Land-Based and Indigenous Education at Island Lake

Land-Based & Indigenous Education

Welcome, Biindigen, Wa'tkwanonhwerá:ton'

Welcome to the Land-Based and Indigenous Education website. Here you will find information on our programs, a registration form, and curriculum-linked pre and post activities for your trip. Programs that are offered across multiple grades are adaptable and will meet the specific curriculum needs of your students.

A note on programming

It is important to note that not every single program will integrate Indigenous content at Island Lake. As we work with community partners, the First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education Council for UGDSB and the Indigenous Education Department, our programming will grow to embed Indigenous content in all of our offerings. We will host Indigenous community partners through residencies throughout the year to bring in diverse and distinct Indigenous voices and lived experiences.

Each program will clearly indicate which workshops have been developed with Indigenous Peoples.

Registration & Address

Registration for 2025-26 opened on Tuesday, September 2 via Google Form on the registration section of this webpage and dates in September, October, and November are now fully booked.

Registration for December and January will open on Thursday, October 23 at 2 PM.

All programs are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Schools can choose to send one class for a full day of programming (both AM and PM program) or can split the day between two classes, with one class participating in programming in the AM and one in the PM. Please read the additional information on the registration page before submitting your Google Form.

Address
Akinomaagayegaamikoong
(formerly the Outdoor Education Centre) Island Lake Conservation Area
673067 Hurontario St.,
Orangeville ON L9W 2Y9

Akinomaagayegaamikoong

"Place of Learning"

Click the audio file below to hear Tim McGregor pronounce Mnis Zaagi'gan Akinomaagayegaamikoong (Island Lake Place of Learning).

**The name will, in fact, be Akinomaagayegaamikoong (without Minis Zaagi'gan). Stay tuned for an updated audio file.**

Mnis Zaagi'gan Akinomaagayegaamikoong.mp3

Onwegitchigewin

By Isaac Murdoch

Click the audio file below to hear Isaac Murdoch speak about the significance of the mural he made for Akinomaagayegaamikoong.

Onwegitchigewin Isaac Painting 2 - 2023-06-14, 11.44 AM.mp3

Residencies

Residencies with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers are offered first to classes with self-identified Indigenous students, as it is their birthright to access these learning opportunities. All remaining spaces will then be offered to all classes in the board via the grade-based Google Classrooms.

Dallas Squire

Fall 2025 & Spring 2026 - Indigenous Games
Winter 2026 - Winter Indigenous Games

Kahnyen’kehàka (Mohawk), Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River, Dallas Squire is a former professional Lacrosse player who has been sharing culture and games for over a decade. Creating a safe and positive environment for learning, Dallas encourages participants to experience the culture through traditional games and storytelling.

Creator's Garden

Spring 2026

Joseph Pitawanakwat (Ojibway from Wiikwemkoong) is the founder and director of Creator's Garden, an Indigenous outdoor education business focused on plant identification, beyond-sustainable harvesting, and plant linguistic, historical, cultural, edible, ecological, and medicinal significance through hands-on experiences. Joe and his fellow land-based educators offer land-based education on Indigenous plant knowledge and Indigenous bird names and knowledge. Their goal is to shift conventional paradigms of how we see and understand and manage the Great Lakes region. They see the high value of Indigenous knowledge as an opportunity to increase human and environmental health, simultaneously.

Naomi Smith

Spring 2026 - Indigenous Arts & Beading

Naomi is an Indigenous Artist, Maker and Educator from Neyaashiinigmiing (Chippewas of Nawash). She has for over 20 years shared traditional teachings with various communities and groups. Her work focuses on the ways of the Indigenous people of the Great Lakes region from a historical and contemporary perspective often through the story of beads. Naomi's artwork embraces ancestral designs using quillwork, beadwork and other indigenous methods and materials. She has exhibited her work across Canada and internationally.

Artist statement:
"Honouring our traditions is my voice within and beyond my Culture and Community. Traditionally there is no word for "art" in Native languages yet artistry and visual expression are critical in defining who we are as Indigenous people. It is this path I wish to exemplify through my teachings and my work."

Wild Ontario

Spring 2026

Wild Ontario is an environmental and science education program in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph. Through our educational activities both on-campus and in the community, we work to foster connections with nature and an interest in science. Their presentation at Akinomaagayegaamikoong will enable students to see and interact with real birds of prey and learn about their characteristics, needs, and habitats as well as the importance of protecting habitat for all species.

Jennifer Parkinson

Spring 2026

Jennifer was born in Ottawa and raised in Ottawa, Toronto & Guelph. She is married with three adult children and four grandchildren. Exploring her Métis heritage has been very exciting. She has found many extended family and a few historical figures along the way. Her traditional homelands include Pembina, North Dakota and Red River, Manitoba. Says Jennifer, "My hope is to continue learning more about my Métis heritage and to contribute by getting involved in my community." Jennifer sought to learn more about her Métis roots so she started attending local Indigenous community events. She became very active and, since 2010, Jennifer has expanded and shared her knowledge with thousands of children each year by going into schools, colleges and universities. Today, Jennifer is very active politically, meeting with various proponents, government officials and government ministries, all in the pursuit of solidifying Métis citizens' rights in Canada. Jennifer continues to enjoy her journey.

Leslie Anne Muma

Spring 2026

Leslie's Métis ancestry is from the west in Manitoba and Pembina ND. She was born in Halifax, NS but raised for a little time in Fort Frances, ON. It was here that her grandfather, without uttering a word about their heritage, taught Leslie and her siblings. As time goes by her grandfather's teachings have started to make sense, as Leslie has learned more about her Métis culture and roots. Searching for her heritage and history she has discovered that her relatives include Uncle Cuthbert Grant Jr., Uncle Gabriel Dumont, and cousin Louis Riel. Leslie was raised mainly in Nunavut on Baffin Island and the Northwest Territories where she attended residential school in Fort Smith & Inuvik. Leslie enjoys going into schools all over the Grand River Council area. Grand River Council citizens are teaching Métis history, music, dance & culture to all ages. Leslie is firm in her belief of the importance that we, as a community, learn what we can of our own history and culture and share it with our youth.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

How do we register?
All registrations are processed via Google form, which is available on the Registration page of this website.

Who arranges and pays for busing?
Schools are responsible for booking their own transportation. In an attempt to remove barriers to accessing these programs, we are able to provide funding for transportation to schools who would not otherwise be able to afford to come. If, based on your undertanding of your school population or the distance you have to travel from your school to Island Lake, you think that the cost of transportation will be a barrier that would otherwise prevent your school from attending a trip to Island Lake, please let us know on your registration form.

Can we send more than one class at a time?
Programs can accommodate only ONE class at a time. If you are looking to share the cost of bussing , one class could book in for a morning program and the other could book in for an afternoon program. The class that is not doing the program could go on a hike around Island Lake, play on the natural playground, or engage in another classroom teacher-directed activity outdoors.

Meet the teacher at Island Lake

Jennifer Bailey, BA, MA, BEd. (she/her), has worked in the Upper Grand District School Board for the past fifteen years, teaching in Primary, Junior and Intermediate divisions and has experience with both Indigenous Education and Outdoor Education. As a settler on Indigenous land, she works in partnership with Indigenous educators and community partners in order to develop programming that is both culturally appropriate and vetted by community members. She is passionate about getting students outdoors, connecting them with the natural world of which we are part, and helping them to become better treaty partners by learning about their responsibilities toward this land and the Indigenous peoples with whom we share it.

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