Vancouver Mom » Events

Purple Crying – Call for Knitters

Rebekah Nathan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:31:29 +0000

Are you a knitter or crocheter who can whip up a hat in an evening? Then get your knit on this summer! You’ll be helping to raise awareness about the Period of PURPLE Crying and shaken baby syndrome.

The PURPLE Crying folks are looking for crafty moms and groups to knit or crochet PURPLE newborn baby caps to be given to babies born in BC during the week of November 15th to coincide with Canada’s National Child Day.

Create from five to 50 wee hats using any newborn baby cap pattern and a soft baby-friendly PURPLE yarn.

If you’re on Facebook, then join the Facebook group and share the information with your friends and encourage them to knit a few caps over the summer months.

PURPLE caps should be mailed by Nov 5, 2010 to:
BC Children’s Hospital:
c/o Claire Yambao
Provincial Program Coordinator, Prevent SBS BC
BC Children’s Hospital
4480 Oak Street, K1-209
Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4

By knitting and sending PURPLE newborn baby caps to be given to babies across the province, you will make a difference by:

• Raising awareness for this life-saving project – Period of PURPLE Crying – Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC.

• Participating in a growing, province-wide grassroots effort to educate new parents about the normalcy of early infant crying and how to cope with the frustration that can accompany it.

The Period of PURPLE Crying – Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC is a part of the most comprehensive shaken baby syndrome prevention initiative in North America. To learn more, visit http://www.PURPLEcrying.info and follow us on Twitter @PurpleCrying

Playdate for Playgrounds

Rebekah Nathan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:11:35 +0000

With steep budget cuts diminishing educational and recreational programs for Vancouver’s kids, three Vancouver based entrepreneurs have partnered up to raise much needed funds for Champlain Heights Elementary School to help them buy a new playground. The fundraising event is a collaboration between Jump Gymnastics, Klik Photographic and Collage Collage, local businesses that deal directly with kids everyday.

For a minimum donation of $50 per child parents will get a modern mini portrait session of their little one, by acclaimed photographer Kyrani Kanavaros of Klik Photographic. Before and after their photo session, kids will enjoy drop in gym time at Jump Gymnastics and an inspiring art workshop with Collage Collage.

For information on how to register go to www.jumpgymnastics.ca/schedule.php

What: Playdate for Playgrounds, a fundraiser.

When: Sunday August 22nd , 2010 from 2pm till 7pm

Where: Jump Gymnastics, 101, 837 Beatty St

Family Bike Festival with Cyclebetes

Rebekah Nathan — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:55:55 +0000

It’s active, healthy and FUN! If your family is like many Canadian families you search for activities where everyone can participate. A healthy, meaningful, shared experience for Mom, Dad and the kids! If you have bikes here it is!

As part of the Cyclebetes National Relay to raise funds and awareness for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, there will be a Family Bike Fest in Vancouver on September 4th. There’s going to be a scavenger ride, obstacle course, bike skills tips, a family ride, food, entertainment and more. Or if you’re feeling more adventurous, there is also the 150km Hope to North Vancouver bike ride or 50km Maple Ridge to North Vancouver.

Make sure you visit the Cyclebetes website and community rides section for details about the rides and how you can register.

What: Cyclebetes Family Bike Festival

When: September 4th, 2010

Where: Rice Lake Gates, Lillooet Rd

For information contact:
Cheryl Wilson-Stewart
Cyclebetes Community Awareness Co-ordinator
Email: Cheryl@cyclebetes.com
Tel: 604.538.7383
Cell: 604.833.3563

FUN Camps Bring Children Closer To Nature

Diane Wild — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:35:47 +0000

Vancouver has a reputation for environmental awareness, so it’s not surprising it’s the locale for summer camps full of building and racing mini solar powered cars, baking brownies in solar ovens, creating a mini eco-city using recycled materials, and planning social and environmental change projects.

The Friends Uniting for Nature (FUN) Society was created to promote environmental education, leadership and collaborative skills to young Canadians. Their FUN Camps are summer day camps for 6 to 16 year olds, taking place this year from July 5 to August 27.

Camp themes include energy conservation, eco-footprint, water conservation, food, sustainable transportation, nature and community. Other activities include gardening, exploring nature, outdoor games, sports, swimming, art, drama and hiking, and bike maintenance workshops.

“We are at a time of crisis when it comes to the environment and I believe that education plays a huge role as part of the solution,” said FUN Society founder Maia Green, who holds a Bachelors degree in Environmental Studies and worked as an environmental consultant and an after-school leader for elementary school children. “Summer camps are a great way for kids to not only spend more time outside in nature, but also to learn how to be more sustainable in a fun, interactive and experiential way.”

“Our programs also provide leadership training, as it is important to empower the next generation, not simply educate them,” she continued. “At a time when kids are spending less time outside, becoming more sedentary and losing their connection to nature and our relationship to it, it seemed absolutely necessary to start a fun summer camp that could address some of these issues.”

The award-winning FUN Society also conducts a peer leader program, scholarship program, social change projects, and the FUN Ambassadors Youth Board. The Society hopes to inspire young Canadians into action by:

Focusing on sustainable and healthy living through a re-connection to nature that is fun, educational, experiential and hands-on.
Using a collaborative approach, fostering cooperation between camp participants.
Nurturing leadership by providing skills and resources as well as mentorship opportunities.

“We hire leaders who are very passionate about working with young people and who have experience in this field as well as the field of sustainability,” said Green. “The people who work for us do so because they believe in our mission and are dedicated to our values and vision.”

The FUN details

What: FUN Camps run by Friends Uniting for Nature (FUN) Society, a charitable non-profit organization

When: July 5 to August 27, Monday to Friday, 9 am – 4 pm

How much: $195 per week (except Aug 3-6 — a 4 day week — for $160). The schedule and fees can be found on their website.

