Grade levels: Upper Elementary (4-6)

We explore Manitoba’s capital of Winnipeg with curling champ Elisabeth Peters, before heading to the rink for a lesson in how the game is played. At the Prairie Storm Prediction Centre, we learn why Manitoba has such extreme weather and what can be done to predict what’s coming. Just outside Winnipeg, the Mariash Quarry provides a peak at Manitoba’s ancient history as seen through layers of fossils deposited over 440 million years ago! In Jay’s Gee! Ology he explains how tornadoes are formed.

Our hosts pitch their tents on the grounds of one of the largest rodeos in the world – or the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, as it’s also known – the Calgary Stampede. They check out the Rodeo’s Chuck Wagon Village where they experience the thrill of chuck wagon racing. Then they set up camp at Indian Village where they learn about the history and customs of the Treaty Seven. Then they head up north of the stampede to the Composting Technology Centre at the Olds College Centre for Innovation to find out what happens to all the rodeo leftovers.

Our hosts discover the spills and thrills of white-water rafting on the Smoky River as they head to Jasper to explore the Canadian Rockies. They join up with a grizzly bear researcher and head off by helicopter to track grizzly’s in Jasper National Park of Canada. Then they climb aboard a Snocoach and head to the middle of one of Canada’s largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle – the Columbia Icefield glaciers.

What do bats, canyons, bushy tailed rats, stalagmite, oil and minerals all have in common? They are found under Canada’s land and water surface, and that’s exactly where our hosts are headed. From burrowing animals of Canada’s desert to the caves of the Rockies to the mines of Sudbury – CG Kids checks it out.

Our hosts hop onto the National Coast Guard’s chopper over to the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of British Columbia. They visit one of Canada’s last remaining manned lighthouse stations and learn about life on a remote island. Then they head south to Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site where they learn about the Haida Gwaii and the tradition of making bentwood boxes.

Eldon has deleted most of Jay’s park information so Jamie and Idee head off to learn more about parks in Canada. They check out a small urban skatepark in Vancouver, Canada’s only fenced in park in Alberta and a marine park in Quebec. What is a park? Why are they created? What do they protect and why? Our hosts find out why areas are designated as parks.

Our hosts hop on their mountain bikes and explore the city of Vancouver. They tour through North America’s second largest Chinatown visiting a unique Chinese garden. Then they climb Grouse Mountain to check out some grizzly bears living at a wildlife reserve. Then down to Vancouver’s port where they find out how to rehabilitate seals.

We head to the unique Bruce Peninsula area in Georgian Bay to discover the waters and islands around Tobermory. We explore the fascinating ecosystem of the dolomite cliffs and learn more about Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment. We also find out about Canada’s only venomous snake and species at risk, the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. Then we grab snorkels and explore the amazing shipwrecks of Fathom Five National Marine Park of Canada – Canada’s first marine park. We learn how First Nations’ oral traditions have lead to the mapping of Fathom Five. Jay tells us about the maritime history of the Great Lakes and why there are so many shipwrecks in this area. In Jay’s Gee! Ology Jay demonstrates how the Niagara Escarpment was formed.

There are about 33 different whale species found in Canada. Our hosts explore whales from coast to coast. They start along the St. Lawrence in Tadoussac, Quebec where they discover Minke whales and the importance of estuaries. Then they visit the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre and swim with the Belugas, and learn about their means of communication. They discover the bones of an Atlantic Right Whale along the shores of Nova Scotia, and learn about the whale’s evolution.

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.