Celebrating Outdoor Education Excellence
For over forty years, quality outdoor education has been provided at Kingfisher Outdoor Education Centre. Kingfisher is a unique experiential outdoor education facility for Lakehead Public Schools students in Grades 1 to 12 that provides a host of year-round opportunities to instill an awareness and appreciation for nature and the environment while enhancing classroom learning.
“Kingfisher is an amazing facility located in a beautiful piece of the boreal forest 20 kilometers north of Thunder Bay,” says Scott Read, Lead Instructor at Kingfisher Lake Outdoor Education Centre. ”The Centre has the elements that are required for a successful outdoor education program including several classrooms, meeting areas, kitchen facilities, fire shelters, sleeping cabins, lakeshore, trail systems, and countless other attractions. Kingfisher truly provides students with a superior learning experience.”
To celebrate Lakehead Public Schools outdoor education program at the Kingfisher Outdoor Education Centre, an Open House with a number of fun outdoor activities for the entire community will be held on Saturday, February 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the centre. During this celebration, families are welcome to try the following activities:
- Snowshoeing (equipment provided)
- Cross-country Skiing (equipment and instruction provided at designated times)
- Campfire with Free Hot Chocolate and Hotdogs
Kingfisher is located 20 kilometres north of Thunder Bay on Highway 527 Parking is extremely limited on site and parking is not permitted on the side of the highway.
“We are strongly encouraging families to show their green spirit and ride the free Open House buses,” says Read.
Transportation is provided with two pick up and return times from the Southside of the City at Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute and Agnew H. Johnston Public School and from the Northside of the City at Hammarskjold High School and Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute as per the following schedules:
Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute
Pick Up – 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Agnew H. Johnston Public School
9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
Hammarskjold High School
9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute
9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
Buses will depart from Kingfisher to return to the pickup locations at 1:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.
Kingfisher Outdoor Education Centre Day trips and residential excursions offer enriched learning that complement the Ontario Curriculum for all grade levels in Science, Biology, Geography, Art, and Literacy as well as Health and Physical Education. Day trips to Kingfisher are available for students in Grades 1 to 12. Activities are chosen by the classroom teacher in consultation with Kingfisher staff.
Day trips often include:
- nature hikes
- pond studies
- mapping and orienteering lessons
- skull/skeleton studies
- GPS and compass sessions
Kingfisher also provides students with an opportunity for an overnight experience with their peers, teachers, and volunteers. For the two and three day residential programs, students must also plan their meals as a group and cook over a fire.
Residential programming is dictated by the seasons and a wide variety of experiences are offered. Depending on the season, students taking part in the residential program may go snowshoeing, skiing, canoeing or hiking while at the centre. Other programming may include a microscope lab to view live specimens, a bird study or GPS/orienteering exercises.
For more information about the Kingfisher Outdoor Education Centre and the outdoor education celebration on Saturday, February 9, please visit the Lakehead Public Schools website at https://www.lakeheadschools.ca/kingfisher-outdoor-education-centre/