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Day Care and Nursery School Programs

Our preschool programs are designed to introduce young children to the natural world. Click on the links below to navigate this page.

Our Location

How to get to Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area, Kingston.

Our Other Programs

Thanks to the Cataraqui Conservation Foundation

We would like to thank the Cataraqui Conservation Foundation for their generous financial support of our education programs.

Please consider becoming a Foundation member or making a donation to the Partners in Outdoor Education fund.

For more information call (613) 546-4228 ext. 221 or click here to visit the Foundation's web page.

Day Care and Nursery School Programs at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area

Peering into a sap bucket: The Maple Madness school program runs from February 27 to March 30, 2012.

The Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority offers quality environmental education programs for preschool age children. The programs integrate social, emotional, cognitive, and physical developmental skills.

A description of our programs is provided below. If you don’t see what you are looking for, please ask our education staff. We’ll do our best to accommodate you!

Location

Programs take place at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area (2 km north of Hwy. 401, Division Street, Kingston).

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Times

All regular programs are two hours in length and are available both mornings and afternoons. Start and end times are flexible to adapt to bussing schedules. We encourage full day visits where you and your group can take in two education programs or journey on your own through the Conservation Area.

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Fees

  • $7.00 per participant attending all regular half-day programs
  • A minimum fee of $100.00 applies to all groups
  • Cancellation fee is $50.00 (please see cancellation policy below)
  • Please bring cash or a cheque made payable to the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority on the day of your visit.
  • There will be a $10.00 late fee charged for payments made after your visit.

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Booking Instructions

Our conservation education programs can be booked at any time by e-mailing the Education Department of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority at educate@cataraquiregion.on.ca or by calling (613) 546-4228 ext. 251 or toll-free (613 area code) 1-877-956-CRCA (2722) ext. 251.

Please send a detailed message including your name, school, grade, class size, proposed dates and choice of program. We will confirm by phone and by e-mail. Note the dates of availability for each program.

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Cancellation

A minimum of seven (7) working days notice is required for cancellation to allow us time to contact groups from our waiting list. If the CRCA is notified of the cancellation less than seven (7) working days in advance of the scheduled visit, a cancellation fee of $50.00 will be charged.

Education staff will contact your school by 8:00 a.m. if we need to adapt the program in case of inclement weather or cancel due to severe weather. There will be no charge for a cancellation made due to severe weather conditions. Please dress in comfortable, weather appropriate clothing. If you have any questions please call us at (613) 546-4228 ext. 251 or toll-free (613 area code) 1-877-956-CRCA (2722) ext. 251.

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Program Dates

Fall - September 12 to December 9, 2011(The last date for Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! is October 14, 2011)
Winter - January 9 to February 24, 2012
Maple Madness - February 27 to March 30, 2012 (Not available during March Break - March 12 to 16, 2012)
Spring - April 16 to June 15, 2012 (The first date for Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! is May 7, 2012)

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Program Descriptions

Our preschool programs are designed to introduce young children to the natural world. All of our programs are hands-on and include an indoor introduction to the topic and an outdoor component. Please choose from the following.

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! (Fall and Spring) - The visit begins with getting to at look at neat insect specimens and dressing up an adult as an insect. Songs, stories and finger puppets will accompany learners on an outdoor adventure to gently capture and release live insects.

Home Sweet Home Habitat Adventure - (Fall, Winter and Spring) Preschool children will become animal helpers in search of perfect habitats for the animals living at the Conservation Area. The children will learn through an interactive puppet play, songs, visual aids and hands-on exploration activities at the marsh, field and forest habitats.

NEW PROGRAM! Treasure Scavenger Hunt - (Fall, Winter and Spring) Puppets start the program to encourage pre-schoolers to become treasure finders in this interactive nature scavenger hunt. Children will come away with the excitement of finding treasures that might even be discovered in their own backyard.

Secrets of Syrup (Maple Madness) - The visit begins with an introduction to the sugar bush by our famous puppet friends. We will take a ride back in time to the sugar bush in fun tractor-drawn wagons, where we will take a guided tour of all the different methods of making maple syrup with interactive activities and added touches to make the tour exciting. The trip is completed with a taste of liquid gold!

Cattails and Creatures - Marsh Dipping (Spring) - A puppet show about pond life will introduce preschool children to all of the cool creatures found in the pond. As gentle explorers, the children are introduced to the many wetland inhabitants through a hands-on marsh-dipping excursion.

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Make A Day of It

Combine your program with other great activities for a terrific day in the outdoors. Or do your own education program. Our education staff would be pleased to provide you with program ideas. Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area has a variety of habitats including wetland, field and forest.

There are also great recreation facilities including picnic areas and a 14 km trail system which is groomed for cross-country skiing during the winter. There are two warming huts, a bonfire pit and privies located beside the reservoir. The entrance fee for groups to use our facilities is $3.00 per person.

You must make a group booking to use our facilities by calling (613) 546-4228 ext. 222 or toll-free (613 area code) 1-877-956-CRCA (2722) ext. 222. To book one of our education programs, please call (613) 546-4228 ext. 251 or toll-free (613 area code) 1-877-956-CRCA (2722) ext. 251.

Acknowledgments

The CRCA would like to thank the Cataraqui Conservation Foundation for their generous contributions to the cost of operating our education programs. Please consider becoming a Foundation member or making a donation to the Partners in Outdoor Education fund. For more information call (613) 546-4228 ext. 221or toll-free (613 area code) 1-877-956-CRCA (2722) ext. 221.

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Contact Us:
P.O. Box 160, Glenburnie, Ontario, Canada K0H 1S0
Telephone: (613) 546-4228
E-mail: crca@cataraquiregion.on.ca

©2011 Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority