The Comox Valley’s Zone of Abundance

Editor’s Note: Good morning. Pieter Vorster from Project Watershed and Keeping It Living is on site discussing one of our gorgeous attractions – The Courtenay River Estuary. Here he is:
One of, if not the most significant, attractions, and natural features in the Comox Valley is the Courtenay River Estuary. An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal [...]

Spend An Afternoon Combing The Beach For Treasure

Editor’s Note: Good morning. Jocie Ingram is here reminding us about our fabulous beaches and the treasures we can find on them. It’s time to hit the beach! Here she is:
On the weekend, we often take the kids up to “Granny’s house” at Miracle Beach. When we get there, our two-year-old son Alden heads straight [...]

Sunday Morning Walks – Marvelous Mushrooms & Fungus

Editor’s Note: Don’t forget to drop back in here this afternoon when we get the discussion going about Kindergarten options in the Comox Valley. Now, it’s time for a fun Sunday Morning Walk:
One of the biggest challenges of making it through the permagray this time of year, is figuring out what can distract you from [...]

Nature Journal – It’s The Peak Season for Swans

Editor’s Note: Good morning. Naturalist Jocie Ingram is here with some great information on swans. Until now, I had just admired them for their beauty and grace! Here she is:
I’ve recently introduced my toddler to the story of the “Ugly Duckling” by Danish poet Hans Christian Anderson. He loves the way the ugly duckling (actually [...]

Winter 2010 NeighbourWood Walks Registration

Editor’s note: This morning’s post on making felt fortune cookies to celebrate the combo of Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day (both Feb. 14 this year) was so much fun. You can check it out HERE. Now, it’s time to finally get back outside as we get down to the business of registering for our [...]

New Kids Science Programs Make Courtenay Museum Come Alive

Editor’s Note: Happy Saturday! If you missed the morning post, you can read Robin’s review of two sweet Canadian authored books HERE. This afternoon we have the scoop on two new and very wonderful science programs offered at the Courtenay Museum. Check them out:
As self-proclaimed science nerds over here, the recent announcement from the Courtenay [...]

Nature Journal – Animal Tracking Basics for Family Nature Fun

Editor’s Note: Good morning! Jocie Ingram is here with some great information on animal tracking. Now you can hit the trails like a pro! Here she is:
Tracking wild animals is a skill that takes years of experience, but anyone can follow a set of footprints and learn to become a keen observer of nature.
A familiar [...]

Year In Review – Favorite Family Nature Locales for 2009

Oh my goodness 2009 has been a fantastic year for weather, exploring and general outdoor adventures. The Comox Valley and Vancouver Island are absolute perfection when it comes to hanging in the outdoors and making family time nature time.
We’ve explored a lot of cool places, taken more than 150 kids and their parents on hikes [...]

Year In Review – The Best Children’s Books of 2009

One thing that never seems to give in our house is the love of a great story. We pound through tons of books and if anyone knows what she likes best, it’s the 4-year-old.
We’ve had such a great time discovering some seriously great new reads this year to spend afternoons curled up on the couch [...]

Year in Review – Best Crafts of 2009

Good Morning. As I looked back through some of the creative projects we took on this year, it was great to check out how much fun we had learning about and discovering nature through creativity. There was lots of painting and gluing for sure. But, I’m wondering which project you all liked the best this [...]

Sunday Morning Walks – Finding Swans

The truest sign of Winter’s onset for our family is the return of the Trumpeter Swans. Right after Halloween we move from salmon and skeletons to full-on ornithologists looking for our friends headed South from Alaska for their balmy vacation from the Northern cold.
They’ve become like the neighbors who only live in town half the [...]

Nature Journal – History of Holiday Greenery

Editor’s Note: Good Afternoon. If you missed out on Esther Kane’s morning post about how to beat Seasonal Affective Disorder, you can read it HERE.  Now, naturalist Jocie Ingram is here giving us the scoop on some lovely holiday greenery that you’ll be able to find in the woods, around your neighborhood or even in the [...]

How to Create Emergency Kits & Plan for Natural Disasters

So, yeah, Mother Nature has been having some very serious personal issues with us folks on Vancouver Island for the last week or so. It’s nerve wracking at these sort of times when you look around your house and realize that you’ve got one match, a tiny tea light, no stored water and the pantry [...]

Nature Journal – Sensational Slug Sightings

Editor’s Note: Good morning. Today we have nature lover Jocie Ingram giving us the scoop on slugs. It’s interesting and educational, and may have you looking at those slimy creatures differently! Here she is:
I went to the forest for a specific purpose this week – to find some slugs. It had just rained, and a yellowish, dark blotched [...]

