Grades: Early Learning/Preschool through Kindergarten

Program Description: Get up close and personal with caterpillars and butterflies, hand-feed chipmunks and chickadees, view the world through bug eyes, and search for bugs and birds. Designed for high-energy, hands-on learners.

This 90 minute guided outdoor adventure will have our visitors discovering all the little wonders of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Our visitors will get to explore the flora in search for all sorts of creatures and have the opportunity to try and identify them. While on a short walk, opportunities for bird viewing and chipmunk feeding give your students an experience they will carry with them for life! This program has been specially designed for high-energy, hands-on learners interested in discovering the world of nature through brief, entertaining, and exciting activities. What could be more exciting than spending time with forest friends?

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology
Students will:

1. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings;
2. conduct simple investigations through free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity, using inquiry skills (questioning, planning, predicting, observing, communicating);
3. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment;
4. use technological problem-solving skills (questioning, planning, predicting, constructing, observing, communicating in free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 ask questions about and describe some natural occurrences, using their own observations and representations
• 1.2 sort and classify groups of living and non-living things in their own way
• 1.3 explore patterns in the natural and built environment
• 2.1 state problems and pose questions before and during investigations
• 2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations
• 2.3 select and use materials to carry out their own explorations
• 2.4 communicate results and findings from individual and group investigations
• 3.1 identify similarities and differences between local environments
• 3.2 describe what would happen if something in the local environment changed
• 3.3 identify ways in which they can care for and show respect for the environment

Overall Expectations – Personal and Social Development
Students will:

1. identify and use social skills in play and other contexts;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 act and talk with peers and adults by expressing and accepting positive messages
• 1.2 demonstrate the ability to take turns in activities and discussions
• 1.3 demonstrate an awareness of ways of making and keeping friends

Program Length: 2.0 hours (1.5 hours programming plus time allotted for nutrition breaks and student exploration. Please let us know if you would like your nutrition break before, during or after programming when booking.)

Sample Activities:

• Crawly Things Exploration “Bug Hunt”
• Wildlife viewing and feeding
• Interactive games and/or stories

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grades: Early Learning/Preschool through Kindergarten

Program Description: Explore the gardens and forests in search of birds, learn their calls, and search for their homes, food and water. Build a bird, make a suet bird feeder, examine nests and feathers with magnifiers – this well-paced program keeps active minds and bodies busy indoors and outdoors.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations - Science and Technology
Students will:

1. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings;
2. conduct simple investigations through free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity, using inquiry skills (questioning, planning, predicting, observing, communicating);
3. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment; use technological problem-solving skills (questioning, planning, predicting,
4. constructing, observing, communicating in free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 ask questions about and describe some natural occurrences, using their own observations and representations
• 1.2 sort and classify groups of living and non-living things in their own way
• 1.3 explore patterns in the natural and built environment
• 2.1 state problems and pose questions before and during investigations
• 2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations
• 2.3 select and use materials to carry out their own explorations
• 2.4 communicate results and findings from individual and group investigations
• 3.1 identify similarities and differences between local environments
• 3.2 describe what would happen if something in the local environment changed
• 3.3 identify ways in which they can care for and show respect for the environment

Overall Expectations – Personal and Social Development
Students will:

• identify and use social skills in play and other contexts;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 act and talk with peers and adults by expressing and accepting positive messages
• 1.2 demonstrate the ability to take turns in activities and discussions
• 1.3 demonstrate an awareness of ways of making and keeping friends

Program Length: 2.0 hours (1.5 hours programming plus time allotted for nutrition breaks and student exploration. Please let us know if you would like your nutrition break before, during or after programming when booking.)

Sample Activities:

• Nature and wildlife exploration walk
• Wildlife feeding
• Indoor activities

Number of students/interpreter: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grades: Preschool through Senior Kindergarten

Program Description: Explore the delights of late autumn and winter while on a nature walk followed by indoor activities. Learn about seasonal changes and how plants and animals get ready for winter, then create a tasty treat for wildlife to enjoy.

Location:Nature Interpretive Centre, Arboretum

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology
Students will:

1. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings;
2. conduct simple investigations through free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity, using inquiry skills (questioning, planning, predicting, observing, communicating);
3. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment;
4. use technological problem-solving skills (questioning, planning, predicting,constructing, observing, communicating in free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 ask questions about and describe some natural occurrences, using their own observations and representations
• 1.2 sort and classify groups of living and non-living things in their own way
• 1.3 explore patterns in the natural and built environment
• 2.1 state problems and pose questions before and during investigations
• 2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations
• 2.3 select and use materials to carry out their own explorations
• 2.4 communicate results and findings from individual and group investigations
• 3.1 identify similarities and differences between local environments
• 3.2 describe what would happen if something in the local environment changed
• 3.3 identify ways in which they can care for and show respect for the environment

Overall Expectations – Personal and Social Development
Students will:

1. identify and use social skills in play and other contexts;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 act and talk with peers and adults by expressing and accepting positive messages
• 1.2 demonstrate the ability to take turns in activities and discussions
• 1.3 demonstrate an awareness of ways of making and keeping friends

Program Length: 2.0 hours (1.5 hours programming plus time allotted for nutrition breaks and student exploration. Please let us know if you would like your nutrition break before, during or after programming when booking.)

Sample Activities:

• Nature walk exploring wildlife tracks and homes
• Opportunity for wildlife feeding
• Indoor activities to include make-and-take

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grades: Early Learning/Preschool through Senior Kindergarten

Program Description: People have five senses, but mostly use one — vision. By learning to use all of our senses when we explore, the world around us expands to provide a more complete and interesting picture. In this program, students use their five senses to explore the varied gardens of RBG's Veggie Village and develop a better sense of nature.

Location: Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology
Students will:

1. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings;
2. conduct simple investigations through free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity, using inquiry skills (questioning, planning, predicting, observing, communicating);
3. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment;
4. use technological problem-solving skills (questioning, planning, predicting, constructing, observing, communicating in free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 ask questions about and describe some natural occurrences, using their own observations and representations
• 1.2 sort and classify groups of living and non-living things in their own way
• 1.3 explore patterns in the natural and built environment
• 2.1 state problems and pose questions before and during investigations
• 2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations
• 2.4 communicate results and findings from individual and group investigations
• 3.1 identify similarities and differences between local environments
• 3.2 describe what would happen if something in the local environment changed
• 3.3 identify ways in which they can care for and show respect for the environment

Overall Expectations – Personal and Social Development
Students will:

1. identify and use social skills in play and other contexts;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 act and talk with peers and adults by expressing and accepting positive messages
• 1.2 demonstrate the ability to take turns in activities and discussions
• 1.3 demonstrate an awareness of ways of making and keeping friends

Program Length: 2.0 hours (1.5 hours programming plus time allotted for nutrition breaks and student exploration. Please let us know if you would like your nutrition break before, during or after programming when booking.)

Sample Activities:

• Touching and smelling plants
• Sampling vegetables from the garden
• Listening games
• Looking at the different gardens in Hendrie Park

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes

Grade: Early Learning/Preschool through Kindergarten

Program Description: Students meet our prehistoric giants, explore their lives, take part in a virtual dinosaur dig and more!

Location: Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology
Students will:

1. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings
2. conduct simple investigations through free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity, using inquiry skills (questioning, planning, predicting, observing, communicating)
3. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 ask questions about and describe some natural occurrences, using their own observations and representations
• 1.2 sort and classify groups of living and non-living things in their own way
• 2.1 state problems and pose questions before and during investigations
• 2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations
• 3.2 describe what would happen if something in the local environment changed

Overall Expectations – Personal and Social Development
Students will:

1. identify and use social skills in play and other contexts;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 act and talk with peers and adults by expressing and accepting positive messages
• 1.2 demonstrate the ability to take turns in activities and discussions
• 1.3 demonstrate an awareness of ways of making and keeping friends

Program Length: 2.0 hours (1.5 hours programming plus time allotted for nutrition breaks and student exploration. Please let us know if you would like your nutrition break before, during or after programming when booking.)

Sample Activities:

• Battle of the Titans tour
• Interactive activities, stories and/or folklore
• Class digital photograph with T. rex or Triceratops to take home!

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Are you looking for a full day experience at Royal Botanical Gardens, without the cost of a second guided program? A semi-guided program may be the answer. Combine any of our guided half day programs with a self-guided walk to make a full day experience. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Come explore Royal Botanical Gardens on your own. Take the time to explore the natural world your way without the cost of a guided program. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

RBG is launching an inquiry-based field school program in 2012. We will be piloting these programs for the Early Education, Primary and Junior levels in the 2012/13 school year. We believe in self-directed learning and allowing children to construct knowledge principles through active, hands-on learning. Educate the whole child and immerse your class in a botanically themed seasonal set of programs designed to build upon learning experiences from visit to visit.

Programs have been designed as units to explore the seasonal changes and botanical variability that occur in ecosystems. Who better than RBG to make plants exciting for your students?!

Choose from a set of seven programs including:

1. Veggie Village (Food Security and Vegetable Gardening)
2. Princess Point (Prairie Ecosystems)
3. Berry Tract (Meadow Ecosystems)
4. Rock Chapel (Cliff Ecosystems, Geology, Soils and Plants on the Edge)
5. Arboretum (Wetlands and Marshes)
6. Arboretum (Carolinian Forest)
7. Mediterranean Garden (Mediterranean Biome exploration)

Program Fees: Day package rates and minimum participant requirements apply (click here for pricing information) Bundle Discounts:

• Book 4 of 7          10% OFF
• Book 5 or 6 of 7    13% OFF
• Book 7 of 7          15% OFF

Any school or class can participate in our inquiry-based learning programs, please call 905-527-1158 ext. 276 or email to inquire.

Grade: 1

Program Description: Learn what animals need to survive! Students take a closer look at the insects, birds and mammals that call RBG home. Through interactive games and hands-on investigations, students learn about the needs of all animals for food, water, air and shelter.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations - Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
Students will:

1. assess the role of humans in maintaining a healthy environment
2. investigate needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans
3. demonstrate an understanding of the basic needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 identify personal action that they themselves can take to help maintain a healthy environment for living things, including humans
• 1.2 describe changes or problems that could result from the loss of some kinds of living things that are part of everyday life
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures and humane practices during science and technology investigations
• 2.2 investigate and compare the basic needs of humans and other living things, including the need for air, water, food, warmth, and space, using a variety of methods and resources
• 2.3 investigate and compare the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals, including humans
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including investigation, explore, needs, space, and food, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify environment as the area in which something or someone exists or lives
• 3.4 describe the characteristics of a healthy environment, including clean air and water and nutritious food, and explain why it is important for all living things to have a healthy environment
• 3.5 describe how showing care and respect for all living things helps to maintain a healthy environment
• 3.6 identify what living things provide for other living things
• 3.7 describe how the things plants and animals use to meet their needs are changed by their use and are returned to the environment in different forms

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature and wildlife exploration hike
• Wildlife viewing and feeding
• Interactive games and/or stories

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 1

Program Description: Prehistoric animals had the same needs for survival as things living today. As they explore our Battle of the Titans exhibit, students learn about dinosaurs’ needs for food, water, air and shelter, through hands-on games and interactive demonstrations, and compare them to the needs of modern critters.

Location: Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
Students will:

1. assess the role of humans in maintaining a healthy environment
2. investigate needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans
3. demonstrate an understanding of the basic needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.2 investigate and compare the basic needs of humans and other living things, including the need for air, water, food, warmth, and space, using a variety of methods and resources
• 2.3 investigate and compare the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals, including humans
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including investigation, explore, needs, space, and food, in oral and written communication

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Battle of the Titans tour
• Interactive activities, stories and/or folklore

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 1

Program Description: Transitioning from season to season brings a great sense of change to any ecosystem. By exploring our sanctuaries and/or greenhouse, witness those changes in plants, animals, and birds as they prepare for the cold winter ahead.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Earth and Space Systems: Daily and Seasonal Changes
Students will:

1. assess the impact of daily and seasonal changes on living things, including humans;
2. investigate daily and seasonal changes;
3. demonstrate an understanding of what daily and seasonal changes are and of how these changes affect living things.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.5 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including investigate, temperature, hibernate, dormant, energy, and survival, in oral and written communication
• 3.3 describe changes in the amount of heat and light from the sun that occur throughout the day and the seasons
• 3.4 describe and compare the four seasons
• 3.5 describe changes in the appearance or behaviour of living things that are adaptations to seasonal changes
• 3.6 describe how humans prepare for and/or respond to daily and seasonal changes

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Autumn nature walk
• Mediterranean greenhouse tour (Main RBG centre only)

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 1

Program Description: The power of flight gives these creatures an opportunity like no other. With over 250 bird species travelling through our property, come get a first hand glimpse of their world as we broaden your knowledge of our ever-feathery friends. HIGHLIGHT: hand-feeding the chickadees

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
Students will:

1. assess the role of humans in maintaining a healthy environment;
2. investigate needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans;
3. demonstrate an understanding of the basic needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.1 follow established safety procedures and humane practices during science and technology investigations
• 2.3 investigate and compare the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals, including humans
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including investigation, explore, needs, space, and food, in oral and written communication
• 3.2 identify the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals
• 3.5 describe how showing care and respect for all living things helps to maintain a healthy environment

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature and wildlife exploration walk
• Wildlife viewing and feeding
• Interactive games and/or stories

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 1

Program Description: With every step, flutter or wiggle, living creatures are in constant survival mode. Explore their world and see what they’ve done in order to survive as a species!

