Coffee House Chronicles, Part 1: Victoria's Best Cafes for Working and Studying

Until last fall, I was the girl who ran into Starbucks, grabbed my mobile order, and continued on in my busy day. Unless I was travelling, I seldom worked in coffee shops or paid close attention to the atmosphere and amenities. That all changed when I moved to Victoria and became a PhD student living in a tiny studio apartment...with a piano player on the floor above me. Suddenly, it became imperative to find that perfect coffee house with delicious lattes, a cool vibe, and a great work space. This series of blog posts features some of my work/study picks from Victoria's buzzing coffee house scene. I've evaluated each cafe on appearance and atmosphere, work space, and coffee/food. Hopefully this guide will lead you to your new mobile office...a place where the latte art is creative, the wifi is strong, and you feel productive and inspired!

Hide and Seek Coffee, 2207 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria

Oak Bay is such a charming neighbourhood!

Appearance and Atmosphere 
Located in a brick building with high ceilings and large windows, Hide and Seek Coffee packs a big aesthetic appeal. The decor is minimalist with lots of white and light wood, accented with artistically arranged shelving with coffee and various merchandise for sale. The coffee bar is long and white and everything looks sparkling clean. Music selections were great--singer-songwriter, folk-inspired, and some 1960s Beatles-sounding tunes added to the ambiance. And when you throw in that this coffee house is located in the incredibly charming Oak Bay neighbourhood, you have a winner for sure.

Beautifully arranged merchandise

Barista Kelsey behind the long coffee bar

Work Space
There are a variety of tables and seating options available, with power outlets located under some of the tables. Natural light floods the space, and wifi is available. This intimate yet uncrowded coffee house is definitely a pleasant space to work!

Lots of natural light here

Coffee and Food

I wasn't hungry, but I did notice that they have homemade pop-tarts and vegan/gluten-free selections. My latte was excellent, made with non-fat milk and house-made vanilla syrup, which was their only flavour. It was served in a nice cup with terrific latte art. Worthy of noting: although they don't roast their own beans, they serve coffee from local roasters such as Fantastico and Fernwood.

Overall Impression
I'll definitely return here--it's near my apartment and meets all my requirements for a great work space. The barista who served me (Kelsey) was super friendly and took time to explain where they source their coffee, provided recommendations for other coffee houses to visit, and encouraged me to return on Sunday for their famous waffle features. The only negatives were the lack of latte flavours and limited outdoor seating (only a bench and a couple of stools, no tables).

Habit Coffee (The Atrium), 808 Yates Street, Victoria

Appearance and Atmosphere
Habit Coffee is big on visual impact, and I was impressed from the moment I spied their Yates Street location. Massive curving windows flood the space with natural light and provide a panoramic view of the bustling action on busy Yates Street. There's also a sunny patio with flowers and numerous tables, as well as a fantastic courtyard space available for customers' use. Wow!

The decor includes natural wood, rugged stainless steel, exposed concrete, and chalkboard menus, giving a chic industrial look. Music selections added to the ambiance. Habit Coffee rates high on appearance and atmosphere!

Open, airy, and lots of natural light 

This adjacent courtyard is beautiful! Wow! 

Work Space
The abundance of natural light and different seating options lend themselves nicely to a productive work space. This is a great place to pass the time with a book or a sip a coffee and watch the world go by. Unfortunately it is not well-suited to anyone who requires wifi or power outlets, as there is a dearth of both. I'm drafting this post tethered to my iPhone. Definitely a disappointment....but now that I know this, I would choose Habit for tasks not requiring wifi (or get access from one of the other businesses nearby). And sometimes not having internet access keeps me more focused on the task at hand!

Great views and many seating options, but NO WIFI! 

Coffee and Food
Similar to Hide and Seek, the only flavoured latte available was a vanilla latte. My latte was beautifully crafted with terrific latte art, and served in a clear glass with no handle, evoking memories of Europe. It was a delicious latte and reasonably priced at $4.50.  Habit Coffee brews Bow and Arrow products from a local roaster and stocks Phillips' sodas as well. There was a tempting selection of food, and the lemon-lavender muffin definitely caught my eye--something to look forward to on a future visit.

