Mississauga Garden Council Education Programs ~ Education Naturally (Grades 1-8)

The Mississauga Garden Council (MGC) Education Naturally is looking for qualified volunteers to assist in the delivery of outdoor education programs at Riverwood. Education Naturally is aimed at students in grades 1 to 8 from regional schools. Our programs reflect the relevant Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines in Science, Geography and Social Sciences. Programs are delivered at Mississauga's Riverwood utilizing both the MacEwan Field Station and the adjacent outdoor areas.

Our programs are unique in many ways. They reflect the qualities of Riverwood -- an urban wilderness surrounded by development. The Credit River flows through the property with its annual runs of rainbow trout (steelhead) and Chinook salmon. We are the only Outdoor Education site that has access to this event in the Western GTA.

Schools participating the program receive both pre and post visit lesson suggestions in addition to the onsite program. Our website http://www.mississaugagardencouncil.org/mgc_edu.htm provides details of the programs offered. Please take the time to visit it for more information.

All of our programs reflect a long-term commitment to the environment. We envision students returning to the park to do research in the park many years after their first visit. A student in our grade three Tree Program could well return to Riverwood as an undergrad to do further research. It is this approach more than our programs that make the MGC's nature education experience so unique. We will be a facility where faculty and students of Universities, Colleges and High Schools come to do research and share their findings with each other, our education program and the public.

Volunteers should have some teaching experience and an interest in working outdoors. A valid police check is required. Volunteers should be prepared to work from 9:30-2:30 at least once every two weeks. Training will be provided to those who qualify. Interested persons should contact Robin Haley-Gillin at 905-279-6792 or by email at volunteer@MississaugaGardenCouncil.org.