Foley Mountain Educational Programming
The outdoor environmental education program at Foley Mountain provides students with interactive, experiential, curriculum-based experiences that will help them to understand our natural world and their relationship with it. The Program can accommodate up to 60 students per day and all equipment is provided. All programs are approximately 1.5 hours in duration. Descriptions are offered as general guidelines — if there are specific objectives that you would like to accomplish, please let us know. Although grade levels are recommended for each program, these are only guidelines. Please select any desired fields to narrow your search.
| Half Day Program | $200 / group * | maximum 30 students, 90 minutes with an RVCA instructor |
| Full Day Program | $275 / group * | maximum 30 students, two 90 minutes with an RVCA instructor |
| Self-directed | $2.50/person * | Interested in just visiting the conservation area with your class but not booking a program? The cost is $2.50/person. This does not include the use of buildings other than access to public washrooms. To reserve facilities, contact staff. Staff must still be contacted to book a self-directed visit. |
| Overnight Tent Camping (accommodations only) | 1-15 people - $90/night * 16-30 people - $180/night * 30+ people - $7 for each additional person * Additional buildings also available for rent (link to facility rentals) |
Take you class on an overnight adventure to our group camping area! Plan your own activities or book our education staff to provide programming during your stay (see above for pricing). |
| Virtual Outdoor Education Program | $100 for a 45 minute program for up to 30 students * | Our outdoor education staff will guide you and your students through an adventure that focuses on bringing the outdoors to you. Our virtual programs are live, adapted for each grade level listed, curriculum connected, and include opportunities to interact directly with our outdoor educators! |
* plus applicable taxes
For information and to book a VIRTUAL program, click here.
On-stie Program
Description
Grade
Season
A Bug’s Life
Put on your detective’s hat and investigate some incredible insects. Students use nets and containers to collect as many different critters as they can to learn about what makes a bug a bug, how they have adapted to their environment, and what makes them so special to the natural world.
Amazing Animals
Participate in a series of interactive games and learn about the animals that wander in the woods of Foley Mountain. Hear interesting tales of how various birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, and amphibians have become experts in the fine art of survival.
Beaver Pond Bonanza
Beavers aren’t the only critters in our pond! Using nets, basins, and fact sheets, students will get up close and personal with the animals that call the pond home. Hear stories of how these curious critters have adapted to life under water and how they fit into the food chain.
Don’t Treat Soil Like Dirt!
Have you every stopped and looked at the soil beneath your feet? Explore our living breathing soil and some of the curious creatures that help maintain this important ecosystem ingredient.
Forest Bureau of Investigation
Master your nature detective skills and become a member of the Forest Bureau of Investigation! Using various sensory exploration activities, students will gain an appreciation for how they can use their senses to observe and learn about the world around them.
Geology Rocks!
Visit Spy Rock and hear amazing tales from the last billion years of geological history in the area. Then, explore some other geological interests and take an up close and personal look at some different rocks and minerals.
GPS and Geocaching
Weave together technology, the outdoors, and physical activity! Get an introduction to GPS technology and how it can be used along with map and compass in navigation. Students will complete a mini geocaching treasure hunt.
Home Sweet Habitat
Ever wonder why certain plants and animals call the forest home? Find out the characteristics of a good habitat by exploring Foley Mountain. Fit the living things observed into their spot on the food chain and explore how these organisms interact as a community.
Instincts for Survival
How do animals survive in their habitats? What are the skills of a predator? What is the human impact on animal life? Do you have the instincts for survival? This active wide game will help students understand some of the realities of the animal world and have a bunch of fun at the same time!
Knee High Navigation
It is never too early to learn the basics of navigation! Students try their hands at using map and compass to work their way through a mini-orienteering course.
Naturally Artistic
Get inspired by nature and the work of artist Andy Goldsworthy. Students will use the concepts of colour, form, shape, pattern, light and shadow to create a piece of natural art that will be photographed. They will then have the opportunity to express their experiences through writing.
Orienteering Part 1
Give your students the chance to lose themselves in the ways of map and compass work! Students will learn the basics of how to properly use a map and compass and will practice these skills while navigating through orienteering courses of varying difficulties.
Orienteering Part 2
Give your students a greater orienteering challenge! Take the skills learned in Orienteering Part One and build on them by learning to use bearings to navigate through the wilderness.
Outdoor Survival Skills
What would you do if you were lost in the woods!? What things would you need to survive? Working in groups, students will have the chance to explore the concepts of shelter building, fire building, and outdoor cooking.
Pond Ecology
Investigate the diversity of living things found in a pond ecosystem and how they all have a role to play. Students use dip nets, basins, magnifiers, and identification keys to tally species and learn how these observations can be related to water quality and ecosystem health.
Snowshoeing
Come and experience one of the oldest forms of transportation in Canada! Students will learn how to safely travel with snowshoes and, once comfortable, follow the snowshoe trail through the forest and maybe even try snowshoe games.
Spring Water Awareness Program (S.W.A.P.) Resources
Free online resources available for all teachers and group leaders at https://www.rvca.ca/outdoor-education/spring-water-awareness-program.
The Incredible Insect Challenge
In this scavenger hunt activity, students will be tasked with finding samples of insects and other living things found in the forests of Foley Mountain. Take the challenge and see who will earn the most points in this amazing race of nature discovery!
Tree Tales
Why are trees such an amazing and important part of our landscape? Discover all about these green giants using GPS units to navigate through the forests of Foley Mountain.
Winter Wonderland Foley
Bundle up and prepare for a wild winter adventure! Explore the winter forest at Baxter and learn about how plants and animals have adapted to survive these cold Canadian months.
