Sunday, September 26, 2010

Fall 2010 SKIP - Mushrooms!

Game show!
Super Kids In Parks returned on Sunday for a six-week Fall session. A big welcome back to everyone who joined us from previous sessions along with a host of new SKIPs!

Our first program, led by park naturalist Alida Lemieux, introduced us to the fabulously fun world of fungus at Murphys Point! Alida shared her knowledge of mushrooms - and we had a chance to find a whole bunch of great species during the afternoon.

The activities kicked off with a game show. The SKIP kids were divided into two groups and answered a series of questions to test their knowledge of the mushroom world. We figure it ended in a draw - what a smart group of kids!
Mushroom parts
 Next it was time to learn a little about the parts of mushrooms, which isn't easy considering not all species of mushrooms have the same pieces. We did learn, however, some pretty fancy names for some of the most common parts, including the cap, ring, stalk and sock. We applied it to the "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" song and threw in teeth, gills and pores, too!
Sing it!

Then we played another game to demonstrate how mushrooms reproduce and spread. Having adequate sunlight and moisture plays a part in this, as Alida demonstrated!
Just add water....

Then we headed off to the Lally Trail to look for the objects of the day. Every time we encountered something of interest we hollered "Fuuuunguuuus!" like a foghorn, summoning Alida and some field guides to help us determine what we had found. Some great species were discovered amid the leaves, rotten logs and grass along the trail.
Discovery
 
The afternoon ended with a snack in the Lally Homestead and a chance to record some of our findings in a SKIP journal. A big thank you to Skipper Jane for the snacks and to Beth for the birthday cake (adorned with mushrooms) to celebrate volunteer Steph's birthday. Also thanks to Linda, Cathy and Nancy for helping out!

Jane with the mushroom birthday cake
There are still a few spaces left, so if you know a 7- to 10-year-old who would like to join us for the rest of the session, forms are available on the Friends website!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Register for the Fall 2010 SKIP Session!

We are now accepting registrations for the Fall 2010 session of Super Kids In Parks - don't miss the fun!

SKIP is open to kids ages 7 to 10 and takes place on Sunday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m. starting Sept. 26 until Nov. 7 (excluding Thanksgiving weekend). Our fall programs include mushrooms, a nature scavenger hunt and craft, games, geology (mine hike), a session with the big Voyageur canoes, and fall ecology. Be prepared for lots of outdoor fun!

The cost is $50 and pre-registration is required. Registration forms are available by clicking here.
If you'd like to learn more about SKIP, click here for our brochure or check the archives for this blog to see the weekly updates for the Winter and Spring sessions.

Hurry - enrolment is limited! Questions? Please e-mail friendsofmurphyspointpark@yahoo.ca.
Hope to see you at SKIP!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Happy Birthday, Friends!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!


Please join us on Sunday, Sept. 5 between noon and 2 p.m. at the Park Store at Murphys Point for our 15th birthday celebration! The Friends of Murphys Point formed in 1995 and have been working hard on many wonderful cultural- and natural-history education projects ever since, and we want to celebrate our success! Come meet and greet Board members and volunteers. We'll have treats and displays and brochures and lots of knowledgeable folks will be on hand to talk about the many activities of the Friends. Who knows - maybe you'll want to get more involved with Super Kids In Parks or Archaeo Apprentice or special events such as our fantastic North Burgess Heritage Mica Festival or even share ideas of your own!

Don't forget to buy your 2010 raffle tickets, too - they're on sale until the draw at 2 p.m. that day! The grand prize is a Langford Cottager Canoe and second prize is a day-trip package of merchandise. Proceeds support our education programs, so don't miss out!

Hope to see you on the 5th!
Stephanie Gray
President