Product Review – Fossil Rubbing Plates

Science nerd alert: One of the favorite adventures that the tiny person and I made a regular event this last Summer was rock hunting.
An impromptu trip to the Puntledge River and the chance discovery that some rocks could be broken open to reveal crystals, more cool rocks and even – gasp – fossils changed our [...]

The Magic of Seasonal Festivals for Children

Editor’s Note: It’s an education imagination Saturday. If you missed it this morning, we reviewed two fantastically fun Halloween books with the Rainy Day Book Club. Check them out HERE.

This afternoon we have Rebecca Watkin discussing the Waldorf tradition of seasonal festivals – their significance, beauty and ability to make the imagination of childhood soar. [...]

NeighbourWood Walking at the Courtenay Air Park

Happy Friday afternoon. Hopefully you all are just about done with your weeks and ready to enjoy a fun Fall weekend. We’ve got lots going on including the Cumberland Harvest Fair where we’ll be making binoculars and other coolness from 10 a.m. to Noon tomorrow.
If you missed our morning post today, Deepa took a peek [...]

Nature Journal – Leaf Watching 101

Editor’s Note: This morning we have naturalist Jocie Ingram on site, giving us the low-down on identifying leaves. Jocie is new to the OBE team and will be sharing her knowledge with us monthly. Here she is:
My toddler son is keen to collect fallen leaves, clutching fistfuls in each hand and sorting them by shape [...]

Sunday Morning Walks – Salmon Run

Each Fall we make the same plans. About the time that the wool toques make their way out of storage and plastic pants become a regular feature in our daily wardrobes, we begin our journey down to the river banks of some very special waterways in the Comox Valley to make sure we don’t miss [...]

Fall NeighbourWood Walk Photos

Good afternoon and welcome to our first day in which you get a morning and an afternoon post. Yep, that’s right, OBE has now nearly doubled our content and we will be bringing you some exciting new features as we begin to even more frequently update the website.
If you haven’t checked out Kendra’s sweet post [...]

Found-Object Food Jar Terrariums

Science in a jar is something that scores me some serious cool points in the scientist in training universe. That’s especially true when it means that we can head out for a walk around our local park – or even the backyard – with express permission to pick up, handle, pack away and take home [...]

SPROUTS – Fall Flowers and Garden Chores

Editor’s Note: Kendra Quince is with us this morning. She’s got some serious fall gardening fever and has been busy harvesting, cleaning up and preparing for next year. Plus she has a fabulous way to make good use of fallen flower petals. Here she is:

Ah, September.  I get that back-to-school feel even though my children are not [...]

Register for the Fall NeighbourWood Walks Today!

Good Morning. I am soooooo excited to finally be getting back to the business of NeighbourWood Walking after our Summer hiatus.
The tiny person and I really miss our weekly walks with the Our Big Earth crew and we are totally looking forward to catching up with new and old friends this season. The free eight-week [...]

Sunday Morning Walk – Willow Creek Conservation Area

Good Morning. I have to admit that it feels terribly strange to have no editor’s notes, calendars to keep up with or some place to be. Slow is not my normal pace. I’ll have to get used to it because Ken and I have promised that August – mostly – will be the month of [...]

Books for Hands-On Nature Learning

Our month-long adventure in local food may have come to an end. But that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped thinking local. On our adventure out to Miracle Beach Nature House the other day, I made a very lengthy pit stop at the Nature House’s book store and picked up two fantastic nature learning books for kids [...]

Get Into Nature – Miracle Beach Nature House

Editor’s Note: Where could that second post from yesterday possibly have gone? The heat made my brain disintigrate into a pile of goo and my computer nearly melt down.
We’ll check out Saturday’s fun later this week.
Anyway, it’s time to chill out today with the Eat Real. Eat Local 30-Day Food Challenge and head over to [...]

Foodie Crafts – Seashell Maracas

Editor’s Note: Good Morning. If you are looking for something fun to do in the local food universe today, be sure to head over to Brambles to meet the folks from Hazelmere Farms. Their unusual and tasty greens are a treat at any dinner table. The demo runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, as [...]

Nature Journal – The Edible Forest

Editor’s Note: Today, join us out at Tannadice Farms, 3465 Burns Road (just off of Condensory Road), for a great farm tour as part of the the Know Where Your Food Comes From Tour and the Eat Real. Eat Local 30-Day Challenge. Heather and Allan will be on hand from 1 to 2:30 p.m. taking [...]

