Program Overview

This special partnership between rare and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) guarantees program dates for all Kindergarten classes in WCDSB schools located in Cambridge. The partnership features the rare directed Animals in Motion program and a self-guided Indigenous Land-based Learning experience at the WCDSB Indigenous Gardens at rare’s Springbank Farm.

As part of this collaboration, the WCDSB Indigenous Education team will cover all bus transportation costs, and rare staff will manage all bus bookings. Schools are responsible for the $10/student program fee for the Animals in Motion program.

Please see a description of the program and curriculum connections below: 

Program Description
Students will explore the life cycles of butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, and birds through engaging, hands-on activities — including butterfly and insect catching, pond dipping for pond critters, and bird watching with binoculars.

Curriculum Connections:
1. Inquiry and Exploration
Children are encouraged to engage in the processes of inquiry — questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating. They are supported in developing curiosity and investigating the world around them, learning to think like young scientists by exploring and sharing their findings.

2. Awareness of the Natural and Built Environment
Through hands-on experiences, children investigate both the natural and built environments. They observe, ask questions, and represent their discoveries through drawings, models, or discussions. This helps them build an understanding of how the world works — from plants and weather to structures and materials.

Location:
rare Administrative Centre
1679 Blair Rd, Cambridge, ON N3H 4R8

Program Length:
Total: 4 hours, 10 minutesAnimals in Motion: 1.5 hours
Self-guided Indigenous Land-based Learning experience: 2 hours
Lunch: 20 minutes
Additional time for transportation between sites
There will be time for snack breaks during both programs

Please see this example schedule for a typical visit.

Booking Details
Maximum 60 students per booking
Two groups (max 30 students each) are required — one group will participate in the Animals in Motion program while the other visits the Indigenous Gardens
Each group of 30 students will need to be further grouped into two groups for the Animals in Motion program.
Please note that there is a short uphill hike from the South Lot to reach the gardens. We strongly recommend that teachers review the written directions or watch the instructional video linked below before their visit to ensure a smooth transition between sites.

‍Click here for directions and a short video showing how to reach the gardens from the South Lot (bus drop-off).
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When booking, please select your arrival time at rare as your booking time and ensure you’ve confirmed travel duration in advance. Once submitted, you’ll receive a confirmation email and a calendar invite. If you don’t receive these, please check your spam/junk folder first; if still missing, contact education@raresites.org.

If there are no issues with your booking, you won’t hear from us again until a few days before your visit. We’ll reach out sooner if any clarification is needed.
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