Bluewater Outdoor Education Centre
RR # 3, 3092 Bruce County Road 13 N0H 2T0 Wiarton, ON, Canada

Treaties Recognition Week, 2021 Is Fast Approaching!... Educator Toolkit Ontario is marking the sixth annual Treaties Recognition Week this year, taking place from November 1 7, 2021.... Treaties Recognition Week was introduced in 2016 to honour the importance of treaties and to help students and residents of Ontario learn more about treaty rights, treaty relationships and their relevance today. The Ontario government has developed a number of Living Library events where Indigenous Elders and knowledge keepers share their perspectives and experiences around treaties with elementary, secondary and postsecondary students, and the public. Check out the various events listed below or on Ontario.ca and register your class today so your students can get a greater understanding of the importance of treaties in Ontario. Please share event details with your colleagues! This Treaties Recognition Week Educator Toolkit also includes teaching resources, such as an interactive treaties map and curriculum guide, as well as printable resources like a word-search and a treaties in Ontario map colouring page for students to learn about treaties in a fun and interactive way. We hope you’ll join the conversation happening across Ontario by using #TreatyON when you post about Treaties Recognition Week on your social channels. Don't forget to follow and tag the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs on Twitter and Facebook in your posts.

https://www.msn.com//new-cartoon-wolf-joe-put/ar-BB1cK3Vm Wolf Joe! Forty-six episodes, eleven minutes long feature Joe, an Anishinaabe boy, tackling all of the challenges young people in Anishinaabe communities find themselves in. The show was developed in partnership with Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba.

Hundreds of resources for getting students or your own children outside!

Ms. Diebel had a mating pair of Great Horned Owls calling outside of her house this week! Many don’t realize this is their mating season - yes, in the midst of winter!! It’s a great time to go for evening walks with your family and listen for owls!

The amazing Jenna McGuire is at it again! Grab a tea and learn about pudding rocks!

Black bear facts!...

Hey Bluewater Students! We know you might be feeling a bit anxious about the new school year. The best antidote to this is to arm yourself with as much CORRECT information as you can. The BWDSB website has loads of information for students and your parents. It is worth taking the time to read through the website. Your teachers are excited to see you in person again, and they know that you may be feeling anxious and will need time to adjust to being back in class. We ar...e in a rapidly changing time, so flexibility and patience upon return will be important, but we can do hard things! Wishing everyone a safe and productive start to the new school year. https://www.bwdsb.on.ca/Parents/Return_to_School

Hey Bluewater Teachers! Send us your rough lesson plans, and we will turn them into outdoor lessons for you! Struggling to figure out how to reach a strand/expectation outside? Email [email protected] with info on your lesson, resources available, and notes on your outside space and how much gear your students may have, and we will soon start posting lessons to our virtual classroom for all teachers to access! More information to come!

Outdoor math ideas!...

Teachers! Another resource for you regarding outdoor learning!

A chance to be a citizen scientist regarding bats!

Some information for teachers looking to get their students outside this coming fall!...

Steenika shows us a unique, but simple to make, hanging bird feeder that uses orange slices.

If you are a parent worried about whether your child is learning enough during this unusual time, consider shelter building and other outdoor explorations as a way to have fun with your children this summer, AND promote learning in a more organic way...

Already this summer, the Bruce Peninsulas most favoured hiking destinations are seeing vandalism. What has taken thousands of years along the geologic time scale to develop is defaced in one fell swoop. This is Skinners Bluffs most popular look-off point along this stretch of Bruce Trail. We take students there every spring and fall. They marvel at the untouched wild feeling of it all. These acts of "making your mark" destroy this feeling for others. In addition, at...tempts to wash this paint off will destroy the micro-organisms that live on the rock. We are very disappointed to see one of our most cherished spots vandalized with such disregard. To us this speaks to a need for more wild spaces to be preserved across the province and closer to urban areas. This would allow people more frequent and meaningful access to nature in their own backyards, and opportunities to develop a relationship of respect and awe for nature. Please, take only photos, leave nothing but light footprints.

Thanks to our summer camp staff, Steenika, for putting together this video sharing a recommended hiking trail in Owen Sound.

Already this summer, the Bruce Peninsula's most favoured hiking destinations are seeing vandalism. What has taken thousands of years along the geologic time scale to develop is defaced in one fell swoop. This is Skinner's Bluff's most popular look-off point along this stretch of Bruce Trail. We take students there every spring and fall. They marvel at the untouched wild feeling of it all. These acts of "making your mark" destroy this feeling for others. In addition, at...tempts to wash this paint off will destroy the micro-organisms that live on the rock. We are very disappointed to see one of our most cherished spots vandalized with such disregard. To us this speaks to a need for more wild spaces to be preserved across the province and closer to urban areas. This would allow people more frequent and meaningful access to nature in their own backyards, and opportunities to develop a relationship of respect and awe for nature. Please, take only photos, leave nothing but light footprints.

