Thank You

It takes the community to ensure all of our young children have the best start in life. Many thanks go out to the many organizations, groups and volunteers who participated in the Campbell River Children’s Health Fairs this year on Friday March 15.

Thank you to: Active Campbell River, BC Transit, Campbell River and District Association for Community Living’s Support Child Development Program, Campbell River Childcare Society, Campbell River Community Literacy Association, Campbell River Family Place, Campbell River Family Services Society, Campbell River Fire Department, Campbell River Literacy Now, Child Find, City of Campbell River, Coastal Eyecare Centres, Campbell River Emergency Social Services, Judy Hagen and her little dogs, KDC, Laichwiltach Family Life Society, Little Ladybug Yoga, PacificCARE, Rivercity Therapeutic, School District 72, Strathcona Regional District (Recycling Queen), Strathcona Gardens, Success By 6, Sunrise Resources for Early Childhood Development, Vancouver Island Health Authority and War Amps.

A huge THANK YOU to School District 72 for the promotion and hosting of the Fair and to the City of Campbell River and BC Transit for providing free bus services. Thanks to the Eagle and the River radio stations for promoting the Fairs. A special thanks to QUALITY FOODS, Save On Foods, Thrifty’s and McDonalds for donating the healthy snacks and coffee. A very active thanks to Pam from Stereo Fitness for getting the children and parents moving. A definite highlight of the day.

Extra thanks go to our wonderful volunteers; Liza, Darlene, Sue, Susan, Heather and the Bladerunners from Laichwiltach who help make the day possible.

With immense appreciation from the Organizing Committee for the Campbell River Children’s Health Fairs and the Campbell River Family Network.

 

Children’s Health Fair

We are proud to once again present the Ready-Set Go Children’s Health Fair, Friday March 15, 10 – 2 @ Robron Centre, where community organizations will be available to provide parents of tots and preschoolers with information on safety, health, literacy awareness, recreation and a variety of other programs.

Vision, hearing, development, dental and speech screening for children will be available free onsite; however, space is limited so come early!

Other activities include; zumbatomic, mini workshops, nutrition, drumming, face painting, puppet shows and child find.

Thanks to BC Transit and City of Campbell River free bus services will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for anyone attending the event with children. There will be free snacks, beverages and lots of prizes!

Come out and enjoy a fun filled day where the sound of children’s laughing and squealing, parents chatting with other parents and the soothing sound of a drum beat can be heard throughout the building.

 

                                                                                          Cedar Weaving 2012

 

 

    Zumbatomic with Pam from Stereo Fitness

Turning off Electronics

Monday February 11 is a day for family.  Our children, our families are worth spending time with.  Pull out board games, go for a walk, sit and talk, turn on some music and dance around the living room.  The list is endless and doesn’t need to cost a cent.  So, let’s “unplug” from our electronic devices, and re-connect with our children. We know the profound effect that spending time with family has on a child’s growth and future success.

“Turn off the media. My husband told me a statistic that he had read regarding people and their smart phones - that most people are never more than three feet from their phones most of the time. Imagine that - three feet. I know how distracting it can be. You hear the ding of an alert and you just want to check the one thing and then it becomes that you have to send an email back and then more and more. Turn off your media for a bit. And set media parameters. Our family loves media, but I know that we need boundaries. Every once in a while have a media free night - play games, talk, sit in the living room and just be together. It's balance - and they just want your attention - bless them with it. Undivided. “  As stated in Finding Joy.

Spread our message by sharing with others, today!!

Unplug and Connect on Family Day

 

Success By 6 supports the children of our community, and on this first Family Day we are asking families to spend meaningful time together. Family Day is an opportunity for us to come together, to “unplug” from our electronic devices, and re-connect with our children. We know the profound effect that spending time with family has on a child’s growth and future success. Let's take this, and every opportunity to listen, talk, sing and play together. Put down your devices, and enjoy some quality family time.  Family Day is the perfect day to commit/ recommit our attention to what is most important, our children.  Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate our children and family on Monday, February 11, 2013.

 

Family Literacy Week

Family Literacy Day is January 27. How does your family learn at
home on a daily basis?

