nature journal homeschool corona virus COVID

Our Impromptu Homeschool Routine and Resources

April 3, 2020April 3, 2020Leave a comment

With the sudden call to self-isolate due to the novel CoronaVirus (COVID-19), a virus sweeping around the globe, families across Canada with school aged children are in the unexpected position of homeschooling their children. I am by no means an expert (it’s day 8 for us!), but I thought I’d share what we are doing as a way to show what I was able to put together fairly easily as a parent who isn’t experienced in homeschooling. (Although, over the past few years, out of personal interest I have read about homeschooling and discussed different approaches to it with homeschooling families). Apologies in advance, this post is long, as I’ve kept adding to it as more questions have come my way from enquiring families.

As a disclaimer I would like to say that parents shouldn’t feel pressure to homeschool their children, this is a stressful time and the most important thing is to maintain physical and emotional health. In our household, maintaining a solid routine helps with our overall mental health, and enables my husband and I to work from home while the children school.

Establish a Schedule

The first thing I would recommend is establishing a schedule each day, for each child. The schedule will help children feel grounded and know what to expect as the day goes on. They will also get a sense of durations of time and time management (a useful life skill!).

I establish a different schedule for each of my children, since they are 6 years apart and have different interests and school subjects. However, I assume that even if I had children very close in age that they would likely have their own schedules — in my view, schedules should suit a child’s interests and personality, because I think this will make it easier for them enjoy their schedule and stick to it.

For example, my youngest child needs a lot of physical activity in a day, so his schedule usually alternates between seated learning and movement (for example, building with lego, karate, household chores). Whereas, my other child likes long blocks of time (even a whole day) on one subject so she can really get into her work — for her, weekly balanced schedules are more suited to her learning style. For her, movement is best reserved for the later part of the day, when she needs to take a break from book learning. As her English teacher said “the brain can only absorb what the buttocks can endure”!

Here’s a little tip: Something that I have found very useful for gaining buy-in from the children is asking them what they want to see in their schedule, this way they feel they have agency in their learning and also don’t feel surprised by their schedule each morning.

Subjects and Work Blocks

For my younger child, who is in Grade 3, I am focusing on the core (essential) skills that are needed to progress through school. In general at this age, reading, writing and mathematics are essential to continued success through conventional schooling. We include these subjects in the schedule each day. I incorporate 2-3 other “work blocks” or other subjects that I think are important and that my son has identified as interesting, these include: science, illustration and art, art history, philosophy, geography, French and other languages. His movement activities include a rotation through: karate, yoga, free movement, outdoor walk, baking, kettlebells and meditation. I include household chores in the schedule every day, to ensure the children are learning “practical life” skills in the vein of Montessori teaching. Practical life is generally well-loved by children, they feel productive, get to do “adult” things, and get to move. Some example are: folding laundry, vacuuming, dishes, raking, hand sewing and so on.

My older child is in high school and was mid-semester through her geography, English, French and drama classes. As such, we ensure that she includes at least a day’s worth of work on each subject over the course of the week. The fifth day can be free learning based on her interests which so far have been: Korean and typing.

Here are a few examples of a Homeschool Schedules for my 9-year old who is in Grade 3:

Day 1

9:00 Breakfast
9:30 Math
10:15 Chores – folding laundry
10:45 Silent Reading
11:30 Journaling
12:00 Lunch + Free Movement
12:30 Art and Illustration
1:00 Science
1:30 Creative Building
2:00 Storytime
2:30 Karate
3:30 End of school day

Day 2

9:00 Breakfast
9:30 Math
10:15 Spelling
10:45 Chores – vacuum (handheld)
11:15 Silent Reading
12:00 Lunch + Movement (yoga)
1:00 Science
1:45 Typing
2:00 Storytime
2:30 Journaling
3:00 Philosophy
3:30 End of school day

Day 3

9:30 Breakfast
10:00 Creative Writing
10:45 Spelling
11:00 Baking + Clean Up (movement and chores)
12:00 Lunch + outdoor walk
1:00 Art + Illustration
1:45 Silent Reading
2:00 Storytime
2:30 Journaling
3:00 Science + Journal
3:45 End of school day

Here is an example of a Homeschool Schedule for my high schooler, although as mentioned above, we’ve adjusted it so that she mainly does one subject a day:

9:00 Breakfast
9:30 English – essay writing
10:00 Yoga
11:00 English – continued
12:00 Lunch + Movement (stretching, walk outside)
1:00 Languages: Korean or French
2:00 Typing
2:30 Silent Reading (novels, non-fiction)
3:30 End of School Day

Another day, she would substitute English for Geography, or spend an entire day on second language acquisition (French and Korean).

Our high schooler attends an arts high school and is studying theatre / drama, so to continue this learning her teacher suggested watching classic films, iconic television shows, an oeuvre of a particular director / actor / screenwriter / comedy writer, and then journaling about what she has watched. We created some prompts to guide and organize her journaling:

Name of the show / movie
Director, actors
Genre
Plot summary
Which part would you want to play? Why?
Why is this show / movie a classic or iconic?
Other reflections

Learning Resources

A few friends and parents have asked me about what learning resources I am using for the different subjects and work blocks. I’ll probably do a separate post with more details on each subject, to keep this post a reasonable length, but here is a good start.

Math and English (writing and grammar)

In Canada there are really great work books based on the Canadian school curriculum by subjects. We are using the Math and English books for grade 3. You can search “MathSmart” or “EnglishSmart” by grade on Amazon and Indigo books and find the books you need which are usually $10-25.

MathSmart Grade 3
EnglishSmart series

Journaling

Each child spends a lot of time writing, either making notes on what they learned or writing creatively. For example, after silent reading my younger child has to one of the books read and write 3 things they liked about it. “For silent reading today, my favourite book was Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers. I liked this book because: ….” He is encouraged to write without worrying too much about grammar and spelling, but to use full sentences, and to date the page (which I always write out at the top of each day’s schedule).

At the end of each week, I review the journal and make a list of misspelled words that form that week’s spelling list. I find this works well because the words are pulled from the child’s working vocabulary and feel most relevant to them, thereby engaging them in learning.

For journaling, you could use random sheets of paper, or notebooks. For my son, we started a fresh blank (no lines) notebook, so that all his work was in one place and he could look over his weeks of work and feel accomplished. Which, so far, has worked quite well, as he loves to flip through his work and say things like: “I did all this in 4 days!” We chose blank notebooks to encourage drawing and to help hone his hand-eye skills by not having ruled lines.

Something we haven’t started, but my son wants to learn, is cursive handwriting, so we will start that soon.

Art + Illustration

For art, I am using a fantastic book published by Usborne called Art Treasury: Pictures, Paintings and Projects. The book explains various art movements and styles, famous works and artists, as well as the various materials (canvas, pastel, found objects, bark, etc), and provides mini art projects related to the lessons. It’s simple and accessible enough for young children, from Grades 1-6 I would say, and covers a wide variety of styles of art, and not just the European masters.

The other resource I’ve been using are the video classes (new ones uploaded each day) offered by best-selling author and illustrator, Mo Willems of penguin loving fame! He uploads a new video each day to the Kennedy Centre website. Each 25-35 minute video begins with Willems doodling and explaining how he illustrates, he offers drawing prompts and encourages children (and adults to doodle in their own notebooks). After this he usually teaches a step by step of how to draw one of his iconic characters, and encourages children to find their own creativity and expressive style. After this he will do a walk around his studio and show sketches and drafts of books, and how the drawings and story developed, how he chooses colours and so on. My children have been fascinated to see the behind the scenes of a professional artist, and have been in awe of how much revision goes into such seemingly simple drawings.

Science

So far we have been relying on a Netflix show called “Brain Child,” which has a series of shows on fun and engaging real life science, such as hidden forces (gravity), dreams (what do our brains do when we sleep?), creativity, oceans, germs (timely!) and many others. I let my son choose which episode he wants to watch, then afterwards he is asked to journal about what he learned, to help him retain and reflect on what he learned (also encourage more “active” watching, since he knows he will have to journal). Like other journaling, he is asked to write full sentences and date the page. I usually give him a suggested opening sentence such as “For science class today I watched Brain Child and learned about ‘germs’. Six things that I learned were:…” I also ask him to draw something based on what he learned. After he finishes this series, we will probably start on the Planet Earth series, also found on Netflix.

