Feedback about the Get to Know Program

Thank you for all of this! Wade has been a completely different student ever since he won.

Our early experiences with this program have been extremely positive. It engages students in sustainability, which is a vital issue for them and a priority for the school district, while encouraging them to get outside and reduce their "screen time" so that they are healthier people... We have found the content of the [Get to Know Interactive] CDs to be presented in a very accessible and interactive manner. The Program seems to have been extremely well developed... I believe that the Get to Know Program will be well used and that it will make a significant contribution to fostering environmental stewardship and developing student leadership in the district.

Thank you for the wonderful interactive CD our school recently received. We were able to listen to Robert Bateman talk about why getting outside is important and take a virtual hike at the John Janzen Nature Centre in Edmonton. The children in my class really enjoyed looking for their wild neighbours and getting to know more about them.

On one of our recent school walks we paused to watch the seagulls swoop and soar around us. We listened for their sound. We also watched from afar and were silent while we waited for prairie dogs to come out from beneath the school portables. We have continued to read about prairie dogs, and watch them from our classroom window as they nibble at the grass. We wonder if we really have a prairie dog town just outside our door!

Over the past few weeks we have been listening to a bird song book, looking at a real robin's nest and eggs, a Robert Bateman book, and other animal books that have inspired our entries. Most recently a wild bunny rabbit was brought to the school (story is included as a writing entry) for the kids to see.

Thank you for providing this opportunity for my students!

The [Get to Know Interactive CD] provided an excellent base for the students to learn about flora and fauna. They were then able to apply and extend this knowledge during our specimen study (provided by UBC's Cowan Museum) and field trips to Pacific Spirit Park and Queen Elizabeth Park... Thank you for the fantastic resource. It has been a great tool for connecting our students to their own backyards.

Many of my kids have never been into nature. Boys who never write are now writing about species around us, students are mentoring each other with the [Get to Know Interactive] CD, and they are spending more quality education time outside in nature. I love this resource so much that I set it up every day for a student to use on our classroom computer.

I am very happy that I was one of this year's calendar contest winners. Nature is an inspiration for me. My paintings reflects who I am in some way and they all have a little bit of me in them. With this calendar contest, I hope, one day, to become known as a fine art artist.

Winning the Robert Bateman wildlife art contest has had an impact on the way I view nature. I have always loved the beauty of nature but now I am seriously considering a career in wildlife conservation.

I heard about this contest when our fifth grade classes went up to Blue Sky Meadow in Big Bear for a week of Outdoor Science School. It was fabulous up there. The students loved it and didn't want to come home. They learned so much and had so much fun. I think this is a wonderful idea. I love that it is a learning experience and it fits with our curriculum.

Get to Know was the best thing that could happen for the kids programs in our area because the ground rules are simple, reliable and clear; the outcomes free from manipulation and over-production.....kind of 'natural' so to speak. This leaves volunteers free to enjoy the process along with students and without the pressures normally associated with outcomes.

When I first entered the Get To Know Contest, I didn't like writing much, and entered a picture instead. It was not selected, and in the following years, I tried my hand at writing instead, but entered for several years without success.

Then, in 2007, I tested out a different writing style - getting my point across as simply as possible. In early May, I received a call - my entry, 'Waiting...', had won! When 2008's contest rolled around, I used a similar style for my newest entry, 'Maple', which won again. For 2009's contest, I knew I really wanted to enter, since I was 19 at the time, but I didn't have anything to submit initially. Finally, after much trial and error, I came up with an entry that I was happy with - 'What is Biodiversity?' - and again, I won.

I'm happy with what I achieved, and I think that this competition, (and others), have helped me to realize I'm actually a good writer. Because of practice, I was able to successfully write an essay on the environment that won me a spot from Coca-Cola to be a runner in the Olympic Torch relay this past month (Dec. '09).

Thanks for this wonderful contest - it's been fun!

Thanks for coordinating this contest. I know it must be a lot of work. I really appreciate it that you are allowing kids to express and show what they have discovered outside in nature. Good luck with deciding the winners... This is the most educational and fun contest I have ever entered! Thanks!

I thank you very much for selecting my daughter' art work in this year's calendar contest. It has been very rewarding for her. It is great also to share young artists talents from across Canada and to promote your Foundation geared to protect the environment. Art has been Marie-Ève's passion since she was little and it is wonderful to have recognized her talent. Thank you for your professionalism and to have organized a signing event for her and for the other winners. It is something that she will remember and also give the confidence to pursue her passion!"