The Label Game
Understanding the Labels we Give People
We label people.
He’s the tall one.
She talks all the time.
He’s a bully.
She’s never had an original thought.
Sometimes we don’t even realize that we are labeling people. And, we don’t see how we treat people based on these labels.
Perhaps the girl who asked one “stupid” question in class gets labelled as always asking stupid questions and is never given another chance to redeem herself.
We live with labels. Whether right or wrong, it’s how we make sense of the world.
There is no better way to demonstrate the impact of labels than with the Label Game.
This is an activity we used to do in Girl Guides, and I have used many times since in group work at school or running workshops, or teaching Sunday school.
Who to play the label game with
This activity works best with youth aged 12 and older, or with adults. You need to have a sense of self and awareness of how we treat others. Otherwise, it all ends up being silly and the point is lost.
How to play the label game
Before the activity, figure out approximately how many people are going to be there. This activity works best in small groups of 4 to 10 people. If you have more than this, divide the class into smaller groups (no fewer than 4 people).
Make up sticky labels with a different instruction on each. (see below). If you are using multiple groups in one room, it is a good idea to make sure there are different labels in different groups. Otherwise, participants will look for the answers in the other groups.
Examples of Labels
Agree with me
Disagree with me
Ignore me
Compliment me
Criticize me
Interrupt me
Boss me around
Explain everything to me
Ask me my opinion
Put a label on the forehead of each participant. Do not let them see what it says.
Have a discussion
Create a discussion topic for the group. This could be about anything! What to take on a trip, what items you need to survive on a deserted island, where to go for a class trip – anything!
Make sure there is chart paper for someone to take notes.
How to play
As soon as the labels are all affixed, start the discussion. As the leader, explain to the group that they must treat everyone according to the instruction on the label.
Have the group pick a person to record the discussion notes.
As the leader, you may need to model how to treat each person in the group. Also, find ways to make sure that everyone participates, and therefore can feel the result of the label.
Wrap up
After 20 minutes, or when the discussion has reached its climax, or the participants are frustrated, end the discussion.
Go around the room asking people what they think their label said. Most people will have figured it out quite easily. (Hence the need for different labels on people in different groups in the same room).
Ask each person how they felt about having that label.
The real discussion
This is when the real discussion happens – when the labels come off. The conversations, especially with teenagers, are mind blowing.
We talked about how it felt to be treated consistently the same way – especially when they didn’t deserve it.
Even those who had the positive labels (agree with me, compliment me) were afraid to talk, because they felt that they had done nothing for the praise, and they felt uncomfortable and so much pressure!
The ones being criticized or ignored, just stopped talking.
It was a fascinating experience for everyone.
We talked about how labels are used in school, what we see in the classroom, and how we can avoid it.
If you are looking for a way to start some really interesting conversations especially with youth or young adults, then definitely try the label game!
If you have any questions on how to play, email info@valleyfamilyfun.ca.
What other labels could you use?
I would love to hear about your experiences with the activity!
Hiking Cape Split with Kids
Hiking Cape Split with Kids
Cape Split is one of those quintessential Valley Hikes to do at least once in your lifetime.
I remember doing it several times in elementary school, then with friends in high school. The last time we hiked it, Daniel, my first born, was 6 weeks old, so we could carry him in the snuggly.
But, we had yet to attempt it with our boys (7,9).
For one thing I was terrified of the end – the sheer cliffs and the drops. They aren’t great listeners, and they have no fear. Many people, and dogs, had died by falling off the edge!
It’s the same reason I haven’t taken them to Peggy’s Cove. I’m scared.
Ok, I was scared of the constant complaining that usually happens on hikes, too. And attempting a 16km hike would test all of our limits.
But, on a beautiful day in November, we decided to risk it and take the kids, and one of their friends, to hike Cape Split.
It was one of the best days we have had in a long time!
