRIEF SUPPORT Circle of Friends 250-384-9133 Compassionate Friends 1346 Ravens View Dr 250-478-9270 Living & Learning Through Loss teenloss.com 250-413-3114 Origins: Supporting People Separated by Adoption originscanada.org 250-419-1200 Rainbows 250-479-0766 Victoria Hopsice Bereavement Services victoriahospice.org 250-370-8868

PARENT EDUCATION Children’s Health & Human Rights Partnership CHHRP.org LIFE Seminars Parenting Programs Dr. Allison Rees 250-595-2649

The CRD offers outings and activities for nature lovers of all ages in every season: guided nature walks, hikes and drop-in events.

Most are free. All are fun!

There is a whole world of natural and cultural history to explore in CRD’s 33 parks and trails, and at the three nature centres at Elk/Beaver Lake, Francis/King and Witty’s Lagoon Regional Parks.

See the full calendar at www.crd.bc.ca/parks Capital Regional District | Regional Parks @crd_bc | CapitalRegionalDistrict crdparks@crd.bc.ca | 250.478.3344

PARENT SUPPORT

Need financial advice?

Give yourself every Need financial advice?

Give yourself every Need financial advice?

Give yourself every advantage including convenience Need financial advice?

Give yourself advantage including convenience Need financial advice?

Give yourself every every advantage including convenience advantage including convenience advantage including convenience 1UP Single Parent Resource Centre 602 Gorge Rd 250-385-11141-up.ca.

1Up offers a wide variety of 3- to 8-week personal growth and parenting courses, a mentoring program for single moms, and a single dads’ support group. Courses open to all.

Dr. Allison Rees 250-595-2649

Todd Olynyk Todd Olynyk Financial Planner Todd Olynyk Financial Planner Investment and Retirement Planning Financial Planner Investment and Retirement Planning Todd Olynyk 250-516-6624 Todd Olynyk Investment and Retirement Planning 250-516-6624 todd.olynyk@rbc.com Financial Planner Financial Planner 250-516-6624 todd.olynyk@rbc.com Investment and Retirement Planning Investment and Retirement Planning todd.olynyk@rbc.com 250-516-6624 250-516-6624 todd.olynyk@rbc.com todd.olynyk@rbc.com

RBC Financial Planning is a business name used by Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI). Financial planning services and investment advice RBCprovided Financialby Planning is a business name used

by Royal Mutual FundsBank Inc. of (RMFI).

Financial planning services of and investment advice are RMFI. RMFI, RBC Global Asset Management Inc., Royal Canada, Royal Trust Corporation Canada and The Royal are by RMFI. RMFI, RBC Global Asset Management Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, Trust Corporation of Canada and The Royal RBC Financial Planning is a business name used

by Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI).

Financial planning services and investment Trustprovided Company are separate corporate entities which are affiliated.

RMFI is licensed as aRoyal financial services firm in the province ofadvice Quebec.

Trust Company are separate corporate entities which are affiliated.

RMFI is licensed as aRoyal financial services firm in the province of Quebec. are provided by RMFI. RMFI, RBC Global Asset Management Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, Trust Corporation of Canada and The Royal ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. © Royal Bank of Canada, 2015.

36425 (10/2015) RBC Financial Planning is a business name used by Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI).

Financial planning services and investment advice ®/™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. © Royal Bank of Canada, 2015.

36425 of (10/2015) Trust Company are separate corporate entities which are affiliated.

RMFI is licensed as aRoyal financial services firm in the province Quebec.

RBC Financial Planning is a business name used

by Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI).

Financial planning services and investment advice are provided by RMFI. RMFI, RBC Global Asset Management Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, Trust Corporation of Canada and The Royal ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. © Royal Bank of Canada, 2015.

36425 (10/2015) are byare RMFI. RMFI, RBC Globalentities Asset Management Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, Trustservices Corporation of the Canada and The Royal Trustprovided Company separate corporate which are affiliated.

RMFI is licensed as aRoyal financial firm in province of Quebec.

Trust are separate entities© which affiliated.

RMFI2015. is licensed as a financial services firm in the province Quebec. ® / ™Company Trademark(s) of Royalcorporate Bank of Canada.

Royalare Bank of Canada, 36425 of (10/2015) ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. © Royal Bank of Canada, 2015. Resource Guide 2016/2017 36425 (10/2015) Family 17

Big Brothers Big Sisters 230 Bay St 250-475-1117 Bridges for Women Society 320–1175 Cook St 250-385-7410 Child Abuse Prevention/Mary Manning Centre 210–1175 Cook St 250-385-6111 Child Care Resource and Referral islandfamilyinfo.ca Sooke 250-642-5152; Westshore 250-391-4324; Victoria & Gulf Islands 250-382-700 or 1-800-750-1868 Family Caregivers’ Network Society 6-3318 Oak St 250-384-0408 Family Services of Greater Victoria 899 Fort St 250-386-4331 First Metropolitan United Church firstmetvictoria.com 250-388-5188 First Unitarian Church of Victoria 5575 West Saanich Rd 250-744-2665 F.O.R.C.E. Society for Kids Mental Health forcesociety.com 250-818-4810 Foster Parents Support Services 145-735 Goldstream Ave 250-598-1500 Hulitan Family and Community Services Society 902A Caledonia Ave 250-384-9466 hulitan.ca

FARQUHAR FAMILY SERIES October 23 at 3pm

The Cicada and the Ant Sursaut Dance

The soil, a field, an empty space where anything is possible. A choreographic work for young and old. www.sursaut.ca December 4 at 11am

January 15 at 11am

As seen on Kids’ CBC

Axis Theatre

Wil Stroet of Wil ’s Jams

Hamelin, a New Fable

PACKAGES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE

250-721-8480

TICKETS.UVIC.CA Presented in partnership with

18 IslandParent.ca

Island Parent Magazine 830A Pembroke St 250-388-6905 Island Parent Online Islandparent.ca Lighthouse Church lighthousechurch.ca Military Family Resource Centre Work Point 250-363-3443 Niecia A. Dunn, Coaching & Parent Education 778-977-2088 NIL/TU,O Child & Family Services Society niltuo.ca 250-544-1400 Pacific Centre Family Services Association, Colwood & Sooke youthtalk2@pcfsa.org 250-478-8357 Parent Support Services Society of BC parentsupportbc.ca 250-468-9668 1-877-345-9777 PSS offers support circles for those in parenting roles (including grandparents). Circles operate in various languages and diverse communities.

Parenting workshops also available. Contact us about a circle near you.

The Representative for Children & Youth rcybc.ca 1-800-476-3933

WIN Administration Office 812 Cormorant Ave 250-480-4006

Sooke Family Resource Society sfrs.ca 250-642-5152 Sooke Options for Community Living Association socla.ca 250-642-6364

also throughout the year. In order to access programs, families need to become CAN members and pay an annual fee of $25 per ASD individual.

Join today at cannucksautism.ca/join.

SPECIAL NEEDS & DISABILITY SUPPORT

Communica Dialogue and Resolution Services Society 102-2220 Sooke Rd 250-383-4412 Perfect Day Special Needs Store perfectdaystore.com 250-216-2445 St. Barnabas Anglican Church 1525 Begbie St 250-595-4324 Autism Services, Community Living Victoria 250-477-7231, ext. 237 Success By Six successby6victoria.ca BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities TS Consulting 250-590-4114 250-386-0668 UVic Family Centre BeConnected Support Services 39208 Lam Circle 250-472-4062 beconsupport.ca 250-727-3891 Vancouver Island Parenting Consultations 250-510-5611 Victoria Immigrant & Refugee Centre 637 Bay St, 3rd Floor 250-361-9433 Victoria Native Friendship Centre 231 Regina Ave 250-384-3211 Victoria Sexual Assault Centre 201-3060 Cedar Hill Rd 250-383-5545 Young Parents Support Network 404–620 View St 250-384-0552

Galemys Far

Canucks Autism Network canucksautism.ca 604-685-4049 Providing highly supported sports and recreational programs for children, teens and young adults living with autism. Free family events are

Child & Family Counselling Association (Autism Program) 5–230 Menzies St 250-595-4423 Community Options for Children & Families 1595 Bay St 250-380-6363

The Cridge Respitality Service 1307 Hillside Ave 250-995-6412 Our unique Respitality program provides parents of a child with disabilitiy with a chance to pause and be refreshed with a complimentary overnight stay for two in a hotel or bed-andbreakfast.

October

by day is

8 & 9, 15 & 16, 22 & 23, 29 & 30

10 am - 4 pm

Spookier Fun Nightly 6-10 pm Oct 13th to Oct 31st

Kid Friendly Come and ride in the Cow Train!

Ride the Cow Train!

Hayrides to the Pumpkin Patch Corn Maze • Kids Games • Train Rides Petting Farm • Haunted House Face Painting • Live Entertainment

info@galeyfarms.net • 4150 Blenkinsop Road • 250-477-5713

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 19

The Cridge Respite Resource Service 1307 Hillside Ave 250-220-8569 This vital service keeps an up-to-date listing of people able to provide respite care and parents who need respite services for their child. If you are either a parent or a respite care provider, please contact us for more information.

Family Support, Community Living Victoria 3861 Cedar Hill X Rd 250-477-7231, ext. 236

COMPREHENSIVE FAMILY DENTISTRY

Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society gvdss.ca 250-479-7450 HeadWay Victoria Epilepsy & Parkinson’s Centre headwayvictoria.com 250 475 6677 Supports families and children living with seizures

family centered practice extended hours evenings and weekends the latest equipment and caring staff request an appointment online

saanichdentalgroup.com 119–1591 McKenzie Ave, Victoria

250 477 7321

info@saanichdentalgroup.com

Victoria’s favourite dentists believe a healthy smile starts early. Free first visit for children under 5.

Lifetime Networks lifetimenetworks.org Providing creative and inclusive programs welcoming people with disabilities, including a Continuing Education Program, Employment Programs, friendship building, personal support networks, fine arts, social events, cooking and independent living.

Little Steps Therapy Services 250-386-1171

They’ll be at university sooner than you think.

Mosaic Learning Society Victoria 500 Admirals Rd 250-382-0848 Pivot Point Family Growth Centre pivotpoint.ca 778-410-2319

Make sure your family knows about the Canada Learning Bond

34-08-8098

If your child was born in 2004 or later and your family income is less than $45,000/year, you are eligible for up to $2,000 of free money for your child’s education after high school.

For more information visit viu.ca/clb

Power To Be powertobe.ca 250-385-2363 A non-profit organization that empowers people living with barriers or disabilities to explore their limitless abilities through inclusive adventures rooted in nature with a focus on community connections. Activities include kayaking, canoeing, hiking and more.

Queen Alexandra Centre For Children’s Health 2400 Arbutus Rd 250-477-1826 Ronald McDonald House rmhbc.ca Schizophrenic Society, BC Chapter 941 Kings Rd 250-384-4225

©2016 Kumon Canada, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Special Olympics victoriaspecialolympics.com 250-477-7106 Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association of BC 4480 Oak St, Vancouver 604-878-7000 Victoria Brain Injury Society D & E, 830 Pembroke St 250-598-9339 Victoria Group Perspectives groupperspectives.com 250-590-7624 Victoria Society for Children with Autism VictoriaAutism.ca 778-557-7749 Westshore Child & Youth Family Centre 345 Wale Rd 250-391-4320

YOUTH SERVICES Island Sexual Health Society Clinical Services 250-592-3479 Community Ed 250-388-2202 Parents Together Program 250-384-9133 PFLAG of Greater Victoria 250-385-9462

Give your child an academic advantage in school and beyond!

Schedule a Parent Orientation today.

Kumon Math & Reading Centres of West Shore - Langford 115-963 Langford Pkwy, Victoria 250-516-2991 westshore@ikumon.com

Saanich 204-3965 Quadra St, Victoria 250-479-1800 • 250-216-2142(c) lindabirley@ikumon.com

Sidney 10091 Resthaven Dr, Sidney 250-896-8879 sidney_bc@ikumon.com

Youth Clinic 533 Yates St 250-383-3552 547 Michigan St 250-388-7841 Young Parent Support Network 2541 Empire St 250-384-0052 Youth Space youthspace.ca Victoria Youth Empowerment Society 533 Yates St 250-383-3514

Cowichan Valley

Everybody’s So Excited: Mineral World Has Reopened!

COMMUNITY CENTRES Shawnigan Lake Community Centre 2804 Shawnigan Lk Rd 250-743-1433

COUNSELLING Canadian Mental Health Association 371 Festubert St, Duncan 250-746-5521 Central Vancouver Island Crisis Society, Cowichan 250-748-1133 Community Options Society, Cowichan 200 Cowichan Way 250-748-0232 Cowichan Family Life 250-748-8281 Duncan Mental Health & Addiction Services 250-709-3040

Mineral World has reopened in beautiful Sidney-by-the-Sea where we are once again offering our distinctive Earth Science experience. Visitors are able to spend time in the Earth Science Centre and Scratch Patch where they can collect gemstones and learn about the wonders of our planet or wander through our store of amazing gifts, jewellery, minerals and fossils collected from around the world. Our well-respected School and Community Earth Science Program will also be returning in September.

mineral world and the scratch patch 250.656.0791 | 9808 Seaport Pl, Sidney Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 21

South Vancouver Island Assessment & Resource Service, Duncan 305–394 Duncan St 250-746-6900

Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association ctra.ca 250-746-1028

Ladysmith Parks, Recreation & Culture 810-6th Ave 250-245-6424

Clements Centre Society 5856 Clements St 250-746-4135

Ladysmith Resources Centre Association 721 First Ave 250-245-3079

GRIEF SUPPORT

Early Intervention Team 202–394 Duncan St 250-709-9022

Gabriola Community Centre 250-247-9291

Rainbows, Duncan 371 Festubert St 250-746-5521

YOUTH SERVICES PARENT SUPPORT

Community Options Society 200 Cowichan Way 250-748-0232

Big Brothers Big Sisters, Duncan #1-60 Ingram St bbbscowichan.ca 250-748-2447 Child Care Resource and Referral islandfamilyinfo.ca 250-746-4135 ext. 231 Cowichan Family Life Association 2C–2753 Charlotte Rd 250-748-8281 Parent Support Circle Shawnigan Lake 250-384-8042

Mid-Island COMMUNITY CENTRES Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society, Nanaimo 114-285 Prideaux St 250-753-6911 Cherry Creek Community Centre, Port Alberni 3720 Moore Rd 250-724-1923

SPECIAL NEEDS & DISABILITY SUPPORT

Child Development Centre 1135 Nelson St 250-753-3521

BeConnected Support Services beconsupport.ca 250-727-3891

District 69 Family Resource Association, Qualicum Beach 181 Sunningdale Rd 250-752-6766

GRIEF SUPPORT Child & Youth Grief Support, Nanaimo nanaimohospice.com 1729 Boundary Ave 250-758-8857 Rainbows, Nanaimo 2221 Bowen Rd 250-751-7888 Rainbows, Parksville (4-12 yr olds) 345 N. Pym St 250-248-3927 Spectrum, Parksville (13-18 yr olds) 345 N. Pym St 250-248-3927

PARENT SUPPORT Associated Family & Community Support Services Ltd, Parksville 155 Weld St 250-248-0076 Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Nanaimo #3-2350 Labieux Rd 250-756-2447

S T A G E S Performing Art School since1980

Come Dance With Us

es lass C l hoo .. e -S c angels. r P e e l t im itt • Offering classes for Teens and Pre-Teens in Jazz, Day or the l f Ballet, Lyrical, Tap. Musical Theatre, Acrobatics

& Hip Hop, in a non-competitive atmosphere.

• Not sure which class to take?

Try a Drop-In: No hassle, No Obligation.

Even the littlest angel can dance 22 IslandParent.ca

Call 250-384-3267 Email us at: stagesdance@shaw.ca Or visit our website: www.stagesdance.com

Child Development Centre 1135 Nelson St 250-753-0251

Nutsumaat Lelum, Ladysmith 3947 Shell Beach Rd 250-245-0994

SPECIAL NEEDS & DISABILITY SUPPORT

Family Caregivers’ Network Society 526 Michigan St 250-384-0408

PacificCare islandfamilyinfo.ca 250-756-2022 or 1-888-480-2273

Child Development Centre 1135 Nelson St 250-753-0251

Family Resource Association, Qualicum Beach 181 Sunningdale Rd W 250-752-6766

Parent Support Circles, Nanaimo 250-468-9658

Footholds Therapy Centre, Nanaimo footholds.ca 250-585-4411

Family Services of Greater Victoria 899 Fort St 250-386-4331

Parent Support Circles, Parksville 250-468-9658

Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre 205-55 Victoria Rd 250-753-0999

Foster Parent Support Services 3D 132 Roberts St 250-245-2622

Parents Together Parents Line 20 5th St 250-754-9661

Kw’umut Lelum Child & Family Services, Ladysmith 7973 Chemainus Rd 250-246-3336

Princess Royal Family Centre 260 Irwin St 250-755-7855

Kardel Consulting kardelcares.ca Nanaimo 250-729-7401 Parksville 250-248-8336 Campbell River 250-287-8397 Courtenay/Comox 250-338-6557

Nanaimo & Area Resource Services for Families 210–170 Wallace St 250-754-2773

Salvation Army Meal Program 505 8th St 250-754-2621

Nanaimo Family Life Association 1070 Townsite Rd 250-754-3331

Snu Ney Muxw First Nations 668 Centre St 250-740-2300

Nanaimo Mental Health & Addiction Services 250-755-3361

SOS Child Youth & Family Centre, Parksville 245 West Hirst Ave 250-248-2093

Nanaimo Women’s Centre 285 Selby St 250-753-0633

The Representative for Children & Youth rcybc.ca 1-800-476-3933

Nanoose First Nations 111 Snaw-Naw-As Rd 250-390-0003

Tillicum Lelum Friendship Centre 927 Haliburton St 250-753-8291

Nanaimo Brain Injury Society 101-55 Victoria Rd 250-753-5600 Nanaimo Unique Kids Organization #2-5801 Turner Rd nuko.ca

YOUTH SERVICES ADAPT Society, Nanaimo 206-96 Cavan St 250-754-0600 Nanaimo Youth Services 290 Bastion St 250-754-198

Rebels against the ordinary.

