Fanshawe Outdoor Education Centre: Programs for Kindergarten and Elementary Students

These environmental educational programs are available for Kindergarten and elementary students at Fanshawe Conservation Area. All programs are a half day unless specified otherwise. All programs meet curriculum requirements within Health and Physical Education: Active Living.

Program Fees

Unless noted otherwise in the program description:

  • $8/student/half day
  • $16/student/full day
  • $136 minimum charge/half day for groups with fewer than 16 students
  • No charge for teachers or volunteers

Program Length

  • All programs are 1.5 hours
  • We have limited availability for Spring 2024. As we aim to accommodate as many requests as possible, we might ask to add you to a waitlist while we confirm availability. The morning time slot for all programs is 10:00 am – 11:30 am, and the afternoon time slot is from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm. This helps us coordinate the large demand for programming and adhere to firm bus schedules.
  • If you choose to combine two programs to create a full day experience, we will secure an indoor or outdoor space for you to eat lunch.

Students use their senses to gain awareness and appreciation of plants and animals while exploring various natural communities. Games and activities throughout the hike encourage interaction with classmates and the environment.

  • Kindergarten – The Kindergarten Program

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A Christmas-themed puppet show welcomes students to the forest, introduces familiar animals and their winter survival strategies, and helps get everyone excited for the holiday season. Heading outside, the students observe and feed birds as well as leave “presents” for animals that are active in the winter. We also celebrate the holidays with a winter story and sing-a-long accompanied by jingle bells.

  • Kindergarten – The Kindergarten Program
  • Grade 1 – Science and Technology: Daily and Seasonal Changes

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A wintery puppet show introduces students to familiar animals and their winter survival strategies. Key terms include hibernation, migration, and adapting. A short guided hike outside leads to observing and feeding birds and looking for evidence of animal life. The program concludes back inside with a cozy winter story.

  • Kindergarten – The Kindergarten Program
  • Grade 1 – Science and Technology: Daily and Seasonal Changes

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Just like us, animals and plants are getting ready for winter. Through hiking, exploration, and playing, students discover how wildlife are preparing for the seasonal changes ahead and how they are uniquely adapted to survive.

  • Kindergarten – The Kindergarten Program
  • Grade 1 – Science and Technology: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things, Daily and Seasonal Changes

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The return of songbirds marks the arrival of spring for many people. As friends of birds, we will gain a basic understanding of their behaviour by watching them with binoculars and playing games. In addition, the flush of new plant growth will not be overlooked on our hike. In the quiet of our Nature Corner, students can examine a collection of springtime secrets and mysteries.

  • Kindergarten – The Kindergarten Program
  • Grade 1 – Science and Technology: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things, Daily and Seasonal Changes

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A variety of pods, including a forest kitchen, featuring nature-related loose parts make our forest an exciting play space to encourage imagination, creativity, observation, and building. Students will enjoy using their senses, natural curiosity, creativity, and sense of wonder to discover and interact with nature in a forest. Activities connect with seasonal changes.

Supervising staff have received Forest and Nature School Practitioners certification by the Child & Nature Alliance of Canada.

  • Kindergarten – The Kindergarten Program
  • Grade 1 – Science and Technology: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things; Daily and Seasonal Changes
  • Grade 2 – Science and Technology: Growth and Changes in Animals

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Learn about the hazards and thrills of Monarch butterfly migration in a “choose your own adventure” map reading exercise. Additional activities focus on learning cardinal directions as well as the anatomy and life cycle of a butterfly. 

  • Grade 1- Science and Technology: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
  • Grade 2 – Science and Technology: Growth and Changes in Animals
  • Grade 3 – Science and Technology: Growth and Changes in Plants
  • Grade 1, 2, 3 – Mathematics: Algebra and Spatial Sense
  • Grade 1, 2, 3 – Health and Physical Education: Active Living

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Formerly the Pond and Forest Program, students search for and observe a variety of aquatic life with dip nets at the pond. Discover how bugs help us learn about the quality of the water, and join in the games to better understand metamorphosis by becoming a dragonfly, damselfly, and other aquatic animals. Remember your boots and sense of awe!

  • Grade 2 – Science & Technology: Growth and Changes in Animals
  • Grade 3 – Science & Technology: Grow and Changes in Plants
  • Grade 4 –  Science & Technology: Habitats and Communities

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Exploring plantations and meadows, playing games, and using dichotomous tree keys, students will gain a basic understanding of plants. Watch out for the “Enemies of the Forest” in a tree survival game!

  • Grade 3 – Science and Technology: Growth and Changes in Plants

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Students will role play as soil scientists to test soil and learn about its different properties and types. By getting their hands dirty, they will discover how soil sustains life. We are sure they will “worm” up to it!

  • Grade 3 – Science and Technology: Soils in the Environment

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Explore what these three natural communities have in common and what makes them distinct. Through collecting and identifying organisms, students are encouraged to discover animal adaptations and habitat requirements. Insect sweep nets and pond dip nets are supplied. Rubber boots or old running shoes are recommended.

