Katsi

Hi,

I am moving out to Vancouver Island mid March 2008 with my husband and two children, my son who will be by then 3 years old and my daughter who will be 10 months. We plan to go to Victoria initally until we find where we would like to settle.

I am currently a full time mum, a job which I know can be isolating at times and I am very aware how important it will be for me to get out to various parent groups, music groups etc... with my children if we are going to settle well in Canada.

Therefore I wondered if there were any parents already living there with children of a similar age who might been able to provide me with information on groups and activities which my children and I might be able to get involved in when arrive so that we can intergrate and make new friends? ALso are there any canadian websites for mothers like there are here in the UK?

Any info you can give me would so apprecaited.


Thanks

hot wasabi peas

I'm not a parent, though I live in Victoria. There is a popular free magazine called 'Island Parent' - http://www.islandparent.ca/ I see people with kids picking up that magazine all the time (and even people who don't have kids, like me, read it as there is a lot of local info in it) and it's been around since as long as I can remember.

The magazine also has an hour on a local radio station: http://www.village900.com/schedule.shtml - it's streams over the net so it you time it right you could have a listen.

Also - although I suspect 'Island Parent' already includes this advice, be sure to check out various community associations: James Bay, Fairfield, Oak Bay, etc... for instance, where I live, Fairfield: http://www.fairfieldcommunity.ca/ has various events and programs for kids and adults. See here for various communities in Victoria: http://www.victoria.ca/residents/community.shtml

Judy in Calgary

It looks as if HWP has given you good info.

Still, I did want to see if Victoria had a chapter of Parents and Children Together (PACT). This was a playgroup in which my children and I participated in Calgary when they were young, and I feel they and I got a lot out of it.

I didn't find PACT in Victoria. But, in doing that search, I found Kids In Victoria. That website, in turn, provides a link to a Playgroup Forum.

There are many BE Wiki articles that you may find helpful. The ones that spring immediately to mind are:
Hope that helps.

maddhobs

Hi Katsi, we live on Vancouver Island, in the Cowichan Valley and love living here. Our kids are teenagers now so we are unable to offer our own personal recommendations.

A few links that may be useful are Stay At Home Moms Victoria http://sahm.meetup.com/cities/ca/bc/...chapter=closed Playgroups In Greater Victoria http://www.ambrosiacouture.com/Playgroups.htm Victoria Baby Hiking Group http://parents.meetup.com/441/?gj=sj6 Victoria Newcomers Club http://www.newcomersclub.com/Canada/bc.html#Victoria and for place to visit Beacon Hill Petting Zoo http://www.beaconhillpark.ca/childrenspark/index.html

Hope these are useful for you

Katsi

Thank you all so much for the great links. You given me lots of useful information, I really apprecaite it.

I will have no excuse now not to get out and about with my little ones and meet people.

Thank you for taking the time to help me out.

All the best