Sunday, September 28, 2025

Home Children: Canadian History by Leanne Dyck

 In 2011, the Canadian government designated September 28 as British Home Children day. 

Paul Henderson, “British Home Children: BC women reflect on shameful period in Canadian history”, The Free Press, September 28, 2019

Who were the "Home Children"?

Socio-economic disadvantaged children were torn from their families and brought to a foreign land--Canada. Some were welcomed into loving families. Others... Others faced overwhelming cruelty. And yet... And yet...



photo by ldyck

Home Children


In the mid-1800s [,during the Industrial Revolution,] many children in the United Kingdom lacked adequate care. They were hungry, sometimes resorting to stealing, and many were living on the streets—think of the works of Charles Dickens. Even children living with their parents in the workhouses were not much better off, often worked 14-hour days or more with little food. Many died before they reached 20. [1] [And, as a result of the revolution, t]raditional extended families were broken up and many moved to urban areas to find work and a better life. And so, if anything happened to one of the parents, there was no immediate family nearby to take them in. [T]here was no social system in place to help [the families] through...difficult circumstances. [2]

Independently, several people of different religious backgrounds came to the same conclusion: the problem could not be solved in Britain. These children had to be removed from the streets and given food and clothing. They had to be taught to read and write, given work skills and solid religious training, then sent abroad where farm labour was desperately needed. They had no future in England, Ireland or Scotland…

Maria Susan Rye...arrived in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, in 1869 with a group of 68 children taken from the poorhouses of London and Liverpool. They were initially housed in a converted jail which Maria had brought with her own money and renamed Our Western Home. [Maria was the first of many women and men who brought groups of children from Britain to Canada.]

More than 80,000 children (some scholars even say 100,000), mostly ages 9 to 14 but some scarcely 3 years old, were sent...between 1869 and 1939. None of them was accompanied by a parent.

They were regarded as orphans, even though two-thirds had at least one parent who was still alive. [3][And, in fact, h]ome children were often told that their parents were dead so that they could break their emotional ties more easily. [1]

Sometimes [placing the children in these homes]...was meant to be a temporary solution until the family got back on their feet and there are cases on record where some parents went back to pick their children up, only to find that they had already been sent away. Sometimes the parents received an after sailing’ notification, informing them that their children had been emigrated a week before. [2]

[The children were shipped] overseas to Canada with bright promises of a better life, with a home, a family, fresh air, and healthy food. [3]

Once in Canada, the children were sent to receiving homes right across the country until farmers picked them up or they were sent on their destinations with a cardboard sign around their necks. There were at least seven applicants for every child shipped to this country. [2] [The] farmers completed a Form of Indenture. [1] The terms would require the children to be housed, fed, clothed and sent to school. A small fee would be paid for fostering younger children, older children would help with chores, and more extended labour would be required from adolescents. At 18, the terms of indenture were to be discharged. [2]

[S]ome children did...find homes and families in Canada, others found nothing but poverty and misery. While many were well treated, many others experienced appalling living and working conditions and even in some cases psychological, physical or sexual violence. [3]

Children could be ‘returned’ and reassigned. Many were moved from one farm to another. Some ran away or simply disappeared, some died from ill-health or injuries resulting form neglect and abuse, some committed suicide…

[T]he belief in eugenics that was running rampant throughout the UK and North America caused children to be considered inferior stock to their Canadian counterparts. They were stigmatized as such, merely because they were poor and needed help. In communities where these children were meant to be fostered and nurtured, they were often taunted and made to feel shame for being a Home Boy or Home Girl. [2] [They] were shamed about their origins, shamed about parents who couldn’t care for them, and taught that a better life meant turning away from their primal identity of family. [4] This shame caused many Home Children to remain silent about their backgrounds their entire lives [2[and is responsible for] a spate of suicides in the 1920s. [5]

[T]he majority of children continued to be sent right up until the advent of the Second World War, after which heightened social consciousness condemned the sending of any more children to Canada in this way… Britain not only sent children to Canada, they also sent them, up to the early 1970s, to South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Despite all the trials that they had to endure, these...British Home Children...set down roots in Canada and contributed to the country’s social, economic and political development. Many of them served in the Canadian Army during the First World War and the Second World War. Today, over 10% of all Canadians are thought to be descendants of British Home Children.

