Junior Forest Warden Association


Fall Workshop 2011 Sessions PDF Print E-mail
The 2011 Fall Workshop is just around the corner! 
We have an excellent lineup of sessions presented by JFW's best instructors, all designed to help you lead, teach and have more fun with your club.

Registration is online, at www.jfwa.ca.  It's easy, but if you have any difficulties help is only an email away!

Here are the sessions - read below for descriptions

  • Out-Trip Planning
  • Ecology Island Hopping
  • Brain Gym
  • How to Lead a Nature Hike for Young Wardens
  • Watershed Awareness
  • How to use Dehydrated Food on Out-trips!
  • Club Chartering Help
  • Casino Fund Use
  • Internet and Computer help!
  • Orienteering Games
  • Large Group Games
  • Map & Compass Basics
  • Tarp Maps (Teaching map skills)
  • A Trunk Full of Neat Ideas for Teaching Everything
PLUS - Entertainment, great food, Silent Auction, AJFWA General Meeting, Guest speakers & presentations, Campfires, cosy cabins, and a great weekend with your wonderful JFW 'family'.  It really doesn't get any better!

Our instructors include

  • Wild By Nature (Connie & Ingo)
  • Al Wardale
  • Susie Nieder
  • Lisa Patrick
  • Liana Bohn
  • Sue Chapotelle
  • Patti Fish
  • Brenda Larocque-Hill
  • Dawn Friesen
  • Larissa Holub
  • Terry Garrett
  • Brian McBride
  • Terry Bartley
  • Kirt Bennett


Session Descriptions

Brain Gym
Fun, easy and great learning tools for large or small groups to help maintain some 'control' when a leader needs the wardens to pay attention. Educational Kinesiology is a series of physical exercises that help do the following:
   * promote play and the joy of learning
   * draw out and honor innate intelligence
   * build awareness regarding the value of movement in daily life
   * encourage self-responsibility
   * leave each participant appreciated and valued
   * empower each participant to better take charge of his own learning
   * encourage creativity and self expression
   * inspire an appreciation of music, physical education and the fine arts
This is a fun, relaxing yet energizing workshop  Come play and learn how to learn YOUR style.


Out-Trip Planning
How to plan a successful Out Trip with considerations to safety, weather, trip selection, maps/GPS data, equipment lists, rentals, contact information, forms and regulations (Youth Safe Outdoors guidelines) for different methods of travel – canoeing, biking, backpacking, caving, cross-country skiing,  etc.  This would be for both day trips and extended trips.  If you do proper planning, your trips will always be a huge success.  “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Ecology Island Hopping
   Learn the the uses of native plants that are especially important to us in survival situations and in "Living Off The Land" (plants that are edible, medicinal, great for shelters and cordage etc), and potentially dangerous plants to avoid.  We will cover safe canoe or kayak use, northern boreal forest ecology, nature games,  and we would love to take everyone for a walk on the "floating bog", where you can not only "walk on the water", and you can jump around on it too!  

How to Lead a Nature Hike for Young Wardens
    Leading a group of younger Wardens on a Nature Hike is a basic building block to the JFW Program.  Learn & practice planning and leading a Nature Hike that is interesting, stimulating and informative for young wardens.  You don’t need to be an expert, with a few basic resources you can lead a hike that allows Wardens to explore and learn with you.


Watershed Awareness
Learn what a watershed is – and what a watershed has to do with JFW programming.
How to identify your local watershed and why it is important. How to use JFW programming to be active watershed stewards.  Gain resources, explanations and examples of programming to focus on water and watershed issues.

Watershed What?  It is becoming quite common place to hear about climate change in the news.  Did you know that our Alberta Environment responded in 2003 with its “Waterfor Life” Strategies, as a way for us to adapt to the imminent changes upon us?    Yes, they do have a plan…and they need our help!    Alberta Environment is trying to promote a “culture of stewardship” in Alberta – and they are looking to grass roots organizations, youth groups, and communities to put watershed stewardship plans into action!

Watershed what? Every place you stand, you are standing in a watershed.  The land around you is draining water held in its soils, creeks, wetlands, and underground aquifers to the nearby river or lake.    Watershed communities are defined by their unique drainage boundary; and there is so much each little JFW club can do ~ to be valuable stewards of their local watershed!

Come join “Patti the Fish” for an informative and fun program where you will learn facts about the intimate relationship between land and water; and you will come away with interesting hands-on activities which honor all 4 pillars of our JFW programming and support our Alberta Water for Life Strategies.

“Citizens, communities, industry and government must share responsibility for water management… and work together to improve conditions within their local watershed.”
- Water for Life: Alberta’s strategy for sustainability, 2003

 

How to use dehydrated food on out-trips!
Planning and preparing a light-weight feast!  'Learn to do while eating'

"Coordinator's Package"
Club Chartering - everything you need to know to get your club started off right
Casino funds - how to make the best use of this resource, and

Internet and Computer help!
Learn from a pro:  From the basics of computer use to using the internet safely; google docs as a planning tool; holding meetings with skype; Computer Security.  Bring your own computer if you like!

Orienteering Games
How to set up and run a variety of active educational games.  Learn them, then try them out, and take home some samples!
 
Large Group Games
This session will give an overview of some group-type games and ice breakers that you can take back and teach to your club. Games that can keep Wardens occupied during transition or preparation periods.

Map & Compass
Learn the basics of Map and Compass and how they can work together on your wilderness travels. The instruction you’ll get will be easy to pass along to Wardens and leaders alike! You’ll get a chance to test your new-found skills on an open-ended traverse that you’ll find a “rewarding” experience!

Tarp Maps
Innovative ways to teach map skills.  Numerous lessons and activities that can be done on larger-than-life maps!  

A Trunk Full of Neat Ideas
Innovative, creative and effective ways to teach a variety of lessons.