For a screen-free science work block we are using the Natural & Earth Science flashcards, which are for ages 5+ according to the box, but I find they are good up to my age (I learned so much from them!) They have really beautiful illustrations and cover topics such as: birds and leaves, flowers and bugs, fossils and minerals, under the water, mammals and marsupials, weather and celestial. For the cards, I normally pick 3-5 for him to read and reflect on. He journals about what he found interesting or learned, and draws from the cards.

Creative Building

Building with lego, wooden blocks, cardboard boxes and household materials — the idea with this work block is to blend creativity and open-ended play with movement. I usually put this in the afternoon, when my son is getting restless and is less interested in book learning. I don’t give much guidance, except to say it is alone time and no screens are involved, but he can refer to books for inspiration or to tie his building back to something he learned.

Storytime

We use this block for reading aloud, so I will read something to my son that is maybe a bit challenging for him on his own, or he will practice reading a book aloud (to his imaginary and stuffed friends, or me if I’m not busy with work), or (and this is his favourite) we tune in to Oliver Jeffers live story time each day at 2pm EST. If you have access to Instagram, all you need to do is log in to @oliverjeffers and he will read one of his stories aloud. He also explains the moral of the story, the evolution of the book, and answers questions. My son absolutely LOVES this. If you aren’t available for the live reading you can access the videos archived on Oliver Jeffers website.

Another fantastic live storytelling account is by author, historian and literacy advocate Christine Platt, also known as ‘The Afrominimalist’. She reads from her book series Ana & Andrew.

Spelling

As mentioned in the journalling section, for spelling words what I’ve been doing is making a list of misspelled words from journal entries and forming a spelling list from those. About 20-30 words a week, which so far has not been a big challenge for him to learn. He writes out the list of words in a column, once a day, each day of the week. (One page with four or five columns, to save paper, and visually see the repetition).

French

We are working on vocabulary building, so I am putting together groups of 6-8 words that he then translates (using Google translate). Then he practices reading and saying the words in French. If you aren’t fluent in your child’s second language you can use the function on Google translate that will say words out loud (look for the icon below the translated word that looks like a megaphone, click it). My son is really enjoying using the laptop for this.

Groups of words are usually based around verbs (run, eat, walk, sleep, think, play), nouns (fruit, bread, chair, table, shoes, car), and adjectives (yellow, red, small, big, happy, sad). This way he is also learning about different types of words by group.

We are also starting on a work book called French 1: K to 5, which is fun and has nice pictures and activities to make learning enjoyable — and less burden on parents to come up with exercises.

Korean

Both children have an interest in learning Korean (thank you, sincerely, K-Pop). They are using a free app called Duo Lingo (I believe there is also a laptop version available online). The app, through small steps and fun exercises, teaches anyone of any (reading) age how to read and speak in Korean (and many other languages). My children are really enjoying it and progressing well.

Typing

The ability to type quickly is a real time saver in high school and higher education, which in my experience alleviated a lot of unnecessary stress when I was writing exams and essays in university, as I could type almost as fast as I could think. This was not the case for my partner, who really struggled unnecessarily due to a lack of typing skills. Our high schooler has already started to find frustration in how slowly she types, so she identified typing as a skill she wanted to develop. She found a free (and fun) typing skills website called Keybr, that she’s been loving. Our younger child also enjoys it.

Silent Reading

For silent reading, our high schooler reads a novel from her English curriculum or our home library, or else some non-fiction book of her choice. We try to maintain silent reading for books or reading that is more effort than magazines.

For our younger child I usually lay out 3-5 story books each day, or about 8-10 over the week based around a theme, and he can choose which books he wants to read. Some of the themes have been: water, plants, and Oliver Jeffers. I will make a separate blog post about my book recommendations, but feel free to ask in the comments section at the end of the blog post.

The objective for silent reading is to have quiet time, and for both children to see what they can achieve in terms of reading when they really focus. After silent reading, they write or journal about a book or something they learned (as explained in the journalling section above).

Baking

An example of one practical life work block is baking. We usually bake or cook something twice a week as part of school. I take the opportunity to teach things like units of measurement (math fractions, like ½ cup), as well as learning the names and uses of different kitchen tools (teaspoon vs tablespoon, spatula vs. wooden spoon), temperatures (different units used for stove settings and oven settings).

Sometimes we use the ingredients as a word list for translation in French class. There are all sorts of ways to bring conventional school subjects to life through baking (math, chemistry).

To decide what to make I usually ask the children what they’d like, or we look at what fruits and veggies need to get used up and we research a recipe on the web (for example, “recipe carrots, beets, turnip” turned up a delicious balsamic-glazed roasted veggies recipe). Part of baking is also clean-up (household chore), so the kids have to wash up the dishes, wash the counter tops, etc.

Philosophy

We are using a fantastic book called Big Ideas for Curious Minds to work through key philosophers through the ages and continents. The book explains very well what philosophy is, key questions in philosophy and is illustrated in an engaging way for children. The book can be used on many levels and is probably appropriate for grade 2 and up, but is probably targeted to 10-12 year olds (even adults would likely learn a lot from it). I usually read a section (for example, Aristotle, Buddha, Seneca, Descartes), we pause and discuss points that he has questions about, and then he journals 3 things he learned. I also ask him to write the name of the philosopher studied and indicate their years of life (for example, Seneca 4 BC – AD 65).

Yoga + Karate

For yoga, our children have a few books (this one, this one and a few others I can list in another post) and card decks with yoga poses and sequences, that they have been using for years. As well, for videos we are using the instructional videos available from Douvris (our son’s karate dojo), the videos include karate, yoga, meditation and other exercise challenges. You need to be a member to view them.

Cosmic Kids Yoga is a great YouTube channel with fun yoga videos for children. The videos are colourful and include stories, as well as mindfulness practice. The videos range from around 10 minutes up to around 40, so you can choose something that fits your schedule.

Meditation

We mainly use podcasts as well as the audio recordings (voice led meditations) included in the Global Guardian Project homeschool bundles. Full disclosure: My partner and I worked for Global Guardian Project and wrote and researched the majority of the educational content. The learning bundles are available for FREE (more about this below). The audio recordings included in the GGP bundles are amazing! My children love them! They feel like an adventure, have story or animal / nature elements are engaging.

The free podcasts that we use for children’s meditation are: Deepak Chopra’s Daily Breath (each Friday is a guided meditation episode, and while this is intended for adults, all the meditations have worked perfectly well for my kids). The other one is called Kids Meditation and Sleep Stories. These are great for calming a child. Both are available on Apple Podcasts, but probably on most podcast platforms.

If you want to try a screen-free meditation you can teach your children the Sa Ta Na Ma meditation, which I have a tutorial for on my blog here.

Geography

We haven’t begun any dedicated geography work blocks, so I’ll be figuring that out this week. Most likely, we will begin with the maps in the Global Guardian Project learning bundles, since they have a whole set of linked activities and exercise built around the maps.

I’ll update this section as I develop more resources.

Canadian and Indigenous History

Similarly, we haven’t done much in terms of focused history lessons, aside from cursory discussion of it in art and philosophy blocks. I’ll be developing some plans and share my resources here when I’ve figured things out better. For now, we are reading storybooks by and about Indigenous people, such as We Are Water Protectors, Ancient Thunder, and Birdsong.

We are also using educational colouring books, such as Explore the Animals: Northwest Coast First Nations and Native Art. I picked up our copy at the National Gallery, but I’ve seen it sold online. If you search on art gallery and museum gift shop websites there are usually a few colouring books available.

