OCDSB Outdoor Centres

The south boardwalk through the wetlands at the Bill Mason Outdoor Education is closed. All scheduled education programs will continue as planned. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has approved its replacement & construction will begin during the summer of 2025.

This year's bald eagle chick at the @OCDSBoec is growing up so fast! Luckily it has two awesome parents and lots of fish! #biodiversity in @ottawacity @OCDSB

Kindergarten students from @PPARocdsb found & dissected a broad-winged hawk's regurgitated pellet during their @OCDSBoec field trip. They were excited to find within it, a short-tailed shrew's skull and lots of fur and bones. @OCDSB #outdoorlearning

Grade 2s from @HenryLarsenES found this mystery invertebrate inside the vernal pond, during their Growth & Changes in Animals field trip within @OCDSBoec . Students are still working on identifying it. Any guesses?

Grade 8 students from @glashanleads create some impressive nature mandalas (land art) during their @OCDSBoec "Arts in the Outdoors" field trip. @OCDSB

During their Plants & Soils program at @OCDSBoec , Grade 3 students from @SouthMarchPS examined wild sarsaparilla, pollinated balsam ragwort flowers with brushes, ate wild strawberries & spotted this Blanding's turtle hiding in the pond. All within the @OCDSB outdoor classroom!

Grade 1 students from @ManotickPS found this blue-spotted #salamander while looking for dragonflies during their @OCDSBoec "Needs of Living Things " program. Students, volunteers and staff were very excited to hear the cicadas start calling. @OCDSB

In 2019, this Eastern white pine tree was part of the @OCDSB "Grows a Forest "program & was later planted at @OCDSBoec after being cared for by @OCDSB students in their classrooms. This spring, this tree has grown over 30 centimeters & has now reached a height of over 6 feet.

Grade 4s from @RochCarrierES were excited to find this baby snapping #turtle & some salamander larvae in the ephemeral pond, during their Habitats & Communities field trip at the Bill Mason Outdoor Education Centre. @OCDSB

Starting Monday June 3rd 2024, the @OCDSB Outdoor Education Centres (Bill Mason & MacSkimming Centre) will start excepting field trip & site rental registration for the 2024-2025 school year. Please email your interest to: [email protected] @OCDSBoec @OCDSB_ContEd

This week, #SHSM students from @WoodroffeHS & @NHS90 planted over 1,120 trees within the @OCDSB 507 acre outdoor classroom. These trees were funded by the @OCDSB & provided by the @RideauValleyCA . For the next 5 years, 1,000 trees will be planted annually inside @OCDSBoec

Huge traffic jam at the @OCDSBoec this morning caused snowshoe hares on the boardwalks. Traffic returned to normal after the hares crossed the wetland. @OCDSB shared #learning space!