Backyard Craft – Butterfly Feeders

Editor’s Note: Good morning. We’ve got a fun craft for you this morning. But, it’s this afternoon that brings big news here at Our Big Earth.
It’s a deliciously detailed dish comes with a month’s worth of community goodness, family fun of the foodie kind and the chance to win nearly $3,000 in tasty treats.
So [...]

Greening the Places that Children Play

Where Do The Children Play?
O.K. I’m dating myself but I’m sure you’ve heard of the peace lovin singer/song writer Cat Stevens. And who hasn’t heard of Dr. Seuss? One of my favorites books of his is The Lorax, while published 38 years ago the environmental message still rings true today.
What do the two have in [...]

Eco Crafts – Egg Carton Shadow Boxes & Rock Gardens

So, I have to say that it’s a good thing that the only people who have been subjected to the condition of our house lately are my sweet friend Kathy and her family. While she might think “Oh my God, don’t touch anything!” and her lovely little girl did actually ask if she could help [...]

Sunday Morning Walks – Quinsam River

Good morning. It’s another gorgeous island Sunday, which seems like the perfect time to recommend a walk in the woods.
Beachy sunshine is so fantastic. But, when the temps start pushing the high 20s, I start thinking about heading toward the cool shade of the forest.
That’s exactly what we did yesterday, checking out the Quinsam River [...]

Nature Craft – Flower Chains

Good morning! It’s that time of year where the big debate in our house over what flowers can and cannot be picked rages wild.
Pretty much, our kiddo would prefer to pick every flower in sight.
Wild, someone else’s, grandma’s favourite in the garden – it doesn’t matter. Flowers should be for picking, she believes.
Since not everyone [...]

Guides for Tiny Explorers

Good Morning. With the sun making a regular appearance these days and our NeighbourWood Walks finally started back up, we are spending a whole lot more time outside right now.
My scientist kid told me the other day that she wants to be a paleontologist (actual use of the word, which makes my jaw drop) when [...]

Reclaiming Our Childhood Connection to Nature

Editor’s Note: Good morning. Today, local mom and outdoor education advocate Barb Haffner is her to kick off her regular Nature Journals column on OBE.
In my own experience, getting kids outside and letting them discover the natural world for themselves is a remarkably eye-opening experience. From the relationships that they develop with other children to [...]

Mom-Rated Family Learning Websites

The kiddo totally decides what is cool in our house.
Yeah, I lead her in directions I would like to see her pursue. But, cripes if she thinks my coffee filter butterflies are lame and I am a dork for any number of not-so-veiled attempts and exercising my parental will in the educational universe lately.
She likes [...]

Great Canadian Kids Nature Books

Spring brings out the scientist in me (ha, you all laugh. When am I not in science girl mode?)
I am a botanist/ecologist/microbiologist/nature loving curious type from the word go. But, this time of year I get serious about our nature learning and head out into the deep forest of the local bookstore for some non-library [...]

SPROUTS – Creating a Kids Garden

Another sunny day. Everyone loves it when warm days blow in. With all this good weather I can finally tackle the weeds that have been meandering in my garden beds and deadhead a few of the plants that escaped me in the Fall.

It is so refreshing to be outside for hours these days – with [...]

Earth Day Crafts – Binoculars & Mini Journals

Editor’s Note: This week we are plugging in to all things Earth Day and thinking green as we work our way toward Saturday when we celebrate island-style with the Earth Day Family Festival.
Our Big Earth is running the Kids and Family Zone and, whoa, there is some seriously fun, green-ness on the schedule. Check it [...]

BUMPS – It’s Spring, Time to Nest

The space I have carved out for myself in this house is the spare room.
This is where I write.
Since my daughters share a room, this one is mine…well kind of.  I guess I share the space with the ironing board, the pack-n-play (for our baby guests to snooze), broken and obsolete electronic equipment, and other [...]

Spring NeighbourWood Walks Registration…x2

I am so excited to say that the Our Big Earth NeighbourWood Walks program is officially one year old. We’ve completed four seasons of walking in the woods, on the trails and at the shoreline, exploring nature kid-style. (By the way, this is double-post Tuesday. I’ll have some crafts for you this afternoon)
And, with that [...]

Getaways – Family Time on Quadra Island

When I sit down to plan a bit of a family escape, my mind has always wandered toward the west side of Vancouver Island. With all of its tide pooling, surfers and sea life, the West Coast has its beauty. But, lately, I’ve been dreaming spending some serious time on another island.

The northern islands – [...]

