Spark the Conversation

I am super excited about the launch of "Spark the Conversation" - a creative contest for students from K-12 in Newfoundland and Labrador to get them thinking about inclusion and accessibility.

"Spark The Conversation” is a creative contest where young people are asked to draw or design a picture of how the concept of inclusion makes them FEEL. The hope is that these efforts will spark a broader conversation on how accessibility in the built environment benefits us all.

Organized by the Universal Design Network Newfoundland and Labrador (UDNNL), in partnership with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador - Disability Policy Office, The Coalition of Persons with Disabilities, and Boom I.T., we are excited to launch this initiative which we hope is the start of many great conversations on the important topic of accessibility. It is our hope that this campaign drives age-appropriate conversations between parents, students and educators. Young people are often keenly aware of simple solutions that can benefit everyone. Teachers can also feel free to use this resource as a jumping-off point for conversation about accessibility in the built environment and start the creative ball rolling.

Universal Design is about creating environments, from the design stage, that are accessible to everyone and have the most flexibility of use. True accessibility works for everyone!

The contest begins today, September 27th, and submissions will be accepted up to and including October 18th, 2019. Winners will be announced at the Home Show in Mount Pearl on March 28th, 2020. UDNNL intends to post all submissions for public viewing on their website once the contest has concluded.

I am so excited to see what the kids will come up with!!

Find more details HERE or at udnnl.ca

Kite Festival

It's been a busy couple of weeks! We are officially two weeks into the new school year, and I am happy to say that things are going pretty darn well! The initial feelings are always the same for me - panic, worry, and wondering if we are going to make it through. The difference between Brennen's first school year and his eighth, however, is that the panic doesn't last as long. I know we will make it through this year because we've made it through the previous seven. Brennen is in Grade 8 this year, and I actually feel like I can finally exhale and let go of some of my own nerves about his junior high school experience. Brennen is in good hands, and as a parent, that is all I can hope and pray for. He loves going to school - his days are full of fun and activity, and he is happy when he comes home. Sometimes I wonder how we got here.. how it all happened so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was worried sick about my boy starting school, being there for hours each day without me, and not knowing how on earth I would be able to let go of control and hand him over to somebody else. But we have come a long way since those early days, and my boy has proven to me over and over again that he is a tough kiddo, and he is rocking the education system! He loves his life, and we are so fortunate to have so many people on our side who help empower Brennen to not only survive the school year, but to truly thrive! We couldn't be happier!

On Sunday, we attended the PAL Kite Festival in Bowring Park. Like in previous years, this year's festival was full of exciting events, including a kite flying contest, bouncy castles, face painting, BBQ and live musical entertainment! All proceeds from kite sales and donations this year go to Choices for Youth, an organization that we are proud to support.

"Choices for Youth is committed to building programs, systems, and opportunities that are focused on providing individualized support for young people, celebrating who they are, and working together to unlock their potential to build a brighter future."

Some photos from the Kite Festival!

My nephew, William got off to such a great start with his little kite.. but it ended up looking like this:

It's ok, buddy. I lost my kite over the top of a tree. The struggle is real.

See photos from when we attended the Kite Festival a couple of years ago, HERE!

"Making Fish"

On Labour Day weekend, Andrew and I were able to sneak out of town for a bit, trading the busyness of the city for some tranquility around the bay. We visited friends in Green's Harbour, where we were treated to the most gracious hospitality I think we have ever experienced. What a beautiful way to spend the last few days of the summer! I should have been a bayman.

See the article below on the history of "making fish" in Newfoundland!

"Hard Racket for a Living" — Making Light-Salted Fish on the East Coast of Newfoundland

TD Summer Reading Club 2019

As much as I hate to admit it, we are nearing the end of the summer. It just seems to go so fast, especially considering that the weather didn’t start to pick up for us here in Newfoundland until mid-July. While we have packed a lot into a few short weeks, there are still some things on my summer bucket list and a few key things I want to experience with Brennen before he goes back to school. One thing on our list this year was to make more time to read together, and I think we’ve done a good job of that!

Brennen and I have been participating in the TD Summer Reading Club – Canada’s biggest bilingual summer reading program for kids of all ages, interests, and abilities, where kids can:

- Join activities happening in local libraries

- Read books online and get reading recommendations

- Track their own reading and collect stickers and online badges

- Connect online to share jokes, stories, book reviews, and more with other kids across Canada

As part of the TD Summer Reading Club, you receive a summer reading booklet, stickers, a web code and a reading goal sheet. You set a goal of how many books you want to read over the summer, and the great thing is that ALL books count – even books that a grown-up reads to you!

Studies show that kids who keep reading all summer do better when they return to school in the fall. Participating in a summer reading club is a great way to build excitement about reading!

Our local library has a wide variety of books available in alternative formats, and we like to try them out once in a while. Brennen does not read Braille, but we like to let him feel the texture on the pages of a book while we read the story, and he seems to enjoy this!

Brennen received an Accessible Notebook, which includes sections from both the pre-reader and school-age notebooks. Accessible tips have been added to support kids who have vision loss, a learning disability or a physical disability making it difficult to hold or turn the pages of a book.

We had a great time participating in the TD Summer Reading Club once again this year. I read a quote once by an author who said that her hope for all children was that they “feel free to imagine themselves as whoever they want to be in the fictional world, because that is, after all, a stepping stone to imagining yourself as whoever you want to be in the real world.”

I think this is what I hope for Brennen, as we are reading stories together. I hope he is able to imagine himself as a character in the books we are reading, and to use his imagination to take him on all sorts of fun adventures!

What are some children's books that you are loving? I'd love to hear about them!

Can You Canoe

There isn't much that beats the feeling you have after spending a long day outside with your family. Though it often takes a lot of planning to get us all out of the house, it is almost always worth it. Today was a beautiful day and we had no prior commitments, so we decided to meet my sister and her kiddos over at our parents' house to take a spin around the lake. Brennen was so relaxed in the heat, and our little girlie preferred to stay in the shade, but we made it work and had the best day!

There were a few minor meltdowns, a little sunburn and a whole lot of back sweat, but there is nothing better than a full day of fresh air and sunshine with some of our favourite people.

Not a lot of words in this post, just a lot of photos capturing real moments from a really fun day!

Kisses from Nanny!

 Andrew pretending to throw the kids in the lake! 

 See what I mean? The best day. 

I hope you are all enjoying the summer!