Kids Get to Jam at The School of Rock

Editor’s Note: Good morning. Bobby Herron is here with the scoop on the Comox Valley’s very own School of Rock. Here he is:
I’ve seen the movie School of Rock a few times and have to admit it was part of the inspiration behind the musical boot camp I facilitated a few years ago as part [...]

The Comox Valley’s Cody Rodgers

Editor’s Note: Today we have Lindsay Sterk giving us the scoop on one every talented Comox Valley youth. Reading it makes my feet start moving…
This is a story about a Comox Valley boy who made it to New York on pure passion and dedication to tap dancing.
From the day I was asked to take the [...]

Symphonies and Fiddlejams

Editor’s Note: Good Morning! Lindsay Sterk is here today giving us the scoop on two very cool Comox Valley music organizations that welcome music lovers of any age and level to participate. I loved learning about these crews. Looks like it’s time to dust off the old trumpet and go jump in at the symphony.

I [...]

Kids In The Arts – Exploration Art Camp

Today I had a chat with my friend Heili Garcia. She’s got this fun, fantastic Summer art adventure going again this year and can’t wait to share her stories about art boot camp.
Exploration Art Camp began up on Mt. Washington in 1990 and the original facilitators were Heili, Lea Mann and Penny MacCullough (all of [...]

Growing Children with Song

Editor’s Note: This morning, Comox Valley Children’s Choir Director Carol Anne Parkinson has stopped by to talk about the wonderful ways song can help your children grow strong.
Music was a huge part of my childhood. It gave me the space to be that could be found no place else.
Enjoy!

From my very earliest memories, I [...]

Local Youth, Helen Austin Create “Island Home”

So, a while back the Shape The Future Comox Valley folks invited me to give a quick talk to the crew at their meeting of local residents focused on developing a sustainability plan for the Valley.
While I was there to talk to the adults, I was totally wowed by a crew of Huband Park Elementary [...]

KidSports – Our Hockey Preschooler

How could I forget that day two Octobers ago when Ken and the tiny person hit the ice for the first time.
It was love at first sight – for both of them.
The trainer skates we’d picked up for our daughter seemed the perfect way to start her off easy. But, she’d have none of this [...]

Kids In The Arts – Get Them Dancing

Dance in the Comox Valley is absolutely on fire.  Given a population of less than 70,000 people, you would assume one or two choices for your tyke would be the maximum a community of this size could sustain.
When I was approached to take over leadership of Pantuso Dance I looked at the fact that there [...]

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 [...]

Sir Ken Robinson – Creativity, Crux of Education

A few weeks ago, as he often does, Ken slipped me a link to a www.ted.com talk on creativity in education. Ted, Ken and I have developed a long-standing mutual affection. So when I saw the link wasn’t a Saturday Night Live skit from Youtube (Ken likes to send those along too), I snuggled up [...]

A Sustainable Partnership

Last Wednesday, as our daughter and I were headed off to the NeighbourWood Walk out at Lazo Marsh, we drove along the dyke road in the gleaming sunshine and she made an announcement.
“Look at the magic, mommy?”
I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Look, out on the ocean, it’s like magic sunshine out [...]

Homemade Non-toxic Finger Paints

My husband has spent his life in the midst of paint, charcoals, canvas and the computer as a professional artist. He’s also always passing along his concerns about our daughter’s zeal with paint. Her willingness to paint herself from head to toe leaves Ken in pieces, concerned for the tiny person’s health.
I didn’t get it.
He’s [...]

Digging Disc Golf

The birds are singing.
The sun is out.
Approaching the start of the first tee, you feel the wind blowing gently on your face. It’s a beautiful day.
As you prepare for your tee shot, you shift your target and aim a little bit more to the left, hoping to get around that tree in a tricky spot [...]

On The Rocks climbing gym

Derek Kwan is here today with the scoop on a cool, relatively new climbing gym in Campbell River.
I very much appreciate Derek’s contributions to the site, not only for his plainly Dad perspective, but also for offering up some great scores in the fun locales department.
Without further delay, here’s Derek:

A friend of mine has proclaimed [...]

Book Review – 8-year-old Inspiration

With family literacy on our minds around Canada this week, I found myself totally inspired by 8-year-old Caden Mack, who took it upon himself to rewrite one of his favourite stories and his parents, who took it upon themselves to foster his creativity and self-publish his book.
I can’t think of a greater way to honour [...]

Family Fitness – The No-Excuse Excuse

It seems so very appropriate that, on a day when the weather man reveals that we are supposed to get 50mm of rain and that crazy wind action that is a solid island Winter storm, Comox Valley Kids debuts its new Family Fitness column.
Once a month, local fitness expert, Vanier track coach and nationally-lauded running [...]

The LINC Youth Centre

This ain’t your mama’s indoor skate park.
For the longest time, I have been under the impression that the nondescript, steel-sided building across the street from the Lewis Centre was nothing more than a place for boarders to skate.
The indoor skate park, considered premiere in design and build, is seriously cool.
But, the LINC Youth Centre is [...]