Family Fitness – Safety Keeps You Fit on the Trails

Editor’s Note: Good Morning. Today we’re hanging out with Equilibrium Lifestyle Management owner Sarah Seads as she gets us geared up for long Spring days out on the trails or at the beach.

After this crazy Winter, I know I’m totally excited to get back out there and spend some quality time working out and [...]

Sunday Morning Walk – Time to Tide Pool

The starfish are calling. I’m totally serious, they’re wondering where all of the humans are. They’ve finally come up for some air after a long, chilly Winter under water.
So, it must be time for us to dig out the wellies and head for the waves…or at least the low tide line.
This is the time of [...]

Get Away – The Brant Wildlife Festival

Good Morning! With Spring Break upon us it seems like the perfect time to scramble for something cool to take the company to or get the family together for.
Easier said than done.
I’ve said it probably way too much. But, Spring is one of the most amazing times of the year on Vancouver Island. [...]

Home Learning – Life Cycles for Preschoolers

OK, so there are a couple realities to working on “learning” projects with a preschooler:
1. Attention span that generally amounts to nanoseconds
2. The constant reminder that 37-year-old mom obviously knows far less than 3.5-year-old child
3. Permanent mess syndrome
4. Sitting at the dining room table is the LAST thing on anyone’s mind when the sun is [...]

Sunday Morning Walk – Pt. Holmes Beach

Editor’s Note: Parents, one of the lasting legacies we can leave for our kids is the way our communities are allowed to develop today. Preserving parkland, ensuring smart, green development, making use of land in a way that nurtures nature as well as inspires a thoughtful business community is crucial.
We as parents now have an [...]

Win Kids Gear with the Click of the Camera

M and I just spent an hour or so watching the gorgeous sunrise this morning and, while we were busy telling stories about unicorns in the clouds and watching them change lovely, mid-Winter shades of pink and orange, she belted out “This needs a picture mommy. Go get the camera.”
While I passed, wanting more to [...]

Winter NeighbourWood Walks Registration

Good Morning.
If you all are anything like us, this crazy Winter of snow, snow and more snow followed up by freezing, fog and more fog has left us a bit less active outside than usual.
I always need a bit of group motivation to get me outside when the weather looks much more suited for a [...]

Family Craft – Glitter Mushrooms

We are having more than a wee bit of trouble getting our rears out of bed the last few days, and this morning was no exception as all of us rolled over at about 8 a.m.
But, the one thing that seems to get us over the perpetual mist and gray is our “Family Tree” project [...]

Family Craft – Waldorf-inspired Winter Birds

I am a bit of a Christmas scrooge when it comes to taking down the decorations. The pile of pine needles on the floor and the clutter from the holidays send my brain into crazy mode and generally everything comes down within 24 hours of the big day.
This year was just the same, and we [...]

Top 10 Valley Nature Spots for 2008

We did a heck of a lot of discovering of new outdoor spaces last year – friends clued us in to not-so-secret spots that we’d just never gotten the scoop on before and we made our way out to some cool locales that became serious favourites.
The tiny person and I clued in to the [...]

Book Review – Winter Tales of Survival & Hope

Ken was horrified that I’d brought a book like this home from the library. While I went for what was shaping up to be a long visit to the midwife on Tuesday, he and the tiny person broke into the latest stack of books and CDs that had come home with us from the library [...]

Nature Journal – Winter Tracks

Up earlier than anyone in the house this morning, the tiny person sprinted to the window, wrenched on the blinds and gasped that stunning “Oh my goodness” moment when she realized that yesterday’s snow hadn’t washed away.
Nearly impossible since we got nearly a foot – with a bit more on the way I’m told – [...]

Movie Adventures & Family Flick Favourites

I am more than a bit under the weather today, reluctantly submitting to at least a few days of bed rest as while the tiny person in my belly seems to be A-OK, my body is struggling a bit through this part of pregnancy.
Being mostly couch bound is not really my speed. But, when the [...]

Nature Journal – Winter Bird Feeding Walks

I saw the light in her face the first time our daughter and a chickadee made eye contact – and it was pure magic.
We’d walked the Lazo Marsh loop what seemed like a thousand times before then – through a Summer of sunshine and a mild Fall. But, the birds hadn’t made their debut until [...]

Nature Journals – Great Blue Heron

Editor’s Note: We had a fantastic launch to our Fall NeighbourWood walks yesterday, with an incredible crew of families out watching the salmon run at Morrison Creek.
Check out some of the photos from the day on our NeighbourWood Walks page

One of the great rainy season survival tools that I dug into while slugging through [...]