Global Guardian Project

My last recommendation is to access the free online learning bundles produced by the Global Guardian Project. Each learning bundle (capsule, packet, magazine, call it what you want) is organized around a country (Canada, Iceland, Colombia, etc) or a theme (Zero Waste, Endangered Animals, Leaders and Changemakers, etc). The bundle includes all sorts of educational content with activities, printable colouring sheets and art projects, recipes (related to the country), vocabulary, games, maps, yoga and meditation, personal challenges and content for adults too. The bundles are fantastic and can provide a week to a month work of learning, depending on the speed of your learner. The bundles are probably best for age 7 and up, but some activities suit younger ages, and some provide enough challenge for ages up to 13.

What’s different about the GGP content is that it has a sustainability focus, environmental stewardship and social justice are woven gently through the content. I have written a lot about (and for) the Global Guardian Project and I hope you will love it. If you search “global guardian project” on my blog, or click the ‘global guardian project’ tag at the end of this post you’ll find more information on it.

A note: The content is digital, but some families print out the content as it is formatted in a PDF like a magazine.

Please comment below if you have any questions, I’ll try to update this post often and make separate posts elaborating on the work blocks and best practices so far.

Thank you for reading this far down the post. Good luck and enjoyment with your homeschooling adventures!

Zero Waste Advent or Seasonal Calendar : Simple How To

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019Leave a comment

Last year, I shared a photo on my Instagram stories of Sen opening one of his holiday advent calendar gifts. This post generated a lot of questions and interest related to how we do our holiday advent for the children. So, here’s a quick post explaining how we do our zero waste advent calendar that we make ourselves and reuse each year.

When I was growing up, my parents got each of their three children the typical chocolate filled advent calendar — and we loved them so much! For one month each year we all couldn’t wait to get out of bed in the morning and start our day with a bite of chocolate. I do think we loved these 99 cent calendars every bit as much as our gifts under the tree.

With advent calendars holding such a sweet nostalgic place in my heart I knew that I wanted my children to enjoy the same experience — but I wanted it to involve no plastic and less waste. It took a few years to figure out what worked, but finally I landed on something that works really well for us, is reusable each year, has a nice homemade feel and is totally customizable to each child.

What We Do:

From a branch, we hang little cloth bags (they are actually reusable cloth tea bags) that we fill with treasures and treats, tied to the branch with pieces of yarn and string that we reuse each year. For the first few years we didn’t have the money to invest in 24 (then 48) cloth tea bags, so I would fill all that we had and every few days re-stock the branch with bags that I refilled from previous days. So, if you can’t afford to buy 24 bags, get creative and reuse them. We started off with 8-10 bags and slowly added to our collection over the years (we still don’t have 48).

In terms of what sorts of treats and treasures, I personalize this to the child. Some favourite treasures over the years have been: colourful beads for making jewellery, marbles, shiny stones and fancy rocks, a few eco playing cards (Sen loved the anticipation of getting 2-3 cards each day and building toward a full deck), eco crayons. Don’t underestimate the fun of splitting up a gift (pack of cards, pack of crayons, etc) over a few days, this really build excitement! In terms of treats, I try to get as much as I can in bulk so that it is package-free, such as tamari almonds, jelly beans, gummies, chocolate dipped pretzels (easy to make!). In Canada, Bulk Barn is now allowing people to bring their own containers and bags to fill with bulk goods, which is great news!

Something that my children also love getting are notes. We usually slip a personal note or an inspiring quote into a few of the bags. This year, Ro suggested she’d love to be surprised with experience coupons like “Tea date with mama” or “Face massage”, I’m sure Sen would love to get “Extra story at bedtime” or “Scooter date with papa”. For folks with budget limitations and/or an ability to invest time, these are great options.

Now, I know that some families have, what I perceive as extravagant, advent calendars with wrapped gifts each day — doing this is not a reality for us both in terms of cost and time investment. Let me tell you, though, our children LOVE the calendars we put together. They do not feel under-whelmed at all. Each year, they ask if we can do an advent calendar to count down to spring and summer and fall, so that they can continue with the fun.

A Few Final Tips:

To distinguish which bag is for which child, we designate particular colours of yarn for each child. But you could also look for different coloured bags (or plant dye them!) or personalize the bags with a fabric stamp or embroidery.
We do not compel an order for opening the bags, the children can choose which one they want to open, and this is part of the fun for them. They feel the bags, smell them, look at the shape and decide for themselves. I personally recommend this because it seems to add to the fun of it.
Over the years we have added some seasonal, natural decorations, like pinecones and dried orange slices to hang from the branch. For other seasons, you could add flowers and leaves or your favourite natural treasures.

For some other zero waste holiday ideas, please check out my post about How to Wrap Gift with Fabric (super easily!), and How To Do A Botanical Advent with Children.

You might also want to share my Zero Waste Gift Guide with friends and family.

Follow me on Instagram @hippieindisguise to keep up with our daily adventures and ask me questions. Thanks for visiting!

Slow Living and My Parenting Philosophy Based in Compassion

November 23, 2018April 3, 2020Leave a comment

Photo by Ottawa photographer Shabana Buwalda

Faire Child has a lovely blog nurturing a culture shift toward more time, more play, more exploration of the natural world. I had the honour of being asked to share my thoughts on slow living and my parenting philosophy, and although they asked for short answers I might have gone a little long. I hope you’ll visit the blog and see all the great resources Faire Child has for parents, teachers and guardians to nurture and nourish a love for the natural world.

You can link to the blog here. And you can read my interview “A couple of moments with Danielle Chassin”.

Here are some of the things they asked me about:

What 3 words best describe your parenting philosophy?
How have you made changes in your life to ‘live slow’ and what benefits have you seen?
How do you try to be a more conscious and thoughtful consumer?
- This is where I talk about a concept I call ‘extended consumer responsibility’

You can also read more about Faire Child and their amazing zero waste weather clothing for children here. I’m not big on promoting consumption, but I do wholeheartedly believe in Faire Child’s mission, ethos and products. And, I only do genuine, unpaid endorsements.

Ecominimalism and Slow Living: An Interview with Me!

November 20, 2018April 3, 2020Leave a comment

All photos in this post by Ottawa photographer, Shabana Buwalda

I always prefer to talk about others than talk about myself. However, I get a lot of questions about how we live, so I thought I’d share this interview we did where I talk about how we try to live a slow, minimal family life, in a fast, big city.

The interview below appears in the Rwanda issue (2016) of the Global Guardian Project learning capsules, an interactive STEM-based curriculum and magazine aiming to educate children and families about global environmental issues, animals, ecosystems, and much more. Each issue includes an interview with a family striving to live a sustainable lifestyle. I encourage you to explore their magazines and educational materials, which are beautiful and inspiring, and includes all sorts of activities, art downloads, and other fun projects.

Rebecca Lane, founder of the Global Guardian Project, interviewed me about our family’s way of life in August 2016.

Tell us a little about your family. Where do you live + how do you spend a typical day with your family?

Hello! We are Matt, Ro, Sen and Danielle, a family of four living in Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. Ottawa has four very distinct seasons, experiencing very hot and humid summer days (40 Celsius / 104 Fahrenheit) and very cold snow-filled winter days (-40 Celsius / -40 Fahrenheit). We feel fortunate to live in a place with such variety in weather and we do our best to make the most of it, by spending lots of time outdoors in the elements year round. As a car-free family, we live downtown to facilitate our travels by bike or foot.

About us? First, there’s me, Danielle, I do a lot of things. I work outside the home as a Policy Strategist for the Canadian government, where my main task is advising the government on social and economic problems related to supporting vulnerable populations. I don’t define myself through my occupation though. It’s my passions that make me who I am. Foremost I am a mother. But I’m also a creative, a writer, a minimalist, and slow living advocate. Matt, does similar work outside the home, although he advises on ocean health and climate change. Matt is an avid athlete and an ambassador for cycling lifestyle. Ro and Sen are our two children. Ro is our 11 year old girl. She is highly intuitive, deeply loving, naturally funny and the definition of a social butterfly. She loves the arts and is always dancing, singing or drawing. Sen is our 5 year old boy. He is a wild one and highly self-directed. He is head strong, while also being very sweet and calm. He loves inventing, climbing, dancing, cycling, and pretending to be a ninja.

