Not quite as popular as Psychology 101, but none the less MVFN is very pleased to offer a second section for our Canadian Red Cross First Aid Blended course.
There are two components to this course – an on-line section that you can complete at your own pace, and an one day, in-class component on Monday, June 28, in Bells Corners at the “First Aid Plus” classroom. All COVID protocols are in place for the in-class component. In a classroom with room with space for more than 20 participants, there will be only NINE of us, so social distancing is possible at all times.
MVFN members are offered a significant discount for this course, so the cost is $75. Thanks to Stan Holloway, one of our MVFN Board of Directors, and First Aid Plus! (Stan will also be our awesome instructor). In addition, if you act as the “official” First Aid person on an MVFN paddle or a walk, you will be reimbursed for the cost of the course by MVFN.
To register, please complete this registration form. There are only FIVE spaces left, so act now!
If you have any questions, please contact Brenda Boyd by email or call 613-256-2706.
MVFN is pleased to once again offer a First Aid/CPR course to our members.
This course blends online learning with in class practical training to ensure participants gain confidence in their first aid and lifesaving skills. The online portion that takes 4-6 hours. And the one-day in-person class will be led by MVFN’s Stan Holloway at “First Aid Plus” in Bells Corners. MVFN members are offered a reduced rate of $75 per person.
The classroom portion is being held on April 26, COVID permitting. The online portion must be finished before that date.
In class, each person will have their own workstation, and strict COVID protocols will be scrupulously followed. Their classroom only permits 9 participants per class at the moment, so sign up early! A second course will be offered if enough people are interested.
Going Gemmill is a grassroots approach developed in 2008, that emphasizes how a municipal park can become more accessible and fit into existing curriculum taught in local classrooms. Between Grades 1 and Grade 10 there are approximately one dozen opportunities for a science or social studies topic to be taught within the Gemmill Park environment. Gemmill Park is a municipal park in the town of Almonte in the municipality of Mississippi Mills, Ontario.
These curriculum-based outdoor education lesson modules were developed for use by local educators for the benefit of local children and youth and to the ultimate benefit of the local community as a whole. It is thought that these site-specific lessons provide an excellent opportunity for ongoing student visits throughout the park and through the seasons; besides meeting curriculum expectations, they will help to foster an ever-increasing appreciation and respect for this tremendous local resource.
Developed a number of years ago, the project was brought into local schools by Nature Works Learning. Thank you to Patricia Larkin for providing the following lesson modules for download from the MVFN site whenever they are needed in the future by interested local educators:
MVFN Young Naturalists Program Gets Go Ahead after Successful Pilot projectNOTE: For more information and to register your youngster in the MVFN Young Naturalists program, please contact Brenda Boyd at 613-256-2706 or email . There are still several spaces available for the monthly Saturday morning sessions which run for an hour and a half April 21, May 12, and June 9. Two different time slots are offered, so students can choose the 9 or 11 am start time. Each month is a “stand-alone” unit, so children may join at any time. A fee of $10 per session applies for each participant which covers a portion of the cost to run the program. The balance of the funding for the program is provided by the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists. With the success of a pilot project held last fall, the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists club (MVFN) is delighted to announce the formation of the “MVFN Young Naturalists” program as a regular monthly activity. The goal of the Young Naturalists Program is to offer young local children an opportunity to develop and expand their knowledge and love of the natural world. Geared towards children aged 7 to 12, the full program was launched in February, 2012, with sessions now being held each month at the Mill of Kintail. The sessions are organized and run by Patty Summers of the Wild Bird Care Centre, with assistance from two volunteer teachers. Patty’s great enthusiasm, natural rapport with children and her expertise were vital to the pilot project’s success and will carry the program forward. During the pilot program the children learned about: ”Creepy Crawlies”, “Changing Seasons”, “Owls” and “Animal Survival in Winter”. According to a post-evaluation of the program, the children all had a lot of fun, learned many fascinating new things about nature, and especially enjoyed dissecting owl pellets, looking for insect larvae in the Indian River, making simple bird feeders and playing a scent scavenger hunt game. Many of these children and their friends have now signed up again to participate in the MVFN Young Naturalists program which was launched following the pilot. The MVFN Young Naturalists Program takes place one Saturday morning per month (with two per morning, so students can choose