Outdoor Education Programming
Backus Heritage Conservation Area is proud to offer multiple hands-on, curriculum-based Outdoor Education programs to schools and groups. With a diverse variety of habitats, species, and trails, our beautiful slice of the Carolinian Forest zone makes Backus a perfect spot for students to learn, engage, and explore in an outdoor setting unlike any other.
Through guided interpretation and cooperative learning, students will step outside of the classroom to discover a world of unique experiences while investigating our pond, meadows, and forested areas.
For questions, please contact the Outdoor Educator for inquiries about programs at outdoored@lprca.on.ca or 519-586-2201 ext. 231.
Please see below information on the Outdoor Education Programs available at Backus Heritage Conservation Area.
Program Options
Grade 2: Amazing Adaptations – Growth and Changes in Animals
Core Curriculum Program
Discover the birds that call southwestern Ontario home and their friends who come to visit when the weather is warm. Students will also talk about animal adaptations found in migrating and hibernating species.
Grade 4: Habitats & Communities – Wetland Adventures
Core Curriculum Program
This program focuses on the wetland habitat at Backus Heritage Conservation Area but touches on the forest and meadow habitats as well. Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between plants and animals and how changes to habitat affect all living things within it.
Grade 6: Biodiversity – Exploring Habitats
Core Curriculum Program
Backus Heritage Conservation Area is lucky to have multiple types of habitat that foster biodiversity in our park. Students will get the chance to explore some of these environments and learn what can be used to measure the health of a habitat. There will also be an investigation of species at risk, taking a look at what went wrong and what can be done to protect and preserve said species in the future.
Grade 4-7: Orienteering & Survival
Alternative Curriculum Program
In this program students will work in teams to complete challenges of survival and learn new skills in an outdoor setting. These activities include fire starting, hiking, knot tying, shelter building, orienteering, and more. This extremely hands-on program allows students to immerse themselves in nature and learn team-building skills they can use in their daily lives. During the winter months, weather permitting, snowshoeing is available as an add-on to this program. Our Orienteering & Survival program is recommended for Grades 4-7.
Grade 9-12: Backus Benthic Study
Core Curriculum Program
In this program, students will get the chance to learn about the local watershed and its inhabitants. Specifically, they will focus on the presence of benthic macroinvertebrates. Students will learn how to identify these organisms and why they are so important to scientists and the watershed as a whole. Students will then get the chance to complete a proper benthic study in order to assess the water quality of our freshwater habitats here at Backus.
Program Prices
All of our programs below are offered as half-day (2.5 hours) and full-day (5 hours) programs, for classes up to 40 students. These prices include tax, but do not include the price of busing or transportation as that is the responsibility of each school/group.
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- Half Day Program: $303.48/class
- Full Day Program: $606.97/class
Click here to find the booking form
Click here for helpful information on preparing for a field trip