Our children attend public school and we work outside the home, so our family doesn’t get much time together during the week. We’d love to change that, but instead we make the most of our weekend time together and make a concerted effort to slow things down and connect. We generally schedule nothing for weekends so that serendipity can lead the way.

Our typical weekend day involves walking around the city. There’s a lot of thinking behind why I value walking, wandering, and urban adventuring, and part of that thinking is to show my children that there is an abundance of nature in the city. But, if we only ever walked down Main Street or drove to get to the places we visit they would think, as many others do, that our city is a concrete jungle. I also want them to learn that it’s fun to have no plan, that schedules can get in the way of opportunity. So, we usually leave our home, with water bottles and snacks, and have no specific destination in mind, just a broad sense of direction. Along the way it’s a little thrill to find a pocket of wildflowers, painted alleyways, new bakeries, and pop-up art shows. Our favourite days usually involve time by the beautiful Ottawa River and eating all our meals outdoors.

Hippie in Disguise Shabana Buwalda

It’s obvious that slow + minimalism are core beliefs for your family. Tell us a little about what that means.

Minimalism and slow living are growing in popularity, which means there is a range of ways people interpret and apply these concepts. What people refer to as minimalism varies quite a lot. For example, minimalism is used to refer to a home aesthetic or a visual signature. For me, minimalism is a way of life, it’s a lens through which we approach our days, our activities, our thoughts, our behaviours. This lens focuses on reducing quantity and increasing quality. Our minimalist lifestyle is motivated by environmental concerns and my affinity with simplicity, this is why I like to call it ‘ecominimalism’.

Minimalism and slow living intersect easily for us. Slow living is really about connecting more with the things we do and the people in our life. Connecting with the present, mindfully, wholeheartedly. To do this, to live slowly, we must do less. To increase our quality of connections, we must decrease the quantity of things we do.

Tell us a little about your family life before your shift.

I have a natural affinity for slow and minimalist living. That being said, our family did go through a few years of living on fast-forward. And while our weeks still include a list of commitments, I approach them with mindful presence, which makes the experience completely different.

Like I mentioned above, I work in government policy. The nature of my work is unpredictable and generally hectic. After working in this environment for a few years I started to notice that I carried this hustled, stressed energy home with me. I would manically clean and tidy all evening, I would speedily move from task to task. On the weekends, I would hustle around doing errands, take the children to a list of activities, catch up on my social calendar, and generally try to pack as much “life” as I could. I had one setting and it was fast-forward.

Finally it hit me one day that I never slowed down. That, ironically, while I did so much I never felt like I accomplished anything. Worst of all, I desperately missed my children, despite spending every second of the weekends with them. I realized that something had to change. I was never going to catch up. Going fast wasn’t working, so I decided to go slow.

At the time I hadn’t heard of slow living or minimalism. But I knew intuitively what our family needed. We needed quality time together, we needed to do less, so that the things we did we could do in a more meaningful way, with presence, and without a need to rush through them to get to the next thing on our itinerary or to do list. We needed to take things slowly, to be able savour the moment, savour the weekend, savour our lives. So, that’s what we started doing. As you can imagine, we’ve never looked back.

Hippie in Disguise Shabana Buwalda

How has the shift to a minimalist life affected your family dynamic?

Approaching life from a minimalist perspective has been immensely satisfying for us. The children can enjoy life at an organic pace and I feel more present with them when I’m not concerned about when our next activity starts. Moreover, it’s great that my children have learned that they can be thoroughly engaged in life, full of energy and curiosity, while doing something simple, outdoors, uncurated and free. I call this minimalist fun. Slow days out in nature.

We no longer accept every social invitation or birthday party. The children only do one extra-curricular activity a week. I worried a bit that they would miss things or feel left out, but in all honesty they haven’t shown concern once about a lack of activity. The benefits of doing less, feeling calm and having a sense of freedom with time, have won over any sense of lack.

In terms of minimalism with things themselves, we’ve never had a bank account full of money, so the children are accustomed to not getting much in the way of stuff. That being said, we now only get them gifts for birthday and Christmas, and it’s one special thing, whereas before they would sometimes get new toys and books throughout the year. They adapted to this fairly painlessly because they were offered fun alternatives, like play time with friends and outdoor adventures.

Overall, our family dynamic has improved. We all feel a little calmer, more connected, and enjoy being around each other. As a hungry athlete, Matt might not *love* that I take a minimalist approach to meals and don’t observe as much of a schedule around meal times, but he’s adapting!

Hippie in Disguise Shabana Buwalda

What are some ways you see your children being positively affected by the shift?

I think that in spending time in nature and living a slow, minimalist life, I am preserving my children’s innate, natural born strengths: creativity, curiosity, connection. I don’t think my children were struggling much from our fast-paced life, but I know that in time they would have shown symptoms of fatigue, so I’m glad I made a change before we started seeing social or behavioural issues. Overall, the children have more time and freedom to just be themselves and not ply to an adult’s will or schedule. I think the typical traits of a child: creativity, wonder and positivity, need to be protected and cultivated, particularly as these traits will be critical in solving the massive global issues emerging today. By letting children be themselves I believe I am preserving these traits in them.

In terms of positive effects, our children certainly notice that we live differently than virtually everyone we know. They ask a lot of questions about why we “can’t go places fast in a car?” or “have a big piles of presents?” or “buy something packaged in plastic?” or “go to two parties on the weekend?” But these questions always lead to great conversations about choice and aligning what we care about (values) with what we do (behaviour). Children have an innately strong sense of right and wrong and so talking about what we care about, for example healthy oceans, and how our behaviours are linked to these, makes it easy to opt-out of single use plastic. The positive effect is that the children are learning a lot about how everything is connected. We are not islands. We are embedded. Living like that everyday, they are understanding from an early age, and developing the necessary habits, they need to make sustainable choices, for the health of the planet, but also sustainable choices about how they use their time and energy, for their own mental health.

Hippie in Disguise Shabana Buwalda

What are your hopes for your children by allowing them to be more connected through nature.

The benefits of time in nature are many and there are many great thinkers writing about this. Creativity, independence, mental and physical health, are just a few of the direct benefits. For me, I focus on time in and connecting with nature, for those reasons, but also to instill an understanding of impermanence and our embededness in nature. I also think that if my children have their fondest, happiest memories out in the wild, then they will be motivated to protect it.

Understanding impermanence cultivates a sense of appreciation and presence. Knowing that each path we walk will never be the same twice, we learn to make the most of each experience, we savour the temporary nature of a field of wildflowers, the leaves on the trees. Through experiences like these I hope to keep alive that sense of living in the moment that children are born with. Our innate mindfulness. Our innate presence.

Understanding embededness is key too. Spending time in nature, in the wild, we learn about the abundance of life outside our own. We, more intimately, understand our connection – our embededness – to the systems of life on this planet. We are part of nature. Nature is not out there. We are nature. While I don’t think we should be self-motivated to protect wildlife, if understanding our own precarity through connection is what motivates an interest in conservation and protection, then that’s a good thing. The more children (and we adults) have life experiences with living plants and animals, the more we can empathize with them, the more we feel a part of their world, and us a part of theirs. Our interconnectedness becomes embodied.

Perhaps most importantly, spending most of our time in a natural setting, we are keeping our impact on the planet light, developing a deeper connection to it, and fostering a sense of protection and compassion for the earth and its inhabitants. All this while making memories and strengthening our family bonds.

What would one piece of advice be to families who want to make the shift to a slow, minimalist lifestyle?

Just start. Make one change a day. And go slowly! There is no sense in rushing toward slow, minimal living.

***

Update, November 2018: In re-reading this interview, I can see that we have evolved and changed somewhat from this way of life. Matt has been totally won over by minimalist meals and now thrives on this approach! We aren’t perfect about avoiding single use plastic, still. And our children do sometimes get gifts, like a new toy or book, on occasions other than Christmas and birthdays. I guess that’s a reflection of our financial situation, we can actually afford these things now. But, we continue to be very limited in the amount of new things our children bring into their life and us into our home.

