Help keep wildlife safe

There are things you can do to help keep wildlife safe. These things can help you stay safe too. Keep wild animals safe Food can attract wild animals. It can be dangerous for both people and the animals. Here’s what to do: Store garbage indoors or get a bear-proof container. Pick up fruit that falls…

Tick season

Spring is tick season. Ticks are small bugs that suck blood. They live in many places in B.C. Ticks can spread disease to people and animals. Getting bitten by a tick can make you sick. WildSafe BC has tips on how to avoid ticks and tick bites: Avoid areas where there are ticks. Walk on…

Lighthouse keepers

A lighthouse has a bright light to warn boats not to get too close to a rocky shore. The lightkeeper is the person who maintains the lighthouse. Norbie Brant is a BC coastal lightkeeper. He usually works seven days a week. What do lightkeepers do? “Being a lightkeeper is kind of like being a farmer,”…

Take a “forest bath”

Some parks in BC offer “forest baths.” You can book a walk in the woods with a guide. The guide teaches you how to relax by enjoying nature. You use your senses to: feel the leaves smell the trees listen to sounds in nature A “forest bath” is meant to reduce stress and improve your…

The Marine Detective

Jackie Hildering lives in Port McNeill on Northern Vancouver Island. She is the co-founder of the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS). She calls herself “The Marine Detective” because the ocean is full of mystery. Jackie taught biology in the Netherlands. Then, she did a whale watching trip at Telegraph Cove, BC. “It changed my…

Make a mason bee house

You can make a simple mason bee house. Use things you have around the house. What you need: Empty milk carton  Paper bags Tape measure or ruler Scissors Pencil What you do: Cut the top off the milk carton. Cut at an angle to make a roof for your house. Cut the paper bag into…

How to make the perfect snowball

A friendly snowball fight is a great way to have fun with your family in the winter. You can learn how to make the perfect snowball. Make sure the snow is wet Good snowballs need to be made from clean snow that is a little wet. Test the snow before making a snowball. Give it…

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…

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…

Can we save the ocean?

Level 3 Boyan Slat says, ”Yes, we can!” Who is Boyan Slat? Boyan Slat is 21 years old. He lives in the Netherlands. Boyan started thinking about how to clean up the ocean when he was 16 years old. His family was on vacation near Greece. He liked to swim in the Mediterranean Sea. He…

Simple steps to composting

Level 3 What is compost? Nature makes compost naturally all the time. Leaves, grass, and branches die and pile up. Slowly they turn into dirt. That dirt feeds the living plants. It is called compost. People make compost by piling garden and kitchen waste in piles, bins, or barrels. It’s easy to make! Feed your…

Typhoon hits the Philippines

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 3 A typhoon hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013. It is the worst typhoon in the history of the Philippines. The typhoon was called Haiyan. The typhoon brought huge winds and rain. Authorities expect to find 10,000 or more dead. About 700,000 people lost their homes. Altogether, about 9.7…

A new kind of orchard in the city

Adapted from The Province Level 3 A vacant lot in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside became an orchard. Ten years ago, the city removed a gas station. That empty lot is now an orchard. Solefood runs the orchard. The design of the orchard solved two problems. 1. The city still owns the land. City land is valuable. The…

A two-acre garden on a parking lot

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun A parking lot in Vancouver holds a very big garden. And 40 kinds of fruits and vegetables grow there. For three years this land can be a garden. A group called Solefood manages this mega project. Michael Ableman, the director of Solefood, has been farming for 40 years. Visit the…