Getting Your Kindie Students Out of Doors in 2020-2021: A Webinar Many of us are beginning to think about (and may be feeling a bit anxious about) what our return to school could look like this fall. At 7 pm on July 9th, COEO will be hosting a Zoom webinar in support of teachers who wish to take their JK/SK students OUTSIDE! WHATTTT?!!! Can that even be possible?!!! Yes! With the right tools and knowledge in your backpack, we know outdoor school programs can be safe and ...Continue reading

Hi Everyone! Over the summer, the staff who WOULD have been running our summer day camp program will be offering short nature challenges and bits of trivia for youngsters to enjoy. Parents, we hope you can use these clips to garner ideas for getting your children outside! Below, we present a video from the Bluewater Education Foundation's day camp staffer, Nataley for a fun, and easy going, scavenger hunt challenge! Stay safe, stay cool, and have fun!

With this week's theme for online content being "On Foot Travel", here are today's challenges and trivia: For more information on Terry Fox visit https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/terry-fox

With this weeks theme for online content being "On Foot Travel", here are todays challenges and trivia: For more information on Terry Fox visit https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/terry-fox

Starting today, for the next 8 weeks, the Bluewater Education Foundation will be posting trivia, tutorials, challenges, and informative videos to entertain and ...educate young learners and their families. Content will be shared on all applicable social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and the BEF website), so stay tuned. To start off today, here are a few assorted riddles and questions to help kickstart your brain. Share your submissions here. Answers will be revealed at the end of the day.

Thankful Thursday! I am thankful for all of you. Take care of yourselves and stay safe. #boec#mindfulness #brucepeninsula

Therapeutic Thursday: Have a great, safe, serene summer! (Lake Huron from the shores of Cowansville, credit J. Cowan)

Wayback Wednesday: Last week we learned about Cahokia and summer solstice rituals. Today on Canada Day, we can learn about a less-celebrated-butt-more-important daily ritual every Canadian should embrace! Ahhh-what you didn't know about what you don't want to think about--unless you are an enquiring mind. So gross, so cool--study old stool! https://www.smithsonianmag.com//remnants-human-poop-help-/

Too Cool Tuesday: Wouldnt a sustainable society be too cool? What would it look like? Worried about the future, F.H. Kinga US Department of Agriculture officialwondered in 1911, how have the extremely dense populations of the Far East produced massive amounts of food century after century without depleting their soils and resources? He took a trip to China, Korea and Japan to find out and wrote Farmers of Forty Centuries. He discovered a highly sophisticated system of water management, crop rotation, interplanting and rational utilization of ecological relationships among farm plants, animals and people. https://www.resilience.org//farmers-forty-centuries-organ/ https://www.wired.co.uk/arti/human-faeces-poo-as-fertiliser

Prof. Treebeard Solositzyn puts a "wrap" on the 2020 school year. But will you understand the "lesson" and share his opinion? https://boyslife.org/quizzes/153553/can-you-identify-this- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zsfkv9q/revision/5 (in this link see #4 for info about #1 and #2!) http://www.liquidgoldbook.com

With the onset of summer vacation, here are 10 ideas for getting your children outside over the summer!.... https://pltcanada.org//10-tips-to-connect-children-to-the/

As we close out this month of June and the Strawberry Moon, we also welcome the end to a very challenging school year. It is the perfect time to focus on the cleansing properties of the strawberry, one of our favourite fruits! The month of the Strawberry Moon was traditionally for gathering, feasting, welcoming everyone home, and reconciling and moving past personal differences and conflicts. In North America, we have seen a great reckoning of our biases and systemic racism o...ver the month of June. We at the BOEC want our "home away from home" to be welcoming for all of our students during their outdoor education trip(s), and we commit to continuing to learn from our BIPOC community members. The season of wild strawberries has just ended, but the cultivated varieties are finally ready for picking! Wild strawberries are tiny, flavour packed morsels full of nutrients said to be strengthening for one's heart and teeth. Black bears love them for cleaning out their digestive tract in the spring (follow us next week for a further tidbit on this!)! Below we have included photos of wild strawberries, and Miss Diebel's freshly picked strawberries! And.... here is Miss Diebel's grandmother's recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb pie!... Use your favourite pie crust or crumble, then... Mix 1 Cup of white sugar 3 Tbsp of flour 1 Tsp of grated orange rind 1 Tbsp of butter Mix these together, and then add 2 eggs beaten smooth. Pour over 1.5 cups of rhubarb mixed with 1.5 cups of strawberries Bake at 450 deg for 10 minutes, and then reduce to 350 deg for 30 minutes. Enjoy, and post pics below of your favourite strawberry recipe!