A bit of information from Tourism Nova Scotia
The website says Cape Split Provincial Park Reserve is a 447 ha natural environment park located in Scots Bay, Kings County. The park is considered a provincially significant coastal landmark overlooking the Bay of Fundy and is a popular hiking spot. In addition to hiking, the park offers picnicking and opportunities to view wildlife and the impressive action of the Bay of Fundy tide. In 2013 a new parking area was opened. Vault toilets are provided, at the trailhead only.
The current trail is approximately 8 km (5 mi.) one way, with a return travel time of four to five hours. Users are advised to stay on the trail, wear sturdy footwear and layered clothing, and carry plenty of drinking water. This is a day-use park, operating on pack-in/pack-out principles. No camping is permitted.
Tips for Hiking Cape Split with Kids
1. Warn the kids. Tell them that it’s going to be a long day. Don’t tell them too much, as you don’t want the complaining to start too soon! But, let them know that this is a day’s journey.
2. Wear proper footwear. The trail is always wet. Wear hiking boots or waterproof boots. Sneakers really don’t cut it.
3. Bring lots of snacks. One mom told me that she brought lots of hard candy to dole out along the way. Bribery works every time.
4. Play games and do activities. Earlier, I wrote a blog post about activities to keep kids busy while hiking. I drew upon most of these!
We sang a lot of songs – making up funny rhymes with people’s names in the “Quarter Master Store”.
We played alphabet games – find a boy’s name that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
We played 20 questions.
We played I Spy.
The kids even made up their own story games and activities.
You wouldn’t believe how quickly the time went by just playing games!
5. Tell them about the hills. On the way out to the end it is a lot of uphill walking. This caused a lot of groaning. Remind them that this means it’s downhill on the way back!
The kids wanted me to let every other kid know that once you reach the really gigantic hill (trust us, you’ll know when you get there) there are only two more small hills after that. And, on the way back, when you reach the bottom of this hill, there are only about 15 more minutes!
6. Stay away from the edge. My kids aren’t great listeners, but when we talked about erosion and how there might not be land underneath supporting it, they understood. We talked about not going near the edge, and only going with an adult to venture on any paths.
We took each child by the hand to give them a tour and show them the views. They were so in awe that they did exactly as they were told!
7. Stay on the path. When you are almost at the end, there are parts where the cliff’s edge is right there. Stay on the path, and you will be fine. In most of the areas there was a giant log blocking the way to the edge. If you are really worried, make sure an adult is first. Stick on the path and you’ll be fined.
The path is marked by yellow ribbons. Don’t venture off. Don’t go down to the beach and tray to walk around unless you know EXACTLY what you are doing. Don’t risk it with the kids. Set a good example.
8. It’s cold at the end. No matter how hot it is at the trail head, it is cold and windy at the end. Dress in layers.
9. Bring a friend. We had the kids bring a friend a long for the hike. This gave them someone new to play with, and someone who would be more apt to listen to our safety messages! This was one of the biggest secrets to the success of our hike!
10. Listen for nature. We heard an owl calling and lots of birds.
11. It’s totally worth it!
When you get to the end of the split, the view is incredible, and never grows old.
Bring a picnic and have a snack and a rest at the end. Enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature!
Tell the kids the tales of Glooscap.
The name Cape Split is based on the fact that the end or tip of the cape is split or separated from the rest of the cape.
According to one Mi’kmaq legend, the Minas Basin was originally the beaver pond of the man-god Glooscap, who lived on Cape Blomidon at the base of Cape Split. Glooscap became angry with the giant beaver for mocking his magical power by building a dam and flooding the people’s lands.
Glooscap, enraged, the rock with an axe, breaking the beaver’s dam, thus allowing seawater to flood in. As the waters receded, Glooscap spotted Beaver hiding near
the far shore. Quickly he picked up huge clods of Mud and stone and threw them at his enemy. The wily Beaver escaped but these stones landed in the water and are known even now as the Five Islands.
The best part of the day was the kids’ reaction to the hike.
They were incredibly proud of themselves!
“I walked 16 kilometers, or 10 miles!”
They couldn’t believe that they had done it. We couldn’t believe there was so little complaining!
