28 Jul FoKLSS Youth Education Program Recaps
With an increased capacity this summer, we have been able to expand our Lake Education Programs. This summer, we have met with a daycare and summer camp already, and will be running more education sessions in August.
Starting this fall, we will be offering water quality education programs to schools as well. These will be based off of the CABIN Training we offer adults, but catered to youth so they can develop the knowledge necessary to understand why and how we monitor stream and water health.
July 8th – Education Day with Cornerstone Daycare, Lakeside Park
On July 8th, Kayla and Kieran met with Cornerstone Daycare at Duck Bay in Lakeside Park in Nelson. An eager group of almost thirty kids got to learn about water quality, pollution and kokanee salmon for two hours!
The kids split into two groups and took their turns at water stations with Kayla and kokanee stations with Kieran. Kayla’s group got to build wetland filters. They then saw the effects of pollution on the water and how a wetland works to filter pollution. However, they also saw that there is always some pollutants that stay and are not filtered. Kieran’s group was put to the test through an obstacle course/relay race where they had to face the same challenges that kokanee do.
After switching groups and taking a short break, the kids were introduced to new activities. Group one did a wetland and cleanup scavenger hunt in the Duck Bay area to show how much garbage you can find near the shoreline when you look hard, and to see cool plants and animals living in the area. Kieran’s group played a game of musical kokanee, where kids learned that kokanee have the same basic needs that we do to live, but it is much harder for kokanee to meet their needs.
All of the kids had a ton of fun, and everyone made cards for Friends of Kootenay Lake to put up in the office! Thank you Cornerstone for a great day of learning outside.
July 21st – Education Hour at the Creston Wildlife Management Area
Last Wednesday, Kieran visited a summer camp at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area to provide a one-hour education lesson on Kootenay Lake and kokanee. It was a jam-packed hour, with kids learning many Kootenay Lake Facts with the debut of our new Kootenay Lake Jeopardy game and finishing off with a round of musical kokanee.
In our Kootenay Lake Jeopardy game, the kids were tested on four categories relating to Koootenay Lake: Wildlife, Lake Culture, Water Quality and Lake Facts. Kieran was impressed with the amount of knowledge this group had, as they were able to answer most of the questions, even the ones worth 400 points, on the first try!
After Jeopardy, the group of eleven students play a round of musical kokanee and learned about the difficulties kokanee encounter just trying to obtain their basic needs.
The kids were enthusiastic and enjoyed learning about the lake!
Want an Education Hour with us?
If you know of any daycares, camps or classes that might be interested in learning about any of the topics we offer education programs on, let us know! Our programs can be catered to any age. Each program takes about an hour, so we can offer up to a four-hour program.
We are excited to continue offering these programs. They are great, fun ways to introduce youth to the importance and delicacy of the Kootenay Lake ecosystem and its inhabitants.