Discover Fall at the Puntledge River Fish Hatchery

When I think about crisp, Fall morning walks, a trip to the fish hatchery isn’t the image that instantly comes up in my slide show of ideal family moments. Or at least it hadn’t resonated as a place with a bit of magic. That was until last week when – on a dreary day when [...]

Announcing The Fall NeighbourWood Walks

Good morning.
I am happy to say that after a couple months of NeighbourWood Walk withdrawl since our fantastic Summer series that saw 60 kiddos and their families out for walks all over the region, the Fall walk series is nearly here.
September is always a nutso month for families, and October has been a bit of [...]

Salmon Journals

Editor’s note: Most of my memories from childhood – at least the ones that truly stick – live outside. The explorations, the learning, the absolutely amazing discoveries made in the woods or even just the park down the street shaped me, made me want to do one thing – get back outside for more.
Giving your [...]

Whooooo’s There – Paper Owl Door Decor

When I woke up this morning and realized this was the last time I’d ever post on Comox Valley Kids, I had one seriously weepy moment.
Tomorrow morning, most if not all of you will be redirected over to Ourbigearth.com and we will launch our new phase as Our Big Earth-Comox Valley.
I feel like I’m in [...]

Thanksgiving Family Walks in the Comox Valley

We realized yesterday, at the point when we were still debating what will be on the table at Thanksgiving dinner – including a yet-to-be-purchased(oops) main dish – that we are a bit overworked right now.
We’ve debated the merits of breaking for a few minutes to go remember what the beach looks like or stretch our [...]

Wax Paper Pressed Leaves

The other day, I was clicking through blogs, pawing through craft books and staring blankly at a bowl full of Fall leaves we’d collected on a recent Filberg adventure when I thought (uhoh) – wax paper.
Who knows what triggered this childhood memory. But, I was trying to figure out a way to press leaves that [...]

Beakers KidScience – Alternative Energy

I’m a science geek…and I’m good with that.
So, as we wrap up with Jeanne DuPrau’s blog book tour for the fourth Books of Ember Diamond of Darkhold it was pretty much required that I geek out in the kid learning department.
I don’t suspect that our 3-year-old is going to be picking up DuPrau’s novels for [...]

Learning Trees With Leaf Hangings

There is a bit of a chill in the air and early last week, as I was packing us into the truck, I spotted red leaves.
Then yellow, even a couple of orange beauties stood out against the bluer than blue sky.
We’d been talking, the last couple of times out in the woods, about getting to [...]

Seal Bay Nature Park Beach Trail

There are a few special spots in our collection of adventures that spark imagination and make the tiny person buzz uncontrollably at the mere mention of a potential day spent.

Seal Bay Nature Park and its winding, lush, bit of a butt-kicker wander down the Main Beach (Don Apps) Trail to one of the most beautiful [...]

Summer NeighbourWood Walk No. 6 – Lazo Marsh

Good morning!
We had nearly a full crew (52 kiddos) for the NeighbourWood Walk out at the Lazo Marsh yesterday and wow was I ever impressed at the ingenuity and sense of teamwork this group of tiny people have developed with each other.
But, before I gush, some cool breaking news.
Our long-term NeighbourWood Walks partner Active Comox [...]

Summer NeighbourWood Walk No. 5 – Seal Bay Beach Trail

Good Morning!
Well, the hiking gods conspired against our trip out to Cumberland this week as, while the family and I were out on our test run of the trail out at Cumberland Community Forest last Saturday we ran into a few unfriendly bits of poison foliage and bugs that, while they shouldn’t discourage you from [...]

Summer NeighbourWood Walk No. 4 – Fanny Bay

Note to self: wine with the girlfriends after a long day on the trail is excellent fun at 9 p.m., not so excellent fun at 6 a.m.:)

A small group of super intrepid walkers made it out to our fourth NeighbourWood Walk yesterday, which took us to the far south end of the Valley and a [...]

The Farm – Rocking the Barnyard

When we popped in at the Hands-On Farm over at the Filberg on Sunday, Popsicle was giving us the evil eye.
Maybe it was the “Please save me from these crazy pigs” eye. Nonetheless, his new “buddies” Penelope and Veruca are scaring the spots off of him.
P & V may only be six weeks old. But, [...]

Seashell Maracas

Editor’s Note: In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that the NeighbourWood Walk for next week would be out at Cumberland Community Forest. I blame it on birthday brain. We aren’t in Cumberland next week. We’re out at Ship’s Point in Fanny Bay.
Sorry about that.
Read on and it may make sense to you why my brain is [...]