Holiday, Birthday, Any Occasion Zero Waste Gift Guide

November 12, 2018November 12, 2018Leave a comment

bee eco wraps zero waste bees matt geraldine devine

Shown above, Bee Eco food wraps, my favourite alternative to plastic wrap

Zero waste seems to finally be (almost) hitting the main stream. More and more people have heard about it, some are curious, and some are even trying it out. Yay! Living a zero waste life is a journey that takes time, be kind to yourself and remember that every positive change helps.

Some people have asked me what sorts of gifts they could give a zero waster. First, zero wasters are probably happy to get nothing. Really. Really, really. Another idea is to give an experience, like a spa visit, a movie ticket, or to give the gift of time, like a dinner date or a hike.

However, some people really like the tradition of giving material things, so here are some ideas that I can pretty much guarantee a zero waster will be happy to get, even if they already have it, they are good items to have duplicates. I’ve included links for online purchasing, however you can probably find all these items locally at a zero waste shop or natural food store. Ottawa folks, Nu Grocery is an amazing zero waste shop that has all of these things and much more!

10 Gift Ideas for Zero Waste Enthusiasts or People Just Getting Started:

Reusable straws: bamboo, stainless steel, or glass: My personal favourites are bamboo straws because they are the lightest to carry around in a bag, but stainless steel is great too. I have never tried glass, because I’m afraid they will break, but other people swear by them. Straws come in conventional width and large (better for smoothies and milk shakes). Don’t forget to get a straw cleaner, they are inexpensive and a life saver. This set is pretty great since it includes a bamboo straw case.
Bombilla straw for filter free tea and coffee: Ok, this is another straw, but for a different purpose: warm drinks. I’ve never liked using tea balls and when drinking coffee I like to make a single cup, so a french press isn’t always practical. A bombilla (also called bomba) straw allows you to steep loose tea or loose coffee grinds in your mug with hot water, and then drink through the straw. It sounds a little unconventional, but zero wasters are kind of unconventional anyway, right?!
Beeswax food wraps: These are indispensable, they are a replacement for plastic wrap. We use them every single day in my household to wrap sandwiches, to cover leftovers and much more. My favourite brand is from Australia’s Bee Eco Wraps, however if you’d like to order from a North American source Bees Wraps are also great.
Silicone food bags: For people who rely a lot on “ziplock” bags, these are for you! They are durable, reusable food bags, that you can use for storing, freezing, marinating and more.
String bags: Most of us have a tonne of reusable shopping bags, but often they are bulky and don’t fit easily into a purse. Ever since my sister-in-law made me a string bag as a gift I’ve been hooked, they travel well and stretch to fit a lot of stuff. We used them on vacation as beach bags, and at home for groceries.
Bamboo toothbrush: Everyone needs a good toothbrush, and one that is not made of plastic! Get fancy and buy a bamboo travel case for the toothbrush.
Travel utensils: Plastic single-use utensils are pretty evil, there are very few reasonable reasons these should exist. Carrying your own reusable cutlery in your bag or purse is one way to seriously minimize the amount of plastic you put into landfill. Bamboo and recycled plastic cutlery are nice because they are lightweight, however some people prefer metal cutlery. Either way, I recommend getting a set with a handy holder so they aren’t loose in your bag.
Stainless steel travel food containers: Food containers for leftovers or lunches are indispensable, and stainless steel ones are much longer lasting and don’t stain like plastic containers. We have a bunch of small, medium and large size containers for a variety of uses (I’ve tried many and the ones I’ve linked to are the best and leak proof!), including layered containers for lunches.
Water bottles: Travel bottles in various sizes are very useful, we use them to store cold drinks in the fridge at home, to take on excursions and for lunches.
Warm drink tumbler: A coffee or tea travel mug is another essential. In our home we have distinct coffee and tea tumblers, because the silicone seals tend to absorb a little of the coffee smell over time, which my children don’t enjoy when drink hot chocolate or tea during a winter picnic. If you are a coffee drinker, you should have one of these at your office, so you never have to take a throwaway cup again!

If you haven’t already caught on, the above items are sort of zero waste basics, so if you are looking to get started with zero waste living, the above would be a good starter kit, since it addresses the “big 4”: coffee lids, straws, plastic bags and water bottles — the items that are the biggest contributors to plastic waste worldwide. If you can’t them out of your life, you are doing a lot of good.

Finally, make sure you wrap your gift in a zero waste way: use reusable fabric, like a scarf, tea towel, or scrap fabric to wrap in the furoshiki method. I promise you it is very easy! Here’s my post about to wrap gifts with fabric.

On Motherhood and the Life-Giving Magic of Chaos

November 1, 2018November 25, 2018Leave a comment

This post was originally written for the Saturn*s Sister community; I was asked to write about chaos, spaciousness, calm, clarity, practice, inspiration and creativity.

Danielle Chassin Hippie in Disguise in flower garden

Chaos

“All great changes are preceded by chaos” — Deepak Chopra

There is always a least a little chaos going on in my life — chaos that feels unsettling. Chaos is a word that generally carries a negative connotation, understood as an undesirable state of not knowing or understanding what will happen next — feeling overwhelmed and unable to predict the future. But I like to think of chaos as magic. Chaos brings about the new, the unexpected; it is life giving. (Sounds a little like motherhood, right?) Magic is generally a situation in which our expectations are challenged, things do not go as planned, but we view the outcome positively. Since I can’t control the universe, but I can influence my own perspective I try to bring a positive, open outlook to each day and each situation. When I am open to the chaotic unknown as potentially beautiful, fresh, new and positive I welcome chaos as everyday magic. This doesn’t mean that having two baskets of laundry to fold and a sink full of dishes feels magical, but it does bring a pleasant mindfulness to the chaotic mundane.

Spaciousness

White space. A blank slate is a world of possibility, all the space for thought, new direction and beginnings. I love a blank piece of paper, a white wall, a bare table top. Being outdoors is also my spaciousness. The big wide open. The moving air, the open sky, the grounding, the connection with infinite expansion.

White space and the outdoors are part of my everyday. They are my go to for calm and creativity. For connecting inward and connecting outward.

Calm

Calm is always breath. Inhale. I connect with the present. Exhale. I am here now.

Clarity

Clarity is simple for me. I look at my children, I observe their energy and intentions and everything that is important, that is vital, comes into stark clarity. I have never felt such confidence in myself and my decisions as I have being a mother. My children gave me this gift. Children’s needs are so simple, so few. Love, care, nourishment, shelter. They give themselves so purely and generously to others. This is my clarity. All I need for myself and all I need to create from myself is love and nourishment with pure and generous intentions. My children gave me my clarity and therefore true purpose. When days are hard and exhausting, when I’m not sure what to do next, I come back to my children and to the present moment. This grounds me.

We don’t need to be parents or raise children to find our clarity, that is just how it came to me. Living simply, travelling far and wide, meditation, yoga and other journeys can take us there.

Practice

Walking. I practice many things, but nothing as consistently and persistently as walking.

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts.” — Soren Kierkegaard

In high school I wrote a biographical paper about Soren Kierkegaard and in researching his life I learned that he spent around 8 hours a day walking. Walking was his way to think and solve problems. I remember thinking this practice sounded quite luxurious and attractive. I later learned that many great thinkers have been avid walkers. (Many are also quite sedentary…) When I moved out of home and into the downtown of our city I no longer had to rely on car and bus wheels to get me places, I could walk to work and school. It felt like such a freedom to me. Freedom from a public transit schedule, freedom from a pre-determined route, freedom from monetary exchange. A simple action was filled with so much freedom. I got completely hooked on walking, like a child taking my first steps again. Since then I’ve made walking for the sake of walking a core part of my life. It brings me calm in the chaos of work and motherhood, clarity in moments of overwhelm, space for my heart and mind to open.

Books / Thought Leaders / Inspiration

The Dalai Lama for his commitment to kindness in the face of any situation. Kindness is always possible. Kindness is the way.