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
Students will:

1. assess the role of humans in maintaining a healthy environment
2. investigate needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans
3. demonstrate an understanding of the basic needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 identify personal action that they themselves can take to help maintain a healthy environment for living things, including humans
• 1.2 describe changes or problems that could result from the loss of some kinds of living things that are part of everyday life
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures and humane practices during science and technology investigations
• 2.2 investigate and compare the basic needs of humans and other living things, including the need for air, water, food, warmth, and space, using a variety of methods and resources
• 2.3 investigate and compare the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals, including humans
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including investigation, explore, needs, space, and food, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify environment as the area in which something or someone exists or lives
• 3.2 identify the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals
• 3.4 describe the characteristics of a healthy environment, including clean air and water and nutritious food, and explain why it is important for all living things to have a healthy environment
• 3.5 describe how showing care and respect for all living things helps to maintain a healthy environment
• 3.6 identify what living things provide for other living things

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature and wildlife exploration hike
• Wildlife viewing and feeding
• Interactive games and/or stories

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 1

Program Description: Come face to face with our scaly friends and help our biologists decide who belongs in our Class 1 Wetland. A state-of-the-art structure combined with a plethora of activities will open your eyes to the underwater world, and that inhabit it.

Location: Princess Point/Fishway

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Characteristics and Needs of Living Things
Students will:

1. assess the role of humans in maintaining a healthy environment;
2. investigate needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans;
3. demonstrate an understanding of the basic needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 identify personal action that they themselves can take to help maintain a healthy environment for living things, including humans
• 1.2 describe changes or problems that could result from the loss of some kinds of living things that are part of everyday life
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures and humane practices during science and technology investigations
• 2.2 investigate and compare the basic needs of humans and other living things, including the need for air, water, food, warmth, and space, using a variety of methods and resources
• 2.3 investigate and compare the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals, including humans
• 2.4 investigate the physical characteristics of plants and explain how they help the plant meet its basic needs using a variety of methods and resources
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including investigation, explore, needs, space, and food, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify environment as the area in which something or someone exists or lives
• 3.2 identify the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals
• 3.4 describe the characteristics of a healthy environment, including clean air and water and nutritious food, and explain why it is important for all living things to have a healthy environment
• 3.5 describe how showing care and respect for all living things helps to maintain a healthy environment
• 3.6 identify what living things provide for other living things
• 3.7 describe how the things plants and animals use to meet their needs are changed by their use and are returned to the environment in different forms

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Visit to RBG Fishway and demonstration with staff
• Nature walk using binoculars
• Interactive games

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 35 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 2

Program Description: All animals grow, change and are affected by the environment around them. Through interactive games and nature exploration, students discover the similarities and differences between some of Ontario’s native species, and learn about some of the positive impacts they can have on local wildlife. HIGHLIGHT: hand-feeding chickadees

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Animals
Students will:

1. assess ways in which animals have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which humans have an impact upon animals and the places where they live
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various animals
3. demonstrate an understanding that animals grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 identify positive and negative impacts that animals have on humans (society) and the environment, form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 1.2 identify positive and negative impacts that different kinds of human activity have on animals and where they live form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures and humane practices specific to the care and handling of live animals, where appropriate, during science and technology investigations
• 2.2 observe and compare the physical characteristics and the behavioural characteristics of a variety of animals, including insects, using student-generated questions and a variety of methods and resources
• 2.3 investigate the life cycle of a variety of animals using a variety of methods and resources
• 2.4 observe and compare changes in the appearance and activity of animals as they go through a complete life cycle
• 2.5 investigate the ways in which a variety of animals adapt to their environment and/or to changes in their environment, using various methods
• 2.6 use scientific inquiry/research skills, and knowledge acquired from previous investigations, to investigate the basic needs, characteristics, behaviour, and adaptations of an animal of their choice
• 2.7 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including life cycle, migration, adaptation, body coverings, and classify, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify and describe major physical characteristics of different types of animals
• 3.2 describe an adaptation as a characteristic body part, shape, or behaviour that helps a plant or animal survive in its environment
• 3.3 identify ways in which animals are helpful to, and ways in which they meet the needs of, living things, including humans, to explain why humans should protect animals and the places where they live
• 3.4 identify ways in which animals can be harmful to humans

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Native animal nature walk
• Interactive activities, stories and/or folklore

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 2

Program Description: Prehistoric animals grew, changes and were affected by the environment around them, just like present-day wildlife. As they make their way through our Battle of the Titans exhibit, students learn about the adaptations of Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops through interactive activities and displays, and compare them to modern-day critters.

Location: Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Animals
Students will:

1. assess ways in which animals have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which humans have an impact upon animals and the places where they live
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various animals
3. demonstrate an understanding that animals grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.2 observe and compare the physical characteristics (e.g., fur or feathers; two legs or no legs) and the behavioural characteristics (e.g., predator or prey) of a variety of animals, including insects, using student-generated questions and a variety of methods and resources
• 2.5 investigate the ways in which a variety of animals adapt to their environment and/or to changes in their environment, using various methods
• 2.7 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including life cycle, migration, adaptation, body coverings, and classify, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify and describe major physical characteristics of different types of animals
• 3.2 describe an adaptation as a characteristic body part, shape, or behaviour that helps a plant or animal survive in its environment

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Battle of the Titans tour
• Interactive activities, stories and/or folklore
• Class digital photograph with T. rex or Triceratops to take home!

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 2

Program Description: With every step, flutter or wiggle, living creatures are in constant survival mode. Explore their world and see what they’ve done in order to survive as a species!

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Animals
Students will:

1. assess ways in which animals have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which humans have an impact upon animals and the places where they live
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various animals
3. demonstrate an understanding that animals grow and change and have distinct characteristics

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 identify positive and negative impacts that animals have on humans (society) and the environment, form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 1.2 identify positive and negative impacts that different kinds of human activity have on animals and where they live, form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures and humane practices specific to the care and handling of live animals, where appropriate, during science and technology investigations
• 2.2 observe and compare the physical characteristics and the behavioural characteristics of a variety of animals, including insects, using student-generated questions and a variety of methods and resources
• 2.3 investigate the life cycle of a variety of animals using a variety of methods and resources
• 2.4 observe and compare changes in the appearance and activity of animals as they go through a complete life cycle
• 2.5 investigate the ways in which a variety of animals adapt to their environment and/or to changes in their environment, using various methods
• 2.7 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including life cycle, migration, adaptation, body coverings, and classify, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify and describe major physical characteristics of different types of animals
• 3.2 describe an adaptation as a characteristic body part, shape, or behaviour that helps a plant or animal survive in its environment
• 3.3 identify ways in which animals are helpful to, and ways in which they meet the needs of, living things, including humans, to explain why humans should protect animals and the places where they live
• 3.4 identify ways in which animals can be harmful to humans

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature and wildlife exploration hike
• Wildlife viewing and feeding
• Interactive games and/or stories

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 2

Program Description: Transitioning from season to season brings a great sense of change to any ecosystem. By exploring our sanctuaries and/or greenhouse, witness those changes in plants, animals, and birds as they prepare for the cold winter ahead.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre (Mediterranean Greenhouses)

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Animals
Students will:

1. assess ways in which animals have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which humans have an impact upon animals and the places where they live
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various animals
3. demonstrate an understanding that animals grow and change and have distinct characteristics

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 identify positive and negative impacts that animals have on humans (society) and the environment, form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 1.2 identify positive and negative impacts that different kinds of human activity have on animals and where they live form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures and humane practices specific to the care and handling of live animals, where appropriate, during science and technology investigations
• 2.2 observe and compare the physical characteristics and the behavioural characteristics of a variety of animals, including insects, using student-generated questions and a variety of methods and resources
• 2.5 investigate the ways in which a variety of animals adapt to their environment and/or to changes in their environment, using various methods
• 2.7 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including life cycle, migration, adaptation, body coverings, and classify, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify and describe major physical characteristics of different types of animals
• 3.2 describe an adaptation as a characteristic body part, shape, or behaviour that helps a plant or animal survive in its environment
• 3.3 identify ways in which animals are helpful to, and ways in which they meet the needs of, living things, including humans, to explain why humans should protect animals and the places where they live
• 3.4 identify ways in which animals can be harmful to humans

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Autumn nature walk
• Mediterranean greenhouse tour (Main RBG centre only)

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 2

Program Description: All living things need air and water to survive. Students investigate the properties of air and water through a series of hands-on experiments. They then make connections between living things, air and water through exploring the plants and animals that call RBG home.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Earth and Space Systems: Air and Water in the Environment
Students will:

1. assess ways in which the actions of humans have an impact on the quality of air and water, and ways in which the quality of air and water has an impact on living things
2. investigate the characteristics of air and water and the visible/invisible effects of and changes to air and/or water in the environment
3. demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which air and water are used by living things to help them meet their basic needs

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.1 follow established safety procedures during science and technology investigations
• 2.2 investigate, through experimentation, the characteristics of air (e.g., air takes up space, has mass) and its uses
• 2.3 investigate, through experimentation, the characteristics of water
• 2.4 investigate the stages of the water cycle, including evaporation , condensation , precipitation, and collection
• 2.5 investigate water in the natural environment
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including solid, liquid, vapour, evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify air as a gaseous substance that surrounds us and whose movement we feel as wind
• 3.2 identify water as a clear, colourless, odourless, tasteless liquid that exists in three states and that is necessary for the life of most animals and plants
• 3.3 describe ways in which living things, including humans, depend on air and water
• 3.4 identify sources of water in the natural and built environment
• 3.5 identify the three states of water in the environment, give examples of each (e.g., solid – visible as ice, snow, sleet, hail, frost; liquid – visible as rain, dew; gas – visible as fog, water vapour), and show how they fit into the water cycle when the temperature of the surrounding environment changes
• 3.6 state reasons why clean water is an increasingly scarce resource in many parts of the world

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature and wildlife exploration hike
• Wildlife viewing and feeding
• Interactive games and/or stories

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 2

Program Description: The power of flight gives these creatures an opportunity like no other. With over 250 bird species travelling through our property, come get a first hand glimpse of their world as we broaden your knowledge of our ever-feathery friends. HIGHLIGHT: hand-feeding the chickadees

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Animals
Students will:

1. assess ways in which animals have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which humans have an impact upon animals and the places where they live
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various animals
3. demonstrate an understanding that animals grow and change and have distinct characteristics

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 identify positive and negative impacts that animals have on humans (society) and the environment, form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 1.2 identify positive and negative impacts that different kinds of human activity have on animals and where they live, form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures and humane practices specific to the care and handling of live animals, where appropriate, during science and technology investigations
• 2.2 observe and compare the physical characteristics and the behavioural characteristics of a variety of animals, including insects, using student-generated questions and a variety of methods and resources
• 2.3 investigate the life cycle of a variety of animals using a variety of methods and resources
• 2.4 observe and compare changes in the appearance and activity of animals as they go through a complete life cycle
• 2.7 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including life cycle, migration, adaptation, body coverings, and classify, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify and describe major physical characteristics of different types of animals
• 3.2 describe an adaptation as a characteristic body part, shape, or behaviour that helps a plant or animal survive in its environment
• 3.3 identify ways in which animals are helpful to, and ways in which they meet the needs of, living things, including humans, to explain why humans should protect animals and the places where they live
• 3.4 identify ways in which animals can be harmful to humans

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature and wildlife exploration walk
• Wildlife viewing and feeding
• Interactive games and/or stories

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 2

Program Description: Come face to face with our scaly friends and help out biologists decide who belongs in our Class 1 Wetland. A state-of-the-art structure combined with a plethora of activities will open your eyes to the underwater world, and all that inhabit it.