Summer NeighbourWood Walk No.3 – Oyster River

I realized yesterday that one of the most fun things to do on a day in the woods is have a picnic.
OK, so that’s an easy one to figure out.
But, we are always hauling around food, snacking on the go, on the move. Stopping to actually sit down and have a formal, yet informal, meal [...]

Oyster River Nature Park

Editor’s Note: I admit it, I’ve been holding out on you a bit.
U-Pick Blueberry season is ON. Blue Haven Farm at Anderton and Idiens Way in Comox is open daily now and McClintock’s on Dove Creek Road expects to be ready for blueberry picking this week.
Raspberries are already being picked out at McClintock’s and ASHberry [...]

Book Review – Running Through The Meadow

Since I finished reading Food Not Lawns by H.C. Flores I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the changing face of yards.
When I was a kid, a big yard, perfectly mowed and glistening green was the envy of every parent in the neighbourhood. But, it wasn’t the manicured lawn I loved.
I spent most of [...]

Summer NeighbourWood Walk No. 2 – Pt. Holmes Reef

There is a perfection to kids in nature.
Those times when they can soak themselves down, run around barefoot and discover unbelievable sorts of wonders – together – force us as adults to slow down a bit, let a few things go, and just let them be for a while.
We find ourselves standing back and reminiscing [...]

Summer NeighbourWood Walk No. 1 – MacDonald Wood

It’s about 8:45 a.m. as I sit down to write this post.
As a general rule, I write the night before. Mornings are nuts around here and throwing blogging into that mix is generally a stress of the unnecessary kind. But, today, it’s entirely beautiful.
That’s totally because I got out of bed about five minutes ago [...]

George Sawchuk’s Enchanted Forest

The forests of Fanny Bay are enchanted.
A walk along the trails near Ships Point reveal dichotomy, controversy, community and absolute beauty.
Tucked away, just past trail heads hidden by a bit of overgrowth, is at least a Sunday morning’s worth of exploring art and nature – separately or together depending on what suits you.
CVK mom Melanie [...]

Valley Insight – The Lazo Marsh

Editor’s Note: If there is one trail in the Valley that we L-O-V-E, it’s the Lazo Marsh loop. Short and sweet, this flat walk is just over 2K, but full of some of the coolest sights any kiddo can imagine.
We discovered this trail thanks to the Comox Valley Naturalists Society, and the first time we [...]

Books that Make Home Life Inspirational

I have a crush.
Not really on a person, but a lifestyle – a way of being that is both simple and magical. It pulls together all of the homemade goodness of our childhoods with the purposeful parenting partnerships of today’s generation of moms and dads.
It’s one of those things that I’ve been in denial about [...]

Valley In Sight – Williams Beach & Seaview Game Farm

Editor’s Note:
As part of our Valley In Sight series we take a look today at the first Valley beach our daughter and I ever truly loved and its neighbouring farm that has become a mainstay in our Summertime and eating universe.
If there’s one thing the Valley has plenty of, it’s beautiful beaches.
I still find it [...]

Valley In Sight – MacDonald Wood Nature Park

Editor’s Note:
I used to drive by MacDonald Wood Nature Park and wonder what could possibly be behind those trees. Good or bad, I eventually decided we needed to expand our trail repertoire and just pulled over one day to discover one of the most lovely slices of the Valley during any season.
In fact, we spend [...]

Valley In Sight – Courtenay Air Park

The Summer is such a huge time for people who drop in on the Valley to soak up the gorgeous beaches, hang out with family and even be tempted to relocate if given enough reasons on the plus side.
The messages pouring into my Inbox lately from folks who want the skinny on Valley life as [...]

Final Spring NeighbourWood Walk – The Filberg

I am shocked at how little time six weeks actually is.
Blink.
From our first meeting out at MacDonald Wood Nature Park to the last moments of exploration and hanging out yesterday at The Filberg, CVK’s Spring NeighbourWood Walk series seemed to just fly by.
I suspect that’s because we were so busy having fun, making friends and [...]

Union Bay’s Coal Hills & Flower Chains

There are some places that need to be seen in the name of historical reference.
You may not be catching said locale in its heyday. But, the remnants of a past long gone are amazing clues to recreating the scene for yourself.
The Coal Hills in Union Bay is one of those places.
Ken is my reference, as [...]

Kin Beach & Bird Badges

On those sunny days when the wind is warm and a day digging in the sand is in order, starting your morning out at Kin Beach Provincial Park is the way to go.
This tucked away spot, just down the hill off of Kilmarnack Road in Comox, is the perfect combination of quaint picnic/cookout locale, beach [...]