Victoria & Kelowna hotelzed.com Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 23

Fred Penner 2 SHOWS: DUNCAN &

NANAIMO

JUNO award-winner and beloved family entertainer, Fred Penner brings 25 years of commitment, consistency and depth to his performance. Fred is a musical master and has truly established himself as a fundamental part of Canadian family entertainment.

“Fred Penner is as culturally relevant today as he’s ever been.”

Winnipeg Free Press

Friday, October 28 - 6:30PM cowichanpac.ca Phone: 250.748.7529 2687 James Street, Duncan

Saturday, October 29 - 2:30PM Co-presented with

porttheatre.com/spotlight Phone: 250.754.8550 125 Front Street, Nanaimo

24 IslandParent.ca

Child: Proof

I

was consoling a dear friend the other day, after hearing about her ongoing struggles to child-proof her home. My friend’s daughter, at 11 months, is in that delightfully busy stage in which babies master the art of exploring their environment—tearing the leaves off houseplants, scaling the stairs at lightning speed, and attempting to ingest any small random object they find. My friend, defeated after a day of installing baby-deterrents on her front door, her kitchen cabinets, her cat litter box, her toilet seats, and several other places, asked me when the need for child-proofing ends. How long before she could once again pee without first having to decipher a combination lock in order to open the toilet lid? When would her house and life return to normal?

I wasn’t sure how to answer her because, the truth is, I wonder the same thing.

Though my kids are now 10, eight, and five, we are still child-proofing, and I think we always will be. True, we’ve ditched the baby gates, and we no longer have foam padding stuck on everything resembling a corner. Overall, our house resembles a normal adult residence. But in truth, it’s still a carefully child-proofed environment because the older the kids get, the more new and previously unchartered hazards we discover. As a result, we are constantly honing our child-proofing game.

Take the kitchen, for example. We no longer need those fiddly doohickies which safeguard the contents of a drawer from baby raids. But to this day, we only own plates that can survive being used as a Frisbee, and we only keep table linens that match the colour of ketchup. The freezer, too, is an easy indicator of the current stage of child-proofing. In years past, our freezer sported a cumbersome safety latch, installed to deter my toddler son from stashing things inside, such as his soother, his father’s socks, the cordless phone, and so on. The latch is gone, and we no longer find random things in the freezer, but now, the child-proofing challenge is how to hide the Really Expensive Ice Cream from the kids. (The best approach, by the way, seems to be piling bags of frozen veggies on top of it, the greener, the better.)

Then there is the bookcase. At first, we bolted it to the wall and removed everything

from the bottom five shelves. Today, the bookcase is once again a safe place to keep books, but with three kids who can read, the challenge is to protect their innocent eyeballs from undesirable influences. In other words, our job is to filter out books that may have too much advertising, too

Sarah Milligan much politics, too much makeup, too much sarcasm, too skinny characters, and so on. This leaves us with a rather bland assortment of inoffensive volumes—healthy cookbooks, grammar texts, and so on—but it does make for a kid-safe bookcase.

Child-proofing for the older child also becomes more abstract, involving slippery areas such as conversation. A baby doesn’t mind what his parents are discussing, but with older kids, in order to have discussions over their heads, we have to be nimble. At first, we disguised hot topics with rapid-fire spelling, but when our oldest got quick enough to decipher our code for her siblings—“Aha! Mommy thinks Daddy should take us to the swimming P-O-O-L but Daddy wants to take a nap instead!”— we had to get more creative. Between code words, significant looks, and covert hand gestures, we get it done, but it’s not easy.

But back to my friend, and what I finally realized I should tell her about childproofing. In the long run, child-proofing isn’t so much about the house becoming child-proofed as it is about the parents becoming so. We learn to tailor our children’s environment according to what is best for them, in whatever stage they are going through. We get used to wrapping every aspect of our homes and lives—from bookcase to bathwater—around them. A child-proofed home is visual proof of the privilege it is to be a parent; unlocking the toilet lid at 2 a.m. is a small price to pay.

Sarah Milligan lives on Vancouver Island.

She is grateful to her children for the joy they inspire, not to mention the endless writing fodder.

Does your child have difficulty reading?

• can’t read words just read earlier • letter reversal • symptoms of dyslexia • “sounds out” words but can not blend them correctly • confuses similar sounding words • avoids reading/poor speller I offer an effective program that works!

Call for more information or to arrange your individualized one-on-one tutoring solution.

Brenda Osadchy 778-440-0997

totallearningservices2014@gmail.com

Art Classes Drawing • Painting Sculpture • Cartooning Portfolio Preparation • Day and Evening Classes • One or Two hour sessions • Technique Oriented • Ages 5 and Up

COMPLETE A PORTFOLIO COURSE Ages 14 & Up, DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR YOU FOR ENTRANCE INTO: INTERIOR DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS, FASHION & MORE

Now Registering for Fall Artistic Statement Gallery & School of Fine Art Call Joan at 250-383-0566 or 250-885-7353

artisticstatementgalleryandschool.com Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 25

Education Girl Guides make a Splash

South Island PRESCHOOLS, CHILD CARE & OCCASIONAL CARE A Secret Garden Preschool 246 Island Hwy 250-380-8293 Acorntree Preschool acorntreepreschool.ca 250-686-1408 Adel’s Play N Discovery House 250-655-4888 adelplayndiscovery.ca

JOIN TODAY girlguides.ca/makefriends 800.565.8111

C M

Y

68 35 2

K Imagination.

Creativity. Joy. 2

8 95 55 16

Ongoing registration for the 2016/17 season Ages 3 -Teen 716 Johnson St 250-590-6752 VictoriaAcademyofBallet.ca Bleiddyn del Villar Bellis, Artistic Director Fellow & Examiner CSC-CICB Enrico Cecchetti Final Diploma

26 IslandParent.ca

Arbutus Grove Children’s Centre 3905 Haro Road arbutusgrove.ca 250-477-3731 Formerly known as Goosey Gander Kindergarten. Half-day & full-day Early Learning Programs.

Children’s learning is nurtured and supported through inquiry, exploration, play and creative expression.

ArtsCalibre Academy 3220 Cedar Hill Rd 250-382-3533 ArtsCalibre.ca “The Art of Preschool”—an engaging, comprehensive program infused with music, dance, theatre and visual arts, giving children confidence and the social and academic skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Excellent staff and outstanding facilities within the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre.

Babies to Big Kids Childcare 949 Fullerton Ave babiestobigkids.com Daycare owner 250-818-9225 Bee Happy Montessori House 250-516-6191 Big Kids’ Corner babiestobigkids.com 250-590-2722 Camosun College Child Care Services camosun.ca/childcare 250-370-4880 Carrot Seed Preschool 813 Claremont Ave 250-658-2331 carrotseedpreschool.com

Castleview Child Care castleviewchildcarecentre.com 250-595-5355 Centennial Day Care centennialdaycare.ca 250-386-6832 Christ Church Cathedral Child Care and Junior Kindergarten Program 1670 Richardson St 250-383-5132 cathedralschool.ca ECE & Specialist teachers provide an outstanding all-day licenced program for 3 and 4-yearolds in our bright, spacious and welcoming facility in Fairfield/Gonzales. You’ll love the huge backyard!

Chrysalis Child Care, Saanichton chrysalischildcare.ca 250-652-0815 Ciara Early Childhood Centre 846 Phoenix St 250-386-7369 Cloverdale Child Care 3427 Quadra St 250-995-1766 cloverdalechildcare.com Cordova Bay Preschool cordovabaypreschool.org 250-658-3441 CTots Childhood Education Centre 2955 Glasgow St 250-589-7677

The Cridge Childcare Services 1309 Hillside Ave 250-995-6516 Our quality daycare, preschool and out-of-school care programs offer an environment that is safe, stimulating, nurturing and responsive to every child.

Emmanuel Preschool 2121 Cedar Hill X Rd 250-598-0573 Full o’ Beans Preschool 250-360-1148 saanichneighbourhoodplace.com Goldstream Co-op Preschool goldstreampreschool.com 250-474-3011 Gonzales Co-operative Preschool gonzalescooppreschool.com 250-727-1003 In the Garden Childcare Centre 250-654-0306 International Nannies & Homecare Ltd. internationalnannies.com 250-412-3730 Island Kids Academy islandkids.ca 542 Fraser St 250-381-2929 286 Island Hwy 250-727-2929

Island Montessori House 5575 West Saanich Rd 250-592-4411 islandmontessori.com

Positive Path Early Learning 250-655-7244

Kingfisher Preschool sfrs.ca/kingfisherpreschool.html 250-642-5152

Rainbow Express Daycare 433 Kingston St 250-382-2314 rainbowexpressdaycare.com

Kiowa Farm Preschool 5433 Kiowa Rd 250-858-5330

Rainbows & Dreams Preschool 250-479-1966

Lakehill Co-op Preschool 3821 Cedar Hill X-Rd 250-477-4141 lakehillpreschool.org

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

Lakeview Christian Preschool/Daycare 250-658-5082 Lambrick Park Preschool lambrickparkpreschool.ca 250-477-8131 La Pre-Maternelle Appletree Preschool 500 Admirals Rd 250-479-0292 prematernelleappletree.com Leap Forward Childcare 2758 Peatt Rd 250-818-9225 leapforwardlangford.com Lexie’s Little Bears’ Child Care Inc. 1931 Millstream Rd 250-590-3603 lexieslittlebears.com Little Wonders Preschool (VROSCS) viewroyalosc.com 250-744-2718 Maple Tree Children’s Centre 3130 Jutland Rd 100 Aldersmith Pl 250-588-0512 Metchosin Co-op Preschool 4354 Metchosin Rd 250-478-9241 Miles of Smiles Licensed Childcare naturejuniorkindergarten.com 778-265-4374

Rogers Child Care Centre 250-744-2343 Ross Bay Preschool 250-383-7445

For more information, please see our website:

St. Joseph’s Catholic Preschool 757 Burnside Rd West 250-479-1232 ext. 120

afvictoria.ca

Storyoga Preschool storyoga.ca 778-679-4004 Vancouver Island Co-operative Preschool Association 250-598-2667

Considering your first home purchase?

Victoria Montessori 750 Front St 250-380-0534 victoriamontessori.com View Royal Childcare 250-479-8067

Westmont Montessori School 4075 Metchosin Rd 250-474-2626

Nightingale Preschool and Junior Kindergarten Ltd. 1340 Balmoral Rd 250-595-7544 nightingalepreschool.com

Willows Coastal Preschool 2253 Dalhousie St 250-858-5330

Parkdale Early Childhood Centre 250-382-0512 Preschool and daycare emphasizing learning through play with children of various ages in stimulating activities with educational materials.

We believe every child is unique and special.

Everyone welcome.

Private instruction is tailored to individuals, business and government agencies.

St. Christopher’s Montessori School stcmsoakbaybc.com 250-595-3213

Neighbourhood Junior Kindergarten 250-479-4410

Pacific Christian School Preschool 250-479-4532

Classes at various skill levels are offered though community centres.

The Sir James Douglas Playschool 250-389-0500

View Royal Preschool 279 Island Hwy 250-479-8067

Oak Bay Preschool oakbaypreschool.com

The Alliance Française is a worldwide organization based in Paris, offering language instruction by certified teachers, adapted to the needs of learners.

R.I.A. Early Learning Centre 3307 Wishart Rd 250-590-0781

Montessori Educare 250-881-8666 montessorieducare.com

Oakcrest Preschool 3738 Cedar Hill Rd 250-472-0668 oakcrestpreschool.org

AllianceFrançaise de Victoria

Recreation Oak Bay 1975 Bee St 250-370-7200

Four secrets you need to know!

What to do and what not to do.

Wiseways Preschool & Daycare 250-477-1312 YMCA-YWCA Child Care Centre 851 Broughton St 250-386-7511 victoriay.com

SCHOOL DISTRICTS Conseil scolaire francophone de la ColumbieBritannique #180-10200 Shellbridge Way, Richmond 1-888-715-2200 School District #61 Victoria 556 Boleskine Rd 250-475-3212 School District #62 Sooke 3143 Jacklin Rd 250-474-9800

Coast Capital Realty INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED

Call now to discuss a step-by-step approach to buying your first home.

250-891-6776 ConnieLebeau.ca ConnieLebeau@RoyalLePage.ca Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 27

School District #63 Saanich 2125 Keating X-Rd 250-652-7300 School District #64, Salt Spring 112 Rainbow Rd 250-537-5548

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

ArtsCalibre Academy 4201 Tyndall Ave 250-382-3533 ArtsCalibre.ca Imagine a school where music, dance, theatre and visual arts are infused into all aspects of an outstanding curriculum. Academic excellence is achieved in a dynamic, engaging and safe environment. Small class sizes, individualized education plans, highly skilled and dedicated teachers, excellent facilities and location.

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Glenlyon-Norfolk School 801 Bank St (Admissions) 250-370-6801 801 Bank St (Middle Years) 250-370-6803 801 Bank St (Senior) 250-370-6802 1701 Beach Dr (Primary) 250-370-6854

Pacific Christian School 671 Agnes St (Elementary) 250-479-9365 654 Agnes St (Secondary) 250-479-4532

Full Time K-12 Fine Arts eCademy Gr K-8 ENTER Robotics Gr 6-9 Cross Enrollment Gr 8-12 iClass Interactive Days K-12 Unparalleled Personalized Learning

28 IslandParent.ca

Elizabeth Buckley School STEAMschool.ca 250-995-6425

Oak & Orca Bioregional School 2738 Higgins St 250-383-6609

Shouldn’t their education be as well?

NavigateNides.com

Discovery School 4052 Wilkinson Rd 250-595-7765

Lakeview Christian School lakeviewchristianschool.ca 250-658-5082

Your child is unique...

Find the spark for life long learning.

Christ Church Cathedral School 912 Vancouver St 250-383-5125 cathedralschool.ca CCCS is Victoria’s Anglican Elementary and Middle School for boys and girls. Small classes, enriched programs, after-school care and a welcoming community.

Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry learningstorm.org Selkirk Montessori School 2970 Jutland Rd 250-384-3414 St. Andrew’s Regional High School 880 McKenzie Ave 250-479-1414 INNOVATIVE BLENDED AND ONLINE LEARNING PRACTICE

AWARD WINNER

2014

St. Joseph’s Catholic School 757 West Burnside Rd 250-479-1232

Oxford Learning 203–1595 McKenzie Ave 250-477-5550

St. Margaret’s School 1080 Lucas Ave 250-479-7171 admissions@stmarg.ca stmarg.ca Confident girls. Inspiring women. Junior kindergarten to Grade 12.

St. Michaels University School smus.ca 3400 Richmond Rd 250-592-2411 Jr. School 820 Victoria 250-598-3922 St. Patrick’s Elementary School 2368 Trent St 250-592-6713 Victoria School for Ideal Education 2820 Belmont Ave 250-383-6654 Westmont School 4075 Metchosin Rd 250-474-2626 Westshore Centre for Learning & Training westshorecentre.com 250-391-9002

DISTRIBUTED LEARNING CHEK Across BC chekabc.ca 1-888-352-2435 Hands-On Home-Learning for a Sustainable World 1-888-383-6619 Individual Learning Centre Broadmead 250-744-1174 Saanichton 250-656-4042 Juan de Fuca Distributed Learning 814 Goldstream Ave 250-391-9002

READ Society Learning Centre 817A Fort St 250-388-7225 Qualified BC teachers design individual learning programs that build skills and create confident learners. Parents whose children come to READ tell us that “it works!” For 39 years, families have been expanding their knowledge and their opportunities by learning with us.

School Is Easy In Home Tutoring schooliseasy.com 1-877-ITSEASY Smart Tutor Referrals SmartTutorReferrals.com 250-544-1588 Sylvan Learning Centre 1623 McKenzie Ave 250-477-3212 3145 Jacklin Rd 250-590-6211 Proven results. Digital tablet technology. Innovative teaching techniques, motivational programs and the Sylvan Insight assessment continue to make Sylvan Learning the leader in personalized learning from K-12. Call today to find out more.

Total Learning Services totallearningservices2014@gmail.com 778-440-0997 See ad on page 28.

Tutor Doctor vancouverislandtutors.com 250-386-9333 Victoria German School 250-886-1420

SelfDesign selfdesign.org 1-877-353-3374

POST SECONDARY EDUCATION

Access Speech-Language Services 863 Cuaulta Cres 250-474-6368 844-474-6368 Alliance Française de Victoria afvictoria.ca

Are you interested in becoming a surrogate?

• Do you want to help someone’s dream of having a child come true?

• Are you physically and emotionally healthy?

• Would you like a meaningful, supportive connection?

Becoming a surrogate is a gift that lasts a lifetime. Enjoy new relationships, nurture the ones you have, experience love, confidence and be part of making a change in the world you live in.

Connect with us to see what a journey like this can hold for you.

