20+ Things to do Outside or for the Environment This Summer Video

 

You can visit our full list of over 30 activities, links, resources, and a printable checklist to keep track of how many activities you do this summer at https://sites.google.com/view/tvpsoutdoors/families.

How are your plants growing?

How are your plants growing?
These are the ones that I (Mr. Monahan) planted and are growing in the staff room. Notice how much they're leaning toward the window. That's an example of a phototropism (where a plant reacts to light). All seven pots (all seed types are growing well). I may need to bring them home to my garden soon.

Mr. Chan Went for a Hike - Looks Beautiful!

 Jefferson Forest
This trail is about 25 min from Teston Village PS (by car).

Bond Lake

Get Growing!

Your child may have arrived home with a new plant over the past couple of days. This is a part of a focus on environmental, outdoor and experiential education. A combined effort between the school council and staff has provide every child from Kindergarten to Grade 8 with the opportunity to plant a seed in a biodegradable pot. That means that once their plant starts growing, and you know it’s going to be warm enough outside, you can put the whole pot in the soil and it will break down over time with no waste.

We have a site dedicated to this initiative that you can visit at http://testonvillage.ca/getoutside. Clicking on Get Growing in the top right corner will take you to a page that shares tips for growing each of the types of plants that students were given. If your child picked a sunflower, get ready for a really large plant!

You and your child are also encouraged to share pictures and or stories about the plants and their progress throughout the summer via our contributions page (you will need their YRDSB GSuite username/password).

Good luck and get growing!

30+ Things to do Outside or for the Environment This Summer

Looking for things to do with your family this summer?  Check out this list of over 30 things that you can do for free (or very low cost). It's also shared on our Families page.

At the bottom of this post, you can find a printable copy of this list to keep track of how many you do this summer. Add your own ideas too!

Why not share some of your experiences with the Teston Village PS community by contributing a photo of yourself or your family participating in one of these activities. Share your contributions on this page (note: you'll need to be logged in to a YRDSB GSuite account to share photos)

1. Go for a hike (Use the All Trails app or website to find a trail near you)
2. Take a child, grandparent, etc. outside
3. Pick up garbage in your neighbourhood: (Use the  Litteratti app to contribute to a global litter database)
4. Catch a bug and let it go. (Can you identify it?)
5. Make a list of birds that you see. (Use Merlin, Audubon, or this site to identify the birds)
6. Go geocaching.
7. Play at a park.
8. Visit a provincial park (Free admission on July 20 - learn more here)
9. Grow some food and eat it or give it to someone (Get Growing with Teston Village PS and share a picture of your plants).
10. Take pictures.
11. Visit a farmer's market.
12. Pick your own vegetables and/or berries at a local farm.
13. Find dark sky and watch a meteor shower.
14. Fly a kite.
15. Jump in puddles
16. Play cricket.
17. Talk to your neighbours on the street.
18. Take over the street for a game of road hockey, cricket or soccer.
19. Skip stones.
20. Listen to frogs at a pond or crickets.
21. Be a citizen scientist.
22. Create a habitat or birdhouse.
23. Let dandelions grow/ use them in salad / don't use pesticides
24. Plant flowers that will attract pollinators (i.e. a butterfly garden).
25. Turn off the TV/Game system.
26. Play Tag, Follow the Leader, or Hide-and-Seek with your kids.
27. Stand back and watch your kids play.
28. Let them take age-appropriate risks.
29. Teach them to be safe and let them go to the park with a friend or on their own (depending on their age).
30. Try to use your air conditioning as little as possible.
31. Ride your bike (Wear a helmet - be a role model if you’re an adult, it’s the law if you’re under 18).
32. Have a walking meeting outside.
33. Feed birds (the right way).
34. Go to the beach.
35. Play catch or throw a frisbee. 
36. Have a picnic on your front lawn, backyard or at the neighbourhood park.
37. Walk or bike to do your next errand if possible. 
38. Make a sundial or rain catcher.
39. Find rocks, sticks, pinecones, leaves etc. and make art or crafts with them.

Photo of the New Osprey Nest

I was finally able to get a picture of the new osprey nest! Click on the picture to see a larger version that you can zoom in on.

Now Available: Student and Family Contributions

The goal of this page is to make it a space for teachers, students and families to share their stories, pictures and questions about nature and the environment.

Instead of setting up a Blogger account, students and their families can submit a Google Form that will allow them to upload photos, and share stories. You will need to use a YRDSB GSuite account to do this and all students have one. If your child is having trouble signing in, you can contact their teacher for their username and password and then sign in at https://google.yrdsb.ca.

Submissions will be reviewed and parents will be contacted to ensure that the student's personal information and/or work can be shared publicly on this site. If you've got something you want to share, click on the photo of the form below to get started.

Note:  If you see a screen like the one below, it means that you aren't signed into your YRDSB GSuite account. Visit https://google.yrdsb.ca to sign in and then try opening the form again.

Nest is Under (Re) Construction

As I was driving home last night, I noticed that the Osprey nest on top of the cell tower at Highway 400 and Kirby is being rebuilt. I was driving so I couldn't get a picture, but it's great to see the resilience these birds have and know that they'll be around for at least another year.

Osprey is Still There

Nest is gone, but the osprey was circling high above the tower last night on my way home. If you click on the photo, you will go to the full version of the photo and be able to see the distinctive wings that helped me identify this as an osprey.

Trouble for the Osprey?

The osprey nest on top of the cell tower at Kirby Rd and the 400 disappeared over the weekend. I'm not sure whether the high winds we had over the weekend might have knocked the nest off, or if utility crews might have done some cleaning/maintenance on the tower. When I drove by on Tuesday morning, there was still an osprey sitting on top of the tower. I'll keep my eyes on it and see if they rebuild with updates to appear here.