Location: Princess Point/Fishway

Overall Expectations – Elementary Science and Technology: Understanding Life Systems - Growth and Changes in Animals
Students will:

1. assess ways in which animals have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which humans have an impact upon animals and the places where they live;
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various animals;
3. demonstrate an understanding that animals grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.2 identify positive and negative impacts that different kinds of human activity have on animals and where they live (e.g., actions of animal lovers and groups that protect animals and their rights, the home owner who wants a nice lawn, people who visit zoos and wildlife parks, pet owners), form an opinion about one of them, and suggest ways in which the impact can be minimized or enhanced
• 2.5 investigate the ways in which a variety of animals adapt to their environment and/or to changes in their environment, using various methods (e.g., read simple non-fiction texts and Aboriginal stories; observe animal activity in the schoolyard and surrounding areas, and record findings)
• 3.3 identify ways in which animals are helpful to, and ways in which they meet the needs of, living things, including humans, to explain why humans should protect animals and the places where they live (e.g., bats control mosquito populations; birds and wildlife provide pleasurable viewing experiences; the buffalo provided some Aboriginal people with everything they needed to survive: food, shelter, clothing, tools, ornamentation, and weapons; horses can be used for labour; cats and dogs provide companionship for humans; animals, including humans, disperse plant seeds)

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Visit to RBG Fishway and demonstration with staff
• Nature walk
• Interactive games

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 35 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 2

Program Description: Many of the world’s cultures have celebrations to brighten the cold, dark days of early winter. Through legends and folklore, students explore some of the ways that plants are used in seasonal traditions, and get outside to enjoy some of the natural beauty of the season.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre (Mediterranean greenhouse)

Overall Expectations – Social Studies, Heritage and Citizenship: Traditions and Celebrations
Students will:

1. use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate information about similarities and differences among family traditions and celebrations;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• demonstrate an understanding that communities may be made up of people from many cultures;
• outline traditions of various cultures that are passed down from earlier generations (e.g., celebrations, names);
• identify ways in which heritage and traditions are passed on (e.g., stories; community celebrations; special days such as Remembrance Day, Canada Day, Aboriginal Solidarity Day, and religious holidays; the Canadian flag; music, crafts, dance, food, recreation, clothing);

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Winter walk (weather permitting)
• Interactive activities, stories and folklore
• Mediterranean Greenhouse Tour (Main RBG Centre only)

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 3

Program Description: All around the world plants grow, change and are affected by the environment around them. Through interactive outdoor exploration, play and activities, students learn about the characteristics of plants and our dependence upon them.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre, Arboretum or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants
Students will:

1. assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats;
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various plants, and ways in which the characteristics of plants relate to the environment in which they grow;
3. demonstrate an understanding that plants grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess ways in which plants are important to humans and other living things, taking different points of view into consideration (e.g., the point of view of home builders, gardeners, nursery owners, vegetarians), and suggest ways in which humans can protect plants
• 1.2 assess the impact of different human activities on plants, and list personal actions they can engage in to minimize harmful effects and enhance good effects
• 3.1 describe the basic needs of plants, including air, water, light, warmth, and space
• 3.2 identify the major parts of plants, including root, stem, flower, stamen, pistil, leaf, seed, and fruit, and describe how each contributes to the plant’s survival within the plant’s environment (e.g., the roots soak up food and water for the plant; the stem carries water and food to the rest of the plant; the leaves make food for the plant with help from the sun; the flowers grow fruit and seeds for new plants)
• 3.5 describe ways in which humans from various cultures, including Aboriginal people, use plants for food, shelter, medicine, and clothing (e.g., food – from rice plants; houses for shelter – from the wood of trees; medicines – from herbs; clothing – from cotton plants)
• 3.6 describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., plants provide food for energy; animals help disperse pollen and seeds, and provide manure that fertilizes the soil in which plants grow; plants need the carbon dioxide that animals breathe out, and animals need the oxygen that plants release into the air)
• 3.8 identify examples of environmental conditions that may threaten plant and animal survival (e.g., extreme heat and cold; floods and/or droughts; changes in habitat because of human activities such as construction, use of gas-powered personal watercraft on lakes)

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Native plant nature walk
• Interactive activities, stories and/or folklore
• Transplanting or sowing seeds to take home (native herb or wildflower)

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 3

Program Description: All around the world plants grow, change and are affected by the environment around them. Through indoor exploration, play and interactive activities, students learn about the characteristics of Mediterranean plants and our dependence upon them.

Location: Main RBG Centre, Mediterranean Greenhouses

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants
Students will:

1. assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats;
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various plants, and ways in which the characteristics of plants relate to the environment in which they grow;
3. demonstrate an understanding that plants grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess ways in which plants are important to humans and other living things, taking different points of view into consideration (e.g., the point of view of home builders, gardeners, nursery owners, vegetarians), and suggest ways in which humans can protect plants
• 2.2 observe and compare the parts of a variety of plants (e.g., roots of grass, carrot, dandelion; stem of cactus, carnation, tree; leaves of geranium, spider plant, pine tree)
• 2.4 investigate ways in which a variety of plants adapt and/or react to their environment, including changes in their environment, using a variety of methods (e.g., read a variety of non-fiction texts; interview plant experts; view DVDs or CD-ROMs)
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including stem, leaf, root, pistil, stamen, flower, adaptation, and germination, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 describe the basic needs of plants, including air, water, light, warmth, and space
• 3.2 identify the major parts of plants, including root, stem, flower, stamen, pistil, leaf, seed, and fruit, and describe how each contributes to the plant’s survival within the plant’s environment (e.g., the roots soak up food and water for the plant; the stem carries water and food to the rest of the plant; the leaves make food for the plant with help from the sun; the flowers grow fruit and seeds for new plants)
• 3.5 describe ways in which humans from various cultures, including Aboriginal people, use plants for food, shelter, medicine, and clothing (e.g., food – from rice plants; houses for shelter – from the wood of trees; medicines – from herbs; clothing – from cotton plants)
• 3.6 describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., plants provide food for energy; animals help disperse pollen and seeds, and provide manure that fertilizes the soil in which plants grow; plants need the carbon dioxide that animals breathe out, and animals need the oxygen that plants release into the air)
• 3.8 identify examples of environmental conditions that may threaten plant and animal survival (e.g., extreme heat and cold; floods and/or droughts; changes in habitat because of human activities such as construction, use of gas-powered personal watercraft on lakes)

Program Length: 2.0 hour

Sample Activities:

• Mediterranean greenhouse tour
• Interactive activities, stories and/or folklore
• Transplanting or sowing seeds to take home (mediterranean herb)

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 3

Program Description: All around the world plants grow, change and are affected by the environment around them. Exploring Veggie Village’s edible garden, students can explore, play and learn about the characteristics of plants and our dependence upon them.

Location: Veggie Village, Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants
Students will:

1. assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats;
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various plants, and ways in which the characteristics of plants relate to the environment in which they grow;
3. demonstrate an understanding that plants grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess ways in which plants are important to humans and other living things, taking different points of view into consideration (e.g., the point of view of home builders, gardeners, nursery owners, vegetarians), and suggest ways in which humans can protect plants
• 2.2 observe and compare the parts of a variety of plants (e.g., roots of grass, carrot, dandelion; stem of cactus, carnation, tree; leaves of geranium, spider plant, pine tree)
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including stem, leaf, root, pistil, stamen, flower, adaptation, and germination, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 describe the basic needs of plants, including air, water, light, warmth, and space
• 3.2 identify the major parts of plants, including root, stem, flower, stamen, pistil, leaf, seed, and fruit, and describe how each contributes to the plant’s survival within the plant’s environment (e.g., the roots soak up food and water for the plant; the stem carries water and food to the rest of the plant; the leaves make food for the plant with help from the sun; the flowers grow fruit and seeds for new plants)
• 3.3 describe the changes that different plants undergo in their life cycles (e.g., some plants grow from bulbs to flowers, and when the flowers die off the bulb produces little bulbs that will bloom the next year; some plants grow from germination of a seed to the production of a fruit containing seeds that are then scattered by humans, animals, or the wind so that new plants can grow)
• 3.4 describe how most plants get energy to live directly from the sun (e.g., plants turn the energy from the sun into food for themselves) and how plants help other living things to get energy from the sun (e.g., Other living things, which cannot “eat” sunshine, eat the plants to get the energy. They also get energy when they eat the animals that eat the plants.)
• 3.7 describe the different ways in which plants are grown for food (e.g., on farms, in orchards, greenhouses, home gardens), and explain the advantages and disadvantages of locally grown and organically produced food, including environmental benefits
• 3.8 identify examples of environmental conditions that may threaten plant and animal survival (e.g., extreme heat and cold; floods and/or droughts; changes in habitat because of human activities such as construction, use of gas-powered personal watercraft on lakes)

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Veggie Village tour
• Transplanting or sowing seeds to take home (vegetable or herb)

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 3

Program Description: For millions of years plants have been growing, changing and adapting to the environment around them. As students explore our Battle of the Titans exhibit, they learn about the needs and characteristics of prehistoric plants and their relationships with the animals that depend upon them!

Location: Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants
Students will:

1. assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats;
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various plants, and ways in which the characteristics of plants relate to the environment in which they grow;
3. demonstrate an understanding that plants grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess ways in which plants are important to humans and other living things, taking different points of view into consideration (e.g., the point of view of home builders, gardeners, nursery owners, vegetarians), and suggest ways in which humans can protect plants
• 1.2 assess the impact of different human activities on plants, and list personal actions they can engage in to minimize harmful effects and enhance good effects
• 2.2 observe and compare the parts of a variety of plants (e.g., roots of grass, carrot, dandelion; stem of cactus, carnation, tree; leaves of geranium, spider plant, pine tree)
• 3.1 describe the basic needs of plants, including air, water, light, warmth, and space
• 3.6 describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., plants provide food for energy; animals help disperse pollen and seeds, and provide manure that fertilizes the soil in which plants grow; plants need the carbon dioxide that animals breathe out, and animals need the oxygen that plants release into the air)
• 3.8 identify examples of environmental conditions that may threaten plant and animal survival (e.g., extreme heat and cold; floods and/or droughts; changes in habitat because of human activities such as construction, use of gas-powered personal watercraft on lakes)

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Battle of the Titans tour
• Interactive activities, stories and/or folklore
• Transplanting or sowing seeds to take home (prehistoric relative)
• Class digital photograph with T. rex or Triceratops to take home!

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Grade: 3

Program Description: Get your hands dirty while exploring the life that lives below our toes, and find out how both weather and humans impact the underworld! Bugs, dirt, lab work – what child wouldn’t “dig’ this hands-on program?

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants
Students will:

1. assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats;
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various plants, and ways in which the characteristics of plants relate to the environment in which they grow;
3. demonstrate an understanding that plants grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess ways in which plants are important to humans and other living things, taking different points of view into consideration (e.g., the point of view of home builders, gardeners, nursery owners, vegetarians), and suggest ways in which humans can protect plants
• 2.4 investigate ways in which a variety of plants adapt and/or react to their environment, including changes in their environment, using a variety of methods (e.g., read a variety of non-fiction texts; interview plant experts; view DVDs or CD-ROMs)
• 2.5 use scientific inquiry/experimentation skills (see page 12), and knowledge acquired from previous investigations, to investigate a variety of ways in which plants meet their basic needs
• 3.1 describe the basic needs of plants, including air, water, light, warmth, and space describe the changes that different plants undergo in their life cycles (e.g., some plants grow from bulbs to flowers, and when the flowers die off the bulb produces little bulbs that will bloom the next year; some plants grow from germination of a seed to the production of a fruit containing seeds that are then scattered by humans, animals, or the wind so that new plants can grow)
• 3.6 describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., plants provide food for energy; animals help disperse pollen and seeds, and provide manure that fertilizes the soil in which plants grow; plants need the carbon dioxide that animals breathe out, and animals need the oxygen that plants release into the air)

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature walk and soil analysis
• Transplanting or sowing seeds to take home (native species)
• Macroinvertibrate exploration ie. “bug hunt”

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 3

Program Description: Transitioning from season to season brings a sense of change to any ecosystem. By exploring our sanctuaries and/or greenhouse, witness those changes in plants, animals, and birds as they prepare for the cold winter ahead.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre (Mediterranean greenhouse)

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants
Students will:

1. assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats;
2. investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various plants, and ways in which the characteristics of plants relate to the environment in which they grow;
3. demonstrate an understanding that plants grow and change and have distinct characteristics.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.2 observe and compare the parts of a variety of plants (e.g., roots of grass, carrot, dandelion; stem of cactus, carnation, tree; leaves of geranium, spider plant, pine tree)
• 2.4 investigate ways in which a variety of plants adapt and/or react to their environment, including changes in their environment, using a variety of methods (e.g., read a variety of non-fiction texts; interview plant experts; view DVDs or CD-ROMs)
• 2.6 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including stem, leaf, root, pistil, stamen, flower, adaptation, and germination, in oral and written communication
• 3.3 describe the changes that different plants undergo in their life cycles (e.g., some plants grow from bulbs to flowers, and when the flowers die off the bulb produces little bulbs that will bloom the next year; some plants grow from germination of a seed to the production of a fruit containing seeds that are then scattered by humans, animals, or the wind so that new plants can grow)
• 3.6 describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., plants provide food for energy; animals help disperse pollen and seeds, and provide manure that fertilizes the soil in which plants grow; plants need the carbon dioxide that animals breathe out, and animals need the oxygen that plants release into the air)

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Autumn nature walk
• Mediterranean greenhouse tour (Main RBG centre only)

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grades: 1-3

Program Description: Explore and observe nature and record your observations using our high-quality watercolour kits. After instruction and experimentation with watercolours, your class will paint to their hearts content.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre (Mediterranean greenhouse)

