One of the mildest winters in years is almost over, but this didn’t stop Wildsight from having another successful season teaching local students from kindergarten to grade three about how animals and plants adapt to the cold season.

Teaching the importance of winter adaptation is one of the main goals of the Wildsight program, says Monica Nissen, Wildsight’s Education in the Wild Program manager

Teaching the program proved to be a bit of a challenge for educators this year because of the mild weather and lack of snow most of the winter. “Although it has been rather un-winter-like in recent weeks, Winter Wonder is still going strong,” Nissen says.

The program is taught by Wildsight educational contractors at several locations in the Kootenays including Cranbrook, Kimberley and the Elk Valley. “The weather hasn’t been the snowiest, but nevertheless, we’re able to host exciting field trip adventures and lessons in winter ecology for the students,” she says.

Nissen says there’s nothing younger students enjoy more than getting out in the snow in the winter and seeing all that Nature has to offer. “We try to teach them winter ecology and the way various species adapt to make it through the winter. The whole idea is to get kids connected to nature and to become better students of the environment.”

Classroom teachers enjoy the program too because they can also learn more about Nature from the naturalists, wildlife biologists and outdoor educators Wildsight hires to deliver the program. Participants look for tracks in the snow, animal movements and every sign of life they can find in the winter.

The response to the Winter Wonder program has been nothing short of amazing this year, says Nissen. “We’ve far exceeded our original target number of classes requesting field trips from 75 to 101. We still have two weeks of field trips to do around the (Columbia) Basin.”

Nissen says students and teachers alike benefit from getting outdoors. “It’s all about experiencing the outside during winter through the lens of ecological literacy. We once again gratefully acknowledge Columbia Basin Trust for supporting this program.

“Snow or shine, there is always something valuable for the students to learn.”