Go play outside!

Over the holidays, we would like to encourage you to go play outside! Put down your remote controls and get off the couch, it`s time to put on your boots, tuques, gloves and jackets and head for the great outdoors. Here are a few suggestions from the staff at the Arundel Nature and Science Centre that may be fun to share with your kids! Here are 5 activities that are inexpensive and engaging for students of all ages.

First things first, it`s very important to stay warm! How you ask? Well, the best way to stay warm in the winter is to dress appropriately. You will need a hat, a scarf and a good pair of gloves. A snowsuit with a warm jacket, a good pair of snow pants and a cozy pair of boots will keep you toasty on the coldest days. Remember though; if you start to feel cold make sure you have a place to go where you can warm up.Take a walk outside with your friends and family
 This is a great activity to do with your loved ones and the best thing about it is that it’s free! You can walk around your neighborhood and explore your community. Grab a flashlight or a headlamp and head out after dinner as a family. Keep your eyes peeled for any wildlife or animal tracks that you may see along the way.

Go tobogganingFind a hill close to your house where you can go sliding. Most communities have designated areas for residents specifically for tobogganing. The only piece of equipment that you need is a toboggan or crazy carpet in order to maximize your fun. Be safe when sliding and make sure that you use an open area away from trees. The challenge now is to stop yourself from smiling!

Build a snowman in your yard: Building a snowman is a great outdoor activity. It can also be a great teambuilding exercise where you and your friends can work together to accomplish a task.

Ice skatingHopefully, by the time the holidays roll around, the ice will be ready to skate on. If you’ve never skated before, now’s the time to get started. Skating is great exercise and it’s also a great way to get fresh air.

Go skiing or snowboarding These activities may be a more expensive but are definitely worth the investment. The practice of skiing and snowboarding has many health benefits. It’s great exercise and it’s great for building self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. We challenge everyone to give it a shot!

For all of your other outdoor pursuits, like cross country skiing and snowshoeing, please come visit us at the Arundel Nature and Science Centre in the New Year. We offer students the opportunity to become engaged with nature and science from an experiential education standpoint. We would love to offer all of the students of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board the opportunity to visit their outdoor classroom!

www.natureandscience.ca http://arundelnsc.blogspot.ca/ https://twitter.com/arundelnsc

David Suzuki

David Suzuki has been a role model for many Canadians. His words have inspired many people to change their views on how we exploit natural resources. I like this video because it presents the viewers with a different outlook on economic progress. The externalities of our economic policies are not sustainable and remain short-sighted. Gaining alternate perspectives, like the one presented by Suzuki, helps us to see through the smoke screen of ``progress`` and realize that maybe progress is not moving us forward but compromising our future.

Animal Tracking

 

Stop, look, listen and smell in order to find animal tracks in the forest. You can also come visit us at the Arundel Nature and Science Centre and we can go for a hunt for tracks in the forest! 

 

I love Canada!

We live in a truly beautiful country, this video is testament to that. Come visit the Arundel Nature and Science Centre so you can experience some of our Canadian and Québecois beauty.

 



 

Ted Talks, Karen Bass



This video has some amazing shots of untamed nature. Take the time to watch it and to be inspired by the amazing footage. Nature is truly beautiful!

 



 

 

CDC Vimont

 

 

Last wenesday we had the privilige of hosting an incredible group of students from CDC Vimont. As the day progressed, the students began to let loose a little and started to have some fun. It`s nice to see the transformation from the begining of the day to when the students leave on the bus. Personnaly, I feel that the team building games and outdoor pursuits really help build relationships between the students. Your energy and your positive attitudes are still resognating throughout the Arundel forest. Thanks for visiting and please come by anytime! Also, a huge thank you to Despina Ioanidis for taking these pictures, your an awesome photagrapher. 



 

 

Pictures from around the property

Song about orienteering

The creative juices, fulled by excitement and enthusiasm, were definitely flowing and inspired this chart topping hit! Thank you for your contribution! 

Great feedback!

Hi Kelly,

On Friday, Oct. 26th , I brought my class outside!

I remembered walking throught the forest at Arundel last year... and a few of the kids who were there last year , were in the class I had on Friday.

Before going outside, we discussed what noises we hear in nature , like at Arundel , compared to the noises we hear in a suburb such as Fabreville, Laval.

I also discussed all the physical senses ... hearing , smelling, seeing, feeling (touch), and taste.

We went outside and tried to walk quietly to where we sat.

I had the kids close their eyes and 1st listen to the sounds, which we discussed.

Next, we discussed what we smelled. We discussed what we saw. We could not taste anything :-(

We discussed what things around us felt like.

It was great fun and I felt so much better in that last hour than if I had stayed indoors !

Thanks so much !

Peggy O'Neill

Twin Oaks Elem.

:-)

Thanks for stopping by!

