[GALLERY]: Kindergarten students release rainbow trout at Mainprize Regional Park

Mrs. Candice Porter's Kindergarten class from St. Michael School took a trip yesterday to Mainprize Regional Park, where they released around 100 rainbow trout fingerlings into the trout pond.

The classroom began caring for the fish eggs this winter.  

"We got them at the end of January just as eggs, and we've each taken turns, they've helped fill the water when we've had to change the water in the tank, and they've all got to take turns, each time they were the leader of the day, they got to feed the fish," she explained. "We learned about them over the last few months and so they get pretty excited about it. Actually, some of them said it was a pretty sad day because we had to let the fish go."

Porter said the students had all kinds of questions. 

"We can answer them as we go, and we make some art with the fish, and we learn about them, because they all have questions, whether they sleep, how they breathe, and we look at the different parts of the fish and learn about the fish as we go."

Mrs. Porter has shared this experience with three Kindergarten classes now, and she has gotten through the learning curve. 

"It's a little less stressful for me, as I feel more comfortable with the water changes and the chemicals and just kind of managing it."

She said she had been watching the forecast all week, and apart from a few raindrops, the weather for yesterday's rainbow trout release could not have been better.
 
"I think I had 30 of my Kindergarten students join us, and members of the Wildlife Federation, and we released the fish, had a barbecue that was provided and cooked by the Wildlife Federation, had freezies, played at the beach, and ventured back to school," she shared.

Porter thanked the Weyburn Wildlife Federation and the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.

"They're the ones that started the Fish In School, the FINS program. So without them and the sponsorship from the Weyburn Wildlife Federation, we wouldn't be able to do it. It's fun to share it with the kids. Some fish, some do not. Some have no idea about any of it. So it's pretty neat."