Overall Expectations – Visual Arts
Students will:

• D1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process (see pages 19–22) to produce a variety of two- and three-dimensional art works, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings;
• D2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process (see pages 23–28) to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• D1.3 use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and personal understandings (e.g., a pattern of broken, wavy, and zigzag lines to make the bark of a tree look rough in a drawing; size and arrangement of organic shapes in a painting of flowers to create the impression that the various flowers are at different distances from the viewer)
• D2.2 explain how elements and principles of design are used to communicate meaning or understanding in their own and others’ art work (e.g., explain how repeated lines and shapes are used to depict the texture of snake, lizard, leopard, or dinosaur skin; classify images on a topic, and, focusing on a dominant element, use the images to explain that there are many different ways of approaching the same subject)

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Classroom instruction on watercolour use and painting techniques
• Opportunity for independent exploration and expression either outdoors at our gardens, or in our Mediterranean greenhouse

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Are you looking for a full day experience at Royal Botanical Gardens, without the cost of a second guided program? A semi-guided program may be the answer. Combine any of our guided half day programs with a self-guided walk to make a full day experience. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Come explore Royal Botanical Gardens on your own. Take the time to explore the natural world your way without the cost of a guided program. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

Grade: 4

Program Description: With every step, flutter or wiggle, living creatures are in constant survival mode. Explore their world and see what they’ve done in order to survive as a species.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre, Arboretum

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Habitats and Communities
Students will:

1. analyse the effects of human activities on habitats and communities;
2. investigate the interdependence of plants and animals within specific habitats and communities;
3. demonstrate an understanding of habitats and communities and the relationships among the plants and animals that live in them.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.2 build food chains consisting of different plants and animals, including humans
• 2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15) to investigate ways in which plants and animals in a community depend on features of their habitat to meet important needs (e.g., beavers use water for shelter [they build their lodges so the entrance is under water], food [cattails, water lilies, and other aquatic plants], and protection [they slap their tails on the water to warn of danger])
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of habitats as areas that provide plants and animals with the necessities of life (e.g., food, water, air, space, and light)
• 3.3 identify factors (e.g., availability of water or food, amount of light, type of weather) that affect the ability of plants and animals to survive in a specific habitat
• 3.4 demonstrate an understanding of a community as a group of interacting species sharing a common habitat (e.g., the life in a meadow or in a patch of forest)
• 3.5 classify organisms, including humans, according to their role in a food chain (e.g., producer, consumer, decomposer)
• 3.6 identify animals that are carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Interactive games
• Chickadee and/or Chipmunk feeding
• Pond studies

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 4

Program Description: Come face to face with our scaly friends and help out biologists decide who belongs in our Class 1 Wetland. A state-of-the-art structure combined with a plethora of activities will open your eyes to the underwater world, and all that inhabit it.

Location: Princess Point/Fishway

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Habitats and Communities
Students will:

1. analyse the effects of human activities on habitats and communities;
2. investigate the interdependence of plants and animals within specific habitats and communities;
3. demonstrate an understanding of habitats and communities and the relationships among the plants and animals that live in them.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 analyse the positive and negative impacts of human interactions with natural habitats and communities (e.g., human dependence on natural materials), taking different perspectives into account (e.g., the perspectives of a housing developer, a family in need of housing, an ecologist), and evaluate ways of minimizing the negative impacts
• 1.2 identify reasons for the depletion or extinction of a plant or animal species (e.g., hunting, disease, invasive species, changes in or destruction of its habitat), evaluate the impacts on the rest of the natural community, and propose possible actions for preventing such depletions or extinctions from happening
• 3.8 explain why changes in the environment have a greater impact on specialized species than on generalized species (e.g., diminishing ice cover hampers the ability of polar bears to hunt seals, their main food source, and so the polar bear population in some areas is becoming less healthy and may begin to decrease; black bear habitat has been heavily disrupted by human encroachment, but because black bears are highly adaptable omnivores that eat everything from insects to garbage generated by humans, their numbers have been increasing)
• 3.9 demonstrate an understanding of why all habitats have limits to the number of plants and animals they can support
• 3.10 describe ways in which humans are dependent on natural habitats and communities (e.g., for water, medicine, flood control in wetlands, leisure activities)

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Visit to RBG Fishway and demonstration with staff
• Nature walk using binoculars
• Interactive games
• Experience in water quality analysis

Number of Interpreters/Class: Maximum 35 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 4

Program Description: Is it possible to see native species go extinct in our own backyard? As we continue to see invasives take over their homes, plants and animals face a tough existence. Experience the protection put in place, and learn how you, too, can help monitor the well-being of dwindling species.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre or Princess Point

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Habitats and Communities
Students will:

1. analyse the effects of human activities on habitats and communities;
2. investigate the interdependence of plants and animals within specific habitats and communities;
3. demonstrate an understanding of habitats and communities and the relationships among the plants and animals that live in them.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 analyse the positive and negative impacts of human interactions with natural habitats and communities (e.g., human dependence on natural materials), taking different perspectives into account (e.g., the perspectives of a housing developer, a family in need of housing, an ecologist), and evaluate ways of minimizing the negative impacts
• 1.2 identify reasons for the depletion or extinction of a plant or animal species (e.g., hunting, disease, invasive species, changes in or destruction of its habitat), evaluate the impacts on the rest of the natural community, and propose possible actions for preventing such depletions or extinctions from happening
• 2.5 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including habitat, population, community, adaptation, and food chain, in oral and written communication demonstrate an understanding of habitats as areas that provide plants and animals with the necessities of life (e.g., food, water, air, space, and light)
• 3.8 explain why changes in the environment have a greater impact on specialized species than on generalized species (e.g., diminishing ice cover hampers the ability of polar bears to hunt seals, their main food source, and so the polar bear population in some areas is becoming less healthy and may begin to decrease; black bear habitat has been heavily disrupted by human encroachment, but because black bears are highly adaptable omnivores that eat everything from insects to garbage generated by humans, their numbers have been increasing)
• 3.9 demonstrate an understanding of why all habitats have limits to the number of plants and animals they can support

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature walk and plant/animal identification
• Interactive games and simulation exercises
• Sample remediation projects

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 4

Program Description: All living things depend on each other. As they make their way through our nature sanctuary, students explore the links and relationships between the plants and animals that live in our forests and wetlands through games and hands-on exploration. Groups may choose from marsh, pond or forests to focus their studies.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Princess Point (marsh only)

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Habitats and Communities
Students will:

1. investigate the interdependence of plants and animals within specific habitats and communities;
2. demonstrate an understanding of habitats and communities and the relationships among the plants and animals that live in them.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.2 build food chains consisting of different plants and animals, including humans
• 2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15) to investigate ways in which plants and animals in a community depend on features of their habitat to meet important needs (e.g., beavers use water for shelter [they build their lodges so the entrance is under water], food [cattails, water lilies, and other aquatic plants], and protection [they slap their tails on the water to warn of danger])
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of habitats as areas that provide plants and animals with the necessities of life (e.g., food, water, air, space, and light)
• 3.3 identify factors (e.g., availability of water or food, amount of light, type of weather) that affect the ability of plants and animals to survive in a specific habitat
• 3.4 demonstrate an understanding of a community as a group of interacting species sharing a common habitat (e.g., the life in a meadow or in a patch of forest)
• 3.5 classify organisms, including humans, according to their role in a food chain (e.g., producer, consumer, decomposer)
• 3.6 identify animals that are carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Interactive games
• Chickadee and/or chipmunk feeding
• Pond or marsh studies
• Forest nature walk

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 4

Program Description: Rocks and minerals are, quite literally, the foundation on which we stand and build our civilization. The varied characteristics of different rocks and minerals determine how they are used in our day to day lives. Students test, classify and compare different rocks, investigate ways in which erosion can change the landscape, and explore the different rock layers of the Niagara Escarpment.

Location: Rock Chapel/Niagara Escarpment

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Earth and Space Systems: Rocks and Minerals
Students will:

1. investigate, test, and compare the physical properties of rocks and minerals;
2. demonstrate an understanding of the physical properties of rocks and minerals.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.2 use a variety of tests to identify the physical properties of minerals (e.g., hardness [scratch test], colour [streak test], magnetism)
• 2.3 use a variety of criteria (e.g., colour, texture, lustre) to classify common rocks and minerals according to their characteristics
• 2.5 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including hardness, colour, lustre, and texture, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 describe the difference between rocks (composed of two or more minerals) and minerals (composed of the same substance throughout), and explain how these differences determine how they are used
• 3.2 describe the properties (e.g., colour, lustre, streak, transparency, hardness) that are used to identify minerals

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Rock Chapel/Niagara Escarpment walk
• Interactive games
• Hands on experience identifying rocks and minerals using keys and samples

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 4

Program Description: Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops were adapted to the habitat in which they lived, just like modern day animals. As students visit our Battle of the Titans exhibit they explore the links between prehistoric plants and animals through interactive games and simulations.

Location: Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Habitats and Communities
Students will:

1. analyse the effects of human activities on habitats and communities;
2. investigate the interdependence of plants and animals within specific habitats and communities;
3. demonstrate an understanding of habitats and communities and the relationships among the plants and animals that live in them.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.2 build food chains consisting of different plants and animals, including humans
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of habitats as areas that provide plants and animals with the necessities of life (e.g., food, water, air, space, and light)
• 3.2 demonstrate an understanding of food chains as systems in which energy from the sun is transferred to producers (plants) and then to consumers (animals)
• 3.3 identify factors (e.g., availability of water or food, amount of light, type of weather) that affect the ability of plants and animals to survive in a specific habitat
• 3.4 demonstrate an understanding of a community as a group of interacting species sharing a common habitat (e.g., the life in a meadow or in a patch of forest)
• 3.5 classify organisms, including humans, according to their role in a food chain (e.g., producer, consumer, decomposer)
• 3.6 identify animals that are carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Battle of the Titans tour
• Interactive games
• Transplanting or sowing seeds to take home (prehistoric relative)
• Class digital photograph with T. rex or Triceratops to take home!

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 4

Program Description: Connect your students to the natural world, allowing them to explore watercolour as a medium, hone their observational skills and use painting as a way of recording nature observations during a hands-on workshop spent painting outdoors.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre (Mediterranean greenhouse)

Overall Expectations – Arts, Visual Arts
Students will:

• D1. Apply the creative process to produce a variety of two- and three-dimensional art works, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings;
• D2. Apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• D1.1 create two- and three-dimensional works of art that express feelings and ideas inspired by their interests and experiences
• D1.3 use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and understandings
• D1.4 use a variety of materials, tools, and techniques to determine solutions to design challenges
• D2.3 demonstrate awareness of the meaning of signs, symbols, and styles in works of art
• D2.4 identify and document their strengths, their interests, and areas for improvement as creators and viewers of art

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Instruction on watercolour techniques
• Opportunity for independent exploration and expression (outdoors or in our Mediterranean greenhouse)

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 5

Program Description: Connect your students to the natural world, allowing them to explore watercolour as a medium, hone their observational skills and use painting as a way of recording nature observations during a hands-on workshop spent painting outdoors.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre (Mediterranean greenhouse)

Overall Expectations – Arts, Visual Arts
Students will:

• D1. apply the creative process to produce a variety of two- and three-dimensional art works, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings;
• D2. apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences;
• D3. demonstrate an understanding of a variety of art forms, styles, and techniques from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• D1.1 create two- and three-dimensional art works that express feelings and ideas inspired by their own and others’ points of view
• D1.2 demonstrate an understanding of composition, using selected principles of design to create narrative art works or art works on a theme or topic
• D1.3 use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and understandings
• D1.4 use a variety of materials, tools, and techniques to determine solutions to design challenges
• D2.1 interpret a variety of art works and identify the feelings, issues, themes, and social concerns that they convey
• D2.2 explain how the elements and principles of design are used in their own and others’ art work to communicate meaning or understanding
• D2.3 demonstrate an understanding of how to read and interpret signs, symbols, and style in art works
• D2.4 identify and explain their strengths, their interests, and areas for improvement as creators, interpreters, and viewers of art
• D3.2 demonstrate an awareness of ways in which visual arts reflect the beliefs and traditions of a variety of peoples and of people in different times and places

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Instruction on watercolour techniques
• Opportunity for independent exploration and expression (outdoors or in our Mediterranean greenhouse)

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 6

Program Description: A sponge, a filter and a home to thousands; nature’s wetlands are crucial to the success of life surrounding the RBG. Become an aquatic biologist for the day, and help determine the health and well-being of our water. By taking part in experiments, gain an understanding of, and appreciation for, the creatures that depend on fresh water.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Princess Point

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Biodiversity
Students will:

1. assess human impacts on biodiversity, and identify ways of preserving biodiversity;
2. investigate the characteristics of living things, and classify diverse organisms according to specific characteristics;
3. demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity, its contributions to the stability of natural systems, and its benefits to humans.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 analyse a local issue related to biodiversity (e.g., the effects of human activities on urban biodiversity, flooding of traditional Aboriginal hunting and gathering areas as a result of dam construction), taking different points of view into consideration (e.g., the points of view of members of the local community, business owners, people concerned about the environment, mine owners, local First Nations, Métis, Inuit), propose action that can be taken to preserve biodiversity, and act on the proposal
• 1.2 assess the benefits that human societies derive from biodiversity (e.g., thousands of products such as food, clothing, medicine, and building materials come from plants and animals) and the problems that occur when biodiversity is diminished (e.g., monocultures are more vulnerable to pests and diseases)
• 2.2 investigate the organisms found in a specific habitat and classify them according to a classification system
• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including classification, biodiversity, natural community, interrelationships, vertebrate, invertebrate, stability, characteristics, and organism, in oral and written communication
• 3.2 demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity as the variety of life on earth, including variety within each species of plant and animal, among species of plants and animals in communities, and among communities and the physical landscapes that support them
• 3.3 describe ways in which biodiversity within species is important for maintaining the resilience of those species (e.g., because of genetic differences, not all squirrels are affected equally by infectious diseases such as mange; some species of bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics because resistant individuals have survived and reproduced)
• 3.4 describe ways in which biodiversity within and among communities is important for maintaining the resilience of these communities (e.g., having a variety of species of wheat allows for some part of the crop to survive adverse conditions)
• 3.5 describe interrelationships within species (e.g., wolves travel in packs to defend their territory, raise their cubs, and hunt large prey), between species (e.g., the brightly-coloured anemone fish protects its eggs by laying them among the poisonous tentacles of the sea anemone, and in return the fish’s bright colours attract prey for the anemone to eat; birds and bees take sustenance from plants and carry pollen between plants), and between species and their environment (e.g., algae and water lilies compete for sunlight in a pond), and explain how these interrelationships sustain biodiversity
• 3.7 explain how invasive species (e.g., zebra mussel, Asian longhorned beetle, purple loosestrife) reduce biodiversity in local environments

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature walk
• Pond and marsh studies including an introduction to water quality assessment
• Interactive games

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 6

Program Description: Take a trip through prehistoric time, and discover the similarities between our world as we now it today and the world in the era of dinosaurs! Learn the importance of biodiversity and how it sustained life for even the most voracious of beasts, the Tyrannosaurus rex.

Location: Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Biodiversity
Students will:

1. investigate the characteristics of living things, and classify diverse organisms according to specific characteristics;
2. demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity, its contributions to the stability of natural systems, and its benefits to humans.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.2 investigate the organisms found in a specific habitat and classify them according to a classification system
• 2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15) to compare the characteristics of organisms within the plant or animal kingdoms (e.g., compare the characteristics of a fish and a mammal, of coniferous and deciduous trees, of ferns and flowering plants)
• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including classification, biodiversity, natural community, interrelationships, vertebrate, invertebrate, stability, characteristics, and organism, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify and describe the distinguishing characteristics of different groups of plants and animals (e.g., invertebrates have no spinal column; insects have three basic body parts; flowering plants produce flowers and fruits), and use these characteristics to further classify various kinds of plants and animals (e.g., invertebrates – arthropods – insects; vertebrates – mammals – primates; seed plants – flowering plants – grasses)
• 3.2 demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity as the variety of life on earth, including variety within each species of plant and animal, among species of plants and animals in communities, and among communities and the physical landscapes that support them
• 3.3 describe ways in which biodiversity within species is important for maintaining the resilience of those species (e.g., because of genetic differences, not all squirrels are affected equally by infectious diseases such as mange; some species of bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics because resistant individuals have survived and reproduced)
• 3.4 describe ways in which biodiversity within and among communities is important for maintaining the resilience of these communities (e.g., having a variety of species of wheat allows for some part of the crop to survive adverse conditions)
• 3.5 describe interrelationships within species (e.g., wolves travel in packs to defend their territory, raise their cubs, and hunt large prey), between species (e.g., the brightly-coloured anemone fish protects its eggs by laying them among the poisonous tentacles of the sea anemone, and in return the fish’s bright colours attract prey for the anemone to eat; birds and bees take sustenance from plants and carry pollen between plants), and between species and their environment (e.g., algae and water lilies compete for sunlight in a pond), and explain how these interrelationships sustain biodiversity

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Battle of the Titans tour
• Interactive activities and stories
• Class digital photograph with T. rex or Triceratops to take home!

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 6

Program Description: Come face to face with our scaly friends and help our biologists decide who belongs in our Class 1 Wetland. A state of the art structure combined with a plethora of activities will open your eyes to the underwater world, and all that inhabit.

Location: Princess Point/Fishway

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Biodiversity
Students will:

1. assess human impacts on biodiversity, and identify ways of preserving biodiversity;
2. investigate the characteristics of living things, and classify diverse organisms according to specific characteristics;
3. demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity, its contributions to the stability of natural systems, and its benefits to humans.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 analyse a local issue related to biodiversity taking different points of view into consideration
• 2.2 investigate the organisms found in a specific habitat and classify them according to a classification system
• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including classification, biodiversity, natural community, interrelationships, vertebrate, invertebrate, stability, characteristics, and organism, in oral and written communication
• 3.2 demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity as the variety of life on earth, including variety within each species of plant and animal, among species of plants and animals in communities, and among communities and the physical landscapes that support them.
• 3.3 describe ways in which biodiversity within species is important for maintaining the resilience of those species
• 3.4 describe ways in which biodiversity within and among communities is important for maintaining the resilience of these communities
• 3.5 describe interrelationships within species between species and between species and their environment and explain how these interrelationships sustain biodiversity
• 3.7 explain how invasive species reduce biodiversity in local environments

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Visit to RBG Fishway and demonstration with staff
• Nature walk
• Interactive games

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 35 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 6

Program Description: Overnight adventure-based program! Immerse yourself in nature for 23 hours of action-packed activities. Your choice of three intermediate half-day programs and night activities. Highlight: students experience sleeping outdoors in tents. Program Options: Wetland Explorations, Team Building Challenges I and II, Paddle Paradise I and II, Outdoor Games and Sports, Astronomy, Geocaching: Orienteering with a Twist.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations:
Students will:

Science

1. assess human impacts on biodiversity, and identify ways of preserving biodiversity;
2. investigate the characteristics of living things, and classify diverse organisms according to specific characteristics;
3. demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity, its contributions to the stability of natural systems, and its benefits to humans.

Physical Education

1. participate actively and regularly in a wide variety of physical activities, and demonstrate an understanding of factors that encourage lifelong participation in physical activity;
2. demonstrate an understanding of the importance of being physically active, and apply physical fitness concepts and practices that contribute to healthy, active living;
3. demonstrate responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others as they participate in physical activities.
4. perform movement skills, demonstrating an understanding of the basic requirements of the skills and applying movement concepts as appropriate, as they engage in a variety of physical activities;
5. apply movement strategies appropriately, demonstrating an understanding of the components of a variety of physical activities, in order to enhance their ability to participate successfully in those activities.

Astronomy

1. assess the impact of space exploration on society and the environment;
2. investigate characteristics of the systems of which the earth is a part and the relationship between the earth, the sun, and the moon;
3. demonstrate an understanding of components of the systems of which the earth is a part, and explain the phenomena that result from the movement of different bodies in space.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

Wetland Explorations

• 2.2 investigate the organisms found in a specific habitat and classify them according to a classification system
• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including classification, biodiversity, natural community, interrelationships, vertebrate, invertebrate, stability, characteristics, and organism, in oral and written communication
• 3.3 describe ways in which biodiversity within species is important for maintaining the resilience of those species
• 3.4 describe ways in which biodiversity within and among communities is important for maintaining the resilience of these communities
• 3.5 describe interrelationships within species, between species, and between species and their environments and explain how these interrelationships sustain biodiversity

Team Building, Paddle Paradise, Outdoor Activites & Sports, Geocaching

• 1.1 actively participate in a wide variety of program activities (e.g., lead-up games, recreational activities, fitness activities, dance), according to their capabilities, while applying behaviours that enhance their readiness and ability to take part
• 1.2 demonstrate an understanding of factors that contribute to their personal enjoyment of being active, as they participate in a wide variety of individual and small-group activities and lead-up games
• 2.2 explain how participation in physical activities affects personal health-related fitness

Astronomy

• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including axis, tilt, rotation, revolution, planets, moons, comets, and asteroids, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 identify components of the solar system, including the sun, the earth, and other planets, natural satellites, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids, and describe their physical characteristics in qualitative terms
• 3.2 identify the bodies in space that emit light (e.g., stars) and those that reflect light (e.g., moons and planets)
• 3.3 explain how humans meet their basic biological needs in space

Program Length: 23 hours

Sample Activities:

• Guided nature hikes
• Pond Dipping
• Personal/group team building challenge
• Canoeing through Cootes Paradise
• Eco- based games
• Star gazing
• GPS tracking/orienteering

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per interpreter

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 6

Program Description: Connect your students to the natural world, allowing them to explore watercolour as a medium, hone their observational skills and use painting as a way of recording nature observations during a hands-on workshop spent painting outdoors.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre (Mediterranean Greenhouses)

Overall Expectations – Arts, Visual Arts
Students will:

• D1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process (see pages 19–22) to produce art works in a variety of traditional two- and three-dimensional forms, as well as multimedia art works, that communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts as well as current media technologies;
• D2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process (see pages 23–28) to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• D1.1 create two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and multimedia art works that explore feelings, ideas, and issues from a variety of points of view
• D1.3 use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and understandings
• D1.4 use a variety of materials, tools, techniques, and technologies to determine solutions to design challenges
• D2.1 interpret a variety of art works and identify the feelings, issues, themes, and social concerns that they convey
• D2.2 explain how the elements and principles of design are used in their own and others’ art work to communicate meaning or understanding
• D2.3 demonstrate an understanding of how to read and interpret signs, symbols, and style in art works
• D2.4 identify and explain their strengths, their interests, and areas for improvement as creators, interpreters, and viewers of art

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Outdoor instruction on watercolour techniques (weather permitting)
• Opportunity for independent exploration and expression (outdoors or in our Mediterranean greenhouse)

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Are you looking for a full day experience at Royal Botanical Gardens, without the cost of a second guided program? A semi-guided program may be the answer. Combine any of our guided half day programs with a self-guided walk to make a full day experience. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Come explore Royal Botanical Gardens on your own. Take the time to explore the natural world your way without the cost of a guided program. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

Grade: 7

Program Description: Students explore a pond or forest ecosystem, identifying biotic and abiotic elements, components of food webs and evidence of energy flows and matter cycling. Through observations and simulations they examine limiting factors within the systems and possible consequences of human activity.

Overall Expectations - Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
Students will:

1. assess the impacts of human activities and technologies on the environment, and evaluate ways of controlling these impacts;
2. investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem;
3. demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess the impact of selected technologies on the environment
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures for investigating ecosystems
• 2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills to investigate occurrences that affect the balance within a local ecosystem
• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including sustainability, biotic, ecosystem, community, population, and producer, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of an ecosystem (e.g., a log, a pond, a forest) as a system of interactions between living organisms and their environment
• 3.2 identify biotic and abiotic elements in an ecosystem, and describe the interactions between them
• 3.3 describe the roles and interactions of producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecosystem
• 3.4 describe the transfer of energy in a food chain and explain the effects of the elimination of any part of the chain
• 3.5 describe how matter is cycled within the environment and explain how it promotes sustainability
• 3.7 explain why an ecosystem is limited in the number of living things (e.g., plants and animals, including humans) that it can support
• 3.8 describe ways in which human activities and technologies alter balances and interactions in the environment

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature Interpretive walk
• Wetland or forest study and worksheet
• Simulation activities

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 7

Program Description: Students explore the Battle of the Titans exhibit, investigate the producers, consumers, and decomposers that made up a prehistoric ecosystem and discover the factors that contributed to their survival and extinction.

Location: RBG Main Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
Students will:

1. investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem;
2. demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including sustainability, biotic, ecosystem, community, population, and producer, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of an ecosystem as a system of interactions between living organisms and their environment
• 3.2 identify biotic and abiotic elements in an ecosystem, and describe the interactions between them
• 3.3 describe the roles and interactions of producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecosystem
• 3.4 describe the transfer of energy in a food chain and explain the effects of the elimination of any part of the chain
• 3.6 distinguish between primary succession and secondary succession within an ecosystem

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Battle of the Titans tour
• Interactive activities and games
• Class digital photograph with T. rex or Triceratops to take home!

