Wildwood Outdoor Education Centre: Programs for Pre-school, Kindergarten and Elementary Students
We offer a wide range of environmental educational programs for pre-school, Kindergarten and elementary classes, at the Wildwood Outdoor Education Centre (Wildwood Conservation Area).
Fees
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
Programs and Bookings
These environmental educational programs are available for pre-school, Kindergarten and elementary students, at the Wildwood Outdoor Education Centre (Wildwood Conservation Area). To book a program, please email Vanni Azzano, Community Education Supervisor.
Note: All programs are a half day unless specified otherwise. All programs meet curriculum requirements within Health and Physical Education: Active Living.
See programs for secondary students.
|
Program
|
Description
|
Grade
|
Offerings
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Hug-a-Tree | Join us as we share Christmas with our forest friends! Meet our puppet friends, Rocky the raccoon, Professor Hooter the owl, Abbot the rabbit, and Rudy the red fox, who will tell you about the forest and the magic of Christmas. Santa needs help in the forest! The birds need to be fed, the trees need to be decorated, and “presents” need to be found for the animals. When all the work is done, warm up inside with a snack and fireside story and song! | Pre-school | Fall |
| Stream Safari | Explore the stream and discover the little critters that live in and around it. Put on your raccoon paws for dinner, but watch out for the coyote who might ‘eat’ you!
|
K | Spring |
| Winter Wonderland | I spy with my little eye…Winter! There’s so much to see and do in the winter. We’re going to try to find as much of it as we can!
|
K | Winter |
| Kaleidoscope | Join us on a journey through the kaleidoscope that is the Wildwood forest. Explore patterns in nature and differences in the seasons, find a ‘rainbow’ and decide if things in the forest are really alive!
|
K | Fall, Spring |
| Sharing Christmas with the Animals | Share Christmas with our forest friends. The forest animals are having trouble finding food and shelter in the winter and hope that Santa won’t forget about them! There are ‘presents’ to leave for the animals, birds to feed, shelter to find, and maybe even ‘reindeer’ games.
|
K, 1 | Fall |
| Preparation for Winter | Role-play an animal looking for the perfect winter home. Become a squirrel storing nuts for the winter but watch out for those blue jays! Be a bird and pretend to migrate. Find out how leaves travel by wind.
|
1 | Fall |
| Discovery 101 | Try to spot what belongs in the forest. Scout out some food, water and shelter for the animals. Get tangled up in the web of life and find out about the secret forest underworld. Pretend you are a millipede and try to survive the seasons.
|
1 | Fall, Spring |
| Winter Walk | Come on a walk with us to explore what wildlife are active in winter at Wildwood. Learn how animals, including people, have adapted to winter conditions!
|
1 | Winter |
| Sense-ational Hike | Discover the Wildwood woodland perfume. Become a robin and find camouflaged worms. Compare different textures found in the forest. Find a forest friend and depend on your feelers when becoming a snail on the snail trail!
|
1 | Fall, Spring |
| Animal Adaptations | Discover how different animals adapt to life in the forest. Solve a puzzle and classify yourself! Pretend to be a bat using sonar to catch a tasty meal of moths and see how everything in the forest is connected.
|
2 | Fall, Spring |
| Birds of a Feather | Beaks and feet and all things unique. Birds are special and have different adaptations that allow many of them to stay in our area in the winter.
|
2 | Winter |
| Creepy Crawlers | Explore and discover the wonders of the insect world. Experience the stages of complete metamorphosis. Shrink to the size of a bug and see how it feels to be an insect!
|
2 | Fall, Spring |
| Migration Orientation | As Monarch butterflies, migrate through a ‘choose your own adventure’ course with a map and compass. ‘Parachute’ through a butterfly life cycle. ‘Orient’ the teacher in a giant compass activity. Play “Butterflies vs. Moths!”
