Jumpin’ Jackrabbit

I’m not as committed to my yoga practice as I’d like to be but the other day, while waiting for my coffee to perk, I assumed a perfect tree pose.  Perfect because I was no waving in the wind in front of the kitchen window.  I first noticed the dark outline of rabbit ears in the tall

Take Me Outside Inspires

Take Me Outside is the brainchild of Colin Harris.  Born out of a childhood of happy, engaged outdoor experiences and inspired by our very own, Canadian icon, Terry Fox, the goal of Take Me Outside is to get school kids off screens and learning outside at school every day.  Colin catapulted Take Me Outside by running 7600 kilometers across Canada.  You

A Celebration of Outdoor Learning at Tatlow Park

Kids anxious to play on the playground and in the trees, tennis players, Green Party candidates, birders, book club members, dogs and their owners, people out for a bike ride and fans of Tatlow Park came together to celebrate the role of the neighbourhood park in learning and celebrating outdoor possibilities. This event was funded

Venturing Outdoor with Kids

All the research points us outdoors for physical health, wellness, learning, and to pause and appreciate nature.  There are some ways to make it easier for adults to venture outdoors with kids in your own family, in classrooms and in day programs.  Some pre-teaching of expectation, routines , and information is involved, as well as lots of

Why Learn Outdoors? Education

“I have learned that outdoor quests are not about the summit, but rather the journey.” Hart Banack Recently I had the opportunity to visit two stellar outdoor learning programs.   Megan Zeni works with her teaching partner, Sarah Regan, providing outdoor learning for all students attending Homma Elementary School in Richmond, British Columbia.  Both teachers are both passionate

Van Dusen Garden Possibilities – Education

On Friday I had a planning meeting about the upcoming Wild About Vancouver Event in Stanley Park on June 3rd to celebrate learning and being outdoors. Lulu Wang, founder and CEO of iGeneration Education Group and Sparks Education, is on the Steering Committee for WAV. We hammered out some ideas and I packed up to

Triggering Joy in Vancouver Life Outdoors

A conversation with a Vancouverite will lead you to one conclusion about Vancouver, British Columbia.   It is either the most brilliant place in the world to live or a drab haven of rain to be tolerated or simply abandoned.  Just before any of my travel adventures when I was young, my maternal grandmother who was born and

Garden Librarians in Our Midst – Education

It was a breath of very fresh and very cool air on my visit to Homma Elementary School in Richmond, British Columbia.  I was welcomed to the School Garden and teaching space by the garden librarians, Megan Zeni and Sarah Regan, and two Grade 3 / 4 classes of students.   All of the kindergarten to Grade 7 students at Homma

From Your President: BCLCILA

Happy 2022 from The British Columbia Literacy Council of the International Literacy Association – January 28, 2022 I hope very much that you are well.  Unfortunately we are not yet able to say Good Riddance to COVID.  Linda Klassen, leading the charge in membership, recently attended an online meeting with close to 40 Chapter leaders from the United States,

Joyful Learning Outside

I am a long-time advocate for the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive benefits of learning outdoors.  Part of it is based on observational research.  You take kids outdoors and you tap into joyful learning.  All of the learning inspired and put into practice by Reggio Emilia after the second World War, unfolds when children are given the freedom