Flower Stamped Mother’s Day Cards

It’s about 10 days before every holiday that demands something cute, sentimental and homemade be sent thousands of miles to grandmas and grandpas that I realize I have failed. (mail takes roughly two weeks to get where it is going for us)
I am, or at least have been, the woman who shops or makes or [...]

Seal Bay Swamp Loop & Boot Plants

When you wake up early, the kiddos are going stir crazy and you just need to get out of the house on a Sunday morning, there are walks that make all of that chaos fade away.
Taking the winding drive out to Seal Bay Nature Park is relaxing all on its own – with its fields [...]

Nature’s Recreation Centre

Comox Rec Program Director Patti Fletcher is in the house today talking about how recreation centres can serve as the portal to having fun exploring the outside.
I particularly appreciate Patti’s perspective since I often see local community centres as the alternative to the outside, not really understanding how much they offer beyond their doors.
Always having [...]

Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens & Pressed Flowers

Let me just start by sending out a big, warm hug to all of the wonderful folks who braved the cold to hit the Today Party yesterday! More than 200 kiddos dropped by to decorate cupcakes, colour like crazy and meet some friends over at Karen’s studio.
I loved it – getting to meet so many [...]

The Northeast Woods & Hand Trees

This is the second in our 4-part series of Spring walks that include insider details and activities to pair with some of our favourite trails around the region
Check back in every Sunday in April for a new walk and some fun tips to get the family outside enjoying the season together.

Wow, it’s gorgeous outside, [...]

MacDonald Wood and Magic Wands

This is the first in our 4-part series of Spring walks that include insider details and activities to pair with some of our favourite trails around the region. Check back in every Sunday in April for a new walk and some fun tips to get the family outside enjoying the season together.

We first discovered MacDonald [...]

Family Craft – Waldorf 3-D Butterflies

Our kiddo has never been into doing the girlie girl thing.
We instituted the no-pink, no-ruffles rule (applied loosely).
She loves bugs and snakes, Roberto Luongo and digging in the tide pools for creatures of all kinds.
But, lately, our house has gotten very fairy tale, very pastel, very soft and pretty thanks to the tiny person’s newfound [...]

Surf & Turf, Comox Valley Style

Of course right about the time I am back to full steam after a super busy weekend what happens? The rain kicks in. I could complain, but am entirely grateful that – for the most part – the rain skipped all of the fun events over the last few days.

We haven’t done a comment challenge [...]

Spring Break Reading Adventures

After a long Winter of snowy tales, the tiny person and I hauled out the books about blooming flowers, baby animals and sunshine a few weeks ago to get ourselves geared up for the activity of Spring.
I’ve definitely had a tough time charging myself up lately…whether it’s the chill factor in the mornings or feeling [...]

Spots to Watch Spring Migration

Today’s comment challenge: Where are some of your favourite wildlife watching spots on Vancouver Island and other places around the world?
Did you check out the great thread about food and your family yesterday? Thanks to everyone who jumped in. And the winner of a cool dino puzzle is…Stacey. Wahoo. Boynton books up for grabs today.

There [...]

Sandwick Park

CVK dad Derek Kwan has dropped by today to give us the skinny on a cool, lesser-known park in the Valley and I just have to say how excited I am to have a dad’s perspective in the mix here.
I’m not going to blab on too much today.

I needed a plane to help me [...]

Marine Habitats: A Natural Classroom

While I know that a January beach run may not be way up on your list when the skies are gray the temps are hovering around 0, this is the time of year (low tides) when a spectacular, mild, sunny day is the perfect time for exploring local shorelines. Getting out onto the beach with [...]

10 Ways to Enjoy a Rainy Day, Outside in the Comox Valley

Lately my commitment to getting the tiny person outside for at least an hour a day has gone the way of the dodo. I’d blame it on the holidays or the mad rush of company that invaded our house the last few weeks. But, since the holidays were actually pretty chill, and we had no [...]

Watching the Salmon Run

When a friend mentioned the other day that she and her tiny person had hit Puntledge Park to check out the total coolness that is the Fall salmon run I knew we were headed out there as soon as we left her house.
Being a landlubber myself, the only salmon I’d ever seen run were in [...]

Fall Leaf Rubbings

The last couple days of spectacular Fall weather have inspired us to spend as much time as possible outside soaking in all of the goodness of cool, sunny afternoons.
We also ended up collecting a whole slew of cool pieces of the outside – from seed pods and acorns to ALL KINDS of leaves to [...]

