Spring 2026 Ecology Park Class Visits Now Open for Registration!
Ecology Park School Programs
GreenUP Ecology Park provides dynamic nature-based programs that bring the curriculum to life. Our lessons involve experiential learning and exciting hands-on exploration and activities delivered by experienced educators. Our programs are cross-curricular with a focus on the Science and Language expectations, incorporating transferable skills as well as listening, speaking, and effective communication during group discussions.
Students and visitors explore and learn in a diversity of habitats including the Meade Creek wetland, native plant nursery, meadow, forest and demonstration gardens.
Our programs focus on a variety of environmental education themes such as soils and compost, animals and habitats, plants and trees, food gardens, insects, fossils, and rocks. If there is a topic that you don’t see please contact us, and we can create a program to suit the needs of your class.
Programs at GreenUP Ecology Park are offered May through October. The subsidized cost for our programs is $10 per student. We also offer classroom programs during the winter months upon request.
What Teachers Are Saying About Our Programs
“I’ve already recommended your Pollen Power to two teachers as soon as I got back to school. I loved the games, the information and the engagement…my students were engaged the whole time.”
“…the different settings were well thought-out. Both the gazebo by the pond, and tarp area by the river allowed everyone to be fully engaged… I liked how lessons were broken up into activities where students first listened and learned key teachings, then… moved during games/activites to reinforce learning, then had moments where they got to explore the settings around them… The little make-and-take seed pods were a fun way to involve students in… taking care of the animals.”
“We loved how hands-on it was. All the leaders were so wonderful with the children and we walked away feeling excited about gardening and soil!”
FAQs
What is the cost?
Our programs continue to be offered at the rate of $10 per student, taxes included. We require a minimum of $250 to run our programs. If your class is smaller than 25 students and funding the remainder is a barrier to participation, please connect with us.
Accompanying teachers and chaperones are always free.
How can my class get to Ecology Park?
Transportation to/from Ecology Park is the school’s responsibility. Book your bus early to avoid disappointment.
Can I book with another class?
We can only accommodate ONE class per am or pm session to a maximum of 30 students at a time.
We do, however, encourage teachers to consider bus-pooling with another class and making it a full-day field trip… each class enjoys a morning/afternoon at Ecology Park and the other half day is filled with your own programming at Beavermead Park, Rogers Cove, or our new neighbour, The Canadian Canoe Museum.
What happens after I book?
You will receive a confirmation to the e-mail address you entered on the registration form. You will be invoiced during the month of your field trip.
What programs do you offer?
See below for a list of our program offerings.
Program Options
Available dates are listed on the registration form.
Program options are below. Each program has been developed to have cross-curricular connections to the Overall and Specific Expectations of the Ontario Elementary School Curriculum.
SEED TO TABLE
(Spring and Fall) Curriculum Linked for Kindergarten | Grade 1
From the ground up! Using the Ecology Park food gardens, we will roll up our sleeves and explore what it takes to turn a seed into a salad. Children will learn how to prep the garden with compost, plant different types of seeds, and about the relationship between food and pollinators! Children get to use their transferable skills from the Language curriculum while being immersed in nature.
What to Expect: Hands-on planting, harvesting, or seasonal tasting from the garden.
LIFE IN MOTION: From Bugs to Birds
(Spring and Fall) Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2
Stages and changes are everywhere in nature. Come and explore the seasonal patterns and biological life cycles of local creatures. Your class will have hands-on opportunities to learn about invertebrates and vertebrates and investigate the seasonal signs of life in the Ecology Park.
What to Expect: insect cycles, and environmental stewardship skills, and more!
CRITTER CLUES: Adapting to the Seasons
(Spring and Fall) Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2
How do the changing seasons affect the living things around us? Join us as we shine a spotlight on our local critters and their habitats. Students will learn how animals and plants prepare for the changing seasons and alter their behaviour to survive.
What to Expect: Bird calls and identification, squirrel nest building, and seasonal activities!
POLLEN POWER
(Spring ONLY) Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4
Explore the relationship between pollinators and humans! This exciting, bee-positive program highlights our local and global dependency on pollinators. Students will examine the characteristics of flowers and bees through interactive, hands-on inquiry. Students will leave feeling inspired and empowered to care for our urban pollinators!
What to Expect: Creating pollinator habitats, and the application of transferable skills from the Language curriculum while being immersed in nature.
DIG IN: The Science of Soil
(Spring and Fall) Grade 3
Celebrate soils! Students will learn about the particles that make up soil, the critters that call the soil home, and the superhero of soil – compost! Together, we will explore soil through hands-on inquiry, games, and demonstrations. Students will have the opportunity to examine soil samples, investigate soil life, and to learn how they can steward this important resource!
What to Expect: compost puppet show, discovering the particles that make up soil, and the opportunity to engage in environmental stewardship.
FOSSILS IN THE FOREST
(Spring and Fall) Grade 4
This program for Grade 4 focuses on fossils and geology, with hands-on learning to explore the formation of rocks and fossils. The main theme revolves around geological processes, such as the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, and environmental stewardship. Students engage in experiential learning through rock and fossil samples and a mini archaeological dig.
What to Expect: Understanding the rock cycle and how different types of rocks form. Classify rocks and minerals based on their composition and properties. Learn how fossils form and what they reveal about Earth’s history.Develop communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills!
INVADER RAIDERS & PLANTS WITH PURPOSE
(Spring and Fall) Grade 6 | Grade 7
Learn to identify and manage invaders that threaten our native plant and animal diversity. Students will engage in an ongoing citizen science project by learning hands-on techniques for land stewardship and invasive species removal. Students will also discover creative uses for these local invaders.
What to Expect: cutting down buckthorn, pulling out dog-strangling vine, and learning about reciprocal relationships with our land.