Overall Impression
This place is big and beautiful with huge aesthetic appeal, and the sunny patio is a nice bonus. I would definitely return, but having to pay for street parking and no wifi or power outlets are disadvantages that would impact my decision to work here. All in all, Habit Coffee is highlight of the Victoria coffee scene!

Tre Fantastico at Parkside Hotel and Spa, 810 Humboldt Street, Victoria

Appearance and Atmosphere
Located in Parkside Hotel and Spa, Tre Fantastico is a coffee house on steroids...a cafe as well as a lounge with great eats. The actual interior space is quite small--the main room contains the coffee bar where you order and a handful of tables, connected to a second room by a hallway. There are more seating options in here with some cool modern art on the walls. All of this is quite nice, but the decor isn't the reason I'm obsessed with this place--it's the fantastic outdoor patio and the hotel lobby and conservatory area that patrons can access. The patio is shaded with beautiful greenery, and I love looking up from my screen or book to rest my eyes on the historic St. Ann's Convent in the distance.

A great spot to take a break from studying 

The hotel lobby is incredibly inviting, with a variety of seating options, including a glassed-in conservatory space. When I'm craving warmth and natural light on cooler days, it is so pleasant to work in here under the mini lights by the fish pond. Lastly, there are really nice bathrooms to use with high-end hand soap and lotion. What I did learn was that you CAN'T take your wine into the lobby area, but non-alcoholic drinks are allowed!

A nice variety of seating options in the hotel lobby 

A fish pond...such a tranquil spot to read 

Work Space
Tre Fantastico (the cafe space) is a lovely spot to read or work on a laptop. The wifi is strong, and you can work on your laptop outside if you choose a shaded spot. The only disadvantage is a lack of power outlets--I only found one on a quick inspection, so make sure your devices are fully charged before you arrive. The hotel lobby and conservatory is better suited to reading, as there are no tables (other than coffee tables) to put your device on, and they are the wrong height for computer work. I have happily worked here for hours, and I always found it a functional space and enjoyable experience.

Coffee and Food
There are three Cafe Fantastico locations in the city, and Fantastico has been sourcing and roasting their own coffee beans for 25 years (according to the friendly barista). The caramel lattes are excellent here with lovely latte art, and so is the food. I love their Morning Glory muffins, and the cookies and scones look great too. For heartier fare, I've only ever had the breakfast sandwich (which was delicious) but the food I've seen around me has looked very tempting too.

Caramel latte and a Morning Glory muffin...mmmm!

For later in the day (or not....), alcoholic beverages are a really nice option. Victoria craft beers, BC wines, and a variety of spirits are available, and there is a twice-daily happy hour (5-6 pm and 8-9 pm) with discounted prices.

Overall Impression
Tre Fantastico packs a big punch with the combination of great food and drinks and gorgeous physical spaces. This is one of my favourite places to work and study in Victoria, made even nicer by the fact that I can stroll through St. Ann's to Beacon Hill Park for a break whenever I need one!

And there you have it...my first three reviews of some of Victoria's best coffee houses. Stay tuned for another post in this series, and I'd love your feedback on where I should visit next. Please share your ideas in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Simple Ideas for a Successful Junior Kindergarten Program

Lucky you! You get to teach Junior Kindergarten! Four year-olds are so much fun, and not that much different from five year-olds. If you are teaching a multi-age Junior and Senior Kindergarten program, you'll find that most four and five-year olds fit together beautifully.  I've taught Senior Kindergarten since 2008, and variations of stand-alone and combined Junior and Senior Kindergarten since 2010, and I absolutely love it. Here's what I've learned along the way about routines, resources, and activities to develop your program!

Four year-olds are so much fun!