With a 7-year old, 2 9-year olds, an old dog, and two parents, we walked out in 1hour35 minutes. On the way back it took us 1hour 45minutes because we were slowing down as we were tired.
The entire round trip, including picnic, took us 3h45 minutes.
Hiking with a Dog
Lots of people hike out to Cape Split with a dog. Be sure to keep them away from the edge of the cliffs, too, as many a dog has died or had to be rescued out there! Also, another man warned us that there were lots of porcupines in the woods. His dog had to be carried the last 4km out of the trail because it’s mouth was full of quills!
The kids said it was a great day, and actually really enjoyed it. Probably because they were so proud of themselves.
“I feel so much stronger after that hike!”
“My body is stronger, my legs are stronger, my heart is stronger,” they said.
I added, and our relationships are stronger.
The next day, we asked Daniel (9) to do something rather difficult. He looked at us, and in all seriousness said,
“Don’t worry! I can do that! I hiked Cape Split!”
Bigelow Trail, Canning
Bigelow Nature Trail, Canning
If you are looking for an easy family walking in all seasons then head to the Bigelow Trail in Canning!
Located behind Glooscap Elementary School on the J. Jordan Road, this is an easy, flat trail good for all ages, dogs and strollers.
When we went to explore the trail on a fall afternoon, we parked in the parking lot below the school and headed past the football field to the back towards the woods.
You will first come across an outdoor fitness centre. This is always a big hit with all ages!
The trail is a loop with several bridges across the centre.
Behind the gym equipment, we took the trail to the left (not straight) and looped around until we were behind NKEC high school, and then ended up behind Glooscap Elementary School.
We walked back through the playground (for some added play time), through the field and back to the car.
This loop took us about 15- 20 minutes to complete.
According to the Advertiser, the trail, built with accessibility in mind, meanders through fields, wooded areas and the village, ending at Bruce Spicer Park. The approximately seven kilometres of trail extends from the Northeast Kings Education Centre (NKEC) property to Bruce Spicer Park.
However, we did not see a trail that connected to the rest of the town, and I didn’t even know that there was one! So, the next time we go back, we will look for this added piece!
This trail would also be perfect for snowshoeing in the winter!
How to get there
Directions to the Trail: From Highway 101, take Exit 11 and head North on the Greenwich Connector / Highway 358. Continue through the lights (still on highway 358) and pass through the community of Port Williams. Stay on Highway 358 until you come into Canning. Turn left at the junction of Highway 358 and Highway 221 – you are now on Highway 221.
As you travel along Highway 221 take the first road on your right (J.Jordan Road). The Bigelow Nature Trail is located at 969 J. Jordan Road – on the left (adjacent to the football field where the old Cornwallis High School used to be).
If you pass the Glooscap Elementary School or the Glooscap Arena, you have gone too far.
Remembrance Day Activities for Kids
Remembrance Day Scavenger Hunt
It is important to teach our kids about Remembrance Day. There are a couple of ways that kids can be active participants.
1. Remembrance Day service: Take the children to a Remembrance Day service. There are many that happen all across the Valley. Visit Valley Events or the Valley Family Fun Calendar to find a service near you.
2. Walk in a graveyard: Most graveyards have a war memorial section. Walk through, reading the names, and finding out what wars they fought in.
3. Grave rubbings: While in a graveyard, take some paper and crayons and rub over the writing with the side of a crayon so the impression goes on the paper. Talk about what you see. Be careful with the headstones!
4. Read a book. The library has a lot of children’s books that speak to Remembrance Day. Start with A Poppy is to Remember by Heather Patterson, illustrated by our Valley’s own Ron Lightburn of Pumpkin People fame.
5. Do a craft. I have lots of Remembrance Day activities and crafts on my Pinterest board.
6. Scavenger hunt: This year, to get the boys engaged, I created a search and find war monument hunt.
This website lists all the monuments and historical plaques by county.
I looked up Kings County and extracted the ones that are war memorials and created a list.
