Even a simple game of tag had to be reconsidered now that the second wave of COVID-19 has arrived.
The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) opened up again this past week for educational programming at the Tiffin Centre for Conservation in Essa Township and has made adjustments to allow for safe, socially distanced fun in collaboration with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
Some of the adjustments have been the culmination of some out-of-the-box thinking on the part of conservation employees.
“We play the Predator and Prey game, which is essentially tag,” said Naomi Saunders, manager of environmental education at the NVCA. “We didn’t want kids tagging each other, so we had to change. We got pool noodles so they could tag each other that way. It takes some creativity, but it was successful and the kids had a great time.
“I’m sure it was nice for them to feel some normalcy,” she added.
Part of the new policies include dealing with smaller groups of students, so ratios of groups attending the centre will be of eight children to one adult.
“The most we’re taking on (at once) is two groups,” she said, adding that while provincial laws allow 100 people in outdoor settings, the NVCA has to make sure they could accommodate everyone inside in the event of inclement weather.
Eight picnic tables have been set up in a pavilion, so students who attend can physically distance to each eat their lunch at their own table. Tables will be sprayed with a virucide between each use.
“The centre is really the forest. Our push with COVID-19 going on is to essentially be outside all the time,” said Saunders. “Normally, we would have been open all year delivering programs.”
Over the summer, the camps the NVCA normally runs in the summer were put on hold. To try to fill in the gap, Saunders started a YouTube channel with lessons at a small costs for kids that wanted to explore nature in their own backyards.
“It has been tough. It was a little incongruent to teach outdoor education online, but we had to pivot,” said Saunders.
There are two programs currently being offered at the Tiffin Centre: a camp program with a shorter day and a program where classes can borrow an outdoor educator.
For more information on the Tiffin Centre and how to book for either program, click here.
