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travel / great places / cg traveller
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Canada's Coolest Summer Schools
To most kids, summer school means cramped desks, stuffy classrooms
and daily homework while the rest of the world is out playing. But
how about a cool summer school that gives youngsters a range of
outdoor opportunities from sea-kayaking, canoeing and rock climbing
to orienteering, trail riding and environmental studies? Increasingly,
outdoor adventure facilities across the country are incorporating
wilderness education alongside regional Canadian history and wildlife
study to create programs that provide an outdoor summer adventure.
By integrating their courses into a context of ecological responsibility,
these summer schools help kids appreciate how fragile and precious
Canadian ecosystems are. Check the links below for more information
about some Canada's coolest summer schools.
www.haliburtonforest.com
Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve is a multi-purpose recreation
and nature learning centre in central Ontario. The 24,000-hectare facility
features wilderness adventure activities, a Wolf Centre and the celebrated
"Walk in the Clouds" forest canopy tour that gives adventurers
a bird's-eye view from 20 metres above the forest floor. Bordering
Algonquin Park to the north, Haliburton Forest specializes in outdoor
education seminars and workshops and is a prime Ontario wilderness destination
for outdoor adventure and ecology-based activities.
www.outwardbound.ca
The standard bearer of outdoor learning, Outward Bound has been doing
its thing for more than 50 years and is currently accepting registration
for its 2003 courses online. High school-credit and general-interest outdoor-skill
courses that are available for young kids and youth are offered throughout
the summer in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Check out the online
2003 Course Guide.
www.ontarionature.org/action/index.html
In conjunction with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Federation of
Ontario Naturalists has established the Volunteer for Nature program to
provide people with a chance to work outdoors and be a part of a team
of dedicated conservationists protecting Canada's wild spaces. With
two kinds of hands-on programs to choose from — one-day Nature Conservation
Days and multi-day expeditions with Ontario Nature Volunteers — you
can sign up for a conservation vacation in some of the province's
most spectacular places.
www.ymcacalgary.org/rocky
Calgary's Rocky Mountain facility is a unique camping and outdoor
education branch of the YMCA that is located on a 1,000-acre site in Kananaskis
Country west of the city. Its two facilities, Camp Chief Hector and the
Outdoor School, cater to individual and group registration, respectively.
Both, however, emphasize outdoor challenge, adventure, individual growth
and environmental stewardship in a breathtaking outdoor setting.
www.strathcona.bc.ca
Stratchona Park Lodge and Outdoor Education Centre offers courses in wilderness
leadership training, summer camps for youth and custom holiday adventures
for adults, families and groups. Located on Vancouver Island near Strathcona
Provincial Park, the lodge is a flexible environment with a choice of
structured programs and optional daily activities such as canoeing, hiking,
nature study and rock-climbing. The online holiday packages and adventure
samplers make it easy to plan a trip.
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