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Blog

WELCOME TO THE PATHWAY BLOG

Archives

  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
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  • January 2019

Recent Posts

Join the #LandmarkChallenge
Winter Bingo
Winter Wonderland: The Night Sky
Summer Report Highlights
Bird of the Month: Black-capped Chickadee
Fall Fun!
Family Cycling Adventures
Bird of the Month
Ideas Aplenty…
Great News!
Winter Games
Survey Report Available

Join the #LandmarkChallenge

February 10, 2021 No Comments

Join the Pathway #LandmarkChallenge Got screen fatigue? Need an excuse to get outdoors with the family, build memories and enjoy activities that encourage kids to

Read More »

Winter Bingo

January 14, 2021 No Comments

Winter Bingo Looking for a fun winter activity for all ages? Here is a free winter Bingo game cards from the Pathway! Visit a special

Read More »

Winter Wonderland: The Night Sky

January 13, 2021 No Comments

Winter Wonderland: The Night Sky Winter is a perfect season for an often overlooked family activity – exploring the sky at night.  With winter’s early

Read More »

Summer Report Highlights

October 8, 2020 No Comments

Summer Report Highlights We’ve had some super ideas from families and other groups this summer.  Some of our favourites include: The James family learned how

Read More »

Bird of the Month: Black-capped Chickadee

October 8, 2020 No Comments

Bird of the Month:  Black-capped Chickadee While so many birds are flying to warmer places to spend the winter, the hardy little Black-capped Chickadee is

Read More »

Fall Fun!

October 8, 2020 No Comments

Squirrel Nest Game Eastern Grey Squirrels are the common tree squirrels found in many areas of southern Ontario, and are more often black than grey. 

Read More »

Family Cycling Adventures

June 17, 2020 No Comments

Family Cycling Adventures Here’s a great idea for being active and spending time with those you love, even during social distancing in the pandemic. The

Read More »
Yellow Warbler

Bird of the Month

June 17, 2020 No Comments

Bird of the Month: Meet the Yellow Warbler! Summer is a perfect time to go searching for new feathered friends. This perky ray of sunshine

Read More »

Ideas Aplenty…

June 17, 2020 No Comments

Ideas Aplenty… Our thanks to Kathy MacMillan-Jones for sharing these ideas for summer family fun with kids of many different ages.  Remember to report what

Read More »

Great News!

June 17, 2020 No Comments

Great News! Expanded Support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation We have received very good news that we’re delighted to share.  The Ontario Trillium Foundation has

Read More »

Winter Games

January 12, 2020 No Comments

Winter Games Getting to Know Your Local Birds! Did you know that the average child recognizes hundreds of corporate logos but fewer than 10 local

Read More »

Survey Report Available

January 12, 2020 No Comments

Survey Report Available At the start of pilot testing, educators, parents and grade 7-8 students completed surveys that assessed attitudes, behaviours and potential barriers to

Read More »

Pilots a Big Success

January 12, 2020 No Comments

Pilots a Big Success Many thanks to all the great folks at our six pilot communities who worked so hard to make Pathway Landmark activities

Read More »

Wet and Wonderful – A Mud Puddle-and-Pie Activity Guide

April 23, 2019 No Comments

Wet and Wonderful – a Mud Puddle-and-Pie Activity Guide The season of wet-and-muddy is upon us, and with it, an opportunity to embrace all manners

Read More »

Everybody Outdoors! at St. Joseph’s, Douro

April 18, 2019 No Comments

Everybody Outdoors! at St. Joseph’s, Douro On a crisp, cold March morning, fun was brewing at St. Joseph’s Elementary School in Douro!  Grades 1-4 classes

Read More »
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Join the #LandmarkChallenge

February 10, 2021 By //  by natureiscool

Join the Pathway #LandmarkChallenge

Got screen fatigue? Need an excuse to get outdoors with the family, build memories and enjoy activities that encourage kids to love learning? Well, this Family Day, the Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship is challenging every family to log ONE Landmark activity between Feb 15 and Feb 21. Discover all 30 Landmarks here.

