Moose on the Loose
User Story
By Lisa Shamchuk
To me, the start of summer is marked by the return of the Green Shacks to local parks and playgrounds. We are so fortunate to live in a city that funds this wonderful summertime program. Green Shack staff will entertain your children at your local playground, running games, crafts, songs and other activities. What a fun way to spend a summer!
I have many memories of joining in with the Green Shack activities as a child growing up in Edmonton. I also have many memories of being a “Green Shack Girl” - I spent two summers working as a playground leader while completing my Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Alberta. This job allowed me to gain valuable experience working with children, all the while working on my socks-and-t-shirt tan. Sometimes it was stifling hot, and sometimes it rained for days. Sometimes there were more children than I knew what to do with, and sometimes there were only a few brave souls who showed up with rain jackets and umbrellas. Once we even had to evacuate due to a tornado warning!
My most memorable Green Shack moment occurred at Sifton Park in Clareview, back in 2001. I was pushing a girl on the tire swing when suddenly she shouted out, “Look Lisa, a horse!” I turned to find not a horse, but a young moose running through the field across the street! In those days, the park was a bit closer to the outskirts of the city, as many houses and neighbourhoods had yet to be built. For the next couple of hours, we all sat on the playground equipment and watched our moose evade animal patrol and 2 police cruisers. Back and forth they all went, through the fields, around the park, and up and down the ravine. It was all very exciting! Eventually, once the excitement had settled a little and our moose had made its way back home, we made up a moose song to go along with our newly-created moose puppets, and played moose-themed games for the rest of the day.
