Every second Sunday, for most of the winter, the girls participate in an advanced math club run by the University of Toronto; it is free, on condition, the girls participate in at least one math tournament a year. They do not have to pass the math exam, Tournament of Towns or Kangaroo Math, and the average cost of writing the exam is $10.00. The expectation is that after 2 years, if they take their studies seriously, they should be able to successfully pass an exam. There are also math exams run by the University of Waterloo, the International Math Olympiads and the Pascal Contest.
A number of Environmental groups provide opportunities for children and teens to participate in ecological awareness programs. The Ladies of the Lake sponsored a film camp last summer; Elizabeth participated. It was two weeks of learning how to operate cameras, edit on computers, travel around Lake Simcoe and develop an awareness of the environmental conditions of Lake Simcoe. Robert Bateman sponsors an annual drawing contest for teens and children to encourage wildlife awareness. Most corporations sponsor events, like Safety Calendars, to encourage public relations and enhance staff communication; they want their employees' children to succeed. Generally, public libraries are fantastic at the sponsorship of teen and child events; the most common is an author's reading but has included book clubs, e-zines, and teen art expos. There are also children's reading periods in which the librarian or assistant will read to young children. Chapters encourages young readers with a similar program and Arts and Crafts Saturdays and themed nights for new book publications. The Royal Canadian Legion sponsors an annual speech contest to commemorate Remembrance Day. Usually, Township offices in small towns welcome public art and have seasonal periods for children's art.
Science Fairs are run by schools, corporations and think tanks; there are exams in every field of study for every year of high school. Most of them reward with scholarships and are minimally priced for participation. There are seed programs run by the Canadian Space Agency. There is a web site that allows children and teens to participate in the Iditarod. There are programs for following Butterfly Migration, Hummingbird Migration and Bee Trackers. There are groups that send out Sunflowers to grow in the garden. There is school information for every school board and every grade for every Ministry in both the federal and provincial levels of government; most of it can be directly aligned to fit with Ministry of Education requirements. Most Art Galleries have family art on Sundays or programs similar to it; smaller galleries are often free admittance. It is free to walk around the Canadian House of Parliament; on July 1, every museum in Ottawa is free. Parks and libraries are free; architecture is free. Children learn best with their eyes open.
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