Today’s blog comes from Jessica Stillman, Discovery program project coordinator. (She’s pretty much famous among Ontario’s elementary students tuning in for virtual field trips!)
Virtual field trips are AWESOME!
No forms, school buses, or headcounts! Once you log in, our knowledgeable and engaging Discovery staff do the rest.
We’d love if all students could experience our parks firsthand, but we know that’s not always an option.
Virtual programs help Discovery staff break barriers and bring Ontario’s natural and cultural history into more of your classrooms.
We offer a variety of curriculum-linked virtual field trip options for educators to choose from.
Double the fun, double the learning
Many of our virtual field trips are two-part programs.
While you don’t need to sign up for both sessions, we highly recommend you do to expand your students’ learning.
During the first session, Discovery staff introduce students to the topic and how it connects to Ontario Parks and the students’ own lives. Through engaging activities and discussions, students become more familiar with things like species at risk, community science, biodiversity, and invasive species.
By the end of Session 1, students are ready to take what they’ve learned to tackle projects like designing a poster, organizing a debate, or creating an action plan for biodiversity management in their neighborhood.
During Session 2, students present their projects to their Discovery ranger for feedback, consultation, and follow-up discussions.
Not just nature!
Not all our resources are movable.
Some are too big, too permanent, or too alive to be brought into a classroom in-person. With not all students being able to visit our parks IRL, so many of our parks’ cultural heritage stories benefit from being shared virtually.
Bronte Creek Provincial Park’s Zoom live events feature a variety of the park’s unique heritage features. Virtual programs include tours of the 120+ year old Victorian Farmhouse, meeting the park’s resident cows and sheep, or learning how to waltz while listening to music on a restored phonograph.
Exploring the French River within French River Provincial Park has never been easier or drier than on this virtual field trip aimed at Grade 7 students – Voices of the Fur Trade.
This two-part program begins with developing an understanding of the power, struggles, and voices of diverse peoples along the river during the fur trade.
Students then examine a primary source and present their findings to their Discovery ranger.
Give your students a chance at a dream job
With over 1,600 student park ranger positions available each summer, Ontario Parks offers a large variety of opportunities for students to explore their passions and strengths.
Sign your class up for a virtual Careers in Ontario Parks Program to learn about the types of student jobs available and the transferable skills that can be gained, as well as a brief overview of how to apply.
If students have job-specific questions, we also offer one-on-one sessions with park staff where we answer questions and help students understand the day-to-day of specific positions.
Log on and learn
So far over 61,000 students have logged on to a virtual field trip with Discovery staff.
We are constantly adding availability and adjusting which virtual programs are being offered, so be sure to check back.
Don’t see something suited to your needs? Send us a request with what you are looking for and we will do our best to connect you with other parks offering programs in your area or online.
Learn more about our curriculum-linked virtual field trips, in-person school and park visits, and self-guided school activities on our Discovery Programs page.