Learn to Ride the Road Confidently with HUB

If you're just getting started riding but you're not that comfortable biking in traffic, why not take a class?

HUB has a number of different courses that can help you become a more confident rider. From one hour free sessions to half day practical workshops partly spent on the bikes for just $20, there are a number of beginner options available.

Check out the HUB website for details!

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Questions about biking with your little one? There's a workshop for that!

Okay, so you love to bike (who doesn't, right?) & you want to start riding with your baby/toddler/preschooler. But how to start? When? Where? There are so many different kinds of bike seats, trailers, & cargo bikes... & even more questions! How do you choose what's best for your family before you spend the money?

Here's a great chance to have your questions answered in one place! Join us for The ABCs of Family Biking workshop. It's free (including childcare--limited space available) The workshop will be offered six different times throughout the summer & fall at the Mount Pleasant Family Centre (2910 St. George Street):

June 26 1-3pm (FULL)
June 28 6:30-8:30pm
July 9 10am-12pm (FULL)
July 24 10am-12pm
October 1 10am-12pm

At the workshop you'll have the chance to see & learn the pros & cons to lots of different options for carrying babies, toddlers, preschoolers & even school age kids on bikes. We'll talk safety tips & share resources for choosing then buying gear (used & new), planning routes, with lots of time to answer questions. At the end you'll have the chance to test ride a number of different types of bikes, seats, trailers, & even cargo bikes.

We'll have coffee, tea & snacks for the adults downstairs during the workshop while the kids play with an ECE trained childcare worker in the Family Centre's well-equipped playroom upstairs. Childcare space is limited, so families must register in advance on Eventbrite. Pre-mobile babies are welcome to stay with parents downstairs.

Oh, & did I mention prizes? We've got some handy dandy seat covers, portable maps, and other goodies to give to everyone. You'll also have the chance to win a door prize at each session: items include free tune-ups from Tandem Bike Café, Reckless Cycles, & BikeMi Vancouver, child bike seats from Mighty Riders & the Bike Doctor, plus a copy of family biking advocate Madi Carlson's new book, Urban Cycling. More prizes still being added!

For more information (FAQs) & registration, please visit the ABCs of Family Biking.

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ABCs of Family Biking Workshop Recap

Whoops, forgot to take off my name tag!

Last Saturday we held the first of our sessions of the ABCs of Family Biking Workshop. Ten families joined us in the Mount Pleasant Family Centre to talk all about family biking, with a half dozen of their little ones playing upstairs with our childcare providers. The workshop went really well, with our main problem being trying to fit all that we wanted to talk about into the time we had.

There are quite a few topics that we could have expanded on more, but lacked the time. There's a lot to say about biking with babies, toddlers, & little kids in just ninety minutes! So I've decided to write a series of posts here on Spokesmama to delve into the details a little more. The first post will be all about route planning for family biking. Stay tuned for that in the next few days!

If you're interested in attending the (free!) workshops, there are still spaces available in the July 24th session, and we plan to add one more in late June too. More details about the ABCs of Family Biking plus registration links here.

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Supermoon Lunar Eclipse This Sunday!

Photo Credit: Prayitno / Thank you for (7 millions +) views via Compfight cc

One of Linnaeus' favourite things is to go outside after dark & look at the stars. Poor kid can barely see anything most of the time with the light pollution & sheer number of cloudy nights we have here in Raincouver. So I'm pretty excited about the upcoming eclipse. Lunar eclipses aren't that unusual, but this one is happening on the full moon, during the perigee, or the date that the moon comes its closest to the earth. Hopefully the skies will be clear & we can see the resulting larger looking red moon up in the sky.

The great thing about this supermoon eclipse is that, barring poor weather, it should be visible across Canada. In BC the eclipse should take place between about 7pm & 9:30pm. You can get more details on the supermoon eclipse, including a video explaining the details on the Weather Network site here.

If you're interested in more celestial events happening this fall, check out this list of meteor showers & more that will be happening in the next couple of months.

Happy skywatching!

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Hide & Go Seek... Ew, A Needle!

B & I went for a little walk in the rain to the corner grocery store, with some puddle jumping & toddler exploration along the way. As I was convincing her not to squeeze in behind the mailbox, I realized what she'd seen that interested her: a discarded needle. She hadn't been able to reach it--probably what the drug user was thinking when they put it back there--so I snapped a pic & called it in when we got home.

In case you ever find a sharp lying around somewhere, here's what to do:

• Don't touch it or pick it up
• Call the Needle Pickup Hotline: 604.657.6561
• Describe exactly where the needle is located so it can be found easily
• If you prefer to email, the Needle Pick-up Email is: needlevan@phs.ca

The Community Pick-up Van will be there to recover and dispose of it safely. The hotline offers rapid needle recovery service 7 days a week, 20 hours a day, between 7am & 3am. 

The last time I found a needle in our neighbourhood was nearly two years ago, but it's worth saving the Needle Hotline number. Put it into your mobile phone now so you can call right away if needed. Here's hoping you won't find a discarded syringe in your travels, but until we have more needle exchanges, safe injection sites like InSite, supportive housing & all the other needed social programs to support drug users, this is the reality in Vancouver.

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We Saw Firsthand Where Our Water Comes From

Last weekend we went on a free guided tour of the Seymour Watershed, hosted by Metro Vancouver. It was specifically designed for families with a relaxed pace, not too much walking & lots of time for questions. Along the short hike, we used all our senses to experience the watershed: we stood silent for a minute & listened to the life around us, we touched soft leaves & learned which ones NOT to touch, we squeezed water out of a nurse log, we tasted licorice fern rhizome, we smelled the clean damp air of the forest.

Here are some photos from the day:

Learning where our water comes from.

The kids' first time on a school bus!

Playing while our guides Erica & Hanna told us about the reservoir.

"Flying" back to the school bus.

The view south from on top of the dam.

Checking out the salmon in the fish hatchery.

I've really missed the hiking trails of the North Shore!

Feeling the watershed with all my senses & all my toes.

Lower left: best bush toilet paper (thimbleberry). Upper right: rashes for days (devil's club)

Looking at the Seymour River.

A great place to skip rocks!

One tired toddler.

I think this kind of experience--actually seeing where our water comes from firsthand--is vital to teaching kids & even adults what an amazing natural gift we have in Metro Vancouver, why we really need to protect the watershed & conserve water.

The Seymour Watershed Tours for children are all booked up for the season, but there are still spaces available for the Coquitlam Watershed Tours. You can register for free here.

If you'd like more information on the Metro Vancouver Watershed Tours, visit their website for more details. 

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