Hands-on education offered by Learning Academy pilot program in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Lacrosse, canoeing, birchbark basket making — Grade 7 and 8 students at three Thunder Bay, Ont., public schools are getting hands-on education this year thanks to a Lakehead Public Schools pilot project.

The Learning Academy project is running at Kingsway Park, Five Mile and Westmount public schools, and there's a chance it could expand to more schools in the future if it's a success.

And so far, it's proving to be just that, said Darren Lentz, principal of Kingsway and Hyde Park schools.

"We're really looking at bringing in experiential education opportunities and project-based education," Lentz said. "Getting the kids outside of the classroom to learn, to ask questions, investigate through inquiry-based models of the questions they have. It's about their learning, and it's about tying the curriculum to real-life experiences."

"That has been proven to be of benefit when students are learning," he said. "They retain more, they learn more, and they have a chance to reflect on their learning."

On Wednesday, the Grade 7 and 8 students at Kingsway Park were learning about lacrosse with help from representatives of the Thunder Bay Lacrosse League.

They were getting instruction on how to play the game in the field behind the school and learning about the history of the sport in the classroom.

"We decided to do lacrosse because our first academy is outdoor education, physical education, environmental education," said Ryan Roy, physical education teacher at Kingsway Park. "First and foremost, it's the history of the game and understanding that it started with First Nations people a very long time ago."

"Also, (lacrosse is) just good for physical activity," Roy said. "It's a game with a lot of running, and not a lot of kids know about lacrosse."

One of the students taking part was Abby Skok, who's in Grade 7 at Kingsway Park.

"In class, we are doing the history of lacrosse and soon we will be going to the university to learn how to make lacrosse sticks," she said. "It's a better understanding of the game, and you can see the differences between how it used to be played ... and how it's played now."

Canoeing, skiing sessions also planned

Lentz said other Learning Academy sessions will include canoeing, skiing, ethno-botany. The sessions will run weekly until January, when the Learning Academy focus will shift from outdoor and physical education to music and fine arts.

So far, he said, the Learning Academy has been successful.

"We're finding that the kids are really engaged," he said. "Students are always the ones we go to when we want the truth and they are having a good time."