Check out how our community is celebrating National Family Literacy Day, a whole week's worth of fun, Jan. 21 - 27:

Monday: Family Cooking Series @ Campbell River Community Centre (2:00-3:00 and 3:30-4:30)

Tuesday: Open Stage at Tidemark Theatre (2:00-4:00 pm)

Wednesday: Rotarians Read at your School (Throughout the school day)
Wednesday: Free Family Gym at Campbell River Community Centre (10:30 – 11:30)

Thursday: Create a graphic story at Vancouver Island Regional Library (2:30 – 3:30)
Friday: Fire safety and tour your local fire hall

Saturday: Super Saturday at Campbell River Art Gallery (1:00-3:00 pm)
Saturday: Story telling at the Campbell River Museum (1:00 – 3:00 pm)

Sunday: Free family swim and grand prize draw at Strathcona Gardens
(6:30 – 9:00 pm)

Each day you are eligible to enter into the grand prize draw. Tickets available at each location/activity.

For more information visit here

Are We There Yet?

It’s the refrain of summer journeys everywhere: “Are we there yet?” or if you happen to be at home, it might sound more like: “I’m bored…..!” Wondering how to respond? Try some of these easy tips for summer math learning.

· View road trips as a mobile classroom. Turn “Are we there yet?” into a learning opportunity. Create paper tickets for each trip and share how many tickets long the trip will be. At even intervals, collect one ticket from your child. This fun exercise gives children a tangible and visual way to understand distance and time. Using different colors allows your child to practice patterns and learn early addition problems or fractions.

· Transform routine chores into fun lessons for young children. For preschoolers, the opportunity to be a good helper can be all the motivation they need. If you’re doing laundry try sorting colors (whites and darks) and measuring capfuls of laundry detergent. By using measuring and sorting you’ve created a natural math lesson.

· Turn children’s collections into math lessons. Children love to gather items, especially at the park, beach, forest or even in the backyard. Encourage children to sort their items by size, color, shape or texture. If a child loves to observe nature, try a scavenger hunt where young children have to find a specific number of rocks, or sticks. Counting and sorting are essential early math skills.

· Follow your child’s interests to guide learning. No two children are alike, and especially so if you have both a son and a daughter. Make early learning fun and playful by engaging a child’s natural curiosity.

Using these simple tips and summer boredom busters, you can keep your child occupied and learning!

Adapted from: http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/math/math-tips-for-parents/summer-math/

Lisa Scalapino is a School Psychologist and Educational Consultant. Questions? You can reach Lisa at lisa.scalapino@sd72.bc.ca

‎2012 Ready-Set-Go Children's Health Fair

Local community partners are proud once again to present the Ready-Set-Go Children's Health Fair. Local community organizations will be available to provide parents of tots and preschoolers with information on safety, health, literacy awareness, recreation and a variety of other programs. Vision, developmental, dental and speech screening for children will be available FREE on site.

March 16, 2012 10 am - 2 pm
Robron Centre, 740 Robron Road

Other activities will include:
Magical Faces, Zumbatomic by Pam of Stereo Fitness, Leap and Hop Play Activities by CR Parks and Recreation and Active Campbell River, Drumming Circles, Miss Judy and the Bow Wow Dog Show, Child Find and much more.

BC Transit and City of Campbell River have partnered with the community to provide FREE BUS SERVICES from 8 am to 5 pm for all riders.  Thank you City of Campbell River for your support.

Free snacks, beverages and lots of prizes!!

For more information on the Children's Health Fair contact Cheryl at info@crfamilynetwork.ca

Why are books important for babies?

Because research on infant brain development tells us that a child's experience in the first three years of life directly impact later development and learning.  The baby's genetic heritage is important but equally important are baby's surroundings, care, stimulation and teaching. · At birth, a baby's brain is one-quarter the size of an adult brain.  By age three, it has grown to 80% of an adult brain; by age five, it has reached 90% of total development. · Children who receive little attention from adults or have lesser opportunities to explore their world have brains which are 20 to 30 per cent smaller than other children their age. · Every baby is born with 100 billion neurons or brains cells, mostly unconnected.  Connections (synapses) are created by sensory experiences in the baby's environment - hearing sounds and language, seeing, touching smelling and tasting. · Connections or pathways that are used frequently are recognized by the brain as important and become more efficient message carriers. · The developing brain's "neuroplasticity" - it's ability to develop and change in response to environmental factors - makes it possible for us to compensate for future damage that might occur and for us to continue learning throughout our lives. · The developing brain is especially tuned into language acquisition during the first three years.  Children who were talked to, sung to and read to by their caregivers exhibit language skills greater than those children who received little verbal stimulation. · There is a 90% probability that a child will remain a poor reader at the end of the fourth grade if the child is a poor reader at the end of grade one.