Arrival
Developing smooth arrival procedures makes everyone's day better. I photograph all the steps in arriving in the classroom and create a PowerPoint presentation which we review on a daily basis. As the different slides appear, students complete that task if they haven't done so. I also photograph all the students in the classroom and make a second PowerPoint where we practice our friends' names every morning. Within a couple of weeks, most students are secure in routines and know their friends' names.

To ease separation anxiety (which can be a reality for four year-olds), I recommend a fun and engaging activity at drop-off/arrival time. Encourage parents to say a quick goodbye, as lingering only delays the inevitable tears. I suggest starting your day (or afternoon) with free play in the classroom or discovery learning activities--that way your kiddos are immediately immersed in something they love.

Who can resist spray-painting snow?

How to Start the Day with Discovery Learning 

Begin by teaching the routine of hanging up coat and backpack, handing in clipboard/agenda, putting on indoor shoes, then going to a table to explore and interact with the materials. Discovery learning can target literacy, numeracy, art exploration, as well as science and social studies concepts. Some teachers try to have one tub/tray from each curricular area each week for a total of 4-5 tubs/trays. Discovery learning is play-based, hands on, and promotes inquiry. Learn more here and check out these fantastic ideas on Pinterest.

The start of the year is a great time to begin discovery learning with simple fine motor activities to strengthen the hand skills of your learners—very important for the increasing demands for printing we place on Grade 1 students. See this post to learn more about fine motor activities that are open-ended and encourage exploration. Make time to develop Junior Kindergarten students' fine motor skills--it's a priority at this age.   

Developing fine motor skills as well as an understanding of how secondary colours are created

Once a discovery learning routine is established, activities can become more complex. As a teacher, you can spend the time observing students, capturing evidence of learning through photographs and voice recordings, and taking anecdotal notes. You might choose to position yourself at one discovery tray or roam around the room. I highly recommend Microsoft OneNote to organize all that information—create a page for each student, and you’ll have a wealth of data by report card time. Microsoft OneNote is available across platforms (app and web-based). 

Play
It is imperative that four and five year-olds have an uninterrupted block of free play.  In my classroom, we end the day with nearly 60 minutes of playtime (as recommended by the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada...check out this statement). It is everyone's favourite time of the day. The students and I co-create a variety of play activities based on their interests and I provide literacy and numeracy materials to support the play. Based on what I observe during play time, I teach relevant mini-lessons to move the play forward and develop important new skills. I often pick one student to observe during play, taking notes and capturing images. This yields a wealth of assessment data! Here's an example of what play-based learning might look like in Junior Kindergarten.

Simple materials such as these plastic cups are a popular activity during free play.

Curriculum and Program Development
Don't be alarmed, but there is no formal curriculum for Junior Kindergarten in Manitoba, as JK is not a provincially recognized program. Let me explain my way of thinking about teaching and learning in JK.
-I use the provincial Kindergarten curriculum to guide my instruction in JK with the idea that four year-olds have two years to become proficient in the outcomes
-the recent provincial Kindergarten support document, A Time for Learning, A Time for Joy, is an excellent resource to plan your program
-these documents are also great resources for guiding children's behavior and program development
-opportunities for play-based, inquiry-based, and project-based learning are vitally important and should focus on the students' interests. This has replaced teacher-developed themes in my classroom.
-Kindergarten students (JK/SK) should spend a very limited amount of time on worksheets/workbooks. I include a little bit in my program to strengthen hand skills and prepare them for Grade 1.
-since there are no provincial outcomes for JK students, I regard it as a year to "get what they can". The goal of my JK program is to develop early literacy, numeracy, social, and motor skills. If you are teaching a multi-age JK/SK program, all students participate in all whole-class learning experiences with different activities for learners depending on their level. We are one learning community.
-I work closely with my speech-language pathologist (co-teaching if we can) to strengthen phonological awareness--so important for early literacy!
-just like SK, children come to us at all different points, and it is our job to help them move forward on their learning journey. Some kids will leave Junior Kindergarten knowing all their letters and sounds, others will leave knowing just a few--and both cases are completely acceptable!
-however, that child with very emergent skills will certainly be on my radar very early in the year when he/she begins Senior Kindergarten. And, if I think there is a deeper issue, I will refer to clinical services as soon as possible in Junior Kindergarten.

