Kidding Around Vancouver Island

It’s the 10th anniversary for the Vancouver Island Children’s Festival, which takes place June 7 – 9 at Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo.  One of the goals of the Festival is to promote learning through fun activities and wouldn’t you know it, that means some math!  Mathemagic is one of the shows at the Festival [...]

That beautiful May long weekend we just had got us out for a picnic up in Qualicum Beach, which then got us thinking about some of our favourite picnic spots in Oceanside. Of course we have to start with the beaches.  At Qualicum Beach our picnic place of choice is the grassy area next to [...]

Opening night isn’t far away and Grace remains as cool as a cucumber.  We’re as nervous as… as radishes.  All we can think about is her getting up on stage and trying to remember songs, dances, where she’s supposed to be on stage, and whether her hat’s on straight.  It’s so confusing.  Thankfully, the kids [...]

The Vancouver Island Children’s Book Festival is this Saturday at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, and this year they’re offering free sessions for the under-6 crowd.  They can enjoy a Mother Goose Rhyme-Time session, a puppet show called The Gingerbread Boy, as well as spend some time reading with (perhaps even TO) their parents in [...]

Students from Winchelsea Elementary and North Oyster Elementary schools are taking the stage this Thursday evening at 7pm at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo.  They’re part of the Voices of Nature concert for the Brant Wildlife Festival, featuring Holly Arntzen and the Dream Band.  Last year’s concert was amazing – you’ll have a great time [...]

It was such a lovely holiday Monday, we thought why not drive off and explore the phenomenon of micro-climates.  Ok, it didn’t quite go down that way, it was more like, ‘hey let’s find this cool new beach we heard about near Bowser.” So we’re motoring up the island highway past Parksville, then Qualicum Beach, [...]

The Easter long weekend is upon us and that means two things for our kids:  turkey and chocolate.  If someone could come up with a chocolate turkey… but enough of my dreams.  Cooking turkey is my excuse for teaching the girls math, which does not bode well for their future as we often have to [...]

Stuffed with Love at Nanaimo North Town Centre has a very special event this Friday from 1 – 3pm.  Stop by the store and for a $5 donation (which goes to the Child Development Centre) you can make your own mini-bear. And then you can move down the mall to Centre Court and enjoy free [...]

It’s cycling season again!  Ok, I have seen families out on their bicycles over the past few months, but I’m not counting brave hearty souls.  I’m talking about us fair-weather cyclists, for whom two consecutive weeks of some sunny days and temperatures averaging over 5 degrees is the true sign of cycling season.  Yes, of [...]

One of our favourite children’s musical groups – Bobs and Lolo – is back on the Island Sunday April 5th to help put the fun in fundraising for the Errington Co-operative Preschool. I say “back on the Island” because Bobs (Robyn Hardy) and Lolo (Lorraine Pond) grew up right here in the Central Island area [...]