InFocus Magazine

This June 15 and 16, hundreds of people will flock to Denman Island to attend the 20th Denman Island Home and Garden Tour. They’re going mainly for the Island’s renowned gardens and homes, of course, but there’s more to it than that. After all, these days there are garden tours all over. What draws people to Denman, an otherwise tranquil 95-square-kilometre chunk of forested rock with just over 1,000 inhabitants?

“Not to downplay our gardens and homes—they really are the big draw—but people also come to get an intimate look at what the dream of rural Island life looks like in reality,” says Home and Garden Tour coordinator Autumn White.

Since being settled by Europeans in 1874, Denman, like many Gulf Islands, has been a prime destination for people wanting to turn their backs on cities and create some kind of alternative life that is closer to nature, less defined by commerce, and, in theory, simpler. The early settlers were true homesteaders who cleared the land and laboured to create the first farms. Then, in the 1970s there was an influx of back-to-the-landers, some of them ‘political refugees’ from Vietnam-era USA. Many of these people are still on Denman. Their vision and their land projects have matured over the years, just as they have.

And today, in spite of daunting land costs, younger people are again taking up the back-to-the-land life, although these days there is new terminology: words such as “sustainability,” “locavore,” and “permaculture.”

Two different properties on the Home and Garden Tour together offer an intriguing insight into what back-to-the-land looks like as practiced by two different generations.

Des and Sandy Kennedy moved to Denman in 1971 from Vancouver, buying an 11-acre recently logged property, with the intent to live off the land. This is exactly what they have been doing since then, hand-building a house primarily out of salvaged materials, creating extensive food gardens and a spectacular ornamental garden, all while Des was making a name for himself across Canada as an award-winning writer, broadcaster, public speaker and national gardening personality.

Tracy Horovatin and Shayne Barker bought into a Denman heritage farm as land partners in 2007, with the goal of building their own house using natural, non-toxic, locally-sourced materials—no drywall or plastic. They delved into learning about permaculture, putting their new knowledge into practice to develop the farming operation, which is intended mainly to feed themselves.

Their house is a not just an exemplary green building, using no drywall or plastic throughout, but also a work of art, with gorgeous cabinetry made by Shayne (a European-trained woodworker) and Tracy’s colorful mosaics built into the natural plaster walls. The farm area is extensive, and busy, with vegetables, fruits and a bunch of classic farmyard animals—cows, pigs, turkeys, ducks, chicken, geese and a few pets.

There is plenty that these two couples have in common: a do-it-yourself spirit that applies both to feeding and housing themselves, a love of nature, an environmentalist ethic, and a strong commitment to “living better with less,” in Des Kennedy’s words. They both love Denman Island equally for its natural beauty and its vibrant, engaged and artistic community. They both contextualize their ‘alternative’ lifestyles as conscious choices that have political and social significance.

But their stories are, in many ways different.

Shayne and Tracy were initially motivated by a desire for permanent housing. Living in a rental on Denman didn’t meet their needs for stability and for a long-term relationship with a piece of land. But they couldn’t afford the escalating land prices of the early 2000s. Through community connections, they partnered with a farming family and set up a unique land-share arrangement that allowed them to buy in affordably and build their own home. The farming aspect came along with the deal, as a sort of surprise bonus.

“I like to call us ‘accidental farmers,’” says Tracy.

Des and Sandy, on the other hand, were living the urban dream in Vancouver and made a major life decision to move to Denman.

“We were living in Vancouver, making decent money and doing neat political work, and really, really liking it,” says Sandy. “But we just knew, in our hearts, that we wanted to grow our own food and be close to nature.” Des had visions of sitting in a cabin in the woods, writing all day (he soon realized he hadn’t factored in the sheer amount of work involved in the back-to-the-land life).

Finding, and affording, land was arguably easier back then. “The Gulf Islands weren’t discovered. There was no new highway and no monster ferry. So it was less expensive than up the Fraser Valley or the Sunshine Coast,” says Des.

The 1970s back-to-the-land wave was in its infancy, and the Kennedys’ choice mystified their friends and family.
“It was horrifying for them. Back then only weird people would do such a thing. Grow-your-own-food was so weird! We were seen as hippies,” says Sandy, laughing.

Des continues: “We were lumped in with all those stereotypes. It was considered dropping out of society and failing to make something of yourself.

“The first half-dozen years I was wracked with anxiety: ‘What are you wasting your life here for, digging out tree stumps when you could be doing something meaningful? I thought maybe I should get a law degree… I should do something.

“Back then, only weirdos would eat health foods,” he adds. “Now, organic food is sought-after. People all over seem to be wanting to move to the land and grow their own food. These days I imagine that people making similar choices to ours get more validation.”

Shayne and Tracy’s experiences so far suggest that he’s right. What they’re doing reflects social and cultural trends that most North Americans, at least, understand.

“The more you pay attention to the news—the meat scares, the reports on the amount of salt, sugar and chemicals in our food, and the virtues of the 100 mile diet—the more we are reminded that this is the right path to be on,” says Tracy.

Their project garners lots of interest, with people lining up for WWOOFing sessions (Willing Workers on Organic Farms—a global work exchange program), Denman community members showing up for work parties, and productive partnerships forming, ranging from a “boar-sharing” project with another Denman farm to a relationship with a local permaculturist who has come on board as a co-farmer. Currently they have a young couple settling in for a residential six-month work exchange program.

“My friends and family are all supportive. Actually, they’re envious,” says Shayne.

Nonetheless, Shayne and Tracy do share some of the anxiety Des described: “There is always that questioning—does this make sense, how do I justify what I’m doing?” says Tracy. “But you know when I was working [as a non-profit organization administrator] I was having a lot of anxiety over my job, and then when I quit Shayne was watching me have anxiety as I headed out into the garden… So the question was, ‘Honey, do you think it’s your personality?’” she says, laughing.

Shayne figures that a certain amount of existential anxiety goes along with being human, at least in the Western world. “I have those kinds of questions no matter what I’m doing. I never had the sense that we’re just growing moss out here. There’s no feeling that we’re not living up to our potential.”

And aside from those early moments of self-doubt, Des and Sandy Kennedy have always felt the same way. Validation came to Des as his writing and broadcasting career took off, much of it based on his sharing of his and Sandy’s homesteading life. “Being a writer is a way of doing outreach. I get feedback from all over the country about how my books have influenced people. And I do tons of speaking engagements,” he says.

Even though Denman is tiny, and relatively remote, Des and Sandy have never felt that they turned their backs on the wider world. “From the beginning we were very engaged in the world!” says Sandy. “Living here gave us great access in terms of protecting the natural world. We were involved in civil disobedience [protesting logging, mining and nuclear weapons]; feminism was huge, just starting to take off here. It was an exciting time. I was involved in setting up women’s groups all over the North Island. Des was working on Native issues back when the concept of land claims was practically unknown.”

Des continues: “In terms of participating in the world— I think to some degree it’s people doing what we did that triggered an enormous revolution in terms of how people approach not just their food but their lives. We didn’t call it sustainability back then. We just felt we had to live in a way that fits with the needs of the planet. These sorts of ideas have now permeated our culture. The idea of doing better with less—well, now it’s apparent that the whole culture has to adopt this. The alternative is unthinkable.
“In terms of the future for our kids and grandkids, I think we made a much more profound contribution to what the world needs than if we’d gone off and become, say, stockbrokers. To some degree the whole back-to-the-land movement of that time was the progenitor of a radical shift in consciousness and lifestyle.”

This ‘shift’ may be the same thing Tracy talks about when she says, “What we’re doing here is really a sign of the times. We’ve been hearing about back-to-the-land for a long time but it’s very present right now. The young people who come here to work with us are looking for something, and that something is connection— reconnection. To the earth. To community.“I like to think of what we’re doing as a process of devolution, evolution and revolution,” she adds. “We need to devolve before we can evolve. This means stepping back from where our culture has led us, away from fast food and mindless consumption, and really questioning a lot of things. It means having our hands in the dirt, touching the ground, growing our food, devolving back to who we were before.”

But she and Shayne are both careful to distance themselves from any sort of missionary zeal.

“I don’t see myself as changing the world,” says Tracy. “All I can do is lead by example and change my immediate surroundings.

“I had a MA in public administration and worked in that field. It meant working as part of a system I had no control over. After a while I just wasn’t prepared to bang my head against that wall. Maybe it’s more meaningful for me to do it this way.”

Living with very little money is a key component of what Tracy calls “devolution.” She and Shayne have scaled back their spending, partly so that the need to find paid work doesn’t distract from the farming, and partly because they find stepping away from consumption has in fact enriched their lives.

For instance, there’s no need to spend money on movies, restaurants, cable, etc. “We don’t need to be consumers of entertaining—rural living is actually very entertaining,” says Shayne.

Tracy continues: “It’s amazing how long you can spend watching a mama duck cruising around the yard with her ducklings.”

To cut their spending, she and Shayne ‘shop’ at the Denman FreeStore for clothes, household goods and more, and as much as possible they eat food they’ve produced themselves, even if it means going without foods they’ve been accustomed to. They gotten rid of their cell phone, they drive less, they use salvaged, recycled and free natural materials for their building projects, and more, although they have no interest in cutting out skiing or the occasional sunny vacation.

The Kennedys have been following this path for years. “We live very cheaply and feel incredibly rich,” says Sandy.

The Kennedys see the Home and Garden Tour as a chance to share that wealth—not just because this event is a fundraiser for local conservation, but also because they see how inspiring the experience is for the hundreds of people who explore their property.

Tracy hints at the same thought, but comes at it differently: “Permaculture tells us about the importance of interconnection— between plants and soil and water and creatures. To thrive we can’t be in isolation. We need to connect.”

As many as 1,500 people visit the gardens and homes of Denman Island during the annual or bi-annual tour, wanting to connect, whether they are thinking about permaculture principles or simply soaking up the beauty. “This tour always reminds us that we live in paradise,” says Des.

 

The Denman Island Home and Garden Tour takes place June 15 & 16 from 9:30am to 5 pm. There is a 9am ferry leaving Buckley Bay. Tickets $18 (kids free). If you can’t make the whole tour, but would like to visit one or two locations there will be a $5 single location entry fee. Tickets are available at www.denmanconservancy.org, Art Knapp Plantland and Home & Garden Gate in Courtenay, Blue Heron Books in Comox, Rusty Rooster in Cumberland, and Apple Seed Cottage and Something Special in Campbell River, or call 250-335-2148. All cyclists will be entered in a free draw—enter at the ticket table at the Community Hall.

In 2010, Sandra McClintock had decided it was time to make some serious decisions about her future. A fourth generation Comox Valley farmer, she was no stranger to the agricultural industry but she thought, perhaps, it might be interesting to develop a business that produced value-added products. It was time for a change, and for her to personally invest her energy into the 78-acre family-owned and operated heritage farm in Dove Creek. This would give her the opportunity to live and work alongside her father, Gerry, and mother, Val at McClintock’s Farm.

She was seriously considering life as a cheese or yogurt maker when, out of the blue, her business coach and advisor, Gary Rolston, suggested a water buffalo dairy.

“I literally laughed out loud when Gary said that!” recalls McClintock with a grin. “I had lots of experience working with dairy cattle in New Zealand, and being the herd manager on a couple of local dairies. But our family farm had always been focused on growing crops and raising beef cattle, not dairy cows… and definitely not Asian water buffalo!”

Over the next few days, McClintock pondered her options. Should she start a business where her focus would require lots of mathematical calculations and the challenges of food preparation and packaging equipment? Or should she continue to work with animals, as she had done for most of her life? (She has a degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Alberta.)

It wasn’t long before she decided that, instead of learning how to make cheese, she would take the advice of her business coach and start a water buffalo dairy that produced the milk so someone else could make specialty cheese!

As McClintock affectionately reaches out to scratch the forehead of a rambunctious little water buffalo heifer named Annie—one of the first 15 calves born on the farm since last spring, all with names that start with the letter ‘A’—it is easy to see she has made the right decision. With their flat black noses, floppy ears, gentle brown eyes and amiable dispositions, the water buffalo babies are easy to grow fond of.

