Playborhood Oakville North

House on my pick for Playbourhood of the Year

2010-01-07T09:03:52-08:00

I sat down a while ago with the intention of writing an article about my pick for a Playbourhood of the Year award. I’m easily distracted I guess, because I never did get around to it. I did however write this little article about missed opportunities. And I promised not to let another one go by. So here you are. A house listing on a great Playbourhood street.

Lease a home in a great Playbourhood

2010-01-07T08:38:29-08:00

If you’re visiting this site, you obviously appreciate the value of living in a great neighbourhood that is play friendly. If you’re also in the market to live in one, why not check this out. This place is just down the street from where I live. It’s a great street with lots of families and lots of activity. I won’t try to sell you on the merits of the house, but I can tell you it’s a great area to live!

Vital Signs Stagnant

2009-10-13T06:15:13-08:00

Last week, the Oakville Community Foundation released it’s 2009 version of Vital Signs, a study that measures a number of important issues facing our community. It looks at things like health, culture, the environment, safety, learning and housing issues. The first significant results of the study were released last year and showed a few disturbing things that are important to young people in our town. If we consider those results as the baseline, then this year’s updates should provide us with an understanding of the trends and let us know where we need to focus our attention. Sadly, in my opinion, we’re not improving. And in fact, the OCF has chosen not to even highlight these imporant areas. I talked about them in this article. I hope as we move forward, things will improvem, not only in terms of the statistics, but also in what community leaders consider important. Remaining stagnant is not an option where our children are concerned. Read the entire report here.

The Message is Spreading

2009-10-13T05:50:48-08:00

I was thrilled to see the editorial in last week’s Oakville Today newspaper promoting the idea of holding street parties. The author, Michael Howie told a story about attending a nearby neighbourhood party held on Rushbrooke Drive in the the Glen Abbey area of North Oakville. He says that “the kids were running around (safely), the adults were laughing (without malice) and everyone was having a good time. The best part was that it brought an entire community together”. Isn’t that what Playbourhood is all about? Congratulations to the folks who planned and hosted the event. And thanks to Michael for telling the world about it in the newspaper.

Missed Opportunities

2009-10-05T05:40:56-08:00

The interesting thing about having a blog is that you need to spend time writing on a regualar basis in order to be relevant. The problem I have is that the reason I do this is to encourage people to spend more time with their kids, playing outside, connecting with their neighbours and generally having fun. Over the last while, I’ve been following my own advice and have been spending a little time on the former and a lot of time on the latter. Which has been great for me, and I trust, good for my kids. The problem, however, is that I’ve missed out on some great opportunities to write some great stories. Sorry about that. Or not… depending on how you look at it.
Anyway, the point about missing opportunities came to mind this morning as I was dropping my kids off at school and day care. I noticed a “for sale” sign in front of a home on Appalachain Drive. Actually, the sign said “sold”. One of the things I want to do with this site is offer people the opportunity to share stories about great places to live. When you find a genuine Playbourhood, it something to shout about, and Appalachain is one of those places. Located near Bronte and West Oak Trails in the north west end of Oavkille, the street runs between a park and the award-winning Captain R. Wilson Public School on one end and a seniors residence with a YMCA day care on the other. Just a block away is a corner store and a few other convenient shops and like most streets in the area, it is a short walk to the many nature trails that wind throught the area.

Although in real estate, they say that location, location, location is the key, I believe that there’s something even more special to consider. I walk, ride or drive down Appalachain almost every day, and I seldom do so without having to slow down and weave through the many kids playing on the street. Street hockey, skateboards, baseball, basketball, sidewalk chalk drawing, bike riding… you name it the kids in this neighbourhood are doing it almost every day. And what’s really encouraging is that there’s as many grown ups out there too, playing along or just standing around chatting with each other as the kids play around them. It’s a truly wonderful thing to see.

A house for sale in such a neighbourhood is an even more wonderful thing to see if you’re in the market and have a young family. I’m sorry I missed the opportunity to tell you about it sooner. I’ll try to be more observant and maybe with your help we can tell more of these stories in the future. Do you know about a great Playbourhood? Tell us about it. Better yet, tell us when there’s a house for sale there! What better neighbour can you have than somebody who wants LIVE and play in their neighbourhood.