Number of Iinterpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 7

Program Description: Is it possible to see a native species go extinct in our own backyard? As we continue to see invasives take over their homes, plants and animals face a tough existence. Experience the protection put in place, and learn how you, too, can help monitor the well-being of dwindling species.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
Students will:

1. assess the impacts of human activities and technologies on the environment, and evaluate ways of controlling these impacts;
2. investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem;
3. demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess the impact of selected technologies on the environment
• 2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills to investigate occurrences (e.g., a forest fire, a drought, an infestation of invasive species such as zebra mussels in a local lake or purple loosestrife in a wetland habitat) that affect the balance within a local ecosystem
• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including sustainability, biotic, ecosystem, community, population, and producer, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of an ecosystem (e.g., a log, a pond, a forest) as a system of interactions between living organisms and their environment
• 3.2 identify biotic and abiotic elements in an ecosystem, and describe the interactions between them
• 3.3 describe the roles and interactions of producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecosystem
• 3.4 describe the transfer of energy in a food chain and explain the effects of the elimination of any part of the chain
• 3.5 describe how matter is cycled within the environment and explain how it promotes sustainability
• 3.7 explain why an ecosystem is limited in the number of living things (e.g., plants and animals, including humans) that it can support
• 3.8 describe ways in which human activities and technologies alter balances and interactions in the environment

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Species at Risk presentation
• Nature interpretive walk
• Habitat assesment and worksheet

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 7

Program Description: Learn the principles of taxonomy through hands-on sampling. In this program, students collect and classify aquatic macro-invertebrates, and learn how the data they’ve collected can be used to determine the health of an ecosystem.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
Students will:

1. assess the impacts of human activities and technologies on the environment, and evaluate ways of controlling these impacts;
2. investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem;
3. demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess the impact of selected technologies on the environment
• 2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills to investigate occurrences (e.g., a forest fire, a drought, an infestation of invasive species such as zebra mussels in a local lake or purple loosestrife in a wetland habitat) that affect the balance within a local ecosystem
• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including sustainability, biotic, ecosystem, community, population, and producer, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of an ecosystem (e.g., a log, a pond, a forest) as a system of interactions between living organisms and their environment
• 3.2 identify biotic and abiotic elements in an ecosystem, and describe the interactions between them
• 3.3 describe the roles and interactions of producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecosystem
• 3,4 describe the transfer of energy in a food chain and explain the effects of the elimination of any part of the chain
• 3.5 describe how matter is cycled within the environment and explain how it promotes sustainability
• 3.7 explain why an ecosystem is limited in the number of living things (e.g., plants and animals, including humans) that it can support
• 3.8 describe ways in which human activities and technologies alter balances and interactions in the environment

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Nature interpretive walk
• Wetland studies including an introduction to water quality assessment
• Invertebrate identification

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 7

Description: Visit a key component in the restoration of Cootes Paradise, the largest freshwater restoration project in North America. Interpreters and aquatic ecologists explain the function of the barrier, how it is used as a scientific tool, share fish facts, highlight how the Fishway has helped marsh inhabitants and more!

Location: Princess Point/Fishway

Overall Expectations: Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
Students Will:

1. assess the impacts of human activities and technologies on the environment, and evaluate ways of controlling these impacts;
2. investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem;
3. demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.

Specific Expectations:
Students Will:

• 1.1 assess the impact of selected technologies on the environment
• 2.1 follow established safety procedures for investigating Ecosystems
• 2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills to investigate occurrences that affect the balance within a local ecosystem
• 2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including sustainability, biotic, ecosystem, community, population, and producer, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of an ecosystem as a system of interactions between living organisms and their environment
• 3.2 identify biotic and abiotic elements in an ecosystem, and describe the interactions between them
• 3.4 describe the transfer of energy in a food chain and explain the effects of the elimination of any part of the chain
• 3.8 describe ways in which human activities and technologies alter balances and interactions in the environment

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Visit to RBG Fishway and demonstration with staff
• Nature interpretive walk
• Interactive games

Number of Students/Interpreter: Maximum 35 students

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Grade: 7

Program Description: Discover the natural world while exploring the possibilities of digital photography as an artistic medium. Students are given an introduction to the basics of digital photography and the features of our cameras. They then head out to take pictures in the gardens and natural lands of RBG.

Location: Main RBG Centre or Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations: Media/Visual Arts
Students will:

1. apply the creative process to produce art works in a variety of traditional two- and three-dimensional forms, as well as multimedia art works, that communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts as well as current media technologies;
2. apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences;
3. demonstrate an understanding of a variety of art forms, styles, and techniques from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts

Specific Expectations: Media/Visual Arts
Students will:

• 1.1 create art works, using a variety of traditional forms and current media technologies, that express feelings, ideas, and issues, including opposing points of view
• 1.2 demonstrate an understanding of composition, using multiple principles of design and the “rule of thirds” to create narrative art works or art works on a theme or topic
• 1.3 use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and understandings for a specific audience and purpose
• 2.2 explain how the elements and principles of design are used in their own and others’ art work to communicate meaning or understanding
• 3.2 demonstrate an understanding of the function of visual and media arts in various contexts today and in the past, and of their influence on the development of personal and cultural identity

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• In-class portion to discuss camera functions
• Outdoor walk/hike
• Photo challenges

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes

Grade: 7

Program Description: Connect your students to the natural world, allowing them to explore watercolour as a medium, hone their observational skills and use painting as a way of recording nature observations, during a hands on workshop spent painting outdoors.

Location: Main RBG Centre or Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations: Arts, Visual Arts
Students will:

• D1 apply the creative process to produce art works in a variety of traditional two- and three-dimensional forms, as well as multimedia art works, that communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts as well as current media technologies;
• D2 apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences;
• D3 demonstrate an understanding of a variety of art forms, styles, and techniques from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• D1.1 create art works, using a variety of traditional forms and current media technologies, that express feelings, ideas, and issues, including opposing points of view
• D1.2 demonstrate an understanding of composition, using multiple principles of design and the “rule of thirds” to create narrative art works or art works on a theme or topic
• D1.3 use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and understandings for a specific audience and purpose
• D2.2 explain how the elements and principles of design are used in their own and others’ art work to communicate meaning or understanding
• D2.3 demonstrate an understanding of how to read and interpret signs, symbols, and style in art works
• D3.1 identify and describe some of the ways in which visual art forms and styles reflect the beliefs and traditions of a variety of cultures and civilizations

Program Length: 2.0 Hours

Sample Activities:

• Instruction on watercolour techniques
• Opportunity for independent exploration and expression (outdoors or in our Mediterranean greenhouse)

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes

Grades: 7-8

Program Description: Overnight adventure-based program! Immerse yourself in nature for 23 hours of action-packed activities. Your choice of three intermediate half-day programs and night activities. Highlight: students experience sleeping outdoors in tents. Program Options: Wetland Explorations, Team Building Challenges I and II, Paddle Paradise I and II, Outdoor Games and Sports, Astronomy, Geocaching: Orienteering with a Twist.

Location: NIC

Overall Expectations:
Students will:

Science

1. assess the impacts of human activities and technologies on the environment, and evaluate ways of controlling these impacts;
2. investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem;
3. demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.

Physical Education

1. participate actively and regularly in a wide variety of physical activities, and demonstrate an understanding of factors that encourage lifelong participation in physical activity;
2. demonstrate an understanding of the importance of being physically active, and apply physical fitness concepts and practices that contribute to healthy, active living;
3. demonstrate responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others as they participate in physical activities.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

Wetland Explorations:

2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including sustainability, biotic, ecosystem, community, population, and producer, in oral and written communication
3.1 demonstrate an understanding of an ecosystem (e.g., a log, a pond, a forest) as a system of interactions between living organisms and their environment
3.2 identify biotic and abiotic elements in an ecosystem, and describe the interactions between them
3.3 describe the roles and interactions of producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecosystem
3.4 describe the transfer of energy in a food chain and explain the effects of the elimination of any part of the chain
3.7 explain why an ecosystem is limited in the number of living things (e.g., plants and animals, including humans) that it can support
3.8 describe ways in which human activities and technologies alter balances and interactions in the environment

Team Building, Paddle Paradise, Outdoor Activites & Sports, Geocaching, Astronomy:

1.1 actively participate in a wide variety of program activities, according to their capabilities while applying behaviours that enhance their readiness and ability to take part in all aspects of the program
1.2 demonstrate an understanding of factors that contribute to their personal enjoyment of being active as they participate in a diverse range of physical activities in a variety of indoor and outdoor environments
1.3 demonstrate an understanding of the factors that motivate or impede participation in physical activity every day
3.1 demonstrate behaviours and apply procedures that maximize their safety and that of others
3.2 demonstrate an understanding of procedures for anticipating and responding to hazards that may lead to injury or ailments while participating in physical activity outdoors

Program Length: 23 hours

Sample Activities:

• Guided nature hikes
• Pond Dipping
• Personal/group team building challenge
• Canoeing through Cootes Paradise
• Eco- based games
• Star gazing
• GPS tracking/orienteering

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 8

Program Description: A close encounter of the biological kind! This science adventure takes you from the smallest unit of life to complex, multi-functioning systems. Activities include exploring different cell types and functions of the organelles through our cellular melting pot game and investigating the five main systems of the body.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science and Technology, Understanding Life Systems: Cells
Students will:

1. assess the impact of cell biology on individuals, society, and the environment;
2. investigate functions and processes of plant and animal cells;
3. demonstrate an understanding of the basic structure and function of plant and animal cells and cell processes.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• 1.1 assess the role of selected technologies in enhancing our understanding of cells and cellular processes
• 1.2 assess the potential that our understanding of cells and cell processes has for both beneficial and harmful effects on human health and the environment, taking different perspectives into account (e.g., the perspectives of farmers, pesticide manufacturers, people with life threatening illnesses)
• 2.2 use a microscope correctly and safely to find and observe components of plant and animal cells and make accurate drawings of their observations
• 2.3 prepare dry- and wet-mount slides of a variety of objects for use with a microscope
• 2.5 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including organelle, diffusion, osmosis, cell theory, selective permeability, membrane, stage, and eyepiece, in oral and written communication
• 3.1 demonstrate an understanding of the postulates of the cell theory
• 3.2 identify structures and organelles in cells, including the nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplasts, vacuole, mitochondria, and cytoplasm, and explain the basic functions of each
• 3.3 compare the structure and function of plant and animal cells
• 3.4 describe the organization of cells into tissues, organs, and systems

Program Length: 2.0 hours (half day) or 5.0 hours (full day session)

Sample Activities:

• Hands-on lab activities
• Interpretive Hike and wildlife viewing
• Simulation activities

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 8

Program Description: Discover the natural world while exploring the possibilities of digital photography as an artistic medium. Students are given an introduction to the basics of digital photography and the features of our cameras. They then head out to take pictures in the gardens and natural lands of RBG.

Location: Main RBG Centre or Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations: Media/Visual Arts
Students will:

1. apply the creative process to produce art works in a variety of traditional two- and three-dimensional forms, as well as multimedia art works, that communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts as well as current media technologies;
2. apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences;
3. demonstrate an understanding of a variety of art forms, styles, and techniques from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts.

Specific Expectations: Media/Visual Arts
Students will:

• 1.1 create art works, using a variety of traditional forms and current media technologies, that express feelings, ideas, and issues, including opposing points of view
• 1.2 demonstrate an understanding of composition, using multiple principles of design and other layout considerations such as compositional triangles to create narrative art works or art works on a theme or topic
• 2.3 demonstrate an understanding of how to read and interpret signs, symbols, and style in art works
• 2.4 identify and explain their strengths, their interests, and areas for improvement as creators, interpreters, and viewers of art
• 3.1 identify and explain some of the ways in which artistic traditions in a variety of times and places have been maintained, adapted, or appropriated
• 3.2 identify and analyse some of the social, political, and economic factors that affect the creation of visual and media arts and the visual and media arts community

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• In-class portion to discuss camera functions
• Outdoor walk/hike
• Photo challenges

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes

Grade: 8

Program Description: Connect your students to the natural world, allowing them to explore watercolour as a medium, hone their observational skills and use painting as a way of recording nature observations, during a hands on workshop spent painting outdoors.