Every newborn child in Campbell River receives a “Book for Babies” bag that is distributed through the Public Health Nurse.  The bags this year will be sponsored by Campbell River Literacy Now, Success By 6, Coastal Community Credit Union and School District 72.  In the past Altrusa and Rotary have been a sponsor.  If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for this year contact info@crfamilynetwork.ca

Daily reunions for the working parent

This article was seen in Parents As Teachers A Newsletter for Parents of Preschoolers by Columbia Public Schools Parents As Teachers.  In today’s society working parents are so busy with work and running their children from one activity to the next.  This article was a great reminder!

Family reunions are important. They matter. Not just the once-a-year get-togethers with the cousins, but the regular, end-of-the-day reunions with your child. How do you reconnect after a day apart? What do you do, for example, on the way home? How do you put yourself back in touch with your child?
Here are some ideas from other parents:
- “We both have a small snack in the car--usually fruit or pretzels.”

- “I make it a point to not answer the cell phone or make calls in that first half hour or so.. I want my attention on my child.”

- “We usually sing. Not well, but loudly!”

- “My motto is ‘stop, look, and listen.’ Before we even get in the car, I stop, slow down, look right in his eyes, and try to really listen to what he’s telling me.”

- “I always check the bulletin board outside the classroom door to see what they did that day. It gives me something specific to talk about.”

- “I mention something I did at work that day, maybe what I had for lunch. Once I told her about a bird that flew in the store where I work. After a while she usually tells me about her day. But if she just feels like being quiet, I’m quiet along with her.”

- “I think hugs and pats and any physical affection make a big difference in reconnecting.”

Beyond Books: The Power of Literacy

My second son has never shown the interest in books and reading that my first did, so until now, I never had to consider the depths of literacy really. With a first-born who was drinking in language and all things wordy since toddlerhood, and grew to be an avid novel reader by age 8, I was blissfully content in my role in supporting literacy development. He was able to use books to satisfy his thirst for learning about topics he was interested in, which motivated his reading. I felt like I must have done something right! Then came my second son. In toddlerhood he chewed, threw and built with books instead of looking and listening to them. At 7 he mumbles through reading after giving many excuses why he can’t do it. Did I do something wrong? It really doesn’t come down to that, I’ve decided, literacy goes beyond books. I look at reading and writing as a tool for information transfer. When you find out how to make it work for you, you use it more often and become more efficient, like my eldest was able to discover at a young age. When the day came that my younger son asked for piano lessons, mildly concerned about the complexity of note reading and practice and the teachers question about his reading level, we signed tentatively him up. Interestingly, he has been excelling- going beyond expectations, practicing independently and much more frequently than needed, it seems he has found his thirst in music. Although not his favourite or at a remarkable level, reading daily at his comfort level has proven to bring success in literacy, just in an unexpected way.

Rhonda Teramura, Mom of Three and ECE

TEDDY BEAR STORYTIME SLEEPOVER

Teddy bears are family too, so “Henrietta” the Campbell River Library hippo would like to invite all book-loving teddy bears to celebrate Family Literacy Week by attending a Teddy Bear Storytime Sleepover at the library on Jan. 25.

Bears and other stuffed animals may bring their favourite humans to the library on Wednesday Jan. 25 between 10 am and 8 pm. Bears and humans may select a book from the library’s collection for the bear to enjoy during the storytime, then the humans go home and the fun begins!

Bears will be photographed listening to their favourite stories and tucked into bed for the night, and can be picked up by their faithful humans on Thursday Jan. 26.

On Family Literacy Day, January 27, photos of all the fun will be ready for pickup at the library for bears and humans to keep and enjoy. The Campbell River branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library would like to thank its co-sponsor Photo Tech for providing the photography and printing the photos.

“Family Literacy Day provides a moment for Canadians to come together in their homes, at work, and in their communities to practice literacy-building activities and to have fun,” says Elaine Julian, Customer Services Librarian. “Learning happens everywhere, and it’s easy to make it part of your daily life.”

The library is also offering a “Passport to VIRL Libraries” contest and everyone is invited to drop by their local library, pick up a copy of the passport, and complete as many activities as possible. The passport can be completed as a family, as an individual or as a group. When you have checked off at least 5 activities, enter the passport at your local branch by closing time on Saturday January 28 for a chance to win a Robert Munsch book.

