Junior School Students Take in Ontario’s Natural and Man-made Wonders

May 12th and 13th marked an exciting and eye-opening excursion for the Grade 4 students at the Junior School. During those two days, they toured the Southern Ontario regions of Niagara and Cambridge, taking in real-life lessons on Ontario’s economy, experiencing history and culture, and having a whole lot of fun.

In Niagara-on-the-Lake, they visited Stone Church Vineyards, where they saw how vines are pruned to create optimal growing conditions for grapes used in wine production. They also learned the process by which grapes – a raw material – are turned into wine – a finished consumer product. Finally, their visit to the vineyard was topped off with a grape juice tasting.

Down the road at the Shaw Festival, the students were given a fascinating behind-the-scenes look, including learning how sets are manoeuvred backstage. They also were given access to the make-up rooms, and the room that holds the theatre’s collection of hats and shoes.

And after driving along the beautiful Niagara Parkway, the students visited one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonders – Niagara Falls.
The stop over for the night was a residence at Brock University. There, they took full advantage of the university’s facilities, including the soccer field and swimming pool. And despite the trip being officially unplugged (no cells, cameras or iPods permitted), students were allowed to watch the Habs beat the Penguins (cheering only for Montreal, of course!).

The final stops in the Niagara region were to Lock 3 of the Welland Canal and to The St. Catharines Museum, which depicted the region’s natural, industrial and community heritage.

Further north and west, the journey continued to Cambridge, where the Grade 4 classes received a full tour of the Toyota Plant. The students were amazed by the high degree of automation and by the sheer size of the robots.

Back at TFS, it wasn’t only the students providing positive feedback on the trip – so did the trip’s drivers and the volunteers at the various stops. For it seems our students were so well-behaved and inquisitive that they are welcome to make a return trip any time they wish.