Enhancing opportunities for the education of young people about the wonders of the natural world is a key MVFN goal.
We provide experts on different nature topics for classroom presentations. Various environmental themes have been addressed in detail: pollinator gardens, Monarch butterfly habitat restoration and classroom nurturing of pupae to adult Monarchs.
We have partnered for certain special events: with Ontario Nature in a Naturehood grant to support a fall youth program by the Wild Bird Centre; with the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust Wild Child Festival; studying water quality and conservation at Waterfest ,’22 and Waterfest ’23, aided by high school volunteers; with the Mississippi Mills Youth Centre participating in ongoing workshops and nature walks. We have developed a partnership with the St. Lawrence River Institute, and we would like to thank the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority for their ongoing cooperation and support of our activities and meetings at the Mill of Kintail Conservation area.
An important component of the Environmental Education Program is the Young Naturalists’ Program which is a monthly series of interactive workshops providing opportunities for young people between six and 11 years old to experience and learn more about nature. The Young Naturalists’ Program is described in more detail on the Young Naturalists’ website page.
High School students showing environmental leadership are encouraged by grants that pay for attendance at the annual Ontario Nature Youth Summit, and by the MVFN Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary which gives grants to students specialising in environmental programs at the 1st year university or college level. Thanks to the Elizabeth Kelly Foundation, grants are also now available for 2nd year studies.
MVFN will continue by means of these programs to foster a close connection with young people in the schools and clubs of the Mississippi Watershed and strive to enhance awareness of the important connection we all have to the natural world around us.
A fun program designed for kids aged 6 to 11 with a keen interest in and curiosity about the natural world around them, MVFN’s Young Naturalists Program aims to develop and expand the interests of the children in the natural world, with the hopes that they become lifelong naturalists and citizen scientists.
The Young Naturalists (YN) group typically meets one Saturday a month, from September-December, and February-June at the beautiful Mill of Kintail near Almonte. Each month the kids explore a new nature-themed topic, from insects, weather, reptiles, snow studies, to leaves, stream studies, birds, rocks and many other nature topics!
Response to the program has been extremely enthusiastic and enrollment has grown to require two groups for each Saturday session of the program:
Session A: 9:00 am to 10:45 am
Session B: 11:15 am to 1:00 pm
Each 105-minute session includes a short interactive presentation, hands-on activities and a take home craft or activity. To ensure optimal success and safety, each session has a maximum of 15 children. Sessions are led by Program Leader, Stephanie Cleland and at least two additional MVFN adult Volunteers.
The YN program is led by Stephanie Cleland (B.Sc. Archaeology from Trent University and M.A. Bioarchaeology from the University of Western Ontario), an Ontario licensed archaeologist, who describes herself as a curious nature lover and advocate for life-long learning. A particular goal of hers is to foster greater knowledge of and an appreciation for the natural world in our next generation of citizen scientists and environmental stewards.
To guide the children on their adventures, handouts are given out each session. Their “personalized nature journals” are also equipped with blank and lined paper as well as sheet covers to store any ‘neat’ piece of nature they may find. The Young Naturalists record all of their observations both at the sessions and at home in their nature journals provided by the program.
Each session concludes with a craft or take-home activity to extend the learning, help the kids remember the session, or just for fun! For example, the kids have created their own barometers to predict pressures systems, toad-abodes to encourage toads to live in their gardens, reconstructed a mouse skeleton from bones in an owl pellet, made their very own fossils and many more unique nature crafts!
Our Meeting Place – The Mill of Kintail
Located less than 10 minutes from Almonte, The Mill of Kintail is home to 154 acres of mixed old forest and field habitat along the Indian River. The Young Naturalists group gathers in either the Gatehouse Meeting Room, a spacious indoor teaching space, or, the Education Classroom. From either location, it is but a short hike to the river, fields and forest trails, which offer endless opportunities for exploration and discovery!
Registration:
Cost: $100/child (for all 5 Winter/Spring Sessions) or $80/child (for all 4 Fall sessions).
For more information, or to register, please contact:
Program Leader Stephanie Cleland: mvfnyoungnaturalists@gmail.com