  • Grade 4 – Science and Technology: Habitats and Communities

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“Deadly Links!” “Quick Frozen Critters!” These are just a couple of the games your students could participate in during this exciting program. Games are chosen to complement ecological concepts being studied in the classroom.

  • Grade 4 – Science and Technology: Habitats and Communities
  • Grade 5 – Science and Technology: Conservation of Energy and Resources
  • Grade 6 – Science and Technology: Biodiversity

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Learn what orienteering is and how to use a compass. Pairs of students are given a set of directions and use their map reading skills and a compass to find their way to a series of locations. Compasses supplied.

  • Grade 4, 5, 6 – Mathematics: Algebra and Spatial Sense
  • Grade 4, 6 – Social Studies: Spatial Skills

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Urban sprawl has claimed the natural habitat of many wildlife species. In this game, students role play as animals commonly found in towns and cities to experience their challenges for survival. Survival will depend on meeting their individual needs while avoiding predators – and the “destroyer”! Running shoes are required.

  • Grade 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 – Health & Physical Education: Active Living
  • Grade 4 – Science and Technology: Habitats and Communities
  • Grade 6 – Science and Technology: Biodiversity
  • Grade 7 – Science and Technology: Interactions in the Environment

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With a focus on insects in the meadow and at the water’s edge, students learn about the local impacts of climate change, including flooding and effects on the food chain. Students make predictions on a variety of simulations with a flood table, use sweep nets to sample for terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and analyze how seasonal changes are impacting habitats and insect species.

  • Grade 5 – Science and Technology: Conservation of Energy and Resources; Forces Acting on Structures
  • Grade 6- Science and Technology: Biodiversity
  • Grade 7 – Science and Technology: Heat in the Environment
  • Grade 8- Science and Technology: Water Systems

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Learn how climate change is impacting London and its local native species including turtles and fish. This program includes a variety of games and simulations to help students understand the impacts of climate change. They will also discover how local actions, including those of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, can help keep water, land, and people safe.

  • Grade 6- Science and Technology: Biodiversity
  • Grade 7 – Science and Technology: Heat in the Environment
  • Grade 8- Science and Technology: Water Systems

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Are there aliens among us, cleverly disguised as familiar flora and fauna? Students will discover and distinguish between native and non-native species and explore steps to take toward eliminating invasive plants. This program includes a scavenger hunt, movement-based games, a scavenger hunt, and species collection in the meadow with sweep nets.

  • Grade 6 – Science and Technology: Biodiversity
  • Grade 6 – Health and Physical Education: Movement Competence
  • Grade 7- Science and Technology: Interactions in the Environment

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Dynamic and cooperative activities help foster awareness of how human impacts and pressures endanger our local environment. Themes include habitat loss and degradation, population growth, pollution, invasive species, and over consumption.

  • Grade 6 – Science and Technology: Biodiversity
  • Grade 7 – Science and Technology: Interactions in the Environment

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Students discover basic ecological concepts as we explore aquatic and terrestrial communities to identify and classify a variety of plants and animals. Discover how ecosystem health depends on biodiversity, and use authentic field work tools including sweep nets to explore habitats. 

Optional focus: Additional component on Invasive Species.

  • Grade 6 – Science and Technology: Biodiversity
  • Grade 7 – Science and Technology: Interactions in the Environment

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Learn what orienteering is and how to use a compass. Pairs of students are given a set of directions and use compasses and their map reading skills to find their way to a series of locations. Note: the Intermediate orienteering course map is more challenging than the Beginner map. Compasses supplied.

  • Grade 7, 8 – Mathematics: Geometry and Spatial Sense
  • Grade 7, 8 – Geography: Concepts of Geographic Thinking

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Learn the basics of GPS technology and apply your skills to a nature-themed game of The Amazing Race! Using GPS units out on a set course, students are challenged to find answers to natural science questions and to locate specific eco-caches.

  • Grade 7, 8 – Mathematics: Geometry and Spatial Sense
  • Grade 7, 8 – Geography: Concepts of Geographic Thinking

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Quick View: Elementary Outdoor Education Programs Listed by Grade

K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8
Sensory Nature Hike Christmas for the Animals Flap and Map Flap and Map Watery World Survival Game Survival Game Survival Game Survival Game
Christmas for the Animals Winter for the Animals Watery World Watery World Pond, Field, and Forest Environmental Games Environmental Games Climate Change: A Hot Issue Climate Change: A Hot Issue
Winter for the Animals Fabulous Fall Forest Free Play Plant Studies Survival Game Beginner Map and Compass Orienteering Beginner Map and Compass Orienteering Climate Change Helpers Climate Change Helpers
Fabulous Fall Spring Sensations Get the Dirt on Soil Environmental Games Climate Change: A Hot Issue Climate Change: A Hot Issue Biodiversity 911 Intermediate Map and Compass Orienteering
Spring Sensations Flap and Map Beginner Map and Compass Orienteering Climate Change Helpers Interactions and Wildlife Communities The Amazing Race: GPS Style
Forest Free Play Forest Free Play Alien Invaders Intermediate Map and Compass Orienteering
Biodiversity 911 The Amazing Race: GPS Style
Interactions and Wildlife Communities

See programs for secondary students.