Your Family. Your Love. Your Way. www.westcoastfertility.ca alana@westcoastfertility.ca 250.589.3270

Year-round Getaway on Mayne Island with direct daily ferries from Swartz Bay

Valentus Clinics valentusclinics.com

North Island Distance Education, Courtenay 110–1742 Cliffe Ave 1-800-663-7925

LEARNING CENTRES & TUTORS

WestCoast Fertility Connections

Pivot Point Learning Centres Inc. pivotpoint.ca 1-866-531-4544

Camosun College camosun.ca 250-370-3550 Pacific Rim College 229-560 Johnson St 250-483-2119 Royal Roads University royalroads.ca 250-391-2511

Brookfield Programs 250-884-5623

University of Victoria uvic.ca 250-721-7211

KUMON Math & Reading 214-3965 Quadra St 250-479-1800 115-963 Langford Parkway 250-516-2991 10091 Resthaven Dr 250-656-6696

OTHER

Learning Disabilities Association 1562 Fort St 250-370-9513

Mad Science madscience.org/vancouverisland 250-391-1814

Optimally Learning optimallylearning.com

Maritime Museum mmbc.bc.ca 250-385-4222

9 housekeeping cottages perfect for family getaways

CISV Victoria CISVvictoria.ca

250-539-2463 • 1-877-535-2424 bluevista@bluevistaresort.com www.bluevistaresort.com Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 29

Victoria Good News Choir victoriagoodnewschoir.com 250-658-1946

Queen Margaret’s School qms.bc.ca 250-746-4185

Queen Margaret’s School, Duncan qms.bc.ca 250-746-4185

Victoria Russian School victoriarussianschool.org

Shawnigan Lake Montessori 1979c Renfrew Rd 250-743-6279

Queen of Angels Catholic School 2085 Maple Bay Rd 250-746-5919

Sunrise Waldorf School Preschool 2148 Lakeside Rd 250-743-7253 sunrisewaldorfschool.org

Shawnigan Lake School 1975 Renfrew Rd 250-743-5516

SCHOLARSHIP & EDUCATION FUNDS

Yellow Submarine Family Child Care, Chemainus

Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan CST Consultants Inc 250-370-7611

Nature Adventure Daycare chemainusdaycare.com

Children’s Education Fund Inc. cefi.ca 1-800-246-1203

Sunrise Waldorf School 2148 Lakeside Rd 250-743-7253 sunrisewaldorfschool.org A fully certified Waldorf School established in 1980. Our 7 acre rural campus is located in the Cowichan Valley, just south of Duncan. Programs include preschool, kindergarten, and Grades 1-8.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Cowichan Valley PRESCHOOLS, CHILD CARE & OCCASIONAL CARE

School District #79 2557 Beverly St 250-748-0321

DISTRIBUTED LEARNING

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Hands-On Home-Learning for a Sustainable World 2738 Higgins St 250-383-6619

Brentwood College School 2735 Mt. Baker Rd, Mill Bay 250-743-5521

Cedar Montessori 250-710-9007 Parkside Academy, Duncan 250-746-1711 Queen of Angels Early Learning Centre 250-701-0433

Dwight International School 2371 East Shawnigan Lake Rd 250-929-0506 Evergreen Independent School 3515 Watson Ave, Cobble Hill evergreen.net 250-743-2433

CHEK Across BC chekabc.ca 1-888-352-2435

Navigate NIDES, Courtenay navigatenides.com 1-800-663-7925 SelfDesign selfdesign.org 1-877-353-3374

Family Services of Greater Victoria Formerly BC Families in Transition

899 Fort Street 250.386.4331 www.fsgv.org þ Individual, Couple and Family Counseling þ Parenting Coaching þ Relationship Referee þ Parent­‐Teen Mediation þ Specialized Children’s Therapy Services þ Divorce and Separation Legal Information and Mediation þ Caught in the Middle þ Parenting with a New Partner þ Parenting After Separation Serving Greater Victoria Since 1978 30 IslandParent.ca

LEARNING CENTRES & TUTORS

St. Joseph’s Elementary School - CHEMAINUS

Sylvan Learning Centre 215–80 Station St 250-746-0222 Proven results. Digital tablet technology. Innovative teaching techniques, motivational programs and the Sylvan Insight assessment continue to make Sylvan Learning the leader in personalized learning from K-12. Call today to find out more.

St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Chemainus 9735 Elm St 250-246-3191 K-7 full BC curriculum in a Christian atmosphere.

French, PE, music specialist teachers.

The Math Teacher themathteacher.xyz 250-732-1597

DISTRIBUTED LEARNING CEAP School District #69 Home Learning Program 250-954-3043 CHEK Across BC chekabc.ca 1-888-352-2435

Mid-Island

Hands-On Home-Learning for a Sustainable World 2738 Higgins St 1-888-383-6619

PRESCHOOLS & CHILD CARE

Navigate Heartwood Learning Community navigateheartwood.ca 1-800-663-7925

Beachcombers Academy & Little Oysters Preschool BeachcombersSchool.ca

LEARNING CENTRES & TUTORS

Children’s Discovery Centre, Qualicum Beach 250-752-4343

KUMON Math & Reading 5–6421 Applecross Rd 250-390-2411

Discover Montessori Nanaimo & Parksville 250-760-0615

Literacy Nanaimo 19 Commercial Dr 250-754-8988

John Paul II Catholic School, Port Alberni 250-723-0637

Nanaimo Unique Kids Organization #2-5801 Turner Rd nuko.ca

Little Star Children’s Centre, Qualicum Beach 250-752-4554 littlestardaycare.ca

School Is Easy In Home Tutoring schooliseasy.com 1-877-ITSEASY

St Joseph’s Preschool, Chemainus 9735 Elm St 250-246-3191

Sylvan Learning Centre 3260 Norwell Dr 250-758-1526 Proven results. Digital tablet technology. Innovative teaching techniques, motivational programs and the Sylvan Insight assessment continue to make Sylvan Learning the leader in personalized learning from K-12. Call today to find out more.

Vancouver Island Co-operative Preschool Association vicpa.org

SCHOOL DISTRICTS Conseil scolaire francophone de la Columbie-Britannique #180-10200 Shellbridge Way, Richmond 1-888-715-2200 School District #68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) 395 Wakesiah Ave 250-754-5521 School District #69 (Qualicum) 100 Jensen Ave 250-248-4241

Tutor Doctor vancouverislandtutors.com 250-802-5256

POST SECONDARY EDUCATION Vancouver Island University 900 5th St 250-753-3245

OTHER INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS Arrowmith School, Qualicum 861 Hilliers Rd 250-752-2722 Aspengrove School, Nanaimo AspengroveSchool.ca 250-390-2201 John Paul II Catholic School, Port Alberni 4006 8th Ave 250-723-0637

Growing healthy families, together.

Chemainus Community Schools’ Association 3172 Garner St 250-246-3588

Dr. Meghan van Drimmelen ND and Dr. Carla Cashin ND

Naturopathic Medical Clinic 314–1175 Cook Street, Victoria 778-265-8340 www.juniperfamilyhealth.com Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 31

North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre

A Wildlife Experience for the Whole Family!

Eagles • Owls • Bears Hawks • Falcons • Ferrets Turkey Vultures • and More

Open to Public Viewing 9am–5pm, 7 Days a Week from March Spring Break to Mid-December

Wildlife Adoptions Make Great Gifts!

Support your favourite NIWRA resident: visit us for more information or go to www.niwra.org

Guided Tours available for groups of 15 or more. Advanced booking required.

1240 Leffler Road, Errington 250.248.8534 niwra.org

If You Are

Moving Expecting a Baby Planning a Wedding A Grandparent A New Business/Executive Interested In a New Career

Contact Welcome Wagon Today!

Victoria & Vancouver Island 1-866-518-7287 Nanaimo 250-756-9794 Or online at: welcomewagon.ca

32 IslandParent.ca

Making Waves with Ocean Literacy W

here does the salt in the ocean come from? What is the biggest animal in the ocean?

When students in grades seven to 12 in the coastal province of Nova Scotia were given a test on general ocean-related questions, the resulting overall score fell just below 50 per cent, with critical gaps of knowledge in the topics of ocean chemistry and geology.

Would the outcome be different here on the country’s west coast? Researchers believe not. They’d argue ocean examples are not incorporated into the classroom unless a teacher has a real passion and interest in it. A movement to introduce ocean topics into the core curriculum is taking place and the concept of Ocean Literacy has unfolded.

Ocean Literacy is the understanding of the ocean’s influence on you and your influence on the ocean. An ocean-literate person understands the principles and concepts, can communicate about the ocean in a meaningful way, and is able to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources.

Create and build the framework for your family to increase their ocean literacy with these investigative or experiential activities. (Note: each Ocean Literacy principle incorporates multiple ideas, too many to cover here; check out oceanliteracy.wp2. coexploration.org for more information and educational resources.)

Principle #1: The Earth has one big ocean with many features.

• Follow a river or stream all the way to the ocean.

• Learn about watersheds using the CRD’s online educational resources and their Ollie the Otter Watershed Warden program.

• Use a globe to visually understand most of Earth is covered by ocean.

• Study the watercycle and look at rain differently.

Principle #2: The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth.

• Visit your favourite beach before and after a storm. Are there physical or biological differences? Are there differences in summer and winter? Are these different than beaches you experience on vacation?

• Go storm watching and take in the power of waves.

• Look at a sand sample under a microscope or magnifying glass.

Principle #3: The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.

• Take out a book on meteorology from the library.

• Watch the weather channel as a prompt to learn about El Niño, La Niña, hurricanes, cyclones, and other weather patterns or phenomena.

• Conduct weather experiments; many ideas can be found online.

Principle # 4: The ocean made life on Earth habitable.

• Google stromatolites, cyanobacteria and plankton.

• Conduct experiments that demonstrate photosynthesis. What undergoes photosynthesis in the ocean?

• Embrace your child’s interest in dinosaurs or fossils. How many came from or lived in the sea?

Principle #5: The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.

• Visit an aquarium or marine education centre to get up close with marine diversity (see islandparent.ca; Hands-wet, Hand-on Learning by Tina Kelly highlights centres up and down the Island).

• Journal different beach ecosystems— sandy beaches, rocky beaches, sheltered bays, estuaries, spits, among others.

• Understand tide charts (tides.gc.ca) and survey the species you find at lowtide. Are the animals at hightide different—in colour, shape, size, texture, etc.? Why—predators, salinity, temperature, substrate?

• Challenge your child(ren) to pick a lesser-known creature or a microscopic organism when tasked with a school project on the ocean.

Tina Kelly • Join a free nature program offered by CRD Parks; you’ll learn about local animals and ecosystems.

• Take a magnifying glass to the beach with the sole purpose of finding creatures smaller than a grain of rice.

Principle #6: The ocean and hu- Principle #7: The ocean is largemans are inextricably intercon- ly unexplored. nected.

• Follow deep sea explorations live on • Participate in a beach clean. Talk about where the garbage may have come from—a beachgoer, ocean currents, storm drain?

• Learn where your drinking water comes from. Take a tour of the Sooke Lake Reservoir offered by the CRD. • Conduct an inventory of your bathroom and kitchen cupboards. Do any of your products contain sea salt, carrageenan, algin or seafood?

• Visit the Royal British Columbia Museum to understand First Nations’ connections—food, transportation, clothing—to the sea.

• Learn what makes seafood “sustainable” with oceanwise.ca.

• Count freighters passing Southern Vancouver Island—a busy marine highway. Visit marinetraffic.com, plug in your coordinates and observe the numbers and types of vessels using our waters for pleasure, carrying ferry passengers or bringing goods from overseas.

• Contribute to a citizen science project (see islandparent.ca for Cellphones and Citizen Science by Tina Kelly).

your computer with Ocean Networks Canada (ONC, oceannetworks.ca). You’ll observe engineers, computer programmers, and scientists (chemists, biologists, geologists) at work with advanced technology, tools, sensors and submersibles. Citizens watching online can interact with scientists and ask questions. ONC also has remote live cameras displaying underwater reefs and vents.

• Have a friendly chat with a scuba diver about undersea conditions and how they overcome them, for example, pressure, oxygen, visibility.

• Check out live dives with the Fish Eye Project, fisheyeproject.org.

The biggest animal in the ocean is of course the blue whale but do you know where does the salt in the ocean comes from?

Additional activities can be found at ONC’s Ocean Aware Girl Guide Challenge.

Tina Kelly is the Director of Learning at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea (formerly the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre).

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Island Hopping

During the Off Season

Serena Beck

M

om, can we go to that island where they put flowers in our drinks?” asks my three-year-old son. He is referring to the thirst-quenching homemade lemonade that was served at Woods, a lodge we stayed at on Pender Island. While we were there, we found a geocache in the Prior Centennial Campground, we explored the beaches on North and South Pender, and we put together a picnic lunch using various items foraged from the farmer’s market.

Our kids had a great time shopping in the Pender Island thrift store, visiting the library, playgrounds, a lake and even a waterfall in the Enchanted Forest. My husband and I enjoyed the samples and stunning view from the Sea Star winery. Along the dense tree-lined roads, there are car stops where you can wait for a ride, so if you don’t own a vehicle, you can still get around the island.

Island hopping during the off season, typically October to April, can save you money. For accommodations that require a minimum number of nights stay, the minimum number is usually reduced. For example, a five- to seven-night minimum in the summer might be reduced to a one- to two-night minimum in the winter.

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 35

My family’s decision to island hop during the off season was partially based on cost and partially based on not wanting to get stuck in ferry line-ups. No matter what time of year, children under the age of five are free on the ferry. During the off season, some hotels offer special weekday packages such as accommodation with a restaurant credit. Or, to save money, try off-season camping—just double check the campsite you’re heading to is open in the off-season. Another way to cut down on costs is to plan a day trip to explore a smaller island or a smaller area.

Our decision to island hop during the off season was partially based on cost and partially based on not having to wait a few sailings to get on the ferry.

When we visited Saturna Island, we explored Winter Cove, enjoying the water on either side of us. Our favourite meal was at the Wild Thyme Coffee House which is inside a converted 1963 double decker bus.

The bus was the mascot and team transport during the 1978 Commonwealth games in Edmonton, Alberta.

Some islands warrant multiple visits. For example, Salt Spring. We have been there many times, but still haven’t explored all of the lakes, trails, and restaurants. Our favourite restaurant is the Tree House Café. The food is impressive and it’s a unique experience to eat in a building that was incorporates a tree. My son loved the Muesli Goat Cheese balls and I loved the Jalapeno Honey-Lime kaleslaw. Our kids also loved the bumpy drive to the top of Mount Maxwell.

Another great advantage of travelling during the off season is that the ferries aren’t as crowded. I love travelling by ferry because then our kids aren’t stuck in the car and they can stretch and roam around the boat. During the off season, the weather may be cooler, but it can also be a great time of year for storm watching. We’re looking forward to more island hopping this fall and my son is looking forward to the culinary part of our adventures.

Serena Beck works full time as a technical writer and enjoys writing magazine articles.

She also loves spending time with her husband and three children at the beach.

36

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Whether it’s dance lessons, parenting workshops, fun days and festivals, what’s happening at your local rec centre or community events—Island Parent Online has it all!

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Invite a Princess to your next event!

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for kids & families You provide the space and food…

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39

Annual Family Events

Visit IslandParent.ca for updated monthly event listings

2016/2017

Our Generous Sponsors OCTOBER

2016

favourites from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Paul Dukas’s Kids Mega Sale at Pearkes Arena. Gently used baby The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Grieg’s Peer Gynt and children’s clothing, toys, equipment , maternity. Suite. There will also be a few musical surprises, October 8, 9:30am-12:30pm. kidsmegasale@ including music from a Harry Potter film. Come in costume for pre-concert trick or treat fun. October gmail.com. facebook.com/KidsMegaSale.

30, 2:30pm. 250-385-6515. victoriasymphony.ca.

The Cicada and The Ant at UVic Farquhar. The soil, a field, an empty space where anything is possible, NOVEMBER where gradually humans settle, build, sow, work, sing and harvest. From the sowing of the seed to Potted Potter at McPherson Playhouse. Even if the harvest, a down-to-earth, poetic vision of the you don’t know the difference between a Horcrux world of the artist and of the small farmer. October and a Hufflepuff, Potted Potter will make you roar 23, 3pm. 250-721-8480. tickets.uvic.ca. with laughter. This brilliant family entertainment is perfect for ages six to Dumbledore (who is very Fred Penner in Concert at Cowichan Theatre. old indeed). November 5, 2:30pm, 5pm, 8pm.

Celebrate Halloween, come in costume! A man November 6, 2:30pm. rmts.bc.ca. who truly needs no introduction, Fred Penner, is coming to share his classic hits about cats that James & the Giant Peach at McPherson Playhouse. came back, songs about sandwiches and many When James Henry Trotter is shipped off to live more timeless melodies. October 28, 6:30pm. with his wretched aunts he longs for a real family.

250-748-7529. cowichanpac.ca.

All seems lost until he discovers a magical peach inhabited by fantastical creatures. Together with Fred Penner in Concert at Port Theatre, Nanaimo. a Grasshopper, Ladybug, Centipede, Spider, and JUNO award-winner and beloved family enter- Earthworm, James embarks on an extraordinary tainer, Fred Penner brings 25 years of commit- adventure. A heartwarming stage production that ment, consistency and depth to his performance. celebrates what it means to find a home. November Fred is a musical master and has truly established 12 & 13, 2pm. 250-383-8124. kaleidoscope.bc.ca. himself as a fundamental part of Canadian family entertainment. October 29, 2:30pm.

A Christmas Story at Chemainus Theatre. It’s a familiar yuletide tale: the all-consuming wish for one Halloween Spooktacular at the Royal Theatre. special gift. For 9-year-old Ralphie, that coveted Trick or treat to a wicked beat and celebrate the present is an Official Red Ryder carbine-action BB magic and mystery of Halloween. Ghosts and gob- gun. Follow the bespectacled tyke’s quest in this lins come out from every corner of the orchestra tale of decoder pins, furnace explosions and more to play frightful favourites. Listen to Halloween festive adventures. Based on the popular holiday

2016

40 IslandParent.ca

film. November 18 to December 31. 1-800-5657738. chemainustheatrefestival.com.

Island Farms Santa’s Light Parade along Government St (from Belleville to Chatham St). Floats and bands, entertainment and lots of fun for the entire family. Meet afterwards at Capital Iron for refreshments from Island Farms and witness Santa officially declare Christmas in Victoria open. Make sure to bring your donation for the Mustard Seed Food Bank! November 26, 5:45pm. 250-382-3111.

