On June 22, For Our Kids families met up for our second Nature Discovery Workshop at the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre (OCWC), and took part in some fun-filled all ages activities designed to help us connect with nature.
The morning kicked-off with a fully interactive presentation with our guide and educator Kate MacNeil (the Executive Director of OCWC). Kate showed us artifacts, images, sounds and wildlife puppets, shared some fascinating facts about the neat things beavers do and introduced us to some of the pollinators they have on Campus.
Fun fact: Did you know that 1 out of every 3 bites of food you eat exist because of pollinators?
Some other learnings about our local wildlife: What do hummingbirds weigh? What is the only plant that monarch butterflies can eat
Hint: they're also known as the 'milkweed butterfly.'
We also played a game where we learned to help pollinators and planted some seeds for the OCWC's upcoming pollinator garden.
We then walked to the naturalized storm water pond to look at a beaver lodge, a flow device and some wildlife, including a heron that some of us thought was a statue!
The OCWC has become a great partner of For Our Kids Ottawa-Gatineau, and due to this relationship, For Our Kids parents began connecting with city councillors about the importance of protecting local wildlife. Councillor Riley Brockington and Marianne, For Our Kids team organizer and River Ward constituent, recently arranged a visit to the centre to learn more about the ways we can peacefully and safely co-exist with wildlife. For Our Kids parents have also advocated for a more progressive wildlife strategy for Ottawa through city council delegations, building on learnings from the OCWC.
We hope to hold another nature discovery workshop soon, and we'd love to see any Ottawa For Our Kids members there! Connect with the Ottawa team to get involved here.
Be sure to check out photos of our February visit, and find out how FOK is helping to protect and promote coexistence with Ottawa's local wildlife.
Want to learn more about OCWC? Check them out here to find out more and plan a visit. It's a real gem in the nation's capital!
Written by Greg Lister, FOK Ottawa-Gatineau