Viktor Frankl is a Holocaust survivor, author and psychiatrist. His book Man’s Search for Meaning shows us in unequivocal terms how we can overcome the worst circumstances imaginable and continue to live with gratitude each day.

Diaper Free, by Ingrid Bauer, is a book that I picked up in my midwife’s office by chance. Sitting in her office on my “due” date, the spine of the book caught my eye and my intuition told me to take the book home and read it. While the book is about how to raise your child/ren without the use of diapers, at the core it is really a book about communication, close connection and the power of intuition. As someone who doesn’t generally recommend parenting books, I recommend this book to everyone even if they have no interest in doing diaper free or elimination communication with their infants, because the book teaches so much more than that. It empowers individuals to recognize and hone their intuitive powers. It was life changing for me.

Creativity

Life is creativity. I am creating life and lifestyle – a style of life – everyday. My life, as I create it and guide my children, is my message to the world. I am creating a nature-inspired life of art and adventure, based in an ethos of slow, eco, minimal living.

Faire Child: Outdoor Play, No Matter the Weather

June 26, 2018October 27, 2018Leave a comment

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Sustainable Weather Rain Wear Canadian Ottawa Canada We love to be outside year round, snow, rain or shine, but to be honest enjoying rain has been hard. Rain is often cold in Canada and can feel harsher than a snow storm. That being said, playing outside, exploring and living in the elements is really important developmentally, and for engendering an ecological consciousness in children. That’s why I’ve always tried to suit my children in clothing that would make weather fun, so that exploring and learning would not be encumbered by distracting clothing. But good quality, comfortable rain gear has been an elusive thing. Fully waterproof clothing for children is generally plastic or coated, which makes the clothing heavy, rigid, and often noisy. The lighter gear is prohibitively expensive or simply unavailable in small sizes.

Sen is a sensitive child and has never been able to find a way to enjoy himself in typical heavy children’s rain gear, he is upset by the noise it makes when the fabric rubs against itself, he dislikes the weight of the fabric and the rigid nature of it, and how hot it makes him due to lack of breathability. Until recently, clothing discomfort was truly getting in the way of Sen enjoying playing in the rain and strong winds.

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Enter Faire Child: a small Canadian sustainable weather wear company. If I tell you everything I love about them you will think they pay me! (They don’t). I TRULY cannot praise this company enough. Their clothing is beautiful, highly durable, functional, sustainable beyond compare (for example, their clothing is recyclable and they innovated compostable packaging just to name two awesome things they do!). Beyond this: Sen can now enjoy himself for endless hours in rain or windy weather. Their clothing is unbelievable light and soft, which you can only fully understand by touching it yourself. Happily, Sen can now play to his heart’s content in the weather and focus on doing what he loves: to play, explore and imagine.

Please read on below for an interview I did with Faire Child designer and founder, Tabitha, where she talks about her passions, being a creative mother, and her dreams for children. Make sure you check out the end of this post where you’ll find a giveaway to enter for $100 shop credit with Faire Child. You’ll also find a beautiful colouring sheet to download for your children (or yourself!). Enjoy!

Tell me a little bit about yourself, the person behind Faire Child. What is your background?

My name is Tabitha Osler and I am the designer and director of Faire Child. I was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia and have recently returned after my daughter was born. I studied fashion design at Antwerp Royal Fashion Academy and then worked in the fashion industry in both Canada and Europe. I have also taught sustainable fashion at the University of Edinburgh and Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about making positive change in the fashion industry. The way we have been doing things isn’t working anymore, and hasn’t worked for quite a while now. I feel that designers and tastemakers have the power to dictate trends and encourage the industry to make responsible choices. I am empowered by that and it motivates me to be a change maker. I want to be part of the solution when it comes to the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion. I want to help educate consumers about how to be responsible stewards of the Earth. I want to see people change their buying habits. Buy less and buy things that will last. Even better if, like our outerwear, it doesn’t ever have to end up in a landfill.

How many children do you have and how would you describe them?

I have one child, a 2 year old named Charli. She is an adventurous, playful, outgoing and curious creature!

What is your favourite thing to do as a family?

We like to spend a lot of time outside. We have some really great walking trails and parks in Halifax so we take advantage of that. The ocean is really close as well so that’s really great. Tickle wars also get big laughs in our home!

What did you want to be when you were a child?

Oh, I definitely wanted to be an astronaut! The world felt too small, I wanted to see it all.

Did your career aspirations change once you had a child?

Yes, hugely. I didn’t want work to dictate my family’s lifestyle and I wanted to be in control of my schedule.

What is Faire Child and why did you decide to start this business?

Faire Child is pioneering a new future for children’s outerwear. After I had Charli I had this new found motivation – I wanted to actively make a better world for Charli to live in. I was concerned about what she would be left with. Questions like ‘would there be less access to clean water?’ were constantly floating around my head.

So I had a goal of developing a line of clothing that wasn’t just doing less bad but was doing more good.

As a new mother I was also recognizing the positive effects that being outdoors had on my child. Mother Nature is both a teacher and a healer. I wanted to connect children with their environment and give them an opportunity to fall in love with the natural world. So my design challenge was to create garments that would allow children to be outdoors – everyday, all day, whatever the weather, all while having a positive effect on the planet.

How would you describe Faire Child in 5 words?

Well, we are loving our new tag lines! Weather the World and For Young Pioneers

What inspired you to start designing?

My mom sews and growing up watching her make clothes from scratch was like magic. I needed to know how to do that!

Craftsmanship and sustainability are important to you. How do you translate these into your designs and their production?

They definitely are important and it goes back to those ideas about fast fashion and this place we seem to find ourselves in where we throw away clothes as easily as paper towels. Through my research I found beautifully constructed garments that were made to last. I was particularly drawn to vintage workwear from the early 20th century. The designs were so thoughtful and they were meant to be worn outside all day long. So, basically I made mini versions for kids most important job – making and playing. As far as production goes, I was adamant that these pieces be made in Canada.

Where and how (by who?) are Faire Child products made?

Thank you for asking! I am all about transparency and I think it’s important that companies, clothing companies in particular, start opening up about the people making their products. Our products are made here in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, about 15 minutes away from our studio, at Climate Technical Gear. They also make gear for the fishing and marine industry so they are experts in functional clothing. We have a small team of people there, cutters, sewers and tapers, that work with us to produce the Faire Child outerwear.

What’s special about the materials you use?

There is so, so much to say about our fabric. I will try to not geek out too hard. Our fabric is manufactured by Sympatex, a German company working on the edge of textile innovation. The top reason I chose this material is because it never has to end up in a landfill. The fabric is made from recycled PET water bottles and PET is a pretty amazing material. Many other materials become weaker through the recycling process but PET has the ability to be recycled over and over again without compromising quality. On top of that it’s also functional – 100% waterproof, windproof and breathable – and it’s actually quite soft – especially the inner layer.

The fabric we use is also Oeko-tex and Bluesign certified. This ensures that the fabric is safe next to skin and that no harmful chemicals were used to make it. On a related noted, many of the popular outerwear brands rely on PFC and PTFE to make their fabrics waterproof and windproof. These are hazardous substances that take a very long time to break down and can now be found in even the most untouched places on earth. It seems silly that a lot of the bigger brands promoting an active outdoor lifestyle are not being more serious about the effect they are having on our world. You can learn more about this through Green Peace’s Detox campaign.

What’s your favourite piece you’ve designed?

My favourite piece from the current Faire Child collection is the raincoat because of the complexity and ingenuity of the pattern from which it was inspired. It’s the thoughtfulness of things like underarm gussets for ease of movement that make it a really special piece.

This is getting pretty nerdy, but please tell me about your amazing packaging?

You are our kind of girl! We spent months getting nerdy over packaging. I would first say that we try our hardest to be thoughtful about all the materials we use and the impact they have on the environment. With that mindset, we couldn’t overlook the packaging. We were able to source a compostable material from Swiss Pack in Ontario and with them we designed Canada’s first compostable poly bag. To take things a step further we are also using direct thermal compostable labels to print our mailing addresses on. All that being said, our packaging can go into your green bin!

