The Great Canoe Adventure Day
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
August 11- no trip. Regular Session in Smiths Falls at 1:30
Tuesday, August 12
Rideau Lakes/ Westport Canoe Adventure Day (no program in Perth)
August 13
Thursday, August 14
Merrickville Canoe Adventure Day (no Program at NGPL)
August 15
Monday, August 18 FULL
Smiths Falls Canoe Adventure Day
Tuesday, August 19 FULL
Perth Library Canoe Adventure Day (no program in Westport)
August 20- Rain Date
Thursday, August 21
North Grenville Canoe Adventure Day (no program in Merrickville)
August 22- Rain Date
At the five libraries where we’ve been holding our summer programs, we’re celebrating our learning with a tour—a CANOE TOUR!
This will be a full day of group games and education from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Each Adventure Day will be at or near your local library, giving us a chance to explore your neighbourhood’s ecosystems from the water.
The schedule features three “stations”: the canoe tour, building a birdhouse, and an orienteering and outdoor safety workshop, along with many team-building games and citizen science activities.
During the canoe tour, we will revisit key concepts like wetlands, watersheds, food webs, biodiversity, invasive species, plant and animal identification, the water cycle, and the history of indigenous peoples’ relationship with land and water. We will also collect water samples for testing later.
Participants, both children and adults, must sign the waiver as part of registration to go in the canoes. Parents are welcome to join us. While on the water, there’s a target ratio of one adult for every three younger children (aged 5-7). One adult will be present for every five children who are eight years of age or older. (So we are very happy if parents want to join us).
Eva Moons, an outdoor education teacher from Ottawa, will lead the Orienteering session. Recent news stories have highlighted frightening situations of kids alone outside. This workshop aims to empower and educate kids on how to cope and solve problems if they find themselves in such situations. It will cover navigation, map reading, and other fun skills.
To ‘build’ on our bird research, we will construct wooden birdhouses (or a bird feeder) for common backyard species. This activity involves basic math, geometry, carpentry, and a touch of artistry.
To give the canoe guides time to prepare for their final trip, after our second break, we’ll hold a physics lesson, game, and contest with renowned science teacher Peter Au. (It’s a surprise, so no peeking at strategies beforehand 😉.)
We will end the day with water testing of our collected samples, benthic examining (squirmy things we find in the water), and a closing circle.
The day runs from 9:00 am to 3:30.
On the Day of:
Please note that we will be outside, so if pollen, asthma, or allergies are an issue, please note on the permission form and be sure that your student has the necessary medication/ puffer/ EpiPen with them on the excursion.
What Participants Must Bring with Them:
Full water bottles, footwear for walking and running (not flip-flops please), clothing appropriate for the weather and physical activities, sunscreen, a towel (just in case), cold/ bagged lunch, and snacks.
If you have child-sized CSA-approved life-jackets (PFD’s)- (any life jacket purchased in the last 5 years is good), please have them with you. Even if your participant(s) might have outgrown them, and you don’t mind lending them, please bring them along. We have several suited for children 10 and up, but fewer of the smaller ones. Make sure your name it in it so you get it back at the end of the day. Maybe drop me a line if we can borrow your older life jackets- that way, I will know if we have enough.
In Case of Poor Weather:
Wednesday, August 20, or Friday, August 22nd, are our possible rain dates.
We expect this free trip will fill up quickly. Therefore, we are offering early registration to families with kids who have been attending the Rideau Eco-Literacy Workshops and who have gained some of the knowledge base that will help them get the most out of this enrichment experience.
Sign-up now to take advantage of this special offer before registration is advertised to the general public. Click the date to register. You will be taken to the Rideau Roundtable website- our umbrella organization, owners of the canoes, and the funders of all of the programming we have done.
*NOTE* If you have been associated with only one library, and that date is inconvenient, you may join another group. Several Rideau Eco Kiddos attend multiple libraries for our Programs
If you have any trouble with the registration, please contact us directly info@rideauecoliteracy.com.