Duration: 1-1.5 hours 

This is a hand-on interactive program recommended for students in grades K-1 following the updated “living systems” unit in the Alberta science curriculum. Following a short introduction presentation, Students will have the opportunity to learn about the uniqueness of the Milk River watershed and put on their detective hats to find the plants, animals, and activities that are done along the Milk River and learn about the importance to humans and environment of each item! 

Table 1. These concepts and terms are found through the presentation and explained while going through the activity. Some mention of them beforehand would be beneficial but not necessary to the success of the program.

Duration: 1-1.5 hours

This program takes students through food chains and the energy transfer that happens within them. Starting with an introduction presentation and example food chains. After which, students have the opportunity to work in groups to make their own food chains with native species found in the Milk River among various habitats. This program follows the Alberta science curriculum under “living systems”.

Table 2. These concepts and terms are found through the presentation and explained while going through the activity. Some mention of them beforehand would be beneficial but not necessary to the success of the program.

Duration: 1-1.5 hours 

Wetland ecosystems are one of the most important landscapes in the world. While important, they are complex and have a lot of moving parts. This program is recommended for students in grades 4-6 and follows guidelines for the “Living Systems” science unit in the Alberta curriculum. During this program, students will learn about the importance and function of riparian areas and wetlands and then have the opportunity to “solve” a wetland mystery, where they will learn how to identify different animals based off certain characteristics. 

The activity for this program was developed and adapted to suit a grassland riparian area from the “Wetland mystery” game created by Ducks Unlimited Canada, and can be found here: https://www.ducks.ca/resources/educators/wetland-mystery/

Table 3. These concepts and terms are found through the presentation and explained while going through the activity. Some mention of them beforehand would be beneficial but not necessary to the success of the program.

Duration: 1-1.5 hours 

Species at Risk are crucial to many ecosystems’ habitats. During this program, students will be introduced to the listing process of Species at Risk in Alberta, and the species at risk found in the Milk River Watershed. Focusing on local species at Risk, there will be an introduction presentation, followed by a hands-on activity where students will be led through a station-based program, where they identify 6 species at risk that can be found within the Milk River watershed. 

Table 4. These concepts and terms are found through the presentation and explained while going through the activity. Some mention of them beforehand would be beneficial but not necessary to the success of the program.

Duration 2+ hours 

The Milk River Watershed Council Canada has been conducting yearly water quality sampling from April to October for 11 years. Water quality is extremely important for understanding the health of a water system. During this program, students will learn about the different tools and devices used to perform these water samples, which then they will get to participate in doing some of their own water samples. There is some chemical handling during this program, but all is done in a safe and controlled manner, and the kit being used is recommended for ages 8 and up, making it extremely user friendly. 

It is required that access to the milk river be possible for this program, and that there is a substantial amount of time allotted to complete the program, as some of the water samples taken will need to sit for up to 20 minutes, there will be filler activities done during that time. All preparation and disposal of the chemicals will be handled by the MRWCC educators. If you would like to book this program, we ask for ample notice, to order the materials required.

Table 5. These concepts and terms are found through the presentation and explained while going through the activity. Some mention of them beforehand would be beneficial but not necessary to the success of the program