DECEMBER

2016

The Nutcracker at the Royal Theatre. Dance Victoria presents the Winnipeg Ballet’s performance of Nutcracker, a treasured holiday classic. December 2-4. 2pm & 7:30pm. rmts.bc.ca.

Will Stroet at UVic Farquhar. Catchy and kinetic, Will and his Backyard Band perform a high-energy show for young audiences with fun actions and sing-along choruses. December 4, 11am. 250-7218480. tickets.uvic.ca.

O Christmas Tea at Cowichan Theatre. Fans of Monty Python, Mr. Bean, and Dr. Suess, rejoice.

Multi-award-winning British comedians James and Jamesy present their outrageously funny and brilliantly inventive Christmas comedy. A jubilant celebration of friendship at Christmas. December 13, 7:30pm. 250-748-7529. cowichanpac.ca.

The Nutcracker at Cowchan Theatre. A traditional holiday favourite. The Royal City Youth Ballet returns to the stage with its enchanting production.

From the moment the lights dim, Tchaikovsky’s iconic score transports you to a world of wonder where rascally mice are foiled by toy soldiers, and a blizzard of ballerinas reveals a magical kingdom.

December 16, 7pm & December 17, 1pm. 250-7487529. cowichanpac.ca.

Aladdin and the Pirates at The Bailey Studio, Nanaimo. Everything you would expect from a pantomime. There’s Abanazer as an evil pirate captain, a lovable dame, Widow Twanky, a couple of genies and a penguin of unusual size named Monty. Plus lots of funny gags, clever word play and pirates, too! Har haarr. December 17-December 19, December 26-December 30, 7:30pm. December 17, December 18, December 26, December 27, 1:30pm.

December 31 9pm. nanaimotheatregroup.ca.

heart-tugging musical retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, featuring a cast of five professional actor/musicians using masks and puppets in Axis Theatre’s unique physical theatre style. January 15, 11am. 250-721-8480. tickets.uvic.ca.

A Mid Summer Night’s Dream at Malaspina Theatre at VIU. For families and children aged 5-12. January 28, 1pm. 250-754-7587. theatreone.org.

Babar & Three Fun Fables at Royal Theatre. Pack your trunks. You’re invited to Babar’s coronation!

Jean de Brunhoff’s popular children’s story of one little elephant’s epic rise from rags to riches is eloquently set to music by Francis Poulenc, and expressively re-imagined by Really Inventive Stuff with all the enthusiasm and pomp worthy of a royal gathering. Also on the program, a retelling of three of AeSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs at McPherson sop’s Fables: The Fox and the Crow, the Dog and his Playhouse. Traditional British Panto. Cast out by Reflection, and the Tortoise and the Hare. January her jealous stepmother and tricked into eating a 29, 2:30pm. 250-385-6515. victoriasymphony.ca. poisoned apple, the beautiful Snow White must defeat the wicked queen and find her way back to FEBRUARY the palace—with the help of seven new friends, a handsome prince, and you—the audience. A win- The Magic Flute at the Royal Theatre, Duncan. ning combination of incredible musical numbers, Enigmatic and sublime, full of mystery and joy, slapstick comedy, double entendres, outrageous this most bewitching of operas is an unforgettable costumes, local celebrities and audience participa- journey from darkness to light, full of peril, magic, tion that encourages you to cheer for the heroine and the most enchanting music in the world. Februand boo for the evil villain. December 27-29, 7pm. ary 16, 18, 22, 24 & 26. rmts.bc.ca.

250-383-8124. kaleidoscope.bc.ca.

2017

The Gift at the Royal Theatre. A uniquely wonderful Christmas ballet to Tchaikovsky’s timeless Nutcracker score. The Victoria Symphony whisks you away as dancers and a flurry of wonderful characters celebrate Christmas together. The mischief of a young girl sparks an exciting adventure and a world of unexpected wonder when, despite his warning, she opens a present brought by her uncle.

December 27-29. balletvictoria.ca. 250-386-6121.

MARCH

2017

The Little Prince at the McPherson Playhouse. A pilot crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert where he meets a young prince from a distant asteroid (Asteroid 325) who tells him a story of life among the stars. Meet a cast of characters including talking roses and a fox. Venture out on interplanetary travel to learn about true love and loyalty. A spectacular adventure of imagination for all ages. March 11 & 12, 2pm. 250-383-8124. kaleidoscope.bc.ca.

TM

transformed into a brilliant ballet where magic and humour light up the stage in a tour de force. Two ballets by celebrated Canadian choreographers Shawn Hounsell and Peter Quanz open the show with passion and dramatic dancing. March 14 & 15, 7:30pm. balletvictoria.ca.

Peter Pan at Malaspina Theatre at VIU. For families and children aged 5-12. March 18, 1pm. 250-7547587. theatreone.org.

APRIL

2017

Science @ The Symphony at the Royal Theatre.

Join CBC Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald for a wacky afternoon of scientific hijinks for the whole family. Learn how rubber bands and soda bottles can make music, and how you can create your own instruments. Come prepared to be creative. April 2, 2:30pm. 250-385-6515. victoriasymphony.ca.

July

2017

Canada Day celebrations at various locations on July 1. Check kidsinvictoria.com for events listing.

ONGOING

Behind the Scenes at the Royal BC Museum. The museum has turned inside out with a year-long feature exhibition of B.C.’s amazing natural history. Get up close and personal with thousands of specimens you’ve never seen before, a separate virtual exhibition, and activities for the entire JANUARY A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Royal Theatre. family. Free for members and children under 5.

Hamelin, A New Fable at UVic Farquhar. A comedic, Shakespeare’s wit to Mendelssohn’s playful score is royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.•

2017

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 41

An Ode to Kale

Community Board A Making our Community a Better Place to Live

1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre 1-up.ca Art Gallery of Greater Victoria aggv.ca

friend once told me, “You know that kale is good for you because it tastes so bad.”

She said this as she shoved raw kale into her toddler’s lunchtime wrap. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t at all interested in eating the wrap. It was as though the whole meal was contrived simply to prove his mother’s point. Kale was only worth eating because it was healthy, and the best way to consume it was ground up in some power protein shake with a sprinkle of spirulina for good measure.

My children love kale. That said, I don’t think they would enjoy a large mouthful of chewy raw kale.

can just dedicate a patch of soil to your plot of kale and it will self-seed for years.

Growing kale in your garden means that you get to enjoy all of its incarnations. The young kale leaves are so tender that they can be added raw to a salad. The big thick leaves can be bitter, tough and chewy, so they are best for cooking. However, if you have kale in your garden over the winter, then the leaves will become sweeter as the weather cools because the plant needs to store sugars to protect its cells from freezing.

The late flowering kale is my favourite. If the flowering stems are picked early enough, they are soft and succulent. I eat them like I would asparagus or sprouting broccoli.

The kale most people are familiar with is the type with the big bunches of leaves that is sold at farmers markets and grocery stores.

This is the mature kale, and I use it as my go-to for a cooked green. It can work like steamed spinach in lasagna or like chopped cabbage in a soup. I add it to stir-fries and casseroles; it’s extremely versatile.

If you are lucky enough to have space for a garden, or even a large planter, then I recommend planting kale. It’s so easy to grow that it’s almost a weed, and it’s a plant that keeps giving to the gardener throughout its life.

You can buy kale as seedlings in the spring and fall. Alternatively, you can start it from seed in the garden from March to September.

If you’re a recreational gardener, then you

Pick them early as the stems become woody once the flowers start to open. The small leaves of a flowering kale are also sweet and tender, and though my kids will eat them raw, they prefer it when I make them into kale chips.

These recipes are designed to be easy enough for older children to prepare on their own. However, it’s important for younger children to learn to cook, too, so I’ve included some suggestions for ways that young children can help out.

Child Care Resource & Referral childcarevictoria.ca Kaleidoscope Theatre kaleidoscope.bc.ca Phoenix Theatre phoenixtheatres.ca Royal BC Museum royalbcmuseum.bc.ca Silver Threads Service silverthreads.ca Victoria Conservatory of Music vcm.bc.ca Enquire about non-profit brochure or magazine distribution in Greater Victoria:

publisher@islandparent.ca 42 IslandParent.ca

Kale Chips

Kids love kale chips. It’s definitely a good-for-you treat that will get everyone eating their greens.

Ingredients: 1 bunch of kale

1 Tbsp olive oil pinch of salt Directions: 1. Wash, de-stem and chop the kale leaves—you will need enough to cover one baking sheet.

Serving the Families of Vancouver Island for Over 23 Years The Kiddies Store

Emillie Parrish 2. Toss the kale with the olive oil, then spread it out in one layer on a baking sheet.

3. Sprinkle with fine salt.

4. Bake at 350˚F for 10-15 minutes, until the edges of the leaves are slightly browned and the kale is crispy. *Young children can help wash and destem the kale leaves. They can also toss kale with oil and spread it out on a baking sheet.

Perch Hanging High Chair Whether at home, in a restaurant or on a picnic day, the Perch table-chair will give your child a special place at the family table. The Perch attaches to most tables and folds for easy storage. A handy travel bag is included, which you’ll be able to store under the seat when not in use.

Kale Pesto

Finlayson St.

s St.

Emillie Parrish loves having adventures with her two busy children. She lives in Victoria and is the author of the fermentation-based blog fermentingforfoodies.com.

3045–C Douglas St., Victoria, BC V8T 4N2 250-386-2229 www.tjskids.com

Dougla

Kale pesto is a great way to incorporate greens in your diet. You can put it on pasta or pizza. You can use it as a sandwich spread or as the start of a salad dressing. It’s pretty darn versatile.

Ingredients: 3 cups of torn kale (no stems) 1⁄2 cup olive oil 1⁄2 tsp salt 2 cloves garlic 1⁄4 cup sunflower seeds 1⁄2 cup Parmesan cheese (optional) Directions: 1. Pack all of the ingredients except for the cheese into into a food processor or blender.

2. Pulse until everything is evenly chopped. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender a few times to get everything mixed.

3. Add the cheese, if using.

4. If you don’t have a food processor or blender, then make a “deconstructed pesto” by simply chopping everything up and lightly sautéing before adding it to pasta. *Young children can be afraid of noisy kitchen appliances. Try letting them push the ON button so that they aren’t so surprised when it starts to whir.

Larch St.

Entrance off Larch St.

T.J.’S

PumpkinPie Chai Latte PumpkinSpice Latte Sept 5 - Nov 11

Serious Coffee locations can be found throughout Vancouver Island and in Powell River �o �nd one near �ou go to� seriouscoffee�co� Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 43

Classes & Programs

Girl Guides of Canada 938 Mason St 250-383-1712 Navy League Cadets navyleague.ca 250-565-3344.

South Island ART PROGRAMS Art Gallery of Greater Victoria— Children’s Studio 1040 Moss St 250-384-4171 Artistic Statement Gallery & School of Fine Art 107-2250 Oak Bay Ave 250-383-0566 Community Arts Council of the Saanich Peninsula cacsp.com 250-656-7400 Fiddlesticks Studio of Fine Arts for Young Children fiddlestickschild.ca 250-858-7034 Fired Up Ceramics firedupceramics.ca

McTavish Academy Of Art 1720 McTavish Rd 778-351-0088 McTavishAcademy.ca Let the Creativity Out! Art, music, dance, yoga, mindfulness, and creative expression. Accessible to all ages and families through classes, workshops and events. Beginner to Advanced, Kids to Adults.

Royal Canadian Air Cadets 89pacific.ca

Open Space 510 Fort St, 2nd Flr 250-383-8833

DANCE SCHOOLS

Poppet Creative 1508 Haultain St poppetcreative.com Robert Bateman Centre Junior Nature Sketch Club batemancentre.org 250-940-3630

CLUBS & ACTIVITIES Boys & Girls Club Services bgcvic.org 301-1195 Esquimalt Rd 250-384-9133 7162 West Saanich Rd 250-652-3021 410 Macaulay St 250-380-9250 830 Pembroke St 250-370-5909 626 Hoylake Ave 250-478-0721

Scouts Canada scouts.ca 1-888-726-8876 Victoria Sea Cadets 250-363-0864 Victoria Flying Club 250-656-2833

Arabesque Dance Studio dancearabesque.ca 250-595-3107 Boston Dance Collective 2750 Quadra Street 250-658-1818 Dance Unlimited danceunlimited.ca 250-361-3267 dansko Studios Inc. est. 1993 4814 W. Saanich Rd 250-475-6606 Leap Forward Dance School 2758 Peatt Rd 250-818-9225 or 778-265-5955 Lighthouse Academy of Dance 934 Goldstream Ave lighthouseacademyofdance.com

Transforming disability into ability.

At Discovery School, learning disabilities are transformed into valuable skills and abilities. Students work at their own pace in small classes, with focused, individualized instruction.

• Experienced, highly-qualified teachers • Ongoing assessment, evaluation & feedback • Improves organizational & study skills • Boost confidence, independence & responsibility • Nurturing environment based on Christian values • For students aged 7 – 18 in grades 1 – 12 • Individual Education Plans • Low student/teacher ratio

Enrolment is limited. For more information or to arrange a tour, visit www.discoveryschool.ca, call Sherri Ko at 250-595-7765 or email principal@discoveryschool.ca 44 IslandParent.ca

Kids’ Dentist

Maple Leaf School of Ballet 310 Henry St mapleleafballet.ca O’Brien School of Irish Dance obrienirishdance.com 604-340-2370

Dr. Anita Gadzinska-Myers

Pacific Dance Centre 5182 Cordova Bay Rd 250-477-6114

is a Board Certified Specialist in Pediatric Dentistry and has a Fellowship in Special Needs Dentistry for children

Stages Performing Arts School 301–1551 Cedar Hill X Rd 250-384-3267

• Accepting new patients now (infants to teenagers) • Referral not needed • Member of Cleft Lip and Palate Team

The Beat Dance Studio @Royal Roads University thebeatdancestudio.com 250-514-2788 Victoria Academy of Ballet 716 Johnson St 250-590-6752 Victoria School of Irish Dance victoriairishdancers.com 250-888-9421

Special Services:

short wait list • intravenous sedation • hospital dentistry • nitrous oxide

Victoria Pediatric Dental Centre 206–1830 Oak Bay Ave

Wendy Steen Mitchell Dance 2033 Belmont Ave 250-598-7679 Westcoast Academy of Performing Arts wapa.ca 250-415-1477 Whitespace Dance whitespacedance.com Westshore Zumba westshorezumba.com 250-413-7213

DAY ProGrAMS (See also “Recreation Centres”) Autism Services, Community Living Victoria 250-477-7231, ext. 237 Boys & Girls Club 250-384-9133 Byte Camp 250-661-3358 Canadian Forces Sailing cfsa.wordpress.com 250-385-8873 FUN Camps 600 Richmond Ave 778-712-2267 Glenlyon-Norfolk Marine Adventure Program 250-370-6852 Hands On Summer Camp HandsOnSummerCamp.com 250-995-6425 Christ Church Cathedral School 912 Vancouver St 250-383-5125

www.victoriapediatricdentalcentre.ca

Emmanuel Preschool 2121 Cedar Hill Cross Road (by entrance to UVic) Children learn through play in our all inclusive, non-denominational Christian preschool.

Great facility; outdoor play area and a gym for rainy day play! Two teachers with ECE certifi cation plus an assistant teacher to help with special needs children. A competent and caring teaching team!

Class Options for 2016–2017: Mon/Wed/Fri morning class Tues/Thurs morning class 5 mornings a week

Phone 250-598-0573 preschool@emmanuelvictoria.ca

www.emmanuelpreschool.ca

N IO 017 T RA , 2 ST N 3 I G A RE NS J E OP

Victoria Academy of Ballet 716 Johnson St 250-590-6752 YM/YWCA 880 Courtney St 250-475-3777

RA EB T

ING

Tennis Kids KidsAtTennis.ca 250-412-1406

CEL

Science Venture 250-721-8661 SMUS Education Extension Holiday Programs smus.ca 250-370-6120

250-383-2133

Register your child or student to showcase their talent at the most watched arts festival in Victoria!

SPACE IS LIMITED! Dedicated to developing a love of the performing arts for all ages and skill levels.

YEARS

APRIL 3 to MAY 13, 2017 Syllabus on website

/gvpaf gvpaf.org 250.386.9223 Family Resource Guide 2016/2017

45

DRAMA PROGRAMS

Abra-Kid-Abra

• A great selection of books • Dress-up for girls and boys • Shoes…Pedipeds, Stride Rite…and More • Rainwear and rainboots…TUFFO – MUDDYBUDDY, now up to size 5 • Children’s clothing up to age 12

Car Seats, Cribs, Play-n-Pak, High Chairs available for short term rentals Now Accepting Consignment New & Used Toys, Clothing & Furniture Visit our new location: 2005 Oak Bay Ave • 778 265 5430

Four Seasons Musical Theatre fsmtheatre.ca

Kaleidoscope Theatre 2780 Richmond Rd 250-383-8124 kaleidoscope.bc.ca Vancouver Island’s resident professional theatre company and theatre school for young people and families. Offering year-round professional theatre classes, camps and productions for all ages.

Kate Rubin Theatre & Drama Studio katerubintheatre.com katerubin@telus.net 250-386-8593 facebook.com/KateRubinTheatre

CARF accredited Assessment-HopeTreatment-Change Contact us today to turn towards something better!

