Elementary School Programming

Choose one of our most popular programs and we can adapt it to your grade. Our 1–2-hour long programs are bound to spark student’s passion for nature.

Spring into the Wetlands

Learn all about plant and animal adaptions to the seasonal transition from Winter to Spring. Witness the Habitat Conservation Area waking up and sprouting to life in a scavenger hunt, watch for birds returning to or passing through on their migratory journey, and learn about their migratory obstacles. Explore the exciting world of seeds and help the grassland habitat diversify through the making and release of seed bombs. Available in Spring.

Plant Life 

Take a closer look at plants, large and small, in the grassland, forest or wetland habitats. Learn about the parts of the plant, their function and the special adaptions they have to their surroundings through plant surveys and creating your own plant activities. Dive into different types of seeds, seed dispersal methods and make seed paper to take home and plant in your garden. Available in Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Wetland Worth

Explore the wetland habitat and learn about the importance of a wetland. Learn about the different types of wetlands and conduct a mini riparian assessment through scavenger hunts, plant surveys, and pond dipping. Dive into the beauty of wetlands and what species call this urban wetland home. Available in Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Discover Fall

Dive into the fall season, discussing seasonal changes, the causes for these changes, and how this impacts the vegetation. Learn about migration, hibernation, and other animal adaptations to the seasonal transition through obstacle courses, scavenger hunts and seed collections. Available in Fall.

Winter Adaptations

Everything is quiet, the ground is covered in snow and ice, and there isn’t much living in the winter, right? Wrong! Learn all about the animals surviving the frigid temperatures and explore the activity below the snow layer. Study what makes snowflakes unique and how animals use snow to their advantage. Available in Winter.

Animal Tracking

Understand predators, prey, and their relationship with each other. Learn about local predators and prey, browse, and more than you ever imagined you would learn about scat. Try your hand at orienteering while we learn about animal tracking and the movement patterns prey use to evade their predators. Available Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Winter Outdoor Survival Skills

Challenge yourself by building shelters, testing your orienteering skills, and learning about basic fire building principles. Learn about winter animal survival skills and utilize those skills to survive the winter elements by yourself! Available in Winter.

High School Programming

Time to take the education to the field with our new ‘A Day in the Life of an Ecologist’ program. Students in grades 9-12 will join the Wascana Centre Ecologists and learn what it takes to protect Wascana Lake. Students will be given the opportunity to become scientists and conduct aquatic, plant, wetland, and biodiversity surveys. Whether your students are using a seine net to assess the population diversity in the marsh or conducting a riparian assessment, they are bound to have a blast! Programs are 2 to 3 hours long.

Aquatic Survey

Use a seine and gill net to conduct a fish population diversity survey within the marsh. Students will be given the chance to learn about different species in Wascana Lake, learn to identify fish, and to dissections.

Plant Survey

Learn about invasive and native species by conducting a quadrat plant survey. Students will be given the opportunity to identify plants, tour the greenhouse, learn about propagation, and more.

Wetland Survey

Explore the wonderful world of the marsh while conducting a riparian assessment and a water quality test. Students will investigate small aquatic invertebrates under a microscope, pond dip, and even do some fish species surveying.

Biodiversity Survey 

Wascana Lake is home to a wealth of biodiversity. Students will explore the creatures that call this place home through birding, nest surveys, insect netting, plant identification, animal tracking, pond dipping and more.