McClintock’s first step was to secure a buyer for the milk that would be produced. All of it is sold to Natural Pastures Cheese in Courtenay. Then, after some number crunching and careful cost analysis, she installed a milking parlor that can accommodate eight cows at a time, making a few adaptations to retrofit it for water buffalo. Then, in the fall of 2010, she took delivery of 15 water buffalo heifers from Fairburn Farm in Duncan, BC, and a bull from the Ontario Water Buffalo Company in Stirling, Ontario.

After the first calves were born, she started milking the buffalo on March 8, 2012, which was only about a month after her daughter Carla was born. McClintock says, rather nonchalantly, that she has not missed a milking or had a single day off since then. Surprisingly, instead of looking exhausted, like one would expect of a new mom and dairymaid to this unique herd, McClintock appears elated. Clearly, this woman is no stranger to hard work and she loves her life on the farm.

Today, there are only two beef cattle left on McClintock’s farm and the water buffalo herd—which grazes free range on the farm’s lush pastures—has grown to more than 30.

This includes the female calves that were born on the farm, as well as 11 pregnant heifers that are being leased from another farmer. Twenty-six more calves are expected in the coming months.

As planned, this new business enterprise remains a family affair, along with the large and well-established ‘U-pick’ blueberry and raspberry fields and award-winning sweet corn that McClintock’s Farm is known for. The biggest corncobs are sold at the weekly Farmers Market in the fall and the smaller cobs are chopped into silage and fed to the livestock over the winter months.

Sandra McClintock is responsible for animal health, milking and breeding. Her father, Gerry, ensures that all of the equipment is in good working order and maintains his role as the crop specialist, ensuring that the berries, corn, and other crops are growing well. Her mother, Val, looks after customer relations, yard maintenance and the day-to-day running of the farm. Fourteen-month-old baby Carla is busy growing up.

According to McClintock, there are unique challenges to managing water buffalo, as compared to a traditional dairy herd. While the animals are quiet, easy-going and predictable, they do best with routine and they dislike change. As a result, it can be harder to get them to ‘let their milk down’, especially if someone else comes into the milking parlor. Overall, they are hardier than dairy cows and require little help from their caretakers when it comes time for the babies to be born. They are also longer-lived, and can continue to produce milk well into their 20s.

Despite their rarity in North America, water buffalo have been domesticated for thousands of years in Asia and Europe. They have been traditionally used as draft animals and raised for both their milk and meat. While there are some wild water buffalo in various parts of the world, they are a different species.

The first water buffalo were brought to North America in 1976. According to the American Water Buffalo Association, there are only about 4,000 water buffalo in the USA. Surprisingly, a large percentage of Canada’s small water buffalo population is on Vancouver Island. McClintock’s Farm is one of only three domesticated Asian water buffalo dairies in BC. One in Duncan started in 2006, and another one in Port Alberni started just recently. Island Bison Farm in Black Creek is working in cooperation with two of the dairies to buy their bull calves and now has 23 water buffalo, in addition to dozens of American bison, which are being raised for meat.

Water buffalo are to Asia what bison were to the American plains Indians. For millennia, water buffalo provided draft power, milk, meat, hides, horn and fuel in parts of Asia where no other sources existed. They are still an integral part of rural life in Vietnam, Cambodia and the rest of Southeast Asia. They are intelligent animals with a placid nature and they thrive with human interaction.

Often referred to as the ‘living tractors’ of Southeast Asia, water buffalo have massive frames supported by stocky short legs and large cloven hooves that are perfect for navigating flooded rice paddies. Their rotund and well-muscled bodies are a sharp contrast to the angular and boney structure of the modern-day dairy cow.

There are two main types of water buffalo—river and swamp. Despite having slightly different chromosomes, the two distinct types can be interbred with each other but cannot be successfully bred to domesticated cattle, American bison, Cape buffalo or yaks. Many of North America’s water buffalo are a combination of the two types. Fully-grown adults can range from 800 to 2,000 pounds and measure 40 to 60 inches tall (at the withers). Both males (bulls) and females (cows) have long, slightly curled horns and black tongues. As their name suggests, they love to swim in water and wallow in mud.

Water buffalo calves have very thick, shaggy hair when young, while the adults have relatively sleek coats that range in color from black to light brown or gray. This variance in coat thickness is related to the fact that water buffalo have one-tenth the number of sweat glands of domesticated cattle and correspondingly sparse coats. They are born with all of the hair follicles they will ever have so, once the hair falls out, it doesn’t grow back.

Doug Smith from Natural Pastures Cheese says that water buffalo milk is prized for its flavor and texture and that it is much different than cows’ milk. It is higher in fat, protein, calcium and minerals and is an all around very, very rich milk… making it ideal for processing into fine cheese. Natural Pastures produces two authentic Italian water buffalo cheeses based on centuries-old recipes: Mozzarela di Bufala and Bocconcini di Bufala. They buy all of the water buffalo milk produced from the Island’s three water buffalo dairies and distribute the cheese throughout Vancouver Island and to several distributors in the western provinces.

“Up until last year, before the McClintock and Port Alberni dairies began production, we never had enough milk to expand any further,” Smith says. “Now, we are looking at making other products. We’ve made water buffalo yogurt, Brie and paneer—which is a traditional high protein cooking cheese used in Indian curries.”

While milk is an obvious byproduct of a water buffalo dairy, meat is the second part of the agricultural equation. Water buffalo meat is said to be lean and tasty, containing less than one-fourth the amount of fat and half the cholesterol of beef. Cooked, it closely resembles and tastes like lightly marbled beef.

McClintock says that the females are far too rare and expensive to butcher—to buy a young heifer is about $3,500 plus transportation costs. But, obviously, something needs to be done with the bull calves that are born every year. Each dairy farm can only realistically have one or two bulls.

This is where Marc Vance from Island Bison, enters the picture. He buys the water buffalo bull calves and his four children, ranging in age from six to 16, have taken on the project of bottle-feeding all of the buffalo babies that come to their farm.

“The calves are bottle-fed three times a day and provided with a special nutrient-rich feed supplement for the first three or four months or until they reach about 300 pounds, whichever comes first,” explains Vance. “After that, they are moved to free range pasture. The ones that are big enough are currently grazing alongside about 40 bison calves and an older male bison that we fondly call ‘Bob the babysitter.’ He helps to keep the entire herd calm and collected.”

The oldest water buffalo at Island Bison are now about nine months old and the Vance kids play with them and even ride them!

“They are very social animals … much like huge puppy dogs!” says Vance. “The kids just love them.”

The first two water buffalo calves acquired by the Vance family were named Oliver and Walter. The plan is that they will never be sold for meat but will, instead, be trained to pull carts. Vance reports that Oliver has been doing a good job pulling a cart already—much to the delight of farm visitors and the family.

“It has been an interesting experience to help make this Vancouver Island water buffalo dairy venture go full circle,” says Vance. “We have taken a product—the bull calves that are of no use to a dairy— and are working to create a product and a market that didn’t previously exist. There is excitement building amongst chefs on both the Island and the mainland as water buffalo meat has never been available here. We expect to be able to harvest our first animals later this fall.”

Whether it is water buffalo meat or milk, this new agricultural venture is truly unique and is a testament to the ingenuity and drive of the men and women who work behind the scenes in the ever-evolving farming industry in the Comox Valley. In the coming years, McClintock hopes to build her herd to 40 milking cows and she is happy to be working with water buffalo rather than learning how to make cheese and market products.

“I must admit that the first year of this dairy operation has been a blur… with having a new baby and learning how to care for a herd of animals that you have never worked with before,” she says. “The good news is that the animals are pleasant to work with and they have taught me a lot about patience. They move according to ‘buffalo time’… which is slowly, very slowly. I would much prefer to be doing this than pushing a product.”

 

To learn more about
McClintock’s Farm visit:
www.mcclintocksfarm.cp-sms.biz

In 2010, Sandra McClintock had decided it was time to make some serious decisions about her future. A fourth generation Comox Valley farmer, she was no stranger to the agricultural industry but she thought, perhaps, it might be interesting to develop a business that produced value-added products. It was time for a change, and for her to personally invest her energy into the 78-acre family-owned and operated heritage farm in Dove Creek. This would give her the opportunity to live and work alongside her father, Gerry, and mother, Val at McClintock’s Farm.

She was seriously considering life as a cheese or yogurt maker when, out of the blue, her business coach and advisor, Gary Rolston, suggested a water buffalo dairy.

“I literally laughed out loud when Gary said that!” recalls McClintock with a grin. “I had lots of experience working with dairy cattle in New Zealand, and being the herd manager on a couple of local dairies. But our family farm had always been focused on growing crops and raising beef cattle, not dairy cows… and definitely not Asian water buffalo!”

Over the next few days, McClintock pondered her options. Should she start a business where her focus would require lots of mathematical calculations and the challenges of food preparation and packaging equipment? Or should she continue to work with animals, as she had done for most of her life? (She has a degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Alberta.)

It wasn’t long before she decided that, instead of learning how to make cheese, she would take the advice of her business coach and start a water buffalo dairy that produced the milk so someone else could make specialty cheese!

As McClintock affectionately reaches out to scratch the forehead of a rambunctious little water buffalo heifer named Annie—one of the first 15 calves born on the farm since last spring, all with names that start with the letter ‘A’—it is easy to see she has made the right decision. With their flat black noses, floppy ears, gentle brown eyes and amiable dispositions, the water buffalo babies are easy to grow fond of.

McClintock’s first step was to secure a buyer for the milk that would be produced. All of it is sold to Natural Pastures Cheese in Courtenay. Then, after some number crunching and careful cost analysis, she installed a milking parlor that can accommodate eight cows at a time, making a few adaptations to retrofit it for water buffalo. Then, in the fall of 2010, she took delivery of 15 water buffalo heifers from Fairburn Farm in Duncan, BC, and a bull from the Ontario Water Buffalo Company in Stirling, Ontario.

After the first calves were born, she started milking the buffalo on March 8, 2012, which was only about a month after her daughter Carla was born. McClintock says, rather nonchalantly, that she has not missed a milking or had a single day off since then. Surprisingly, instead of looking exhausted, like one would expect of a new mom and dairymaid to this unique herd, McClintock appears elated. Clearly, this woman is no stranger to hard work and she loves her life on the farm.

Today, there are only two beef cattle left on McClintock’s farm and the water buffalo herd—which grazes free range on the farm’s lush pastures—has grown to more than 30.

This includes the female calves that were born on the farm, as well as 11 pregnant heifers that are being leased from another farmer. Twenty-six more calves are expected in the coming months.

As planned, this new business enterprise remains a family affair, along with the large and well-established ‘U-pick’ blueberry and raspberry fields and award-winning sweet corn that McClintock’s Farm is known for. The biggest corncobs are sold at the weekly Farmers Market in the fall and the smaller cobs are chopped into silage and fed to the livestock over the winter months.

Sandra McClintock is responsible for animal health, milking and breeding. Her father, Gerry, ensures that all of the equipment is in good working order and maintains his role as the crop specialist, ensuring that the berries, corn, and other crops are growing well. Her mother, Val, looks after customer relations, yard maintenance and the day-to-day running of the farm. Fourteen-month-old baby Carla is busy growing up.

According to McClintock, there are unique challenges to managing water buffalo, as compared to a traditional dairy herd. While the animals are quiet, easy-going and predictable, they do best with routine and they dislike change. As a result, it can be harder to get them to ‘let their milk down’, especially if someone else comes into the milking parlor. Overall, they are hardier than dairy cows and require little help from their caretakers when it comes time for the babies to be born. They are also longer-lived, and can continue to produce milk well into their 20s.

Despite their rarity in North America, water buffalo have been domesticated for thousands of years in Asia and Europe. They have been traditionally used as draft animals and raised for both their milk and meat. While there are some wild water buffalo in various parts of the world, they are a different species.