The Snack-O-Lantern

OK, so my guilt got the best of me (easy to do really). So, even though I attempted to skip out today, I decided to wow you with a super cool eco-minded idea from one of my very favourite family-friendly get-your-kiddos-outside sites Green Hour.
We carved five pumpkins this year. They kept showing up around our [...]

Family-Friendly Trails in the Comox Valley

Finding the safe, accessible and fun family trails on the North Island is no small task.
With plenty of trails to choose from, it’s the details on what works and what doesn’t that are often missing. Check here for a list of family-friendly trails around the Comox Valley and Campbell River regions.
SAFETY NOTE: Bears, cougars [...]

Mack Laing Nature Park

I‘d heard a whole lot of people talk about how lovely and relaxing a stroll through Mack Laing Nature Park is on a lovely day. But, wow was it ever tough to find something that actually showed me how to get there. Like many of the wonderful slices of nature around these parts, Mack Laing [...]

Lake Helen McKenzie Loop

My husband and I have declared Saturdays around our house the official day of the hiking boots.
Once a week we break from all of our regular around-town and beach action, fill up the backpacks and hit the trails up in Strathcona Provincial Park to suck up the mountain air, enjoy the quiet and take in [...]

Book Review – Nature Watching in the Comox Valley

Sometimes, I’m a little slow off of the block.
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been running around trying to figure out some new local trails to check out and places to wander, frustrated a bit by my own lack of resources.
Then, I was out at the Lazo Marsh with the tiny people the other [...]

Miracle Beach Provincial Park

There’s a reason this beach got its name.
If you drive up and down the east coast of Vancouver Island, a beach of this ilk is hard to find.
From the facilities right down to the seemingly endless stretch of barefoot-loving sand, Miracle Beach Provincial Park lives up to its moniker.
Right off the Old Island Highway, in [...]

Kitty Coleman Provincial Park

When my daughter and I headed out this morning, I thought for sure I’d come back with a beach review to share.
I’d heard that Kitty Coleman Provincial Park was full of great beach action, excellent views and is just a really great place for families. And, while the last two are definitely true, we were [...]

Pt. Holmes Beach

On a long day, when nerves are frayed and adventures have gone less than well, a long drive along Lazo Road has saved us all from a severe case of the grumpies.
Right at the tip where it and Knight Road meet up, we pull along side the road, roll down the windows and let the [...]

The Goose Spit

I haven’t done a beach review in ages, which seems just plain silly since it’s summer and we do indeed live on an island full of places to hang out on the water.
So, I figured I’d get started with the most obvious of candidates: The Goose Spit.

Anyone looking for a beach that is close to [...]

Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens

After a very long, busy and people-filled week, quiet had the most appeal today.
We were in serious need of something that involved mom, daughter and nature – and we found it most definitely this afternoon out at Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens.
I had long thought about turning off the Old Island Highway onto Coleman Road [...]

One-Spot Trail

To know the history of the Comox Valley you must know the life of a logger.
No other industry has had such a dynamic impact on the growth and prosperity of this region (mining and fishing aside) than the lumber industry.
Now families can fill up the backpack, bust out the hiking boots and hit the trail [...]

Beaver Lodge Forest Lands

Well, the constant rain sure doesn’t inspire one to trade the family car for public transportation as a part of Commuter Challenge Day today. But, don’t let the weather put the Comox Valley off the map in the nation-wide challenge in which communities see who can get the most people onto public transportation for the [...]

Tide Pooling on Comox Valley Beaches

With crystal clear skies, temps pushing 20 and the whole family itching for a serious weekend of surf and sun, one of the most relaxing, educational and absolutely fascinating family adventures around these parts has got to be hitting our rocky beaches as the tide heads out to sea.

The receding waters along our coastline are [...]

Saratoga Beach

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On our hunt for family-friendly beach spots on the North Island, I was simply astounded it took us more than a year to make it out to Saratoga Beach in Black Creek.
Maybe it was all of the signs pointing the way to beach resorts (I’m a big fan of quiet) or a mommy [...]

Williams Beach

If your idea of a family day on the beach involves a quiet, out-of-the-way beach front with a quirky game farm/ice cream stand within a short walk of the shore, Williams Beach near Merville is an unusual, easily accessed spot.

At the end of Williams Beach Road, you can either head toward the beach (which butts [...]

Air Force Beach

If there is a kids beach in the Comox Valley, it has GOT to be Air Force Beach. Just one look at the sweeping sand (even at high tide) is enough to make every parent jump for joy next to children who are doing the all-sand-all-the-time dance.

A hidden treasure, this beach is virtually unknown to [...]