If you kill a Black Kermode bear, you are endangering the sacred Spirit Bear too! Did you know that only one out of ten Kermode bears is a white Spirit Bear? And did you know that while the hunting of Spirit Bears has been taboo for some time, trophy hunting of the Black Bear in […]
Archive | Social Responsibility
MARCH breACK! 2013: Spirit Bear Portraits on Newsprint with Easy Stick or Dowel Frames
Today, in our story of Ahma, The Spirit Bear, our Ahma paints the portrait of her friend Harriet Hooltga Gyemck on a piece of newsprint which has drifted into their village, and Mr. W’Nax takes it into Prince Rupert to have it professionally framed. Today, the kids made their own bear portraits on newsprint using […]
MARCH breACK! 2013: Illustrate-Your-Own-Books, Ahma the Spirit Bear, Part I: Old Married Bears & Unmarried Bears
Ahma, the Spirit Bear, Part I: Old Married Bears & Unmarried Bears, A Precis Our story begins with a wedding. In the village of Maaya’ol (Bear-Berry), situated in a remote portion of the Great Bear Rainforest on The Princess Royal Island, the young Miss. Luup’is (To Sew or Tailor) becomes the bride of the widower-bear […]
MARCH breACK! 2013, or, Ahma, the Spirit Bear: A Tentative Schedule
ACK! It’s officially MARCH breACK! So here it is, a basic description and tentative schedule for this year’s MARCH breACK! Madness, 2013. Illustrate-Your-Own-Books 2013: Ahma, the Spirit Bear Each year, during MARCH breACK!, I write a little chapter book for the kids to illustrate, usually based on an existing tale or story. This year, Bea wanted […]
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 17, Fill A Pantry
Today, we make an online contribution to The Daily Bread Food Bank. The kids suggest that everyone look around for food banks in their communites and support their efforts today!
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 10, Give a Beehive!
Today is another Giving Day. Via PlanCanada, we’re donating a Beehive & Beekeeping Kit, and lessons in how to care for and maintain the hive to a family in the developing world. This not only helps a family in need, it contributes to rebuilding the declining bee population. And, as we all know, bees are a vital part of our food chain. You can read […]
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 3, Support the World Wildlife Fund
We are avid supporters of the World Wildlife Fund and their work in supporting diverse species and the environments in which they live. Today, we will support the fund by making a charitable donation. You can also “adopt” a plush animal, if that suits your taste. The Kermode Bear is a new favourite in our […]
Observing The Transit of Venus: Easy “Backs to the Sun” Pin-Hole Viewers & Blood Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Observing The Transit of Venus This evening, Venus will appear to cross in front of the Sun. The first half of this event, known as the Transit of Venus, occurred in 2004. Tonight’s event is the twin or second part of the Transit which follows eight years after the first. A pair of crossings such […]
MARCH breAK! 2012: A Tentative Schedule
I’ve got ambitious plans for MARCH breAK! 2012. Depending upon which professional path I might choose to follow, I may not be able to run “camp mama” next March, so I’ll be making the most of it next week! I’ve completed our story for the week, The Adventures of Sir Lóchrann Holmes: A Study in Emerald. Simply put, it is a reworking […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 23, Library in a Box for Haiti (via PlanCanada.ca)
December 19, 2011 23rd Day of Advent 6 Days til Christmas Dear Kids, Last Night, Mama & Papa logged on to Plan Canada (http://www.plancanada.ca). After looking over all of their Gifts of Hope, we purchased a Library in a Box for Haiti in your honour (pictured above). Today, we’ll check out the site together and browse all of the […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 16, Have a Tree Planted
December 12th, 2011 16th Day of Advent 13 Days ’til Christmas In honour of your Great Grand Aunt Rose and all of those dear to us who have passed away, have a tree planted near the place where you live now, in your own province. Give to Trees Ontario http://www.treesontario.ca via Canada Helps http://www.canadahelps.org
Advent Shadowbox: Day 13, Movie, Lego, Mindfulness
December 9, 2011 13th Day of Advent 16 Days ’til Christmas Today, our MERRY-MAKING splits us up. The girls set off with a few good friends for a holiday MOVIE, while the boys embark upon a living room LEGO-building contest royale. BE MINDFUL, then, of what you see and hear and feel and think today. So that when we come […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 9, St. Vincent de Paul Baskets
December 5, 2011 9th Day of Advent 20 Days ’til Christmas Another Monday? Another Giving Day! Today, the Giving’s at School. Add these Gift-Cards to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society Baskets Organized by your Classroom. Each year, our elementary school works with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to fill Christmas baskets for families in […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 4, A Birdseed Wreath
November 30, 2011 4th Day of Advent 25 Days ’til Christmas FEED THE BIRDS Here’s the interior of today’s Advent Shadowbox: And here’s how it looks from the outside: The recipe on the card is taken from the fabulous birdseed wreath tutorial on The Dereila Nature Inn website. This is the wreath that I made as a test product last night: And this […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 2, Daily Bread Food Bank
NOVEMBER 28, 2011 SECOND DAY OF ADVENT 27 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS Our Advent Mondays are Giving Days You Know How to Proceed It’s Time to Gather Cans and Coins for All Our Friends in Need MAKE A DONATION TO THE DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK Here’s a look at our Advent Shadowbox Calendar for the day: And here’s a close up of the text: […]
Advent Calendar 2011: A Shadowbox Spectacular
One of my favourite childhood Christmas traditions was my mother’s Advent Chain. On the first day of Advent, a simple chain of interconnected red and green construction paper loops would appear in the kitchen doorway. Each day, my brother and I would tear a loop off of the bottom of the chain to reveal a new family activity. Among our […]
Gone Birds and All Tropical Contest Update
At the beginning of the month, the kids submitted designs to the All Tropical t-shirt competition on behalf of the Ghosts of Gone Birds calling attention to the extinction of bird populations and what we can do about it! All of these outstanding t-shirt designs are now up for viewing and voting at the All Tropical site. Bea’s […]
Apple Picking, Finally!
I can’t tell you how many times we’ve thought about going apple picking. This year, we finally did it. We made the effort to reserve a car a month in advance, and we spent a bit of time asking our friends about their favourite places (thanks everyone!) and tooling around the web to investigate orchards […]