2016 Junior Explorers Program Comes to an End
This year’s Junior Explorers program has come to an end! The kids had a lot of fun getting their hands dirty and learning a lot of new things. We were very fortunate this summer to have multiple guest speakers who went out of their way to make the day special and informative for all of the children. We had the pleasure of checking out the Johnson Township Fire Department where the kids learned about fire safety from a few of the firemen and a Smokey the Bear video. They got to tour around the fire hall and inside the fire trucks and even got to play with a fire hose! We were also happy to have Glen from the Invasive Species Centre come and teach the kids about how to identify invasive species and what to do if they encounter one. Glen brought many species to show the kids including an emerald ash borer life cycle box, a sea lamprey, Asian long-horned beetles (all dead of course) and fake garlic mustard.
Professor Rob Routledge from Sault College came out to teach the kids all about mammals. He absolutely blew all of the Junior Explorers away with all of the cool stuff he brought! Rob taught them how to identify tracks, skulls, fur and scat with real items while playing a fun matching game. They got their hands dirty making plaster tracks and playing hide-and-seek with a collar and telemeter! Garden River First Nation Elder Willard Pine also came and talked to the kids and adults about life and death, bullying, kindness and much more under a big oak tree at the Archibald Homestead.
Planting vegetables was also a favourite of the kids. They got to paint their own pots with cool designs and then choose to plant radishes, beans and/or peas. Afterwards they got to take their pots home and take pride in watching their gardens grow! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed fishing at the Archibald Homestead. Many of the kids caught their own fish including smallmouth bass, rock bass, and yellow perch!
Other highlights this summer included building a parade float and participating in the parade! The kids had a ball making all of the Olympic themed crafts including Olympic medals, wreaths and torches. The Junior Explorers finished 2nd place in the Youth Organization category! The shoreline clean-up at Stobie Creek was very fulfilling as we cleaned up a lot of garbage and left it the way it the naturally beautiful way it should be!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Junior Explorers program this summer! We had a wonderful, fun-filled summer partaking in all of the various activities with the kids, and we hope that everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed themselves as well! If we can have a bigger turnout next year and the years to follow, this program can continue to grow and become even better for generations to come!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Donison and Victoria Hooymans
Summer Activities Coordinators
Professor Rob Routledge from Sault College came out to teach the kids all about mammals. He absolutely blew all of the Junior Explorers away with all of the cool stuff he brought! Rob taught them how to identify tracks, skulls, fur and scat with real items while playing a fun matching game. They got their hands dirty making plaster tracks and playing hide-and-seek with a collar and telemeter! Garden River First Nation Elder Willard Pine also came and talked to the kids and adults about life and death, bullying, kindness and much more under a big oak tree at the Archibald Homestead.
Planting vegetables was also a favourite of the kids. They got to paint their own pots with cool designs and then choose to plant radishes, beans and/or peas. Afterwards they got to take their pots home and take pride in watching their gardens grow! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed fishing at the Archibald Homestead. Many of the kids caught their own fish including smallmouth bass, rock bass, and yellow perch!
Other highlights this summer included building a parade float and participating in the parade! The kids had a ball making all of the Olympic themed crafts including Olympic medals, wreaths and torches. The Junior Explorers finished 2nd place in the Youth Organization category! The shoreline clean-up at Stobie Creek was very fulfilling as we cleaned up a lot of garbage and left it the way it the naturally beautiful way it should be!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Junior Explorers program this summer! We had a wonderful, fun-filled summer partaking in all of the various activities with the kids, and we hope that everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed themselves as well! If we can have a bigger turnout next year and the years to follow, this program can continue to grow and become even better for generations to come!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Donison and Victoria Hooymans
Summer Activities Coordinators