[ editor’s note: For people outside Canada, a green bin is the household recycling and/or compost bin that is collected usually weekly by the city as part of waste management ]

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Sarah Silks Ottawa Canada Petits Vilains

Can you tell me about your Take Back Program?

Of course! I created the Take Back Program so I would be taking responsibility for the end of life of the garments. After many, many years of use in your own family and then another and hopefully another, our Faire Child pieces can be sent back to us for recycling. When they are back in our hands we disassemble the garment and make sure that those materials are recycled in such a way that they have the most value.

[ editor’s note: for interested readers, Take Back is a version of extended producer responsibility (EPR), a concept that has been implemented in many European countries, where producers of goods are responsible for the entire life cycle of the product, one of the outcomes of this policy is that manufacturers have an incentive to create long lasting products and for their recycling once they are not longer useful ]

What has made you the most proud of what you’re doing?

Well, we are definitely doing things the hard way. We aren’t taking the easy road and we aren’t cutting any corners. So, although everything seems to take so much longer it feels really good when you find the right solution. Even when a small detail falls into place it’s an occasion to celebrate!

What are your dreams for Faire Child?

Oh man, big questions! Well, we have had a lot of requests to make pieces in adult sizes and I am really excited to explore that opportunity! I am also really inspired by Forest Schools and that educational model. I would love to be partnering more strongly with Forest Schools. The thought of a group of kids learning outdoors outfitted in Faire Child coveralls is pretty dreamy!

What are your dreams for children?

There are a couple of things. The first would be that we want kids to be outdoors more, playing and interacting with the natural world. By encouraging this we are hoping that they build a strong and life long love for the outdoors and for our earth.

The other piece of this future vision for the next generation would be to inspire them to be stewards of their environment. I hope that they will see waste as a resource in the same way as I have with how I’m using fabric made from discarded plastic bottles to make the jacket they are wearing. I want their imaginations to be sparked, I want them to be empowered to explore creative solutions.

***

Thank you Tabitha! Readers and interested folks, we got 4 items from Faire Child and I absolutely cannot endorse their products enough — they are sustainable, ethical, top quality, comfortable and beautiful! We got the Knapsack, the Rain Jacket, the Cap, and the Rain Pants.

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Sarah Silks Ottawa Canada Petits Vilains

*** GIVEAWAY***

Do you want to win $100 gift card from Faire Child? Of course you do! To enter for a chance to win here’s what to do:

Follow @fairechild on Instagram
Like and comment on my Faire Child post on Instagram @hippieindisguise
For an additional 3 entries tag 3 friends in the comments on my Instagram post, please comment each name in a separate comment to make the ballot cutting easier!
For an additional 5 entries download the *Amazing* Faire Child colouring sheet shown below and post about it on your Instagram account and use the hashtag #fairechildXhippieindisguise
Open worldwide! Contest closes on July 1, 2018 at midnight Vancouver time. Winner will be announced on my Instagram page on July 2.

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Happy Earth Day: Free Zero Waste Magazine for Children

April 22, 2018April 22, 2018Leave a comment

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Petits Villains Red Wood

Sen in a giant redwood in Victoria BC { Organic clothing by Petits Vilains }

Happy Earth Day!

In our household, we try our best to make it Earth Day every day. We aren’t perfect. But we keep trying to do better!

This year to help celebrate Earth Day, I’ve partnered with the Global Guardian Project, a non-profit NGO, to give FREE access to their digital magazine all about Zero Waste Living. This is a super fun, educational, interactive magazine that children LOVE! There are colouring sheets to download, compost infographics, basics about recycling, and lots more. My children have used more than a few of the Global Guardian Project educational digital learning packets (see their library of resources here) to do school projects about endangered species, climate change, and lots more.

Global Guardian Project Litterless Zero Waste

To help promote lighter, more sustainable living on this planet that *literally* sustains us by giving us air, food and water, the Global Guardian Project developed an issue called “Litterless” and it’s all about things we can do as individuals and families to make less garbage and to live closer to a “zero waste lifestyle”. Normally the issue costs $9.99 USD but you can’t get it for free here.

Here are some of the articles and activities you’ll find inside:

-What does litterless mean?

-Why is recycling important?

-How to start going litterless

-Compost infographic activity (this has been super popular with homeschoolers and children!)

-How to make litterless lunches

-Recipe: Zero Waste Cookies

-Art projects with recycled materials

-Digital download art work / wall poster about

If you’d like to get your free digital copy of the magazine just click here. And please tell all your friends, family and educators in your life about this! The more people make sustainable changes and live closer to a litterless life the better it is for everyone and the greater an impact we can have.

By the way, this Litterless issue was developed by the fabulous zero waste blogger, Celia, who I interviewed here for my blog. Read all about her zero waste lifestyle and get inspired!

For more plastic free and zero waste resources read my blog post here. Or search “plastic free” and “zero waste” in my blog search bar, there are lots of articles for you there — more than I can list here.

You can read more about the Global Guardian Project on their website or in a few posts on my blog. Full disclosure: Global Guardian Project in a non-profit NGO in the sector of environmental education, I am a writer and researcher for the GGP.

You can read about the amazing founder of the Global Guardian Project, Rebecca Lane, here.

Family Travel: A Week in Victoria, British Columbia

April 15, 2018April 15, 2018Leave a comment

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Beacon Hill Park Ducks Petits Villains

Hanging with the ducks near the Botanical Gardens in Beacon Hill Park

A few years ago, once both my parents were retired, they decided to spend the cold Canadian winter, in the warmest part of Canada: the west coast of British Columbia. My parents got married in Victoria, a beautiful island off the coast, and lived there for a few years before migrating east for work. Victoria holds a nostalgic place in their hearts and so, when I had the opportunity to travel there to visit them during their winter getaway I jumped at the chance to see the beautiful island that forms the foundation of their story.

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Dallas Road Beach Petits Villains

Muralled pathway along Dallas Road

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Dallas Petits Villains

Balancing on drift wood at Dallas Road Beach

Hippie in Disguise Family Travel Beach Pebbles

Natural souvenirs from Dallas Road Beach

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Petits Villains Dallas Beach

You can see Washington State across the water at Dallas Beach

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Dallas Beach Petits Villains Drift Wood

Our little beach engineer is forever building forts with washed up lumber

Lookout at Dallas Road Beach

Victoria is a small city, but the central one, on the large island of Vancouver. The island is known for its stunning landscape, which includes gorgeous ocean shores, protected dunes, a rainforest with trees hundreds of years old, and gorgeous mossy rocky mountains to hike. Victoria is also known for its arts and cultural offerings, a mixture of Indigenous arts that have had a place on the island for centuries, and the art of newcomers to the island. Victoria has a beautiful harbour, complete with seals and otters smiling at visitors (for real!), water taxis, and a seaplane airport, so you can watch planes landing on the water.

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Totem Museum

Totem poles outside the BC Museum

Victoria has a historic downtown with lots of famous local shops, galleries and places to get food. However, Victoria also has well developed neighbourhoods (‘villages’) that have all the amenities, cafes, and so on, within walking distance, so they are very much worth exploring — we especially loved Cook Street Village. Victoria also has various local hiking spots for people of all fitness levels, including my mother who was just out of a total knee replacement. We enjoyed hikes at Mount Douglas and Mount Tolmie.

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Mount Douglas Petits Villains

Looking out from the summit of Mount Douglas

We were happy to read in a local paper while we were in Victoria that approximately 40% of residents are vegetarian. Say what?! This helped explain the ample options around town for plant eaters like us, and the fact that no one rolled their eyes at us when we asked for almond milk or Daiya cheese. After a few days in Victoria, I was ready to conclude that I could move there and be quite happy for the rest of my life. It had the perfect mix of urban attractions and the beauty of natural spaces.

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Living Wall

Living wall at Discovery Coffee. Hungry child has no time for a smile!