For residents of Ontario, there is a daily prize draw for a $50 gift certificate to a local business. Simply REGISTER AND REPORT your Landmark at pathwayproject.ca or tag us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the #LandmarkChallenge.

Our goal is 10,000 Landmark activities. Let’s do it together!  Thanks for helping make this the best Family Week ever, by joining the Pathway #LandmarkChallenge!

We gratefully acknowledge the support of

Winter Bingo

January 14, 2021 By //  by natureiscool

Winter Bingo

Looking for a fun winter activity for all ages? Here is a free winter Bingo game cards from the Pathway!

Visit a special place, explore your senses, discover winter themed words and most of all, have fun!

This winter bingo helps with Landmarks 1,3,4 and 7.

Landmark 1. Explore outdoors together at least an hour a wee.

Landmark 3. Exercise the senses daily.

Landmark 4. Visit a favourite outdoor place each week throughout all seasons.

Landmark 7Share a nature-based picture book, song, poem or game each week.

Winter Wonderland: The Night Sky

January 13, 2021 By //  by natureiscool

Winter Wonderland: The Night Sky

Winter is a perfect season for an often overlooked family activity – exploring the sky at night.  With winter’s early darkness and often crisp, clear weather, the stars take on a special brightness that is nothing short of breathtaking.

Night scene with the Milky Way in the background

 

January and February are perfect months to view one of the most striking and unforgettable of all the constellations – Orion, the Hunter.  Rising in the southeastern sky in early evening, Orion travels (like the sun) from east to west across the winter sky as the earth turns and night progresses, to finally set in the west before morning.  Orion is easy to find, by facing south and looking for the three stars in a row that make up his belt.  His shoulder and knee are two of our brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel.  Just below and beside him is Sirius, the dog star – Orion’s faithful friend.

 

Indigenous storytellers also saw a human-like figure in this unique combination of stars.  The Ojibwe know him as Biboonkeonini – the Wintermaker.  Wintermaker stretches out his long arms to beckon the cold and winds of winter.  He also ushers in the traditional storytelling season of winter.

Early on a crisp, cloudless winter night, pack up the family, bring a thermos of hot chocolate and go out stargazing.  Turn out the house and yard lights for better viewing, or travel to a park or open area with few lights. Look for patterns in the stars and make your own stories.  If you’re lucky, you may even see a shooting star!  What an awesome reminder of the wonders around us every day.

Star watching connects with Landmarks 1, 3, 6, 11, 14, 17, 25.

Summer Report Highlights

October 8, 2020 By //  by natureiscool

Summer Report Highlights

We’ve had some super ideas from families and other groups this summer.  Some of our favourites include:

  • The James family learned how to geocache with their 10-year old boys
  • The Nature Ninjas tried lots of new outdoor activities!  They built an obstacle course in their backyard, and the kids challenged the parents to see who was fastest completing the course; they tried making paints using soil and crushed plants, and made pictures with all-natural materials
  • Babbling Brook Daycare visited Jackson Park, and in one day, they saw a monarch butterfly, a grasshopper, a cardinal, as well as fish and geese in the pond and creek;  they also made beautiful corn husk dolls when the corn was ripe
  • The Warrens visit their favourite donkey on weekends, and feed her delicious treats
  • The Chickadees researched edible plants in their own yard and created their own field guide; they also created clothes made from flower petals to dress up sketches of people

So many great ideas!  Why not send us yours?

Bird of the Month: Black-capped Chickadee

October 8, 2020 By //  by natureiscool

Bird of the Month:  Black-capped Chickadee

While so many birds are flying to warmer places to spend the winter, the hardy little Black-capped Chickadee is preparing to stay with us all winter.

