We pack a lot into the pages of every issue of Kayak, but there’s always more great stuff we just can’t fit in. So join Teeka and Beau, our otter mascots, to find out more about the theme of each issue, or just pick up some random bits of Canadian history.
A Better World
Gifts that Give
Trust us — your teacher may not really want another coffee mug or basket of bath stuff at the end of the year. Lots of kids are starting to think about more meaningful presents that also help others. Check out World Vision Canada’s gift catalogue or the Canadian Hunger Foundation’s Gifts That Matter website. If you like something that’s too expensive for your family on its own, why not ask others to contribute a few dollars for a gift from the whole class?
Online Fun
The Canadian International Development Agency has collected some cool games with a purpose. Give them a try!
Sneaky Snakes Make this game of Snakes and Ladders fairer by answering questions correctly.
Speedy Ann the Mosquito You’re the bug in a game that shows it’s easy to get malaria, but it’s also easy to get protected from bites.
Free Rice Donate rice to the World Food Programme while you test your vocabulary.
Sayansi Help this imaginary island build wells, a medical clinic and more after a natural disaster hits.
Child Labour: Good or Bad?
Okay, sharp-eyed reader — you probably noticed that in one part of the February Kayak, we talk about how bad it is when kids are forced to work. But in another article, we showed a girl starting her own business. What’s up with that? Well, there is a difference. If kids need to work to survive because they are orphans or there’s a reason why they can’t live at home, of course they have to work — otherwise, they’d probably starve. It’s also okay if they’re helping their families on a farm or with a family business. (Lots of Canadian kids do that, too!) The problem is when kids have no choice about working, or are forced to do dangerous work, or don’t get the chance to go to school or have time to play because of work.