celebrating spring at seal bay

Walking along a beautiful forest trail to emerge at a great beach during low tide is pretty much my favourite outing with kids. It has all the ingredients needed for a good time - trees, sticks, dirt, driftwood, rocks, water, sand, shells and creatures. All those "loose parts" that lend themselves to exploration, imaginative play and wonder. There are wide open spaces to run in, and cozy little crannies for hiding. There are places to dig and things to dig with. There are items to toss and treasures to find. Whole universes to explore and stories to invent.

Well, that old reliable formula came through once again. We had a great time at Seal Bay Nature Park last weekend with the Family Nature Club. We walked, and ran, on the beach trail down to the shore. The tide was way out and offered up all kinds of surprises: a profusion of purple starfish, aggregate sea anemones, tiny sand dollars and great big crabs. One was a momma with a giant egg sack. Too cool!

There was plenty of running, climbing, poking and playing. There was even a driftwood fort to claim and conquer. Sure there were a few pairs of wet feet, but that's the cost of having fun. It was a perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon and welcome in the first day of spring.

My heart was happy and proud to see my oldest, who earlier that day informed me he didn't want to go on any stupid walk, wandering ecstatically through the woods enrapt in some story of adventure. He didn't want to come home. Just about a perfect day! Thanks to all of you who joined us.

island festivals celebrate spring

Spring happens in a big way on the island with wildlife migrations of epic proportions. 10,000 gray whales are making their way up the coast to their summer feeding grounds after spending the winter months in the warm waters off the coast of Baja California. This 12, 000 mile round trip journey is the longest migration of any mammal on earth. Joining them are swarms of herring on their annual run along the east coast of the island looking for ideal conditions to spawn. Waterfowl are also on the move, as the Brant goose returns to the island in the tens of thousands.

There are two great island festivals celebrating these natural wonders. The Brant Wildlife Festival occurs from March 5 to April 28 at various mid-island locations with a variety of events from author readings and nature viewing to farm tours and culinary events. The Pacific Rim Whale Festival is happening from March 6-14 in Ucluelet, Tofino and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Expect food, music, films, First Nations culture and much more while enjoying the beauty of the wild and wet west coast. Both festivals have plenty of family-friendly events and are well worth the drive. What better way to celebrate these awe-inspiring annual events happening in our own backyard.

next meeting - seal bay nature park

We've chosen March 20th, the first day of spring, for our next gathering. Join us at Seal Bay Nature Park for a hike and some fun on the beach. Seal Bay Nature Park, which can be found on Bates Road, is further south than we usually venture but well worth the drive. We'll be searching for signs of spring along the trail, on the shore, and out on the water.

We will meet at the parking area on Bates Road at 1:30 pm. Bring a snack and come prepared for the weather. The trail is well developed, but quite steep in areas. Hope to see you there!

in the news

The New York Times recently published an article about a study by the The Kaiser Family Foundation on media use among 8-18 year-olds. The results were pretty disturbing. Young people now spend on average more than seven hours a day plugged in to some kind of media device. That's pretty much every moment not spent in school or sleeping. One can't help but wonder what impact all that screen time is having on the development on young minds. One thing is for sure - it doesn't leave much free time for unstructured play in nature.

I guess not enough of those kids have been tuned in to Sesame Street lately. The venerable vhildren's show is celebrating its 40th Anniversary by launching a two-year environmental curriculum called "My World is Green and Growing." I know, I know. Watching nature on a screen doesn't take the place of spending time with the real thing, but when it comes to high-quality children's programming with a timely message, you gotta give it to Sesame Street. Just check out this great song - Outdoors with Jason Mraz - and see if it doesn't make you want to head outside and explore your world.

I have long thought that Sesame Street would be a great place to live. It's a vibrant place full of diversity, where everyone knows their neighbours. If our own neighborhoods looked more like the one Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch inhabit, full of people and possibilities, maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get our kids outdoors. When our streets are void of activity, life and other kids is it any wonder young people would rather be inside plugged-in? Parents play a big role in encouraging outdoor play, but a bigger issue continues to be how and where we live. We need to start creating communities that foster outside play, rather than inhibit it.

Snow Spectacular

Well, it was spectacular indeed! Sure the weather was a bit wet and the snow a bit sticky, but we managed to have a pretty great time regardless at our Snow Spectacular on January 17th. Kids, snow, sleds, shovels - how could we not have fun? And it wasn't just the kids, who sometimes had to wait their turn for the sleds while the adults had a go, who seemed to be enjoying themselves.

At one point a group of kids were digging a snow cave, another group was sledding down the hill, and an impromptu snowball fight erupted. All this simultaneous play flooded me with happy thoughts of "this is what it's all about." So simple, yet so wonderful.

Thanks to everyone who came out and made it happen. We hope to see you next time!

A New Year of New Adventures

This time of year lends itself to reflection - marveling at the year that's passed and wondering about the year to come. For our family the year marked our first full year in Campbell River.

Settling in to a new community comes with it's share of challenges, but it has also provided us with many new adventures which have made it all worthwhile. Exploring the natural beauty of the island as a family, and meeting some great new people are the memories that stand out when I look back at the past twelve months. When I look forward to the year to come, I'm most excited about further exploring this amazing place where we live - and having other families to share it with.

On Sunday, January 17th Into the Wild will be starting off the new year with some fun in the snow. We'll meet in the parking area about 10 km up the Strathcona Parkway at 1:30pm and head out into the snow to explore, play and see what happens.

The mountain is a beautiful place this time of year and getting up into the snow can help chase away the January blues. It's also a great place to enjoy all those winter activities we miss out on in the lower altitudes. Bring your snowshoes, sleds, and shovels if you have them. When we have had enough we can head on over to Raven's Lodge to warm up and have a treat. We hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 28th - Elk Falls Trail

Remember that the next gathering of Into the Wild is happening this Saturday at the Elk Falls Trail. We will meet at the parking lot at 1 pm. From there we will check out the falls and explore the trails. After we will warm up with some hot drinks. You bring the mugs and we'll bring the hot chocolate and tea. With all the rain we've been getting the falls should be quite the sight!