Latest news with #familyadventure
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Three-year-old astonishes parents by completing the Grouse Grind with them
Vinu Wesley and Subhashree Kannan pose with their son Valluvan atop the Grouse Grind on July 20, 2025. Outdoor enthusiasts Vinu Wesley and Subhashree Kannan were excited to introduce their three-year-old son Valluvan to the Grouse Grind, a gruelling 2.9-kilometre uphill hike in North Vancouver comprised of 2,830 steps. Valluvan is an energetic and determined little boy who loves the outdoors, so they thought he would enjoy the challenge. But they didn't expect the pint-sized climber would make it very far when they started the trek on Sunday. 'We just thought, just head up and do 25 per cent of the Grind – one quarter – and then bring him back,' said Wesley. But when they got to the quarter marker, Valluvan wanted to keep going. His mom was skeptical, but the family continued to climb. 'We thought let's go to the half mark and check, and probably we come back. By the time he was half mark, he didn't even want to sit. I was so astonished seeing that,' Kannan said. Wesley sat his son down at the halfway marker, explained how hard it would be to continue all the way to the top of Grouse Mountain, and offered him a choice: Go back down, or keep climbing. Valluvan didn't hesitate. He was all in. Soon other climbers started to take notice. 'A lot of people were very impressed, they were all stopping by giving him high fives,' said Wesley. 'He saw people coming and everyone was motivating him – 'Good job, go ahead.' He's like, 'Oh yeah, let's go, let's go,'' said Kannan. They took the second half of the climb very slowly, and the family finished the Grind in just over two hours. 'He pushed himself, and we just actually tagged along with him,' said Valluvan's mom. 'It was an amazing experience, I couldn't describe it. We were so proud as parents,' said his dad. He looked online to see if Grouse kept records of the youngest climbers, but he couldn't find any information. 'Possibly he's the youngest to do it, I don't know,' Wesley said. Valluvan's parents know most three-year-olds aren't cut out for the Grouse Grind, and they were prepared to end the climb at any point. 'One thing I would say is trust your kid,' said Kannan. 'Trust your kid, and try to explore options what you have not done.' 'We think kids can't do much, but that's not true. They are very resilient, they are very focused, and they can push their limits,' said Wesley. Valluvan turns four next month, and is eager to keep climbing. 'I think our aim is to do Garibaldi at some point, but again we want to take him at his own pace, see how he does,' said Wesley. Valluvan's mom believes if you don't have preconceived notions of what a child can do, 'You never know, something amazing can turn out like this.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
I'm raising my toddler on a desert island… he loves daily swims & crab hunting, but it's not easy when he's sick
WALKING along the island's crystal-clear shoreline, my partner Heinrich and I smiled as our two year old excitedly pointed to a blue starfish. But we weren't on holiday – we were enjoying our morning walk, because we are the only residents of One Tree Island in the Pacific Ocean, where we're raising our son Lukas. 4 In October 2019, Heinrich and I moved here after a friend sent us details of two job vacancies for research station managers to host visiting researchers. I'd grown up near the coast in Australia and had a degree in marine biology, while Heinrich had worked as a free diver on a remote island, so we were excited to learn we'd both been successful in our interviews. When we arrived, I was blown away by the beauty. Surrounded by clear ocean, 100km from the mainland and 20km from the nearest island, it felt like our own paradise. We'd been working in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga on boats, so it was great to have more space to explore nature and not feel so confined. But when the Covid pandemic struck a few months later, it felt very isolating. We had to go six weeks without a food delivery, and while we were prepared so didn't go hungry, I was craving texture after weeks of eating frozen fruit and veg. Then, in 2021, our island life was left in jeopardy when I became pregnant, as children weren't then allowed to live on One Tree. UK's loneliest school on remote island offers free accommodation & £41k salary - but you have a long way to get there Luckily, The University of Sydney, which manages the station, put a child policy in place. So, we left the island to give birth and returned with our baby three months later. We questioned if we were doing the right thing, but Lukas adores his daily swims and kayaking with Heinrich. Of course, having a baby presented a whole new set of challenges. Our days start earlier, as Lukas loves a 5am wake-up, but the sunrises over the reef are so beautiful that we now adore going for an early morning family walk. New challenges He enjoys looking for crabs and likes the porcupine rays. One night, I even found a mother green sea turtle in our front room! People assume our life is easy, but it's not always. Just before Lukas turned two, he caught scarlet fever from a researcher. Thankfully, we were able to talk to a doctor on the phone and use antibiotics we keep in our locked medical kit. Work-wise, we are constantly on call, and because we both work full-time we have an au pair living with us to help with Lukas. 