health

Dropping in and landing it

March 21, 2011
By Susan Main
caveman

The kid in this picture has a big cast on his arm, but this doesn't stop him from doing risky things. We met at Leeside Park, near Hastings and Cassiar, in an underpass and had seen him around at other parks.

Posted in community, education, exercise, health, home learning, kids, mentorship, parties, skateboarding, Vancouver, youth | No Comments »

Where will the children play?

December 5, 2010
By Susan Main
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Our local school - Laura Secord - is trying to win votes for a new playground. About 9,000 kids in the area would be served by the new playground, including an estimated 350 children with disabilities.

Posted in charity, community, education, exercise, families, health, kids, organizing, Vancouver, youth | 4 Comments »

How to get up your nerve

July 22, 2010
By Susan Main
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Yesterday my son went to the Dry Spot indoor skatepark in Vancouver and spent nearly an hour psyching himself up to "drop in" on this ramp in the picture. He said he felt "scared as all hell" when he decided to try it.

Posted in community, education, exercise, families, health, home learning, mentorship, safety, self-employment, skateboarding, Vancouver, youth | 1 Comment »

Savouring summer outside

July 18, 2010
By Susan Main
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Warm weather means going outside to share food and good times. That means not a lot of time to be inside blogging. Here in this photo is Dave Dawson playing music with our neighbour friends at our housing co-op in East Vancouver. We share a lot of meals outside during the season of good...

Posted in community, families, food, games, gardening, health, kids, parties, Vancouver | 2 Comments »

The perks of being a skater mom

June 26, 2010
By Susan Main
IMG_1990

Soccer mom? Hockey mom? No thanks. I don’t want to get up at 5 a.m., spend half a fortune on gear, and cart around a bunch of sticky, chopped up oranges. I’m a skater mom – and I don’t mean a mom who rides a skateboard (though I have tried it). I keep a...

Posted in community, education, exercise, health, home learning, kids, skateboarding, Vancouver | 5 Comments »

Jigsaw puzzles boost brain brawn

May 28, 2010
By Susan Main

In this photo, Dave is doing “neurobics” – even though he doesn’t realize it at the time. Doing a jigsaw puzzle is a type of mental activity some call “neurobics.” Scientists who study aging – called gerontologists (in case you didn’t already know that) – say our brains are strengthened when we do things...

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Posted in education, exercise, families, health, Vancouver | 2 Comments »

My friend eats dandelions

May 27, 2010
By Susan Main

Their white fluff has been in the air for the past few days. Now the dandelion seeds are nestled – so fertile – into the soil and patchy lawns of my neighbourhood. Nearby you see the rubbery stems of last year’s crew. Wind dispersal of seeds Known in some circles as “Prince in Pauper’s...

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Posted in coffee, food, gardening, health, photography, Vancouver | 2 Comments »

Parking near Trout Lake Farmers Market?

May 22, 2010
By Susan Main

Parking for cars is pretty tight – but if you’re coming to the market on your bicycle, Geoffrey Vincent will set you up with a free, safe, and secure spot in his enclosed bike lot. Geoffrey is program coordinator for The Bicycle Valet, run by Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST). This three-year-old program encourages...

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Posted in community, exercise, families, food, gardening, health, safety, Vancouver | No Comments »