Bio Spotlight Sessions
About this Event
Shine a spotlight on biodiversity with us!
Step into the garden for our Bio Spotlight Sessions!
These expert-led sessions where children and youth dive deeper into biodiversity through hands-on, nature-based learning. Each session spotlights a theme aligned with the Hamilton Biodiversity Action Plan, exploring topics like pollinators and their habitats, native and invasive species, the Carolinian Forest ecosystem, and urban watershed health.
What to Expect
Participants will get the chance to observe real ecological relationships in action, take part in guided outdoor activities, and develop a stronger understanding of how local ecosystems function and why they matter. Each session blends structured learning with curiosity-led exploration, encouraging children to ask questions, make connections, and build confidence as young environmental stewards.
Across the series, youth will engage with seasonal changes in the garden, contribute to biodiversity tracking activities, and learn practical ways to support healthy ecosystems in their own communities. These Bio Spotlight Sessions are designed to be accessible, engaging, and rooted in real-world environmental education.
Come ready to explore, discover, and shine a spotlight on the biodiversity that surrounds us every day!
Bio Spotlight Sessions Schedule
Each session has been thoughtfully designed around a distinct biodiversity theme. We’ll be unveiling them one at a time over the season, so stay tuned as the story unfolds!
Session 1 (June 11): Mission: Possible - Unlocking the Ecosystem Code!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: become a Field Agent in Training and join renowned author, environmental educator, and Climate Special Agent Grant Linney as we work together to unlock the hidden Ecosystem Code at Gage Park.
Through hands-on tree investigations, environmental detective work, and collaborative challenges, children and families will explore the incredible web of life that exists all around us. As Special Eco Operatives, participants will search for clues, investigate mystery trees, and uncover how biodiversity helps ecosystems survive and thrive.
Throughout the mission, agents will observe ecological relationships in action, make discoveries in the field, and work together to reveal an important environmental truth: every living thing — from trees and insects to fungi, animals, and people — plays an essential role in keeping ecosystems healthy and connected.
Session 2 (July 9): Bumble Bee Field Experience!
Go behind-the-scenes with the biologists protecting Ontario’s native bumble bees!
Ever wondered what real field conservation looks like? Join for an exclusive, hands-on experience exploring the incredible world of bumble bees and the scientists working to protect them!
Learn how biologists study and safeguard pollinators in the wild, then see it in action during a guided field experience in the park. Participants can take part in real observation and identification work or engage more passively at their own comfort level, making this a welcoming experience for all ages and experience levels.
This session will conclude with a creative takeaway activity where you’ll make your own fuzzy pom-pom bumble bee, leaving with both a keepsake and a deeper connection to local biodiversity!
PLEASE NOTE: Some activities may include safe handling of bumble bees and other stinging insects under expert supervision. Stings are uncommon but possible, and observation-only participation is always available.
Session 3 (July 30): Theme coming soon!
Session 4 (Sept 24): Theme coming soon!
Session 5 (October, date TBD): Theme coming soon!
Special Thanks
Special thanks to the for their invaluable assistance in nurturing The Children’s Garden's Project!
Thanks to all of our for making all of our programming possible! 💚
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
