Final day in Churchill, MB

We awoke to another cool day in Churchill...

It was actually so cold later in the afternoon that the K-12 school in town closed. Their threshold is -50 with the wind.

This morning we got a tour of the rocket range on the CNSC grounds. Rockets were sent into space from this range to collect data. It is a protected historic site and tours are offered year round.

It was a windy day for a walk in the tundra, but as in all the other activities we did throughout the week, the students were ready and willing to learn and participate.

After lunch we left for town and stopped along the road to learn about the town of Churchill and surrounding area. But before we left, the program director, Grant MacNeil, gave us a "green" tour of the CNSC. The building meets many of the LEED certification standard categories.

Our first stop in town was the Eskimo museum. Students oooed and awed over the soap stone carvings and the artifacts dating back 2000 years.

We then went to the train station that doubles as a Parks Canada office and interpretive centre. Students enjoyed a talk about the fur bearing animals that are common in the area and that are still used in the fur trade today.

 Here, Cameron is wearing a beaver felt hat common during the fur trade. This hat was the reason why the beaver was such a hot commodity.

Below, Josh tests out how warm fox fur really is.

Following our trip to Parks Canada we headed to the Northern Store to price compare our shopping list. I'll let the students tell you about the price differences in their post. What most were amazed at was the variety of products the Northern Store carried. Here they are pictured on snow machines in front of the cereal.

We had an amazing time together in Churchill. I was so very impressed at the fact that none of the students complained at all about the weather, despite it being so bitterly cold and sometimes downright unbearable with the wind. Things they would never consider attempting at home in those temperatures, they didn't even blink an eye at in Churchill.

Thank you to all who read and followed our posts. Look for one more entry written by students in the coming days.