778.410.2319 PivotPoint.ca

46 IslandParent.ca

Vancouver Island Regional Library Sidney-North Saanich Branch 10091 Resthaven Rd 250-656-0944 Sooke Branch 2065 Anna Marie Rd 250-642-3022

MUSIC Fiddlesticks Studio of Fine Arts for Young Children fiddlestickschild.ca 250-858-7034 Girls Rock Camp Victoria girlsrockvictoria.ca

Movie Magic movie-magic.ca

Kid’s Works Art Music and Drama Classes kidsworks.ca 250-884-1290

Screen Actor’s Studio 845 Fisgard St 250-595-1339

Larsen Music larsenmusic.ca 250-389-1988 Mary Rogers Music Studio 250-744-9049 Music for Young Children® myc.com

GYMNASTICS Falcon Gymnastics Centre 208–721 Vanalman Ave 250-479-6424 • Ongoing registration.

• Classes for boys and girls.

• Ages 20 months and up.

• Beginner through advanced.

• Teen and adult drop-in.

• The best birthday parties in town.

• falcongymnastics.com.

Pivot Point helps children, youth, and adults to rise towards their best! From Victoria, through Cowichan, Duncan, and throughout BC, we tailor behavioural, educational, and mental health services to each individual with Autism and other Diverse Abilities and needs.

Juan de Fuca Branch 1759 Island Hwy 250-391-0653 Nellie McClung Branch 3950 Cedar Hill Rd 250-477-7111 Oak Bay Branch 1442 Monterey Ave 250-592-2489 Saanich Centennial Branch 3110 Tillicum Rd 250-477-9030

Robin’s Nest Recording robinsnestrecording.com 250-580-2522 Tom Lee Music #105-2401D Millstream Rd 250-838-5222 Victoria Children’s Choir VictoriaChildrensChoir.ca 250-721-0856 Victoria Conservatory of Music 900 Johnson St 250-386-5311 210-1314 Lakepoint Way 778-265-5355

Lion’s Pride Gymnastics 1060 Henry Eng Place 250-383-3547

Victoria Good News Choir victoriagoodnewschoir.com 250-658-1946

Victoria Gymnastics 2051 Store St 250-380-2442

Youth Choir 61 choir.sd61.bc.ca 250-477-5569

LIBRARIES Greater Victoria Public Library Bruce Hutchison Branch 4636 Elk Lake Rd 250-727-0104 Central Branch 735 Broughton St 250-382-7241 Central Saanich Branch 1209 Clarke Rd 250-652-2013 Emily Carr Branch 3500 Blanshard St 250-475-6100 Esquimalt Branch 1231 Esquimalt Rd 250-414-7198 Goudy Branch 119-755 Goldstream Ave 250-391-5702

RECREATION CENTRES Archie Browning Sports Centre 1151 Esquimalt Rd 250-414-7103 Cedar Hill Recreation Centre 3220 Cedar Hill Rd 250-475-7121 City Centre Park citycentrepark.ca 250-391-1738

Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre 2275 Quadra St 250-361-0732

victoria.ca/recservices Swimming lessons for all ages and abilities; 50m pool with waterslide, two kids’ pools and sauna/ steam rooms; full fitness facilities and wellness programs.

Esquimalt Parks & Recreation 527 Fraser St 250-414-8500 Gordon Head Recreation Centre 4100 Lambrick Way 250-475-7100 Henderson Centre 2291 Cedar Hill X Rd 250-370-7200 Panorama Recreation Centre panoramarecreation.ca 250-656-7271 Pearkes Recreation Centre 3100 Tillicum Rd 250-475-5400 Recreation Oak Bay recreation.oakbay.ca 250-595-7946 Saanich Commonwealth Place 4636 Elk Lake Dr 250-475-7600 Salt Spring Island Recreation 145 Vesuvius Bay Rd 250-537-4448

Island Swimming

Swimming for Excellence in Life

Island Swim Skills Programs Available Now! Suitable for Children Aged 6-10

Save On Foods Memorial Centre 1925 Blanshard St 250-361-0732 victoria.ca/arena Passport to skating lesson programs for all ages and abilities; special events and theme skates; youth and sports programs; rental opportunities for ice/dry floor/meeting rooms.

SEAPARC Leisure Complex, Sooke 2168 Phillips Rd 250-642-8000

Programs Available at: Saanich Commonwealth Place Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre

For more information on our Island Swim Skills programs contact:

www.islandswimming.com

Email: info@islandswimming.com Phone: (250) 744 5536

West Shore Parks & Recreation westshorerecreation.ca 250-478-8384 Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre and Centennial Centre offer a variety of programs for preschoolers, school age and teens, plus drop-in swimming, skating, child minding and more.

RIDING Echo Ridge Stables echoridgestables.ca 250-857-6710 Kiowa Farm kiowafarm.ca 250-858-5330

Innovative Blended and Online Learning Practice

Award Winner

2014

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 47

SCIENCE/NATURE BC SPCA spca.bc.ca/kids 250-388-7722 CRD Parks Programs 250-478-3344 Friends of Uplands Park friendsofuplandspark.wordpress.com 250-595-8084 Gorge Waterway Nature House Gorge Park 250-380-7585 Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre compost.bc.ca 250-386-WORM Mad Science madscience.org/vancouverisland 250-391-1814 Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary 3837 Swan Lake Rd 250-479-0211

SKATING Oak Bay Figure Skating Club oakbayfsc.ca

Matinees for KIDS! OCT 1 & 2 – 12:45 PM Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Oct 8 & 9 – 12:30 pm The BFG

Saturdays & Sundays All Seats

Oct 15 & 16 – 12:45 pm Kubo & The Two Strings

$4.75

Oct 22 & 23 – 1:00 pm The Secret Life of Pets

Juan de Fuca Skating Club juandefucaskatingclub.ca

SPORTS PROGRAMS Boardworks Diving 4636 Elk Lake Dr 250-479-0330 Gorge Soccer Association gorgesoccer.ca Hampton Little League Hampton Park 250-385-0022

Oct 29 & 30 – 12:45 pm The WizArd of Oz

Highland Pacific Golf 450 Creed Rd 250-478-4653

.com Student Union Building, UVIC | 250-721-8365

Ask us about our 10% off program

Island Swimming 250-479-3909 Lakehill Soccer Association lakehillsoccer.com Ages 4-18, co-ed, year round soccer Operation Trackshoes 3100 Foul Bay Rd 250-721-2233 PISE (Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence) piseworld.com 250-220-2510 Pacific Coast Swimming 250-727-9243 Royal Victoria Yacht Club 250-592-6113 Sportball sportball.ca 250-590-4625 Victoria City Rowing Club vcrc.bc.ca 250-658-5331 Victoria Judo Club 250-886-0056 Victoria Junior Field Hockey VictoriaJuniorFieldHockey.ca Victoria Sea Cadets 250-363-0864

48 IslandParent.ca

Specializing in gentle Japanese Acupuncture

Victoria Synchro victoriasynchro.com Syncronized swimming combines swimming with music, dance, gymnastics and drama and it’s a team sport. Beginner Synchro classes offered for school ages to adult. Email jennifervicsynchro@ gmail.com for more information.

Victoria Youth Paddling Club vypc.ca Westshore Motocross Assoc. westshoremx.com 250-590-8088 World Cup Soccer Camp worldcupsoccercamp.com

What we treat with Acupuncture: nutritional and environmental allergies, digestive complaints, developmental and growth support, anxiety, emotional stress, insomnia, skin conditions including acne and eczema, hormonal issues, painful menstruation, immune system issues and much more.

Dr. Katrine Hegillman Dr. TCM, B.Sc. Acpuncture and Acupressure, Herbal and Nutritional Supplements for children and adults.

Please visit our website

www.oriri.ca OTHER Andrea’s Sew Easy 250-592-7879 andreasseweasy.com CISV Victoria cisvvictoria.ca The Makehouse 8331⁄2 Fort St 778-432-2294

Cowichan Valley CLUBS & ACTIVITIES Boys & Girls Club, Duncan 2471 Beverly St 250-748-1171 Girl Guides 321 Cairnsmore St 250-748-1052

DAY CAMPS BC SPCA 250-388-7722 KinPark Kid’s Camp, Duncan 360 Duncan St 250-748-8506

LIBRARIES Vancouver Island Regional Library Cowichan Branch 2687 James St 250-746-7661 Lake Cowichan Branch 38 King George North 250-749-3431

MUSIC PROGRAMS Music for Young Children 1-800-828-4334

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 49

RECREATION CENTRES Cowichan Aquatic Centre, Duncan 2653 James St 250-746-7665 Cowichan Lake Sports Arena 311 South Shore Rd 250-749-6742 Cowichan Sportplex 5847 Chesterfield Ave 250-746-5666 Kerry Park Recreation Centre 1035 Shawnigan-Mill Bay Rd 250-743-5922 Shawnigan Lake Community Centre 2804 Shawnigan Lk Rd 250-743-1433

RIDING Alpine Stables alpinestable.com 250-743-6641 Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association ctra.ca 250-746-1028

Mid-Island

DAY CAMPS

CLUBS & ACTIVITIES

GYMNASTICS

Boys & Girls Club, Chemainus 3172B Garner St 250-246-5421

Flipside Gymnastics flipsidegymnastics.ca 250-756-9102

Boys & Girls Club, Ladysmith 730 3rd Ave 250-245-8921 Boys & Girls Club, Lantzville 7-7221 Lantzville Rd 250-390-4001 Boys & Girls Club, Nanaimo 20 5th St 250-754-3215 Nanaimo Navy League and Sea Cadets 750 Fifth St 250-753-3797 Royal Canadian Sea Cadets 136 Amphion, Nanaimo 250-3797 Royal Canadian Air Cadets 205 Collishaw, Nanaimo 250-754-0076

SKATING Duncan Skating Club duncanskating.com

DANCE Glengarry School of Celtic Dance 250-758-0208 O’Brien School of Irish Dance obrienirishdance.com 250-340-2370

BC SPCA 250-388-7722

LIBRARIES Vancouver Island Regional Library Campbell River Branch 1240 Shopper’s Row 250-287-3655 Chemainus Branch 2592 Legion St 250-246-9471 Hornby Island Branch 1765 Sollans Rd 250-335-0044 Ladysmith Branch #3-740 1st Ave 250-245-2322 Nanaimo Harbourfront Branch 90 Commercial Dr 250-753-1154 Nanaimo Wellington Branch 3032 Barons Rd 250-758-5544 Parksville Branch 100E Jenson Ave East 250-248-3841 Port Alberni Branch 4245 Wallace St 250-723-9511 Qualicum Beach Branch #101–660 Primrose St 250-752-6121

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51

Good Enough Mom I

think I can safely say that the majority of us enter motherhood with a set of beliefs or expectations—sub-consciously or consciously—about what it means to be a good mother. We develop these beliefs from the pressure of our communities and society as a whole, the experiences with our own parents, and through the expectations of friends, family, and media. These outside influences can have such surprising power and influence over us that when we finally do become mothers ourselves, it is often difficult to listen to our own ideas of what this “good mom” thing is all about.

So difficult, in fact, that sometimes overwhelming emotion can creep in—sleepless nights of worry, lack of appetite, fear and insecurity about being alone with baby, and the pure distress that can accompany early motherhood.

The recent movie, “Bad Moms,” stars a mom, overwhelmed and downright sick of trying to keep it all together, who gets a couple of other mothers to join her in

being a “bad mom”—mothers who give up the struggle of trying to do everything perfectly and enjoy their newfound freedoms. Although the comedy provided some good laughs, I think it can strike a subtle chord in most mothers. Every mother has felt overwhelmed and like a failure at some point in her life—probably at countless points in her life.

The pressure to be all things to all people is overwhelming, as is the feeling of guilt that you are constantly letting someone down: your kids, your significant other, your fellow moms, your boss, yourself. We put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect!

Or at least, if not perfect, then definitely good. I hear the phrase “I feel like such a bad mom” in my professional and personal life frequently and I think these powerful words have the potential to haunt mothers.

What, exactly, is a “Good Mom” anyway? Is a good mother the one who breastfeeds her baby until he is two? Is a good mom the one who cooks all of the

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52 IslandParent.ca

family meals from scratch? Is she the mother who always puts others before herself? Is this good mom the one who is constantly smiling, has a perfectly clean house, and clean, folded laundry put away before

Diana Hurschler

anyone notices it was even dirty? Or is she the mom who never feeds her child sugar or lets her watch TV? Is she the one who is always happy, never anxious, definitely not angry, and seems to know exactly what to do with her child at every developmental stage? Is she the one whose baby is never crying? Is she the one whose children are always happy, too?

Most of us carry at least one of these expectations with us into our definitions of “Good Mom.” Sadly, definitions of good motherhood may not even be ours: they may be society’s. Or they might be in the books on our bedside table. Or they could come

from our neighbour, husband, or woman we sat next to at the baby drop-in class.

Each of us enters motherhood with some idea of what we “should” do in this new and often overwhelming role. The abundance of child-rearing advice out there can make your job as a parent easier, but also more difficult. While it is great that all this information is available, it sometimes ends up putting a lot of pressure on moms to have all the answers and to attempt to live up to unattainable ideals.

Besides feeling guilty because we have unrealistic expectations of ourselves, sometimes we feel guilt when we compare ourselves to other people or situations.

The key is to remember that there truly is no right way to be a mom, and that every baby and family is different so there are no cookie-cutter answers. Trust yourself to make the right choices for your child and family and that you are doing the best you possibly can. It took me until my third child to close the books and navigate with my heart, not my mind So please go ahead and ask yourselves what you believe to be a “good enough” mom to your children and to write down your own list. Take note of the “shoulds” and the “always” and whether or not you are noting ideas that are truly yours or whether they are someone else’s or your assumptions of someone else’s. I encourage you to be mindful of what comes to you.

For this exercise, give yourself permission to own this definition, regardless of what others might say or think. What do you believe goes into being a Good Enough Mom? Go through your list and ask yourself if you are doing or being anything on your list. Try your best to think of at least one thing or one time that you have met each piece of your definition. For example, if “being present” is on your list, what exactly does that look like and how have you been present to your baby? Post your list in a spot that you can see it. Every day, ask yourself if you have engaged in any of the Good Enough Mom elements that you have noted. My guess is that each one of you reading this is a darn Good Enough Mom. You just might not have noticed.

Diana Hurschler, RN BscN, childbirth educator, certified breastfeeding counselor has been helping families in their childbearing years and beyond since 1998. Diana is the proud Mama of four little ones. She can be reached at diana@hurschler.com.

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Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 53

On Sleep, or the Lack Thereof T

here’s this luscious commodity, extremely precious because it’s in such high demand and so incredibly hard to get. It can’t be bought (not really) but it’s still on the wishlist of every new parent. Its absence causes considerable unhappiness and not just a few tears in a new parent’s life. It’s sleep.

Anybody who has considered starting a family has likely taken note of the cadre of red-eyed adults who appear in cafes in the mornings. Those folks with babies strapped to their chests in carriers, like plump little starfish, happily flapping their arms and legs, while the adults attached to them rub their eyes and mainline their caffeine. If you are on the road to parenthood, you should know that in spite of all your secret hopes, this will soon be you.

I used to laugh at the time stamps on my best friend’s texts. She would ping me to tell me about a great new book at 2 a.m., or send a recipe for mint-pea couscous at midnight. Sometimes it seemed she never slept. She said she rarely did. Lots of new parents say that.

But that, obviously, is impossible. Sleep is necessary to sustain life. There’s even a

condition called “fatal familial insomnia” where the sufferer literally stops being able to sleep, and the outcome is pretty obvious, judging by the condition’s name.

So parents have to be exaggerating, don’t they? Surely they’re running on more than an hour and a half’s worth of sleep. Surely they’re just rounding their hours down to sound tougher and more impressive to their friends.

Imagine my surprise when I had a little sprog of my own and, spoiler alert, found out they weren’t exaggerating at all.

In fact, studies show that if parents lie about how their babies sleep, it’s in the opposite direction; they lie about how well their babies sleep. It’s as if there’s a baby Olympics and everybody wants to medal in Sleeping Through the Night. As it happens, there’s no baby Olympics. Instead there’s the Sleep Deprivation Olympics which, unfortunately, everybody has to try out for, and nobody wants to medal in.

There’s a sort of bloody-minded raceto-the-bottom when it comes to parental stories of sleep deprivation. You might even hear good friends one-downing each other in a conversation: “Clementine only

slept in one-hour intervals during the four-month sleep regression.” “Oh, well, when little Hugo was teething, we slept in 15 minute shifts.” It’s incredibly tough, and just getting through it without giving up and running away to join a circus is something of a badge of honour.

Unfortunately, the effect of sleep deprivation on new parents isn’t well understood. The methodology of the studies done on sleep deprivation are often incompatible with the experience of parenting—study subjects agree to be subjected to sleep deprivation for a set amount of time, and know they can drop out if they wish. Not so for actual parents who never know if Little Hugo is going to ever learn to self-soothe, and just have to cope with night wakings and whatever else life throws their way.

Because so little is known about the effects of parental sleep deprivation, all that can be said about the early years are generalities: Sleep deprivation stacks, meaning you can bounce back from one bad night with one good night, but not so for two or three bad nights. For those you need two or three good ones.

Sleep deprivation also impairs working memory, increases risk of depression, and enhances negative moods. People who are seriously sleep deprived may even suffer auditory or visual hallucinations (I did. I swore up and down someone was knocking on the door. They weren’t. My husband looked at me like I was nuts.

Which, I’ll fess up here, I kind of was.)

But there is some good news to be had on the sleep front. There are many great resources to help you get through (see this issue, the Family Resource Guide, for example). And nothing about babyhood is forever. Bad nights of fussing and crying are just one of those transient things. Colic

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tends to peter out for most around six weeks, and for nearly everybody by four months. Teething comes and goes. Sleep regressions happen—often hand-in-hand with a new skill—then fade away again, leaving behind the exciting new skill.