Location: Main RBG Centre or Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations: Arts, Visual Arts
Students will:

• D1 apply the creative process to produce art works in a variety of traditional two- and three-dimensional forms, as well as multimedia art works, that communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts as well as current media technologies;
• D2 apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences;

Specific Expectations: The Arts
Students will:

• D1.1 create art works, using a variety of traditional forms and current media technologies, that express feelings, ideas, and issues and that demonstrate an awareness of multiple points of view
• D1.2 demonstrate an understanding of composition, using multiple principles of design and other layout considerations such as compositional triangles to create narrative art works or art works on a theme or topic
• D1.3 use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and understandings for a specific audience and purpose
• D2.2 analyse ways in which elements and principles of design are used in a variety of art works to communicate a theme or message, and evaluate the effectiveness of their use on the basis of criteria generated by the class
• D2.3 demonstrate an understanding of how to read and interpret signs, symbols, and style in art works

Program Length: 2.0 Hours

Sample Activities:

• Instruction on watercolour techniques
• Opportunity for independent exploration and expression (outdoors or in our Mediterranean greenhouse)

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Are you looking for a full day experience at Royal Botanical Gardens, without the cost of a second guided program? A semi-guided program may be the answer. Combine any of our guided half day programs with a self-guided walk to make a full day experience. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Come explore Royal Botanical Gardens on your own. Take the time to explore the natural world your way without the cost of a guided program. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

Grade: 9

Program Description: Overnight adventure-based program! Immerse yourself in nature for 23 hours of action-packed activities. Your choice of three intermediate half-day programs and night activities. Highlight: students experience sleeping outdoors in tents. Program Options: Wetland Explorations, Team Building Challenges I and II, Paddle Paradise I and II, Outdoor Games and Sports, Astronomy, Geocaching: Orienteering with a Twist.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations:
Students will:

Science

1. assess the impact of human activities on the sustainability of terrestrial and/or aquatic ecosystems, and evaluate the effectiveness of courses of action intended to remedy or mitigate negative impacts;
2. investigate factors related to human activity that affect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and explain how they affect the sustainability of these ecosystems;
3. demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic nature of ecosystems, particularly in terms of ecological balance and the impact of human activity on the sustainability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Physical Education

1. demonstrate personal competence in applying movement skills and principles;
2. demonstrate knowledge of guidelines and strategies that enhance participation in recreation and sport activities.
3. use appropriate decision-making skills to achieve goals related to personal health;
4. explain the effectiveness of various conflict resolution processes in daily situations;
5. use appropriate social skills when working collaboratively with others.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

Wetland Explorations:

• B2.1 use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems, including, but not limited to: bioaccumulation, biosphere, diversity, ecosystem, equilibrium, sustainability, sustainable use, protection, and watershed
• B3.1 compare and contrast biotic and abiotic characteristics of sustainable and unsustainable terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
• B3.3 describe the limiting factors of ecosystems (e.g., nutrients, space, water, energy, predators), and explain how these factors affect the carrying capacity of an ecosystem
• B3.5 identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems (e.g., the introduction of invasive species; shoreline development; industrial emissions that result in acid rain), and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems

Team Building, Paddle Paradise, Outdoor Activites & Sports, Geocaching:

• demonstrate understanding of specific rules and guidelines for participation in recreation and sport including team, group, dual, and individual activities
• contribute to the success of the group verbally and non-verbally
• give and receive assistance

Program Length: 23 hours

Sample Activities:

• Guided nature hikes
• Pond Dipping
• Personal/group team building challenge
• Canoeing through Cootes Paradise
• Eco- based games
• Star gazing
• GPS tracking/orienteering

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 9

Program Description: How do humans impact the environment? What impact does the natural environment have on human activity? Students explore the answers to these questions by using Cootes Paradise as a case study. Choose two of the following one hour modules for a half-day program or all four for a full-day program: Ecological Footprinting, Cootes Paradise - past to present, Project Paradise, and Planning Paradise.

Location: Main RBG Centre or Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations: Geography - Human Environment Interactions
Students will:

1. explain the relationship of Canada’s renewable and non-renewable resources to the Canadian economy;
2. analyse the ways in which natural systems interact with human systems and make predictions about the outcomes of these interactions;
3. evaluate various ways of ensuring resource sustainability in Canada.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• explain how human activities (e.g., agricultural and urban development, waste management, parks development, forest harvesting, land reclamation) affect, or are affected by, the environment;
• describe how natural systems (e.g., climate, soils, landforms, natural vegetation, wildlife) influence cultural and economic activities (e.g., recreation, transportation, employment opportunities);
• assess how the effects of urban growth (e.g., development on former farm lands, destruction of wildlife habitats, draining of marshes) alter the natural environment;
• recommend ways in which individuals can contribute to the quality of life in their home, local ecozone, province, nation, and the world.

Program Length: 2-4 hours

Sample Activities:

• Guided hikes
• Water quality testing
• Lab/field studies
• Self- guided research

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes

Grade: 9

Program Description: Human survival depends on sustainable ecosystems. During this program, students examine the issues around human impacts on several different ecosystems. Customize your field study to your curriculum needs. Choose four of seven one-hour long eco-studies. NOTE: transportation may be required between program sites. Workshops: Project Paradise, Restoration Tool, Soil Ecosystems, Wetland Ecosystems, Forest Ecosystems, Invasive Species and System Simulations.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Princess Point/Fishway

Overall Expectations: Biology- Sustainable Ecosystems
Students will:

• B1. Assess the impact of human activities on the sustainability of terrestrial and/or aquatic ecosystems, and evaluate the effectiveness of courses of action intended to remedy or mitigate negative impacts;
• B2. Investigate factors related to human activity that affect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and explain how they affect the sustainability of these ecosystems;
• B3. Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic nature of ecosystems, particularly in terms of ecological balance and the impact of human activity on the sustainability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

Project Paradise: Restoration of a Wetland

• B2.1 Use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems, including, but not limited to bioaccumulation, biosphere, diversity, ecosystem, equilibrium, sustainability, sustainable use, protection and watershed
• B2.2 Interpret qualitative and quantitative data from disturbed and undisturbed ecosystems
• B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems

Restoration tool: Cootes Paradise Fishway

• B2.1 Use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems, including, but not limited to bioaccumulation, biosphere, diversity, ecosystem, equilibrium, sustainability, sustainable use, protection and watershed
• B2.2 Interpret qualitative and quantitative data from disturbed and undisturbed ecosystems
• B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems

Soil Ecosystems

• B2.3 [...] conduct an investigation [...] into how a human activity affects soil composition and soil fertility and, [...] explain the impact of this activity on the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems
• B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems

Wetland Ecosystems

• B3.1 compare and contrast biotic and abiotic characteristic of [...] aquatic ecosystems
• B3.3 describe limiting factors of ecosystems (eg nutrients, space, water, energy, predators), and explain how these factors affect the carrying capacity of an ecosystem
• B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems

Forest Ecosystems

• B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems

Invasive Species

• B2.2 Interpret qualitative and quantitative data from disturbed and undisturbed ecosystems (terrestrial and/or aquatic)... explain the importance of biodiversity for all sustainable ecosystems
• B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems

Program Length: 2- 4 hours

Sample Activities:

• Guided hikes
• Forest Measurement Study
• Water Quality Study
• Meet our Aquatic Biologists
• Fish ID
• Soil Analysis
• Invasive Species Monitoring
• Various Eco-games

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessibility: Limited (please enquire)

Grade: 9

Program Description: Come face to face with our scaly friends and help our biologist decide who belongs in our Class 1 Wetland. A state-of-the art structure combined with a plethora of activities will open your eyes to the underwater world, and all that inhabit it.

Overall Expectations – Geography, Human Environment Interactions/Understanding and Managing Change
Students will:

• Analyze the ways in which natural systems interact with human systems and make predictions about the outcomes of these interactions
• Evaluate ways of ensuring resource sustainability in Canada

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• Explain how human activities affect or are affected by the environment
• Describe how natural systems influence cultural and economic activities
• Asses how the effects of urban growth alter the natural environment
• Evaluate solutions to environmental problems proposed by various groups and make recommendations for sustainable resource use
• Recommend ways in which individuals can contribute to the quality of life in their home, local ecozone, province, nation and the world

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Water quality testing
• Observe our aquatic biologists operating the Fishway

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 35 students

Wheelchair accessible: yes

Grade: 9

Program Description: Come face to face with our scaly friends and help our biologists decide who belongs in our Class 1 Wetland. A state-of-the art structure combined with a plethora of activities will open your eyes to the underwater world, and all that inhabit it.

Location: Princess Point/Fishway

Overall Expectations – Science, Human-Environment Interactions
Students will:

• B2 Investigate factors related to human activity that affect aquatic ecosystems and explain how they affect the sustainability of these ecosystems
• B3 demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic nature of ecosystems, particularly in terms of ecological balance and the impact of human activity on the sustainability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• B2.1 Use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems
• B3.1 Compare and contrast biotic and abiotic characteristics of sustainable and unsustainable aquatic ecosystems
• B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Water quality testing
• Interpretive Hike
• Observe our aquatic biologists operating the Fishway

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 35 students

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Grade: 9

Program Description: Is it possible to see native species go extinct in our own backyard? As we continue to see invasives take over their homes, plants and animals face a tough existence. Experience the protections put in place, and learn how you too can help monitor the well-being of dwindling.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science, Sustainable Ecosystems
Students will:

• B1. Assess the impact of human activities on the sustainability of terrestrial and/ or aquatic ecosystems and evaluate the effectiveness of courses of action intended to remedy or mitigate negative impacts
• B2. Investigate factors related to human activity that affect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and explain how the affect the sustainability of these ecosystems
• B3. Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic nature of ecosystems, particularly in terms of ecological balance and the impact of human activity of the sustainability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• B2.1 use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems
• B3.1 compare and contrast biotic and abiotic characteristics of sustainable and unsustainable terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
• B3.3 describe the limiting factors of ecosystems
• B3.5 Identify various factors related to human activity that have an impact on ecosystems.

Program Length: 2.0 hours

Sample Activities:

• Habitat survey
• Nature interpretive walk

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 9

Program Description: Connect your students to the natural world, allowing them to explore watercolor as a medium, hone their observational skills and use painting as a way of recording nature observations during a hands-on workshop spent painting outdoors.

Location: Main RBG Centre or Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Art, Visual Art
Students will:

• A1. apply the creative process to create a variety of art work, individually and/or collaboratively
• A2. apply elements and principles of design to create art works for the purpose of self-expression and to communicate ideas, information and/ or messages

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• A1.1 use a variety of strategies, individually and/or collaboratively, to generate ideas and develop plans for the creation of art works
• A1.2 use experimentation when producing a variety of works in each area: painting
• A2.1 explore elements and principles of design and apply them to create art works that express personal feelings and/or communicate emotions to an audience

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Itinerary:

• Instruction on watercolour techniques
• Opportunity for independent exploration and expression (outdoors or in our Mediterranean greenhouse)

Number of students/interpreter: maximum 30 students

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

Grade: 9

Program Description: Try out a high-tech outdoor recreational activity, Geocaching. Through a hands-on tutorial, students are introduced to the basic operation of Global Position System (GPS) hand units, then test their newly acquired navigation skills as they explore the local scenery in search of a hidden treasure.

Overall Expectations – Geography, Methods of Geographic Inquiry and Communication
Students will:

• use the methods of and tools of geographic inquiry to locate, gather, evaluate, and organize information about Canada’s natural and human systems

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• identify and describe the technologies used in geographic inquiry
• collect and synthesize information about the local ecozone

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Introduction to GPS
• GPS treasure-hunt

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 25 students

Wheelchair Accessible: No

Grade: 9

Program Description: After an introduction to our digital cameras, students will explore our trails and gardens and develop their technical skills in wildlife photography, macro-photography, and landscape and architectural photography

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Visual Arts, Creating and Presenting
Students will:

• A1. The Creative Process: apply the creative process to create a variety of art works, individually and/or collaboratively;
• A2. The Elements and Principles of Design: apply elements and principles of design to create art works for the purpose of self-expression and to communicate ideas, information, and/or messages;
• A3. Production and Presentation: produce art works, using a variety of media/materials and traditional and/or emerging technologies, tools, and techniques, and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of ways of presenting their works and the works of others.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• A1.1 use a variety of strategies, individually and/or collaboratively, to generate ideas and to develop plans for the creation of art works
• A2.1 explore elements and principles of design, and apply them to create art works that express personal feelings and/or communicate emotions to an audience
• A2.2 apply elements and principles of design to create art works that communicate ideas and information
• A3.1 explore and experiment with a variety of media/materials and traditional and/or emerging technologies, tools, and techniques, and apply them to produce art works

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Introduction to digital photography
• Experimentation with cameras

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 10

Program Description: Investigate the natural and anthropogenic factors that influence the earth’s climate. Through experimentation and simulations, students investigate the ways in which our climate is changing, how we contribute to climate change, and consider initiatives that address the issue.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Science, Earth and Space Science: Earth’s Dynamic Climate
Students will:

• D2: Investigate various natural and human factors that have an impact on climate change and global warming
• D3: Demonstrate an understanding of various natural and human factors that contribute to climate change and global warming

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• D1.1 analyse current and/or potential effects, both positive and negative, of climate change on human activity and natural systems
• D2.1 Use appropriate terminology related to earth’s dynamic climate
• D2.2 Investigate the principles of the natural greenhouse effect using simulations
• D3.7 describe, in general terms, the causes and effects of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, the depletion of stratospheric and tropospheric ozone, and the formation of ground-level ozone and smog

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Itinerary:

• Interactive lab activities
• Simulation games

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 10

Program Description: Connect your students to the natural world, allowing them to explore watercolor as a medium, hone their observational skills and use painting as a way of recording nature observations during a hands-on workshop spent painting outdoors.