Chickadees are cheerful little birds that travel in flocks and seem to be always on the move. They have a black cap and bib, with white cheeks. They’re one of the easiest birds to attract to a winter bird feeder – a feast of black oil sunflower seeds will keep them happily visiting you all winter.  You can hear their ‘chick-a-dee-dee-dee’ call all year ‘round, but on warmer days in winter, their slower ‘Dee dee’ song sounds like they’re saying ‘Honey!’ or ‘Hey, sweetie!’ That call shows that they’re feeling frisky, and thinking of warmer days and the breeding season.

Black-capped Chickadees are very friendly, curious little birds, and with a bit of patience and standing very still, you can often entice them to come and take a seed from your outstretched hand.  What a memorable moment, especially for children, to be visited by these lighter-than-air feathered friends!  If you’re working on Landmark 12 with young children (learn 5 birds in your neighbourhood), the Black-capped Chickadee is sure to be one of your neighbours.

Fall Fun!

October 8, 2020 By //  by natureiscool

Squirrel Nest Game

Eastern Grey Squirrels are the common tree squirrels found in many areas of southern Ontario, and are more often black than grey.  What do they do in winter?  They need to construct a well-insulated nest in tree branches or tree cavities for protection from the harsh weather.

Can you build a nest that will keep a tiny squirrel warm?  This game is a great fall activity for families or school groups.

Getting Started…

For this game, every player will need a small container with lid that will be their ‘squirrel.’  Pill bottles, old film canisters or baby food jars are all ideal.  Just be sure that every player’s container is the same size (kids can work in teams for larger groups).  Everyone can decorate their ‘squirrel’ if they like – just make sure you can still remove and reseal the lid.  You will also need a small thermometer and some warm water – set all these aside while you prepare your nest.

 

  1. Take all the players outside to find natural materials for building a nest.  These could be leaves, branches, shreds of bark or paper, ‘fluff’ from seeds like milkweed, or anything you can find that you think would make a good home for your squirrel.
  2. Each player builds their squirrel nest in a protected place that they can find again.
  3. A teacher or parent heats a pot of water to body temperature (warm water from the tap is fine too). Tip for teachers:  having warm water ready in a thermos can be handy for larger groups.
  4. Everyone checks the temperature of the water in the pot (or thermos). Write down or remember the starting temperature!
  5. Find your own squirrel and bring it to the pot of water. Quickly fill your ‘squirrel’ with the warm water, put the lid on snugly, and take the squirrel to the nest you have built.  Carefully place it in the nest, and snuggle the nest materials around it.
  6. Leave your ‘squirrel’ in its nest for 30 minutes.  This is a good time for a nature walk, or an autumn scavenger hunt, while you’re waiting for your ‘squirrel’ to settle in its nest.
  7. After 30 minutes, come back to each nest with the thermometer.  Carefully remove each lid, and take the temperature of the water inside.  Whose squirrel stayed the warmest?  Which cooled down the most?  What kinds of materials were best for keeping the squirrels warm?
  8. You can play this game as often as you like, trying different decorations on your ‘squirrels’, making the most creative nest, and using different materials to keep the squirrel warm.

Hope you stay warm this winter too!  Staying cozy outdoors in cold weather depends on having several layers of insulation and a good windbreak.  Squirrels use the same tricks!

Family Cycling Adventures

June 17, 2020 By //  by Cathy Dueck

Family Cycling Adventures

Here’s a great idea for being active and spending time with those you love, even during social distancing in the pandemic.

child riding bicycleThe Ernsting family meet up for family cycling adventures on nearby trails.  Kids, parents and grandparents can all join in.  Pack a delicious lunch or snack as an added enticement for the trip!  Make sure everyone brings water to drink, uses sunscreen and wears a helmet.