Even better for parents who plan to have more than one child, some studies suggest that we become more efficient sleepers after going through a long period of sleep deprivation. That means, as with so much about parenthood, the trials of the first baby are front-loading some of the work for the second.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how to get baby to

Tamara MacNeil

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St. Joseph’s Elementary School

sleep through the night, there are plenty 757 West Burnside Road 250 479 1232 of tips and tricks that might help. But the fact is, rest is just hard to come by in www.stjosephschool.ca that first year, and it can be difficult to nap when the opportunity presents itself, St. Joseph’s Elementary School has limited space in all because there’s other essential work to grades (K–7), as well as space in our licensed Group Day Care do—like, for example, feeding yourself.

You’ll soldier on. And, as with everything and Preschool Program. Applications are available on-line or in childhood, this too shall pass. Nothing from the school office. St. Joseph’s offers a rigorous academic is permanent. program in a Catholic Christian atmosphere.

So when you’re at the café, bleary-eyed, We are pleased to announce that our Early Learning Centre is now waiting for desperately-needed caffeine, with your infant happily open!

We are starfishing offering infull time daycare for children who are 3 and 4 their carrier, and somebody tells you, years of age. Applications are available on-line or from the Early “Enjoy this time! You’ll miss it when it’s gone!”Learning just smile and nod and remember: Centre office. St. Josephʼs offers anPacific excellent program in a is dedicated Centre Family Services Association to maintaining outstanding services for the people we work Eventually Clementine will get all her Catholic Christian atmosphere. with through education, counselling and creative programming. teeth. Eventually Hugo will learn to selfWe have locations in Colwood, Langford and Sooke, soothe.

None ofof this is forever. are 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM. For Hours operation additional information British Columbia, Canada and feature the following programs: And, besides, you’re highly sleep deplease contact Susan Clifford at 250-479-1237. · Affordable & Fee for Service Counselling for · Youth & Child Counselling & Expressive Therapy prived. Your memory is impaired. You’ll Individuals & Couples (offered by Registered Clinical Program (SAIP) probably forget all this anyway.

Counsellors or Master’s level counselling interns on a · Youth Services (parent/teen counselling and mediation)

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Come Grow With Us!

Tamara MacNeil attended UVic and afterward ran away to become a full-time freelance writer. She’s the author of Salt and Iron (as Tam MacNeil), A Fine Romance (as T Neilson) and many other books, short stories, and articles.

sliding scale based on family income) · Substance Use Program (counselling and referrals for adults) · Safer Families (counselling for families who have violence/abuse history) · Stopping the Violence & Family Violence Programs (Group and individual counselling for women and men who have used violence or who have experienced abuse in their intimate relationships)

· Skookum Skillz (employment training program for vulnerable youth) · Community Outreach Prevention & Education (support for youth 5–18) · Youthtalk (email counselling for youth) · REACH Young Parents’ Daycare · Better at Home (home support for seniors)

For more information, please contact our intake direct line at 250.391.4321

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Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 55

Healthy Families, Happy Families

Encouraging Social Skills in Your Child

Child, Youth & Family Public Health C South Island Health Units Esquimalt Gulf Islands

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viha.ca/prevention_services/ 56 IslandParent.ca

hildren who have good social skills find it easier to make and keep friends. They tend to be liked by their peers and generally get along well with others. They also tend to have fewer arguments and disagreements.

Friendships are important but children do not always know how to look after them.

Many parents feel there is little they can do to influence their children’s friendships.

However, parents have an important role in monitoring and encouraging social skills.

Triple P—the Positive Parenting Program provides the following tips for encouraging friendships and social skills:

• Expect appropriate behaviour from your child when they have a friend over. If there is a problem discuss some rules and talk about what will happen if the rules are not followed.

Cindy Knott Child Youth & Family Public H ealth

• Expect appropriate behaviour from other children.

• If the children do have a conflict, separate them for a short period of time. If the problem is not resolved after discussing rules about playing together and appropriate behaviour, speak to the other child’s parent about the problem and how you both might work to prevent the conflict in future.

• If aggression or teasing becomes a problem, discuss the problem with your child and let your child know that this type of behaviour is not acceptable. Explain the consequences and follow through.

• Remember to always praise your child and give them positive attention for playing nicely.

Helping your child to develop good social skills is one way of building confidence and competence. Having good friends has • Help your child to make friends by a major impact on children’s self-esteem.

For more Triple P tips and ideas for all showing an interest in their friends and by talking about what it means to be a ages and stages of development or to find Triple P services in your community, visit good friend.

• Suggest to your child that they invite triplepvip.ca or facebook.com/TriplepVIP. another child over to visit at your home.

• Teach your child how to interact with their friends including allowing a friend to Cindy Knott has worked for over 25 years choose games or activities, sharing their supporting children and families in Manitoba things, speaking nicely, and listening. and British Columbia. She is currently the Vancouver Island Triple P Coordinator.

Dough Play I

t is important to help children develop the skills they need to work with their hands.

Building hand and eye coordination is an important first step in developing writing skills. For a fun, hands-on family activity, make your own play dough. Play dough can be used in all types of learning adventures.

Try out some of the following ideas or let your imagination run wild.

Simple Play Dough Recipe

1⁄4 cup salt 1 cup flour 1⁄4 cup water 1. Have your child mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.

2. Add the water slowly, mixing with your hands until the dough feels like clay.

3. Take the dough out and have fun.

Optional: Add food colouring to give your dough a little more zing.

Learning Activities

Art Make sculptures with different shapes.

Push the dough flat and place it on paper to create raised pictures.

Science Press leaves into the play dough to get an imprint, and explore the structure and design of each leaf.

Literacy Roll the play dough into long “snakes” and make letters.

Write names, favourite toys, and other familiar words in the dough with your finger.

Practice with tools Play dough can be cut with scissors, poked with forks, rolled with rolling pins, or shaped with cups. Take a look around your house to find tools that your child can use to shape the dough.

For information on Family Literacy Day, including event listings, literacy tips and activities, visit FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.

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A Grandmother’s Reading Pledge

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y sons are both grown now but I still think back to the days when they hopped on the bed at bedtime, eager for our nightly ritual of reading together. I started reading to them when they were all of six months old. Long after they learned how to read for themselves, they both still wanted to be read to each night. There is a special

through reading, whether it was dinosaurs (like his daddy), pirates, jungle animals, or whatever else took his fancy. As it turns out, he is obsessed with vehicles—cars, trucks, trains, fire engines, police cars, ambulances, buses—any transportation-themed book is sure to draw his interest. As soon as I clued into that fact, I scurried off on a mad hunt,

magic in reading to a child—how they hang onto your every word, how they point out new insights to a story even though they’ve heard it dozens of times before, or how they can recite the text of their favourite books verbatim but they still want you to read them anyway.

With the birth of my first grandson two years ago, I made a pledge to myself that I would buy books for him every chance I got and I would read to him on every visit.

Although he is impatient at times to sit for long, he always responds when I suggest— “Let’s read a book.” Upon hearing that, he immediately toddles over to his bookcase and carefully selects a book, often dumping a number of them on the floor in order to get to the exact one he wants. (Little does he know how much I also treasure our reading time as a chance to cuddle together!)

When my grandson was younger, I couldn’t wait to discover his interests

scouring local bookshops and toy stores for any book I could get my hands on that had vehicles anywhere in it. In all honesty, I think I have scooped up every such book within the city limits.

Because my grandson is a toddler, I buy him board books; made of sturdy layered cardboard, they allow him to easily turn the page. I wouldn’t say they’re exactly bullet-proof, but they are for the most part gnaw-resistant and they can survive a lot of wear and tear. I marvel at the creativeness of today’s children’s authors. So many of the board books are interactive, stimulating a toddler’s natural curiosity—there are flaps to open, windows to slide, textures to feel, and buttons to push. Being an “old-school” elementary teacher, I scoffed at such gimmickry at first, but when I witnessed the delight with which my grandson played peek-a-boo with the flaps, or ran his hand over the fuzzy fur of a kitten, or pushed

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58 IslandParent.ca

the ‘flush’ button of his potty book for the umpteenth time, I quickly realized and appreciated the value of stimulating all of a young child’s senses during the reading experience.

As my grandson gets older, I look forward to the trips we will make together to our local library branch. Purchasing books is a passion and a privilege I am now able to afford, but back when I had my own children

Susan Gnucci and money was tight, we made weekly trips to the library. I hope my grandson will come to appreciate all that a library can offer him—from story times and puppet shows, to exhibits and displays, to craft and hobby programs, and most importantly, to a world of books at his fingertips. I’ll never forget the first library I took my sons to; it was a small local branch and as we approached the door, I noted the colorful poster of a character from the well-known children’s

book, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. “MAGIC happens here,” it read. How very true.

One of the fondest memories I have of reading with my own sons is the summer we read The Swiss Family Robinson together.

Being a fan of classic children’s literature, I proposed this epic novel and the boys readily agreed to it once I told them it chronicled the adventures of a family on a deserted island.

What I didn’t know at the time was what a wonderful bonding experience it would be for the three of us. It took us all summer to read it and I enjoyed it every bit as much as they did. We all learned lessons about the challenges of survival, the ingenuity of human mind, and the importance of family.

I remember we continued to talk about the book, revisiting all the different adventures, long after we had read it.

Over the years, as my sons moved into middle school, I held garage sales at which I sold most of their toys, but something I refused to let go of were all the children’s books I had acquired for them over the years.

I made a point of keeping them carefully tucked away for over two decades through every move I made in the hope I would have grandchildren one day. When my grandson was born, one of the first things I did was unearth my boxes of books in my

storage closet. I look at those books lined up neatly once again on my bookshelf, of all the stories and adventures they impart, and I am filled with fresh excitement at the thought of sharing them with my grandson.

Which ones will be his favourites? Which ones will he learn to read first? Which ones will inspire him?

The other day as we sat reading one of his many books, my grandson suddenly pointed a chubby finger at the text on the page and asked “What’s that?” I smiled to myself, pleased he had finally noticed the words on the page along with all of the colorful illustrations. “Those are the words, and they tell the story,” I explained to him.

I await his discovery and awe of the written word, how it can free our spirits, touch our lives, and enrich our experiences of the world. As he gets older, I hope he reads stories that will make him laugh, wonder, question, imagine, and yes, even cry. If I pass anything on to him, I want it to be a love of reading.

Susan Gnucci is a local author and a proud “nonna” to an adorable two-year-old grandson. She enjoys sharing her experiences as a first-time grandparent.

Looking for child care?

Taking care of children?

Child Care

Resource & Referral Your community’s best source of child care information and resources.

Call your local Child Care Resource & Referral for free referrals and resources.

Victoria & Gulf Islands: 250-382-7000 or 1-800-750-1868 Sooke: 250-642-5152 Westshore: 250-391-4324 Cowichan Valley: 250-746-4135 local 231 PacificCare (Ladysmith north): 250-756-2022 or 1-888-480-2273 Funded by the Province of BC

www.islandfamilyinfo.ca www.ccrr.bc.ca

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 59

Health & Wellness South Island ACUPUNCTURE Oriri Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine oriri.ca 250-886-8863

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH iHealth ihealthroup.ca 250-704-1178

Dr. Joslin, Dr. Morin & Associates 105-814 Goldstream Ave 250-747-4567 5-6726 West Coast Rd 250-642-4331 Family Eyecare Centre 749 Yates St 250-383-2411

PHARMACIES Cadboro Bay Peoples Compounding Parmacy victoriapharmacy.com 3825 Cadboro Bay Rd 250-477-2131 Fairfield Peoples Compounding Drug Mart victoriapharmacy.com 15-1594 Fairfield Rd 250-598-9232 Fairfield Peoples Compounding Pharmacy victoriapharmacy.com 1282 Fairfield Rd 250-595-5997

Vancouver Island Naturopathic Clinic Inc. 204-4480 West Saanich Rd 250-881-1806

Shelbourne Plaza Peoples Compounding Pharmacy victoriapharmacy.com 3643 Shelbourne St 250-577-1881

DENTISTS

UVic Campus Pharmacy UVic SUB victoriapharmacy.com 3800 Finnerty Rd 250-721-3400

Oaklands Dental 202-1581 Hillside Ave 250-592-7874 Saanich Dental Group 119-1591 McKenzie Ave 250-477-7321

YOGA

Victoria Pediatric Dental Centre 206-1830 Oak Bay Ave 250-383-2133

Fernwood Yoga Den 1311 Gladstone Ave 250-590-4664

HEALTH CLINICS St. Anthony’s Medical Centre 582 Goldstream Ave 250-478-6242 Tillicum Mall Medical Clinic 14–3170 Tillicum Rd 250-381-8112

MASSAGE THERAPY Remedy Wellness Centre remedywellness.ca 250-590-5221 Vancouver Island Naturopathic Clinic Inc. 204-4480 West Saanich Rd 250-881-1806

Iyengar Yoga 202–919 Fort St 250-386-9642 Mothering Touch Centre & Birth Services 975 Fort St 250-595-4905

OTHER Anaphylaxis Canada pactvictoria.com Family Eyecare Centre familyeyecarecentre.com 250-383-2411 Taoist Tai Chi pacific.canada.taoist.org 250-383-4103

NATUROPATHS

Tigh-na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre, Parksville 1155 Resort Dr 250-248-2072

Dr. Anke Zimmermann 304-2250 Oak Bay Ave 250-590-5828

Victoria Pilates Inc. Mattick’s Farm 250-727-0075

Juniper Family Health 314-1175 Cook St 778-265-8341 Vancouver Island Naturopathic Clinic Inc. 204-4480 West Saanich Rd 250-881-1806

OPTOMETRISTS BC Association of Optometrists absee.ca

60 IslandParent.ca

Cowichan Valley HEALTH CLINICS Coleman Medical, Duncan 186 Kenneth St 250-746-4102

Learning to Drive

M

y eldest daughter turned 16 this month.

Like most kids her age, Evelyn has been looking forward to getting her learner’s permit so she can start driving, but I was surprised to learn she had no plans to read the provincial driving guide. When I was her age, I spent hours going through it and getting ready for the test. Evelyn just spends hours taking and retaking ICBC’s sample driver tests through an app on her phone.

When Evelyn told me this, I asked if she didn’t think it worth reading the drivers manual at least once just so she could also learn all the things that might not be on one of the sample tests.

“That’s not how you do it,” she said.

“They make the sample tests so you can practice, so you can pass, so you can get your learners permit.”

I assured her that there were going to be things she needed to learn about driving that didn’t appear on those tests—that the 100-page booklet I’d poured over when I was 16 had more information in it than repeated 25 question multiple choice tests were going to convey. One morning though Evelyn came down saying she got 100 per cent on a sample test and was ready to go.

The next day she took the test, got her license and is now learning to drive.

I first watched Evelyn behind the wheel when we rented a golf cart to get around an island in Belize earlier this year. It’s a pretty safe way to start driving. The only real concerns on the island roads are pot holes and other golf carts, but there are also no seat belts in a golf cart. Every member of our family held onto the cart a little tighter whenever Evelyn got behind the wheel. My wife even screamed once or twice when Evelyn drove too fast or hit a pothole.

Evelyn’s next driving experience came in a parking lot with a family friend who’d been offering to get her started driving. I only heard about this after the fact. Alex and Evelyn came back after their half-hour practice in an empty lot at UVic. They worked on parking until Evelyn overshot her spot and got the car up on the grass, passenger side door just an inch from a lamp post. According to Alex, she’d mistaken the gas for the brake.

I was the next one to take Evelyn driving.

On our way up to UVic, I asked what she knew so far. “The pedal on the right is the gas,” she said. “And the pedal on the left

the brake.” Obviously she’d learned from her driving practice with Alex.

“What else do you know?”

“I’m not sure,” she said. “It would be easier if you ask me questions.”

That of course is exactly what the ICBC app does—asks her questions and turns driving knowledge into multiple choice.

Daniel Griffin Once we got to UVic, we spotted another new driver already in the lot. He guided his car from one side of the lot to the other, forward, reverse, forward, reverse. We got close enough that Evelyn recognized the boy from school then we decided it would be better to go to the far side of the lot so we had a bit more space.

Evelyn drove well. She practised parking, turning, accelerating and stopping and never mixed up the pedals. She was careful on every turn, panicked only when other cars pulled into the lot and passed too close to us. We’d staked out the near side of the lot.

The other new driver had the far side. We hoped people who actually wanted to park would use the space in between.

At one point, Evelyn managed to get the speedometer up above 30 kilometres an hour and that’s when I stopped biting my tongue and told her to slow down. So much of parenting is about letting go, trusting and allowing our kids to lead their own lives— teaching someone to drive feels like a bit of a microcosm of that.

My mother told me she thought it was her job to teach her kids to drive. She didn’t let me or my brothers go to drivers ed. I’m not sure I feel the same way about drivers ed, but at UVic, while Evelyn zipped past parked cars at 30 kilometres an hour, I did realize there’s lots that parents can learn about trust and letting go when teaching their children to drive.

Daniel Griffin is the father of three children and the author of Stopping for Strangers (Vehicule Press, 2012), a collection of short stories about parents, children, brothers and sisters.

Ride the Wild Cave Slide!

