A Cottage restoration update–the foundation is complete and the Cottage is back on solid ground! Kate and I popped by many times, checking on its progress and little by little, all the work to build the proper foundation was done with care and precision. I am always in awe of the expertise it takes to…Continue reading
Author Archives: Terra Nova Nature School
Our First Family Planting Day
The idea behind our family planting day was simple– we envisioned a gathering of children and adults participating in a healthy activity in the beautiful outdoors! We also hoped to begin to create a sense of community; a slow process that takes time, commitment and trust. Kate, Ian and I planned out the day to include refreshing…Continue reading
A Bird’s Eye View
As part of the building restoration, the foundation needs to be re-done and although we had been anticipating this stage for the past while, the moment of viewing the Cottage on ‘stilts’ was nothing short of extraordinary.Many thoughts flashed through my mind at that moment and when Kate and I chatted about it, it was…Continue reading
An Earth Day Celebration
In recognition of Earth Day, the Thompson Community Centre team, in partnership with the City of Richmond, organized a tree planting day. The trees were planted along the newly constructed Railway Avenue Corridor. The Railway Greenway path has gained lots of popularity as children and parents can walk and bike along an otherwise busy street. I myself…Continue reading
Let the Restoration Begin!
With much anticipation, the work has begun on the Edwardian Cottage. In order to prepare to lift the house so the foundation can be re-done, some shrubs were cleared and the land around the house was excavated. These are the beginning stages of the renovation and although they are not extraordinary in any particular way, they…Continue reading
Steveston Insider
Nature Nurtures Spring has arrived, and with the season of rebirth comes more frequent sightings of one of my favourite fine-feathered friends, the robin. Much to my children’s dismay, I will burst into the song “Robin in the Rain” when I see a “saucy fellow” skittering about on “its nimble feet” like a wind up…Continue reading
The Building of the Play Experience Continues
A First for Everything
A cliche– there is a first for everything. I had a moment the other day when I started to think about the many firsts I have experienced in my life. Many I can remember with clarity and certainty; defining moments. But there are many that have just faded into a normal state of being or…Continue reading
Richmond News
Nature Preschool Set To Hatch (Video) Nesting owls, grazing geese, and soaring eagles are set to take the place of building blocks and crayons at Richmond’s newest, outdoor activity-based preschool. The Thompson Community Association, Richmond Schoolyard Society, and the City of Richmond have partnered to create Richmond’s first not-for-profit nature preschool – the Terra Nova…Continue reading
Richmond Review
Childcare With A Breath of Fresh Air (Pages 1 and 6) Richmond’s first outdoor-based preschool to open in Terra Nova. Preschool is about to get a breath of fresh air in Richmond. Starting this fall, Nature Preschool, Richmond’s first outdoor-based childcare program, will open at Terra Nova Rural Park. Taking a step back from technological…Continue reading
The Building of the Play Experience: Creating an Adventure Area
As I walked along the path last week in Terra Nova Park, my eyes gazing into the far distance, I spotted something new. Something large, something that had not been there before. It was in the area where the new Play Experience is being built. I quickened my pace, eager to see what was there.Logs–many…Continue reading
A Visit to the Edwardian Cottage
It was a blustery, chilly afternoon when the Board members of Thompson Community Association and the Richmond Schoolyard Society ventured out to have a look at the inside of the Edwardian Cottage. Many of them had not been out to the site yet so Kate and I were excited to share this special and unique…Continue reading
The Edwardian Cottage
Emily Vera (she/her) / Program Coordinator
Early Childhood Education Certificate, Special Needs Certifcate, Bachelor of Fine Arts
Emily grew up in equal parts city and country until settling out West, bringing with her a passion for the culture and arts of urban life and simultaneously enraptured with the stillness and magic of the natural world. Emily holds a Bachelors in Theatre Performance from Concordia University in Montreal and has worked as an…Continue reading
Kate Dawson (she/her) / Program Coordinator
Early Childhood Education Certificate, Bachelor of Education
Kate spent her childhood catching frogs, digging for clay, and building snow forts in the prairie grasslands of Saskatchewan, where her empathy and appreciation for Indigenous culture was nurtured by the hoop dancing, drumming, and beadwork of the Cree peoples. Social history and geography continue to be among her passions. Kate brings a wealth of…Continue reading