FALL 2020
westcoast
families IN THIS ISSUE 8 10 16 18 21
Back to School Anxiety Back to School: Teaching During Covid-19 Prepping for a Puppy Electric Cars: As Main Family Car BC's Best Bike Trips
Publisher & Managing Editor Andrea Vance editor@westcoastfamilies.com
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Editor Bianca Bujan bianca@westcoastfamilies.com
Contributors Alyssa Bauman Bianca Bujan Jen Murtagh Connie Peters Krystle Sivorot Andrea Vance
Contributing Editor Jodi Iverson jodi@westcoastfamilies.com Art Director & Layout Kristy Hill studio@westcoastfamilies.com Administration Jennifer Bruyns admin@westcoastfamilies.com Accounts Receivable & Payable finance@westcoastfamilies.com
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FROM OUR TO YOURS I can still remember my first day of high school, slipping into my brand new back-to-school outfit, brushing my brace-covered teeth and smiling into the mirror nervously as I applied my clear lip gloss. I was so nervous about navigating my way through a new school, worried about finding my classes, where my locker would be, and if I’d make new friends. This year, as my oldest daughter faces her first day of high school, I’m saddened by the shift she’ll see as she enters her new school. Because on top of the nervousness she’ll experience around starting this new stage in life, she’ll have to deal with the added stresses of doing so during a pandemic. For her, high school won’t just mean new hallways, classrooms, teachers, and friends, but new protocols, face masks, and concerns that I never had to experience. And my other kids, who will be entering grade 1 and grade 5 will be facing the same changes as well. For both our children and ourselves, the uncertainty around returning to school can cause a lot of anxiety. To help ease anxiety in kids, we asked Krystle Sivorot of Harbourside Family Counselling to share a few tips with us on how to help our kids cope with back-to-school anxiety. And it’s not just the parents and kids who are struggling with the looming changes, teachers, too are faced with challenges as they attempt to adjust to a “new normal” in the classroom. To get a better sense of the teachers’ perspective, we spoke to four teachers who shared their personal experiences as they simultaneously opened up their classrooms while continuing to teach online, and how that impacted their own lives and professional responsibilities. Because back-to-school means back to the tedious lunch-making routine, Alyssa Bauman of Nourished.ca shares some easy-to-make lunch and snack recipes to keep our kids healthy and fuelled up as they head into fall. And for those of you who will be looking for a little weekend escape, we share some of BC’s best biking trails. Plus, how to prep for a new puppy, what you need to know about adding an electric vehicle as your main family car, and more. Wishing you all a safe and stress-free September,
Editor
