Be Aware as a Responsible Citizen
This section will help you discover the answer to the following questions:
- What parks do we have in Calgary?
- Where are they located?
- Who uses them and how?
What can you do in a City park?
Where are Calgary’s parks located?
Go to http//calgary.ca/fsmap/
Select your community and use the legend to identify the number of parks. Next, select City Parks from the list of City Facilities and Services. If there are no city parks in your community, use the zoom feature of the map to find two nearby parks in your area of the city. Record the names of these two City Parks.
Go to http://calgaryarea.com/calgary_parks.htm
Use the photo galleries to compare the similarities and differences of the two parks you recorded.
- What can you do in each park?
- How does the environment impact the types of activities?
Be aware as a Responsible Citizen – Think Challenge #1
An Ideal Day at the Park
Using one of the City Parks you identified above, plan a day of varied, interesting activities for you and your family or friends.
Prepare a visual presentation or poster to tell the story of your ideal day at the park. Use images, words, your voice and/or music to share your plans in an interesting way. Feel free to use Powerpoint, SMART Notebook, Comic Life, or another software program. Use any format you like – a chart, a timeline, a journal entry or a short story are some of the ideas you might try.
Plan several fun activities. Pick a pleasant spot where you can have lunch! Think about what you will need to bring along (eg. water bottle, hat, etc.)
When finished, share your presentation with your family or friends. Maybe you can use your ideas to plan a real day of adventures at one of Calgary’s Parks.
Be aware as a Responsible Citizen – Think Challenge #2
A City without Parks
Imagine that City Council has proposed eliminating all parks and green spaces in Calgary in order to build more houses and office buildings.
- What would life be like in Calgary without parks and greens spaces?
- How would your life change without parks? What enjoyable activities could you no longer do?
- Why are parks important to you?
Write a letter to your alderman explaining why parks and green spaces are an important part of life in Calgary.
Be aware as a Responsible Citizen – Think Challenge #3
Keep a Class Log/Blog
Have you ever thought about all the different parks that you, your family, and your friends use in The City of Calgary?
As a class design and create a wall chart or an electronic class blog where everyone can write down activities they do in the evenings, on weekends and during breaks in the City of Calgary. Leave room so that students (and teachers) can comment about their activities. Choose a student each week to make a short presentation about an activity he or she did at a city park.
Every few months, talk about which activities and parks are most popular and why they are.
Shaw Millennium Park
One activity enjoyed by many young Calgarians is skateboarding. Shaw Millennium Park offers skateboarders of all ability levels the chance to show off their skills. However, it is important that people use the park safely. Watch the videos below to learn more!
Watch the video below to learn about Calgary's Famous Millennium Skateboard Park.
Calgary’s Pathways
With over 750 km of pathways and 260 km of on-street bikeways within its boundaries, the city of Calgary boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America. That’s pretty impressive!
Pathways connect people to parks and communities. Just like parks, they are multiuse. On any given day you can see people walking their dogs, jogging, rollerblading, and biking. This is why pathway safety and respect for other users is so important.
Calgary is home to many different types of pathways, such as paved regional pathways that have snow removal in the winter, bikeways on roads, and portions of the Trans Canada Trail. Click here to view an interactive map of pathways in Calgary. The map allows you to zoom in and out to get more detailed views.
Be aware as a Responsible Citizen – Think Challenge #4
Calgary's Pathways: Make a Day of it!
Starting from your home plan out a day long circle route that you can take on the Pathways. You don't want to spend the whole day just walking or cycling, so try to include stops in your route where you can do something interesting. Pick a pleasant spot where you can have your lunch. Don't forget to make a list of things you need to bring along (e.g. water bottle, band-aids, etc).
Prepare a booklet or visual presentation of your plan and share it with your class.
Go on your day trip with an older friend or family member and report back to your class about how it went.