The first water buffalo were brought to North America in 1976. According to the American Water Buffalo Association, there are only about 4,000 water buffalo in the USA. Surprisingly, a large percentage of Canada’s small water buffalo population is on Vancouver Island. McClintock’s Farm is one of only three domesticated Asian water buffalo dairies in BC. One in Duncan started in 2006, and another one in Port Alberni started just recently. Island Bison Farm in Black Creek is working in cooperation with two of the dairies to buy their bull calves and now has 23 water buffalo, in addition to dozens of American bison, which are being raised for meat.

Water buffalo are to Asia what bison were to the American plains Indians. For millennia, water buffalo provided draft power, milk, meat, hides, horn and fuel in parts of Asia where no other sources existed. They are still an integral part of rural life in Vietnam, Cambodia and the rest of Southeast Asia. They are intelligent animals with a placid nature and they thrive with human interaction.

Often referred to as the ‘living tractors’ of Southeast Asia, water buffalo have massive frames supported by stocky short legs and large cloven hooves that are perfect for navigating flooded rice paddies. Their rotund and well-muscled bodies are a sharp contrast to the angular and boney structure of the modern-day dairy cow.

There are two main types of water buffalo—river and swamp. Despite having slightly different chromosomes, the two distinct types can be interbred with each other but cannot be successfully bred to domesticated cattle, American bison, Cape buffalo or yaks. Many of North America’s water buffalo are a combination of the two types. Fully-grown adults can range from 800 to 2,000 pounds and measure 40 to 60 inches tall (at the withers). Both males (bulls) and females (cows) have long, slightly curled horns and black tongues. As their name suggests, they love to swim in water and wallow in mud.

Water buffalo calves have very thick, shaggy hair when young, while the adults have relatively sleek coats that range in color from black to light brown or gray. This variance in coat thickness is related to the fact that water buffalo have one-tenth the number of sweat glands of domesticated cattle and correspondingly sparse coats. They are born with all of the hair follicles they will ever have so, once the hair falls out, it doesn’t grow back.

Doug Smith from Natural Pastures Cheese says that water buffalo milk is prized for its flavor and texture and that it is much different than cows’ milk. It is higher in fat, protein, calcium and minerals and is an all around very, very rich milk… making it ideal for processing into fine cheese. Natural Pastures produces two authentic Italian water buffalo cheeses based on centuries-old recipes: Mozzarela di Bufala and Bocconcini di Bufala. They buy all of the water buffalo milk produced from the Island’s three water buffalo dairies and distribute the cheese throughout Vancouver Island and to several distributors in the western provinces.

“Up until last year, before the McClintock and Port Alberni dairies began production, we never had enough milk to expand any further,” Smith says. “Now, we are looking at making other products. We’ve made water buffalo yogurt, Brie and paneer—which is a traditional high protein cooking cheese used in Indian curries.”

While milk is an obvious byproduct of a water buffalo dairy, meat is the second part of the agricultural equation. Water buffalo meat is said to be lean and tasty, containing less than one-fourth the amount of fat and half the cholesterol of beef. Cooked, it closely resembles and tastes like lightly marbled beef.

McClintock says that the females are far too rare and expensive to butcher—to buy a young heifer is about $3,500 plus transportation costs. But, obviously, something needs to be done with the bull calves that are born every year. Each dairy farm can only realistically have one or two bulls.

This is where Marc Vance from Island Bison, enters the picture. He buys the water buffalo bull calves and his four children, ranging in age from six to 16, have taken on the project of bottle-feeding all of the buffalo babies that come to their farm.

“The calves are bottle-fed three times a day and provided with a special nutrient-rich feed supplement for the first three or four months or until they reach about 300 pounds, whichever comes first,” explains Vance. “After that, they are moved to free range pasture. The ones that are big enough are currently grazing alongside about 40 bison calves and an older male bison that we fondly call ‘Bob the babysitter.’ He helps to keep the entire herd calm and collected.”

The oldest water buffalo at Island Bison are now about nine months old and the Vance kids play with them and even ride them!

“They are very social animals … much like huge puppy dogs!” says Vance. “The kids just love them.”

The first two water buffalo calves acquired by the Vance family were named Oliver and Walter. The plan is that they will never be sold for meat but will, instead, be trained to pull carts. Vance reports that Oliver has been doing a good job pulling a cart already—much to the delight of farm visitors and the family.

“It has been an interesting experience to help make this Vancouver Island water buffalo dairy venture go full circle,” says Vance. “We have taken a product—the bull calves that are of no use to a dairy— and are working to create a product and a market that didn’t previously exist. There is excitement building amongst chefs on both the Island and the mainland as water buffalo meat has never been available here. We expect to be able to harvest our first animals later this fall.”

Whether it is water buffalo meat or milk, this new agricultural venture is truly unique and is a testament to the ingenuity and drive of the men and women who work behind the scenes in the ever-evolving farming industry in the Comox Valley. In the coming years, McClintock hopes to build her herd to 40 milking cows and she is happy to be working with water buffalo rather than learning how to make cheese and market products.

“I must admit that the first year of this dairy operation has been a blur… with having a new baby and learning how to care for a herd of animals that you have never worked with before,” she says. “The good news is that the animals are pleasant to work with and they have taught me a lot about patience. They move according to ‘buffalo time’… which is slowly, very slowly. I would much prefer to be doing this than pushing a product.”

 

To learn more about
McClintock’s Farm visit:
www.mcclintocksfarm.cp-sms.biz

The StrongStart room located at Brooklyn Elementary may be the size of a normal classroom, but it is chock-a-block full of activities designed to hold a young child’s attention.

Every corner, every nook and cranny, is stocked with toys, games, books and art supplies that are there for the sole purpose of helping a young mind grow and have fun.  In the storytelling corner, underneath the big green leaf, are stacks of books and comfy cushions.

In another corner is the aquarium where the tadpoles are just about to sprout legs.  There’s the home life area, with a miniature kitchen complete with appliances, dishes, pots, pans and pretend food.  The art centre with everything imaginable to create works of art has all the supplies within the child’s reach.  Near the front door is a netted enclosure where the caterpillars are hanging out, waiting to emerge as butterflies.  And smack dab in the middle of the room is the dramatic play area—this time it’s a kid-sized bus complete with steering wheel, seats for passengers, safety handles and pull cords.

It is so colorful and fun, it makes one wish they were a young child. Maureen Wagner is the facilitator of the Brooklyn StrongStart program.  Trained as an Early Childhood Educator, Wagner has worked with children and families for approximately 30 years. For the past six years, she’s facilitated the StrongStart program at Brooklyn Elementary and has turned the StrongStart room into the amazing cornucopia of fun that it is.

The StrongStart BC program was initiated by the Ministry of Education seven years ago to address the growing belief that education during a child’s earliest years is critically important.  In fact, one US study, the Abecedarian Project, demonstrated that young children who receive high quality early childhood education from birth to age five excel in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school and receive a four year university degree.  The study concluded that a child’s attendance in an early childhood program is directly associated with long lasting benefits that reach well into one’s adulthood.

“The parent is the child’s first teacher,” says Wagner. “A child’s education doesn’t begin when a child enters kindergarten—it begins at birth.”

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education also believes that the benefits of early childhood education should be available to every child in our province, so the StrongStart program is completely free of charge.  “Not all parents can afford daycare or preschool,” Wagner notes. “The StrongStart program makes early childhood education available to every family.”

Currently there are more than 300 StrongStart programs operating in the province, and more than 33,000 children access the program every year.  Here in the Comox Valley there are four full time StrongStart centres at the Queenesh, Cumberland, Courtenay and Brooklyn Elementary schools.  In addition there are five outreach sites that run on a reduced schedule at the Denman and Hornby elementary schools, and Aspen, Royston and Miracle Beach elementary schools.

Unlike daycare or preschool, the StrongStart program is not a place where caregivers drop off their children.  “Instead of a drop off program, StrongStart is a drop-in program designed for both the child and the adult,” says Wagner.  In fact, parents or grandparents can drop in anytime the program is running, between the hours of 8:30 am and 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday during the school year.  According to Wagner, that’s where the magic really happens.

“Here at StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet the child’s interests and developmental needs, both the child and the adult are invited to play and learn together.  By providing early childhood education programs like StrongStart, we are assisting the family to build their child’s language, basic academic and social skills, such as working and getting along with others, through play.”

That one-on-one time between a young child and an adult is truly golden, says Wagner. “StrongStart provides the chance for uninterrupted play between children and their caregivers. There’s no phone to answer, no laundry to fold.  It’s just 100 per cent playtime; 100 per cent child and caregiver time.”

Jody Williams has attended StrongStart with her three-year-old daughter Olivia for the past two years, and she’s a big fan of Wagner and the Brooklyn program.  “Mrs. Wagner is one of those teachers you’ll never forget,” Williams says. “It’s truly amazing how Mrs. Wagner always goes above and beyond expectations.”

Williams especially appreciates how Wagner and the children will choose a theme together, and how Wagner will then transform the room to fit the agreed-upon theme.  For example, last month the kids went on a bus ride and for a visit to the bus yard.  “Most of the kids had never been on a bus,” says Williams.  “It was pretty exciting for most of the kids.” That excitement continued when the families returned to the room the next day, because Wagner had redesigned the dramatic play area to be a transit bus.  “It was so much fun to help create the bus in the room afterwards,” Williams says.  “Mrs. Wagner created the shell, but the kids and the parents finished it together.”

Williams also notes that it’s not just her daughter Olivia who has benefited from the program.  The activities and crafts they do together at StrongStart are often things they can imitate at home.  “When I attend the StrongStart program with Olivia, I see so much I would never have thought of —things Olivia and I can do together at home,” she says. “Really, the parents in the room are learning just as much as the kids.”

That has been Wagner’s goal from the start.  “My philosophy to the parents is ‘You can do this’,” Wagner says.  “StrongStart shows parents that spending quality and enriching time together doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.”

Parents also benefit from the program because it’s an opportunity for them to meet, share ideas, and make connections.  “When the parents get together at the StrongStart program it’s a place where they can talk to one another and learn from one another,” she says. “The adults ask each other advice and they share their experiences, all which helps to develop a positive nurturing environment for the children.”

The program also helps the caregivers become comfortable in their child’s school environment.  “Here at Brooklyn Elementary my focus is to set up a program where families feel welcome, comfortable and confident,” Wagner says.  “I’ll often have home baked goodies for the adults, and the coffee is always on.”  By encouraging the parents to become involved early on in their child’s education, the StrongStart program makes it more likely that the parents will stay engaged as their child’s education continues.

“StrongStart is part of creating a strong foundation with the families and the schools by buddying with older classes, accessing the gym and library and taking part in the many activities that the school offers. We are assisting in building trust and confidence between families and the school environment.”

Good news travels fast, and word is getting around that the StrongStart program is the place to be.  “It can be really busy in here.  In fact, one day we had 50 children show up.  Though it was exciting, it’s not a day I’d like to repeat,” says Wagner with a laugh.   On average, 30 to 35 children drop in at one time or another during the course of each day.  Considering that each child has an adult with them, it’s easy to imagine how busy the Brooklyn StrongStart room must get at times.

And the kids are busy too, learning that is—though they probably don’t know that.  To the kids, they’re just having fun.  But according to Wagner, that’s the very thing she’s hoping to achieve.

“StrongStart is a play-based environment that builds on the interests of the children.  It provides a variety of play options like art, dramatic play, science and more which can be intermingled depending on the children’s exploration and creativity.  A play-based program allows the children to take risks, problem solve and delve further into a topic.”  Wagner calls it learning through discovery.

Wagner also works hard to make sure the children have plenty of time to discover their community and to experience nature.  “We live in a beautiful area, so as much as possible we explore and learn through outdoor adventures in nature,” she says. “I’m really trying to help the kids make lasting connections to the outside world.”

