Protecting the eagles

A homeowner in French Creek wanted to cut down an old tree. Workers came to check the tree. They saw bald eagles making a nest. Don’t cut it down! People were worried about the birds. The eagles needed the tree for their nest. The Ministry of Forests and Lands put a sign around the tree….

Donny’s Wax

Erik Levings and Taro Milligan are Grade 8 students from Abbotsford, BC. They like to skateboard. Their friend Donnie saw them skateboarding. He wanted to try, too. Making wax Levings and Milligan decided to buy Donnie his own skateboard. They made and sold their own skateboard wax to make money. Levings and Milligan went to…

Haida Gwaii

Haida Gwaii is a group of islands. It is off the west coast of British Columbia. Haida Gwaii means “islands of the Haida people.” It used to be called the Queen Charlotte Islands. Haida art is famous. Many people have seen Haida totem poles. Haida Gwaii is beautiful. It is a good place to travel….

Wanuskewin’s baby bison

A baby bison was born on Wanuskewin lands. She was born on Earth Day. She is the first baby bison to be born at Wanuskewin in over 150 years. Bison are special Bison are important to the local Indigenous peoples. The elders wanted to bring the bison back to their land. They wanted their children…

Making hearts

The Level 2 LINC class at Windsor Neighbourhood Learning Centre is learning online. The students are staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19. Hearts in the windows The students saw hearts in their neighbours’ windows. They wondered why. Their teachers gave them a story about the hearts. The class learned that the hearts were…

Hearts in windows

Some houses in BC have hearts in the windows. Why are the hearts in the windows? Many people are worried about COVID-19. Most people stay at home. They want to stop the virus. Some people still need to go to work. Doctors, nurses, policemen, and grocery store workers go to work every day. Thank you!…

Mental Health Week

Mental Health Week is from May 4 to May 10. Mental health is the way we think and feel about ourselves. It is the way we think and feel about the world around us. Good mental health makes it easier to handle stress and other problems. Here are some ways to practise good mental health:…

How to make compost at home

What is compost? Compost is made when small organisms called microbes break down household and garden waste. Waste can include things like food scraps, grass clippings, leaves and plants. Waste will break down, or decompose, over time. Composting speeds up the process. It gives the microbes a chance to break down the waste faster. Why…

Nunavut’s new greenhouse

Nunavut is a large territory in northern Canada. It is very cold and dark. The weather makes it hard for fruit and vegetables to grow. So, groceries are expensive. A greenhouse was built The Arctic Research Foundation wanted to help people in Nunavut. It made a greenhouse near Gjoa Haven from shipping containers called “sea…

Single-use item bylaw

A new Vancouver bylaw will start in April. This bylaw will ban food vendors from giving customers disposable straws, forks, knives, chopsticks and spoons. People with disabilities can still get a straw if they need one. No more foam In January, Vancouver banned foam cups and foam take-out containers. Soon, the city hopes to stop…

Plant a herb garden

Do you like to use fresh herbs in your cooking? Plant a herb garden in a container. You can put it in a sunny window. Or, you can put it on your deck or patio. Enjoy fresh herbs all summer! What you need: pot with holes in the bottom potting soil herbs trowel water What…

Lize wins an award

Norma Lize is a refugee from Lebanon. In February, she was recognized as a leader in Vancouver’s LGBT community. She won the January Marie Lapuz Youth Leadership Award. Something was missing Lize grew up feeling that something was missing from her gender identity. At 18, she met a transgender woman. It made her think that…

COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11. The announcement was made by the World Health Organization (WHO). What is a pandemic? A pandemic is the “worldwide spread of a new disease,” said the WHO. COVID-19 is a  new virus and disease. It spread to many countries around the world at the same time. After…

Pat builds a boat

Pat Calihou is a Métis carver. The Métis are Indigenous Canadians. York boats were used by Métis fur traders during the 1700s. Pat’s ancestors used York boats. Pat started to build a York boat in December 2019. A blacksmith made special nails to build the boat. The wood for the keel is the roof beam of an old house. Pat shares his history The boat will help Pat share his family history. “My family were…

Vancouver’s first Indigenous poet laureate

Christie Charles is a spoken word artist. Spoken word poetry is read aloud. Poets use their voices and sometimes music to perform their poems. Charles dances and sings her poems. Sometimes she sings in the Salish language. She plays the drums. Sometimes she raps. Her poetry performances are lively. One of her poems says: Charles…