4 4 Of course, Heinrich and I argue, but we have great communication skills, which is important when you live and work in close proximity. We also respect each other's space – I love to do workouts to blow off steam, while Heinrich has his workshop he can retreat to. We can't always get deliveries, so we plan food, medical supplies, fuel, you name it. Unpredictable weather We order groceries fortnightly, which come by barge to Heron Island, which can be a two-hour boat trip for us, depending on the weather. There's no dash to the store for late-night snacks, which means we eat pretty healthily! The unpredictable weather can be stressful, and while we've not had a major cyclone, there are evacuation plans in place. We have satellite phones and internet, but we can't just pop over to visit family and friends, who we miss. I don't worry about Lukas socialising, because researchers sometimes bring children with them and friends and family do visit. We also try to get off the island three times a year, and go on holidays. For now, we plan to have Lukas home-schooled on the island, but we don't yet know what the future holds. We feel so lucky to be bringing him up in a simple way without television or tablets. Hopefully, this experience stays with Lukas and he always remembers the remote paradise we were lucky enough to call home.'
CBC
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Community gets arrrr-tsy making cardboard boats to race at Katys Cove
A Bocabec, N.B., couple began gathering corrugated cardboard after an event floating across social media piqued their interest. Saturday afternoon's cardboard boat race at Katys Cove will be a first for both the Town of Saint Andrews and the Cassells family. It is one among many activities happening across the community as part of a four-day Fundy Pirates Fest. Sylva and her husband, Seann, thought building a cardboard boat that can carry them and their four-year-old son, Joseph, would be a fun family adventure this summer, she said. She said her husband decided to be the boat maker while she was responsible for the decor and esthetics. She said it took him 48 hours to build the vessel that they named The Jolly Joseph. "It's not a small ship," said Cassells. "It's a challenge, so my husband likes challenges, which is why he's so gung-ho for it, and the other part is because it's pirates, and how can you say no for that?" Cassells said they are a family of strong swimmers and she has experience working as a lifeguard. She is not worried about getting wet. However, their goal isn't the Titanic award, which is the prize for the most spectacular sinking. Their goal is to win the race. "I'm pretty sure my husband's aiming to have his boat make it to the end," she said. Cassells said she plans to wear a pirate costume at the race and her son would also be dressed up. It may take some convincing for her husband to wear the outfit, she said. "When you have such a young person in your life, you want to spend as many moments making memories with them as possible. [Joseph] is very excited. "He wants to go on another race himself without me and his dad ... so we promised him that after this boat is made and completed, we'll let him make a smaller cardboard race that he can attempt to do by himself, just for him," she said. Youth between ages eight and 12 at the Community Youth Activity Centre in Saint Andrews have also built two cardboard boats for the race. Amanda Harrington, the centre's supervisor, helped the team using her previous experience of building a boat with recyclables. Harrington said she loves to build things using her hands and thought the activity will help the youth learn how to use their imagination, by stepping out of the digital world. Harrington said she has a background in paddling that will come handy. She will be the main boat's captain and 14-year old Gordy Savoie will be sailing in the other. Ten teams are scheduled to participate in the race but more could show up at the last minute, said Merven Hanselpacker, the recreation manager for Saint Andrews. Boats will be inspected before the race to make sure it is a fair game. Prizes included best boat and costume, most spectacular sinking, and overall race winner.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Win a family weekend ticket to Gloworm Festival 2025!