Those outdoor adventures can be pretty magical.  For example, Wagner heard of a new fairy door trail up in Cumberland.  “I thought it was something the kids would enjoy, so we took a field trip there to explore the trail,” says Wagner.  The kids were so enthralled that Wagner decided to help the kids create their own magical fairy door trail.  They painted wooden doors and installed them at the base of trees in a nearby forest.  They also created their own fairies out of things they found in nature and placed them throughout the trail. “The path between the fairy doors is quite worn down now,” says Wagner.  “Fairy Lane has become very popular with the children and the local community.”

StrongStart is a multi-generational program that creates connections between people of all ages.  The children themselves range in age from newborn to five, and the adults range from young parents to grandparents.  The kids even interact with older kids from the school on a regular basis.  This is called the buddy system and it’s based on the Roots of Empathy program that was started in Toronto.  Big Buddy Day, as it’s called, occurs between the StrongStart children and the Grade 7 students every second week.

Olivia’s mom, Jody Williams, believes that the interaction between the younger and older children is vitally important, especially in this era of bullying.  “The buddy system is a great program,” she says. “When the StrongStart kids buddy up with the seventh graders it’s great to see how, despite the age gap, the kids are forging relationships.  The older kids learn to truly enjoy the younger ones and from those relationships respect and empathy can be learned.”

To further enhance the multigenerational aspect of the program, once a month the Brooklyn StrongStart children visit the residents of Glacier View Lodge.  “When the children come to visit it really affects the residents,” says Liz Friis, director of Resident Lifestyle and Community Programmer at Glacier View. “There is a twinkle in their eyes and their smiles are broad.

“There is a sense of peace in the room too. It’s just a joy to watch” Friis adds, noting that the children are also positively affected.  “These multi-generational visits create a culture of people and a generation of youth that respect their elders and who are willing to help in their communities.”

StrongStart is all about creating connections and community.  “During the six years of facilitating the StrongStart centre my belief that family and community are key in the education of our children has really grown,” says Wagner. “I strongly believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, and here at StrongStart, I try to create an atmosphere for others to believe it too.”

 

For more information visit:  web.sd71.bc.ca/strongstart

 

The StrongStart room located at Brooklyn Elementary may be the size of a normal classroom, but it is chock-a-block full of activities designed to hold a young child’s attention.

Every corner, every nook and cranny, is stocked with toys, games, books and art supplies that are there for the sole purpose of helping a young mind grow and have fun.  In the storytelling corner, underneath the big green leaf, are stacks of books and comfy cushions.

In another corner is the aquarium where the tadpoles are just about to sprout legs.  There’s the home life area, with a miniature kitchen complete with appliances, dishes, pots, pans and pretend food.  The art centre with everything imaginable to create works of art has all the supplies within the child’s reach.  Near the front door is a netted enclosure where the caterpillars are hanging out, waiting to emerge as butterflies.  And smack dab in the middle of the room is the dramatic play area—this time it’s a kid-sized bus complete with steering wheel, seats for passengers, safety handles and pull cords.

It is so colorful and fun, it makes one wish they were a young child. Maureen Wagner is the facilitator of the Brooklyn StrongStart program.  Trained as an Early Childhood Educator, Wagner has worked with children and families for approximately 30 years. For the past six years, she’s facilitated the StrongStart program at Brooklyn Elementary and has turned the StrongStart room into the amazing cornucopia of fun that it is.

The StrongStart BC program was initiated by the Ministry of Education seven years ago to address the growing belief that education during a child’s earliest years is critically important.  In fact, one US study, the Abecedarian Project, demonstrated that young children who receive high quality early childhood education from birth to age five excel in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school and receive a four year university degree.  The study concluded that a child’s attendance in an early childhood program is directly associated with long lasting benefits that reach well into one’s adulthood.

“The parent is the child’s first teacher,” says Wagner. “A child’s education doesn’t begin when a child enters kindergarten—it begins at birth.”

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education also believes that the benefits of early childhood education should be available to every child in our province, so the StrongStart program is completely free of charge.  “Not all parents can afford daycare or preschool,” Wagner notes. “The StrongStart program makes early childhood education available to every family.”

Currently there are more than 300 StrongStart programs operating in the province, and more than 33,000 children access the program every year.  Here in the Comox Valley there are four full time StrongStart centres at the Queenesh, Cumberland, Courtenay and Brooklyn Elementary schools.  In addition there are five outreach sites that run on a reduced schedule at the Denman and Hornby elementary schools, and Aspen, Royston and Miracle Beach elementary schools.

Unlike daycare or preschool, the StrongStart program is not a place where caregivers drop off their children.  “Instead of a drop off program, StrongStart is a drop-in program designed for both the child and the adult,” says Wagner.  In fact, parents or grandparents can drop in anytime the program is running, between the hours of 8:30 am and 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday during the school year.  According to Wagner, that’s where the magic really happens.

“Here at StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet the child’s interests and developmental needs, both the child and the adult are invited to play and learn together.  By providing early childhood education programs like StrongStart, we are assisting the family to build their child’s language, basic academic and social skills, such as working and getting along with others, through play.”
That one-on-one time between a young child and an adult is truly golden, says Wagner. “StrongStart provides the chance for uninterrupted play between children and their

caregivers. There’s no phone to answer, no laundry to fold.  It’s just 100 per cent playtime; 100 per cent child and caregiver time.”
Jody Williams has attended StrongStart with her three-year-old daughter Olivia for the past two years, and she’s a big fan of Wagner and the Brooklyn program.  “Mrs. Wagner is one of those teachers you’ll never forget,” Williams says. “It’s truly amazing how Mrs. Wagner always goes above and beyond expectations.”
Williams especially appreciates how Wagner and the children will choose a theme together, and how Wagner will then transform the room to fit the agreed-upon theme.  For example, last month the kids went on a bus ride and for a visit to the bus yard.  “Most of the kids had never been on a bus,” says Williams.  “It was pretty exciting for most of the kids.” That excitement continued when the families returned to the room the next day, because Wagner had redesigned the dramatic play area to be a transit bus.  “It was so much fun to help create the bus in the room afterwards,” Williams says.  “Mrs. Wagner created the shell, but the kids and the parents finished it together.”
Williams also notes that it’s not just her daughter Olivia who has benefited from the program.  The activities and crafts they do together at StrongStart are often things they can imitate at home.  “When I attend the StrongStart program with Olivia, I see so much I would never have thought of —things Olivia and I can do together at home,” she says. “Really, the parents in the room are learning just as much as the kids.”
That has been Wagner’s goal from the start.  “My philosophy to the parents is ‘You can do this’,” Wagner says.  “StrongStart shows parents that spending quality and enriching time together doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.”
Parents also benefit from the program because it’s an opportunity for them to meet, share ideas, and make connections.  “When the parents get together at the StrongStart program it’s a place where they can talk to one another and learn from one another,” she says. “The adults ask each other advice and they share their experiences, all which helps to develop a positive nurturing environment for the children.”
The program also helps the caregivers become comfortable in their child’s school environment.  “Here at Brooklyn Elementary my focus is to set up a program where families feel welcome, comfortable and confident,” Wagner says.  “I’ll often have home baked goodies for the adults, and the coffee is always on.”  By encouraging the parents to become involved early on in their child’s education, the StrongStart program makes it more likely that the parents will stay engaged as their child’s education continues.
“StrongStart is part of creating a strong foundation with the families and the schools by buddying with older classes, accessing the gym and library and taking part in the many activities that the school offers. We are assisting in building trust and confidence between families and the school environment.”
Good news travels fast, and word is getting around that the StrongStart program is the place to be.  “It can be really busy in here.  In fact, one day we had 50 children show up.  Though it was exciting, it’s not a day I’d like to repeat,” says Wagner with a laugh.   On average, 30 to 35 children drop in at one time or another during the course of each day.  Considering that each child has an adult with them, it’s easy to imagine how busy the Brooklyn StrongStart room must get at times.
And the kids are busy too, learning that is—though they probably don’t know that.  To the kids, they’re just having fun.  But according to Wagner, that’s the very thing she’s hoping to achieve.
“StrongStart is a play-based environment that builds on the interests of the children.  It provides a variety of play options like art, dramatic play, science and more which can be intermingled depending on the children’s exploration and creativity.  A play-based program allows the children to take risks, problem solve and delve further into a topic.”  Wagner calls it learning through discovery.
Wagner also works hard to make sure the children have plenty of time to discover their community and to experience nature.  “We live in a beautiful area, so as much as possible we explore and learn through outdoor adventures in nature,” she says. “I’m really trying to help the kids make lasting connections to the outside world.”
Those outdoor adventures can be pretty magical.  For example, Wagner heard of a new fairy door trail up in Cumberland.  “I thought it was something the kids would enjoy, so we took a field trip there to explore the trail,” says Wagner.  The kids were so enthralled that Wagner decided to help the kids create their own magical fairy door trail.  They painted wooden doors and installed them at the base of trees in a nearbyforest.  They also created their own fairies out of things they found in nature and placed them throughout the trail. “The path between the fairy doors is quite worn down now,” says Wagner.  “Fairy Lane has become very popular with the children and the local community.”
StrongStart is a multi-generational program that creates connections between people of all ages.  The children themselves range in age from newborn to five, and the adults range from young parents to grandparents.  The kids even interact with older kids from the school on a regular basis.  This is called the buddy system and it’s based on the Roots of Empathy program that was started in Toronto.  Big Buddy Day, as it’s called, occurs between the StrongStart children and the Grade 7 students every second week.
Olivia’s mom, Jody Williams, believes that the interaction between the younger and older children is vitally important, especially in this era of bullying.  “The buddy system is a great program,” she says. “When the StrongStart kids buddy up with the seventh graders it’s great to see how, despite the age gap, the kids are forging relationships.  The older kids learn to truly enjoy the younger ones and from those relationships respect and empathy can be learned.”
To further enhance the multigenerational aspect of the program, once a month the Brooklyn StrongStart children visit the residents of Glacier View Lodge.  “When the children come to visit it really affects the residents,” says Liz Friis, director of Resident Lifestyle and Community Programmer at Glacier View. “There is a twinkle in their eyes and their smiles are broad.
“There is a sense of peace in the room too. It’s just a joy to watch” Friis adds, noting that the children are also positively affected.  “These multi-generational visits create a culture of people and a generation of youth that respect their elders and who are willing to help in their communities.”
StrongStart is all about creating connections and community.  “During the six years of facilitating the StrongStart centre my belief that family and community are key in the education of our children has really grown,” says Wagner. “I strongly believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, and here at StrongStart, I try to create an atmosphere for others to believe it too.”

For more information visit:
web.sd71.bc.ca/strongstart

 

 

 

The StrongStart room located at Brooklyn Elementary may be the size of a normal classroom, but it is chock-a-block full of activities designed to hold a young child’s attention.

Every corner, every nook and cranny, is stocked with toys, games, books and art supplies that are there for the sole purpose of helping a young mind grow and have fun.  In the storytelling corner, underneath the big green leaf, are stacks of books and comfy cushions.

In another corner is the aquarium where the tadpoles are just about to sprout legs.  There’s the home life area, with a miniature kitchen complete with appliances, dishes, pots, pans and pretend food.  The art centre with everything imaginable to create works of art has all the supplies within the child’s reach.  Near the front door is a netted enclosure where the caterpillars are hanging out, waiting to emerge as butterflies.  And smack dab in the middle of the room is the dramatic play area—this time it’s a kid-sized bus complete with steering wheel, seats for passengers, safety handles and pull cords.

It is so colorful and fun, it makes one wish they were a young child. Maureen Wagner is the facilitator of the Brooklyn StrongStart program.  Trained as an Early Childhood Educator, Wagner has worked with children and families for approximately 30 years. For the past six years, she’s facilitated the StrongStart program at Brooklyn Elementary and has turned the StrongStart room into the amazing cornucopia of fun that it is.