I want to say a big thank you to Mrs Painchaud and Mrs Rheubottom for bringing the leadership group from LES. You guys kept smilling despite the rain and the wind. Your enthusiasm and energy was contagious and we hope that it carries on throughout the school year. Please come back and visit us so we can keep working on your leadership and team building skills. This is your time to lead by example and be the great leaders that we know you can be. Thanks for the smiles!

 

 

 

This weekend we had the privilege of having the ECO club from Arundel Elementary School at the ANSC. They took the initiative of building a beautiful rock bordered planting area in front of our garage. They also took the time to put our gardens to bed for the winter. The Eco club is led by a great teacher named Marion Hodge, who goes above and beyond for her students. Thank you very much for your hard work and commitment to the environment and the ANSC; it`s people like you who lead by example and inspire others to be better citizens. 

Inspiring Quotes

The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle. But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild's fondness?
Chief Dan George

When we walk upon Mother Earth, we always plant our feet carefully, because we know the faces of our future generations are looking up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them.
Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper, Onondaga Nation

Take Me outside Day!

Let us make an effort today to put down the remote control to the television or video game console. Go play outside, get some fresh air! 

Nice to hear from you!

Here are a few testimonies from students who have visited the ANSC. I thought that it would be fun to post some of their comments on our blog.

The field trip to the Arundel Nature and Science Centre was a once in a lifetime experience. I made new friends, conversed with peers, shared experiences and made memories that I will hold dear in my heart. I will absolutely cherish and appreciate these memories forever. I had the opportunity to be acquainted with and appreciate fellow peers and it changed my life along the way. I was able to discover some intriguing information and my classmates were able to see my potential as a friend. 
Thomas, student from Mother Theresa Junior High

At the ANSC, I experienced some things that were completely new to me: peace and quiet. I have a little brother at home therefore this is very hard to find back home. But if you sit in the forest and listen hard enough you could hear nature. You could hear the birds singing and the squirrels moving high up in the trees. At Arundel, the beauty of the forest surrounds you; it creates a unique experience you can't find anywhere else. Everyone should have the chance to feel what I felt at Arundel.
Amanda, student from Mother Theresa Junior High  

When I went to ANSC it was beautiful and peaceful. I experienced things that i never had before. I was sitting on the ground in the forest, hearing the sounds of the animals, the nature and just experiencing a peaceful moment. I learned how to look for Mars, Jupiter and in early morning Venus. 
Veronica, student from Mother Theresa Junior High

Do beavers work on weekends?

This weekend I went for a hike and I walked by a couple of yellow birches that had been worked on by the beavers. It made me wonder, do beavers work on weekends?

Owls are awesome!

Play outside

October 25th is our national Take Me Outside day in Canada. I encourage all Canadians to make the extra effort to go outside and exercise for a minimum of 45 minutes on this particular day. It's a good opportunity to reconnect with nature and all its glory. Rest assured, that if you come to the ANSC, everyday is spent outside!

Earth Day Canada

Marion Hodge, who is a teacher at Arundel elementary school, stopped by the center today and mentioned an initiative that Earth Day Canada is undertaking. She is very involved with us at ANSC and is bringing the ECOClub from her school to volunteer. Teachers like Marion are helping students become more environmentally conscious citizens and I feel that her efforts need to be recognized, thanks Marion! You are always welcome at the center. 

First aid

Safety is the most important factor when you decide to undertake any outdoor activity. Knowing first aid is a valuable skill that may come in handy in a bad situation. The link that I have posted has some great ideas to help you understand some of the steps you can take in different situations. Take the time to go through the slides and practice them at home. Practice makes perfect, have fun with it!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WQ6cWJeufyR0K90amJ1FCnjxHUu67suHA7-97F4koLA/present#slide=id.p16

We Humans are Capable

Uploaded by WesTCoastiNTwo on 20 May 2011

This is Carl Sagan reading from his book, "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space"

Forest is Future

Forest is Future

An amazing thought provoking video of Earth's timeline.

Leaves you thinking about how you might view a forest the next time you visit one!

EXQUISITE....take a break, breathe and appreciate nature's beauty (with the help of time lapse photography)

http://curiositycounts.com/post/16290934553/exquisite-timelapse-of-day-and-night-in-yosemite

The Story of Stuff

How have we gotten to this point in our lives where we feel compelled to buy the newest and coolest gadgets (STUFF) which are designed to become quickly obsolete without thought of where the precious resources come from to create our STUFF or what happens to all that STUFF we throw out?!

Annie Leonard put together a video in 2007 feeling like someone had to finally mention the unmentionable. Her focus was to produce a creative and informative video which could be appreciated and understood by youth and adults alike. This video project, now a community with an international following, and 7 videos later (from Story of Bottled Water to Cap and Trade), helps us to shake our proverbial heads and take a realistic look at the consumer society we have created, the problems it is causing, how we got here and how we might change our direction, shaping a more sustainable and healthy model for ourselves and the planet.

Check it out! Show it to others! Get involved in creating positive change!
http://www.storyofstuff.org/