Going exploring on bikes relates to several of the Pathway Landmarks:

  • LANDMARK 4 – Visit a favourite outdoor place every week (Age 4-5 years)
  • LANDMARK 9 – Visit an outdoor place that is special to you (Age 6-7 years)
  • LANDMARK 13 – Travel by yourself or with a friend on a familiar route (Age 8-9 years); Let the children help plan the route if you’re working on Landmark 13
  • LANDMARK 14 – Try several kinds of outdoor recreation that don’t need gasoline or electricity (Age 8-9 years)

If you live in the Peterborough region, we’re blessed with wonderful trail systems, both in town and in the county.  We also have great cycling support services.  Get started close to home with the City of Peterborough Trails Map.  Peterborough and the Kawarthas also have some great cycling route maps and other info for keen cyclists.

Keep trips short if you’re travelling with young children, and lengthen the trip as kids build strength and confidence.  Try cycling to a place where kids can explore and play, to break up the trip and give kids a rest.  Sharpen your eyes and ears while you’re travelling to listen for new sounds or look for interesting bugs, birds or animals along the way.

If you need help with repairing or finding a bike, or some guidance on how to cycle safely, contact BIKE, Peterborough’s community bike shop.

BIKE and GreenUP have changed-up their Pedal Power program, normally offered to schools in June.  This year, it’s Pedal Power from Home and is available to families online.  While the available prizes wrap up at the end of June, the excellent cycling workshops are available throughout the summer.  They’re filled with fun activities, bike drills and information focused on road safety and bike handling skills that families can do from home.

Bird of the Month

June 17, 2020 By //  by Cathy Dueck

Bird of the Month:

Meet the Yellow Warbler!

Yellow WarblerSummer is a perfect time to go searching for new feathered friends. This perky ray of sunshine is quite common in our area in spring and summer. Incredibly, the tiny Yellow Warbler flies all the way from South and Central America every spring to find places to breed in North America. Look for reddish streaks on the breast (males), a black beak and sweet black eyes in an unmarked face. Listen for its song – it sounds like it’s saying “Sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet…”

Yellow warblers feed mostly on insects, and can be found around woodland edges, streamsides and brushy areas.  Look for them in late spring and early summer, as they often start their long migration south during the month of August.  To learn the yellow warbler’s song, check out the Cornell birding website, ‘All About Birds.’  Getting to know the birds around you is part of LANDMARK 12 (Who Else Lives in Your Neighbourhood?).

Don’t be fooled by another common yellow bird – the American Goldfinch.  Male goldfinches are also bright yellow in the summer, but they have a black cap and black wings.  Goldfinches stay here for the winter, and are commonly seen all year at bird feeders.

For a bigger challenge for older children and youth, try reporting your bird sightings to eBird to help track trends in bird populations worldwide.  This is LANDMARK 22  (Become a Citizen Scientist).  Check out the Merlin website to help you learn to identify the birds you see.  Watching birds is great fun, and a good focus for walks outdoors.

Photo by Kyle Dueck

Ideas Aplenty…

June 17, 2020 By //  by Cathy Dueck

Ideas Aplenty…

Our thanks to Kathy MacMillan-Jones for sharing these ideas for summer family fun with kids of many different ages.  Remember to report what you did with the new Landmark reporting form on the Pathway website!

Early Years (0-3)

   LANDMARK 1 (Explore Outdoors) and LANDMARK 3 (Exercise the Senses)
  • Look for little things to explore that are within reach and eyesight – an ant hill, a worm, a flower budding, Worm in handinteresting tree bark, or a patch of grass. Draw your child’s attention to some detail like “the bark feels bumpy”, “the grass tickles”.  See if they can notice something as well. It’s helpful if your child can actively participate, like digging in a patch of dirt or “hugging” a tree. Make a little rhyme for the life you are noticing like “my big tree is bigger than me” or “squirmy squirmy wormy worm” that you can recall later. Try to revisit that spot once a week for several weeks to look for changes/similarities.
  • Go for a walk in a variety of weathers – rainy (look for puddles), hot (look for shade), cold (run to stay warm) etc.

