Kinark Outdoor Centre Hosts 10th Annual Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children's Water Festival

MINDEN, ON, Sept. 29, 2014 /CNW/ - On Monday, September 29^th and Tuesday, September 30^th, the 10^th Annual Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha (HMK) Children's Water Festival will be held at the Kinark Outdoor Centre (KOC) in Minden, Ontario. The festival, a project of the charitable organization Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning (FEEL), is a free educational event, which complements the Ontario curriculum, offered to students in Grades 2 to 6 across the Trillium Lakelands District School Board. "The KOC is a natural landscape, central to the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, making the event accessible to children across the Board," explains Irene Heaven, Festival Coordinator.

The mission of the festival is to inspire children to become wise stewards of water and related systems through the use of over 45 hands-on educational and fun activities.  The theme of this year's festival is 'Celebrating Watersheds'. "Water Runs Downhill is a new activity, which aims to help students visualize our local watersheds." explains Ms. Heaven. "Whether we live in Haliburton, Muskoka or City of Kawartha Lakes, we are connected by the waters that flow in our watersheds."

"Over two days close to 1,300 students, accompanied by their teachers and parent supervisors, will 'get their hands wet' in a natural environment, learning about one of our most valuable natural resources, water!" adds Jim McHardy, Director, Kinark Outdoor Centre. "With the help of close to 20 outside presenters, over 150 volunteers, including Trent University students, and many supporters, we are making a splash in water education and stewardship," says McHardy.

The festival brings together the expertise of educators, water quality and quantity specialists, community volunteers, conservation groups, industry and government to provide elementary students with the opportunity to discover the different facets and importance of water.

About Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning

Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning is a newly formed charity that supports outdoor and environmental education within the Haliburton Highlands and surrounding area.

About Out to Learn
Out to Learn develops and delivers natural resource, ecological and environmental educational programs that are designed to provide participants with factual and theoretical information in an interesting and interactive manner. These programs are science and geography based with direct links to the Ontario curriculum. 

About Kinark Outdoor Centre
The Kinark Outdoor Centre (KOC) is a program area of Kinark Child and Family Services.
The KOC, located in Minden, Ontario, operates a three-season facility with a core mandate to deliver a menu of enhanced respite programs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families. The KOC has a rich history in residential camping, outdoor education, recreational programming, and community building. The KOC offers a variety of programs directly to groups and individuals, and also develops programs upon request, which are tailored to meet the specific needs of community groups, school boards, social service agencies/non-profits, faith communities, and other organizations.

SOURCE: Kinark Child and Family Services

Festival Contact Information: For more information about the HMK Children's Water Festival Festival, including volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, go to: http://www.hmwaterfestival.ca or contact: Irene Heaven, Festival Coordinator at 705-286-3181 or [email protected]