Photo courtesy of Red Deer Public Schools.
Red Deer Public Schools (RDPS) Grade 1 students at the G.H. Dawe School have combined their love for animals, science, art, and conservation in a project inspired by Canada’s wildlife.
“Our Grade 1 class loves animals,” said Kathleen Erickson, Grade 1 Teacher at G.H. Dawe School. “It started with a love of birds. We have a tree right outside our classroom window, and we’ve watched the blue jays through the seasons.”
The class explored Earth systems and living systems as part of the curriculum, including how changing seasons affect animals.
During a lesson on how bears prepare for winter, students were introduced to The Boss, also known as Bear 122 - a famous grizzly in Banff National Park believed to be the oldest and largest in the area.
Photo courtesy of Red Deer Public Schools.
Last month, The Boss made headlines when he ventured into Harvie Heights near Canmore to feast on berries, a rare sight captured by renowned nature photographer and biologist, Jason Bantle.
“We showed the kids Jason’s footage of The Boss eating berries and getting ready for hibernation,” said Erickson. “The kids loved it!”
Inspired by The Boss, Erickson integrated an art project into the lesson. Using one of Bantle’s prints, students followed an online guided drawing tutorial to create their own grizzly bear artwork.
For a creative twist, students drew festive Christmas sweaters on their bears, incorporating patterns and math into the activity.
“The kids were so engaged from start to finish,” said Erickson.
Impressed by their artwork, Erickson reached out to Bantle, to share the students’ drawings. The response exceeded all expectations. Bantle offered to drive from Canmore to Red Deer to meet the students and give them their very own signed print of The Boss.
“It’s overwhelming!” said Erickson. “We thought we might hear back from Jason, but the fact that he came to the classroom to meet the kids and give them a print of The Boss is incredible.”
Photo courtesy of Red Deer Public Schools.
Bantle spent more than 20 years as a biologist and nature photographer and was equally impressed by the student's artwork.
“I was blown away by how good the art was,” he said. “Those are quality art pieces, and I’m honoured they chose to replicate my work of The Boss.”
Bantle praised the class for fostering a connection to nature and conservation at such a young age.
“It’s fantastic to see these values being taught in schools,” he said. “I’m thrilled the students were inspired by The Boss and hope this experience encourages them to continue learning about and protecting our natural world.”
**With information provided by Red Deer Public Schools
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@centralalbertaonline.com.
CentralAlbertaOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the CentralAlbertaOnline app.