The StrongStart BC program was initiated by the Ministry of Education seven years ago to address the growing belief that education during a child’s earliest years is critically important.  In fact, one US study, the Abecedarian Project, demonstrated that young children who receive high quality early childhood education from birth to age five excel in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school and receive a four year university degree.  The study concluded that a child’s attendance in an early childhood program is directly associated with long lasting benefits that reach well into one’s adulthood.

“The parent is the child’s first teacher,” says Wagner. “A child’s education doesn’t begin when a child enters kindergarten—it begins at birth.”

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education also believes that the benefits of early childhood education should be available to every child in our province, so the StrongStart program is completely free of charge.  “Not all parents can afford daycare or preschool,” Wagner notes. “The StrongStart program makes early childhood education available to every family.”

Currently there are more than 300 StrongStart programs operating in the province, and more than 33,000 children access the program every year.  Here in the Comox Valley there are four full time StrongStart centres at the Queenesh, Cumberland, Courtenay and Brooklyn Elementary schools.  In addition there are five outreach sites that run on a reduced schedule at the Denman and Hornby elementary schools, and Aspen, Royston and Miracle Beach elementary schools.

Unlike daycare or preschool, the StrongStart program is not a place where caregivers drop off their children.  “Instead of a drop off program, StrongStart is a drop-in program designed for both the child and the adult,” says Wagner.  In fact, parents or grandparents can drop in anytime the program is running, between the hours of 8:30 am and 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday during the school year.  According to Wagner, that’s where the magic really happens.

“Here at StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet the child’s interests and developmental needs, both the child and the adult are invited to play and learn together.  By providing early childhood education programs like StrongStart, we are assisting the family to build their child’s language, basic academic and social skills, such as working and getting along with others, through play.”
That one-on-one time between a young child and an adult is truly golden, says Wagner. “StrongStart provides the chance for uninterrupted play between children and their

caregivers. There’s no phone to answer, no laundry to fold.  It’s just 100 per cent playtime; 100 per cent child and caregiver time.”
Jody Williams has attended StrongStart with her three-year-old daughter Olivia for the past two years, and she’s a big fan of Wagner and the Brooklyn program.  “Mrs. Wagner is one of those teachers you’ll never forget,” Williams says. “It’s truly amazing how Mrs. Wagner always goes above and beyond expectations.”
Williams especially appreciates how Wagner and the children will choose a theme together, and how Wagner will then transform the room to fit the agreed-upon theme.  For example, last month the kids went on a bus ride and for a visit to the bus yard.  “Most of the kids had never been on a bus,” says Williams.  “It was pretty exciting for most of the kids.” That excitement continued when the families returned to the room the next day, because Wagner had redesigned the dramatic play area to be a transit bus.  “It was so much fun to help create the bus in the room afterwards,” Williams says.  “Mrs. Wagner created the shell, but the kids and the parents finished it together.”
Williams also notes that it’s not just her daughter Olivia who has benefited from the program.  The activities and crafts they do together at StrongStart are often things they can imitate at home.  “When I attend the StrongStart program with Olivia, I see so much I would never have thought of —things Olivia and I can do together at home,” she says. “Really, the parents in the room are learning just as much as the kids.”
That has been Wagner’s goal from the start.  “My philosophy to the parents is ‘You can do this’,” Wagner says.  “StrongStart shows parents that spending quality and enriching time together doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.”
Parents also benefit from the program because it’s an opportunity for them to meet, share ideas, and make connections.  “When the parents get together at the StrongStart program it’s a place where they can talk to one another and learn from one another,” she says. “The adults ask each other advice and they share their experiences, all which helps to develop a positive nurturing environment for the children.”
The program also helps the caregivers become comfortable in their child’s school environment.  “Here at Brooklyn Elementary my focus is to set up a program where families feel welcome, comfortable and confident,” Wagner says.  “I’ll often have home baked goodies for the adults, and the coffee is always on.”  By encouraging the parents to become involved early on in their child’s education, the StrongStart program makes it more likely that the parents will stay engaged as their child’s education continues.
“StrongStart is part of creating a strong foundation with the families and the schools by buddying with older classes, accessing the gym and library and taking part in the many activities that the school offers. We are assisting in building trust and confidence between families and the school environment.”
Good news travels fast, and word is getting around that the StrongStart program is the place to be.  “It can be really busy in here.  In fact, one day we had 50 children show up.  Though it was exciting, it’s not a day I’d like to repeat,” says Wagner with a laugh.   On average, 30 to 35 children drop in at one time or another during the course of each day.  Considering that each child has an adult with them, it’s easy to imagine how busy the Brooklyn StrongStart room must get at times.
And the kids are busy too, learning that is—though they probably don’t know that.  To the kids, they’re just having fun.  But according to Wagner, that’s the very thing she’s hoping to achieve.
“StrongStart is a play-based environment that builds on the interests of the children.  It provides a variety of play options like art, dramatic play, science and more which can be intermingled depending on the children’s exploration and creativity.  A play-based program allows the children to take risks, problem solve and delve further into a topic.”  Wagner calls it learning through discovery.
Wagner also works hard to make sure the children have plenty of time to discover their community and to experience nature.  “We live in a beautiful area, so as much as possible we explore and learn through outdoor adventures in nature,” she says. “I’m really trying to help the kids make lasting connections to the outside world.”
Those outdoor adventures can be pretty magical.  For example, Wagner heard of a new fairy door trail up in Cumberland.  “I thought it was something the kids would enjoy, so we took a field trip there to explore the trail,” says Wagner.  The kids were so enthralled that Wagner decided to help the kids create their own magical fairy door trail.  They painted wooden doors and installed them at the base of trees in a nearbyforest.  They also created their own fairies out of things they found in nature and placed them throughout the trail. “The path between the fairy doors is quite worn down now,” says Wagner.  “Fairy Lane has become very popular with the children and the local community.”
StrongStart is a multi-generational program that creates connections between people of all ages.  The children themselves range in age from newborn to five, and the adults range from young parents to grandparents.  The kids even interact with older kids from the school on a regular basis.  This is called the buddy system and it’s based on the Roots of Empathy program that was started in Toronto.  Big Buddy Day, as it’s called, occurs between the StrongStart children and the Grade 7 students every second week.
Olivia’s mom, Jody Williams, believes that the interaction between the younger and older children is vitally important, especially in this era of bullying.  “The buddy system is a great program,” she says. “When the StrongStart kids buddy up with the seventh graders it’s great to see how, despite the age gap, the kids are forging relationships.  The older kids learn to truly enjoy the younger ones and from those relationships respect and empathy can be learned.”
To further enhance the multigenerational aspect of the program, once a month the Brooklyn StrongStart children visit the residents of Glacier View Lodge.  “When the children come to visit it really affects the residents,” says Liz Friis, director of Resident Lifestyle and Community Programmer at Glacier View. “There is a twinkle in their eyes and their smiles are broad.
“There is a sense of peace in the room too. It’s just a joy to watch” Friis adds, noting that the children are also positively affected.  “These multi-generational visits create a culture of people and a generation of youth that respect their elders and who are willing to help in their communities.”
StrongStart is all about creating connections and community.  “During the six years of facilitating the StrongStart centre my belief that family and community are key in the education of our children has really grown,” says Wagner. “I strongly believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, and here at StrongStart, I try to create an atmosphere for others to believe it too.”

For more information visit:
web.sd71.bc.ca/strongstart

 

 

 

The StrongStart room located at Brooklyn Elementary may be the size of a normal classroom, but it is chock-a-block full of activities designed to hold a young child’s attention.

Every corner, every nook and cranny, is stocked with toys, games, books and art supplies that are there for the sole purpose of helping a young mind grow and have fun.  In the storytelling corner, underneath the big green leaf, are stacks of books and comfy cushions.

In another corner is the aquarium where the tadpoles are just about to sprout legs.  There’s the home life area, with a miniature kitchen complete with appliances, dishes, pots, pans and pretend food.  The art centre with everything imaginable to create works of art has all the supplies within the child’s reach.  Near the front door is a netted enclosure where the caterpillars are hanging out, waiting to emerge as butterflies.  And smack dab in the middle of the room is the dramatic play area—this time it’s a kid-sized bus complete with steering wheel, seats for passengers, safety handles and pull cords.

It is so colorful and fun, it makes one wish they were a young child. Maureen Wagner is the facilitator of the Brooklyn StrongStart program.  Trained as an Early Childhood Educator, Wagner has worked with children and families for approximately 30 years. For the past six years, she’s facilitated the StrongStart program at Brooklyn Elementary and has turned the StrongStart room into the amazing cornucopia of fun that it is.

The StrongStart BC program was initiated by the Ministry of Education seven years ago to address the growing belief that education during a child’s earliest years is critically important.  In fact, one US study, the Abecedarian Project, demonstrated that young children who receive high quality early childhood education from birth to age five excel in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school and receive a four year university degree.  The study concluded that a child’s attendance in an early childhood program is directly associated with long lasting benefits that reach well into one’s adulthood.

“The parent is the child’s first teacher,” says Wagner. “A child’s education doesn’t begin when a child enters kindergarten—it begins at birth.”

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education also believes that the benefits of early childhood education should be available to every child in our province, so the StrongStart program is completely free of charge.  “Not all parents can afford daycare or preschool,” Wagner notes. “The StrongStart program makes early childhood education available to every family.”

Currently there are more than 300 StrongStart programs operating in the province, and more than 33,000 children access the program every year.  Here in the Comox Valley there are four full time StrongStart centres at the Queenesh, Cumberland, Courtenay and Brooklyn Elementary schools.  In addition there are five outreach sites that run on a reduced schedule at the Denman and Hornby elementary schools, and Aspen, Royston and Miracle Beach elementary schools.

Unlike daycare or preschool, the StrongStart program is not a place where caregivers drop off their children.  “Instead of a drop off program, StrongStart is a drop-in program designed for both the child and the adult,” says Wagner.  In fact, parents or grandparents can drop in anytime the program is running, between the hours of 8:30 am and 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday during the school year.  According to Wagner, that’s where the magic really happens.

“Here at StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet the child’s interests and developmental needs, both the child and the adult are invited to play and learn together.  By providing early childhood education programs like StrongStart, we are assisting the family to build their child’s language, basic academic and social skills, such as working and getting along with others, through play.”

That one-on-one time between a young child and an adult is truly golden, says Wagner. “StrongStart provides the chance for uninterrupted play between children and their caregivers. There’s no phone to answer, no laundry to fold.  It’s just 100 per cent playtime; 100 per cent child and caregiver time.”

Jody Williams has attended StrongStart with her three-year-old daughter Olivia for the past two years, and she’s a big fan of Wagner and the Brooklyn program.  “Mrs. Wagner is one of those teachers you’ll never forget,” Williams says. “It’s truly amazing how Mrs. Wagner always goes above and beyond expectations.”

Williams especially appreciates how Wagner and the children will choose a theme together, and how Wagner will then transform the room to fit the agreed-upon theme.  For example, last month the kids went on a bus ride and for a visit to the bus yard.  “Most of the kids had never been on a bus,” says Williams.  “It was pretty exciting for most of the kids.” That excitement continued when the families returned to the room the next day, because Wagner had redesigned the dramatic play area to be a transit bus.  “It was so much fun to help create the bus in the room afterwards,” Williams says.  “Mrs. Wagner created the shell, but the kids and the parents finished it together.”

Williams also notes that it’s not just her daughter Olivia who has benefited from the program.  The activities and crafts they do together at StrongStart are often things they can imitate at home.  “When I attend the StrongStart program with Olivia, I see so much I would never have thought of —things Olivia and I can do together at home,” she says. “Really, the parents in the room are learning just as much as the kids.”

That has been Wagner’s goal from the start.  “My philosophy to the parents is ‘You can do this’,” Wagner says.  “StrongStart shows parents that spending quality and enriching time together doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.”

Parents also benefit from the program because it’s an opportunity for them to meet, share ideas, and make connections.  “When the parents get together at the StrongStart program it’s a place where they can talk to one another and learn from one another,” she says. “The adults ask each other advice and they share their experiences, all which helps to develop a positive nurturing environment for the children.”