- fossil hike - self-guided caving - cave tours – mild to wild Ranked #1 Attraction Open Year Round

250-248-7829

hornelake.com Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 61

Margaret Moss Health Centre, Duncan 675 Canada Ave 250-709-3050

LAWYERS

Matraea Centre, Duncan matcentre.ca 250-597-0085

Collaborative Family Law Group collaborativefamilylawgroup.com 250-704-2600

Millstream Medical Clinic 107–2349 Millstream Ave 250-391-7554

Legal Aid Legal Services Society 200–747 Fort St 250-360-4516

Valleyview Treatment Centre #27-1400 Cowichan Bay Rd, Cobble Hill 250-743-9395

MEDIATION

PHARMACIES Valleyview Peoples Drug Mart 26-1400 Cowichan Bay Rd 250-743-1448

PHYSIOTHERAPY South Cowichan Physiotherapy 59-1400 Cowichan Bay Rd, Cobble Hill 250-743-3833

BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society bcpcroster.com Patricia Lane patricialane.bc.ca 250-598-3992 South Island Dispute Resolution Centre disputeresolution.bc.ca 250-383-4412 TS Consulting 250-590-4114

NOTARIES Notaries on Douglas 201-2610 Douglas St 250-382-8880

Mid-Island

FINANCIAL PLANNERS

NATUROPATHS

Bobby Vu Financial Solutions Inc. #101-3962 Borden St 778-265-2622

Arbour Wellness Centre, Nanaimo 2136 Bowen Rd 250-729-4969

Moola Financial Coaches & Advisors 778-749-1150

Inspired Health Naturopathic Clinic #11-321 Wesley St 250-714-0721

Sun Life Financial, Marc Bourdon 3962 Borden St 250-385-1471, ext. 2217

PSYCHOLOGISTS

REAL ESTATE SERVICES

Waterman & Associates 70 Prideaux St 250-754-8559

Royal LePage Connie Lebeau ConnieLebeau@RoyalLePage.ca 250-891-6776

Legal & Financial Services South Island CREDIT COUNSELLING Credit Counselling Society nomoredebts.org 1-888-527-8999

62 IslandParent.ca

Cowichan Valley Real Estate Services Re/Max Duncan, Melissa Collins cowichanvalleyrealtor.ca 250-510-2729

Rainy Day Boredom Busters

W

e West Coasters have to be creative when it comes to handling rainy days—even during the summer months. There are plenty of options: from visiting a museum or trying a new at-home activity, to arranging a play date or braving the inclement weather. Here are 10 other suggestions for rainy day fun.

Learn how to knit. If you already know the basics of knitting, set your kids up with some wool and large knitting needles, and get them busy making a coaster or pot holder. If you don’t know anything about knitting, get a book or check the internet for instructions and patterns. With a few supplies you’ll be ready to start. Once you get the hang of the basics, try Googling “knitting plastic bags” for an idea on how to use up old shopping bags.

Camp indoors. If you’ve got a free-standing tent, set it up in the family room, complete with air mattresses, sleeping bags and pillows.

Now for your supplies: books, board games, snacks, music makers, stuffies, favourite toys, art supplies—whatever you need to make your camping trip fun. At the end of the day, have a sleepover in your warm, dry campsite.

Make simple instruments from household items. Grab an empty coffee can, cooking pots and wooden spoons for drumming. Take a shoe box, cut a hole in the lid, wrap rubber bands around the box and over the hole, and strum for your strings section. Small yogurt containers filled partly with rice make perfect maracas. Now add anything you may have lying around in the toy box such as a recorder or harmonica. For some easy-to-make ideas, visit howcast.com and do a search for “Make a Kazoo out of a Toilet Paper Roll.” You’ll also see links for making a rain stick, chimes, trumpet and more.

Take your marching band on a Rain Parade. Now that you’ve encouraged your kids to make a variety of noise makers, you need somewhere to make noise. This is the time to suggest they take their band on the road. Have them dress up in their raincoats and rubberboots and let them march in the yard or up and down the sidewalk.

Go for a blanket ride. If your kids need to burn off energy and your house has wood or linoleum floors, get ready, get set, get out a blanket for racing around the house. Have one child sit on the blanket and either pull them around yourself or have another child

pull them (the “puller” will burn off energy, always a good idea when cooped up indoors on a rainy day).

Make fabric art pillow slips. Get a variety of colours of fabric paint from your local arts and crafts store. The ones that are like big felt pens are easiest for little hands to use, and they’re not as messy as pots of paint. Lay a white pillow slip on a flat surface and slide a piece of cardboard between the layers so none of the paint will soak through. Tape the edges of the pillow slip down with masking tape so your surface is flat and taut, and have your young artist work from left to right (if they’re right-handed; vice versa if left-handed) so they don’t smear their work. Once dry, either use the pillow slips or set them aside as a gift.

Make sand candles. You’ll need a bucket of damp sand, parrafin wax and/or old crayons and lengths of string for wicks. Push your fist or any object into the sand—this will be the shape of your candle. If you want legs, use a finger to poke three leg-holes into the bottom (angle them slightly outwards from the centre).

Tie a length of wick onto a stick that can rest across the top of the bucket: dangle it down into the centre of the candle and tuck it into the bottom. An adult should handle the melting and pouring of the wax. Use a coffee can in a pot that has a couple of inches of simmering water. Melt the parrafin or crayons in the can and then pour carefully into the candle mold. You can experiment with layers of plain parrafin interspersed with layers of coloured crayon wax. Once the candle is cooled and hard, remove from the bucket and brush off excess sand.

Explore your community. Rainy days are the perfect time to use what the community offers: recreation centres, movie theatres, museums or other tourist attractions, art supply stores, libraries or book stores.

Make a movie or create a photo story.

Have your kids shoot a mini-movie using siblings, friends or stuffies as the actors. Or they can take a series of photos and incorporate them into a story. Help them set up the pages on the computer and place the photos within the text. Let them print out the finished story and read it to their friends and family.

Get busy in the kitchen. One of the best ways to share time with kids is to make a yummy treat and then eat it fresh from the oven—or pot or bowl or pan. Get out your favourite cookie recipe, search through your cookbooks, check online for new ideas—you’ll find something tasty that you and your assistant chefs can create. Even the smallest one can help with mixing, stirring, measuring and (of course) sampling.•

“No one can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start right now and create a new ending” Supporting and helping our community to grow by offering: • Computer Literacy

• Clinical Counselling

• Kids Summer Camps • Back to School support • Pro Bono Lawyers

• Community Events

• Customer Service Training • Christmas support through our Kettle campaign

The Salvation Army Stan Hagen Centre for Families 2695 Quadra St, Victoria BC V8T 4E3 (P) 250-386­-8521 (F) 250-386-8279 Executive Director: Pat Humble, pat_humble@can.salvationarmy.org For complete list of services: www.sashcf.com Check us out on facebook! www.facebook.com/sashcf

• Plugs into a regular outlet • Durable and lightweight • Made in Canada

Canada’s Truly Portable Hot Tub!

250.881.2680 www.affordablehottubs.ca

Horne Coupar is pleased to welcome Emma Neary.

Emma has a family law practice which complements the firm’s strong presence in estate planning and estate litigation.

Born and raised in Victoria, Emma practices exclusively in family/divorce law and is a member of both the BC and Alberta bar. Emma practices out of our Oak Bay office and is also available to meet with clients at our View Street location.

Emma has experience in resolving difficult family matters either in the courtroom or by using alternative dispute processes such as negotiation or mediation, including drafting separation agreements.

From a financial and estate planning perspective, Emma frequently prepares cohabitation and marriage agreements to provide asset protection in the event of a relationship breakdown.

250-370-7733 or 250-388-6631

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Family Fun & Entertainment South Island FAMILY FUN Affordable Hot Tubs & Saunas Ltd 4649 West Saanich Rd 778-433-6786 All Fun Karts, Cages, Clubs & Camping at Western Speedway allfun.bc.ca 250-474-1961 Bumble & Hive Play Centre bumbleandhive.ca 778-265-4466 City Centre Park, Playzone 1089 Langford Parkway 250-391-1738 Hatley Park National Historic Site 2005 Sooke Rd 250-391-2666 Highland Pacific Golf highlandpacificgolf.com 450 Creed Rd 250-478-4653 Hillside Sea Rangers Kids Club hillsidecentre.com/events 250-595-7154 Great fun and adventure for children 5-10 yrs who are interested in the ocean and local marine life. Free activities include Beach Clean Ups, Ocean Side Discoveries and more.

Mattick’s Farm Mini Golf 5325 Cordova Bay Rd 250-658-4053 Tumblebums Play Centre & Toy Shop 133-735 Goldstream Ave 250-474-PLAY WildPlay Element Parks wildplay.com 250-595-2251

FESTIVALS & FAIRS Creatively United for the Planet Festival CreativelyUnitedForThePlanet.com Festival de la francophonie francocentre.com 250-388-7350 Fringe Festival 250-383-2663 Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival gvpaf.org 250-386-9223 Pacific Rim Whale Festival pacificrimwhalefestival.com Rifflandia Festival rifflandia.com Rock the Shores rocktheshores.com Saanich Fair 1528 Stellys X Rd 250-652-3314 64 IslandParent.ca

Shakespeare Festival vicshakespeare.com Victoria Dragon Boat Festival 3651 Shelbourne St 250-704-2500 Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival 1215 Blanshard St 250-389-0444

MUSeUMS BC Aviation Museum, Sidney 1910 Norseman Rd 250-655-3300 Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum 1050 Joan Cres 250-592-5323 thecastle.ca Craigflower Schoolhouse & Manor 2790 Shoreline Dr 250-383-4627 Fort Rodd Hill & Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites of Canada 603 Fort Rodd Hill Rd 250-478-5849 parkscanada.gc.ca/fortroddhill Come run, climb and go underground at Fort Rodd Hill. Then steer a ship, sound the fog horn and master the games inside Fisgard Lighthouse.

Royal BC Museum 675 Belleville St 250-356-7226 Saanich Historical Artifacts Society 7321 Lochside Dr 250-652-5522

NATUre CRD Parks crd.bc.ca/parks 250-478-3344 Galey Farms Corn Maze & Market 4150 Blenkinsop Rd 250-477-4450 Goldstream Park Nature House goldstream@naturehouse.ca 250-478-9414 Gorge Waterway Discovery Centre Gorge Park 250-7585 Gulf Islands National Park Reserve 2220 Harbour Rd 250-654-4000 Horticultural Centre of the Pacific 505 Quayle Rd 250-479-6162 Parks Canada parkscanada.gc.ca Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea 9811 Seaport Pl 250-665-7511 Victoria Butterfly Gardens 1461 Benvenuto Ave 250-652-3822

THeATre & ArT Art Gallery of Greater Victoria 1040 Moss St 250-384-4101 Cinecenta Student Union Building @UVic 250-721-8365 Dance Victoria 250-595-1829

The Ultimate Hair Salon, Shoppe & Party Place!

Haircuts for Girls & Boys Fun Spa Services Theme Parties Ear Piercing DIY Spa Products Bead Bar Unique Gifts/Products Day Camps & Special Events 250.590.5568 lizzyleeandme.com Family Resource Guide 2016/2017

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Four Seasons Musical Theatre 250-478-0329 Intrepid Theatre Company #2-1609 Blanshard St 250-383-2663 Kaleidoscope Theatre 3130 Jutland Rd 250-383-8124 IMAX® Victoria in the Royal BC Museum 675 Belleville St 250-480-4887

OTHER

THEATRE & ART

Navy Run, CFB Esquimalt navyrunesquimalt.com 250-363-1008

Chemainus Theatre 9737 Chemainus Rd 1-800-565-7738

Victoria Good News Choir victoriagoodnewschoir.com 250-658-1946

Cowichan Theatre cowichantheatre.ca 2687 James St 250-748-7529

Pacific Opera Society pov.bc.ca 250-382-4944

Cowichan Valley

University Centre Farquhar Auditorium tickets.uvic.ca 250-721-8480

FESTIVALS & FAIRS

Victoria Operatic Society #10-744 Fairview Rd 250-381-1021

Islands Folk Festival Duncan 250-248-8975

Victoria Symphony #610-620 View St 250-385-6515

MUSEUMS

ZOOS

BC Forest Discovery Centre 2892 Drinkwater Rd 250-715-1113

Beacon Hill Children’s Farm Beacon Hill Park 250-381-2532

NATURE

Victoria Bug Zoo victoriabugzoo.com 250-384-BUGS

The Raptors, Duncan 1877 Herd Rd 250-746-0372

66 IslandParent.ca

Mid-Island FAMILY FUN Romper Room Indoor Climbing 4835B Boban Dr 250-751-7625 Tiger Lily Farms Barnyard & Trail Rides 1692 Errington Rd 250-248-2408 WildPlay Element Parks, Nanaimo 35 Nanaimo River Rd 1-888-716-7374 WildPlay.com

FESTIVALS & FAIRS Filberg Festival Comox Valley 1-866-898-8499

Gabriola Theatre Festival artsgabriola.ca

O’Brien School of Irish Dance

MUSEUMS Alberni Valley Museum 4255 Wallace St 250-723-2181 Black Nugget Museum, Ladysmith 12 Gatacre St 250-245-4846 Comox Air Force Museum 19 Wing Rd 250-339-8162 Courtenay Museum 250-334-0686 McLean Mill National Historic Site 5633 Smith Rd 250-723-1376 Nanaimo Museum 100 Museum Way 250-753-1821

NATURE Butterfly World 1080 Winchester Rd 250-248-7026 Filberg Heritage Park 61 Filberg Rd 250-339-2715 Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park Qualicum Beach 250-248-7829

Cadboro Bay, Esquimalt, Downtown Victoria and Duncan Recreational, performance and competitive classes Dance, dance wherever you may be….

www.obrienirishdance.com

Morrell Nature Sanctuary 787 Nanaimo Lk Rd 250-753-5811 North Island Wildlife Recovery 1240 Leffler, Errington 250-248-8534 Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours rainforestnaturehikes.com 250-248-3667 Seaview Game Farm, Black Creek 1392 Seaview Rd 250-337-5182 Tiger Lily Farm 1692 Errington Rd 250-248-2408

THEATRE & ART Chemainus Theatre 9737 Chemainus Rd 250-246-9800 Nanaimo Theatre Group 2373 Rosstown Rd 250-758-7224 Port Theatre, Nanaimo 125 Front St 250-754-8550 Theatre One www.theatreone.org 250-754-7587

Foliage, Flowers and Tutus in Full Bloom A Fundraiser for Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary in Partnership with Moscow Ballet’s New Horizons Program.

All proceeds to benefit the Bridges to Nature Campaign

Saturday, October 8th

Cygnets

(Junior Swans ages 5–9) 10:00 – 11:30 am Member rate $20 Non-Member rate $35

Swans

(Intermediates ages 9 & up) 12:30 – 2:00 pm Member rate $20 Non-Member rate $35

Register your Cygnet or Swan today: 250.479.0211

Interested in donating to or sponsorship of the Bridges to Nature Campaign?

Contact Kathleen Burton, Executive Director 250.479.0211

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Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 67

Party Planning South Island

Par-T-Perfect par-t-perfect.com 250-386-5867 The Party Boutique partyboutique.ca 250-999-9313 Top Notch Parties Let us style and cater your dream party. topnotchparties.ca 250-896-5544

ACTIVE PARTY PLACES Bumble & Hive Play Centre bumbleandhive.ca 778-265-4466

Cowichan

Falcon Gymnastics 208–721 Vanalman Ave 250-479-6424

PARTY SUPPLIES/PLANNING

Games2U g2u.com 250-661-2219

Horse Play Parties, Duncan 250-701-9116

Lion’s Pride 250-383-FLIP Recreation Oak Bay recreation.oakbay.ca 250-595-7946 Victoria Gymnastics 2051 Store St 250-380-2442

Mid-Island SCIENCE/NATURE

ENTERTAINERS & CLOWNS Donald Dunphy’s Professional Magic Entertainment DonaldDunphy.com 250-727-6505 Enchanted Fables Princess Parties enchantedfables.com The Puppet Booth 250-472-3546 puppetbooth.homestead.com

MUSEUM/MOVIE IMAX® Victoria in the Royal BC Museum 675 Belleville St 250-480-4887

Mad Science Vancouver Island vancouverisland.madscience.org 250-391-1814

PARTY SUPPLIES/PLANNING Funtime Inflatables (Victoria) 656 Caleb Pike Rd 250-474-0556

Retail Products South Island

SilverCity 3130 Tillicum Rd 1-888-3FAMOUS

ART & CRAFT STORES SCIENCE/NATURE Mad Science Vancouver Island vancouverisland.madscience.org 250-391-1814 Victoria Bug Zoo 631 Courtney St 250-384-BUGS

PARTY SUPPLIES/PLANNING Cafiker Castle cafikercastle.com 250-889-9062

BABY SUPPLIES Bellies in Bloom Maternity 104-4489 Viewmont Ave 250-479-0803 Momease Baby Boutique 121-5325 Cordova Bay Rd 778-265-5432 1581 Hillside Ave 778-265-5651

Funtime Inflatables 250-474-0597

Mothering Touch Centre & Birth Services 975 Fort St 250-595-4905

Island DJ Services island-dj-services.com 250-686-2038

TJ’s The Kiddies Store 3045C Douglas St 250-386-2229

Lizzy Lee & Me 3655 Shelbourne St 250-590-5568 68 IslandParent.ca Bateman IslanParent 2_25x9_25 Ad 101.indd 1

Island Blue Print 905 Fort St 250-385-9786

2016-09-21 16:45

BICYCLES Fairfield Bicycle Shop 1275 Oscar St 250-381-2453 North Park Cycle 1725 Quadra St 250-386-2453 Recyclistas 25 Crease Ave 250-418-8867

BOOKS Bolen Books 111–1644 Hillside Ave 250-595-4232 Barefoot Books 250-380-7197 Chapters 1212 Douglas St 250-380-9009

CLOTHING Abra Kid Abra 2005 Oak Bay Ave 778-265-5430 Mothering Touch Centre & Birth Services 975 Fort St 250-595-4905

Moscow Ballet in partnership with Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary present

Persnickety For Kids, Salt Spring PersnicketyKids.ca 250-931-0091 Sailor Jack Family Consignment Store 424 Craigflower Rd 250-382-5225 Thistle & Wren 1292 Gladstone 778-265-9736 TJ’s The Kiddies Store 3045C Douglas St 250-386-2229 Victoria Kids Consignment victoriakidsconsignment.ca 250-514-4080 WIN Resale Shops 1803 Cook St 250-389-2203 785 Pandora Ave 250-361-9303 174-160 Wilson St 250-412-0369

COMPUTERS Restart Computers 847 Yates St 250-995-3020

Royal Theatre Saturday, November 12th, 2016 ~ 2pm performance Tickets on sale now through the box office of the Royal Theatre

Please use the direct link which will pre-apply a code (rmts.bc.ca/promo/swan) or type ‘SWAN’ in the promo code field manually ensuring a portion of the tickets will support the Bridges to Nature campaign. This code must be mentioned when purchasing over the phone 250.386.6121 or in person as it is only by using the code SWAN that the Sanctuary can be assured they will receive a portion of the proceeds of the ticket sales.