Local Day Care and Nearby Schools

2009-07-06T06:36:00-08:00

Remember when we all walked down the street to school. Remember when “day care” meant you spent the day at a neighbour’s house a few doors down the street? My how times have changed. My son has just finished kindergarten and will be in school full time next September. For now, however, he attends a pre-school day care centre part-time along with my daughter who is there full-time and will be there until she too reaches grade one. Luckily, both the school and the day care centre are a short walk from our home and when we can, my wife or I or both, walk or ride bikes back and forth. What’s really amazing is how these nearby facilities have helped us build a stronger Playbourhood. Mike Lanza recently posted an article about how kids attending the same school can develope closer ties to their own community and neighbourhood.
While the school is a natural place for nearby kids to interact, the day care is a different setting. Working parents often travel great distances just to find space in a good daycare. And the decision is often based on convenience for the parents, rather than the benefits for the kids. We’ve been very lucky to find a wonderful day care with dedicated and passionate teachers. Kids are very social creatures. They make friends easily and develop relationships at the drop of a hat. My kids are no different and they come home every day with stories to tell about the fun they had with their friends. The development benefits for kids who have the opportunity to socialize are obvious and well documented.

But there’s another phenomenon to consider. The impact on kids from the same neighbourhood attending the same schools and day cares is an important consideration that parents need to look at when making a decision about where to send their kids. As Mike Lanza points out, there are all kinds of reasons for choosing a school or a day care - and, by extention, choosing a neighbourhood in which to raise your family. Some kids need more supports, some benefit from more structure while others thrive with less. Some families desire a religous setting. The list is endless and it all depends on your priorities. I suggest that when making those lists of pros and cons for which school or day care you want, you should also look at the advantages of going local.

If you’re interested in the Playbourhood philosphy, then you need to consider the nearby school and day care as an extention of the neighbourhood. While my family is lucky to be living on a street with families and kids who regularly interact, the impact of attending the same school and day care is clear. Some of our neighbour’s kids go to different schools and the ones who attend the same school are closer and play together more often. Kids of various ages, in different grades, have something in common (they know each other’s teachers, they play in the same school yard, take the same bus, attend the same events). It allows them to connect on a number of levels and in different settings. And it provides the parents with a common reference point, too!

A year ago, we hardly ever saw one of our neighbour’s kids. When we did, they were shy and hesitant. Then they started attending the same day care as a couple of the other families on the street. It seemed that overnight, that relationship changes. They kids started playing togehter at home in the yard, just as they would at the care centre. Parents would run into each other during drop off and pick up times and at special events. For everyone, kids and adults alike, there was a renewed connection and a stronger relationship.

Those close connections and opportunities to spend time together are what make Playbourhoods possible. Local schools. Local day care. Think about it.

Follow the Progress of the New Hospital in North Oakville

2009-06-29T06:02:53-08:00

Unless you’ve been asleep for the past year or so, you will know that the new Oakville Hospital will be located at the intersection of 3rd Line and Dundas in North Oakville. With the vast majority of our community’s population now residing north of the QEW, the move to have more direct access to medical facilities is a good one. And it will be even more important as Oakville continues to grow in the new areas north of Dundas. It’s an exciting project and you can follow it here at the official new hospital web site. You’ll also find a link over on the right.

Spring Thaw and Being Active

2009-04-15T09:18:34-08:00

Now that the weather is finally turning warm, it’s about time we all shake off the hibernation blahs and get outside. Around my Playbourhood the number of kids out on the street has certainly grown in the last few weeks and I’m thrilled by all the excitement. One of our neighbours is teaching his daughter how to ride her bike without training wheels. Kids are slowing down traffic with their pick up hockey games and several basketball nets have been moved to the curb. It’s a wonderful time to get outside and spend some quality time with the kids and the neighbours. And to encourage that healthy attitude, the folks at Today’s Parent magazine have a new contest going on. It’s called Every Minute Counts and you can find out more about it here. The idea is to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, but I’m sure they won’t mind if we suggest that it also helps to build great Playbourhoods, too. The contest has an educational element where you track the activities of your family members (walking the dog, doing yoga, or playing basketball at those curb-side nets I mentioned) for a week. The results can be quite enlightening. Then with that information in hand, you log onto the contest site and enter to win a great prize or two. Check it out here. Even if you don’t win, the benefits of being outside, helping to build your own neighbourhood connections are well worth the effort.

