Northern First Nation nursery school turns bear encounter into learning opportunity

A close encounter with a bear at a northern Ontario First Nation nursery school turned into a good learning experience for the children.

Staff at the Ginoogaming Aboriginal Head Start captured the antics of a young black bear on video Wednesday.

The first incident happened about 9:30 a.m. when the bear broke into a wooden garbage shed and had a hard time getting out again, staff told CTV News. The video shows it squeezing out of a big hole it made at the top of the doors.

Then throughout the day, the bear would approach the building and peer in the windows.

"He hung around all day.  The children were curious learners and very cautious when leaving. It’s not every day we get to see them this close," Shelley Franceschini, the head start program manager, told CTV News.

"With the video, we were able to watch and zoom in and have some really good conversations about the bear."

Franceschini said bears are often seen in the community, but she has never been able to be as close up with one.

"We were able to watch him eat the grass, etc. and explore around the centre," she added.

The head start program is located on the Ginoogaming First Nation, near Longlac and more than 200 kilometres west of Hearst on Highway 11.

It offers children ranging from infants to 13 years old a chance to connect with their First Nation culture. There are currently 30 children enrolled in the various programs.