Ages 4-5 years

   LANDMARK 7 (Share a Nature-Based Story, Song or Poem)
  • Make a poem about all the things you notice this week outside and pin it on your fridge.  Use a pattern starter, for instance,   “I like” X 3, or “I hear”, “I smell”
  • For example:  I like (the lilacs), I like (the wind), I like (the ants)
   LANDMARK 8 (Create a nature art project)
  • Gather some loose natural material and create a design on the grass or sidewalk using cut grass, pinecones, pebbles, sand, etc. Take a picture and share with a friend. See if your friend can make something to send to you!

Ages 8-9 years

   LANDMARK 13 (Travel by yourself on a familiar route)
  • Make a list of different ways you can go up and down your street by yourself – walking, running, hopping, etc. Predict how long each method will take and then record the actual time. Challenge a friend to try your ways and have them think of one more. Keep the game going as long as you can. How many ways did you think of together? What was the fastest way? What was the slowest? Which one did you feel most proud of? Why?

Ages 10-11 years

   LANDMARK 18 (Create a video about a natural area)
  • Choose one natural area you have been to. ReseaChild on path in the woodsrch an animal, a plant, and a tree that grows there. Make a video that highlights what you love about this place, and some cool facts you know about at least 3 things that live there – an info-mercial!
  • If it is a provincial or national park, be sure to send them an email to tell them what you have made, and share it if possible. If it is a neighbourhood place, share with a neighbour and ask them what they love about that space. Maybe you can do a neighbourhood survey to see if 10 people all love the same thing!

Great News!

June 17, 2020 By //  by Cathy Dueck

Great News!

Expanded Support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation

We have received very good news that we’re delighted to share.  The Ontario Trillium Foundation has approved significant funding for a three year expansion of the Pathway Project!  That means we’ll be able to support our goal that every young person in our region can experience the 30 Landmarks outlined in our Pathway Guidebook.  We can continue to work together to nurture the stewards of tomorrow!

Now that we’ve completed our pilot phase, we’re ready to expand our reach in a big way!  While we’ll be focusing most of our supports in the Peterborough region, anyone can participate, and work through the Landmark activities as their children/students learn and grow.

boy and girl looking in waterThe 30 Landmarks are a great place to start for anyone who doesn’t already spend a lot of time outdoors, and for those who do, we’re setting up lots of ways to share ideas – by reports submitted to the website, through social media, newsletters, magazine articles and through the regional workshops we’ll be hosting for teachers and parents.

The Pathway Project is a collective of many regional partners, directed by Camp Kawartha.  The Trillium funding will help many of these agencies provide guidance and support to schools and families as we build a culture that nurtures stewardship and kinship in every child.  We can now help with the cost of schoolyard projects, art materials, ‘loose parts’ play materials, bus subsidies and expert visits, as long as they help children with Landmark experiences.  More details soon, as we ramp up the expanded project.  It’s all very exciting!

Especially after spending so much time indoors and with limited contact with others during the pandemic, our kids need the Pathway’s Landmarks now more than ever.  Opportunities to explore and treasure the outdoors, and build meaningful and supportive relationships with others in the community, will be important steps in restoring wellbeing in our children and youth, as well as the adults who care about them!  We hope you and the children in your life will travel the Pathway with us.

 

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Guidelines

– Find the Landmark (from the dropdown menu) that best fits your activity

– Make sure you’ve completed the Landmark before submitting, or we may need to adjust your points (check the Landmarks page for complete directions)

– All entries must have a photo or video to validate your report; be sure to tell us if it’s okay to share your images with others (without permission, we won’t share them)

– Points are accumulated each season; the Leaderboard resets to zero at the start of each season

– Every entry submitted each month gives you a chance to win our monthly draw prize (winner chooses from a selection of prizes); note that prizes are available for Ontario residents only

– Organizers reserve the right to adjust points awarded or to veto a submission, to fairly reflect the effort made by participants

Have fun and keep active! Thanks for telling us what you’re doing!
Questions? Contact us at peterboroughpathway@gmail.com