The Right Fix

2009-01-19T08:54:26-08:00

A recent article posted on the Toronto Star web site addresses a concern for school-aged children who don’t have access to “structured programs” in the hours between the dismissal bell and the dinner-time arrival of parents returning home from work. You can read the article here. This kind of story always catches my interest because it speaks directly to the kinds of things we talk about here at Playbourhood. The difficulty, of course, is reconciling our need to protect and nurture our children with our desire to just “let them be kids”. In other words, what is the problem we’re trying to fix, and are we fixing it right?
The necessity of protecting vulnerable kids is a key focus of the study discussed in the Star’s article. It points to research that “shows the hours between 3 and 6 p.m. are a high-risk period when untended kids are most likely to engage in delinquent behaviours, sexual activity or experimenting with drugs and alcohol. They are also more vulnerable to assault.”

When I read that, I wonder what the point really is. To me, it suggests that the desire isn’t to provide kids with opportunity; it’s to surround them with constant supervision. But at what cost? Should this really be the prime consideration? It all comes down to how you provide care.

The study report suggests that “access to safe, supervised and engaging programs can get kids off the screens and couches, and into physical activity and interaction. It can also be critical in helping children develop skills, self-esteem and relationships with peers and mentors.” And that’s a great thing. But where in this scenario is the freedom for kids to be kids? Looking at the recommendations of the study, put out by an organization called Middle Childhood Matters Coalition Toronto, the focus is on providing structured programming and what amounts to an extension of the school day until parents arrive home. The Coalition’s web site talks about the need for balance by requiring physical activities as part of the program, which is vital, but nowhere do they suggest that kids be allowed to just play. What’s being overlooked is that a genuine balance also requires that freedom.

The narrow focus of studies like this set us up to fix the wrong problem. Sure kids need to be safe in those vulnerable hours between school and home. But they also need to be allowed to grow as independent and self-confident individuals. While this study provides good information there are countless others that indicate that more programming will not make better kids. In fact, the opposite is true. There’s enough programming and structure in the classroom, at the hockey arena and during music lessons. What kids really need is the opportunity to put away all that structure for a while and just be kids.

I’m all for creating a safe and secure environment for our kids. But please, let’s do it the right way.

You get what you pay for…

2008-12-30T09:38:29-08:00

It’s an adage that we’ve all heard countless times. But what happens when the amount you pay is nothing but a smile, a kind word, a simple gesture? Recently, I experienced two different events that highlight the differences between these two concepts.
Not long ago, our family had the pleasure of taking a weekend getaway. A friend lent us their condo at Blue Mountain. Although the kids are too young to enjoy the skiing, we still had a blast tobogganing on the hills of the snow-covered golf course outside the back door. Then we warmed up by playing games and reading stories in front of the fireplace. It was a much needed break for my wife and I – we both had been very busy at work over the past little while. On our way home, we checked our voice mail and discovered to our horror that the security company that monitors our home had called to let us know there had been an alarm. Thankfully, it was nothing more than a false alarm (maybe a power surge?). But what was truly disturbing was that the expensive service we pay for was not followed up properly. The police were not dispatched to check our house, phone records were incorrect, our emergency contact list ignored and customer service reps couldn’t answer our questions. Needless to say, we were not very impressed by the value we received for our money.

Contrast that story to one that happened just a few days ago. Leading up to the Christmas holidays, we had a series of snow storms and foul weather in our part of the world. When I got the car stuck in a snow drift picking up the kids from school, a complete stranger came out of his warm house, braving the blizzard conditions to help me dig out and get home safely. My next door neighbor got her car stuck at the end of her driveway, so I helped her dig through the foot of snow to get her car into the garage. Returning the favour, her husband came and shoveled out the end of my driveway after the snow plough went by – a fact I only discovered hours later when I went out to do it myself. He never asked or told me about it, and only admitted his good deed when pressed to confess. And, just a couple of days ago, another neighbor ventured out into a terrible wind storm to secure items on our front porch while we were away for the holidays.

It’s these sorts of gestures and goodwill that make for good neighbor. It didn’t cost us a thing, but it is invaluable. I am fortunate to live in a wonderful neighbourhood where people care about and look out for each other. For them, I wish a wonderful and happy new year. I’ll do my best to return the favour.