A much-loved family adventure returns to Thoresby Park this summer — and you could be going for FREE! We've teamed up with Gloworm Festival to give one lucky family the chance to WIN a weekend ticket (worth £450!) for 2 adults + 2 children, including camping — the perfect prize for making magical memories together! Gloworm is the UK's most exciting family festival, designed especially for families with children aged 0–14. It is set in the stunning Nottinghamshire countryside from 8–10 August 2025 and packed with fun for all ages: Amazing live music — tributes to The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Dua Lipa, Blur, plus performances from Jon McClure (Reverend and the Makers) and more Meet favourite characters — Bluey and Duggee (all weekend), Supertato (Saturday), Bing (Sunday), PAW Patrol's Chase & Rubble, Mr Blobby, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, and The Gruffalo CBeebies Bedtime Stories — with Gladiators Comet and Blue Peter presenter Abby Cook confirmed for special readings Incredible zones and workshops — The Beach, Actual Reality Arcade, Playmobil Play Zone, Graffiti zone, Forest School, Climbing Wall, Mini Land Rovers, Axe Throwing, Laser Tag, and more Mermaids, fairground rides, and the famous Playmobil Rave! Exclusive Friday night DJ set from Paul Chuckle for campers And for parents? There are plenty of spaces to relax — from the Organix Big Picnic area to the deckchairs at Gloworm Beach! With absolutely no hidden extras (fairground rides are free up until 5pm all weekend), everyone can lean into the weekend and focus on making memories for a lifetime. Enter now to win using the form below. If you can't see the form, click here . Tickets are available for the whole weekend as well as day visitors. Check out the website for all the details and follow the socials for all the latest news
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Former Channel Seven star Denham Hitchcock reveals why he decided to live at sea with his young family - as he prepares to start new role at Ten
Former Channel Seven star Denham Hitchcock has revealed what inspired him to live at sea with his young family. The veteran reporter lived on a catamaran with his wife Mari and their young children before returning to Sydney earlier this year. He told this week's Stellar magazine how reporting on disasters and destruction and a health scare inspired him to set sail. 'I interviewed people most of the time in a terrible stage of their life, horrendous things have happened to them... And everybody says the same thing: 'I never thought it would happen to me',' he said. 'I realised there's really no good time to leave it behind and go and chase other dreams. So we should just do it and the rest will work itself out.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, s ubscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Denham also discussed the new current affairs program he is set to start co-hosting on Channel Ten. 'That's the great unknown. The journos, the network [are] fully behind it. No-one is half-hearted about this show,' he explained. 'And the platforms it will be on is also revolutionary in a way. [I'll be] let out of the gate. [I have] an absolute blockbuster. It's a story 60 Minutes, Four Corners and Spotlight would kill for.' Industry sources say the new program will focus on long-form investigative stories. A Ten spokesperson confirmed the shake-up to Daily Mail Australia recently, saying: 'Following the continued growth and success of our news brand, 10 News, we are investing in an investigative unit that will work on long-form stories.' Earlier this month, Denham officially jumped ship to Network Ten, becoming the third high-profile journalist to exit Seven in a major shake-up of Australia's media landscape. 'Well here we go. I've switched channels. But also in a way – I've come full circle,' Hitchcock began. 'I grew up watching my father on Channel Ten News every night. I had a bunk bed with Eyewitness News stickers all over it – and can still sing the theme song.' He added: 'So I'm delighted to start work here today – joining the network to help with its plans for the future.' He also shared a throwback photo of his father, veteran Ten journalist Kevin Hitchcock, sporting a classic 1980s moustache and captioned it with some amusing words: 'Not sure I could pull one of those off – but there's still time.' The move came just three months after returning to Seven following a break from TV journalism to live on a catamaran with his wife Mari and their young children. He had originally helped launch Spotlight in 2019 and led the network's coverage of major crime and current affairs stories, including last year's Who Killed Marea? documentary on Sky News.
