Education Outreach Program
Every year, Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre treats more than 5,000 patients coming in from Kingston, Napanee, Belleville, and the surrounding communities in southeastern Ontario. Almost half of these patients are admitted due to human activity, including habitat disturbance, vehicle collisions, fishing tackle injuries, and more.
Our education program aims to raise awareness of our impact on wildlife and teach students how to offer empathy and compassion toward our natural neighbours.
Book a Virtual Presentation or try out our Home Learning Resources and start practicing kindness toward wild animals today!
VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS
Presentation Topics:
1. Caring for Wildlife (Kindergarten to Grade 8)
Learn about the animals in our care and how to show kindness to wildlife in our community.
2. At-Home with Wildlife (Grade 4-8)
Investigate the habitats around your home and find out who lives in your neighbourhood.
3. Working with Wildlife (Grade 9-12)
Experience a day-in-the-life of our dedicated staff as you go on a live virtual tour of our facility.
Presentation Length: Approximately 45 minutes.
Fee: We encourage a $3 – $5 donation per participant. Families or schools can donate online here. Please select Education Outreach Program ‘Love Wildlife’ from the dropdown menu and indicate which school you are associated with in the message box. Donations are optional.
Group Size: 100 participants, maximum.
Presentation Platform: Zoom (our preference), Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet.
Click Here to download the free Zoom Client for Meetings app.
Who We Teach: Elementary and secondary school students. If you are interested in a presentation for adults, Click Here.
What to Expect: Elementary school students will receive an interactive slideshow, patient videos, and activities that get students out of their seats! Secondary school students will receive an introduction to Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre, a live virtual tour of the facility, and a Q&A session with our staff.
How to Book: Click Here for our booking instructions and available time slots.
OFF-SITE PRESENTATIONS
Off-site presentations are currently unavailable. See above for our virtual offerings.
HOME LEARNING RESOURCES
Each lesson in our “Home Learning” series invites children to share their experiences, meet wild animals near their home, and practice being kind to all wildlife. Here are a few tips to best engage with our lessons:
- Please supervise your young learners during the ‘Outdoor Exploration’ part of the lessons.
- If children are unable to go outside for the ‘Outdoor Exploration’ component, invite them to look out a window to complete the activity as best they can or wait until they are able to go outside with supervision.
- When children are invited to speak “out loud” in a lesson, encourage them to speak in any language they wish.
- Before printing these lesson plans and workbooks, consider ways of reducing paper use to better care for our environment. For example, double-sided printing, printing on scrap paper, or keeping the resources digital!
Kindergarten Lessons
Click to download our Kindergarten ‘Home Learning’ Lesson Plans
Click to download our Kindergarten ‘Home Learning’ Workbook
Grade 1-3 Lessons
Click to download our Grade 1-3 ‘Home Learning’ Lesson Plans
Click to download our Grade 1-3 ‘Home Learning’ Workbook
TEACHER FEEDBACK
“The Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre virtual presentation, put on by Jess Pelow, for our group of students from grades one to three was fantastic. Jess has wonderful rapport with the students. She engaged them with excellent information which connected to our curriculum goals, quick video clips which showcased the care that happens at Sandy Pines and a number of activities that had them up and moving and also slowing down to inspire mindful empathy. She was organized, easygoing and fun. The Sandy Pines Learning Activities document is also a wonderfully written and engaging educational resource. This virtual field trip was a highlight of our entire school year.”
– Sharon Isbell, Grade 1 Teacher, Limestone District School Board
“During this time of the Covid Pandemic, it was great that our class could join together in a synchronous learning environment provided by a very detailed and interactive presentation offered by the Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre. As rural students [our] children were able to connect and share their schema of many of the topics discussed. Seeing the animals and the love and attention they were receiving was awesome. All of the content covered linked perfectly to the Science Curriculum, in addition to our school focus of being Stewards of the Earth and caring for others. We were glad that we had the opportunity to experience a class field trip, from our own homes, thank you for making this possible!”
– Grade 2/3 Teacher, Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board
“Janet, you were AWESOME!!! Kids/staff all spoke of their interest in your presentation. THANKS!!!!” – Teacher, Limestone District School Board
“Thank you so much for the presentation today! I love how you made your presentation interactive and included video and audio clips. The kids had a blast and talked about animals all afternoon 🙂 Thanks again!” – Teacher
OUR FACILITATORS
Jess Pelow (Education Coordinator). Jess is an Ontario Certified Teacher with over a decade of experience teaching outdoor and environmental education. She has a Masters in Environmental Studies and previously worked as an educator at the High Park Nature Centre, Evergreen Brick Works, the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority, and the Toronto District School Board.
Janet Fenton (Education Facilitator). Janet is a certified interpreter guide through the National Association of Interpretation and a graduate from Sir Sandford Fleming College (Ecosystem Management Technician / Fish and Wildlife Technologist). Janet has over 10 years of interpreter experience and over 5 years working as the outreach facilitator for Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre, in addition to work experience at Ontario Parks and the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority.
QUESTIONS?
Email us at educationspwc@gmail.com.