Connecting with another classroom via Skype as part of a project-based learning experience  

Sample Schedule
8:20-8:25: arrival
8:25-8:45: breakfast snack and discovery learning materials are available, children eat at the circle if they are interested. Discovery learning activities focus on sensory and fine motor development at the start of the year and gradually include literacy, numeracy, and science.
8:45-9 am: morning meeting (reviewing routines and students' names/attendance, counting, songs/poems)
9-9:55 am: whole class learning time (inquiry or project-based, relevant mini-lessons based on play, etc).
-we spend 15 minutes doing Letterland or phonological awareness activities during this block.
-Handwriting Without Tears activities once a week
9:55-10:10: outdoor recess with entire school
10:10-10:30: story time and snack
10:30-11:20: free play, often with an art activity available for students who are interested
-if the gym is available, we might play in the gym for 15 minutes
-we might play outdoors, weather conditions permitting
11:20-11:30: clean up, goodbye song at circle, home time

Creating a menu for the classroom restaurant 

Assessing and Reporting
There are no formal reporting requirements in JK. However, I maintain frequent communication with families through texting, face-to-face conversations, and social media. Since our JK students only attend 0.25, I feel that it is premature to write a report card in November. I invite families to join me for a conference if they are interested or if I have concerns. Otherwise, I write a one-page report card in March. I use a scale to evaluate learning and social behaviors (secure, developing, not yet), then comment anecdotally on strengths and areas to develop,

My comments are based on ongoing pedagogical narrations that include conversations with the child, observations (including photos/videos), and work samples he/she has produced. As previously mentioned, I organize all of this in Microsoft OneNote. More information on pedagogical narration is available in this resource from University of Victoria.

Additional Resources
Ministry of Education, Ontario: this province offers full-time Junior and Senior Kindergarten to all children in the province. Here is their guiding document on Kindergarten.

Junior Kindergarten is a unique and special time in a child's life...enjoy every minute of learning with these fun little people!

Yoga and Digital Tools in Healthy Communities

I'm excited to present at the 2018 Child and Youth Care Conference (CYCABC) in Vancouver tomorrow (Sway presentation available here).  Lately I seem to spend a lot of time reading and discussing project-based learning in early childhood settings, so I'm looking forward to sharing about one of my other passions...yoga!  Since I became a certified yoga teacher in September 2015, I have taught adult and children's yoga classes, as well as integrated yoga into my kindergarten classroom practice and work as a resource teacher.

There is a large body of research on yogic practices and their impacts on physical and mental health, as well as emerging research on how yoga can support immunity, sleep, and addiction treatment.  In recent years, yoga has been hailed as a panacea to "cure whatever ails you", but it is important for professionals to be very intentional in their use of yoga in clinical and classroom settings.  In many cases, yogic practices offer documented benefits, in other cases more research needs to be done, and in some, the effect is negligible.  When using yogic practices with children, it is also important to be cognizant of the views and beliefs of families.  Some families are uncomfortable and/or opposed to their child participating in any form of yoga--clear communication is a must!

For me, yoga is a vital support to my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.  Since I began a daily yoga practice over three years ago, I am more flexible with better balance than I have ever been in my entire life.  I generate more innovative and creative thoughts and higher-quality work following a session on my mat...in fact, some of my best ideas for PhD assignments have popped into my head during savasana.  When I am upset, time on my mat helps me process big emotions and deal with my feelings in a more deliberate and positive way.  Spiritually, yoga helps me connect to myself, my community, and the belief that there is so much more than what is visible to the eye.     

Yoga Resources from My Blog

The Beginner's Guide to Yoga in the Classroom 

Teacher Wellness Series
Simple Tips and Free Resources to Start Your Yoga Practice
What Teachers Do When They're Sick
Morning Rituals to Start Your Day Off Right 
Four Ways to Develop an Attitude of Gratitude