This is not a sponsored post, but I wanted to share some of our favourite places for families looking to travel to Victoria. I would say it’s a great place to go, there’s a lot to experience that costs no money at all (raise your hand if you are budget conscious — that’s us!), and the general vibe of the residents is very welcoming. There is so much to experience that one week there just wasn’t enough, so we will definitely make a trip back!

Here are our highlights: [ LOTS MORE PHOTOS at the END of this POST ]

Eating

Moka House Coffee – We visited this coffee house most mornings either before or after our walk to the beach. Food and drink were great, with lots of creative options. My favourite was the seasonal Lavender Latte, which was a naturally flavoured warm lavender drink. So good!
Hot and Cold Café – We dined here twice, the space is quite small, but worth the squeeze. The food suits all diets, so everyone can find something they love. I had the green curry and let me just say I’m still thinking about it! The coconut pudding desserts were out of this world delicious, even for my children who aren’t fans of coconut.
Hot House Pizza – On a lazy evening we ordered pizza from Hot House and we were pleasantly surprised. If you like traditional deep dish pizza, with a nice thick crust and no shyness when it comes to toppings this place is for you. While they had all the conventional pizza types, including dairy cheese and meats, you could adapt any of them to vegan diet, including delicious melty vegan cheese. No regrets!
Re-bar Modern Food – Found in the downtown area, Re-Bar is a fairly well-known local restaurant, that boasts its own cook book. The restaurant offers mostly vegetarian options, although it also serves fish. The number of desserts on the menu is pretty impressive, so if you have a sweet tooth you won’t be disappointed. We went twice and tried a few different dishes and *literally* everything was insanely good. My daughter had a salad that she became slightly obsessed with trying to replicate at home. It was that good – and it was salad. Go figure!
Pour – a coffee shop in downtown Victoria that has absurdly delicious coffee, as well as a variety of fresh baked goods and gelato. After my first visit, I woke up every day wanting one of their Americanos.
Discovery Coffee – This is a local, trendy coffee chain, that focuses on serving really good coffee. We enjoyed a nice drink at the downtown location, and loved that they had a living wall in the café.
La Taqueria – While exploring the downtown area, I noticed a long line of people down a sidewalk that led to a small taco restaurant. Long lines for food mean one thing: delicious food. We crossed the street and joined the line, which happened to move fairly quickly. We got tacos that were crazy delicious! The menu includes lots of meat and 4 (!) vegetarian options. We went back a second time because it was THAT good.
The Very Good Butchers – inside a gentrified market space we found a vegan deli that makes plant based cheeses and meat analogues (sausages, chicken, etc), they also serve comfort food meals, such as mac’n’cheese, poutine, nachos, burgers, and salads (my daughter counts salad in the category of comfort foods!). Although often vegan versions of cheese and meat are underwhelming, tasteless or unhealthy, the foods at this deli are none of these.

Shops

Munro’s Books – Visit this space even if you don’t read! A gorgeous independent book shop that occupies and old bank building. There is an adorable little annex in the back for children’s books and things, with space to read and enjoy. A great collection of books, we loved this shop. It’s also a great place to find tasteful souvenirs and local finds.
Roger’s Chocolates – Local and famous chocolatier, this is a great spot to have a little treat or to get a special edible gift for someone. They offer samples copiously so be ready to taste a few.
Victoria Public Market – Mentioned above, this is a gentrified market complex, with various goods and souvenirs, local food shops, eateries, specialty shops and community spaces. Worth a visit, especially if you are hungry!

Attractions

Royal BC Museum – A deceptively vast museum space, which included a large collection of Indigenous art and artifacts, as well as a natural history collection of animals and flora. Worth a visit! It has a really nice gift shop, as to be expected with most galleries and museums.
Hiking – Mount Douglas and Mount Tolmie – we hiked both of these famous summits, and neither was particularly challenging, although I definitely recommend solid footwear for Mount Douglas, which I dangerously ascended in moccasins and a linen dress! While both can be hiked on foot, I’ve been told that you can also take a back road up in a car to a lookout spot.
Beaches – We visited the beach everyday, don’t think that cold temperatures should keep you away from the beach, there is so much to do and explore. My kids spent hours building forts with drift wood, I collected sea glass, and we all had a great time. Our favourites were Willow Beach (note the photos at this link do not do the beauty of the beach justice) and Dallas Road Beach. Willow is sandy, while Dallas is mostly pebbles.
Beacon Hill Park – This is an expansive multi-use park, that includes a number of play structures, a botanical garden, a petting zoo for rescued animals, mild hiking, and more. We saw wild deer and peacocks multiple times while walking through the park. Definitely worth a visit and it is located on a main street so there are places to grab snacks if hunger or thirst strikes.
Inner Harbour – Victoria has a beautiful inner harbour that is located in the downtown, where you can see and ride water taxis, visit float houses (so cool!). You’ll probably also get to see sea planes landing on the water. Across the street there are two of the most beautiful buildings: the BC parliament and the historic, luxury Empress hotel.
Empress Hotel – If you aren’t staying at this hotel it is still worth a visit! The gardens in front and around the back are gorgeous, and inside the hotel you’ll find beautiful interior decor, magnificent chandeliers, unique shops and welcoming staff. It’s fun to explore the fancy side of life!

Accommodations

We stayed in an AirBnB, however there are lots of beautiful hotels to stay at too.

Victoria is well worth a visit, and is definitely the kind of city that would satisfy most people. There’s good food, lots of outdoors activities and ways to stay fit while on vacation, lots of family friendly activities, lots of arts and culture to take in, and a good general vibe from the local residents. The city is very walkable and is full of natural beauty at every turn. We will definitely go back again!

NOTE: Seneca’s clothing was graciously gifted to us by one of our favourite Canadian clothing designers: Petits Vilains. Petits Villains designs handmade organic clothing, including basics like leggings and tops, as well more formal clothing, including adorable jumpers, blouses, overalls and more. Please check them out and support small makers and designers doing good things in a sustainable and ethical way!

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Petits Villains Dallas Road

Hiking alongside Dallas Road

In the red woods at Beacon Hill Park

Watching 8 peacocks high within the branches of a giant red wood at Beacon Hill Park

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Goat Sanctuary

Snuggling goats at the animal sanctuary at Beacon Hill Park. Ro wanted to name this newborn Pumpkin Spice.

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Beacon Hill Park

Wandering around the vast Beacon Hill park landscape

Fort engineering at Willow Beach

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Willow Beach Petits Villains

Bare foot at Willow Beach

So much wind! I took about 50 photos and none of them showed both of their faces. They were laughing so hard at how hard it was to keep the hair away!

City Adventure: Seeking the Unexpected

April 13, 2018April 15, 2018Leave a comment

This post was originally published on the Enfants Terribles Blog, May 2015

Each spring, we excitedly make our first return visit since the fall to one of our favourite spots along the river. We like this spot because we usually find ourselves alone there, so the children are free to roam as they wish without concern for bothering others. Ro and Sen will spend hours walking each and every little path through the grass, along the rocky river’s edge, and watching the graffiti writers paint under the bridge.

Sometimes our city adventures take us miles from home, other times we don’t end up covering a lot of terrain, but rather take the time to explore a spot fully. That’s what we did last weekend because I could tell the children needed a slow day, but I still needed my wandering fix.

I love this sort of city adventure where we are in the heart of downtown (and we live in a big city), but we are also in a spot that is fairly secluded and empty of people. Just across the bridge is large bustling university campus, on the other side of the river a shopping centre and sports complex, and a few short blocks east is our city’s main street. And yet, in this spot we could imagine ourselves in a rural setting without another human soul for miles.

Path along the Rideau River Canada

Christina Rohde Swim

While I love to expose my children to the busy pulse of the city, the alleys, the tall buildings, the crowds — all that big city stuff that can be a crash course in socialization, I also love the unexpected, and so I want Ro and Sen to learn that the city doesn’t have one setting or one pace. I want them to expect and seek the unexpected.

If we can guide our children toward positive experiences with the unexpected, to learn that the unexpected is often exciting and beautiful, and that there is always more than one setting, more than one facet to any space, place, person, or thing, then maybe they will hold on to those open minds they were born with.