Grade levels: Primary (1-3)

We hike through Gros Morne National Park of Canada to check out the unusual geology and rich bio-diversity of this area – including many, many moose. The unique rocks have contributed to the world’s understanding of plate tectonics, and the park has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We explore the Bay of Islands with a young conservationist from the nearby town of Deer Lake. Jay explains why Newfoundland’s West Coast is a geologist’s dream due to the upheaval of the earth millions of years ago. He also explains why most of the Newfoundland’s population lives on the East Coast. In Jay’s Gee! Ology, Jay explains how organic matter is constantly recycled- through composting.

Rodeos and dinosaurs bring Jamie and Jennifer to Alberta’s Badlands. They head to Drumheller, home of the world famous Royal Tyrell Museum, and meet up with local youngster CJ Dupasquier. He gives them a tour of the museum, and accompanies the hosts on a fossil dig. Hiking through the Prairie grasslands that border the region to the north, the hosts meet up with Colton Jackson. He’s 13 and competes as a steer rider all across western Canada. After exploring the area on horseback, Colton invites the hosts to watch as he competes in the Lacombe Annual Rodeo.

We explore St. John’s and the coastal life first by rowboat and then by schooner as we explore more of the Avalon Peninsula ending with Cape Spear National Historic Site of Canada. We check out the amazing bird life of Cape St. Mary’s, and then visit the Institute of Marine Dynamics as they test the seaworthiness of various ships by using wind and storms. Jay tells us about the Grand Banks continental shelf and how its abundant fish contributed to the settlement of Newfoundland. In Jay’s Gee! Ology he demonstrates how ocean currents are formed and what factors affect them.

First up in their exploration of the Canadian Rockies is Canmore, Alberta. There Jamie and Jennifer meet 13-year-old Kenna Meilicke, who takes them through her dad’s outdoor sporting good store to get them prepared for their camping adventure. On an overnight camping trip, Kenna gives the hosts a lesson in rock climbing, eager to show why this area attracts so many outdoors-enthusiasts.

Lake Huron is home to the world’s largest freshwater island: Manitoulin Island. Jamie and Jennifer set out to learn about the island’s strong First Nations communities. At Wikwemikong, Canada’s only unceded Indian Reserve, they visit with Elizabeth Trudeau, a 15-year-old Odawa youth who demonstrates some traditional dancing, drumming and cooking along with the help of other young people in the community.

Jamie and Jennifer have a simple “capital” time in Ottawa, Ontario! As they start their exploration, they team up with 14-year-old Sarah Potvin, who takes them white water kayaking through the city. After discovering some interesting fossils and a beetle in a nearby forest they head to the Museum of Nature’s Natural Heritage Building to find out more about their discoveries.

From atop Mount Royal, Jamie and Jennifer survey the city of Montreal. From this vantagepoint, they can see all the amazing things they’ll discover in the city: cool neighbourhoods, history, geology and biology! Grade Six student Emma Preston and her friend take Jamie and Jennifer on a tour of Montreal’s coolest neighbourhood, the Plateau Mt. Royal, where they soak in the culture of the world’s second largest French speaking city. Emma introduces the hosts to her guitar teacher, who along with Emma and his band, do a spur-of-the-moment jam session for the visitors.

As Jamie and Jennifer arrive in Canada’s largest city, they quickly realize it’s a wild place, full of animals, trees and nature! Meeting up with 11 year-old bird watcher Sydney Peck, they visit with Michael Mesure, director of the Fatal Light Awareness Programme (FLAP). FLAP is trying to help prevents birds from flying into the city’s sky-scrapers and gives the kids some tips on what they can do for the city’s birds. Sydney suggests they pay a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum, where her Ornithologist father can tell them what good can come from birds that are killed in the city. The R.O.M. operates a “bug room,” a place where 100,000 dermestid beetles are used to clean the carcasses of dead animals. The skeletons can be used for research and collections in museums around the world.

Visiting one of the natural world’s greatest attractions, Niagara Falls, Jamie and Jennifer soon realize there’s a lot more to the area. Philip Wylie’s family has been growing grapes in the area for over 100 years. This 13 year-old helps out on his family’s vineyard and shows Jamie and Jennifer the ins and outs of grape production. They learn that this area is one of Canada’s most important fruit growing regions, a result of its situation between the Niagara Escarpment and two Great Lakes. Philip takes the hosts to Fernland Vineyards, where they sample some fizzy grape juice and learn how it’s made.

Jamie and Jennifer arrive in Toronto to learn about its cultural diversity. In 1971 Canada was the first nation in the world to adopt a multiculturalism policy. Nowhere is this more clearly reflected than in Toronto. In order to visit as many different communities as possible, Jamie and Jennifer split up. Jamie explores Kensington Market, an area long frequented by many nationalities, with 11-year-old Aisa Saho. She’s half-Greek and half-Gambian. Her father owns an African art and drum store, where Aisa helps out on weekends. Aisa joins in on a drumming session in the store. Meanwhile, in Little India, 10-year-old Chandni Singh and her mum show Jennifer how to wear a sari. They talk about how they incorporate their Sikh and Punjabi heritage into their lives in Canada