Tag: outdoors
Animal Encounters – What To Do When Nature & Family Collide
When it comes to getting outside this summer, one of the big things that most parents worry about with their kids is what to do if everyone is on the trail and along comes a large animal of the wild kind. It’s not common. But, on Vancouver Island, the opportunity to run into a cougar [...]
Spring Break Plans – Get Out and Go Geocaching
Editor’s Note: Today, Martin and Lisa Pedersen from familynavigation.com are here to inspire us all to get outside and spend some time on a treasure hunting adventure. Geocaching is one seriously popular pastime and there are tons of geocaches all over Vancouver Island. I’ll let them share their adventures and get you excited about this [...]
Kids & Tech – The Pack of Wild Dogs Syndrome
There’s a school drop-off conversation that keeps popping up over and over lately with the same results. Our young kids are spending more and more time playing video games and we as parents are starting to notice that these electronic universes are having a serious attitude altering effect on them. When they are stomping through [...]
Creative Kids – Fall Nature Collections
On the eve of Fall, I am feeling the energy inside me turn from summer beach nights to warm and cozy. You can see it in the kids too. They begin the process of preparing for Winter, even foraging and storing things up like the animals in the forest. It’s fun to see the collections [...]
Kids Not Sleeping Well? Get Them Outside
I‘ve been reading a lot lately about how to help kids sleep better as I’ve been trying to figure out if it’s even possible to get mine on a somewhat matching – or at least complimentary – schedule. There’s everything from relaxation techniques (which so aren’t working in this house) to the old read-em-a-story trick [...]
Sunday Morning Walks – Fungus Amongus
Moving into these last couple months of the year can be kind of a drag as the weather turns cold, gray and blustery and we start thinking more about hibernating rather than spending lots of quality time outside. But, it turns out that late Fall and Winter on Vancouver Island are actually the most fantastic [...]
Travel With Kids Offers So Much Time To Learn
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Heather Beckett is back with more of her family’s year-long experience of living in Australia. Today she focuses on how her family extended their learning beyond the classroom. Makes me want to pack my bags and head out into the world immediately. Here she is: Often when we think of learning we may [...]
Savoring The Ordinary Moments of Motherhood
Editor’s Note: Karen Pantuso-Swanson is here this morning sharing some insightful words on finding the extraordinary in all of those ordinary moments in life – one of the greatest challenges many of us face. Her piece is a a great reminder to remember what’s important, live for the moment and find the joy in everything. Lovely. [...]
Adventure Learning – Kids Need to Discover the Outdoors
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on Michelle Hughes’ post discussing the benefits of acupuncture during pregnancy, you can read it HERE. Now, here’s Jamie Black with her new column on the incredible learning that comes – at any age – from getting outside and getting into old skool adventures that change us, for the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 Walks – 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 [...]
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 [...]
