Blog - Get to Know

Blind Contour Drawing May 15, 2013 Best Practices

Get youth using all their senses in this activity that uses sight and touch to create art! Contour drawing is done by moving your pen or pencil very slowly, using simple continuous lines to capture the nuances that give an object its distinctiveness. It encourages the artist to draw blindly as much as possible, by having them focus more on the subject and not on the paper and letting the hand do the work while the eye searches for details on the subject.

Early Bird Winners Announced! April 24, 2013 Contest

Between January 1 and April 7, the Get to Know Contest’s Entry portal was open and collecting nature inspired entries from youth across North America. After all, nature inspires us year-round so why not celebrate it every day of the year?! These Early Bird entries can be found within this year’s Contest Gallery and of all these amazing entries, 3 were selected as Early Bird Winners.

Webinar Series#2 From STEM to STEAM: A Scientific Rationale April 17, 2013 News

On Tuesday, April 30th, Get to Know will be hosting the next in our series of monthly webinars to share great ideas, activities, and resources for using the creative arts, technology, and outdoor activity to connect youth with nature. This month we feature renowned speakers Dr. Mark Holder, Dr. Pat Winter and Marcia Klein. These experts in their fields will be discussing STEM to STEAM: A Scientific Rationale.

Art in the Park Guide April 8, 2013 Best Practices

The Art in the Park Guide is a toolkit for educators and program leaders to use. We've created 27 art-based activities designed to engage youth with nature, both directly - through outdoor activities, and indirectly - through activities which can be carried out anywhere that get youth thinking about their connection to the environment. And we've wrapped the activities all up in one pretty little package that has everything you need!

Get to Know City Challenge March 28, 2013 Contest

With our society’s becoming more urbanized, it’s no surprise that today’s youth learn a great deal about the environment through their city, rather than out in nature themselves. Therefore, we’re happy to announce that this year’s Get to Know Contest is getting some great city support! Several cities have officially accepted the Get to Know City Challenge and pledged to get their young citizens outdoors and participating!

Get to Know Webinar Series! March 25, 2013 News

April 8th is a big day for Get to Know! Not only is it the launch date of the Get to Know Contest, but it also kicks off our webinar series. As a means to share best practices and tips on using the expressive arts and technology to connect young people with nature, Get to Know has devised a series of webinars for educators, parents and environmental/arts/outdoor professionals. These free webinars will provide innovative resources, activities and strategies and be a channel to share highlights and success stories around this important topic.

All you need to know about this year’s Get to Know Contest! March 18, 2013 Contest

Here at the Get to Know offices, the arrival of March means one big thing… err, maybe two. Firstly, Spring is just around the corner and with that more daylight hours and milder weather to be active outdoors, and two, the Get to Know Contest is now only a month away!

Get to Know Youth Dance Mob Video March 8, 2013 Contest

On a blustery morning in early March, over 200 youth braved the cold in a downtown Kelowna park for one goal… to dance their hearts out and encourage other youth to get outdoors, celebrate nature and express themselves through the Get to Know Contest!

New Pollinators Galleries Coming! March 1, 2013 Contest

The Get to Know Contest strives to instill and connect kids with all of nature’s amazing and diverse biodiversity. From the gentle giants of the deep to the minutest tree dwelling insects, it’s clear that our planet’s biodiversity is all connected.

OISEAU Q & A Feb. 18, 2013 News

Besides organizing one of North America’s largest art and nature contests, we’ve also been hard at work on the development of our first ever mobile app. The first version of the app is already available for download on the iStore and can currently be used at two sites in the beautiful city of Calgary, Alberta. But what is OISEAU even about and how can a mobile app help connect kids with nature and the outdoors? For these and a slew of other important and entertaining questions, we caught up with OISEAU Project Manager, Andrew Munroe.