While the statistics are alarming, families have more power to create change than we think. — This morning as I watched 6-year old Little Grey Lamb lick the peanut butter and jam off his toast, I knew the fate of that bread: although I consume many kid leftovers, there was no way I’d put that slobbery mess in my mouth or in soup stock, and we’re…

Xena Szkotak is walking cross-country for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit people. — On February 24, 2021, Xena Szkotak started walking the 7,821 kilometres from Victoria, BC, to St. John’s, NL, along the Trans-Canada Highway. The 25-year-old, who has Indigenous heritage but was raised by her Polish parents in Edmonton, has hiked through sleet, snow, and rain to increase awareness about missing and…

How repairing my kids’ clothes has helped me get through this challenging year. — Last February, I invited a group of friends over to mend clothing and drink tea. While the snow fell outside, we gushed over thread colours, shared techniques, and admired one another’s handiwork. I repurposed an old (unused) diaper liner into a patch for jeans. My friend Gisele showed us how…

Ecosystems have a lot to teach us about how connection builds resilience. — When my kids crawled into my bed this morning, they felt feral and fragile; we became foxes denning from a storm, and only unfurled when the wrestling began. The wilder ways of this time in general are comforting, as we explore the land, plant seeds, and watch robins. …

Narrative therapist and community organizer Tiffany Sostar, on moving beyond the impossible by reading and writing science fiction Tiffany Sostar looks perfectly at home in Calgary’s Central Library; classic and edgy, they both seem to have one foot in a magical antiquity that never was, and the other in a…

Whether the disaster’s on your doorstep or in the daily news, experts say parents can help kids cope. — The smoke came overnight, like a bad dream you try to rub from your eyes only to find it isn’t a dream at all. …

By giving our kids the opportunity to feel at home on the land, we might also be giving the land a new generation of protectors. — “Children aren’t playing in the garden anymore; instead they’re filling in bubbles on worksheets. In the face of this indoor-ification, a cultural and educational movement is emerging — focused on new approaches to nature-based education.” — author and educator David Sobel