the 9-10:30 am or the 11 am -12:30 pm time slot) in March, April, May and June 2012. The program begins again in the Fall one Saturday a month from September to December. Each Saturday morning program includes some more formal instruction as well as outdoor exploration and hands-on activities. Topics planned for the Winter/Spring program include: searching for animal tracks, snowshoeing, learning about weather, searching for and learning about frogs and toads, how to make a toad abode in the garden, seeds, soil composition, birds and birds’ eggs and nests. The lead program instructor, Patty Summers (B.Sc. Zoology and M.Sc. from Carleton University) first volunteered at the Wild Bird Care Centre in Nepean as a high school student and presently works full-time at the Wild Bird Care Centre, caring for sick and injured birds. She has recently created and implemented an educational outreach program to offer to local schools. MVFN has funded several of Patty’s presentations at elementary schools in Pakenham, Almonte and Carleton Place, which have been a great hit. Joyce Clinton, MVFN President, spoke in glowing terms of the Club’s success in the development and delivery of the new MVFN Young Naturalists program. “In a very short period of time,” remarked Clinton, “a community of 7 to 12 year-olds has joined together to learn about and engage with the wonderful natural world we cherish in Eastern Ontario. Future environmental leadership may well be found from any of these youngsters. We look forward to a display of their journals and projects at MVFN’s annual “Spring Gathering” in May.” The MVFN Young Naturalists is a function of the MVFN Environmental Education Program, which is chaired by Brenda Boyd. Lead member for the development of the project was EEP committee member Katie Cotnam, along with Brenda, Cliff Bennett, Neil Carleton and Ron Williamson. NOTE: For more information and to register your youngster in the MVFN Young Naturalists program, please contact Brenda Boyd at 613-256-2706 or email . There are still several spaces available for the monthly Saturday morning sessions which run for an hour and a half April 21, May 12, and June 9. Two different time slots are offered, so students can choose the 9 or 11 am start time. Each month is a “stand-alone” unit, so children may join at any time. A fee of $10 per session applies for each participant which covers a portion of the cost to run the program. The balance of the funding for the program is provided by the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists. _____________________________________________________________________________________
In May, Janine DeSalaberry retired as Chair of EEPP, the important BOD position in charge of our Environmental Education Projects Program. Many thanks for your years of dedication to EEPP Janine. A great variety of projects funded by MVFN took place in the 2005-06 school year. As Janine reported at the May 2006 AGM: “Roughly 1,700 children and 90 adults were given the opportunity to learn about snakes and other small creatures. Both Paul Fry, with his excellent program, “The Critter Guy” and Jeff Hathaway, with his “Sciensational SSnakes!” were outstanding, providing vital scientific information with a hands-on experience. …As the principal of Maple Grove Public School wrote: “the presenters were truly exceptional speakers and were able to engage the students throughout the presentations. The learning that occurred is still evident in the information that they are able to recall…” Some of the other programs receiving an injection of financial support were visits by astronomer/author, Terrence Dickenson to Almonte schools, and a Grade 2 full day program of stream study and a land animal learning program at Mill of Kintail in June. In closing Janine welcomed Patricia Larkin the new Chair of EEPP for 2006-07, and offered her continued support for the program. MVFN’s EEPP typically funds both hands-on education in schools and field trips, such as a November class trip to MVC’s Water Festival at Mill of Kintail. If you require further information on EEPP funding, contact Patricia Larkin at 613-256-5301 or by e-mail .
Application for the last $5000 installment of the current Trillium grant has been made and EEPP is awaiting receipt. Late in 2006, the BOD enthusiastically launched work on another gala fund raiser for EEPP, which is to be held in 2007.
In September, MVFN’s Board of Directors approved EEPP funding to Maple Grove Public School in Lanark for an exciting new environmental program, the “Maple Grove EcoSchool Initiative”. Under the guidance of Nature Works Learning, Grades 3-8 are learning more about their school in the areas of water use, energy use, waste/recycling and schoolyard landscape/planning. An ‘EcoTeam’ of teachers, support staff and students performed an ‘audit’ to see how school operations measure up in these 4 categories.
Having completed this they will develop action plans in the New Year to improve performance. Environmental literacy is the goal of student-produced newsletter articles, an EcoSchool Bulletin Board and an “EcoTree” in the schools’ entrance where good news ‘leaves’ are attached as the year progresses. We wish the staff and students of Maple Grove school much success in this project. Look for further updates on the EcoSchool project in the coming months.
Students at R.Tait McKenzie school get ready for frost watch, Nov’06.