The program also helps the caregivers become comfortable in their child’s school environment.  “Here at Brooklyn Elementary my focus is to set up a program where families feel welcome, comfortable and confident,” Wagner says.  “I’ll often have home baked goodies for the adults, and the coffee is always on.”  By encouraging the parents to become involved early on in their child’s education, the StrongStart program makes it more likely that the parents will stay engaged as their child’s education continues.

“StrongStart is part of creating a strong foundation with the families and the schools by buddying with older classes, accessing the gym and library and taking part in the many activities that the school offers. We are assisting in building trust and confidence between families and the school environment.”

Good news travels fast, and word is getting around that the StrongStart program is the place to be.  “It can be really busy in here.  In fact, one day we had 50 children show up.  Though it was exciting, it’s not a day I’d like to repeat,” says Wagner with a laugh.   On average, 30 to 35 children drop in at one time or another during the course of each day.  Considering that each child has an adult with them, it’s easy to imagine how busy the Brooklyn StrongStart room must get at times.

And the kids are busy too, learning that is—though they probably don’t know that.  To the kids, they’re just having fun.  But according to Wagner, that’s the very thing she’s hoping to achieve.

“StrongStart is a play-based environment that builds on the interests of the children.  It provides a variety of play options like art, dramatic play, science and more which can be intermingled depending on the children’s exploration and creativity.  A play-based program allows the children to take risks, problem solve and delve further into a topic.”  Wagner calls it learning through discovery.

Wagner also works hard to make sure the children have plenty of time to discover their community and to experience nature.  “We live in a beautiful area, so as much as possible we explore and learn through outdoor adventures in nature,” she says. “I’m really trying to help the kids make lasting connections to the outside world.”

Those outdoor adventures can be pretty magical.  For example, Wagner heard of a new fairy door trail up in Cumberland.  “I thought it was something the kids would enjoy, so we took a field trip there to explore the trail,” says Wagner.  The kids were so enthralled that Wagner decided to help the kids create their own magical fairy door trail.  They painted wooden doors and installed them at the base of trees in a nearby forest.  They also created their own fairies out of things they found in nature and placed them throughout the trail. “The path between the fairy doors is quite worn down now,” says Wagner.  “Fairy Lane has become very popular with the children and the local community.”

StrongStart is a multi-generational program that creates connections between people of all ages.  The children themselves range in age from newborn to five, and the adults range from young parents to grandparents.  The kids even interact with older kids from the school on a regular basis.  This is called the buddy system and it’s based on the Roots of Empathy program that was started in Toronto.  Big Buddy Day, as it’s called, occurs between the StrongStart children and the Grade 7 students every second week.

 

Olivia’s mom, Jody Williams, believes that the interaction between the younger and older children is vitally important, especially in this era of bullying.  “The buddy system is a great program,” she says. “When the StrongStart kids buddy up with the seventh graders it’s great to see how, despite the age gap, the kids are forging relationships.  The older kids learn to truly enjoy the younger ones and from those relationships respect and empathy can be learned.”

To further enhance the multigenerational aspect of the program, once a month the Brooklyn StrongStart children visit the residents of Glacier View Lodge.  “When the children come to visit it really affects the residents,” says Liz Friis, director of Resident Lifestyle and Community Programmer at Glacier View. “There is a twinkle in their eyes and their smiles are broad.

“There is a sense of peace in the room too. It’s just a joy to watch” Friis adds, noting that the children are also positively affected.  “These multi-generational visits create a culture of people and a generation of youth that respect their elders and who are willing to help in their communities.”

StrongStart is all about creating connections and community.  “During the six years of facilitating the StrongStart centre my belief that family and community are key in the education of our children has really grown,” says Wagner. “I strongly believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, and here at StrongStart, I try to create an atmosphere for others to believe it too.”

 

For more information visit:
web.sd71.bc.ca/strongstart

 

 

 

The StrongStart room located at Brooklyn Elementary may be the size of a normal classroom, but it is chock-a-block full of activities designed to hold a young child’s attention.

Every corner, every nook and cranny, is stocked with toys, games, books and art supplies that are there for the sole purpose of helping a young mind grow and have fun.  In the storytelling corner, underneath the big green leaf, are stacks of books and comfy cushions.

In another corner is the aquarium where the tadpoles are just about to sprout legs.  There’s the home life area, with a miniature kitchen complete with appliances, dishes, pots, pans and pretend food.  The art centre with everything imaginable to create works of art has all the supplies within the child’s reach.  Near the front door is a netted enclosure where the caterpillars are hanging out, waiting to emerge as butterflies.  And smack dab in the middle of the room is the dramatic play area—this time it’s a kid-sized bus complete with steering wheel, seats for passengers, safety handles and pull cords.

It is so colorful and fun, it makes one wish they were a young child. Maureen Wagner is the facilitator of the Brooklyn StrongStart program.  Trained as an Early Childhood Educator, Wagner has worked with children and families for approximately 30 years. For the past six years, she’s facilitated the StrongStart program at Brooklyn Elementary and has turned the StrongStart room into the amazing cornucopia of fun that it is.

The StrongStart BC program was initiated by the Ministry of Education seven years ago to address the growing belief that education during a child’s earliest years is critically important.  In fact, one US study, the Abecedarian Project, demonstrated that young children who receive high quality early childhood education from birth to age five excel in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school and receive a four year university degree.  The study concluded that a child’s attendance in an early childhood program is directly associated with long lasting benefits that reach well into one’s adulthood.

“The parent is the child’s first teacher,” says Wagner. “A child’s education doesn’t begin when a child enters kindergarten—it begins at birth.”

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education also believes that the benefits of early childhood education should be available to every child in our province, so the StrongStart program is completely free of charge.  “Not all parents can afford daycare or preschool,” Wagner notes. “The StrongStart program makes early childhood education available to every family.”

Currently there are more than 300 StrongStart programs operating in the province, and more than 33,000 children access the program every year.  Here in the Comox Valley there are four full time StrongStart centres at the Queenesh, Cumberland, Courtenay and Brooklyn Elementary schools.  In addition there are five outreach sites that run on a reduced schedule at the Denman and Hornby elementary schools, and Aspen, Royston and Miracle Beach elementary schools.

Unlike daycare or preschool, the StrongStart program is not a place where caregivers drop off their children.  “Instead of a drop off program, StrongStart is a drop-in program designed for both the child and the adult,” says Wagner.  In fact, parents or grandparents can drop in anytime the program is running, between the hours of 8:30 am and 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday during the school year.  According to Wagner, that’s where the magic really happens.

“Here at StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet the child’s interests and developmental needs, both the child and the adult are invited to play and learn together.  By providing early childhood education programs like StrongStart, we are assisting the family to build their child’s language, basic academic and social skills, such as working and getting along with others, through play.”

That one-on-one time between a young child and an adult is truly golden, says Wagner. “StrongStart provides the chance for uninterrupted play between children and their caregivers. There’s no phone to answer, no laundry to fold.  It’s just 100 per cent playtime; 100 per cent child and caregiver time.”

Jody Williams has attended StrongStart with her three-year-old daughter Olivia for the past two years, and she’s a big fan of Wagner and the Brooklyn program.  “Mrs. Wagner is one of those teachers you’ll never forget,” Williams says. “It’s truly amazing how Mrs. Wagner always goes above and beyond expectations.”

Williams especially appreciates how Wagner and the children will choose a theme together, and how Wagner will then transform the room to fit the agreed-upon theme.  For example, last month the kids went on a bus ride and for a visit to the bus yard.  “Most of the kids had never been on a bus,” says Williams.  “It was pretty exciting for most of the kids.” That excitement continued when the families returned to the room the next day, because Wagner had redesigned the dramatic play area to be a transit bus.  “It was so much fun to help create the bus in the room afterwards,” Williams says.  “Mrs. Wagner created the shell, but the kids and the parents finished it together.”

Williams also notes that it’s not just her daughter Olivia who has benefited from the program.  The activities and crafts they do together at StrongStart are often things they can imitate at home.  “When I attend the StrongStart program with Olivia, I see so much I would never have thought of —things Olivia and I can do together at home,” she says. “Really, the parents in the room are learning just as much as the kids.”

That has been Wagner’s goal from the start.  “My philosophy to the parents is ‘You can do this’,” Wagner says.  “StrongStart shows parents that spending quality and enriching time together doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.”

Parents also benefit from the program because it’s an opportunity for them to meet, share ideas, and make connections.  “When the parents get together at the StrongStart program it’s a place where they can talk to one another and learn from one another,” she says. “The adults ask each other advice and they share their experiences, all which helps to develop a positive nurturing environment for the children.”

The program also helps the caregivers become comfortable in their child’s school environment.  “Here at Brooklyn Elementary my focus is to set up a program where families feel welcome, comfortable and confident,” Wagner says.  “I’ll often have home baked goodies for the adults, and the coffee is always on.”  By encouraging the parents to become involved early on in their child’s education, the StrongStart program makes it more likely that the parents will stay engaged as their child’s education continues.

“StrongStart is part of creating a strong foundation with the families and the schools by buddying with older classes, accessing the gym and library and taking part in the many activities that the school offers. We are assisting in building trust and confidence between families and the school environment.”

Good news travels fast, and word is getting around that the StrongStart program is the place to be.  “It can be really busy in here.  In fact, one day we had 50 children show up.  Though it was exciting, it’s not a day I’d like to repeat,” says Wagner with a laugh.   On average, 30 to 35 children drop in at one time or another during the course of each day.  Considering that each child has an adult with them, it’s easy to imagine how busy the Brooklyn StrongStart room must get at times.

And the kids are busy too, learning that is—though they probably don’t know that.  To the kids, they’re just having fun.  But according to Wagner, that’s the very thing she’s hoping to achieve.

“StrongStart is a play-based environment that builds on the interests of the children.  It provides a variety of play options like art, dramatic play, science and more which can be intermingled depending on the children’s exploration and creativity.  A play-based program allows the children to take risks, problem solve and delve further into a topic.”  Wagner calls it learning through discovery.

Wagner also works hard to make sure the children have plenty of time to discover their community and to experience nature.  “We live in a beautiful area, so as much as possible we explore and learn through outdoor adventures in nature,” she says. “I’m really trying to help the kids make lasting connections to the outside world.”

Those outdoor adventures can be pretty magical.  For example, Wagner heard of a new fairy door trail up in Cumberland.  “I thought it was something the kids would enjoy, so we took a field trip there to explore the trail,” says Wagner.  The kids were so enthralled that Wagner decided to help the kids create their own magical fairy door trail.  They painted wooden doors and installed them at the base of trees in a nearby forest.  They also created their own fairies out of things they found in nature and placed them throughout the trail. “The path between the fairy doors is quite worn down now,” says Wagner.  “Fairy Lane has become very popular with the children and the local community.”

StrongStart is a multi-generational program that creates connections between people of all ages.  The children themselves range in age from newborn to five, and the adults range from young parents to grandparents.  The kids even interact with older kids from the school on a regular basis.  This is called the buddy system and it’s based on the Roots of Empathy program that was started in Toronto.  Big Buddy Day, as it’s called, occurs between the StrongStart children and the Grade 7 students every second week.

 

Olivia’s mom, Jody Williams, believes that the interaction between the younger and older children is vitally important, especially in this era of bullying.  “The buddy system is a great program,” she says. “When the StrongStart kids buddy up with the seventh graders it’s great to see how, despite the age gap, the kids are forging relationships.  The older kids learn to truly enjoy the younger ones and from those relationships respect and empathy can be learned.”

To further enhance the multigenerational aspect of the program, once a month the Brooklyn StrongStart children visit the residents of Glacier View Lodge.  “When the children come to visit it really affects the residents,” says Liz Friis, director of Resident Lifestyle and Community Programmer at Glacier View. “There is a twinkle in their eyes and their smiles are broad.

“There is a sense of peace in the room too. It’s just a joy to watch” Friis adds, noting that the children are also positively affected.  “These multi-generational visits create a culture of people and a generation of youth that respect their elders and who are willing to help in their communities.”