For more information:

www.funcamps.ca
info@funcamps.ca
Twitter @FUNSocietyBC
Facebook FUN Society

Catching a Love of Literature: Summer Camps at Christianne’s Lyceum

Rebekah Nathan — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:30:47 +0000

For many of us summer holidays meant long, languid days curled up with a book but some parents may find that enticing their children to read is a bit like pulling teeth. Or perhaps you suspect your child would an interest in reading, but you’re just not sure where to find exciting material that engages them. While we often think of summer camps as a place for sports and outdoor play, Christianne’s Lyceum in Kitsilano provides an alternative where the focus is more on literature and visual art than kayaking or baseball.

“A love of literature is caught, not taught,” explains Dr. Christianne Hayward, the founder of Christianne’s Lyceum and the literature expert Vancouver Magazine recently called, “the pied piper of paper”. Christianne offers summer day camps during July and August where your child can explore reading through painting, sculpture, nonsense poetry and even designing a Mad Hatter tea set. With programs for children ranging in ages from 3-19yrs, there really is something for everyone, bringing out the reader in every child. Book lovers have a community of like minded friends to share ideas with and the more reluctant reader will get a taste of the magic in a good story.

A complete listing of summer programs at Christianne’s Lyceum of Literature and Art is available at www.christiannehayward.com.

For more information please contact Laura Farina at 604.733.1356 or
lfarina@christiannehayward.com

Mini Art Button Making Workshops

Diane Wild — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:49:11 +0000

Express yourself and make mini art on button pins or magnets. Artist Laura Bucci will show you some cool ideas using different materials and techniques such as paper collage, rubber stamping, and working with fabric. Your small compositions will make great professional and personalized gifts!

You will come out with 20 buttons, 1.5” each. Magnets are 50 cents extra each and payable at the workshop.

The workshop is one session, 2 hours long. Classes are small, between 6 and 10 students.

Upcoming Dates:

Adults

Wednesday, July 14, 6:30-8:30 pm
Saturday, July 17, 1:30-3:30 pm

Children (8-12 years)

Wednesday, July 21, 4-6 pm
Saturday, July 24, 1:30-3:30 pm

Location:

The ArtWay – studio & learning centre
649 E. 15th Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-569-1567
Located between Fraser & Kingsway

For more information and to register, visit Laura Bucci Handmade.

Canada Day & Golden Spike Days Celebration

Rebekah Nathan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:23:31 +0000

Win a prize for finding the golden spike in our popular Golden Spike Scavenger Hunt. Cool off while you watch some old fashioned train comedy from the Three Stooges and Little Rascals. See our 1886 model train and create your own train or Canada Day pennant. Take a photo dressed as a train conductor or engineer on our 1921 rail car. Learn Morse Code from the Telegraph Society on July 1st and 3rd. Come on July 1st for free Canada Day cake.

Where: Port Moody Station Museum – located in Port Moody at 2734 Murray St. near Rocky Point Park.
When: Thursday, July 1st to Sunday, July 4th 11am to 4pm each day
Cost: Free

For more information, visit www.vcn.bc.ca/pmmuseum/news.html, call Rebecca Clarke, Program and Events Coordinator at 604-939-1648 or email pmmuseum@telus.net.

Swap-O-Rama-Rama: Clothing & Craft Supply Swap

Christine — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:46:12 +0000

Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a clothing and craft supply swap in which a community explores reuse and creativity through the recycling of used clothing. A series of DIY stations will be on-hand to unleash your creativity including screen printing by Blim and sewing stations by Plush On Main. Take as little or as much as you like! All remainders will be donated to local charities.

We welcome kids clothing and parents will definitely find lots of supplies for their kids to craft with in the craft supply swap area. Bring clean, gently-used clothes and accessories: jackets, pants, shirts, skirts, shoes, gloves, belts, accessories, jewelry, sunglasses, bags, wallets and hats. Children and men’s clothing are welcome, as are craft supplies like fabric, notions, trim, yarn, left over pieces from that project that you never made, etc.

When & Where:

Saturday, June 26th, 2010, 11:00am to 4:00pm

Museum of Vancouver – 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
Paid parking is available in the MOV parking lot or there is also free street parking all around the area.

Admission:

$6.00 at the door or $5.00 in advance via Paypal (http://www.gotcraft.com/swap) plus a bag of clean clothes and / or a bag of craft supplies to swap.
(leave with all the clothes and supplies that you can carry!)

For more information, visit www.gotcraft.com/swap.

Cirque du Soleil: Win Two Tickets to Kooza!

Christine — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:29:42 +0000

The acclaimed Cirque du Soleil show KOOZA is coming to Vancouver on July 22nd!

This production is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil, combining two circus traditions: acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement.

VancouverMom.ca is giving away two tickets to KOOZA!

To enter, simply enter a comment below.

Think you’ve missed your chance? Tickets are still available!

Buy tickets now.

To view more photos of Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA, visit VancouverMom.ca’s Facebook page.

Get en-GROSS-ed with Animal Grossology!

Roanne Weyermars — Sun, 09 May 2010 03:58:56 +0000

The popular Animal Grossology exhibit will ooze with disgusting science and interactive learning games when it visits Metropolis at Metrotown, May 15 to August 22, 2010. You’re invited to come down and learn about some of the slimiest, stinkiest and downright yuckiest facts about creatures as small as a flea to as large as a cow. This educational exhibit introduces kids to science in a way that makes them both laugh and learn at the same time.

What: Animal Grossology Exibit

When: May 15 – August 22, 2010

Where: Metropolis at Metrotown (Grand Court) 4700 Kingsway, Burnaby

More info: www.metropolisatmetrotown.com