COVID-19

COVID-19 is a new virus. It is also known as novel coronavirus. The virus appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It has infected over 110,000 people in countries around the world. Close to 4,000 people have died worldwide. What are the risks? Most people can recover at home. The risk is greater for older people…

Get out in the community

What can you do with your family during spring break? Here are some ideas. Visit a museum Some museums have free entry for children or families during spring break. They might also have special activities for young children. Go to the library Many public libraries have free programs for children or families during spring break. Visit…

Frost flowers

Special flowers are growing on lakes in the Cariboo and Central Interior. The flowers are made of ice. They are called “frost flowers.” Frost flowers are rare. Frost flowers only grow when the air is very cold and calm. The ice on the lakes must be thin. How do frost flowers grow? The air is…

Preparing for a job interview

Job interviews can be stressful. If you prepare for your job interview, you will be more confident and relaxed. There are many ways to prepare for a job interview. Practise your answers before going to the interview Many interviewers ask the same questions. They will ask about your work experience. They might ask you about…

Wreck Beach

Wreck Beach was named for shipwrecks in the water. What is Wreck Beach? Wreck Beach is the largest nude beach in Canada. It is 7.8 km long. People started swimming naked at Wreck Beach in the 1920s. Wreck Beach became an official nude beach in 1991. It was the first nude beach in Canada. How…

2020 Calendar

Which holidays do you celebrate? What about your family and friends? What do you do on your favourite holiday? Do you spend time with your friends or family? Do you prepare special food or give special gifts? Here is a calendar with some of Canada’s holidays. What is a statutory holiday? On a statutory holiday,…

Pink Shirt Day

Pink Shirt Day is on the last Wednesday in February. On this day, people from around the world wear pink clothing to school and work. Why do we wear pink? In 2007, a boy wore a pink shirt on his first day of school in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The other students made fun of him….

Landlord rights

Mei is a landlord. She rents out her parents’ old house. One day, Mei does a routine inspection of the house. It is very dirty. There is a hole in the wall. The cabinets are broken. There is water leaking on the floor. Her tenant has a cat. The lease says “no pets allowed.” Mei…

Tenant rights

Amare and Stephanie rent an apartment. The rent is affordable. They are happy. One day, their landlord visits. He tells them he will raise their rent by $200 per month. Amare and Stephanie are worried. They check their bank accounts. They look at their bills. They cannot afford the rent increase. The landlord says that…

Finn and Traveller

Finn and Traveller are sniffer puppies. They work at Vancouver General Hospital. They started work on October 25, 2019. Sniffer puppies are trained to smell bacteria that makes people sick. They sniff for bacteria in hospital washrooms, hallways and waiting rooms. What is a sniffer puppy’s job? Sniffer puppies and dogs can smell the bacteria…

Scam messages

Have you ever received an email saying you won some money? If so, you might have received a scam message. What is a scam message? In a scam message, someone asks you for personal information, like your name, credit card number, passwords, or address. They use that information to take money from your bank accounts…

Polar bear on field

People saw a polar bear. They saw the bear in Churchill, Manitoba. They called for help. Two officers tried to catch the bear. The bear ran across a baseball field.   Everyone is safe The bear was caught. Everyone is safe. The bear was let go. It was let go away from town.   Watch…

Vaping

Vaping is similar to smoking.  When someone vapes, they use a small device to breathe in a liquid. The device is called an e-cigarette. The e-cigarette heats up the liquid and turns it into vapour. What is the liquid made of? The liquid inside an e-cigarette is called e-liquid or vaping juice. Often, vaping juice…

Cold remedies

You can catch a cold at any time of the year. Some people try to fight the cold before it starts. If they can’t, people want to get rid of the illness as quickly as possible. Remedies to fight a cold before it starts Some people try to fight a cold as soon as they…

Sophie had a money problem

Sophie is a new Canadian. Her husband handled all their banking. He paid the bills. He gave Sophie cash to buy groceries. Then, Sophie’s husband died.   Sophie was frightened Sophie didn’t know how much money was in the bank. Everything was in her husband’s name. Sophie worked part-time. She didn’t know how she would…