Location: Main RBG Centre or Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Arts, Visual Art
Students will:

• A1. Apply the creative process to create a variety of art work, individually or collaboratively
• A2. Apply elements and principles of design to create art works for the purpose of self-expression and to communicate ideas, information and/ or messages

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• A1.1 Use a variety of strategies, individually and/or collaboratively, to generate ideas and develop plans for the creation of art works
• A1.2 Use experimentation when producing a variety of works in each area: painting
• A2.1 Use various elements and principles of design to create art works that express personal feelings and/or communicate emotions to an audience

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Itinerary:

• Instruction on watercolour techniques
• Opportunity for independent exploration and expression (outdoors or in our Mediterranean greenhouse)

Number of students/interpreter: maximum 30 students

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

Grade: 10

Program Description: After an introduction to our digital cameras, students will explore our trails and gardens and develop their technical skills in wildlife photography, macro-photography, and landscape and architectural photography

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Arts, Media Arts
Students will:

Creating and Presenting

• A1. Apply the creative process to create media art works, individually or collaboratively
• A3. Apply traditional and emerging technologies, tools and techniques to produce and present media art works for a variety of audiences and purposes

Foundations

• C1. Terminology: demonstrate an understanding of, and use correct terminology when referring to, elements, principles, and other concepts relating to media arts;

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

Creating and Presenting

• A1.3 produce and refine media art works using experimentation, peer and/or teacher input and personal reflection
• A3.1 explore a variety of traditional and emerging technologies, tools and techniques and use them to produce effective media art works

Foundations

• C1.3 correctly use terminology related to the technologies, tools, and techniques used in the production and presentation of media art works (e.g., cropping, key frames, camera angles, zoom, microphone, choreography, transition, light board)

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Introduction to digital photography
• Experimentation with cameras

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 11

Program Description: Learn the principles of taxonomy through hands-on sampling. In this program, students collect and classify aquatic macro-invertebrates, and learn how the data they’ve collected can be used to determine the health of an ecosystem.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science, Biology: Diversity of Living Things (University Preparation)
Students will:

• B1. Analyze the effects of various human activities on the diversity of living things
• B2. Investigate, through field activities or through simulations, the principles of scientific classification, using appropriate sampling and classification techniques
• B3. Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of living organisms in terms of the principles of taxonomy and phylogeny

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• B1.1 analyze some of the risks and benefits of human intervention to the biodiversity of aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems
• B2.1 Use appropriate terminology related to biodiversity
• B2.3 Use proper sampling techniques to collect various organisms from a marsh, pond, field or other ecosystem, and classify the organisms according to the principles of taxonomy
• B3.5 Explain why biodiversity is important to maintaining viable ecosystems

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Itinerary:

• Macro-invertebrate sampling
• Identification and classification

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair accessible: Limited accessibility- please inquire

Grade: 11

Program Description: Is it possible to see native species go extinct in our own backyard? As we continue to see invasives take over their homes, plants and animals face a tough existence. Experience the protections put in place, and learn how you too can help monitor the well-being of dwindling.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science, Biology: Evolution (University Preparation)
Students will:

• C1. Evaluate the impact environmental changes on natural selection and endangered species

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• C1.2 evaluate the possible impact of an environmental change on natural selection and on the vulnerability of species
• C2.1 Use appropriate terminology related to evolution

Program Length: 2

Sample Itinerary:

• Habitat survey
• Interpretive hike

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair accessible: limited (please inquire)

Grade: 11

Program Description: Come face to face with our scaly friends and help our biologists decide who belongs in our Class 1 Wetland. A state-of-the art structure combined with a plethora of activities will open your eyes to the underwater world, and all that inhabit it.

Location: Princess Point/Fishway

Overall Expectations – Science, Diversity of Living Things (University Preparation)
Students will:

• B1. Analyze the effects of various human activities on the diversity of living things
• B2. Investigate the principles of scientific classification, using appropriate sampling and classification techniques

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• B1.1 analyse some of the risks and benefits of human intervention to the biodiversity of aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems
• B2.1 use appropriate terminology related to biodiversity
• B2.3 use proper sampling techniques to collect various organisms
• B3.5 explain why biodiversity is important to maintaining viable ecosystems

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Water quality testing
• Interpretive Hike
• Observe our aquatic biologists operating the Fishway

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 35 students

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Grade: 11 Biology- Plants in the Natural Environment (college preparation)

Program Description: RBG is Canada’s plant biodiversity hot spot. Students hike through our living laboratory and examine the role of plants in various habitats, learn about plant taxonomy and identification and see how plant conservation takes place at RBG at genetic, species and ecosystem levels.

Overall Expectations:
Students will:

• F1. Analyze the roles of plants in ecosystems and assess the impact of human activities on the balance of plants within those ecosystems.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• F1.1 Analyze on the basis of research and report on ways in which plants can be used to sustain ecosystems.
• F1.2 Assess the positive and negative impact of human activities on the natural balance of plants.
• F3.4 Explain the various roles of plants in the sustainability of the natural environment.

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

1. Hike through RBG nature sanctuaries
2. Survey vegetation cover
3. Observe plant conservation efforts at RBG and possibly participate
4. Debate - game-show style

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair accessible: limited (please inquire)

Grade: 11

Program Description: Cootes Paradise went from a thriving marsh to a wetland in distress. In this program, students investigate the ways humans have negatively affected this area, and explore some of the projects to restore it back to what it once was.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations – Science, Environmental Science: Human Impact on the Environment
Students will:

• B1. Analyse selected current environmental problems in terms of the role human activities have played in creating or perpetuating them, and propose possible solutions to one such problem
• B2. Investigate air, soil, and water quality in natural and disturbed environments, using appropriate technology
• B3. Demonstrate an understanding of some of the ways in which human activities affect the environment and how the impact of those activities is measured and monitored.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• B1.1 propose possible solutions, on the basis of research, to a current practical environmental problem that is caused, directly or indirectly, by human activities
• B1.2 analyze the risks and benefits to the environment of human recreational activities and the leisure industry
• B2.3 Plan and conduct an inquiry using appropriate technology to compare water quality in natural and disturbed environments
• B3.1 Identify the basic components of soil, water, and air and describe some of the effects of human activity on water quality.
• B3.3 explain common methods of sampling water for analysis and of monitoring water quality over time.
• B3.5 explain the effects of human activity on an aquatic or terrestrial ecosystem
• B3.6 explain how human activities have led to the introduction of invasive species or native species.

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Aquatic invertebrate sampling
• Water quality testing
• Interpretive hike

Number of interpreters/class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: No

Grade: 11 Environmental Science

Program Description: Investigate how we use, monitor and classify natural resources. In this program, students investigate how our use and harvesting of natural resources impacts ecosystem sustainability through investigations and hands-on activities.

Overall Expectations – Environmental Science- Natural Resource Science

• E.2 Investigate methods scientists use to classify and monitor natural resources, and conduct investigations using those methods.

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• E1.2 Analyze, on the basis of research, the impact that an environmental contaminant, parasite or bacteria has on the sustainability of a natural resource in Canada.
• E2.2 Investigate, through laboratory inquiry, field study, or simulations, some of the methods and procedures used by scientists to monitor biodiversity in different environments.
• E2.4 Conduct an inventory of a local environment using appropriate techniques and methods and display the results graphically.

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Plant surveys
• Investigate Ash trees for signs of Emerald Ash Borer
• Assess the real and potential impact of Emerald Ash Borer

Number of Interpreters/Class: 1 per class

Wheelchair Accessible: Limited (please inquire)

Grade: 11

Program Description: Connect your students to the natural world, allowing them to explore watercolor as a medium, hone their observational skills and use painting as a way of recording nature observations during a hands-on workshop spent painting outdoors.

Location: Main RBG Centre or Nature Interpretive Centre

Overall Expectations:
Students will:

• A1. Apply the creative process to create a variety of art work, individually or collaboratively
• A2. Apply elements and principles of design to create art works for the purpose of self-expression and to communicate ideas, information and/ or messages

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• A1.1 Use a variety of strategies, individually and/or collaboratively, to generate ideas and develop plans for the creation of art works
• A1.2 Use experimentation when producing a variety of works in each area: painting
• A2.1 Use various elements and principles of design to create art works that express personal feelings and/or communicate emotions to an audience

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Itinerary:

• Watercolour instruction
• Outdoor observation and painting

Number of students/interpreter: maximum 30 students

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

Grade: 11

Program Description: Try out a high-tech outdoor recreational activity, Geocaching. Through a hands-on tutorial, students are introduced to the basic operation of Global Positioning System (GPS) hand units, then test their newly acquired navigation skills as they explore the local scenery in search of a hidden treasure.

Overall Expectations – Health and Physical Education
Students will:

Physical Activity

• apply their knowledge of guidelines and strategies that can enhance their participation in recreational and sports activities

Active Living

• participate regularly in a balanced instructional program that includes a wide variety of enjoyable physical activities that encourage lifelong participation

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

Physical Activity

• apply the specific rules and guidelines for participation in recreational and sports activities, including team, group, dual, and individual activities

Active Living

• participate regularly in physical activity, using community and school facilities and choosing from a wide variety of activities, including individual, small- and largegroup, outdoor, and aquatics activities
• describe strategies that will affect their choice of activities and encourage lifelong participation and enjoyment

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Introduction to GPS
• GPS treasure-hunt

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 25 students

Wheelchair Accessible: No

Grade: 11

Program Description: Tap into the digital world of GPS navigation. After an introduction to our GPS units and the wyas in which GPS-technology is used in research, collections management and mapping at RBG, students will test skills on our GPS challenge course.

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Canadian and World Studies, Geography: Physical Geography: Patterns, Processes, and Interactions – Methods of Geographic Inquiry and Communication
Students will:

• use the methods and tools of geographic inquiry to locate, gather, evaluate, and organize information about Canada’s natural and human systems

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• use a variety of geotechnologies to interpret, analyze and synthesize information in connection with a geographic inquiry
• use different types of maps to interpret geographic relationships
• use appropriate terminology when communicating the results of geographic inquiries and investigations

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Introduction to GPS
• GPS treasure-hunt

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 25

Wheelchair Accessible: No

Grade: 11

Program Description: After an introduction to our digital cameras, students will explore our trails and gardens and develop their technical skills in wildlife photography, macro-photography, and landscape and architectural photography

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Arts, Media Arts
Students will:

• A1. Apply the creative process to create media art works, individually or collaboratively
• A3. Apply traditional and emerging technologies, tools and techniques to produce and present media art works for a variety of audiences and purposes

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• A1.3 produce and refine media art works using experimentation, peer and/or teacher input and personal reflection
• A3.1 explore a variety of traditional and emerging technologies, tools and techniques and use them to produce effective media art works

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Introduction to digital photography
• Experimentation with cameras

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Grade: 12

Program Description: After an introduction to our digital cameras, students will explore our trails and gardens and develop their technical skills in wildlife photography, macro-photography, and landscape and architectural photography

Location: Nature Interpretive Centre or Main RBG Centre

Overall Expectations – Arts, Media Arts
Students will:

• A1. Apply the creative process to create media art works, individually or collaboratively
• A3. Apply traditional and emerging technologies, tools and techniques to produce and present media art works for a variety of audiences and purposes

Specific Expectations:
Students will:

• A1.3 use experimentation, input, and reflection to produce a media art work based on their production plan and to refine their art work
• A3.1 explore and refine their use of a variety of traditional and emerging technologies, tools, and techniques, and apply them to produce effective media art works

Program Length: 2 hours

Sample Activities:

• Introduction to digital photography
• Experimentation with cameras

Number of students/interpreter: Maximum 30 students

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Are you looking for a full day experience at Royal Botanical Gardens, without the cost of a second guided program? A semi-guided program may be the answer. Combine any of our guided half day programs with a self-guided walk to make a full day experience. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

Locations: Arboretum and the North Shore trails, Hendrie Park and Hendrie Valley trails.

Come explore Royal Botanical Gardens on your own. Take the time to explore the natural world your way without the cost of a guided program. Free resources available when you book a self-guided program include a multi-sensory scavenger hunt, trail maps, bird seed, clip boards and pencils.

1 to 3 p.m. at the Nature Centre
Fee: $7.50/student (includes HST)
Click here to register online

AGES 4 – 12

2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month
Sept. 11: Veggie Village, RBG Centre
Oct. 9: Canoeing (weather permitting)
Oct. 23: Seasonal Change
Nov. 13: Rocks & Minerals
Nov. 27: Natural Disasters
Dec. 11: Holiday Traditions
Jan. 8: Nature Crafts
Jan. 15: Astronomy, 6 to 8 p.m.
Feb. 12: Battle of the Titans, RBG Centre
Feb. 26: Navigation Skills
Mar. 12: Maple Syrup
Mar. 26: Wild Weather
Apr. 9: Earth Helpers
Apr. 23: Fishway at Princess Point
May 14: Arts in Spring, Rock Garden
May 28: Spring Birds
June 11: Reptiles and Amphibians

AGES 13 – 17

3rd Tuesday of each month
Oct. 16: Canoeing (weather permitting)
Nov. 20: Wilderness Skills
Dec. 18: Holiday Traditions
Jan. 15: Astronomy, 6 to 8 p.m.
Feb. 19: Battle of the Titans, RBG Centre
Mar. 26: Behind the Scenes, RBG Centre
Apr. 16: Fishway at Princess Point
May 21: Spring Birds