Back to School

Above: Kids from the West Central Community Program play a parachute game at the U of W Health & RecPlex. Darcy Finley photo 4 B A C K T O S C H O O L , M U S I C & D A N C E … A N D M O R E ! S U P P L E M E N T T O T H E W I N N I P E G F R E E P R E S S T H U R S D A Y, A U G U S T 11 , 2 0 1 6 By Holli Moncrieff | Winnipeg Free Press There's no reason to hibernate once the summer is over. Assiniboine Park, Assiniboine Park Zoo and FortWhyte Alive have a wide variety of fun programs to keep you busy through the fall and wintermonths. K aren Lind, manager of education and programs for Assiniboine Park and the Assiniboine Park Zoo, says some of the park and zoo's most enthusiastic students are still in pre-school. "Our Nature Tots series is the most popular of our workshops," she explains, adding that these 90-minute programs run on both Wednesdays and Saturdays. "We do a lot of hands-on exploration for six to eight weeks, so it takes you from September all the way to the beginning of December." Another popular program is Nuts for Acorns, which is taught by a botanist. "Participants go acorn harvesting in the park and learn how to make wild foods, including acorn pancakes," says Lind. "We also have a program that teaches you how to make your own sugar scrubs with essential oils." Assiniboine Park is taking up the Paint Night trend with its own Park Paint Nights, hosted by local artist Willow Wolf. You must by 13 and older to participate and the event involves socializing while learning the basics of painting and creating your own piece of art. "Willow Wolf is a very talented artist, and, with her help, at the end of the evening you will have a finished product," Lind says. When it comes to deciding which workshops to offer, the public's requests are always taken into consideration, she adds. Canning and preserving will be featured this fall because more people have shown an interest in learning these techniques. "We have workshops suitable for different families and age groups, and we offer activities that are great to do with teens and pre-teens," says Lind. "We want to create opportunities for families to spend time together — that's what a park is all about." Registration for park and zoo workshops opens in mid-to-late August. For more information, see their website at assiniboinepark. ca/park-landing/home/learn-play. Even though it's located within the city limits, FortWhyte Alive offers a chance to return to nature. According to events and public programs manager Will Tarleton, Sunset Goose Flights are one of the wildlife habitat's most popular programs. Beginning Sept. 21 and running Wednesday to Sunday, this an evening program with reduced admission. "Families can experience the magic of the fall bird migration. Just after sunset, thousands of birds — mostly geese — land on the lake for safety over night," Tarleton says. If the weather stays mild in September, FortWhyte will also provide opportunities to go on bison safaris. New for this fall are two programs called Born to be Wild and Wild Child. Both are outdoor, child-and-caregiver workshops that combine interpretive programming for adults with hands-on exploration for pre-school children. "These programs nurture a love for the outdoors at an early age, while building on our commitment of promoting environmental education in the province," says Tarleton. From learning the lesser-known facts about local wildlife to foraging and tasting wild edibles, these six-week sessions are infused with nature, culture and history. Each session combines a guided interpretive hike with unstructured time for the group to relax and build community — all in the great outdoors. FortWhyte strives to provide fun, drop-in programs for families in the fall, including guided bike rides, storytelling, bannock-making and weekend crafts, Tarleton adds. "We encourage everyone to come out and explore everything our facility has to offer, and then spend some structured time with our interpretive staff and volunteers." For more details on the Born to be Wild and Wild Child programs, please see fortwhyte.org/event/borntobewild or fortwhyte.org/event/wildchild. Some fall programming has not been finalized. To learn more about upcoming activities and events, visitors are encouraged to visit fortwhyte. org or give their front desk a call at 204-989-8355. FortWhyte Alive, Assiniboine Park and Assiniboine Park Zoo offer up fun, hands-on programming to keep kids busy through the fall and winter months. Submitted photos CONTEMPORARY BALLET JAZZ AFRICAN TAP HIP HOP BREAKINʼ CREATIVE MOVEMENT CLASSES for ages 2 to adult THE SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY DANCERS NATIONALLY RENOWNED PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM AFFILIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG BA (HONS) DEGREE AVAILABLE 104-211 Bannatyne Ave. 204-452-1239 schoolofcontemporarydancers.ca EXCITING JUNIOR PROFESSIONAL & GENERAL PROGRAMS Park, Assiniboine Park Zoo and FortWhyte Alive have a wide variety of fun programs to keep you busy through the aren Lind, manager of education and programs for Assiniboine Park and the Assiniboine Park Zoo, says some of the park and zoo's most enthusiastic students are still in pre-school. "Our Nature Tots series is the most popular of our workshops," she explains, adding that these 90-minute programs run on both Wednesdays and Saturdays. "We do a lot of hands-on exploration for six to eight weeks, so it takes you from September all the way to the beginning of December." Another popular program is Nuts for Acorns, which is taught by a botanist. "Participants go acorn harvesting in the park and learn how to make wild foods, including acorn pancakes," says Lind. "We also have a program that teaches you how to make your own sugar scrubs with essential oils." Assiniboine Park is taking up the Paint Night trend with its own Park Paint Nights, hosted by local artist Willow Wolf. You must by 13 and older to participate and the event involves socializing while learning the basics of painting and creating your own piece of art. "Willow Wolf is a very talented artist, and, with her help, at the end of the evening you will have a finished product," Lind says. When it comes to deciding which workshops to offer, the public's requests are always taken into consideration, she adds. Canning and preserving will be featured this fall because more people have shown an interest in learning these techniques. "We have workshops suitable for different families and age groups, and we offer activities that are great to do with teens and pre-teens," says Lind. "We want to create opportunities for families to spend time together — that's what a park is all about." Registration for park and zoo workshops opens in mid-to-late August. For more information, see their website at assiniboinepark. Even though it's located within the city limits, FortWhyte Alive According to events and public programs manager Will Tarleton, Sunset Goose Flights are one of the wildlife habitat's most popular programs. Beginning Sept. 21 and running Wednesday to Sunday, this an evening New for this fall are two programs called Born to be Wild and Wild Child. Both are outdoor, child-and-caregiver workshops that combine interpretive programming for adults with hands-on exploration for pre-school children. "These programs nurture a love for the outdoors at an early age, while building on our commitment of promoting environmental education in the province," says Tarleton. From learning the lesser-known facts about local wildlife to foraging tasting wild edibles, these six-week sessions are infused with nature, culture and history. Each session combines a guided interpretive hike for the group to relax and build community — all in the great outdoors. FortWhyte strives to provide fun, drop-in programs for families in the fall, including guided bike rides, storytelling, bannock-making and weekend crafts, Tarleton adds. "We encourage everyone to come out and explore everything our facility has to offer, and then spend some structured time with our interpretive staff and volunteers." For more details on the Born to be Wild and Wild Child programs, please see fortwhyte.org/event/borntobewild or fortwhyte.org/event/wildchild. Some fall programming has not been finalized. To learn more about upcoming activities and events, visitors are encouraged to visit fortwhyte. org or give their front desk a call at 204-989-8355. Assiniboine Park's Nature Tots classes encourage a child's natural curiosity about the world. The classes explore nature, art, plants and animals through hands-on activities. Assiniboine Park photos "We want to create opportunities for families to spend time together — that's what a park is all about."

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