StrongStart is all about creating connections and community.  “During the six years of facilitating the StrongStart centre my belief that family and community are key in the education of our children has really grown,” says Wagner. “I strongly believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, and here at StrongStart, I try to create an atmosphere for others to believe it too.”

 

For more information visit:
web.sd71.bc.ca/strongstart

 

 

 

The StrongStart room located at Brooklyn Elementary may be the size of a normal classroom, but it is chock-a-block full of activities designed to hold a young child’s attention.

Every corner, every nook and cranny, is stocked with toys, games, books and art supplies that are there for the sole purpose of helping a young mind grow and have fun.  In the storytelling corner, underneath the big green leaf, are stacks of books and comfy cushions.

In another corner is the aquarium where the tadpoles are just about to sprout legs.  There’s the home life area, with a miniature kitchen complete with appliances, dishes, pots, pans and pretend food.  The art centre with everything imaginable to create works of art has all the supplies within the child’s reach.  Near the front door is a netted enclosure where the caterpillars are hanging out, waiting to emerge as butterflies.  And smack dab in the middle of the room is the dramatic play area—this time it’s a kid-sized bus complete with steering wheel, seats for passengers, safety handles and pull cords.

It is so colorful and fun, it makes one wish they were a young child. Maureen Wagner is the facilitator of the Brooklyn StrongStart program.  Trained as an Early Childhood Educator, Wagner has worked with children and families for approximately 30 years. For the past six years, she’s facilitated the StrongStart program at Brooklyn Elementary and has turned the StrongStart room into the amazing cornucopia of fun that it is.

The StrongStart BC program was initiated by the Ministry of Education seven years ago to address the growing belief that education during a child’s earliest years is critically important.  In fact, one US study, the Abecedarian Project, demonstrated that young children who receive high quality early childhood education from birth to age five excel in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school and receive a four year university degree.  The study concluded that a child’s attendance in an early childhood program is directly associated with long lasting benefits that reach well into one’s adulthood.

“The parent is the child’s first teacher,” says Wagner. “A child’s education doesn’t begin when a child enters kindergarten—it begins at birth.”

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education also believes that the benefits of early childhood education should be available to every child in our province, so the StrongStart program is completely free of charge.  “Not all parents can afford daycare or preschool,” Wagner notes. “The StrongStart program makes early childhood education available to every family.”

Currently there are more than 300 StrongStart programs operating in the province, and more than 33,000 children access the program every year.  Here in the Comox Valley there are four full time StrongStart centres at the Queenesh, Cumberland, Courtenay and Brooklyn Elementary schools.  In addition there are five outreach sites that run on a reduced schedule at the Denman and Hornby elementary schools, and Aspen, Royston and Miracle Beach elementary schools.

Unlike daycare or preschool, the StrongStart program is not a place where caregivers drop off their children.  “Instead of a drop off program, StrongStart is a drop-in program designed for both the child and the adult,” says Wagner.  In fact, parents or grandparents can drop in anytime the program is running, between the hours of 8:30 am and 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday during the school year.  According to Wagner, that’s where the magic really happens.

“Here at StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet the child’s interests and developmental needs, both the child and the adult are invited to play and learn together.  By providing early childhood education programs like StrongStart, we are assisting the family to build their child’s language, basic academic and social skills, such as working and getting along with others, through play.”

That one-on-one time between a young child and an adult is truly golden, says Wagner. “StrongStart provides the chance for uninterrupted play between children and their caregivers. There’s no phone to answer, no laundry to fold.  It’s just 100 per cent playtime; 100 per cent child and caregiver time.”

Jody Williams has attended StrongStart with her three-year-old daughter Olivia for the past two years, and she’s a big fan of Wagner and the Brooklyn program.  “Mrs. Wagner is one of those teachers you’ll never forget,” Williams says. “It’s truly amazing how Mrs. Wagner always goes above and beyond expectations.”

Williams especially appreciates how Wagner and the children will choose a theme together, and how Wagner will then transform the room to fit the agreed-upon theme.  For example, last month the kids went on a bus ride and for a visit to the bus yard.  “Most of the kids had never been on a bus,” says Williams.  “It was pretty exciting for most of the kids.” That excitement continued when the families returned to the room the next day, because Wagner had redesigned the dramatic play area to be a transit bus.  “It was so much fun to help create the bus in the room afterwards,” Williams says.  “Mrs. Wagner created the shell, but the kids and the parents finished it together.”

Williams also notes that it’s not just her daughter Olivia who has benefited from the program.  The activities and crafts they do together at StrongStart are often things they can imitate at home.  “When I attend the StrongStart program with Olivia, I see so much I would never have thought of —things Olivia and I can do together at home,” she says. “Really, the parents in the room are learning just as much as the kids.”

That has been Wagner’s goal from the start.  “My philosophy to the parents is ‘You can do this’,” Wagner says.  “StrongStart shows parents that spending quality and enriching time together doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.”

Parents also benefit from the program because it’s an opportunity for them to meet, share ideas, and make connections.  “When the parents get together at the StrongStart program it’s a place where they can talk to one another and learn from one another,” she says. “The adults ask each other advice and they share their experiences, all which helps to develop a positive nurturing environment for the children.”

The program also helps the caregivers become comfortable in their child’s school environment.  “Here at Brooklyn Elementary my focus is to set up a program where families feel welcome, comfortable and confident,” Wagner says.  “I’ll often have home baked goodies for the adults, and the coffee is always on.”  By encouraging the parents to become involved early on in their child’s education, the StrongStart program makes it more likely that the parents will stay engaged as their child’s education continues.

“StrongStart is part of creating a strong foundation with the families and the schools by buddying with older classes, accessing the gym and library and taking part in the many activities that the school offers. We are assisting in building trust and confidence between families and the school environment.”

Good news travels fast, and word is getting around that the StrongStart program is the place to be.  “It can be really busy in here.  In fact, one day we had 50 children show up.  Though it was exciting, it’s not a day I’d like to repeat,” says Wagner with a laugh.   On average, 30 to 35 children drop in at one time or another during the course of each day.  Considering that each child has an adult with them, it’s easy to imagine how busy the Brooklyn StrongStart room must get at times.

And the kids are busy too, learning that is—though they probably don’t know that.  To the kids, they’re just having fun.  But according to Wagner, that’s the very thing she’s hoping to achieve.

“StrongStart is a play-based environment that builds on the interests of the children.  It provides a variety of play options like art, dramatic play, science and more which can be intermingled depending on the children’s exploration and creativity.  A play-based program allows the children to take risks, problem solve and delve further into a topic.”  Wagner calls it learning through discovery.

Wagner also works hard to make sure the children have plenty of time to discover their community and to experience nature.  “We live in a beautiful area, so as much as possible we explore and learn through outdoor adventures in nature,” she says. “I’m really trying to help the kids make lasting connections to the outside world.”

Those outdoor adventures can be pretty magical.  For example, Wagner heard of a new fairy door trail up in Cumberland.  “I thought it was something the kids would enjoy, so we took a field trip there to explore the trail,” says Wagner.  The kids were so enthralled that Wagner decided to help the kids create their own magical fairy door trail.  They painted wooden doors and installed them at the base of trees in a nearby forest.  They also created their own fairies out of things they found in nature and placed them throughout the trail. “The path between the fairy doors is quite worn down now,” says Wagner.  “Fairy Lane has become very popular with the children and the local community.”

StrongStart is a multi-generational program that creates connections between people of all ages.  The children themselves range in age from newborn to five, and the adults range from young parents to grandparents.  The kids even interact with older kids from the school on a regular basis.  This is called the buddy system and it’s based on the Roots of Empathy program that was started in Toronto.  Big Buddy Day, as it’s called, occurs between the StrongStart children and the Grade 7 students every second week.

Olivia’s mom, Jody Williams, believes that the interaction between the younger and older children is vitally important, especially in this era of bullying.  “The buddy system is a great program,” she says. “When the StrongStart kids buddy up with the seventh graders it’s great to see how, despite the age gap, the kids are forging relationships.  The older kids learn to truly enjoy the younger ones and from those relationships respect and empathy can be learned.”

To further enhance the multigenerational aspect of the program, once a month the Brooklyn StrongStart children visit the residents of Glacier View Lodge.  “When the children come to visit it really affects the residents,” says Liz Friis, director of Resident Lifestyle and Community Programmer at Glacier View. “There is a twinkle in their eyes and their smiles are broad.

“There is a sense of peace in the room too. It’s just a joy to watch” Friis adds, noting that the children are also positively affected.  “These multi-generational visits create a culture of people and a generation of youth that respect their elders and who are willing to help in their communities.”

StrongStart is all about creating connections and community.  “During the six years of facilitating the StrongStart centre my belief that family and community are key in the education of our children has really grown,” says Wagner. “I strongly believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, and here at StrongStart, I try to create an atmosphere for others to believe it too.”

 

For more information visit:
web.sd71.bc.ca/strongstart

 

 

 

The StrongStart room located at Brooklyn Elementary may be the size of a normal classroom, but it is chock-a-block full of activities designed to hold a young child’s attention.

Every corner, every nook and cranny, is stocked with toys, games, books and art supplies that are there for the sole purpose of helping a young mind grow and have fun.  In the storytelling corner, underneath the big green leaf, are stacks of books and comfy cushions.

In another corner is the aquarium where the tadpoles are just about to sprout legs.  There’s the home life area, with a miniature kitchen complete with appliances, dishes, pots, pans and pretend food.  The art centre with everything imaginable to create works of art has all the supplies within the child’s reach.  Near the front door is a netted enclosure where the caterpillars are hanging out, waiting to emerge as butterflies.  And smack dab in the middle of the room is the dramatic play area—this time it’s a kid-sized bus complete with steering wheel, seats for passengers, safety handles and pull cords.

It is so colorful and fun, it makes one wish they were a young child. Maureen Wagner is the facilitator of the Brooklyn StrongStart program.  Trained as an Early Childhood Educator, Wagner has worked with children and families for approximately 30 years. For the past six years, she’s facilitated the StrongStart program at Brooklyn Elementary and has turned the StrongStart room into the amazing cornucopia of fun that it is.

The StrongStart BC program was initiated by the Ministry of Education seven years ago to address the growing belief that education during a child’s earliest years is critically important.  In fact, one US study, the Abecedarian Project, demonstrated that young children who receive high quality early childhood education from birth to age five excel in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school and receive a four year university degree.  The study concluded that a child’s attendance in an early childhood program is directly associated with long lasting benefits that reach well into one’s adulthood.

“The parent is the child’s first teacher,” says Wagner. “A child’s education doesn’t begin when a child enters kindergarten—it begins at birth.”

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education also believes that the benefits of early childhood education should be available to every child in our province, so the StrongStart program is completely free of charge.  “Not all parents can afford daycare or preschool,” Wagner notes. “The StrongStart program makes early childhood education available to every family.”

Currently there are more than 300 StrongStart programs operating in the province, and more than 33,000 children access the program every year.  Here in the Comox Valley there are four full time StrongStart centres at the Queenesh, Cumberland, Courtenay and Brooklyn Elementary schools.  In addition there are five outreach sites that run on a reduced schedule at the Denman and Hornby elementary schools, and Aspen, Royston and Miracle Beach elementary schools.

Unlike daycare or preschool, the StrongStart program is not a place where caregivers drop off their children.  “Instead of a drop off program, StrongStart is a drop-in program designed for both the child and the adult,” says Wagner.  In fact, parents or grandparents can drop in anytime the program is running, between the hours of 8:30 am and 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday during the school year.  According to Wagner, that’s where the magic really happens.

“Here at StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet the child’s interests and developmental needs, both the child and the adult are invited to play and learn together.  By providing early childhood education programs like StrongStart, we are assisting the family to build their child’s language, basic academic and social skills, such as working and getting along with others, through play.”