Swan Lake christmas hill n a t u r e

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Mac Zen 250-999-0036

DANCE SUPPLIES Toes ’n Taps 1733 Cook St 250-480-0017

HAIR SALONS Lizzy Lee & Me 3655 Shelbourne St 250-590-5568

HOME DECOR/FURNITURE TJ’s The Kiddies Store 3045C Douglas St 250-386-2229

Offering Ballet, Tap & Jazz Register Today!

2758 Peatt Road 778-265-5955 or 250-818-9225

leapforwardlangford.com info@leapforwardlangford.com Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 69

HOME RENOVATION

PHOTOGRAPHERS

West View Plumbing & Ventilation 250-886-2141

Belinda Fontes Photography belindafontes.com 250-885-0146 Erin Wallis Photography erinwallis.com/blog

MATERNITY Bellies in Bloom Maternity BelliesInBloomMaternity.com 250-479-0803

Fotoart Photography fotoartphotography.net

Mothering Touch Centre & Birth Services 975 Fort St 250-595-4905

Images By Bethany imagesbybethany.com McKinnon Photography mckinnonphotography.com

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Larsen Music 1808 Cook St 250-389-1988 Tom Lee Music #105-2401D Millstream Rd 250-838-5222

TOYS Buddies Toys 1831 Oak Bay Ave 250-595-6501 2494 Beacon Ave, Sidney 250-655-7171 Discovery Toys toylady.ca 250-477-9891 Tumblebums Play Centre & Toy Shop 133-735 Goldstream Ave 250-474-PLAY

Squishy Prints Photography squishyprints.com 250-634-3444 Thayne Photography thanynephotography.com 250-812-4572

SHOPPING CENTRES Broadmead Village Shopping Centre 777 Royal Oak Dr broadmeadvillage.ca Hillside Shopping Centre 1644 Hillside Ave 250-595-7154 Mattick’s Farm 5325 Cordova Bay Rd

Nicole Israel Photography nicholeisraelphotography.com 250-889-5639

Mayfair Shopping Centre 3147 Douglas St 250-383-0541

The Light Within Photography thelightwithinphoto.com 250-589-2534

Tillicum Centre 3170 Tillicum Rd 250-381-7123

PR Photo Creations prphotcreations.com 778-433-1660 Rebecca Wellman Photography rwellmanphotography.com 250-480-8756 Regal Portraits RegalPortraits.com

Uptown shopuptown.ca Westside Village Shopping Centre 172 Wilson St WestShore Centre 2945 Jacklin Rd 250-474-3269

Ryan MacDonald Photography ryanmacdonaldphotography.com

SPECIALTY STORES

Sarah Booth Photography sarahboothphotography.com 250-882-0172

Mineral World & Scratch Patch 9808 Seaport Pl 250-656-0791 Soccerworld 831 Vernon Ave 250-475-3777

Confident Learners…

Expand your skills, build your confidence and find the joy in learning!

Nationally recognized Level B Academic Assessments After school remedial learning classes, starting at 3:30 p.m.

Language Arts, Mathematics, study skills and higher-level Math and Science All READ Teachers are certified by the BC Ministry of Education Locations: Colwood, Sidney and Victoria

Call 250-388-7225 for information about our services and schedules Check out the website: www.readsociety.bc.ca 70 IslandParent.ca

OTHER Better Business Bureau 220–1175 Cook St 250-386-6348

Cowichan Valley BEDS AND BEDDING Resthouse Sleep Solutions 126 Station St, Duncan Resthouse.ca 250-597-REST(7378)

CLOTHING Kinderbeez, Duncan 2755 Beverly St 250-748-2345 Matraea Mercantile, Duncan 170 Craig St 250-597-0085

MATERNITY Matraea Mercantile, Duncan matraea.com 250-422-3003

PHOTOGRAPHERS McKinnon Photography mckinnonphotography.com 250-890-9222 Tony Colangelo Photography tcphotography.ca 778-422-1422

TOYS Red Balloon Toyshop, Duncan theredballoon.ca 158 Craig St 250-748-5545

Mid-Island CLOTHING Huckleberry Baby Shop A-3148 Barons Rd 250-585-5552 Indigo Children’s Consignment 436 1st St, Ladysmith 250-245-2042 Kit n’ Caboodle, Nanaimo 36-1925 Bowen Rd 250-585-KIDS Planet Kids 1743B Comox Ave 250-339-3422 308-5th St, Courtenay 250-871-7771

Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 71

Family Restaurants & Food Markets

Pumpkin Pie Kids Wear 411A Fitzwilliam St 250-754-3933

MUSIC STORES Tom Lee Music #10-6894 Island Hwy N 250-390-2626

South Island

PHOTOGRAPHERS Erin Wallis Photography, Campbell River erinwallis.com

HOME DELIVERY Island Farms 250-360-5222

SHOPPING CENTRES

Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery spud.ca

The Market On Yates, 903 Yates St 250-381-6000 On Millstream, 2401 Millstream Rd 250-391-1110 Save On Foods saveonfoods.com Mt. Tolmie Market Unit A, 3517 Richmond Rd 250-590-8460 Thrifty Foods thriftyfoods.com 250-544-1234

RESTAURANTS/COFFEE SHOPS Lucky Village Chinese & Japanese Restaurant 100 Aldersmith Pl 778-406-2238 Pizzeria Prima Strada pizzeriaprimastrada.com 230 Cook St 250-590-8595 2960 Bridge St 250-590-4380 1990 Fort St 250-590-8599

Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo 6631 Island Hwy North woodgrovecentre.com

The Apple Box 1725 Cook St 250-590-6257

TOYS/EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES

MARKETS

Kool & Child, Nanaimo koolandchild.com 250-585-1778

Country Grocer countrygrocer.com

Red Robin 800 Tolmie Ave 250-386-4440

Goldstream Station Market May-October goldstreamstationmarket.ca

The Roost 9100 E Saanich Rd 250-655-0075

James Bay Community Market May-Oct jamesbaymarket.com

Serious Coffee seriouscoffee.com

The Children’s Treehouse 15-3200 N.Island Hwy 250-714-0026

OTHER Chemainus DBA visitchemainus.ca

Wendy’s Restaurants wendys.ca

Lifestyles Market #180-2950 Douglas St 250-384-3388 343 Cook St 250-381-5450 9769 5th St, Sidney 250-656-2326

Natural Help for Developmental & Behavioural Disorders Dr. Anke Zimmerman, BSc, ND, FCAH One in six children is now diagnosed with a developmental or behavioural disorder. Naturopathic medicine can help to identify and address the underlying causes, such as epigenetic factors, nutritional and microbiome imbalances, emotional traumas, head injuries, chronic infections and adverse reactions to antibiotics and vaccines.

• Autism Spectrum Disorders • Sensory Processing Disorders • Anxiety & Aggression

• Learning Disabilities • Speech Disorders • PDD-NOS

#209–1061 Fort Street drzimmermann.org 250-590-5828 72 IslandParent.ca

Cowichan Valley MARKETS Community Farm Store, Duncan 2-5380 Hwy 1 250-748-6227 Country Grocer, Cobble Hill countrygrocer.com Save On Foods saveonfoods.com The Old Farm Market, Duncan 5164 Francis St 250-748-7141 Thrifty Foods Mill Bay Centre 1-800-667-8280

RESTAURANTS/COFFEE SHOPS Catrina’s Grill Mill Bay Centre 250-743-7277 Pioneer House Restaurant Whippletree Junction 250-746-5848 Serious Coffee seriouscoffee.com Wendy’s Restaurant wendys.ca

Mid-Island MARKETS Country Grocer countrygrocer.com Thrifty Foods Nanaimo 650 Terminal Ave 250-754-6273 5801 Turner Rd 250-729-4950 Parksville 280 E. Island Hwy 250-248-8823 Courtenay 250-338-1383 Campbell River 250-850-3581 Chemainus Health Food Store 9738B Willow St 250-246-9838

Workshops Crafty Parties Drop-In Sewing Local Design Fabrics & Notions

Lantzville Market 7201 Lantzville Rd 250-390-4232 Save On Foods saveonfoods.com

RESTAURANTS/COFFEE SHOPS ABC Country Restaurant 6671 Mary Ellen Way 250-390-4064 809 Island Hwy 250-754-8171 Serious Coffee seriouscoffee.com Wendy’s Restaurant wendys.ca

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Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 73

Overnight Camps

Family Travel

Malahat Farm Heritage Retreat malahatfarm.com

BC Camping Association bccamping.org Information on summer day camps and residential camps for children.

CAMPGROUNDS

Strathcona Park Lodge 250-286-3122

Boys & Girls Clubs Wilderness Camp 250-384-9133

Living Forest Campground, Nanaimo 6 Maki Rd 250-755-1755

Camp Barnard CampBarnard.ca 250-642-5920

Pacific Playgrounds, Black Creek 9082 Clarkson Dr 877-239-5600

Camp Imadene Mesachie Lake 1-800-445-7575

Park Sands Beach Resort www.parksands.com 250-248-3171

Camp Narnia campnarnia.com

Weir’s Beach RV Resort 5191 William Head Rd 250-478-3323

Horne Lake Campground 250-248-1134

Camp Pringle, Shawnigan Lake camppringle.com 250-743-2189

HOTELS

Camp Qwanoes Crofton 1-888-99-QWANOES

Accent Inns Toll free 1-800-663-0298

Camp Thunderbird 250-418-1840

Tigh-na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre, Parksville 1155 Resort Dr 250-248-2072

CanAdventure Education canadventure.ca Gulf Islands Centre for Ecological Learning 250-539-0619 O.U.R. Ecovillage ourecovillage.org 250-743-3067

Travelodge travelodge.com 1-800-578-7878 YWCA Hotel, Vancouver 733 Beatty St 1-800-663-1424

RESORTS Alert Bay Lodge 1-800-255-5057

Outward Bound outwardbound.ca 1-888-688-9273 A little challenge can help you discover your true potential. Since 1969, over 150,000 Canadians have stepped out of their comfort zone with our unforgettable outdoor adventures Youth courses qualify for Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Pioneer Pacific Camp Thetis Island 1-800-784-1415 UVic Vikes govikesgo.com 250-721-8406

74 IslandParent.ca

Beach Acres Resort, Parksville 1051 Resort Dr 1-800-663-7309 Blue Vista Resort, Mayne Island bluevistaresort.com 1-877-535-2424 Kye Bay Guest Lodge, Comox kyebay.com 1-866-658-6131

Pacific Sands, Tofino Cox Bay 1-800-565-2322

The Haven haven.ca 250-1-877-247-9238 Tigh-na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre, Parksville 1155 Resort Dr 250-248-2072

NATURE Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park 250-248-7829 Raincoast Interpretive Centre, Tofino 451 Main St 250-725-2560 The Land Conservancy of BC conservancy.bc.ca 1-888-738-0533 Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre, Tofino 250-726-7721

OTHER Best Holiday Stays bestholidaystays.com 778-679-0376 Lady Rose Marine Services ladyrosemarine.com 250-723-8313 Mayne Island Community Chamber of Commerce mayneislandchamber.ca Tourism Tofino 1426 Pacific Rim Highway 1-888-720-3414

Together w e a re Family

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The Cridge Centre for the Family is about connecti on, about building community and partnerships, and about belonging and being valued.

The Cridge Centre for the Family is about being at home and feeling safe, about achieving goals and reaching potenti al.

The Cridge Centre for the Family is about all of us, working together to care for the vulnerable.

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www.cridge.org or 250 384 8058 1307 Hillside Ave, Victoria BC V8T 0A2 Family Resource Guide 2016/2017

75

Playtime with Baby Learning and growing in the first year

A

s a parent, you are your baby’s first playmate. Play is a fun way for the two of you to bond and it encourages healthy child development.

Play is how children learn—about themselves, other people, and the world around them. Play helps to build confidence, relationships, and basic skills.

Toys for babies don’t need to be expensive.

They can be things you have around the house, as long as they are unbreakable, safe (no loose parts, broken pieces or sharp edges), and the right size (anything that can fit through a paper towel roll is too small). Good toys are washable, made to last and appeal to parents, too.

After all, you’ll both be playing with them!

Here are some suggestions: Use rhymes, games and songs as you go through the routines of your day. You can make up a diaper-changing tune, or try a little rhyme as you’re putting shoes on.

Play with books. Read to your baby every day, and remember that babies also want to play with books. They like to put books in their mouth and try to turn pages, so provide clean and sturdy board books.

Encourage babble. It’s how babies learn to make different sounds using their own voice.

Repeat these sounds, and turn them into real words. As you do this, you can make up all sorts of language games that are sure to delight your baby.

Words and music: Instant playtime

From birth to 3 months

For the first year of your baby’s life, play won’t involve toys much at all. Reading, speaking, and singing are fun and easy (and portable) ways to play with your baby. And they are rich learning experiences.

Your newborn baby is developing handeye coordination. Reaching for and touching things, and learning how to hold them provide wonderful stimulation. Good playthings for this age include:

Cloths or transparent scarves that can be used for peek-a-boo An unbreakable mirror placed so that baby can see himself Fabric “bracelets” (soft rattles that can attach to your baby’s wrists) A set of plastic measuring spoons Pieces of brightly coloured cloth with different textures Wooden or plastic bracelets that don’t have loose parts Anything with a face on it—dolls, pictures, stuffed animals.

From 3 to 6 months

At this age, your baby is developing both fine motor (using hands and fingers) and gross motor (moving arms and legs) skills. She’s fascinated with her own hands, and starting to connect how arm and hand movements feel with her desire to make them happen. Toys that can help support your baby’s development include: Sturdy rattles Peek-a-boo scarves Doughnut-shaped objects made from plastic or fabric, large enough to grasp Pieces of brightly coloured and textured fabric (terry cloth, silk, fake fur)

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A play arch where baby can lie on his back and bat or kick at toys hanging above Toys that make interesting sounds (rattles, shakers, chimes) are better than toys that make electronic sounds. Just be sure they are not too loud for baby’s sensitive ears.

From 6 to 12 months

In the second half of the first year, your baby sees anything within reach as a potential toy. And if he can reach it, he’ll probably put it in his mouth. He wants to know how things work, and what they do when they’re dropped, rolled, shaken, banged or thrown.

Toys that are safe for and appealing to babies this age include: Stacking and nesting toys: A set of nesting cups and some sturdy blocks are a great investment. They’ll provide hours of playtime well beyond your baby’s first year.

Cups, little pails and other unbreakable containers Large building blocks Board books Any ball, as long as it is too big to fit in a baby’s mouth. Avoid balls with a plug/pin that could be a choking hazard if it comes out.

Shape sorters Trucks, cars Riding toys designed for babies this age Soft toys small enough to handle Percussion instruments: shakers, a small drum, or a “rain maker.” You can also make these from containers and fillers you have at home (for instance, put lentils or dry beans in a water bottle and secure the top tightly closed with some tape).

Toys that encourage “visual tracking” (following a moving object with your eyes), like a ball ramp, or a push-and-go rolling toy.

Safety tip: Always check the label to make sure the toy is right for your baby’s age.

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Active play

Active play really does start from birth. Very young babies need “tummy time” each day (while they are awake) to help strengthen the muscles in their neck and upper body.

As you encourage your 6-month-old to reach for objects or try new things, you’re encouraging active play. When he starts to crawl, he’ll need lots of supervised floor time to explore.

Finally, make sure your baby doesn’t spend long periods of time in a seat, high chair or stroller. Avoid TV and other electronic media.

Reprinted with permission from the Canadian Paediatric Society. For more information, visit caringforkids.cps.ca.

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salishseacentre.org Family Resource Guide 2016/2017 77

can’t read your mind. Speaking up protects your boundaries and puts you in charge. It doesn’t guarantee, however, that the bull won’t charge you.

Once you’ve attacked the problem and come up with a solution or strategy that makes sense, stick to your position. That might mean that you have thought about it, talked about it, considered many sides and have settled on something that feels

Take the Bull by the Horns

R

eflection is a wonderful thing but when do we just have to take the bull by the horns and take action? When do we just confront a problem head on and tackle it?

Grab that bull by its horns and wrestle it to the ground?

Of course we need balance, but isn’t there a time when—after enough thoughtfulness and consideration—we just need to deal with it?

If you are letting the horns send you flying, you might want to stop! When fear or what ifs or self-doubt take over, you’ve lost your backbone—that part of you that helps you stand up straight and deal with the bull.

Problems are bulls, people aren’t. We don’t confront the person, we confront the issue. When the bull becomes people it creates a mess. We label them, put them down and attack their character. We spend

time blaming them which only makes us victims—victims to a whole lot of bull!

Problems need to be broken into facts not assumptions. What do you know to be absolutely true? How do you know that it is really true? Can you see it or hear it? Are you sure of what you heard?

Problems can represent something that really matters to you. Boundaries don’t exist unless you speak up and enforce them.

Yes, some boundaries are so obvious that you don’t have to, but most of the time if something matters to you, you need to start by expressing that. Remember this is you controlling what is in your ring, not other people’s ring.

Speaking up is showing your red cape.

Otherwise, people are busy tackling their own bulls and might be too preoccupied to notice what is going on for you. People

Allison Rees right to you. When you get to that point, get clear and focused. Recognize when you are reacting emotionally with fear and selfdoubt. If you don’t, you may be impacted so severely that the bull just continues to take over your life.

Dr. Allison Rees is a parent educator/consellor and a partner in LIFE (Living in Families Effectively) Seminars in Victoria. For more information, visit lifeseminars.com.

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