The Vancouver Island Regional Library at 1240 Shoppers Row will also be the hub of an exciting array of community activities on Family Literacy Day January 27 from 1:30 – 4:30 pm. Additional attractions at the library will include free used books and the Willow Point Jugglers, so be sure to include the library on your “Learning Journey”.

For more information about the Vancouver Island Regional Library visit www.virl.bc.ca or phone 250-287-3655. Visit http://abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy-day for information about the Canada-wide celebration of Family Literacy Day.

Books For Babes

Our first experiences have a lasting impression and influence how we respond and feel about all things in our lives. If we identify something we are afraid of, for instance, and trace it back to our earliest memory of it, there is a good chance we had a negative experience with it. That is why it is so important to make children’s early interactions with books positive.

Since we are such a large part of an infants’ environment, our state of mind, focus and general mood plays a large role in the overall experience of a baby or toddler. When you and your child are well rested, recently fed, not rushed and generally comfortable, it is a great time to share books and songs. I have fond memories of singing to my babies when they were already happy, while we were face to face, and enjoying the range of their responsive expressions with the variation of my voice. I soon discovered the power of this positive association, and quickly used it to manage the cranky diaper change time- it worked like a charm! Babies love your voice and naturally attract to singing, so using song to share books is a great way to bridge a positive feeling to a new experience. Some board books are created from a song and are meant to be sung, so this can be especially easy. Board books in general are great because they also give very young children opportunity for independent exploration, their durability withstands chewing, throwing and lack of fine motor control. Regular and positive interaction with books forms a foundation of comfort and familiarity for children, which provides benefits that will last their lifetime.

Rhonda Teramura, ECE and Mom of Three

Family Literacy Day ~ Friday January 27

 Families will be able to participate in activities and fill in their passport to enter for a draw.  Visit the Community Centre for stories with Joyce McMann, Teddy Bear sleep over at the Vancouver Island Regional Library, learn how radio works at 99.7 the River and much much more.  More info to follow in the next week!  

Supporting Success From The Start

Every parent has hopes and dreams for their children. From the time they are born we see our children as full of potential, perfect little beings just waiting for their moments to shine. Whether a parent has distinct visions of what success looks like, or a vague sense of possibilities- one thing is for sure, success requires reaching one’s full potential. Enriched environments and experiences in early childhood provide conditions for greater brain development, which undoubtedly helps a reach their full potential. Research out of UC Berkley by Marian Diamond in the 1960’s, uncovered secrets of neurological development- the cortex or “gray matter” where the brains data processing takes place, grows larger, thicker and more developed when the subject is raised in an enriched environment and engaged in varied and social play. Brown, Stuart (2009).

If it is agreed that reaching one’s full potential equates to success, than much to a parents relief, providing what’s best for children is very achievable. Whether it’s a regular opportunity for a lively game of peek-a-boo with a 8 month old, or a well loved wooden block set with a healthy dosage of four year old imagination, or a well organized game of kick ball, when children engage in free, brain building play, they are challenged, interested, realizing their strengths, and building confidence, among other things. While we may not have control over what our kid’s are successful at, we can provide them lots of opportunities to develop their own success.




Rhonda Teramura is a mom of three boys, an ECE, and currently does work in Supported Child Development as well as an Independent ECD Contractor.


CR Family Network

Read, speak, sing to your baby: How parents can promote literacy from birth

Campbell River Literacy Now Supports Play!

The theme for Family Literacy Day this year was PLAY!  Literacy in young children should be an extension of their play.  Families who play together are giving their children the best start in life.  Many families joined us downtown to play a variety of games that included reading, dancing, singing, juggling, drawing, and creating.

Campbell River Literacy Now sponsors Books for Babies in our community.  This bag of materials that is delivered by our Public Health Nurses to all new babies contains materials that encourage early play.  There is a book designed for early reading, a DVD that highlights learning through playful activities, and a CD that encourages singing and dancing.   There are also many useful pieces of information that help parents find places in the community where children can attend activities that encourage learning through play.

If you miss the visit from Public Health please call them and ask for your Books for Babies bag.

We encourage all families to participate in the wide variety of learning opportunities for young children that are available in our community.  Playing and learning together builds the foundation for lifelong learning.

Anne Boyd

Literacy Now Coordinator


Check out this great website:   http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/growinglearning/Reading2Babies.htm