Grade levels: Upper Elementary (4-6)

We head south to Canada’s most southern point to learn about things-with-wings. It’s high butterfly season and Jennifer and Jamie join up with some local kids to do a butterfly count. We check out the amazing variety of birds in the marshlands, and head out to visit some young beekeepers. We learn about this Carolinian Zone of Canada, and how the warming effect of this southern latitude has helped attract species that can be found nowhere else in Canada. Then we learn about the alien species that can kill a lake with the Ministry of Natural Resources. In the 1960s Lake Erie was considered a dying lake, but it’s now improving. Jay tells us more about this little spit of land known as southern Canada. In Jay’s Gee! Ology, Jay demonstrates how plants act as natural filters and purifiers for the water around them.

Our hosts check out both the rich farmland and dry desert area of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. They meet up with a kids just in time for cherry harvesting and they visit a local raptor rehabilitation wildlife centre. They also learn more about the antelope-brush ecosystem, which is more at risk than the old-growth forest of British Columbia. And of course they discover the mysterious Ogopogo or N’haitik – meaning monster of the lake!

We hang out with a young First Nation’s boy who farms wild rice in central Saskatchewan. This is one of the biggest production areas for wild rice in North America, with around 250 producers. The rice is harvested by an interesting propeller driven airboat, and we climb aboard. Then we head to Prince Albert National Park of Canada and learn about forest fires and some positive affects they can have. We also visit with King Trapper, canoe racer, dog musher, lumberjack and all-around survivalist Franklin Carriere. In Jay’s Gee! Ology he demonstrates how forest fires contribute to air pollution.

Our hosts check out some of the unique elements and characteristics of Canada’s amazing forests. They discover the incredible temperate rainforest of British Columbia, and then check out Canada’s largest forest – the boreal forest – in Ontario. Here they check out ways to properly harvest trees, the life cycle of a forest and then discover a pack of wolves.

Wheat harvesting and prairie living are the focus of this episode as we venture across the vast prairies. We travel by truck to a grain elevator and discover how wheat becomes flour and finally bread. Then we head to Moose Jaw to learn about the little endangered burrowing owl. In Jay’s Gee! Ology he demonstrates how weather and geology combine to form some of Canada’s most fertile soil.

We discover how young people are still interested in Inuit traditions by meeting up with some young throat singers, drummers and athletes. We also get to try a little caribou stew. A trip out on the tundra with Canadian Wildlife Service officer, Johnny Nowdluk teaches us about how animals keep warm in the harsh environment, and about how much the Inuit depend on and respect the local wildlife. In Jay’s Gee! Ology, Jay investigates the effect that wind chill has on our perception of temperature.

Starting off in Yellowknife, young cross-country ski champ Sarah Stephen takes us for a discovery tour. We check out some landmarks like the Bush Pilots Monument and a small houseboat community on the Lake. At Sirius Diamonds, Jamie and Jennifer discover how chunks of rock are cut and polished into some of the world’s finest diamonds. A quick flight takes us to the town of Fort Resolution on the south side Great Slave Lake. Here biologists with the Hook Lake Bison Recovery Project are breeding a disease-free herd of bison in an attempt to strengthen the population of one of North America’s largest land mammals. In Jay’s Gee! Ology, he demonstrates how diamonds are formed and make it up to the earth’s surface.

Starting off in Yellowknife, young cross-country ski champ Sarah Stephen takes us for a discovery tour. We check out some landmarks like the Bush Pilots Monument and a small houseboat community on the Lake. At Sirius Diamonds, Jamie and Jennifer discover how chunks of rock are cut and polished into some of the world’s finest diamonds. A quick flight takes us to the town of Fort Resolution on the south side Great Slave Lake. Here biologists with the Hook Lake Bison Recovery Project are breeding a disease-free herd of bison in an attempt to strengthen the population of one of North America’s largest land mammals. In Jay’s Gee! Ology, he demonstrates how diamonds are formed and make it up to the earth’s surface.

We explore the rich culture, lifestyle and landscape of this small inlet. We meet up with a young Inuit student who talks about how she is keeping the Inuktituk language alive: through hip-hop music. Then local historian, Theresie Tungalik, takes us out to the Meliadine Territorial Park where an archeological site provides evidence of how the ancient Thule people lived. Theresie explains that in a lot of ways, life has not changed dramatically over thousands of years. Finally a visit to the Matchbox Gallery gives Jamie and Jennifer a chance to learn about the art of traditional ceramics. In Jay’s Gee! Ology he explains the difference between the North Pole and the North Magnetic pole.

It’s high Polar Bear time in Churchill, Manitoba. These incredible animals are waiting for the ice to freeze on Hudson Bay before heading out in search of food. We hang out with Kyle Wolkoski, who helps out at his family’s Polar-buggy business. We go on Bear Patrol and visit the Polar Bar Jail with Manitoba conservation officer Pat Cronin to learn about what the town does to live with the bears this time of year. In Jay’s Gee! Ology he explains how salt effects the freezing point of water.