Answer to Treebeards Mystery Monday: "Look at ze piktur und ze vebsite for more deets. Very inTREEesting. Und hug a tree!" https://www.theforestacademy.com/tree/annual-growth-rings/

Thankful Thursday#boec#summersolstice#summerholidays#brucepeninsula#mindfulness

Hitting the trails this summer?! Wondering what to take with you? Here is a run-down from our former co-op student, now owner of Canadian Bushcraft, on what he makes sure to pack (apologies for swear words - Caleb doesnt mince words!)!...

Tonight at 7 pm go outside, honk horns, make noise, celebrate our grads!Tonight at 7 pm go outside, honk horns, make noise, celebrate our grads!

Southampton students, look what is growing in your "back yard" at Fairy Lake! Go check it out when you have a chance, and take care to leave it for others to see. Thank-you again to Jenna McGuire for her fascinating nature posts!

Our friends at the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority are doing great work to help teachers through these times of Covid-19! Next up?! A workshop to support teachers in getting their students outside next year!

Too-Cool Tuesday & Way-back Wednesday: Its too cool that way back about 1000 years ago, the summer solstice was marked in an indigenous North American city in a very hands-on pre-digital way. Cahokia in modern Illinois was the largest civilization north of Mexico---even larger than London, England. It was built along the cardinal directions of North, South, etc. They set up several "Wood Henges" which marked the rising AND setting of the sun on the June 21/22 solstice. Some of their mound temples were even aligned with these points--talk about solar-powered! https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com//the-cahokia-woodhenge. Closer to Bluewater District School Board, on non-Covid years, you can visit Keppel Henge! http://www.steveirvine.com/henge.html

Well, wouldnt you know it?! On the ONE day we were going to post something reliant on sunshine, it is raining! We will postpone until the sun comes back out. Enjoy this much needed rain. In the meantime, if you want to research how to make your own compass, you will get a head start on our upcoming post!

Too-Cool Tuesday & Way-back Wednesday: It's too cool that way back about 1000 years ago, the summer solstice was marked in an indigenous North American city in a very hands-on pre-digital way. Cahokia in modern Illinois was the largest civilization north of Mexico---even larger than London, England. It was built along the cardinal directions of North, South, etc. They set up several "Wood Henges" which marked the rising AND setting of the sun on the June 21/22 solstice. Some of their mound temples were even aligned with these points--talk about solar-powered! https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com//the-cahokia-woodhenge. Closer to Bluewater District School Board, on non-Covid years, you can visit Keppel Henge! http://www.steveirvine.com/henge.html

Well, wouldn't you know it?! On the ONE day we were going to post something reliant on sunshine, it is raining! We will postpone until the sun comes back out. Enjoy this much needed rain. In the meantime, if you want to research how to make your own compass, you will get a head start on our upcoming post!

Can you help the Professor solve this tree mystery!

Check yo'self when you get home, folks!

Check yoself when you get home, folks!

Happy Fathers Day to all of our dads out there! As a tribute to fathers everywhere, we have a special feature today! Some of you may remember this photo our Custodian, Emily Cole, took back in the early spring. A BWDSB mom, Lisa, contributed these beautiful works of art to our page, interpreting this BOEC scene. The first is painted by her father Branko Dren (@myfathertheartist), and the others were painted/drawn by her daughters, Sequoia and Nova! Lovely work, and what a wonderful Grandfather/Grand-daughter team effort!

Happy Father's Day to all of our dads out there! As a tribute to fathers everywhere, we have a special feature today! Some of you may remember this photo our Custodian, Emily Cole, took back in the early spring. A BWDSB mom, Lisa, contributed these beautiful works of art to our page, interpreting this BOEC scene. The first is painted by her father Branko Dren (@myfathertheartist), and the others were painted/drawn by her daughters, Sequoia and Nova! Lovely work, and what a wonderful Grandfather/Grand-daughter team effort!

Happy Indigenous History Day! We have been off of social media today, but we wanted to emphasize our gratitude for the land we inhabit and that we are able to share with the students and staff of Bluewater DSB. We want to acknowledge the Traditional Territory of the Anishinabek Nation: The People of the Three Fires known as Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomie Nations. And further give thanks to the Chippewas of Saugeen, and the Chippewas of Nawash, now known as the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, as the traditional keepers of this land. We also acknowledge the contributions of the Metis, especially as it enriches the history of the BOEC, and of which, as with and from all nations, we still have much to learn. Below are some beautiful reads from authors of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Nations.

Ah, beautiful wildflowers of the Bruce Peninsula. Take a walk, enjoy what they have to offer to you#boec#wildflowers#mindfulness

Way Back Wednesday: Invasive species? Trade and travel restrictions? Its fascinating to see how nature and human culture have mixed together in the past. Play detective to connect the dots between the modern apple that may be in your pocket to the ancient apple parents--swipe away! Image 1) 1979: Apple computers name their first PC after a real apple variety named McIntosh.