Natural Fibres Workshop

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  • March
  • Activities, Animals, Educator & Parent Workshops, Intermediate Videos, Intermediate Workshops, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Videos, Middle Years Workshops, Senior Videos, Senior Workshops, Senior Years Quick Activities, Spring, Student Workshops, Videos, Workshops

Materials Needed

  • Samples of natural fibres (if available: wool, cotton etc.)
Natural Fibres Video

Size of Group

any

Age Range

6-18 years

How to:

This 10 minute video, produced by Farms at Work, focuses on farmers in the Kawartha region who raise animals for natural fibres for clothing.  It explores the care of the animals, shearing and processing the fibres, and the reasons why natural fibres are especially important.  Recent research is showing that synthetic fabrics are one of the sources of microplastics in waterways, so environmental concerns are sparking renewed interest in natural fibres.

Garlands for Wildlife

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  • December
  • Activities, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities, Winter

Materials Needed

  • Heavy thread and needles
  • Popped corn
  • Peanuts in the shell
  • Dried fruit, fruit peel

Size of Group

1-20

Age Range

5-18 years

How to:

To celebrate the winter season and decorate outdoors, make garlands out of edible items for our wintering friends in the woods. You can use a variety of items:  Cheerios, raisins, cranberries, peanuts, air popped popcorn, orange and pomegranate peel (shaped with cookie cutters) are all great options for stringing into garlands to hang in the trees.

Transitions

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  • October
  • Activities, Arts, Fall, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities

Materials Needed

  • Digital cameras

Size of Group

any

Age Range

12-18 years

How to:

Go for a neighbourhood walk to gather photos to represent ‘transitions’ (summer transitioning to fall, students going back to school, harvest, migration etc.).  Create a photo collage of your selections.

Outdoor Nature Art

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  • October
  • Activities, Arts, Fall, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities

Materials Needed

  • A variety of items found in nature

Size of Group

1-20

Age Range

6-18 years

How to:

Go for a walk together outdoors and encourage students to collect a few items that appeal to them (without damaging living things).  Encourage them to arrange their items in a pleasing way to create a piece of outdoor art.  Afterwards, have an ‘Art Show,’ where students can visit each others’ creations.

Cloud Spotting

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  • October
  • Activities, Fall, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities

Materials Needed

  • Copies of Cloud ID sheets
  • A day with clouds in the sky!
Cloud ID Sheet

Size of Group

any

Age Range

6-18 years

How to:

Lying on your back and watching the clouds can be a great activity for relaxing and de-stressing for all ages.  Clouds in autumn can be particularly beautiful and variable.  You can add an element of science observation by beginning to identify the different types of clouds.  See the attached Cloud ID sheet to learn some basic cloud types.

Nature Bracelets

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  • August
  • Activities, Arts, Early Years Quick Activities, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities, Summer

Materials Needed

  • Duct Tape
  • A variety of natural items

Size of Group

any

Age Range

any

How to:

This simple activity can be the focus of a group walk anytime.  Give each participant a ‘bracelet’ of duct tape with the sticky side facing out.  While taking a walk around the neighbourhood, ask them to stick small found items onto their bracelet.  The results are different every time, and gets everyone looking and exploring.

Cloud Watching

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  • August
  • Activities, Early Years Quick Activities, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities, Summer

Materials Needed

  • No materials needed!
  • A sky with clouds
Cloud Watcher Poster

Size of Group

any

Age Range

any

How to:

This is a great family activity for summer.  Take some time to lay on your back, look up and watch the clouds. 

Are the clouds fluffy and white, or heavy and dark?  Do you see any shapes?  Can you spot an animal?  Make up a story about what you see.

This can be a good way to relax for parents and kids alike!

Night Adventure

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  • July
  • Activities, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities

Materials Needed

  • Flashlights or Headlamps
  • Sturdy Footwear
  • Water to Drink
Night Adventure Poster

Size of Group

2-10

Age Range

6-18 years

How to:

Take your family on a night hike!  You can follow a familiar route, even in your
neighbourhood, and see how different it looks at night. Try to find a place without street lights. Bring flashlights or headlamps, but only use them if really necessary. Even better, go out on a cloudless night and look at the stars! Stargazing is best in places with few lights.  Invite friends to come along!

If you’re looking at the stars, try downloading the free Skyview Lite app to help you explore the night sky.

Build a Fort

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  • July
  • Activities, Early Years Quick Activities, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities, Summer

Materials Needed

  • Fallen Branches
  • Evergreen Boughs
  • Cattails
  • Any other available items
Build a Fort Challenge

Size of Group

2-10

Age Range

any

How to:

Build the coolest outdoor fort you’ve ever seen! Try to use natural materials as much as you can (fallen branches etc.).  If it’s safe to do so, try sleeping in your fort overnight, and take a picture of you inside it.

For older youth, try to make a debris shelter that could be used in a survival situation to keep you warm and dry. You could even do a water test to see how waterproof it is!

Looking for Lichen

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  • July
  • Activities, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Plants, Senior Years Quick Activities, Summer

Materials Needed

  • Camera
  • Access to a natural area
Lichen Activity Poster

Size of Group

any

Age Range

5-18 years

How to:

Remember to take your camera as you explore the many different types of lichen out in local nature.  Look on rocks, trees and soil in search of the many different species of lichen in your area and see how many different pictures you can take.

Lichens are unique in that they are made from organisms that are working together (symbiosis). A fungus creates the structure of the lichen and the alga and/or cyanobacteria use photosynthesis to make their own food. It is an amazing partnership that creates many beautiful and interesting species of lichen.  Try to take a close up so you can see all the incredible details formed through this unique symbiosis.

Person Power

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  • June
  • Activities, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities

Materials Needed

  • Some mode of non-motorized travel:
  • (Bicycles and helmets)
  • (Canoe and life jackets)
  • (Foot travel!)
Person Power Poster

Size of Group

any

Age Range

5 years and up

How to:

How many ways can you think of to travel without using gasoline or electricity?  Bring your whole family to an outdoor place you’ve never been before. Choose how you’d like to travel (no motors allowed). Bring a picnic and spend at least an hour exploring this new place. While you’re there, make a list of the sounds you hear. Find three different kinds of trees or shrubs and take a photo of each. Find 3 different wildflowers and 3 insects and take a photo of each.

Faces in Nature

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  • June
  • Activities, Early Years Quick Activities, Intermediate Years Quick Activities, Middle Years Quick Activities, Senior Years Quick Activities, Spring, Summer

Materials Needed

  • No materials needed!
  • (Camera optional)
Faces in Nature Challenge

Size of Group

any

Age Range

any

How to:

Have you ever looked for faces in the natural world?  In the trees, in the rocks, in the clouds – anywhere you look!  Go exploring together and see how many faces you can find.  If you wish, take some photos to share.