|
2, 3, 4 | Fall, Spring |
| Plant Power – Spring | Find out how plants make their own food and provide for the animals. Learn the different parts of a flower by becoming one. Solve the riddles and discover the various wildflowers at Wildwood! (Note: ONLY offered in May)
|
3 | Spring |
| Plant Power – Fall | Find out how plants make their own food. Explore the Arbour Trail to learn about different types of trees. Check out the leaf ‘slide show.’
|
3 | Fall |
| Tree Tales | Big or small, short or tall, all plants have a purpose. Learn how plants survive the winter and help animals endure, too!
|
3 | Winter |
| Save Our Soil | Be careful not to get washed away in a flood! Discover the role earthworms play in making soil. Learn about the importance of windbreaks and the science of soil.
|
3 | Fall, Spring |
| Habitats & Communities | Discover what every living thing ‘needs’ before heading into the forest. Create ‘hotel’ habitats for our forest friends. Check out the natural life cycle by looking at some rotting logs!
|
4 | Fall, Spring |
| Oh Deer! | Explore the needs of the white-tailed deer along with their amazing adaptations. Students will complete a habitat inventory to see if they can determine how many deer live at Wildwood.
|
4 | Winter |
| Species at Risk | ‘Meet’ some of the many species at risk that live right here in our own ‘backyard’! Try not to become extinct throughout the hike. Help the ‘turtles’ get over their hurdles. Learn about ‘bioaccumulation,’ and work some ‘mussels.’
|
4 | Fall, Spring |
| Animal Survival Game | Note: This game involves running and chasing through various terrains. Long pants and sturdy shoes are recommended. Role-play an animal. Make sure to find a mate, locate food and water, and hide from enemies. Avoid the elements and disease that occur in nature. Interact with the human who may be beneficial or detrimental to survival.
|
4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Fall, Spring |
| Rocks! | Visit the Wildwood Pit with us! Through exploration of the rock mounds, classify rocks found based on a variety of criteria. Using a scavenger hunt, learn about the unique habitat features of the rehabilitated gravel pit!
|
4 | Fall |
| Surviving the Elements | Surviving the elements takes skill and stamina. Learn how the human body reacts in different winter weather situations and what it takes to ensure enough shelter, water and food.
|
5 | Winter |
| MapQuest5 | Navigate using a map to guide you through the forest while questioning some ‘big ideas.’ Next, tackle how to use a compass to get you around the conservation area.
|
5 | Fall, Spring |
| Capture the Flag – GPS Style | Learn how to use a GPS unit and apply your new skills to ‘capture the flag.’ (Note: Limited dates available)
|
5, 6 | Fall, Spring |
| Biodiversity Blast | Participate in team building activities to learn how to prevent loss of diversity. Be part of a wetland habitat that’s getting smaller. Watch out for alien invasions! Learn how an increasing population is decreasing biodiversity. Work together to keep biodiversity in balance.
|
5, 6 | Fall |
| MapQuest6 | Navigate using a map to guide you through the forest while questioning some ‘big ideas.’ Next, tackle how to use a compass to get you around the conservation area.
|
6 | Fall, Spring |
| Traditional Games | Explore the skills traditionally needed by various communities to survive in winter through challenges of strength, balance, agility, endurance, quickness, and coordination.
|
6 | Winter |
| Wet N’ Wild | Check out what lives in the stream and help build a ‘museum’ for different species of animals. Get classified as a Wildwood animal. Maybe even check out some ‘fly soup.’
|
6 | Fall, Spring |
| Interactions | Join us on the Red Trail to explore the different interactions that occur in the variety of ecosystems found here. Investigate each area and see what plants and animals can survive and thrive!
|
7 | Fall, Spring |
| Amazing GPS Race | Learn how to use a GPS unit, with varying levels of detail and content based on student needs. Locate eco-caches and discover how GPS technology is applied in various departments of the Conservation Authority including flood control, mapping and land use, forestry management, and species at risk.
|
8 | Fall, Spring |
| Water Systems | Join us for a tour of Wildwood Dam and learn about the importance of water management in the Upper Thames River Watershed.
|
8 | Spring |