That one-on-one time between a young child and an adult is truly golden, says Wagner. “StrongStart provides the chance for uninterrupted play between children and their caregivers. There’s no phone to answer, no laundry to fold.  It’s just 100 per cent playtime; 100 per cent child and caregiver time.”

Jody Williams has attended StrongStart with her three-year-old daughter Olivia for the past two years, and she’s a big fan of Wagner and the Brooklyn program.  “Mrs. Wagner is one of those teachers you’ll never forget,” Williams says. “It’s truly amazing how Mrs. Wagner always goes above and beyond expectations.”

Williams especially appreciates how Wagner and the children will choose a theme together, and how Wagner will then transform the room to fit the agreed-upon theme.  For example, last month the kids went on a bus ride and for a visit to the bus yard.  “Most of the kids had never been on a bus,” says Williams.  “It was pretty exciting for most of the kids.” That excitement continued when the families returned to the room the next day, because Wagner had redesigned the dramatic play area to be a transit bus.  “It was so much fun to help create the bus in the room afterwards,” Williams says.  “Mrs. Wagner created the shell, but the kids and the parents finished it together.”

Williams also notes that it’s not just her daughter Olivia who has benefited from the program.  The activities and crafts they do together at StrongStart are often things they can imitate at home.  “When I attend the StrongStart program with Olivia, I see so much I would never have thought of —things Olivia and I can do together at home,” she says. “Really, the parents in the room are learning just as much as the kids.”

That has been Wagner’s goal from the start.  “My philosophy to the parents is ‘You can do this’,” Wagner says.  “StrongStart shows parents that spending quality and enriching time together doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.”

Parents also benefit from the program because it’s an opportunity for them to meet, share ideas, and make connections.  “When the parents get together at the StrongStart program it’s a place where they can talk to one another and learn from one another,” she says. “The adults ask each other advice and they share their experiences, all which helps to develop a positive nurturing environment for the children.”

The program also helps the caregivers become comfortable in their child’s school environment.  “Here at Brooklyn Elementary my focus is to set up a program where families feel welcome, comfortable and confident,” Wagner says.  “I’ll often have home baked goodies for the adults, and the coffee is always on.”  By encouraging the parents to become involved early on in their child’s education, the StrongStart program makes it more likely that the parents will stay engaged as their child’s education continues.

“StrongStart is part of creating a strong foundation with the families and the schools by buddying with older classes, accessing the gym and library and taking part in the many activities that the school offers. We are assisting in building trust and confidence between families and the school environment.”

Good news travels fast, and word is getting around that the StrongStart program is the place to be.  “It can be really busy in here.  In fact, one day we had 50 children show up.  Though it was exciting, it’s not a day I’d like to repeat,” says Wagner with a laugh.   On average, 30 to 35 children drop in at one time or another during the course of each day.  Considering that each child has an adult with them, it’s easy to imagine how busy the Brooklyn StrongStart room must get at times.

And the kids are busy too, learning that is—though they probably don’t know that.  To the kids, they’re just having fun.  But according to Wagner, that’s the very thing she’s hoping to achieve.

“StrongStart is a play-based environment that builds on the interests of the children.  It provides a variety of play options like art, dramatic play, science and more which can be intermingled depending on the children’s exploration and creativity.  A play-based program allows the children to take risks, problem solve and delve further into a topic.”  Wagner calls it learning through discovery.

Wagner also works hard to make sure the children have plenty of time to discover their community and to experience nature.  “We live in a beautiful area, so as much as possible we explore and learn through outdoor adventures in nature,” she says. “I’m really trying to help the kids make lasting connections to the outside world.”

Those outdoor adventures can be pretty magical.  For example, Wagner heard of a new fairy door trail up in Cumberland.  “I thought it was something the kids would enjoy, so we took a field trip there to explore the trail,” says Wagner.  The kids were so enthralled that Wagner decided to help the kids create their own magical fairy door trail.  They painted wooden doors and installed them at the base of trees in a nearby forest.  They also created their own fairies out of things they found in nature and placed them throughout the trail. “The path between the fairy doors is quite worn down now,” says Wagner.  “Fairy Lane has become very popular with the children and the local community.”

StrongStart is a multi-generational program that creates connections between people of all ages.  The children themselves range in age from newborn to five, and the adults range from young parents to grandparents.  The kids even interact with older kids from the school on a regular basis.  This is called the buddy system and it’s based on the Roots of Empathy program that was started in Toronto.  Big Buddy Day, as it’s called, occurs between the StrongStart children and the Grade 7 students every second week.

Olivia’s mom, Jody Williams, believes that the interaction between the younger and older children is vitally important, especially in this era of bullying.  “The buddy system is a great program,” she says. “When the StrongStart kids buddy up with the seventh graders it’s great to see how, despite the age gap, the kids are forging relationships.  The older kids learn to truly enjoy the younger ones and from those relationships respect and empathy can be learned.”

To further enhance the multigenerational aspect of the program, once a month the Brooklyn StrongStart children visit the residents of Glacier View Lodge.  “When the children come to visit it really affects the residents,” says Liz Friis, director of Resident Lifestyle and Community Programmer at Glacier View. “There is a twinkle in their eyes and their smiles are broad.

“There is a sense of peace in the room too. It’s just a joy to watch” Friis adds, noting that the children are also positively affected.  “These multi-generational visits create a culture of people and a generation of youth that respect their elders and who are willing to help in their communities.”

StrongStart is all about creating connections and community.  “During the six years of facilitating the StrongStart centre my belief that family and community are key in the education of our children has really grown,” says Wagner. “I strongly believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, and here at StrongStart, I try to create an atmosphere for others to believe it too.”

 

For more information visit:
web.sd71.bc.ca/strongstart

 

 

 

Visitors walking up the path to the log home and studio just north of Courtenay are greeted by a set of playful green “Garden Googlers”, who guard the door with wide eyes.

From their perch in a flower pot filled with sand, these funky creatures are the first hint of what a visitor will find inside the door to Fireworx Glass Studio, which is filled with things both beautiful and intriguing. Jewelry, wind chimes and wall art are just some of the items on display—an array of vibrant colors and reflections that adorn the small studio outside of owner Sabine Arends’ home.

Inside the studio Arends stands at a table surrounded by sheets of glass where her workshop stations are set up and stages of fused glass are waiting to become jewelry. Arends’ newest creations—chunky glass in rainbow hues—are a work in progress and are about to be wound with ribbon for summer bracelets.

This passion for glass jewelry, where each piece is a one-of-a-kind, began for Arends 10 years ago in Victoria, when she created her first mosaic bowl. Over the years she has enjoyed different mediums. From mosaics she shifted into combing concrete, glass and grout for stepping stones. Then she moved into stained glass and finally mirrors.

“This was all pre-glass fusing,” she says. “Then I bought a kiln and started making jewelry.”

The kiln, which brought with it new possibilities, is the base of Arends’ business in glass fusion, and Arends now has two of them at her studio. After selecting glass and cutting it into the desired shapes, the pieces are placed in the kiln and fired to fuse them together. The finished pieces are always unique.

While jewelry tends to be her focus, this certainly does not limit Arends, who also creates bird houses, bowls, candle holders, and other creatures such as the whimsical Garden Googlers.

“I connected on Facebook to help me find a name,” she says of the bright owlish figures. More than 50 names were suggested online, and “Garden Googlers” just seemed to fit. Arends has found Facebook to be a great avenue for her small business, where she advertises, seeks input, and connects with others. “You see how many people are really interested if you get feedback or not.” This can help her determine what direction to take. “Cats and dogs get a lot of interest,” she says with a smile, although it is hard to imagine animals in her art, as most of it is so abstract.

Some pieces have images transcribed within layers of glass—a little fairy peeks out here, a tree looms up over there—but mostly you see brightly composed and subtle shimmering art. Arends lifts a piece of glass to the light, demonstrating how the color shifts depending on how you hold it, and also how you can see right through it.

This is dichroic glass, a medium Arends has been working with for a long time. It is created when vaporized metallic oxides settle on sheets of glass in a chamber, and this thin layer of metal refracts light in such a way that multiple colors are reflected on the surface. The fun thing about it is that one can never predict the outcome of the process. The metals will settle in a way that cannot be controlled, which means that every sheet is different.

While Arends orders most of her glass from Ontario, she has just received some from a friend in Las Vegas, and her eyes light up as she points out a few of the new styles—crinkled glass and patterns.

Her excitement is contagious, and she wants to share her passion with others in the form of workshops. “Many people want to try something, but don’t want to invest long term,” says Arends of her decision to open her studio to others. “I have all the materials, the tools and the space, so people can just come try it.” Workshops start at $85 and go up, depending on the project, and are typically offered twice a month.

“It’s a combination of doing something crafty, and just connecting,” says Arends, who posts the workshops online, but also hosts workshops upon request if a group of friends would like to gather for the evening. The cozy studio has a large table in the centre surrounded by chairs, and it’s easy to envision five people chatting happily as they work on their projects.

The beginner’s art fusion glass—participants create an 8”x8” bowl—is her most basic class. Participants can expect to spend three hours in the studio, selecting, cutting and assembling their glasswork. Once they leave Arends begins the process of firing the glass in the kiln. Her large kiln can hold up to four of these glass bowls, which are fired at a very high temperature for 24 hours.

“The glass pieces come out totally flat, like a beautiful tile,” she says. These tiles are then placed in a mold, and fired again for 12 hours. Once the pieces are complete, Arends takes them to her mini photography studio in the back, where she snaps a picture or two to post on Facebook. This way people can see when their art is ready for pick up, usually within a week or two of the workshop.

Every piece created is unique and personal for the participants. “Everyone looks at their household and what they like,” Arends says, pointing to a variety of styles and colors that have been created in her latest workshop. “A base of glass is used, which we decorate with a multitude of colors, so they all become different.”

Sometimes Arends has clients mixing mediums—such as when driftwood is combined with fused glass pieces in the wind chime workshop. Another class that combines these materials is the driftwood bird houses, which are decorated with fused glass. “I love offering classes,” says Arends, “and I try to come up with something inspiring.” Her latest workshops are posted on her website and on Facebook.

“This is the biggest challenge for me now,” says Arends in regard to trying to get the word out about her business. “Everybody knew me and what I was doing [in Saskatchewan],” where she was well known for her artwork, and was a juried member of the Saskatchewan Craft Council. “Here I am all new and I need to work on the basics again.”

Born in Germany, Arends moved to Canada 17 years ago with her Canadian husband Scott, who she met in the United Arabic Emirates while working as a flight attendant. After having her first child, she decided to move back to Germany to continue her career as a flight attendant. “Sometimes,” she says, “you need to do something just to say, ‘No, this isn’t what I want to do.”

Shortly after that she decided to stay at home, focus on her children and Fireworx also began to grow.

Now with three daughters aged 9, 12 and 16, and a husband in the Air Force who has been away in Halifax for the year, Arends has had to balance her artwork with life’s daily demands. “I needed to be there for the kids first, and everything else later,” she says of her choice to put the house and her children first, and her work second.

Yet over the years she has built a business out of passion and determination. “I worked in my winter jacket,” she says, explaining how the space often had not heated up until she was finished her work. The warmth of the sun and the open door is a welcome change.

“I’m very happy to be in the Valley,” she says of her family’s move to Courtenay last summer from Moose Jaw. “I really want to stay here. It’s the third time I’ve been here, and I think three times is enough,” she adds with a smile.

In the back of her studio, three acrylic paintings are set up. Arends has recently taken a painting class, and now finds herself drawn to creating artwork on canvas. “Acrylic is just a technique,” she says, explaining that she has been working with this medium in the hopes that she can transfer the skill to her glasswork. “Then something really neat can occur.

“There are a lot of glass workers,” adds Arends. “I’d like to figure out something that is unique for me, so that when people see my work, they will know it is one of mine.”

 

Fireworx Glass Studio is located at 5333 Headquarters Road, Courtenay and is generally open from 10am-2pm, Monday to Friday. For more information and for workshop details you can also find Fireworx Glass Studio on Facebook, or at www.myfireworx.ca