Avonport: Located at the intersection of Oak Island Road with West Brooklyn Road (view point park)
Berwick: Located on the north side of Main Street in front of the Legion
Brow of Mountain: Located on Brow Mountain Road, about 4km north from Centreville (flight crash site)
Canning: Located in the intersection of Main Street (Highway 221) and North Avenue (Highway 358)
This is believed to be the second oldest military monument in Nova Scotia.
AND
Located on the south side of Main Street (Highway 221) adjacent to the Post Office
AND
Located on the south side of Main Street (Highway 221) at the Pleasant Street intersection
Kentville; Located at 37 River Street at the Legion
AND
Located on the north side of Park Street (Highway 1), at Denison Avenue Kentville Memorial Park
AND bench and sundial in front of Kings County Municipality
Kingston: Located on the east side of Marshall Road about 40m north from Highway One
CFB Greenwood was established in 1942 as a Royal Air Force Station
as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).
The BCATP was a plan to expand all Commonwealth air forces.
Greenwood was used as a training base during WW2.
Port Williams: Behind the community centre.
Sheffield Mills: Located at Sheffield Mills Community Hall, #98 Black Hole Road
Wolfville; Acadia War Memorial Gymnasium Located at 550 Main Street (Highway 1)
AND
Located on the south side of Main Street (Highway 1) in front of the Post Office
How to play
I will make a driving route with those that are the closest to our house, and we will spend the afternoon driving around to each of them and filling out this chart.
In the design section, the younger kids drew a picture of the shape of the monument, where my oldest son wrote down what symbols were found on the monument. We adapted it for everyone based on how much they could write, as well.
Everyone participated in the activity and understood why we were looking at the monuments.
“By looking at their names, it makes them remembered,” they said.
Upload the Remembrance Day Scavenger Hunt here
Because this chart is very basic, you could apply it to the area where you live!
We will go after lunch so that we don’t disturb any ceremonies that might be happening at the memorial.
7. Research war graves through Veterans Canada.
We visited our local graveyard, and took some pictures of some of the war gravestones.
We then came home and looked up the names on the Canadian War Dead website.
We wanted to learn more about these soldiers. Who were they? What did they do during the war?
We found a few! Here is an example. Click on the gravestone to learn more.
This was a great way to make these soldiers remembered and to keep them alive!
How do you honour Remembrance Day with your children?
Creating Valley Family Fun
Creating Valley Family Fun
As you probably have seen by now, the Valley Family Fun website has gone through a complete overhaul in the past month!
This has been quite the journey at the process. Let me tell you.
Seriously, let me tell you!
Valley Family Fun began during the winter of 2011. I was constantly getting calls and emails from friends and family members asking what they could do over the holidays with their kids.
I listed off a host of suggestions.
How do you know?
I just know! I like to know what’s going on in the area. Maybe that’s the event planner and organizer in me!
Finally, my sister-in-law said to me, “Why don’t you put it on a website?”
So, over Christmas break my sister Sharon, who builds websites as a hobby, sat down and created the first version of Valley Family Fun using html code in DreamWeaver.
I then launched the site on my own Facebook page, adding my friends, who then in turn added theirs.
Valley Family Fun has grown exponentially since then. It now has over 6,000 followers from across the Valley, South Shore, HRM and beyond!
This all happened beyond my wildest dreams.
Since the launch of Valley Family Fun in 2012, Valley Family Fun has gone through several face lifts. A few years ago, we moved the site into a CMS (Content management system) in Concrete 5 with a template to make it easier to update and add information.
Then, in 2014, I started the blog section of the Valley Family Fun. The current system wasn’t built for a blog-style website, so it became clunky and cumbersome.
That’s when in the fall of 2015 one of my best girlfriends, Raina, who owns her own business, Windrose Web Design volunteered to design a whole new website for me!
One that would be in WordPress and be able to handle the blog, but also one that would be clean, crisp and frankly more professional!
This was way beyond my ability and I knew that I would never be able to do it on my own.
In just a week, Windrose Web Design had created the brand new website that you see today, along with a fresh logo! I cried the first time I saw it. It was better than I could have ever imagined.
Learning WordPress is getting easier, too. I am a dinosaur when it comes to learning technology. I don’t even have a cell phone, and I don’t know how to text!