Although...their story is part of the school curriculum in Ontario, the British Home Children [‘s] legacy of trauma and child abuse...is not well-known by the vast majority of Canadians.[5] [A]nd their descendants have yet to receive an official apology from the Canadian government such as those made by the government of Australia in 2009 and the government of the United Kingdom in 2010. [3]

By honoring their memory, [Home Children Canada, established in 2012] seeks to ensure that the Home Children’s contributions and struggles are never forgotten and their rightful place in history is acknowledged with dignity and compassion. [6]


[1] The Canadian Immigration Historical Society, “A Silent History: The British Home Children”, January 1, 2011 https://cihs-shic.ca/the-british-home-children/

[2] Lori Oschefski, Home Children Canada, “Who Are the British Home Children?” British Home Children in Canada https://canadianbritishhomechildren.weebly.com/

[3] Lara Neilson Bonikowsky, “Uprooted Lives: the British Home Children”, in The Canadian Encyclopedia, April 13, 2013

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/children-lost-and-found-feature#:~:text=On

%2024%20February%202010%2C%20the,various%20British%20colonies%2C%20including

%20Canada.

[4] Barb Janes, “Shame, secrets and dark histories: Remembering the legacy of British home children”, CBC, September 28, 2019

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pov-barb-janes-british-home-children-1.5296069

[5] Paul Henderson, “British Home Children: BC women reflect on shameful period in Canadian history”, The Free Press, September 28, 2019

https://www.vicnews.com/news/british-home-children-b-c-women-reflect-on-shameful-period-in-canadian-history-61605

[6] Home Children Canada https://www.britishhomechildren.com/


September 30th is Orange Shirt Day
 
photo by Eleanor Cocker

I purchased my orange shirt from Eddy Charlie and Kristine Spray. You can learn more about them and Orange Shirt Day here

"artist Bear Horne gifted [his] design to Eddy Charlie and Kristine Spray to be used in this advocacy work."

Books that helped me connect with Orange Shirt Day...

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (book review)

 is like a slap shot--a quick and powerful read.

Barren Ground by David A Robertson (book review)

is set in early November in Winnipeg and is about two Cree foster children--thirteen-year-old Morgan and twelve-year-old Eli.

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (book review)

is historical fiction about the 60s scoop

Two Tricksters Find Friendship by Johnny Aitken and Jess Willows (book review)

is a year in the life of a new mutually supportive friendship between Jessie, a white girl, and Johnny, an Indigenous boy.


Song: "O Seim" by Susan Aglukark


On this blog in October...

Sunday, September 21, 2025

Baby, Come Back (children's story) by Leanne Dyck

 Baby, Come Back can be chanted during playtime or sung (to the tune of the Scottish folk song "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean") during naptime. Substitute your child's name for "baby".

 

photo by ldyck
 

Baby, Come Back

 My baby swam across the ocean

My baby dived into the sea

My baby swam across the ocean

Oh, baby, come back to me, to me

Oh, baby, come back to me.


My baby climbed over the mountain

My baby climbed over the hill

My baby climbed over the mountain

Oh, baby, come back to me, to me

Oh, baby, come back to me


My baby flew into the night sky

My baby swung on a star

My baby flew into the night sky

Oh, baby, you flew too far, too far

Oh, baby, you flew too far


My baby swam across the ocean

My baby climbed over the hill

My baby flew out of the night sky

Oh, my baby, came back to me, to me

Hurray, my baby came back to me.

photo by ldyck


Me reading to a dear friend (circa 1990s)

About the author...

Leanne Dyck studied children's literature at the University of Winnipeg, was the sole proprietor of a children's literature bookseller business, and read scores of picture books to groups of children during her fourteen-year career in Early Childhood Education. 