All the information was able to be uploaded from the old site, except for the blog.
I had to manually copy each of the 250 blog posts and all the pictures. This nearly killed me.
I often thought I would rather throw myself in front of a train or off a cliff than copy one more blog post. But, after 4 days of working from early morning to past midnight, it was done, and I haven’t lost any information!
Besides Raina at Windrose Web Design, I also had the help of some other amazing friends.
I belong to a group called Refresh Annapolis Valley. Refresh is a community of designers, developers, and innovators working to refresh the creative, technical, and professional culture of New Media endeavors in the Annapolis Valley while promoting design, technology, usability, and standards.
Basically, it’s a group of tech-oriented people who get together once a month to hear a guest speaker on a different tech topic.
If it’s not too techy, I go. Sometimes I’m the guest speaker talking to tech people as someone who uses the techie products.
It’s an awesome group and the people work as a team to support each other’s projects.
I know this first hand.
Through Refresh, I met Mike who has been a savior to me.
When I asked him how to find HTML code so that people could search my Google calendar, he said he’d write it for me!
He wrote it, installed it, and fixed it on the new site.
I pay him in cookies.
I’ve paid quite a few people in Refresh with cookies. When I have a question of how to set something up, they never hesitate to help me.
Like Sandy. He works for WordPress and volunteered to sit down with me to answer my long list of questions of … how do I do this in WordPress? How do I change that?
He never batted an eye or hesitated to help me.
Through Valley Family Fun I have met so many great families. I’ve connected with people across the Valley, formed relationships and shared so much family fun.
But, I just wanted to share what happens behind the scenes. I am a one-person show.
I do words. I don’t do tech.
So, to have a team to support me, and to know I can succeed because I have them, means the world to me!
So, thank you to everyone who has helped me on my journey.
Raina, Mike, Sandy, James, Scott, Darcy, Steve, Sharon, David and so many more of my behind the scenes network.
I couldn’t have done it without you.
And, I couldn’t have done it without YOU following Valley Family Fun!
THANK YOU!
**Pictures are courtesy of the Centre for Organizational Research and Development (COR&D) at Acadia University where I used to work. They were taken by the amazing Heather Rushton of Twin Bridges Photography.
Salt Water Taffy
Salt Water Taffy
On one of our visits to the Ross Farm Museum, they were making pulled taffy. The kids loved it so much they wanted to go home and try it.
Here is their recipe.
It makes a huge batch, so I pulled one out of my recipe box.
This is a recipe that I got from a friend in high school. It is the stick-to-your teeth, clamp-your-jaw shut kind of taffy, so please don’t eat it if you have any dental work!
But, it’s a lot of fun to try together.
This recipe makes a giant bag of candy. I would recommend halving the recipe.
It would have been a lot easier to make had I had a candy thermometer, but you can do it without.
Salt Water Taffy
2 C sugar
1 C corn syrup
1 ½ C water
1 ½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
¼ tsp peppermint oil
7 drops of food colouring
Combine sugar, syrup, water and salt in a pot.
Cook slowly stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
Continue to cook until hard-ball stage (260degrees) without stirring.
This is where a candy thermometer would have been very helpful! However, it’s not essential.
I had to look up what a hard-ball stage was.
The internet says: This stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If hard-ball stage has been reached, the syrup will hold its ball shape and deform only slightly with very firm pressure.
This took a really long time. Maybe about 45 minutes! I kept trying it in the water, hoping I’d get it right.
I did.
Remvoe from heat
Stir in butter, flavouring and food colouring.
Pour onto a greased cookie sheet.
Cool until comfortable to handle.
Butter hands and gather taffy into a ball
and pull.
When candy is light in colour and gets hard to pull, cut it in fourths.
Pull each piece into long strands about ½ thick.
I found that if you did not do this stage quickly, it hardened and was impossible to cut.
With greased scissors, quickly snip taffy in bite-sized pieces.
Wrap each piece in wax paper.
Make 1 ¼ pounds of candy.
Enjoy!