"Abby" by ldyck

International Day of Peace


A J Willetts (my dad) an advocate for world peace

My dad read his speech during a Remembrance Day service, but it is equal appropriate for today. 


On this blog in September...

Sunday, September 14, 2025

Marion, My Day Care Friend (children's story) by Leanne Dyck

This story was inspired by my career in Early Childhood Education, specifically in Infant Day Care. I wrote it to help transition families from home care to daycare. The story is intended for children who have outgrown board books but are not yet ready for picture books.


photo by ldyck

Marion, My Day Care Friend


Marion holds me while Mom says goodbye.

"Wa-a-a," I say. "Wa-a-a."

Marion says, "We'll see you soon, Mom."

Marion turns up the music and we dance.

One block, two blocks, three. Marion builds a tower. She waits for me to knock it down. We laugh.

"Wa-a-a," I say. "Wa-a-a."

Marion sings, "If you're hungry and you know it, say wa-a-a, wa-a-a."

Sometimes Marion feeds me. Sometimes I help her. Sometimes I feed myself.

Marion washes my hands and face. Peek-a-boo!

Marion puts toys in the box. I dump them out. Marion puts toys in the box. I dump them out. We love this game.

"Wa-a-a," I say. "Wa-a-a."

Marion smells my diaper. "Oh, poopie." She makes a silly face and we laugh. "Time to go to the change table," Marion says.

Sometimes I hold my diaper. Sometimes I don't.

One arm, two arms. Marion helps me put on my jacket. I go for a ride in the stroller with my friends. 

Tweet. Tweet. Tweet.

Marion says, "Look at the bird fly."

Woof. Woof. Woof.

Marion says, "Hello, dog."

Two arms, one arm. Marion helps me take off my jacket.

"Wa-a-a," I say. "Wa-a-a."

Marion sings, "If you're tired and you know it, say, wa-a-a, wa-a-a."

Marion and I like to cuddle when I drink my bottle. Soon, I'm fast asleep. Marion carries me to the nap room and puts me in my crib. 

When I wake up, I see Mom.

Marion says, "See you tomorrow," and waves goodbye.


About the author...

Leanne Dyck studied children's literature at the University of Winnipeg, was the sole proprietor of a children's literature bookseller business, and read scores of picture books to groups of children during her fourteen-year career in Early Childhood Education. 


photo by ldyck

Terry Fox

On this blog in September...

Sunday, September 7, 2025

Your Favourite Children's Stories written by Leanne Dyck

photo by ldyck

"Free library in Sidney, BC"
Little Free Libraries


Each story on this list have a history of earning over 1,000 page view.  Please click the links to read my stories.


Going South

 Older Rufous hummingbirds fly south in August. Younger hummingbirds migrate in September, but Pablo stays. Will he stay too long? 


Harry, the Spider

Through this story, children learn about the life and special abilities of the wolf spider.


Making Giant Snowballs

 Making Giant Snowballs encourages children to show acceptance and kindness--especially to people who are different from themselves.


Carrots

Mariam Horse is an avid gardener who shares what she harvests with her neighbours because she knows she always wins when she shares with friends.


Whispering Stories

Whispering Stories is a short memoir about my experiences as an elementary school pupil with dyslexia.


Grandma's Knitting Needles Sing

Grandma's Knitting Needles Sing celebrates the bond between grandparents and grandchildren, introduces the art of knitting, and explains how wool is produced.


Dog Hair

This poem is a fun way to teach the English names for body parts.


Jump

 This story was inspired by a childhood memory and is about risky play.


Walks with My Friend

Walks with My Friend was inspired by the friendship between my dog and a dog from the neighbourhood.


Petal's Monster

Petal's Monster is about overcoming stress due to childhood anxiety.


About the author...

Leanne Dyck studied children's literature at the University of Winnipeg, was the sole proprietor of a children's literature bookseller business, and read scores of picture books to groups of children during her fourteen-year career in Early Childhood Education. 

"Abby" photo by ldyck

On this blog in September...